Chapter 29: Change of Attitude (Includes 1.5w Nutrient Solution Bonus)

Chapter 29: A Change of Attitude (Includes 15k Healing Serum Bonus)

The next morning, at dawn.

Xie Chi walked out of the hospital with his right arm hanging in a sling, looking utterly innocent amid the doctors' cries of "Where did the window go?"

Actually, his arm was just about healed—only a bit stiff—so Xie Chi paid the minor injury no mind. He just played along for the doctors' sake, with zero intention of following their orders.

After leaving the hospital, Xie Chi made a trip to the Shadow Guard camp first.

Although most of the Shadow Guard's affairs had been handled by Nie Huaiyi during this period due to Yan Baiyue's arrival, Xie Chi, as the captain, couldn't just wash his hands of things after a brutal fight.

In the distance, Xie Chi spotted the crew warming up on the training field.

The middle-aged man leading the pack was none other than Nie Huaiyi, who had led the group in breaking through the siege.

"Captain Xie, you're awake!" Nie Huaiyi spotted Xie Chi as well and came jogging up with a smile. "Thanks to that medicine you whipped out yesterday, all our wounded are out of the woods now. Just over a hundred need amputations because their tissue's completely dead, and we're scheduling the surgeries in waves. How's your body?"

Since they'd used a watered-down version of the repair fluid, the effects weren't as crazy as the pure stuff. Nie Huaiyi and the others had no idea that what Xie Chi had provided was a repair fluid far ahead of its time—they just figured it was some fancy capital-planet meds.

Xie Chi didn't elaborate. He nodded. "I'm fine. Just came to see how the Shadow Guard's doing. Glad everyone's safe now."

Nie Huaiyi glanced at Xie Chi's bandaged arm, opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but in the end didn't pry.

As they were chatting, the Shadow Guard guys finishing their warm-up jog started closing in. Seeing Xie Chi, they slowed down one after another to nod at him.

Xie Chi looked over the group and asked offhandedly, "Back to training already? Shouldn't you guys rest a few more days?"

Nie Huaiyi rubbed the back of his head and flashed a sheepish grin. "We're all good now. The ones who still need to take it easy are in the hospital. Even His Highness was back to work the second he woke up—there's no reason for us to be sitting around."

Yan Wanqiu regained consciousness?

Xie Chi's heart gave a jolt. He was about to ask more when Nie Huaiyi went on, "Captain Xie, are you headed to see His Highness?"

Xie Chi nodded. "Yeah, got some stuff to go over with His Highness. What's up?"

Nie Huaiyi gave a wave, and the jogging formation stirred briefly. Then, a few familiar alphas peeled off from the group and trotted up to Xie Chi.

Xie Chi raised an eyebrow at the stiff-looking guys.

Nie Huaiyi took the initiative to introduce them: "These are the moles Yan Baiyue had planted in the mines. We grabbed them on the way out when we evacuated. They've got some fake evidence framing His Highness. Since you and His Highness were both out yesterday, I had no idea what to do with them, so I've been holding them here at the Shadow Guard camp under guard. If you're going to see His Highness, could you ask what we should do with these guys?"

Xie Chi nodded. "Sure."

His gaze shifted to the group. "What are your thoughts? Do you swear loyalty to Yan Baiyue to the death, or will you follow His Highness's orders?"

The men exchanged uneasy glances.

They were just original residents of Snowstorm City who had been dragged into this mess. They couldn't make heads or tails of the capital's political situation. All they knew was that they'd been captured by a prince, then the prince's moles turned out to be double agents, and suddenly they were prisoners.

One prince had just left, and now another prince had arrived. The men were both anxious and wary.

Finally, an alpha around twenty-something stepped forward. "Captain Xie, we were all coerced. We hold no loyalty to Yan Baiyue. We're willing to follow His Highness's orders."

Xie Chi nodded and withdrew the hand that had been reaching for his gun.

At least they knew which way the wind blew.

If these fools had been stupid enough to misread the situation, he would have dealt with them on the spot—no point letting them risk upsetting Yan Wanqiu and costing him chances to see his wife.

Xie Chi glanced at the young man who had clearly become the group's leader.

He remembered this person's file. The young alpha's name was Wood, a resident of a town near Snowstorm No. 1 thermal ore mine.

Xie Chi made a mental note to report this specifically to Yan Wanqiu later, while keeping his expression neutral as he nodded to the group.

After making a round through the Shadow Guard camp, confirming that everything was in order—the wounded properly settled, supplies sufficiently stocked, no major issues—Xie Chi bid farewell to Nie Huaiyi.

After he left, Nie Huaiyi smiled at Wood and the others. "Alright, get back in formation and train well. The rest is up to Captain Xie."

"Don't worry—the living conditions in our camp are excellent. His Highness isn't as terrifying as the rumors say. As long as you don't betray him, nothing will happen to you."

Wood and the others nodded, having personally experienced the quality of life here.

The Shadow Guard barracks housed eight per room, each equipped with a combustion furnace. The camp even had a large communal bathhouse, and the cafeteria served delicious food at reasonable prices—a month's wages was more than enough to eat your fill.

In a bitter, frozen place like Snowstorm City, being able to live in a heated room, have hot water on demand, and never worry about food or warmth—this was a life they wouldn't have dared dream of before.

Wood could fully understand why Yan Wanqiu had developed so rapidly. If he had lived in a town near Yan Wanqiu, he would have defected to him at the first opportunity too.

Capital planets, princes, pheromone disorders—these distant matters had nothing to do with him. Having enough to eat and staying warm was what truly mattered.

But still...

Wood jogged back to formation, looking at the others training with fervor, their eyes burning with undisguised loyalty and zeal. He couldn't help but wonder.

Why did these people genuinely support Yan Wanqiu, even willing to shed blood and sacrifice their lives for him?

Giving your loyalty didn't even earn you an extra chicken leg at dinner, did it?

.

"...And that's how it stands. The disposition of Wood and the others awaits Your Highness's decision."

Inside the palace, Xie Chi knelt on one knee, dutifully reporting all the work.

Because his right arm was still in a sling, his kneeling posture looked somewhat awkward.

Yan Wanqiu had stayed up late into the night cleaning up before finally sleeping, only to wake at dawn and begin processing the mountain of accumulated work.

He felt uncomfortable all over—exhausted and irritable.

But recalling Xie Chi's negative assessment of "Yan Wanqiu," he suppressed his irritation, refusing to show the slightest impatience in front of Xie Chi, the very cause of his troubles.

After this battle, Xie Chi was thoroughly bound to him. They would be working together for a long time, and if possible, Yan Wanqiu wanted to minimize Xie Chi's hostility toward him.

At the very least, stop badmouthing him to his face.

Yan Wanqiu thought this as his gaze lingered briefly on Xie Chi's bandaged right arm.

This guy—arm broken and he still doesn't know how to hold back.

He lowered his eyes to the documents Xie Chi had submitted. "Rise. You're injured—no need to kneel when you see me during this period."

Xie Chi stood up and continued staring at the floor.

Due to the gap in their status, Xie Chi rarely looked up at Yan Wanqiu except when necessary.

Besides, he had no interest in what anyone other than his wife looked like.

The report was done. Now he needed to find an opportunity to bring up meeting his wife to Yan Wanqiu.

Thinking of Ji Chou, Xie Chi's thoughts couldn't help but drift away.

His wife had taken off in a hurry last night, and he hadn't even gotten the chance to confirm if she'd really come for him.

He looked rough, all banged up—wondered if his wife got scared...

Yan Wanqiu caught a glimpse of Xie Chi, clearly zoned out, and the corner of his mouth turned down.

Yan Baiyue was dead, so what the hell was this guy spacing out about?

"Xie Chi, come here."

Xie Chi, still zoned out, took a second to realize Yan Wanqiu was talking to him.

He blinked, confused, and hesitantly shuffled forward a few steps.

Go where?

Like he was annoyed by Xie Chi's slow pace, Yan Wanqiu's impatient voice rang out: "Come to me."

Only then did Xie Chi climb the steps, stopping in front of Yan Wanqiu's chair, head still down.

Staring at the hem of Yan Wanqiu's robes, Xie Chi grew even more puzzled.

What was this about? Was Yan Wanqiu trying to get back at him for yesterday's beating and pick a fight?

Yan Wanqiu had meant for Xie Chi to stand next to him, but the guy clearly wasn't getting it. He shot Xie Chi an annoyed look: "You're in my light."

"Oh." Xie Chi turned and headed back down the steps.

It was weird, but Yan Wanqiu was totally the type to call someone up just to shoo them away for being in the way.

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Watching Xie Chi's back as he walked off, Yan Wanqiu gritted his teeth: "I said stand next to me!"

Why did this guy need a personal invitation to get it?!

Having to spell it out like that made it look like he was that fond of Xie Chi.

Xie Chi, for his part, didn't feel much of anything at that. He gave another "Oh," turned, and stood next to Yan Wanqiu.

This position and distance crossed the line between a subordinate and the Monarch. With a slight lift of his eyes, Xie Chi could clearly see what was on Yan Wanqiu's smart screen.

Sneaking a peek at his boss's work files was clearly way out of line, so Xie Chi just dropped his head and stared at the floor again.

As the young man got closer, a super faint scent of orange drifted over—crisp and cool, with a hint of sweet.

Yan Wanqiu spaced out for a second.

He pulled himself together and said to Xie Chi: "Stop hanging your head. Take a look at this file and tell me what you think."

Since Yan Wanqiu had ordered it, Xie Chi had no choice but to look up at the guy's smart screen.

On it was Wood's info.

Wood was born into a typical poor family in Blizzard City—his dad was a gambler, and both his parents died young. To survive, back when the mining grounds were still a Night Owl Syndicate casino, Wood became one of the casino's "hawks," tasked with keeping watch around the place and immediately tipping off the higher-ups if cops or any other shady types showed up.

It wasn't an easy gig—it required 24/7 vigilance, and any slip-up or missed report would make the Night Owl Syndicate suspect betrayal, leading to death and being left out on the snowy plains.

Because of that, even though a "hawk" made three times the local average wage, few lived past twenty. Some kids got into the trade at thirteen or fourteen and usually died by fifteen or sixteen.

But Wood not only made it to twenty, he even became a squad leader later.

After the Night Owl Syndicate fell, Wood lost his job and just came to the mining grounds to try to get hired as a worker, only to get grabbed by Yan Baiyue's men on the way and turned into a mole in the mines.

"What do you make of this guy?" Yan Wanqiu asked.

As a killer, Xie Chi had some understanding of people who survived meat-grinder organizations.

He said: "He'll know how to read the room. He'd do anything to survive, but real loyalty would be hard to come by."

Yan Wanqiu shot Xie Chi a surprised look.

He'd only meant to keep Xie Chi from zoning out, but the guy had actually managed to say something real.

"Not entirely right." Yan Wanqiu gave a slight nod, his gaze dark. "It's not that loyalty is hard to come by—it's just that people like him have never been treated right. Naturally, they won't easily trust others, let alone hand over their loyalty."

Xie Chi thought for a second: "Then want me to go kill him for you?"

Yan Wanqiu: "?"

"No need, it hasn't gotten to that point." The corner of Yan Wanqiu's mouth twitched. "He's a local around the Blizzard No. 1 thermal ore mine, with some skill and a name for himself around here. Coincidentally, we need to expand our territory fast near the mines next, and he'll make a great showpiece. So I need you to keep an eye on him in your day-to-day and report to me right away if anything comes up."

A guy who once worked for the Night Owl Syndicate and later sided with Yan Baiyue now ended up under Yan Wanqiu. Because he was capable and didn't betray, he could get important roles and live a better life.

Blizzard City might be small, but it could still turn out people like Shi Peijue and Mr. Ai. Yan Wanqiu had money, food, and ore. To expand fast, he needed to win people over.

Let the common folks eat their fill and stay warm; let talent see a way forward.

Wood was exactly the perfect example.

Yan Wanqiu's eyes flickered: "Just have them hand in fake IDs and stay in the Shadow Guard. Nie Huaiyi's good with the locals. Later, when we need to start building up the towns around the Blizzard No. 1 thermal ore mine, if there's a use for him, I'll let you know to reassign him."

Xie Chi listened, only half getting it, but still nodded: "Got it."

Yan Wanqiu glanced at Xie Chi: "You sure you get it?"

Xie Chi nodded: "Got it. Wood's useful, so don't kill him for now—keep him around."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Fine, that interpretation wasn't wrong either.

He rubbed his brow and changed the subject: "Yan Baiyue's dead, and news of me getting out alive will spread. The main star will pull out all the stops to hunt me down. When that happens, You Fuzhu, the city lord of Icebound City, will definitely cause trouble for Blizzard City."

Xie Chi felt he really got it this time: "Want me to go kill You Fuzhu for you?"

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Yan Wanqiu felt a sudden urge to crack open Xie Chi's skull and see what else was in there besides killing.

"I'm not talking about killing right now." Yan Wanqiu sighed, helpless. "You Fuzhu can't be killed."

He gave a quick rundown: "The Northern Star has seven cities, ranked by size from biggest to smallest: Shuo Feng, Xian Song, Icebound, Eternal Frost, Glacier, Polar Night, and Blizzard City. Icebound City sits in the mid-eastern interior, relying on its port and support from the main star, standing in a standoff with Xian Song City—which has the lowest latitude and richest resources on the Northern Star—each checking the other. Although Shuo Feng City has the biggest territory, it's in a barren, freezing high-latitude region and has long had its eye on Icebound and Xian Song. Polar Night City, at the highest latitude, borders Shuo Feng and acts as its vassal. Eternal Frost and Glacier City are mid-tier across the board and, being inland in the central region, have always flip-flopped between sides."

"You Fuzhu is the backbone of Icebound City. If we take him out now, we won't be able to absorb Icebound City while things in Blizzard City are still shaky—instead, we'd hand it to Xian Song and Shuo Feng. And without Icebound City as a natural shield, we'd face a pincer attack from the other five cities—not just the main star; they're all dying for the thermal ore."

This time Xie Chi got it, but he still found it weird.

If we're not killing him, then why are we even looking for him?

Yan Wanqiu was being extra weird today.

Yan Wanqiu glanced at Xie Chi and said with a pointed look, "You did an exceptional job on this operation to kill Yan Baiyue. I'll give you all the rewards I promised. I can either pay you cash for the six hundred bottles of repair fluid at a hundred thousand each, or trade them for that three-bedroom apartment you wanted. And from now on, whenever we build new houses in camp, I'll set one aside for you."

Xie Chi's eyes lit right up. "Then I want the three-bedroom apartment!"

He hesitated. "Just the three-bedroom apartment, and convert the rest to cash, is that alright?"

Mainly because Yan Wanqiu probably wouldn't live long enough to build him anything fancier than a three-bedroom. So blowing all sixty million on housing would be a waste.

"Fine." Yan Wanqiu agreed without hesitation, then changed the subject. "That said, Blizzard City's got problems both inside and out right now. Sure, we can reverse-engineer electromagnetic guns, but Yan Huishi's weapons research has already advanced to electromagnetic cannons, leaving us a whole stage behind. We've got to get our own house in order while also going head-to-head with Glacier City. Sixty million isn't pocket change. Until things turn around, I might not be able to front that much cash at once without breaking the R&D funding pipeline."

"But if there were some new kind of weapon..."

Yan Wanqiu had spelled it out enough that even Xie Chi, dense as he was, got the hint.

Yan Wanqiu was after his quantum gun.

It finally clicked for Xie Chi—this explained all of Yan Wanqiu's weird behavior today.

He'd already seen this coming when he pulled out the quantum gun, but he really hadn't expected the Tyrant—a guy known for just taking what he wanted—to beat around the bush like this.

Xie Chi decided to just come out with it. "I do have quantum guns I could offer you, Your Highness, but I've only got a hundred, and they're all a bit banged up. They'll need a professional mechanic to fix them up before they're usable."

Yan Wanqiu gave him a look, clearly not buying it. "All of them are malfunctioning? Then what were you using earlier?"

Xie Chi was straight with him. "I had Shi Peijue repair them. I've already dropped a ton of cash getting him to figure them out. If you want to get them all fixed, the price is pretty reasonable now—just a few thousand per gun."

At this point, there was no point hiding that Shi Peijue had been the one fixing the quantum guns. Besides, Yan Wanqiu still needed him alive for now, so he wasn't about to make a fuss over it.

Sure enough, Yan Wanqiu was quiet for a beat before saying, "Understood. I'll ask about it later. Got any conditions you want in return?"

Xie Chi mulled it over.

This mission had netted him two million, and the six hundred bottles of repair fluid had scored him tens of millions more. Yan Wanqiu had also promised to get moving on the three-bedroom. The only thing he really wanted right now was...

"There's nothing else I particularly want. Just let me see my wife more often," Xie Chi said earnestly. "Once a week is fine, no time limit."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Xie Chi continued, "And about the messaging thing with my wife—forget lifting the cap entirely, can I at least send more than five messages a day? Five's nowhere near enough."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

When Yan Wanqiu stayed quiet, Xie Chi asked, confused, "Your Highness?"

Yan Wanqiu took a deep breath. "Fine—as long as you give me the same kind of gun you use, and they can actually be fixed."

A hundred weapons as terrifying as the one Xie Chi had, and all it cost was letting "Ji Chou" see Xie Chi once a week—Yan Wanqiu couldn't say no to that.

Moreover...

Yan Wanqiu's hand drifted to his neck without thinking.

The blocker patch on his gland was pressed on tight. It hid the mingled scent of orange and cedar, but he still couldn't stop thinking about that messy night.

His condition needed Xie Chi.

Xie Chi hadn't expected Yan Wanqiu to cave that easily. For a second, he forgot all decorum and just gaped at him.

Yan Wanqiu caught him staring and snapped, "What are you looking at? Got something on my face?"

Xie Chi shook his head. "No, just that you're being surprisingly easy to deal with today, Your Highness."

Yan Wanqiu arched a brow. "Got a problem with that?"

"Kind of," Xie Chi hesitated, then admitted, "If it's possible, you could just ask me straight up next time."

He'd picked up on Yan Wanqiu's hint this time, but what if he missed it next time? Yan Wanqiu might take his frustration out on Ji Chou.

At that, Yan Wanqiu couldn't help grinding his teeth. "Didn't you say it yourself that day? Push you any harder and you'd revolt. Now I'm being nice to you, and you've got the nerve to complain?"

Xie Chi went "ah" and scrunched up his face, trying to remember. Finally it came back to him—the nonsense he'd mumbled while half-conscious on Yan Wanqiu's back.

A chill ran through Xie Chi.

He'd actually told the Tyrant, to his face, that he wanted to stage a rebellion.

And Yan Wanqiu hadn't just dumped him in the snow to die right then and there.

"I was already blacking out by then—just rambling. Your Highness doesn't need to take any of that seriously..." Xie Chi explained, guilty.

"Shut up." Yan Wanqiu didn't want to hear Xie Chi's lies.

He glanced at the bandages on Xie Chi's arm and said, sounding a little stiff, "I suspected you'd been bought by Yan Baiyue, and I treated you like crap because of it. I'll admit I was wrong about that. On top of you saving my life twice and doing solid work in this operation—this isn't just about Ji Chou. I'll make it up to you financially too. Take the time to heal up properly and don't go stirring up trouble."

Xie Chi: ???

Xie Chi was floored.

Yan Wanqiu actually owned up to being wrong?

Yan Wanqiu was irritated by his stunned face. "What's with that look? I'm not some tyrant."

Xie Chi almost said, "Aren't you, though?"—then it finally hit him.

—The Yan Wanqiu before him right now truly wasn't the Tyrant.

"Tyrant" was what later generations called Yan Wanqiu after he'd declared himself king up north and died in defeat. The Yan Wanqiu in front of him hadn't even taken the title of king yet—he was just a banished prince.

It was only because he'd done his research beforehand that he'd gone in assuming Yan Wanqiu was the Tyrant.

In reality, early-stage Yan Wanqiu, back when he was building up Blizzard City, hadn't fully lost his mind yet. He still had some sense left—he was just short-tempered.

Plus, since this "Xie Chi" hadn't betrayed him, Yan Wanqiu's fall to the dark side had been slowed way down. At worst, he was still mid-transformation into the "Tyrant."

Xie Chi studied Yan Wanqiu's face and ventured, "Then... thanks, Your Highness?"

Yan Wanqiu let out a cold snort. "Smart choice."

Realizing he'd had the wrong read on things this whole time, and with Yan Wanqiu being in such a good mood today, Xie Chi's mind started working.

He looked at Yan Wanqiu and pressed his luck. "In that case, can I see Ji Chou tonight? You promised earlier that once Yan Baiyue was dead, I could meet him. I got hurt on this mission, so I'm sure he's worried. If we could meet without a time limit, it'd set his mind at ease."

Yan Wanqiu paused. "Fine."

He glanced at Xie Chi's arm and added, "Heal up properly. Don't go doing anything stupid. If you mess up your recovery and it hurts future missions, I'm holding both you and Ji Chou responsible."

Yan Wanqiu's tone was almost playful, but the second Ji Chou came up, Xie Chi was on high alert.

He was about to ask what "anything stupid" was supposed to mean when someone came rushing in with a report.

"Your Highness, we've got a problem! The main star just put out a top-priority wanted order!"