AHDIBCB Chapter 64

As soon as Sirius and Zhenyuan moved, both the Qiming Army and the Brute Wilds forces received the news immediately.

The Brute beastmen troops rapidly followed behind Sirius, and the Qiming Army—tense and taut for so long—snapped like a bowstring at that very moment. The sub-fleets launched like volleys of arrows, densely flooding into the starry skies.

Zhenyuan’s main flagship sped toward Star City, while the sub-fleets it had retracted soon detached again while the mothership was still on the route. Entering stealth mode, they each headed separately toward the Brute homeworld and Igtan.

Li Heng contacted Marshal Jian at once. Sirius officially entered battle mode. The Xingyan Army under Marshal Jian began taking up their positions, and commanders of various defense zones worked through the night to raise alert levels—some were even preparing for emergency evacuations.

The Second Prince, having held back for so long, finally had a chance to act. This time, he didn’t stay behind in the Qiming Army’s command but personally left the ground to enter the battlefield.

Seeing that this was likely his final chance to seize the throne, the Crown Prince tried to persuade the Fourth Prince to deploy troops and fight alongside the Second Prince, with the intention of killing the latter mid-battle to secure the imperial throne. However, the Fourth Prince didn’t believe that Li Heng had returned to Star Capital purely to help him become Emperor, and refused to fall for the Crown Prince’s scheme.

Instead, the Fourth Prince asked him, “So, how’s your investigation into Zhou Tandai and his family going?”

Hearing the condescending tone, clearly one of superior to subordinate, the Crown Prince swallowed his displeasure and replied, “The investigation’s been done, but there’s nothing particularly special. Back when you reported that Li Heng was still alive, you probably had people look into them too, right? It’s more or less the same. But this time, I found something—don’t know if it’s just a coincidence.”

“What is it?”

“That He Yanwu—he returned from Aysdiya not long after Yuan Yi got pregnant, then stayed at Jihua University for a while. He left again after the break. But it was during the time he was around that Yuan Yi changed significantly. He Yanwu often tutored Yuan Yi personally. There were even rumors at the time that their relationship was improper.”

Just saying the words “improper relationship” made the Crown Prince grit his teeth in anger. There were still rumors online accusing him and the Second Prince of incest—and it was all thanks to Yuan Yi!

“He Yanwu’s gone back, hasn’t he?”

“Yeah, said he was going back to continue his environmental research. I honestly don’t get what there is to study in that wretched place, Aysdiya. Even breathing normally is hard there.”

“Exactly. If it’s hard to even breathe, why go back at all?” The Fourth Prince paused, then muttered, “What could be there to keep him staying so long?”

“Isn’t it just environmental research? You have no idea how these research types think. Some of them love going to weird and desolate places. They probably feel such places are more worthy of exploration.”

“No… that doesn’t make sense.”

If it’s worthy of exploration, it means there’s something to be discovered. But what could there possibly be on Aysdiya? Even the sea there is full of grotesque-looking creatures…

But He Yanwu had spent many years there. Maybe there really was something worth researching—but then why did he suddenly come back? And even started teaching at Jihua University?

Suddenly, the Fourth Prince seemed to realize something. “Someone! Contact Pei She. Tell him to come see me!”

A moment later, someone responded, “Your Highness, the enemy is about to reach the borders. General Pei is stationed at the defense zone and… and says he can’t leave right now.”

The Fourth Prince said coldly, “Then bring his family in!”

The Crown Prince exclaimed, “Are you insane? Pei She is the captain of the Huamei Star defense fleet! If you arrest his family and something really goes wrong, who’s going to protect us?!”

The Fourth Prince suddenly picked up his light-brain and said, “If you’re counting on him to protect us, I’m not so sure that’s going to happen.”

As he spoke, he opened Jihua University’s campus website.

The Crown Prince asked, “What are you doing?”

The Fourth Prince logged in as a guest and began searching by keyword. Shockingly, not a single result came up—not one piece of information about He Yanwu. But when the investigation team had reported earlier, they’d said He Yanwu had been quite a notable figure at the university. How could someone like that leave behind zero traces? Unless… someone had deliberately erased it all.

The Fourth Prince then accessed the internal surveillance system of the royal court and pulled up footage where He Yanwu had appeared.

After that, he pulled out footage from events Li Heng had attended over the past two years.

When he compared the footage from both sides, though their demeanor differed, their physiques were strikingly similar. What’s more, the two shared similar academic backgrounds and hobbies.

The Fourth Prince’s expression grew dark and cold. “Someone—bring me Pei She’s family. Especially his fiancée, Ji Lan.”

The guards received the order and left. In less than forty minutes, they returned to report: “Your Highness, Ji Lan is no longer at the Pei residence. Nor is he at the Ji residence. The Ji household left behind only a robot housekeeper, which said Prosecutor Ji and his family are on vacation, destination unknown. There’s no one at the Pei residence either. But since the Pei’s are all in the military, their absence at this time could be reasonable.”

Seeing the Fourth Prince’s face grow increasingly grim, the Crown Prince asked, “What are you thinking?”

The Fourth Prince said, “A few months ago, He Yanwu appeared at Jihua University. That He Yanwu… might very well have been Li Heng in disguise. It’s just that no one realized it at the time—he’s been right under our noses this whole time.”

The Crown Prince still didn’t fully follow. “Then why go after Pei She? He has nothing to do with He Yanwu or Li Heng.”

The Fourth Prince shot him an exasperated look. “When Pei She’s gene compatibility with Ji Lan was first announced, he immediately went to see him. But because he’s so tall and imposing, Ji Lan was afraid of him at first. Yet not long after Ji Lan met with Yuan Yi, their relationship suddenly advanced rapidly. Don’t you think that’s suspicious? Either Yuan Yi knows Pei She, or Li Heng has some hidden connection to him that we’re unaware of. I’m leaning toward the latter.”

Wait—he seemed to have realized something.

A subordinate asked, “Your Highness, what now? Should we go find Prosecutor Ji and his family?”

The Fourth Prince replied, “No need. Send Mo Wei to see me.”

He had previously assumed that after Li Heng rescued Yuan Yi, he had kept him by his side the entire time. But now, it seemed that might not have been the case.

That same night, a covert team quietly departed for Aysdiya Star.

At that moment, Yuan Yi was overjoyed to see Ji Lan.

He hadn’t expected Ji Lan to come. Originally, Professor Jian was supposed to visit, but she ultimately didn’t—because she still had students to supervise. Once she arrived here, even online classes became a risk that could expose their location, so she went to Principal Li’s side instead.

Still, Yuan Yi truly hadn’t expected Ji Lan would come. It had been over three months since they’d last seen each other.

“Pei She said Huamei Star might not be safe for much longer. Since it’s winter break and he didn’t feel comfortable leaving me on Star City, I asked if I could come find you. He said he’d check with General Li, and then here I am.” Ji Lan smiled. “Your belly’s so big! Are my little nephews being good? I heard from Pei She that they’re both boys.”

“Mm, two boys. Did you come here with General Pei’s men?”

“Nope, your husband sent people to get me. Otherwise, I’d never have found this place. Who would’ve thought there’s a hidden location under the sea like this? It’s totally unexpected.” Ji Lan gently patted Yuan Yi’s belly—only to be kicked. She blinked in surprise, then patted it again—another kick.

“Take it easy, will you? I’m the one getting kicked here.” Yuan Yi chuckled and patted Ji Lan’s hand, looking a little lazy and relaxed.

“Xiao Yi, I feel like you’ve changed so much.”

“A good change or a bad one?”

“Of course it’s a good one.”

Ji Lan still remembered how Yuan Yi used to be before the gene match with Li Heng came out—always timid, barely daring to speak up, his whole body constantly tense. Even around him, he would only relax just a little. At the slightest disturbance, he’d tense right back up. Not like now—his whole being radiated a calm, self-assured ease.

He was wearing a set of clothes Ji Lan had made for him—comfortable, and not cold even here. He sat in a wide armchair made of raw wood, as if he had completely blended into nature.

What nature made people feel, Yuan Yi made people feel the same way, Ji Lan thought.

“Before I came, I was worried about you. General Li is out there at war again, and this time it’s not like when he went to Gallich. The beastmen of Brute have rich combat experience—this isn’t going to be an easy fight. I thought you’d be anxious and upset and was even planning how to comfort you. But Pei She told me I was overthinking it. I even scolded him for being heartless.” Ji Lan looked a bit sheepish at the memory. “Looks like I owe him an apology.”

“You should apologize. But speaking of change, you’ve changed a lot too. You used to get nervous just talking about Pei She, and now every word you say about him is practically dripping with fondness.”

“Get lost! I am not.” Ji Lan laughed. “But he really does treat me well. He’s super strict with his soldiers—honestly a little scary. But with me, he has no temper at all. Very patient.”

“He’s marked you?”

“Not yet,” Ji Lan replied, ears turning red as he tugged at the little bear plushie on his clothes. “A final mark almost always leads to pregnancy. He said it’s not the right time yet, and there just isn’t enough time right now. He said we’ll wait until after the war… you know! But I did say before—if you can be pregnant during this time, then I could too. But now I realize, even if you can, I really can’t. I can’t be as calm and composed as you. Don’t you feel anxious at all?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say not at all. But I trust Li Heng.” Yuan Yi stood up, stretched his waist, picked a small flower, and gently tapped Ji Lan with it. “It’s only recently that I’ve come to realize—ever since he first appeared, he’s been doing his best to give me a sense of security. I just didn’t understand it back then.”

Ji Lan tilted her head. “So when exactly did you two first meet?”

Yuan Yi smiled. “That’s a secret.”

Ji Lan stuck her tongue out at him. “Want me to draw you? I’ll sketch you the way you are now—how about that?”

Yuan Yi said, “Sure, but I probably won’t be able to hold the same pose for long. It gets tiring.”

The babies were already over six months along. These days, he had to shift positions every now and then or he’d start feeling sore in the lower back, and he was also waking up more often during the night.

Ji Lan said, “Then I’ll take a picture of you and use that as a reference—consider it permission to slack off a little.”

Yuan Yi agreed, then suddenly asked, “By the way, Ji Lan, did you see Cao Yuran before you came?”

Ji Lan replied, “Nope. Whenever I didn’t have class, I was either looking for Pei She or hanging out with his cousin. I’ve been too busy being in love to worry about him. But I did hear something—his child is gone.”

As he brought this up, Ji Lan couldn’t help but sigh. Even though he still didn’t like Cao Yuran much, they were both omegas. Losing a child was a devastating blow. Sure, it’s heartbreaking for anyone, but for omegas, the emotional toll was even heavier. Without an alpha’s comfort, it could be downright catastrophic.

With the chaos looming ahead, and Cao Yuran’s husband being in the military, he probably didn’t have time to take care of him either.

But Yuan Yi said, “Even if he’s busy, he should be able to spare some time. I thought that Colonel Luo treated Cao Yuran quite well.”

Ji Lan replied, “Maybe not. That might’ve all been for show. Ever since you took a leave from school, I haven’t seen Luo Qizheng around at all. And I heard they had some kind of falling out. Some say that’s just a rumor, but I don’t think so. And get this—there’s an even wilder rumor saying Luo Qizheng used to have another omega secretly kept within his own unit, and they even had a child together. That one’s really out there.”

Then Ji Lan smiled and said, “But you know, I owe a big thank you to you and your General Li.”

“For what?” Yuan Yi asked.

“If it weren’t for you two, I wouldn’t have gotten together with Pei She so soon. He told me it was you and General Li who let him know I was scared of him. Good thing I came to see you that day.”

“Turned out to be the right move, didn’t it?”

“Of course. If an omega marries poorly, it’s just too miserable. Don’t be fooled by how good Cao Yuran’s background is—he doesn’t have any say in his family. Pei She’s cousin went to the same high school as Cao Yuran. He said that back then, Cao Yuran would be forced to accompany his older brother’s alpha friends for meals. If he didn’t want to go, his brother would come to school and drag him away directly. Just hearing about it is terrifying. Thankfully, my dad and my older brother aren’t that kind of people. Pei She also treats me very well. My dad even said we should properly thank you and your husband. If it weren’t for you two, once the war started, this matter of mine would probably have been hopeless.”

“So the two uncles are also quite satisfied?”

“Very satisfied. My brother even said he wants to get to know you and General Li if there’s a chance. Pei She said once the war is over, he’ll arrange a gathering. Honestly, I really hope this period passes quickly.”

“It’s tough on you—just married and already separated from your alpha.”

Ji Lan said, “Sigh, it might sound a bit spineless, but I really miss him. Don’t you miss yours even more?”

Yuan Yi didn’t respond to that.

Do I miss him? Saying I don’t, would be lying to ghosts.

He used to think his feelings weren’t that deep—that whatever he showed on the surface was exactly how much he felt.

But recently, he increasingly felt that wasn’t the case…

How should he let that person know?

After thinking for a moment, Yuan Yi suddenly asked, “Ji Lan, can you help me do a quick sketch?”

Ji Lan said, “Of course I can!”

So that night, General Li received a colored digital sketch.

In the drawing, his omega was completely naked, with only a dark blue gauze draped over the waist and abdomen, wearing a serene smile, head slightly turned, gazing at him with deep affection.