AHDIBCB Chapter 40

Even absolute doting didn’t work anymore. Li Heng punished Li Mian by sending him to the study to continue facing the wall, so he wouldn’t disturb the two-person world between him and Yuan Yi in the bedroom.

Li Mian dawdled and didn’t want to leave, saying: “What kind of two-person world is this? Other people’s two-person worlds are all ‘you say one thing, I say another,’ full of lovey-dovey talk, affection and intimacy, sweetness and honey. But you and Brother Yi are like—I look at you, you can’t see me, and even though I come to see you every day, you still can’t see me.”

This little brat…

“Li Mian, have you been living too well lately?”

Li Mian whooshed to the study doorway. “Not really. It’s just that Brother Yi told me to wake him up immediately after he falls asleep. Now you’re here watching Brother Yi to satisfy your eye cravings—how am I supposed to explain that to him tomorrow?”

Li Heng said: “How come anything that comes out of your mouth sounds like it deserves a beating? Who said I’m here for eye cravings? Can’t I satisfy my hand cravings too? Also, what was that yellow stuff you were talking today?”

Li Mian: “That wasn’t yellow stuff, it was fact… ah!”

Before he finished speaking, Li Heng instantly released the Xuan Ying, scaring Li Mian into quickly rushing into the study and standing properly facing the wall.

At last, the bedroom was quiet.

Li Heng took out all the food, planning to take all the thick layers of outer packaging with him later. He carefully checked whether there were any problems with the food. Actually, anything that could reach his hands definitely wouldn’t have any problems, but he still checked.

Actually he likes eating meat—those two little ones were just like how he was when he was young.

No, just like how he is now too.

Li Heng used his fingers to comb Yuan Yi’s hair. He really liked the feeling of Yuan Yi’s hair slipping through his fingers. Besides, doing this also helped promote blood circulation in the brain. During that period before, Yuan Yi had been preparing for exams, and dealing with Aminanka—now that he finally had a chance to relax, Li Heng started coming over every day again. Even though he was sleeping well, there must still be doubts lingering in his heart. As he soothed his mind, he also applied physical massage, which could achieve an even better stress-relieving effect.

Xuan Ying reminded at the right time: “General, your pheromone is overflowing too much. You nearly entered heat again last time from extracting those ten vials of pheromone. The doctor reminded you to be cautious lately, to avoid entering heat early again.”

Li Heng said, “It’s fine, I’m aware. These past few days I’ve been coming quietly, which inevitably will have some effect on him. When we leave later, remember to tell Li Mian to turn on the internal circulation system to purify the air—this way, when he wakes up tomorrow morning, he’ll feel more at ease.”

At this moment, Li Mian suddenly poked his head out from the study: “Master, are you really so sure Brother Yi will like you too? What if he doesn’t? You should know, even though you have a high position, great power, both brains and brawn, looks and money, you have one huge flaw. Once you officially resume duty again, you’ll hardly be able to stay at home. But Brother Yi still has to go to school, he can’t follow you to the base. Oh—being apart more than together!”

It’s not like he was part of a city garrison—commanders leading starships into battle naturally had to stay with their fleet long-term. In general, the amount of time they spent on land in a year might not even add up to half a month.

Half a month was already saying too much. In most cases, it was just about a week.

Li Heng said, “He already got married after I died—would he still be afraid of me not being home enough? Li Mian, are you asking for a beating?”

Li Mian quickly ducked back into the study again.

He didn’t dare come out again until Li Heng had left. However, what he said did indeed manage to leave a bit of a blockage in Li Heng’s heart.

The next day, Yuan Yi saw the 5 a.m. sun for the first time in a long while.

But the timing was clearly different from what he had expected. He called over Li Mian: “Didn’t I tell you to wake me up the moment I fell asleep? How is it this late already?”

He remembered that last night he had been memorizing medical facts when he suddenly got sleepy, then just fell asleep and didn’t know anything after that.

Li Mian said, “Brother Yi, I did remember that you told me to wake you. But it’s so strange—when I remembered it, it was already morning. I don’t know why, but before that I completely forgot about it. But I shouldn’t have forgotten—so weird.”

Li Mian tilted his little head in confusion—it looked like he was puzzled too.

Yuan Yi: “……”

So who exactly delivered the sausages and donkey meat sandwich on the table?

And that strong cedar-scented pheromone… It made him feel that even being made to sleep by someone wasn’t something to be afraid of—after all, the sense of security had surrounded him the whole time.

But still, it was too strange.

At this moment, Li Mian asked: “Brother Yi, who brought all this stuff?”

If Yuan Yi could see Li Mian’s expression, he would’ve noticed something was off immediately—but Li Mian didn’t have expressions, so he could only judge from his tone that Li Mian was also curious.

“A friend who delivered the grass,” Yuan Yi said. “You didn’t see anyone come during the night?”

“Nope. Could it be that this ‘friend’ of yours was afraid I’d misunderstand your relationship, so he controlled me so I wouldn’t find out?”

“You sure have a lot going on in that little head of yours. It’s just delivering some food—what’s there to be misunderstood?”

“But he delivered it in the middle of the night.”

“That still doesn’t mean he’s afraid of being misunderstood. Don’t make wild guesses.”

If it really was Li Heng, then it was just returning to his own home—what was there to be afraid of? Afraid people might misunderstand and think the two of them, as a couple, were sharing a bedroom? Someone with skin that thin couldn’t possibly lead troops.

So what exactly was he afraid of? Could it be that he was afraid Yuan Yi would get scared, so he didn’t let him see?

Otherwise, how else could this be explained?

If he was afraid of being found out and deliberately stayed hidden, then he shouldn’t have come at all. What if Yuan Yi had sought help from someone else? That kind of thinking didn’t fit a general at all.

But if he wasn’t afraid of being noticed, then what was the point of hiding?

He was allowed to know of the other’s existence, yet the person didn’t dare face him directly. Only came at night, silently, and every time would leave behind their primary pheromone—and was afraid of peach branches…

Could it really be Li Heng’s ghost come back?

He didn’t want to think that way, but he really couldn’t figure out any other possibility.

He looked up at the ceiling. There was nothing there that could be used to enter or exit.

Yuan Yi left the bedroom and carefully examined the surrounding structure. He found that after sealing all the doors and windows, there truly was no other possible entrance into his bedroom—unless the guy could walk through walls.

But walking through walls would surely leave some trace. Besides, the two of them, to speak plainly, were bonded out of need—there was no emotional foundation. Why would Li Heng go through the trouble of walking through walls for him?

Yuan Yi looked at the vacuum-packed spicy sausages and the donkey meat sandwich in the oven, which just needed a little reheating to eat, and was thoroughly baffled.

Was this really safe to eat?

Better to be cautious. Yuan Yi decided to try contacting Principal Li for the first time.

He knew Principal Li was always an early riser. Sure enough, the call was quickly answered. So he said, “Dad, I have some food here that I want to test for quality. I’m wondering if it’s convenient for you?”

Principal Li was normally so busy he was like a dragon seen only by its tail, never its head, but in his heart he still cared about his family. Upon hearing this, he said, “Of course it’s convenient. Why wouldn’t it be? Did you buy some food that you suspect has quality issues?”

Yuan Yi said he wasn’t sure yet, just felt it was better to be cautious, so he wanted to get it tested before eating.

Principal Li readily agreed, “So are you coming over to deliver the samples, or should I send someone to pick them up?”

Yuan Yi said, “I’ll make a trip to your place.”

He took samples of each item and boarded a flying vehicle to go to the research institute where Principal Li worked. He happened to have something else he could deliver on the way.

At large research bases like this, work such as food quality testing usually produces results quickly. Yuan Yi had someone help test the samples, and in just twenty minutes, the results showed that all the food was very safe, and the product quality was excellent.

Principal Li smiled kindly and said, “Now you can eat with peace of mind.”

Yuan Yi also knew this kind of behavior was a bit over the top, but better safe than sorry. It was best if nothing was wrong. He nodded and said, “Thank you, Dad. Dad, please wait a moment—I brought something for you.”

He went to the flying vehicle and brought down a large box of braised beef. “Just made. Please try it.”

That roast goose from before had started because Principal Li thought it was delicious after trying it, and asked Professor Jian to buy one for him to try. Later, it was also Principal Li who ordered two more, which Yuan Yi only learned about because Professor Jian told him. Although the two elders were a couple and didn’t need to keep track of who did what, just knowing someone was thinking of him made Yuan Yi feel deeply grateful.

The beef had been marinated yesterday afternoon and cooked by the smart kitchen overnight. He had originally planned for Professor Jian to bring it over when coming to the research institute, but he ended up arriving first.

Principal Li took the large box of beef, and just from the smell he found it incredibly fragrant. “Now I’m really in for a treat. I was just feeling that the heat was making me lose my appetite. Thank you, Xiao Yi. But don’t trouble yourself in the future—having a child is already tiring enough, so rest when you have the time.”

Yuan Yi said, “It’s no trouble. Then, Dad, I’ll head back first.”

Yuan Yi got on the flying vehicle. The director of the research institute then said, “Principal Li, your daughter-in-law is wonderful. Good-looking, sensible, and seems very quiet.”

Principal Li said, “Indeed, he is. Just sometimes… he’s a bit too sensible.”

The director asked, puzzled, “Isn’t being sensible a good thing?”

Principal Li sighed and said, “People who are too sensible often have a harder time in life. As parents, we still hope our children can live more easily.”

Although he didn’t go home often, over these two months of getting along with Yuan Yi, both he and his wife had come to see that Yuan Yi was the type of person who, if he could solve something himself, would try not to trouble others. And as long as someone offered even a little help or kindness, he would always try to repay them as quickly as possible.

This kind of personality was definitely not inborn, but shaped by his environment.

Yuan Yi seemed rather afraid of owing others favors. It was understandable at school, but he was the same with Professor Jian and Principal Li.

Perhaps it was because the Zhou family had put too much pressure on him before—this child didn’t quite understand that being loved didn’t have to come at a cost.

Principal Li couldn’t figure it out either. Holding the beef lunchbox and about to return to the lab, he suddenly smelled a familiar scent coming from the box.

Original cedar scent?

Principal Li called his wife. “Honey, how much of Li Heng’s original pheromone did Xiao Yi bring back from the hospital last time?”

Professor Jian replied, “One bottle. Why?”

Principal Li said, “Nothing. Xiao Yi came by just now, and I could smell the cedar scent pretty strongly. Using that much—seems like this kid doesn’t say anything, but he’s still quite anxious inside. I’m too busy over here to look after him properly. When you’re at home, keep an eye on him and see if there’s any way to help him relax a bit.”

One bottle of pheromone—it wasn’t a particularly large one, as he recalled. At this rate, it might run out soon, and then things could get a bit tricky.

Professor Jian said, “Alright, I smelled it this morning too. I’ll see if he’s free during the day—if he is, I’ll take him out to relax a bit.”

Yuan Yi didn’t know what the old couple had decided. The moment he got home, he washed his hands and started preparing donkey meat sandwiches.

It was quite strange—he hadn’t particularly liked eating this in his previous life, but after chatting with Li Mian yesterday, he suddenly had a strong craving for it.

Professor Jian saw him making donkey meat sandwiches and asked, “Why don’t I make some soup too? Xiao Yi, is there any kind of soup you’d like to have?”

Yuan Yi thought for a moment before replying, “Could I have radish and dried scallop vermicelli soup, Mom? The one you made last time—it tasted really good.”

Professor Jian readily agreed and went to look for vermicelli and dried scallops.

While the two of them were busy in the kitchen, Li Mian sat at the dining table, his little short legs dangling, recording a video and sending it to Li Heng right away.

Seeing his mother and Yuan Yi getting along so well, Li Heng felt a surge of gratitude toward Yuan Yi.

His mother was easygoing, but only with certain people. If Yuan Yi weren’t such a good person, the mood this morning probably wouldn’t be so light.

As an only child who had “died” in battle and been missing for nearly a year, one could imagine what kind of emotions his parents must have gone through. But Yuan Yi’s presence seemed to have soothed much of the pain that should have existed in this home.

Yuan Yi stuffed the donkey meat into the freshly toasted flatbread, handed one to Professor Jian first, and then made one for himself. One bite—crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, the sliced donkey meat was fragrant and tender. The parts with meat jelly had a bit of a chewy bounce. It was incredibly satisfying to eat. And with a sip of the soup—absolutely delicious!

As Yuan Yi was eating, he asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Professor Jian smiled and said, “Nothing. Where did you buy this flatbread? It tastes really good.”

She took a bite and couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d eaten this before. She remembered that her son used to like this for a while too.

Yuan Yi said, “A friend helped me buy it.”

Professor Jian nodded. “It really is delicious. Do you have any plans during the day? If not, how about going shopping with Mom or playing a bit of ball? Or if there’s anywhere you’d like to go, we can take a walk or something—don’t just stay cooped up at home all the time.”

Yuan Yi instinctively wanted to decline, since he still had a pile of major courses to study during the day. But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he suddenly changed his mind and said, “I was planning to buy some glue and paper from Ji Lan today for making crafts. I might head out this morning.”

Professor Jian said, “That’s good too. You young people have more to talk about and can hang out together. I’m going to the gym during the day, and I might also visit your grandfather. I probably won’t be back until quite late. If anything comes up, just call Mom anytime.”

Yuan Yi agreed. He ate two sandwiches stuffed full of donkey meat and drank a big bowl of soup. Afterward, he returned to his bedroom to call Ji Lan.

Normally, Ji Lan got up fairly early. But since it was the holidays, Yuan Yi wasn’t sure if Ji Lan might sleep in. He had prepared himself to go out and shop alone if Ji Lan didn’t pick up—but to his surprise, Ji Lan answered quickly.

“Hello? Xiao Yi?” Judging by the voice, it sounded like he was outside.

“Ji Lan, are you busy? Want to go buy some craft supplies together during the day?”

“During the day? What time? I’m just about to head out—going to Qingshui Temple.”

“Qingshui Temple? Isn’t that a temple? What are you going there for?”

“Don’t even ask. I’ve been feeling unlucky lately, so I want to go pray to the Bodhisattva. Do you want to come? I haven’t left yet. If you’re coming too, I’ll swing by and pick you up. After we’ve paid our respects, we can go buy craft materials—it can count as praying for the children’s well-being too, right?”

“Sure, that works. I’ll take a quick shower while I wait for you.”

In this era, temples and Taoist shrines were even less common than in the previous life. But since there were still people who maintained faith in Buddhism and Taoism, a few still remained.

After Yuan Yi went with Ji Lan, he found there weren’t many worshippers. Even though it was the holidays, the road to the temple wasn’t crowded. Yuan Yi and Ji Lan bought incense outside the main hall, entered to pray, and even knelt down sincerely to kowtow.

At first, Ji Lan felt a bit awkward, but when he saw how devoutly Yuan Yi was praying, he followed along.

After they finished, they each donated some money to the incense fund, and Yuan Yi also bought a few boxes of incense sticks.

Ji Lan asked, “Are you going to pray again?”

Yuan Yi said, “No, I just think the scent is pleasant, so I bought a couple more boxes to burn while reading at home.”

Ji Lan laughed. “You’re charging down the academic road without looking back. But you were so serious just now—it made me feel a little guilty. Have you been here before?”

Yuan Yi said, “No. But isn’t there a saying, ‘sincerity brings results’? I have something to ask of the Bodhisattva, so being sincere can’t hurt.”

He was simply used to doing things properly—either do it well or don’t do it at all. Besides… he did indeed have a wish.

Ji Lan asked, “Did you just now ask the Bodhisattva to bless the baby?”

Yuan Yi replied, “I forgot.”

Ji Lan was briefly stunned. “Then what did you wish for?”

Yuan Yi looked at the incense box in his hand with a complicated expression, then smiled and said, “I asked the Bodhisattva to bless Li Heng and help him reach the Western Paradise¹ soon.”

Ji Lan: “…………”

Li Heng was eating just fine when he suddenly sneezed hard, catching himself off guard.

Winter Wolf and Flight Wolf were startled and asked in unison, “General, are you alright?”

Li Heng said, “I’m fine—Yuan Yi was probably just talking about me. Go on, continue what you were saying.”

Winter Wolf said, “Ever since Madam gave the credit for resolving the Aminanka situation to Fei Qian, no one’s been spreading rumors about him anymore. But Aina has disappeared.”

Flight Wolf added, “Our people had been following her all along, but after she returned to her residence last night, she never came out again. Then, this morning, there was a sudden explosion at her place—it killed someone. We wanted to keep investigating, but Snow Wolf stopped us.”

Li Heng said, “It’s good he stopped you. If you investigate, things will flip—putting us in the open and them in the dark. The person killed definitely wasn’t Aina. Keep calm. She probably caught a whiff of something from the bait we laid to get Fang Jing to leave, but it’s not enough to pose a real threat to us. As for Luo Chuanxin—don’t follow him for now either.”

Flight Wolf asked, “What about Madam’s safety? What if something happens…”

Li Heng said, “There won’t be a ‘what if.’ Find a way to get Fei Qian to hand this over to the Crown Prince.”

Li Heng tapped on the bag on the table. “Also, don’t come back here for the next few days. Leave tonight once it’s dark.”

Winter Wolf and Flight Wolf nodded.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yi and Ji Lan left the temple to go buy craft supplies.

Yuan Yi bought a box of photo printing paper, as well as some yellow paper, white paper, glue, and paint.

Since there was no yellow talisman paper, Yuan Yi picked a color that was close.

Ji Lan asked, “What kind of craft are you planning to make? Is there a theme?”

Yuan Yi thought for a moment and said, “Yes.”

Ji Lan was curious: “What theme?”

Yuan Yi: “Take your hand in mine, and send you on your way.”

Ji Lan: “-.-…………”

Ji Lan suspected his good friend might have gotten heatstroke. But… they hadn’t even been outside that long!

He reached out and touched Yuan Yi’s head, worried: “Xiao Yi, are you alright?”

Yuan Yi said, “I’m fine. Do you have anything else you need to buy?”

Ji Lan shook his head like a rattle-drum. “Nope, nope. You go home and get some proper rest.”

Yuan Yi said he would treat Ji Lan to a cold drink before going back, but Ji Lan didn’t agree. He hurriedly sent Yuan Yi home and even stayed with him for a while to make sure nothing was wrong before leaving.

Yuan Yi found it a little funny, but it seemed the more he explained, the more nervous Ji Lan got, so he didn’t say much more.

After Ji Lan left, he took out all the craft materials, thought for a moment, and asked Li Mian, “Do you have any pictures of the Sirius Ship?”

Li Mian said he did and projected a high-definition image onto the wall for Yuan Yi.

Yuan Yi used the household 3D printer to print a model based on that image, then painted it.

He didn’t know what the paint was made of, but not only did it go on well, it also dried quickly. After finishing a palm-sized Sirius Ship, Yuan Yi set it aside, then asked Li Mian to find a photo of Li Heng in uniform.

Li Mian asked, “Brother Yi, what are you making?”

Yuan Yi didn’t answer. He printed out the photo of Li Heng, and directly removed Li Mian’s energy core.

He didn’t want Li Mian to see or record what he was going to do next.

So in the study, he turned off all electronic and solar-powered devices, to prevent Li Mian from sneaking in to see or hear.

He left only the printer on, and printed another black-and-white copy of Li Heng’s photo.

This kind of thing was something he absolutely would never have done in his previous life. Even now, when he thought about it, Yuan Yi felt it was a little unhinged. But the matter itself was so unusual that he still wanted to give it a try—just to see if Li Heng would respond to what he was about to do.

In the end, Yuan Yi turned off the printer as well.

The room was utterly silent.

Li Mian also went quiet. It had been suddenly cut off from its energy core, and since Yuan Yi hadn’t said anything to it beforehand, it hadn’t had time to jump to another device.

As a result, the synchronized video feed on Li Heng’s end was suddenly cut off, and he couldn’t contact Li Mian.

Li Heng suddenly sat up, his expression grim.

Dong Lang asked, “General, what’s wrong?”

Li Heng said, “I need to check—something might have happened with Yuan Yi.”

Winter Wolf and Flight Wolf said, “Then let us come too. If anything goes wrong, you absolutely must not blow your cover.”

Li Heng thought for a moment, then nodded. The three of them quickly left the resting pod and rushed down another passage.

At that moment, Yuan Yi was still in the study, just having found a spot to place Li Heng’s photo.

Since Professor Jian wouldn’t be home until quite late tonight, it was all the more convenient for him to do this.

At the same time, Li Heng, along with Winter Wolf and Flight Wolf, arrived at the entrance to the corridor.

Li Heng was anxious and was about to climb into the wardrobe first. But Flight Wolf felt that was too risky and grabbed his arm, saying, “General, how about you control the Madam from here, and let either me or Winter Wolf scout ahead first?”

Li Heng suddenly calmed down and whispered, “No need, let’s wait a bit longer.”

He could sense that Yuan Yi didn’t seem to be feeling panicked or uneasy, so perhaps nothing had gone wrong?

Still, unless he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t be at ease.

Li Heng closed his eyes and extended his spiritual power, quickly sensing that Yuan Yi’s mind was gradually settling—an early sign of falling asleep.

He stayed hidden in the wardrobe and listened carefully for any movement outside. Nothing.

So, he opened the door and stepped out.

He didn’t even bother to shower. Not seeing Yuan Yi in the bedroom, he immediately went to the study.

As soon as the door opened—there he was. Yuan Yi was inside, lying on the desk, sound asleep. His side profile looked peaceful.

Li Heng exhaled heavily in relief.

But just as he was about to pick Yuan Yi up and carry him to bed for a proper rest, his eyes suddenly caught something—directly in front of Yuan Yi’s head was that model of the Sirius-class warship that Li Mian had sent him a picture of earlier that day. The moment he saw the model, he nearly had a heart attack.

On the model ship sat a large photo, about the size of two palms.

It was a photo of him in uniform, turned into black and white.

That would’ve been fine—but in front of the photo, there was actually a rice bowl.

The bowl was filled about eighty percent with rice, and three sticks of incense were stuck into the rice, seemingly just lit not long ago. The incense smoke was faintly curling upward.

Even more outrageous—under the photo, there were actually some… spirit money?!

Round yellow paper had diamond-shaped holes cut into it, threaded through with a thin hemp string and tied together. At a glance—hah—there were dozens of them.

And next to the spirit money, there were more than a dozen little golden ingots folded from gold paper. Each one was small, probably about the size of a pigeon egg, piled on top of his ship, surrounding his black-and-white photo, mixed in with white flowers.

Yellow and white all over—it actually looked kind of wealthy. But no matter how you looked at it, these things all seemed like offerings for the dead.

Li Heng speechlessly picked up the photo—he was honestly floored by Yuan Yi’s imagination.

And to think—there was even a line of words written on the back of the photo!

“If it’s not enough, remember to tell me.”

Li Heng: “…………”