Chapter 62: Seeing the Doctor

Chapter 62 Going to the Doctor

Xie Chi sent messages to Yan Wanqiu and the others as he hurried toward the palace.

He was held up for over two minutes at the guard post outside the palace, and when he entered, he caught sight of Yan Wanqiu hurrying out of the bedchamber.

Yan Wanqiu was missing his usual composure and elegance—his clothes were slightly disheveled, a suppressant patch was on his neck, and faint dark circles sat under his eyes. He had clearly just thrown on his clothes and hurried out.

Probably because he was still in the middle of his Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome episode.

Xie Chi didn't pay too much attention to these details. The moment he saw Yan Wanqiu, he spoke up: "Your Majesty, Yure has transmitted intelligence to Xuesong City. It seems they intend to launch an attack on us while you're having a flare-up."

Yan Wanqiu nodded, his expression grim as he hurried out: "The border soldiers have also sent reports from the front. Five minutes ago, three thousand troops showed up at our border."

"Three thousand?" Xie Chi was briefly surprised, then quickened his pace to match Yan Wanqiu.

Yan Wanqiu gave a slight nod: "Expected. Bai Fengyun is probably just testing my condition during the flare-up, and plotting something else."

Xie Chi blinked, about to ask what scheme, when he spotted a dark figure rushing toward them in the distance as they exited the palace together.

It was Yure.

Yure ran up, out of breath, and stopped in front of them: "Your Majesty! My Supervisory Team stationed at the border just reported seeing Xuesong City troops at the border."

As he spoke, he secretly studied the condition of both Yan Wanqiu and Xie Chi.

Yan Wanqiu did look more exhausted and disheveled than usual. Xie Chi also seemed to have just gotten out of bed—his clothes were wrinkled. Both of them looked like they were in a hurry, as if they'd already gotten the news.

As expected, Yan Wanqiu gave a slight nod: "Xie Chi has already informed me. You stay in the city to keep things in order. Xie Chi and I will head to the border now."

Yure was surprised—he hadn't expected Xie Chi to find out so quickly.

After all, he had notified Xuesong City at four in the morning, and that was only five minutes ago.

Yure's original plan was to risk his life to notify Yan Wanqiu, who was in the middle of a flare-up, then volunteer to go to the border with Xie Chi while the syndrome was still active.

War was never a one-person thing. No matter how good Xie Chi was, he couldn't control the whole battlefield alone.

Once at the border, with Yure coordinating from within and Xuesong City attacking from outside, it would be easy to make Xie Chi suffer a defeat.

He had always hovered on the edges of power in Blizzard City, never able to uncover its core secrets. With this defeat as leverage, his plan to gradually chip away at Yan Wanqiu's trust in Xie Chi and eventually replace him could proceed smoothly.

Yan Wanqiu was naturally suspicious. Once he stopped trusting Xie Chi, he definitely wouldn't let Xie Chi live. With Xie Chi—that killing machine—gone, that would be the moment for Xuesong City to launch a full-scale assault.

But now, with this unexpected turn, the plan had been thrown completely off track.

Yure's mind raced, and he immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head: "Your Majesty, please allow me to accompany you into battle! Things in Blizzard City will be handled by my deputy, Wood!"

Yan Wanqiu glanced at him, his expression unreadable: "Fine. You'll go with the army. Don't waste any time—Xie Chi, come with me."

With that, Yan Wanqiu turned and boarded the aircraft with Xie Chi, not wasting another second.

Yure quickly turned and left as well, sending messages to the front lines while hurrying to catch up with the troops that had already gathered.

Inside the aircraft.

Yan Wanqiu sat down and rubbed his tired eyes, then looked at Xie Chi: "Can you tell what Xuesong City is up to?"

Xie Chi racked his brain for a moment: "Yure wants to coordinate with them from within and blame the loss on me?"

Yan Wanqiu glanced at him in surprise, surprised that Xie Chi had figured it out. Looking satisfied, he nodded: "Correct. If I weren't present, they could spin the battle however they wanted."

Xie Chi finally realized how tricky this was.

He could see their intentions, and could even predict their next moves—Xuesong City would keep testing with small skirmishes, and if he kept losing battles because of Yure, they would inevitably accuse him to Yan Wanqiu, claiming he was colluding with Bai Fengyun.

Yan Wanqiu had a suspicious nature. Whether or not it was true, he would pull Xie Chi back for questioning, and command of the front lines would naturally fall into Yure's hands.

Then, with Yure in a position of power as their mole, Xuesong City would find it easy to strike against Blizzard City.

The scheme was simple—even Xie Chi could see through it—yet there was no way around it.

Because it played on Yan Wanqiu's suspicion.

Yan Wanqiu had been betrayed before, so he didn't trust anyone. He had nearly died earlier because of his contact with Yan Baiyue, and it was only after Xie Chi helped him kill Yan Baiyue that he was cleared of suspicion.

Xie Chi couldn't think of a solution, so he could only look at Yan Wanqiu and offer a weak explanation: "I never thought about betraying you."

At most, he'd only considered running away.

Yan Wanqiu let out a low chuckle: "I know."

If he hadn't detected that Yure was a mole, and hadn't developed such an intimate relationship with Xie Chi in private, this would have been an impossible trap for the two of them.

But Bai Fengyun had thought of everything except one thing—that his trust in Xie Chi now far exceeded the trust between ruler and subject.

It wasn't just because of their relationship—it was because he understood Xie Chi.

Xie Chi had never kept his future plans from "Ji Chou." From Xie Chi's scattered remarks and his explorations of the terminal, Yan Wanqiu had long since figured out his origins.

You could say he understood Xie Chi better than anyone in the world.

In fact, because of Xie Chi's personality, Yan Wanqiu knew his weaknesses and flaws even better than Xie Chi himself did.

With that in mind, how could he ever suspect Xie Chi?

Thinking this, Yan Wanqiu looked at Xie Chi, who looked worried: "Do you remember what I said to you before?"

Xie Chi blinked, confused: "What?"

Yan Wanqiu said: "If you trust me, then trust my plan. No matter who tells you I'm out to get you, believe that I would never hurt you."

Xie Chi remembered. It was what Yan Wanqiu had said to him after he first ran into Yure.

Yan Wanqiu beckoned him with a finger, signaling him to lean in.

"Here's what we're going to do today..."

.

At the border.

Up north, days were short and nights were long. At seven in the morning, the sun still hadn't come up, and the sky was overcast.

Bai Fengyun sat in his wheelchair, a thick blanket draped over his knees, staring grimly at the message from Yure.

"Yan Wanqiu actually went to battle despite his pheromone dysregulation syndrome..." he muttered to himself.

This was way beyond what he'd expected.

But it was fine. His goal this time was to drive a wedge between them, not to capture Yan Wanqiu. Even if Yan Wanqiu showed up in person, it wouldn't change much.

Watching the sun rise on the horizon, Bai Fengyun texted Yure back, then commanded the soldiers, "All troops, form up and advance on Blizzard City!"

The soldiers were well-trained, infantry forming neat phalanxes as they marched forward, backed by three ground armor units bought from Gale City, while dozens of aircraft streaked overhead, heading straight for Blizzard City's border.

The border guards at Blizzard City had already gotten orders from Yan Wanqiu, and even without heavy gear, they stood unafraid, lining up with rifles to meet the enemy.

Luckily, even with relations with Hailstone City going south, the soldiers posted at the border between the two cities, though they only had one standard heavy mech, were fully kitted out with electromagnetic guns, half with quantum guns, plus dozens of quantum cannons.

At that moment, the cold cannon barrels were aimed at the approaching army, the soldiers stood tall and unyielding, and for a moment, it looked like a standoff between equals.

Thanks to the intel from Yure, Bai Fengyun knew how powerful electromagnetic and quantum guns were, so he didn't make any rash moves. Instead, when he saw the soldiers rolling out the ordinary armored vehicles, a grin spread across his face.

This was a model bought from Gale City—he recognized it.

So Yan Wanqiu's earlier display of armored forces really was a bluff!

As the two armies stayed locked in a standoff, several aircraft came in from the horizon, and the soldiers in Blizzard City's ranks perked up.

Bai Fengyun knew right then that Yan Wanqiu had arrived.

Yan Wanqiu had dozed off for a few minutes on the aircraft, and when he felt it come to a stop, he opened his eyes.

He said to Xie Chi, "You've got all that memorized, right? Stick to the plan."

Xie Chi nodded. "Got it."

Yan Wanqiu stood up, the sharpness on his face instantly giving way to exhaustion and pallor. Xie Chi, following his orders, helped him down from the aircraft.

Inside the city, the four thousand soldiers Yan Wanqiu had brought were already lined up and ready to go.

Yure was among them, shooting a few surprised looks at the weary Yan Wanqiu.

Yan Wanqiu stepped to the front of the crowd, his voice steady and to the point: "Everyone, form up and meet the enemy."

With that, he pulled out a quantum gun himself and, together with Xie Chi, climbed into the nearest ground mech.

The gates of Blizzard City swung open, and with a rumbling roar, the city's army poured out in full force.

The ground mech looked like an armored vehicle, packed with heavy weapons and controlled by mental power. It could do a simple transformation into a giant robot form, becoming a true mech. To handle the snows of the Northern Star, the armored vehicle was a modified model from Gale City.

These mechs weren't easy to drive either; aside from the three hundred personal guards Yan Wanqiu had brought from the main star, only about three thousand people in the camp could handle them.

This was also one of the reasons Shi Peijue had always put weapons like quantum guns and cannons at the top of his research list—they were easier for locally recruited soldiers to use.

Luckily, after annexing Frost City, the soldiers under You Fuzhu had been folded into Blizzard City, which filled that gap.

As an assassin, Xie Chi had long since mastered piloting all kinds of battle cruisers in the future. Coming back three thousand years to learn the most basic manual controls was a breeze for him, and this time, he was the one at the wheel of the ground mech.

He drove at the front of the formation with Yan Wanqiu, stopping about eight hundred meters from the Hailstone City army.

Then, a light screen flickered to life in front of everyone.

It was Yan Wanqiu.

Sitting in the armored vehicle, looking worn out, his crimson eyes swept over the crowd before locking onto an aircraft.

"Bai Fengyun," Yan Wanqiu spoke, "Blizzard City and Hailstone City have no beef with each other. Now that Yan Huishi has teamed up with foreign enemies to take the throne, the whole Kingdom is in danger. Our real enemy is Yan Huishi and the alien civilization. Why are you picking a fight with us?"

A few seconds later, Bai Fengyun also projected his light screen.

On the screen, Bai Fengyun had a smile on his face but looked helpless: "Your Majesty, I have no desire for this either. But the Northern Star is a tiny, barren, out-of-the-way place that's never been dragged into the political mess of the main star. For your own ambitions, Your Majesty has dragged the whole Northern Star into this, asking us small-time city lords to face a powerful enemy that even the big sub-stars can't deal with and that we can't even see. Isn't that asking a bit too much?"

Xie Chi, sitting next to Yan Wanqiu, couldn't help but cut in: "But even if Your Majesty didn't go after Yan Huishi, the Northern Star, being the most border planet, would still be the first to take the hit from an alien invasion. Would you rather become a colony of the aliens just to keep up this fake peace?"

Bai Fengyun was left speechless, his face burning with embarrassment.

Of course, they knew that, but who would just come out and say it like Xie Chi did, right to their faces!

He struggled to come up with a comeback: "This alien civilization you're talking about—we haven't seen a single trace of it. All we've got is Lord You's confession as proof. Who knows if they're really here to cooperate?"

Xie Chi said slowly, "Oh, then you're pretty naive."

An alien civilization with tech way beyond Eberis, sending weapons and troops just to prop up Yan Huishi—they might as well win the 'Most Touching Ten Races in the Galaxy' award.

Even he, under Ji Chou's guidance, had come to realize that so-called cooperation was just a consensus based on mutual interests among races. Yet Bai Fengyun didn't know that.

How stupid.

Xie Chi genuinely looked at Bai Fengyun with the eyes of someone regarding a fool.

Bai Fengyun had never been so belittled, and being both furious and unable to retort, he could only snort coldly in frustration and shut off the projection.

Yan Wanqiu had been holding back laughter and also raised his hand to close the projection.

Whether intentional or not, his action was a beat too slow, allowing Xie Chi's muttered remark to echo between the two armies.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say Bai Fengyun was clever? I think he's about the same as his son..."

Bai Fengyun's face darkened with rage.

After Yan Wanqiu fully closed the projection, he could no longer contain himself, shaking with laughter.

Xie Chi looked at him in confusion and asked cautiously, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't," Yan Wanqiu finally managed to stop laughing. "You're absolutely right."

Xie Chi nodded in agreement. "I think so too."

Yan Wanqiu couldn't help but burst into muffled laughter again.

With the pre-battle communication concluded, the two armies officially engaged under orders.

Xie Chi didn't understand what Yan Wanqiu was laughing about, but he followed the plan, controlling the mech to transform and charging headfirst into the battlefield.

After advancing to an S-class alpha, his mental power had also increased, and with his past experience, he maneuvered the mech through the battlefield like a dragon entering the sea, throwing enemy formations into chaos wherever he went.

Xie Chi's objective was crystal clear—the three armored vehicles of Hailstone City.

His fighting style was as straightforward and brutal as his killing methods. As soon as the two sides' artillery clashed, Xie Chi had already closed in on one armored vehicle, relentlessly hammering it before it could even transform.

Under absolute mental suppression, that armored vehicle had no chance to resist.

He drove it deep into the snow, the entire hull caving in.

Finally, with a thunderous boom, the armored vehicle exploded, and Xie Chi quickly retreated, steering the mech toward another one.

At that point, barely five minutes had passed since the battle began.

Bai Fengyun stared in shock at the armor on the ground.

Piloting mechs demands an immense amount of mental energy, which is why they're inherently clunky and slow on the battlefield. But the mech piloted by Xie Chi was incredibly agile. Xuesong City's artillery chased him and bombarded him for ages, not only rarely landing a hit, but even throwing their own ranks into chaos.

The last person to pilot a mech this well was Yan Wanqiu in his prime.

Could Yan Wanqiu be the one piloting the mech right now?

Bai Fengyun didn't have time to think it over and immediately ordered, "Don't let Xie Chi set the pace! Have the armored vehicles lure Xie Chi deeper while the rest keep pushing forward to tighten the encirclement!"

The second armored vehicle did manage to transform, and it immediately tried to retreat upon getting the order, but it was too late.

Xie Chi had already appeared in front of it like a ghost, unleashing a barrage of fire before it could even react, crushing it deep into the snow.

Another dull explosion rang out as the second armored vehicle went up.

Xie Chi's focus was razor-sharp. He didn't even pause to catch his breath before charging straight at the third mech.

The third mech, strictly following Bai Fengyun's orders, fled for all it was worth, luring Xie Chi deeper and stalling for a full ten minutes before Xie Chi finally took it down.

With the third explosion, all three of Xuesong City's heavy units were wiped out, and Xie Chi and Yan Wanqiu had also broken away from the main force, now standing alone inside Xuesong City's encirclement.

Bai Fengyun's heart ached as he gritted his teeth and gave the order, "Now! Keep Xie Chi here!"

Instantly, countless cannon barrels swiveled, and attacks of every size rained down like a torrent onto the mech Xie Chi was piloting.

No matter how skilled Xie Chi's maneuvers were, against such an inescapable net of attacks, there was nowhere to dodge, and the mech started shaking violently.

Yan Wanqiu, who was watching the battlefield for Xie Chi, was thrown off balance by the jolting, a wave of nausea surging up, followed by a sharp pain in his gut.

He bent over for several seconds to recover, and when he looked up, his face had gone genuinely pale.

"Break through on the left flank." The first thing Yan Wanqiu did once he recovered was to direct Xie Chi.

Xie Chi obeyed without even a word of reply, immediately steering the mech to break through from the left.

Sensing Xie Chi's intent to break out, the artillery fire intensified, and the mech's hull became covered in dents of all sizes, the interior shaking like an earthquake was hitting it.

Xie Chi gritted his teeth. Seeing the mech's breakout speed slowing, he made a callous decision to stop dodging the fire altogether, charging through the dense barrage with pure brute force.

Baoxue City's firepower finally covered them, and Xie Chi managed to break through, dragging the battered mech along.

By then, the mech was full of holes.

After barely making it to the city gate, the mech was completely scrapped, unable to move another inch.

Xie Chi acted without hesitation, kicking open the hatch that had jammed from the deformation, about to pull Yan Wanqiu out.

But when he turned around, he found Yan Wanqiu lying pale-faced on the table, seemingly passed out cold.

Xie Chi jumped in shock: "Your Majesty?!"

Yan Wanqiu's plan did include a step where he faked weakness, but this level of condition was way beyond anything that could be faked.

Yan Wanqiu only felt excruciating pain in his gut. He barely managed to open his eyes at the sound of Xie Chi's voice, his own voice so faint it was almost inaudible: "I'm fine..."

He sure didn't look fine.

Xie Chi's first thought was that Yan Wanqiu's Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome had acted up. Without a second thought, he jumped off the mech, forcibly ripped open the hatch on Yan Wanqiu's side, and carefully lifted him down.

"Your Majesty?"

Yan Wanqiu was now soaked in cold sweat.

The pain was unbearable—several times worse than anything he'd ever felt. Yan Wanqiu almost suspected his gut had been ripped open by something during the chaos, the pain making him tremble uncontrollably.

Xie Chi was frantic, scanning Yan Wanqiu's body but finding no injuries. He just opened a bottle of repair fluid and fed it to Yan Wanqiu.

As the cool liquid slid down his throat, the searing pain in his gut gradually eased.

Yan Wanqiu finally stopped trembling, though his face was still a bit pale, and Xie Chi let out a sigh of relief.

He didn't put Yan Wanqiu down but carried him straight into Baoxue City.

The strange sight of the two didn't escape Bai Fengyun's notice.

Bai Fengyun watched helplessly as Xie Chi and Yan Wanqiu's mech destroyed his three mechs with devastating power. Just as he was grinding his teeth in fury, he saw Xie Chi retreat quickly, carrying an obviously unwell Yan Wanqiu away.

This all but confirmed his suspicions about Yan Wanqiu's Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome.

Just as he suspected.

Bai Fengyun muttered under his breath.

The mech earlier must have been piloted by Yan Wanqiu—he'd forced himself into battle while suppressing his syndrome, and now the backlash was only natural.

Next, with Yan Wanqiu gone, everything could proceed as planned.

Meanwhile.

Yure naturally wouldn't let this chance slip by. The moment Xie Chi carried Yan Wanqiu into the city, he rushed over in a panic: "Your Majesty, your health comes first—please head back to camp! Lord Xie and I can handle things here."

Yan Wanqiu had regained a bit of strength by now.

Normally, he would have been mortified at being carried like this in public, but at this moment, he just nestled in Xie Chi's arms, inhaling the reassuring orange-scented pheromones, and lazily glanced up at Yure.

"Xie Chi is coming back to the city with me. You're staying."

"Huh?" Yure was taken aback.

"The three mechs are dealt with, and the battle's outcome is already set. His Majesty's pheromone dysregulation syndrome has flared up, and I need to get him back quickly—otherwise, no one can hold him back if he loses control." Xie Chi explained. "His Majesty means you'll be in charge of the cleanup."

Yan Wanqiu stared coldly at Yure. Even in his weakened state, his commanding presence was still intact: "If you can't even handle this little thing, I'll hold you accountable when I get back."

Yure was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. Only after watching Xie Chi carry Yan Wanqiu onto the aircraft and leave did he slowly realize he was now caught between a rock and a hard place.

If he wanted to earn Yan Wanqiu's trust, he'd have to lead Baoxue City through the rest of the battle and come back with a decisive victory.

If he colluded with Xuesong City now and sold out Baoxue City, he'd not only lose Yan Wanqiu's favor forever but also torch his long-cultivated undercover identity.

Damn it—this was supposed to be a trap they'd set for Xie Chi, so why did it turn out like this?

Yure gritted his teeth.

By now, Yan Wanqiu had already notified the entire army of the change in command, and a soldier came up to Yure, saluting: "Captain, please give the order!"

Stuck between two bad options, Yure simply sent a message to Bai Fengyun describing the situation.

Better to pass this headache off to his superior.

.

On the other side.

Yan Wanqiu felt much better after drinking the repair serum, and now sat in the co-pilot seat of the aircraft, his thoughts gradually sharpening.

There was no question that something was wrong with his body.

Once he got back, he'd need to find You Fuzhu for another thorough check-up.

However, "Ji Chou" was currently supposed to be at Xie Chi's home. If he went directly to see You Fuzhu, in Xie Chi's eyes, it would look like "Ji Chou" had pulled another disappearing act.

Ever since Xie Chi's last susceptible period, Yan Wanqiu had secretly vowed never to vanish on Xie Chi again.

The image of Xie Chi, panicked and crying as he came looking for him, had left too deep a mark on Yan Wanqiu's heart. He couldn't stand to see Xie Chi hurt and disappointed like that again.

He mulled it over, made up his mind, and texted You Fuzhu.

Worried about Yan Wanqiu, Xie Chi floored it all the way back, and they were back at camp shortly after Yan Wanqiu sent the message.

"Your Majesty, let me take you to the hospital first." Xie Chi got up, about to scoop Yan Wanqiu up again.

Yan Wanqiu declined: "No need. Take me back to the palace—my personal physician's there."

That was reasonable, so Xie Chi nodded without protest and reached to pick Yan Wanqiu up again.

Yan Wanqiu didn't fight the embrace.

He wasn't feeling great, and for once didn't snap at Xie Chi's fussing, quietly tucking himself into Xie Chi's arms.

As Xie Chi held Yan Wanqiu, he couldn't help but zone out for a second.

It was just that Yan Wanqiu's waist was exactly the same size as his wife's.

Xie Chi quickly caught himself, blushed, and moved his hand off the other man's waist, hurrying toward the palace with Yan Wanqiu still in his arms.

At the same time, he quietly pulled a blade from his space, snipped off a small strand of white hair, then stashed both the hair and the blade back into his space.

They reached the palace soon enough.

Xie Chi saw Yan Wanqiu inside, let out a relieved breath, and slowly headed home.

He looked down and texted Ji Chou.

"Xie Chi: Babe, I'm back! Did you eat lunch? Craving anything? Still feeling off? If so, I'll get a doctor for you."

Ji Chou took a moment to reply.

"Ji Chou: Craving hotpot."

Xie Chi was thrilled—his wife was actually asking him for something again.

There were no hotpot ingredients at home, so he hit up Mr. Ai again, who rushed over with a huge bag of stuff, leaving under Mr. Ai's deadpan stare.

That detour cost him over twenty minutes before he got home.

Xie Chi lugged the bag of hotpot ingredients, pushed the door open, and beamed: "Honey, I'm back!"

Inside, Ji Chou, masked and in pajamas, was lounging lazily on the sofa, cradling a cup of hot water.

A movie was playing on the projector in front of the couch, about two-thirds in, right at the climax—the two leads kissing amid the flames of battle.

When he saw Xie Chi come in, Ji Chou looked away from the movie, smiled softly, and said, "Mm."

Coming home to a sweet wife instead of an empty room made Xie Chi's day.

He hustled the ingredients inside, muttering: "I grabbed tomato and clear broth bases. Since your stomach's off, we'll skip the spicy for now—oh, babe, you still feeling rough?"

Yan Wanqiu nodded: "A little. Maybe I should have the doctor swing by?"

Hearing that, Xie Chi instantly forgot the hotpot, dropped the bag, and came over to the couch, and only then noticed Ji Chou's hands and feet were freezing and his face was pale.

With the mask hiding most of his face and Ji Chou acting way too casual, Xie Chi hadn't caught on at first.

Xie Chi panicked, immediately pulling up his smart device to call You Fuzhu, while wrapping his arms around Ji Chou to warm him up: "What's wrong? Stomach still hurting? Did you take the repair serum?"

Yan Wanqiu dropped his gaze: "I did, but it still aches a little."

He planned to ease into revealing his identity to Xie Chi, so once back, he first told You Fuzhu not to blow his cover, then briefly asked what was going on with him.

But even someone as seasoned as You Fuzhu had no clue why he'd suddenly feel like this, and could only bring his whole kit over to check.

What the hell was going on?

Yan Wanqiu pressed his lips together, a knot of unease tightening in his chest.