Chapter 75: The First Round of Negotiations

Chapter 75: The First Round of Negotiations

Xu Qingran stared at Shen Tingyu, who was a few feet away from him.

He asked expressionlessly, "Why?"

Shen Tingyu's lips pressed together tightly.

Though clearly aroused, with his body and eyes betraying his desire, he remained resolute, like a monk resisting a temptress. He subtly increased the distance between them.

With a righteous tone, he said, "This is just the effect of the hallucinogen. We must not let it cloud our true intentions."

"I like you, not just for your body. I love your soul. It's okay if we don't do anything." His expression was serious and solemn.

Xu Qingran locked eyes with him for a few seconds.

Then, with a mocking glint in his eyes, he chuckled and asked, "Shen Tingyu, do you know what I see in your eyes every time you kiss or hug me?"

"I see you wanting to strip me naked, to possess me completely, every inch of me. You want to devour me, to pin me down in every corner you can see and ravage me day and night—" As he spoke, his gaze swept over Shen Tingyu from head to toe, seeing through him completely. "Shen Tingyu, do you really think I don't know what kind of person you are?"

His boyfriend—how could he not know him well?

The more buttoned-up he appears in public, the wilder he is in private.

Honestly, Xu Qingran wasn't afraid of this side of Shen Tingyu, nor did he dislike it.

After all, Shen Tingyu was different from people like Lu Cheng and Boss Chen. Xu Qingran could tell that Shen Tingyu only wanted to be wild with him. So, as someone who always sought excitement, Xu Qingran not only didn't reject it but even looked forward to seeing if Shen Tingyu could truly live up to his desires and ravage him completely.

But now, this jerk.

He had given him this opportunity, and Shen Tingyu actually refused?!

Xu Qingran grew angrier the more he thought about it.

Unable to hold back, he asked, "Shen Tingyu, are you... not up to it?"

After thinking it over, aside from this possibility, he couldn't think of any other reason for Shen Tingyu's refusal.

Shen Tingyu, who had been staring back at him, fell silent for a moment.

Finally, with a look as firm as if he were about to join the Communist Party, he refused, "Then just consider me incapable."

Xu Qingran indeed saw through Shen Tingyu completely.

While platonic relationships exist in this world, they would never happen between them.

Type E users are naturally brimming with energy, especially someone like Shen Tingyu, who graduated from the Tower of Evil. Their suppressed excess energy needs to be released in various ways, and physical intimacy with a partner is one of them.

So, it wasn't that Shen Tingyu wanted a bland, uneventful life.

Not only did he not want that, but he also wished to leave his mark and scent on every part of Xu Qingran, inside and out. Just as Xu Qingran had seen through him, there was no limit to how far Shen Tingyu wanted to go—only pushing further and further.

However, as long as the issue of their 0% compatibility remained unresolved, Shen Tingyu didn't want to touch him.

The deep connection between two high-level spiritual beings wasn't just about physical entanglement; it was more about the interaction of their souls and spirits. When two souls with less than 10% compatibility engaged in such an act, there was a chance the receiving party could suffer permanent damage.

Damage to their spiritual pool.

Shen Tingyu didn't want to ruin Xu Qingran for the sake of momentary pleasure.

Xu Qingran on this side: "..."

This guy would rather give up his 'manly pride' than agree? Unless it might kill him, he couldn't think of any other reason.

——But it shouldn't be that serious, right?

"I know you don't want me to suffer," Xu Qingran was surprised and pondering when Shen Tingyu finally returned to him.

He simply hugged him again and said, "But I'm really fine, and I can handle it myself. You don't need to think too much or worry about other things for now."

Xu Qingran found his attitude both amusing and annoying. He pushed him away disdainfully and threatened, "Shen Tingyu, I'll give you one last chance."

"I'm only asking this once. If you refuse, forget about ever touching me again. You can just handle it yourself for the rest of your life."

Shen Tingyu's fist clenched and then slowly relaxed.

He raised his hand and gently touched Xu Qingran's head as if caressing a precious treasure. His tender gaze masked the deep reluctance and intense restraint he felt.

"Xu Qingran, I love you," he whispered.

After saying that, he let go and went upstairs, leaving Xu Qingran stunned by his words.

Soon after, the faint sound of running water came from the upstairs bathroom.

Xu Qingran didn't follow him. Instead, he sat alone in the living room from evening until dawn.

After much thought, he called Xie Nanyi, who was working far away in the Celestial System.

It was afternoon for Xie Nanyi, and she quickly answered, her tone energetic: "Xu Qingran? I heard you were sent far away for work. Why are you calling now? Are you in trouble?"

Before Xu Qingran could explain, she began guessing: "Do you need matching data again? Or is your soul acting up? Or have you met a new compatible E-type at work?!"

"...Not exactly."

"But I do have a question about soul compatibility."

Xu Qingran's call with Xie Nanyi was brief.

It lasted about ten minutes, during which he asked about the risks of two low-compatibility souls being together. Xie Nanyi patiently explained, perhaps understanding his underlying concern, and highlighted the risks of compatibility below 10%.

After listening, Xu Qingran understood Shen Tingyu's unusual behavior.

After a pause, he finally said, "I see, thank you."

After hanging up, he thought for a moment.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed deeply, and murmured, "Fool."

Shen Tingyu had asked to stay a few more days in Shangnan Province to spend more time with Xu Qingran.

Given the situation, Xu Qingran still had much to handle in Shangnan Province. Once Shen Tingyu returned to the Golden Wing Battalion, he'd have countless tasks to handle. It was already difficult for people from two factions to be together, and now their main workplaces were as far apart as heaven and earth. After this separation, it was uncertain how long it would be before they could meet again.

The plan was originally beautiful.

But after he rejected Xu Qingran's special request yesterday, he hadn't seen or spoken to him since. Before, even if Xu Qingran had work or other arrangements, he would wait for him to get up or get ready before they went out together.

If they weren't going out together that day, they would at least have a few words at home, share a meal, and then leave.

But in these last few days, by the time Shen Tingyu woke up, Xu Qingran was already gone.

He didn't return, even until he fell asleep.

After a couple of days, once his physical and mental state had mostly recovered, he decided to stay up all night, hoping to catch him.

But Xu Qingran, whether by coincidence or because of their bond, seemed to sense his thoughts and plans and simply didn't return.

Shen Tingyu knew Xu Qingran's temper and his tendency to hold grudges.

He didn't go out of his way to catch him at his workplace, but whenever he had free time, he would go to a nearby spot where he could see him, quietly watching from a short distance.

He watched him confidently lead the execution of tasks in the disaster area, guiding and organizing in various camps, and saw the military guards of Shangnan Continent, who were initially skeptical, gradually won over by his abilities, unconsciously beginning to obey and trust him.

This was the day before Shen Tingyu and the Golden Wing Battalion were set to leave Shangnan Continent.

Xu Qingran wasn't far today, just at the East City General Camp, walking around with Deputy Mao, seemingly planning something new for the East City Camp.

Shen Tingyu could only stand at a high vantage point, silently watching his cool and serious figure.

Xie Nanjun, with nothing to do, found him, curious about what he'd been up to lately, and followed his gaze to the busy Xu Qingran. After watching for a while, aside from noticing a particularly beautiful white wolfhound beside Xu Qingran, he didn't see anything special.

"Shen Tingyu, there's something I've been meaning to say," Xie Nanjun suddenly said.

"Don't you think you're paying a bit too much attention to your nephew's wife?" he said, frowning slightly, "Not that it's a bad thing, but it just feels..."

"Kind of strange."

"Is it?" Shen Tingyu replied coolly, "When you and the others in the district couldn't get things right before, didn't I keep an eye on you every day like this?"

This statement left Xie Nanjun speechless.

"Wait, don't mess with me—the way you look at him is totally different from how you look at us!" Xie Nanjun finally got smart and didn't get tangled in his words.

Shen Tingyu then said, "True, it's different."

"Putting aside his identity as my nephew's wife, isn't Xu Qingran also my friend?"

"What's wrong with caring more for a friend?"

Xie Nanjun: "...Not really a problem."

He just felt that watching Shen Tingyu like this gave him a strange feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was off.

Maybe it's because Xu Qingran is the only one among them who's a good friend but comes from the Silver Dragon Battalion?

But only Shen Tingyu is this obsessed, like a fan chasing a celebrity, needing to see him every day.

Poor General Shen Tingyu watched his boyfriend all day today, still without a chance to talk to him.

Even the next day when the Golden Wing Battalion's spacecraft was ready to depart, Xu Qingran didn't show up until the moment he boarded. Not only did he not show up, but he couldn't be found in the entire East City Camp this morning, and his travel aircraft was also missing, possibly on a business trip to South City or West City again.

Shen Tingyu could only board the Golden Wing Battalion spacecraft leaving Shangnan Continent with an extremely bad mood, urged by Xie Nanjun.

The only comfort was that there was no sense of aversion from Xu Qingran. He could only wait for the future to find a way to coax him back.

The highly mobile spacecraft quickly left the space domain of Taiyue Star.

Shen Tingyu returned to the general's exclusive office on the spacecraft and began to immerse himself in the piled-up work, using such busyness to distract his depressed mood and attention.

This busyness lasted for several more hours.

Even when outsiders called his office phone, asking him to go out for a meal, he refused.

In the end, Xie Nanjun, worried about his health, brought him a meal.

It was quite elaborate, different from what everyone else ate in the cafeteria, specially prepared by the chef for him.

Shen Tingyu glanced at it, not feeling hungry: "Just leave it there, I'll eat later."

Xie Nanjun didn't press further, placing the food on the side table beside him. After staring at the well-prepared steak for a few moments, he suddenly asked, "By the way, since you and Xu Qingran are so close, and you even lived together before, does he share the same taste in food as you?"

"If he does, I can have the chef prepare double portions from now on, it would be easier."

Hearing Xu Qingran's name, Shen Tingyu's mind wandered, and he subconsciously replied, "Probably the same."

Xu Qingran had his own preferences but wasn't picky. When they were together, he would eat whatever Shen Tingyu prepared.

Only after answering did he realize what Xie Nanjun was suggesting.

Frowning, he asked, "Why make double portions? I can't eat that much."

"Are you suggesting we follow your taste preferences for the menu?"

Xie Nanjun, hearing this, gave him a look of disdain, "Come on, our tastes are so different, who would want to eat according to your menu?"

"It's just that Xu Qingran is also tagging along on our Golden Wing Battalion's ship. As a guest, it seems inappropriate to have him eat in the cafeteria. I thought maybe we could arrange something special for him, like we do for you."

After Xie Nanjun finished speaking, the office was silent for a long time.

Until a sound of something falling to the ground came from beside the table.

It was Shen Tingyu's tablet, which he had accidentally knocked over, perhaps due to his sudden movement.

Yet Shen Tingyu ignored it. After immersing himself in work for most of the day, he finally looked up, his expression dazed.

As if questioning what he heard, he hesitantly asked, "...What did you say?"

Xu Qingran is traveling with their Golden Wing Battalion's ship—what does that mean?

"Is he... also on this ship?" Shen Tingyu's tone was laced with surprise.

Hearing this, Xie Nanjun also looked confused, "Yes, Xu Qingran said he wanted to return to the Silver Dragon Battalion headquarters. Since we were leaving Tianlong anyway, he decided to join us."

"Hold on, didn't he tell you?"

"I thought you two were so close, I figured he had already mentioned it to you, so I didn't bring it up again."

Xie Nanjun was at a loss for words.

If you claimed these two weren't close, their bond seemed almost as strong as his twenty-year friendship. But if you said they were close, why wouldn't Shen Tingyu know about something like this?

General Shen Tingyu, who had been burying himself in work to avoid his feelings, finally stood up.

With a hoarse voice, he asked, "Where is he?"

·

Xu Qingran was in one of the vacant rooms in the ship's rest area.

That room was even on the same level as Shen Tingyu's private quarters.

When Shen Tingyu came up, he had gone back to his room once, but he was completely unaware of this situation. Moreover, he had walked back and forth several times without ever running into Xu Qingran boarding or checking in.

Xie Nanjun rolled his eyes and said, "Isn't it normal that you didn't bump into him?"

"Xu Qingran had parked his aircraft early and came up to rest. Unlike you, who lingered downstairs for half a day, as if Nan Zhou was your second home and you couldn't bear to leave."

Shen Tingyu was silent.

He had been waiting for someone, hadn't he?

Unexpectedly, the person he was waiting for had boarded before him.

Knowing that Xu Qingran was here, Shen Tingyu didn't even touch the meal he had brought and went straight to his room.

When he opened the door, the small resting room was dim.

Only a small, yellowish wall lamp was lit.

The white dog lying in the corner heard the door open and stood up, adopting a defensive stance towards the entrance.

When it saw it was him, the dog paused, then relaxed and lay back down to rest.

Xu Qingran lay on the bed, fast asleep.

Shen Tingyu walked softly, careful not to disturb the sleeper. It was only when he got close to the bed and looked at him closely that he noticed the faint dark circles under Xu Qingran's eyes.

Recalling Xu Qingran's recent busy schedule, rushing around the various districts of Nan Zhou from dawn till dusk—

It turned out it wasn't just because he was angry and avoiding him, but because he wanted to take care of more important matters before leaving Nan Zhou.

The intense busyness of these days had clearly worn him out.

He couldn't even sleep soundly, his brows deeply furrowed.

Shen Tingyu couldn't help but gently reach out to touch his face.

The sleeping man, sensing the familiar presence, instinctively nuzzled against his hand, and his brows relaxed slightly.

After entering, Shen Tingyu stayed.

He sat on the room's only single sofa all night.

Xu Qingran slept straight through to the next day.

When he woke up, looking out the window, there was still an endless expanse of starry sea, and the room was still dim.

He wasn't surprised to see an extra person in the room, just thinking that the 'dog man' had caught on earlier than he expected.

Shen Tingyu, who had stayed up all night, spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, "Why did you come along?"

Xu Qingran raised an eyebrow and shot back, "You can take a vacation, but I can't take leave?"

After a pause, he casually explained, "I have some things to take care of back in Tian She, and I've been pretty busy in Nan Zhou lately, so I figured I'd take a short break while I'm at it."

Shen Tingyu turned his head to look at him sitting by the bed, his eyes slightly red, looking at him like a wronged big dog.

He looked even more like a big dog than the white dog.

Xu Qingran thought to himself, this was a far cry from the high and mighty General Shen Tingyu he had first met.

——Why didn't anyone tell him that once an E-type starts a relationship, they become so clingy?

Shen Tingyu's tone was whining: "Then why didn't you tell me?"

Xu Qingran admitted that he did it on purpose.

He deliberately didn't tell Shen Tingyu about his plan to catch a ride with them to leave Shangnanzhou. He knew that Shen Tingyu had been silently keeping an eye on him these days, but for today's surprise and to let him feel the waiting, he pretended to know nothing.

Well, Shen Tingyu really angered him that day.

He sneered and retorted: "Why do I deliberately make you anxious? Don't you have any idea?"

Shen Tingyu: "..."

It's great to have such a straightforward and honest partner.

General Shen Tingyu's mood brightened up with the appearance of Xu Qingran.

He still worked hard in the office every day, but this time it was Xu Qingran who kept him company in his room.

Most of the time, the two of them didn't communicate, each doing their own thing, but the atmosphere was particularly harmonious.

Xu Qingran left Shangnanzhou this time mainly for resupply.

Unsurprisingly, all the letters sent to the Silver Dragon headquarters in his name were ignored.

The third prince, after not seeing him for a while, had forgotten the pain once the wound was healed.

He had given him three chances, and since he didn't take the lieutenant colonel of the sub-battalion he personally appointed seriously, he could only remind him personally.

Anyway, Xu Qingran always gets what he wants.

The starship traveled from the Tianlong System all the way back to the main star system Tianlang of the Golden Wing Battalion.

This trip took another two weeks.

Xu Qingran basically stayed under Shen Tingyu's supervision during this period, and when it was time to sleep and rest, Xu Qingran also slept with him in his restroom.

There were plenty of kisses and hugs, slowly helping Shen Tingyu recover from his spiritual pool injuries.

Shen Tingyu's restroom was not in the same area as the other guards, so their openly dating was not discovered.

Only once, Xie Nanjun happened to come to Shen Tingyu to discuss some official business one night.

As a result, when he knocked on the door, it was Xu Qingran who opened it.

He was stunned for a moment and said, "Sorry, I got the wrong room."

He looked up at the sign above the door frame that read 'General's Restroom' and suddenly fell silent.

Xu Qingran didn't close the door either, just looked at him with a half-smile, waiting for him to gradually realize before saying, "Looking for Shen Tingyu, right?"

"He's taking a shower, come in first."

Xie Nanjun didn't go in.

He thought to himself, some official business doesn't necessarily have to be discussed now.

He was just curious: "Are you also here to discuss official business with him?"

Although he didn’t know what official business they could discuss, one being a Silver Dragon and the other a Golden Wing.

Then he heard Xu Qingran say, “No, I came here to sleep with him.”

Xie Nanjun: “Huh?”

The sentence replayed in his mind three times.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

He looked bewildered: “Wait, you’ve been sleeping with him these past few days?”

Xu Qingran nodded and started making up excuses: “Mainly because your General has been under a lot of work stress lately, can’t sleep well alone, and needs someone to keep him company.”

Xie Nanjun thought to himself, since when did Shen Tingyu get so high-maintenance?

But then again, Xu Qingran is a Type D, and having him around might actually have a calming effect.

Thinking this, he casually asked, “I’ve been having trouble sleeping too. Why don’t you come to my room tomorrow and try healing me?”

Xu Qingran found this amusing, but before he could respond, the half-open door was yanked open from inside by another hand.

Shen Tingyu’s gaze was icy as he asked the person outside, “Xie Nanjun, are you asking for a beating?”

Xie Nanjun shot back, “What? I just wanted Qingran to try healing me as a Type D, which is way better than you dragging someone to keep you company all night!”

The gentle smile on Shen Tingyu’s lips was downright chilling: “Your bed is too small to fit two people.”

“A small bed shouldn’t affect healing... wait.” Xie Nanjun suddenly realized the issue, “Your ‘sleeping together’ means sharing the same bed?!”

Shen Tingyu said matter-of-factly, “Yeah, what’s the problem?”

Xie Nanjun: “...”

Is there no problem with that?

Sure, Xu Qingran and Shen Tingyu have a good relationship.

He’s also close with Shen Tingyu, but the idea of two grown men sharing a bed gives him the creeps—totally unacceptable.

“I need to rest. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Shen Tingyu politely left this message for Xie Nanjun before closing the door.

Xie Nanjun felt like he’d just lived through a bizarre night.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at Shen Tingyu’s attitude, and the more he felt something was off about the whole thing.

So, he couldn’t help but call his sister Xie Nanyi to vent: “Sis, I swear that jerk Shen Tingyu has been acting weird lately. I went to see him earlier and found out he’s actually sharing a bed with Xu Qingran!”

After listening, Xie Nanyi asked, “What’s the big deal?”

Xie Nanjun: “...What the hell?”

Why does that sound exactly like what Shen Tingyu said?!

“Stop meddling in other people’s business!” Xie Nanyi snapped, then hung up.

Leaving Xie Nanjun questioning everything.

He thought to himself, could it be that he was the one being overly dramatic?

The starship finally arrived at Jinwu City in the Sirius system.

The Golden Wing Military Headquarters had apparently been informed of Shen Tingyu's return in advance and prepared a grand welcome for him.

As soon as Shen Tingyu landed, he immediately had to return to work. After seeing him off, Xu Qingran left in his own shuttle from the massive starship, heading back to the Tian Snake estate.

After taking a shower and having a meal, he began to go over Mu Ziyu's schedule for the upcoming week, which he had asked Shen Tingyu to help obtain.

Holding a stylus, he finally marked the entry three days later.

His eyes curved, and he smirked silently.

·

Mu Ziyu was an enthusiast of outdoor activities.

One of his favorite pastimes was archery.

He even had a private training ground at the club, which was particularly large and offered a variety of targets. This included a biomechanical simulation system, typically found only in military bases or police academies, which was a special feature unique to his training ground.

Today was his day off, and he came to the shooting range to relax.

In the spacious training area, several staff members responsible for collecting arrows for Mu Ziyu pushed a small cart filled with arrows to his side.

His gaze fixed ahead, he reached out and nocked an arrow, setting it on the bowstring.

The arrowhead lined up with a target a hundred meters away.

Mu Ziyu had been at the training ground for several hours, and his arm strength was still steady, showing no signs of fatigue.

After aiming for a moment, he let go, and the arrow flew through the air.

It hit the bullseye dead center.

However, this success did not bring him joy.

The incident involving Xu Qingran had sparked a factional turmoil in the Silver Dragon faction, and the aftermath was far greater than he had anticipated.

After the departure of a group of high-ranking officials led by Wang Jian, the faction's operations had descended into disarray and paralysis. A few of them had joined the Golden Wing, while most, like Wang Jian, had stepped back temporarily from faction affairs.

A small portion had reportedly begun scheming to reinstate his sister, wanting to support her in reclaiming the position of faction commander.

These developments quickly reached the palace, and with the increasingly negative public opinion online, he was called to the palace and scolded.

His father even called in the second princess and suggested in front of him that she should reclaim the leadership of the Silver Dragon faction. The second princess declined at the time, but after hearing about the faction's recent troubles, she agreed to help manage the crisis.

His position was now precarious, teetering on the edge.

This had left him feeling extremely frustrated lately. His most trusted strategist had abandoned him, and now he was left alone, overwhelmed and drowning in the escalating chaos.

Rumors of his unstable command quickly spread among the public.

Netizens, always eager for drama, conducted an informal survey. Although it wasn't an official vote, the participants were all citizens of the Silver Dragon faction, and the results showed a significant drop in his approval rating. This made him so anxious that he couldn't sleep, and he began to resent Xu Qingran again.

He wondered how Xu Qingran could have such a significant influence!

Mu Ziyu grew more and more irritated, and even his beloved archery became dull and uninteresting.

He still felt energetic, but temporarily lost interest in playing and decided to pack up and head out.

Just as he put down the bow in his hand, something suddenly whizzed past his ear at high speed.

Looking up again, the last arrow he shot on the range, which hadn't been pulled out yet, was split by another arrow, also hitting the bullseye.

Mu Ziyu was taken aback.

This was his private training ground. Unless invited by him, no one else was usually allowed in.

When he was playing in the training ground, his personal guards were always stationed around him, also preventing others from entering.

Someone entering meant they had failed their duty.

His temper flared up immediately. He spun around, ready to berate someone, only to find several nearby guards unconscious on the ground.

And behind him, on the high viewing platform, stood a tall man in Silver Dragon Military Department uniform.

He slowly lowered his bow-holding hand, revealing his beautiful peach blossom eyes and a seemingly harmless face. When their eyes met, he lazily narrowed his eyes.

When Mu Ziyu saw who it was, he was so angry he almost had a heart attack.

He angrily asked, "Xu Qingran! Why are you here?!"

"You're now a colonel in the Southern Region of Taiyue Star. Shouldn't you be at your post, working hard? What are you doing here?!"

Xu Qingran, gripping a heavy bow with one hand, chuckled lightly, "I took some time off. Can't I come here to relax and have some fun on my break?"

Mu Ziyu glared, "I didn't sign off on your leave!"

Xu Qingran, still holding the bow, jumped down directly from the viewing platform.

After landing steadily, he said, "My leave is my own business."

"Fine, if you don't want me to take a vacation, let's discuss official matters."

Seeing Xu Qingran approach, Mu Ziyu instinctively took a step back, "You need to keep working, but I'm on break right now. I'm not in the mood to talk shop with you!"

"Xu Qingran, you'd better get back to Tianlong immediately, or don't blame me for demoting you and deducting your merits!"

Xu Qingran chuckled, "Mu Ziyu, I've realized you're really stubborn."

Mu Ziyu, about to lose his temper at Xu Qingran's boldness in calling him by his name, heard him say, "With all the guards you brought down by me, where do you get the courage to threaten me?"

Hearing this, Mu Ziyu finally realized that he had been confronting Xu Qingran for so long, making a lot of noise, yet not a single guard had come out to protect him.

He was shocked.

There were quite a few 3S-level psychics in his guard team. From what he remembered, Xu Qingran's psychic pool was only at the double S level. Even if he was the top among double S, it might be possible to gain an upper hand one-on-one with skill, but how did Xu Qingran manage to get in so easily with so many guards around?

Xu Qingran was quite satisfied with Mu Ziyu's current reaction.

He smiled with his eyes curved, looking quite charming, and his tone was unusually playful, "Sorry, my psychic pool has leveled up again."

Mu Ziyu: "...?"

What the hell?

How long has it been since his soul was finalized? How can his psychic pool still level up?!

Is Xu Qingran even human anymore?

"Mu Ziyu, straight up—are you approving the resource request for Shangnanzhou or not?"

As a prince, Mu Ziyu was naturally annoyed by his tone and snapped, "No way!"

"We’re still dealing with disasters in other star systems—who has time to worry about your Shangnanzhou?! Aren’t you supposed to be some hotshot? I figured you could handle it all on your own—what do you need resources for?"

Xu Qingran: "I can handle it, but your troops need backup resources."

Mu Ziyu was firm in his stance: "No cash, no resources—get lost!"

Xu Qingran wasn’t about to leave.

The smile in his eyes turned icy, and his voice dropped to a chilling tone: "Mu Ziyu, you’re an idiot."

"I gave you an easy out, but you had to go the hard way."

"Fine, I’ll just assume you’re into pain and suffering."

With that, Xu Qingran tossed aside the bow he’d been flaunting and marched straight at Mu Ziyu.

He went straight for him.

Mu Ziyu caught the attack coming, but with no guards to back him up, he had no choice but to draw his own weapon.

But after just a few exchanges, Xu Qingran’s psychic power crushed him, sending him flying. Pain exploded in his head, and shock rippled through him.

"How is he even stronger than he was at the academy?!"

Mu Ziyu still thought of Xu Qingran as someone he could take on.

Xu Qingran grabbed a psychic-enhanced whip from a guard, stepped up to Mu Ziyu, planted his foot on a nearby stone, and cracked the whip open.

"Even back when I was double S, you wouldn’t have stood a chance."

"Now that my psychic pool’s leveled up, you’re delusional if you think you can take me."

Mu Ziyu was shaking with rage.

Xu Qingran smirked faintly, then snapped the whip down on him without mercy.

"Looks like you’ve nearly forgotten the time I stuffed you in a sack and beat the crap out of you."

His lips curled into a cold smile as he said, "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you remember this time."

Mu Ziyu: "...!"

"Damn it, he knew it was Xu Qingran who’d done it!"

He tried to break free from Xu Qingran’s grip.

But there was no way he could take on Xu Qingran now, and his private training ground was always empty—no one was coming to save him.

Mu Ziyu had no choice but to endure the beating until Xu Qingran finally knocked him out with a hand chop.

When he came to, he was in an unfamiliar place.

It looked like some deserted disaster zone.

He was spread-eagled on a large board, with the handcuffs' material and the infused spiritual energy sufficient to suppress his spiritual energy level, preventing him from escaping.

He was struggling violently when suddenly a deep 'thud' sound came from above his head.

He stopped moving and looked up, and was startled once more.

Less than a centimeter from his head, an arrow was lodged deep.

Looking towards the direction from which the arrow had flown, Xu Qingran stood there, holding the dark longbow in his hand, the sharp arrowhead on the bowstring aimed in his direction.

Xu Qingran, his sub-camp colonel.

At this moment, he gave him a warm smile, though his voice was icy and threatening: "Mu Ziyu, I suggest you stop moving."

"If anything happens, it's not my fault."