Chapter 16: Promise

Chapter 16: The Promise

Xie Chi, under the gaze of Nie Huaiyi and the others that seemed to say "look at you two, so devoted to each other," carried bags and bundles of gifts and steeled himself as he walked into the audience hall.

Yan Wanqiu wore a high-necked sweater, lounging on the throne, pretending to doze, his whole vibe screaming barely-suppressed irritation.

He really didn't want to see anyone. Xie Chi had worn him out all night, and even though his reproductive cavity hadn't ended up being opened, he'd still used the repair fluid, but it hadn't done much for his mental exhaustion.

But the one requesting an audience was Xie Chi, so Yan Wanqiu had to drag himself upright to receive him.

Of course, he knew Xie Chi had come to cause trouble over Ji Chou. He'd dragged himself up to let him in not only to prevent Xie Chi from doing something reckless because Ji Chou had gotten hurt, but also because he'd noticed something off about his own body.

The murderous rage that had nearly swallowed his sanity last night was gone. The violent pheromone dysregulation flare-up had completely settled overnight.

In the past, a relapse this bad would've sent him completely off the rails, taking it out in violence until he'd butchered an entire small outfit of the Night Owl Syndicate. But last night, all he'd done was wreck Xie Chi's room.

The only difference was that he'd slept with Xie Chi again.

The last time had been the same. When he'd come back from the Night Owl Syndicate, he'd been dripping with bloodlust, but the second he caught Xie Chi's pheromones, he'd been consumed by lust, and after one night, his head was completely clear. And in the days after, his pheromone dysregulation hadn't shown any sign of flaring up again.

At this point, Yan Wanqiu had a nagging suspicion forming.

—Xie Chi might have something on him that could temporarily suppress his pheromone dysregulation syndrome.

And the most likely candidate was pheromones.

That would explain everything: why the Night Owl Syndicate guys had insisted to their dying breath they hadn't drugged him, why he kept unconsciously craving Xie Chi's pheromones, why his eyes kept lingering on Xie Chi's face, and why he'd let Xie Chi off the hook again and again.

The thought gave Yan Wanqiu a headache.

He'd kept the Ji Chou identity to test and use Xie Chi. As long as Xie Chi slipped up or outlived his usefulness, he could toss that identity aside.

But if Xie Chi really could suppress his pheromone dysregulation, Yan Wanqiu couldn't cut ties with him at all.

...Was he really going to have to hide his identity and be this guy's wife for the rest of his damn life?

That was just too ridiculous.

"Creak—"

A creak came from the door, and Yan Wanqiu knew Xie Chi had entered.

This guy had probably come to raise hell over Ji Chou, so Yan Wanqiu decided to get ahead of it. He cracked one eye open and said flatly, "Say your piece or get the hell out—"

He trailed off, stunned, as Xie Chi trooped in loaded down with gifts like it was New Year's.

"What's all this?"

Xie Chi wasn't surprised by the Tyrant's attitude. He set everything down on the floor and lined it all up neatly, then said honestly, "Uncle Nie and the others asked me to bring these for you."

He gave a quick rundown of what had happened and introduced each gift's sender.

"I think they've got too much time and money on their hands." Yan Wanqiu snorted after a beat, but the irritation on his face eased quite a bit.

Everything he'd done since arriving in Blizzard City had been for himself, in the end. Seeing Nie Huaiyi and the others back him so genuinely, he couldn't help but be a little moved.

"Keep them for now. Tell Nie Huaiyi to come see me later."

"Yes." Xie Chi acknowledged, and seeing Yan Wanqiu's expression soften, silently thanked Nie Huaiyi and the rest.

Good thing he'd run into them. Otherwise, he was genuinely afraid Yan Wanqiu's paranoia would've had him dragged out and executed.

That opening wouldn't have been a dead end, but fighting his way past the guards would've wasted too much time. With a paranoid tyrant like this, it was better to keep things simple.

Yan Wanqiu swept his eyes over the gifts, then looked down at Xie Chi. "What about you? You came all the way here this early just to play delivery boy for Nie Huaiyi and the others?"

"No. I'm here about Ji Chou." Xie Chi didn't mince words.

He looked up and, for the first time in the audience hall, met the Tyrant's eyes dead-on, speaking slowly and deliberately: "I'm asking you to stop going after Ji Chou."

It was rare to see Xie Chi dig in his heels like this. Yan Wanqiu raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what makes you think I should?"

Xie Chi met his gaze, neither cowed nor cocky: "Because you still need me to kill for you—not just Yan Baiyue, but You Fuzhu, and whoever else gets in your way down the line."

Yan Wanqiu countered: "I know exactly what you're capable of. I still don't know how you managed to kill Boss Ye, but You Fuzhu is the lord of Icecold City. Taking him out solo is next to impossible. Why should I believe a word of your empty promises?"

Xie Chi gave a small smile, held out his hand, and showed Yan Wanqiu what was in it.

In his palm sat a bottle of repair fluid, plain as day.

Yan Wanqiu had seen this thing last night, but to keep up appearances, he played just the right amount of confused. "What is this?"

"Repair fluid. It's also why I bounced back so fast yesterday." Xie Chi said, "You went after Ji Chou to get your hands on this, didn't you? So I brought it to you myself."

"I've got ten more bottles of this stuff. I'll hand them all over to you. And if you want, I can even try to track down the formula for you."

Xie Chi's tone was steady, unhurried.

"But I have conditions. I want to meet with Ji Chou at least once a month. Once I've confirmed he's not hurt, I'll give him the repair fluid, and he can hand it over to you."

"That's my show of good faith for Ji Chou's safety. And after that, I'll stick to our deal and kill Yan Baiyue to prove my worth and loyalty."

Xie Chi looked Yan Wanqiu dead in the eye and said, with absolute certainty: "You need a blade. And I'm the best one for the job."

Yan Wanqiu went quiet for a moment.

He'd expected Xie Chi to come in swinging, but the guy had actually laid out a solid case for why he shouldn't touch Ji Chou.

This idiot had failed to figure out that Ji Chou was him all this time, yet when it came to Ji Chou's safety, he was sharp as a tack.

Yan Wanqiu hadn't planned on burning this bridge anyway, so he gave a small nod. "Fine. I accept your terms."

"But about last night—I need an explanation. How did you know what Yan Baiyue likes to eat?"

Xie Chi gave a wry twist of his lips: "I just grabbed something at random. It was meant for you, but who knew he'd pop out of nowhere and snatch it first."

Yan Wanqiu wasn't buying it.

He'd been on the edge of losing it last night, so he couldn't remember the details clearly—only the sound of Yan Baiyue's delighted voice at the end.

Xie Chi didn't expect to talk the ever-suspicious Yan Wanqiu out of his doubts with a few sentences, so he kept going: "But Yan Baiyue did reach out to me privately last night. He tried to flip me."

Yan Wanqiu's face went still, his heart skipping a beat. "He tried to flip you?"

Xie Chi nodded, lying through his teeth without missing a beat: "That's right. Because of that cake, Yan Baiyue got it in his head that I liked him, so he pulled me aside at the banquet last night and tried to recruit me. I played along, got his whole plan out of him, and came straight to you."

"He's connected to the Night Owl Syndicate and brought four thousand soldiers with him. His plan is to have Night Owl Syndicate guys fan out over the next few days, digging up fake evidence of you exploiting miners and grabbing land. My part is to help him plant explosives in the thermal ore fields. Once that's set, Yan Baiyue will invite you to come along on an inspection. If you refuse, he'll use the fake evidence to have you arrested and take the camp by force. If you go, he'll blow you up at the thermal ore field, pass it off as a mining accident, then use the fake evidence to trash your reputation and legally take over the mining rights."

"If you don't believe me, just wait. Yan Baiyue will reach out to me about the explosives in a few days. Then you'll see I'm telling the truth."

Xie Chi's words were a mix of truth and lies, meant to clear his own name while also exposing Yan Baiyue's plan.

Yan Wanqiu had no idea when the original Xie Chi had become a mole; if Xie Chi said he was turned yesterday, then that's when it happened.

Yan Wanqiu's expression turned completely serious, his gaze locked on Xie Chi, as if weighing how believable his words were.

"Then why didn't you just accept his offer?" Yan Wanqiu spoke slowly.

Xie Chi said, as if it were obvious, "My wife's still here, so of course I've gotta save you. Yan Baiyue's not exactly handing me a wife."

He meant every word of that.

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Okay, that logic actually checks out.

Seeing Xie Chi's sincere expression, Yan Wanqiu was already half-convinced. He rubbed his forehead and said, "If all this is true, then you've done your part. A promotion and a raise are in your future."

One thing about Yan Wanqiu—he never held back when it came to money.

Xie Chi gave a genuine smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Yan Wanqiu nodded and instructed Xie Chi, "For now, don't cut ties with Yan Baiyue. Do whatever he says to earn his trust, but you have to report to me before you do anything."

Either way, the soldiers Yan Baiyue brought still posed a threat to them.

Just as Yan Baiyue didn't want to fight him, Yan Wanqiu didn't want the newly built camp to get caught in the crossfire.

Rather than clash head-on with Yan Baiyue and let the local forces of Blizzard City reap the benefits, it was better to play along.

Yan Wanqiu sneered, "Since he wants me dead in the mine so much, let him die there instead."

Xie Chi bowed his head slightly. "Yes."

With the Yan Baiyue matter cleared up for now, Yan Wanqiu found Xie Chi a lot more tolerable. He said offhandedly, "Didn't your house get wrecked? I'll have someone fix it this afternoon."

Xie Chi shook his head, a bit embarrassed. "No need. After all, Ji Chou and I caused quite a ruckus, so I won't trouble the camp's people. I'm heading to the black market this afternoon to buy what I need and pick up some everyday stuff."

Yan Wanqiu was at a loss for words.

Xie Chi actually thought the room that looked like a war zone was his fault?

Was this guy so out of it last night that his brain got fogged up too?

He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding but couldn't bring himself to say it, and finally managed to squeeze out two stiff words: "...Suit yourself."

Xie Chi thought for a moment. "Since I'm heading out this afternoon, why not invite Yan Baiyue along and fish for his recent plans?"

Yan Wanqiu paused, then repeated, "Suit yourself."

It did make sense for Xie Chi to meet Yan Baiyue to fish for information, but Yan Wanqiu felt strangely off.

He figured Xie Chi had basically gotten what he came for, so he started to shoo him off. "Anything else? If not, leave the repair fluid and head out."

Xie Chi's eyes went wide at that, clutching the repair fluid like a shield, looking reproachful. "Your Highness, how can you break your promise?"

"What did I break?" Yan Wanqiu asked, confused.

Xie Chi repeated, "Didn't I say earlier that I need to see Ji Chou at least once a month to make sure he's safe, then have him give you the repair fluid?"

Yan Wanqiu's eyebrow twitched. "Didn't you two just see each other last night?"

"That doesn't count. I'm making this request today, so it starts today," Xie Chi insisted. "Besides, Ji Chou was so badly injured last night that I barely got to exchange a few words with him."

Yan Wanqiu was actually left speechless by Xie Chi's comeback.

Xie Chi looked at Yan Wanqiu with determination. "I want to see Ji Chou. I'll see him when I come back tonight."

He had realized it last night—since hiding his concern for Ji Chou from Yan Wanqiu was useless, he might as well stop hiding it.

Today, Xie Chi brought out the repair fluid and proposed the ten-month deal specifically to give Ji Chou long-term safety until he was strong enough to take him away.

And the plan he revealed about Yan Baiyue was the most urgent need he offered Yan Wanqiu, while the promise to assassinate You Fuzhu was the long-term incentive.

If he weren't afraid the offer was too good to be true, Xie Chi would have added the eldest prince Yan Huishi from the main star to the assassination list as well.

He wanted to keep raising the stakes for Ji Chou, making Yan Wanqiu see how valuable he was and what he'd lose if Ji Chou got hurt. That way, even if Yan Wanqiu thought about using Ji Chou as leverage again, he'd have to think twice.

That was why Xie Chi threw all formality out the window this time, standing to speak directly with the tyrant on the dais.

After all, what he was showing off wasn't just his ability, but also the threat he posed to Yan Wanqiu.

If he could assassinate You Fuzhu, that meant he could just as easily do the same to Yan Wanqiu.

Yan Wanqiu had hurt Ji Chou, and Xie Chi was pissed, but he knew getting emotional and arguing with Yan Wanqiu was pointless. Only real benefits and threats were his greatest leverage.

Yan Wanqiu understood this very well.

Xie Chi's strategy was effective. If "Ji Chou" were truly just an ordinary subordinate, Yan Wanqiu wouldn't have minded fulfilling Xie Chi's small request.

Even if it meant another night together and they wrecked the place, he wouldn't have cared.

But the problem was, Ji Chou was him.

Yan Wanqiu pursed his lips and instinctively reached up to touch the gland on his neck.

Even after a whole night and using the repair fluid, the gland still throbbed with a dull ache.

The little alpha had no experience, so he was all over the place—not only roughly going at his reproductive cavity but also pumping pheromones into an alpha's gland. Last night, Yan Wanqiu had been pushed over the edge several times by another alpha's pheromones flooding his system.

If he hadn't applied a blocker patch, the entire audience hall would be filled with Xie Chi's strong orange-scented pheromones by now.

Though he didn't want to admit it, Yan Wanqiu really couldn't handle another night of Xie Chi dragging him into a marathon after tonight's meeting.

Xie Chi stared at him with burning intensity, clearly not backing down.

Yan Wanqiu averted his gaze. "...Fine."

Xie Chi's eyes lit up, but before he could thank him, Yan Wanqiu added.

"Fifteen minutes only."

Xie Chi: "..."

Stingy tyrant!

Fifteen minutes was fifteen minutes—better than not seeing him at all.

But given what happened last time, Xie Chi asked again before agreeing, "Really fifteen minutes? Not a minute less? Last time you said fifteen minutes, but we only got ten, and I didn't even have time to finish talking with Ji Chou."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Yan Wanqiu sighed. "Really, not a minute less."

After all, it was only fifteen minutes in total; even if Xie Chi wanted to do anything, there wouldn't be time.