When Ye Qiu opened his eyes, the room was very dark.
He caught a faint fragrance, like milk, and instantly recognized it as Bai Bing’s scent.
Turning his head, he saw Bai Bing lying by the bedside, asleep, her cheek resting on his hand.
Ye Qiu gently moved, trying to pull his hand free, but accidentally woke her.
“Ye Qiu, you’re awake?”
Bai Bing’s face lit up with joy when she saw him regain consciousness.
“Mm,” Ye Qiu hummed in response, asking, “Where am I?”
“The ward of 301 Hospital,” Bai Bing said with a smile. “How do you feel?”
“Much better.”
Ye Qiu was a little surprised.
301 Hospital was a military facility that only admitted patients of general rank or higher. He hadn’t expected to be admitted here.
Bai Bing seemed to read his thoughts and explained, “The War God made arrangements with the hospital.”
So it was the War God’s doing—no wonder.
Bai Bing added, “I never thought Zhang Lili could be so ruthless as to shoot you. Fortunately, none of those three bullets hit vital spots, or you’d have been in real danger.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got luck on my side. I won’t die that easily,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.
He knew Zhang Lili’s attack succeeded not just because he’d let his guard down—someone had deliberately set it up.
How else could an ordinary person like Zhang Lili appear outside the heavily guarded Bai family residence?
Forget a top-tier villa district like the Bai family’s—even in a regular gated community, random outsiders couldn’t just waltz in.
Not to mention, the area around the Bai residence housed other important figures, making security even tighter.
On top of that, Zhang Lili’s timing was impeccable.
After Ye Qiu used the Grass Sword Technique twice, his strength was completely drained, leaving him so weak he could barely stand. That’s how she managed to get the drop on him.
Normally, if he activated the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique, his body would become as tough as iron, impervious to bullets.
But Zhang Lili not only showed up outside the Bai residence at the perfect moment—she also fired at the exact right time. What did that mean?
It meant someone had meticulously planned it all.
And who was that person?
The answer was obvious—Bai Yujing!
Still, this incident taught Ye Qiu a valuable lesson: in the future, he needed to be ruthless with his enemies and show no mercy.
“Sister Bing, I’m sorry for making you worry,” Ye Qiu said apologetically.
“As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters… Oh, right, the War God instructed me to call him as soon as you woke up.”
Bai Bing pulled out her phone to make the call, but just then, the ward door opened.
Ye Wudi pushed the War God in from outside.
The War God frowned slightly and said, “Why’s it so dark in here?”
“I didn’t want to disturb Ye Qiu’s rest, so I drew the curtains,” Bai Bing explained, quickly standing up to pull back the thick drapes and open the window.
Sunlight poured in, and fresh air rushed through the room.
Ye Qiu immediately felt refreshed.
“You’re awake? How do you feel?” the War God asked with a cheerful smile.
“Much better,” Ye Qiu replied, attempting to sit up. But Ye Wudi barked at him.
“You’re injured—rest properly. Why are you trying to show off?”
Ye Qiu glanced at Ye Wudi. Though the man wore a stern expression, his eyes were filled with concern.
Ye Qiu lay back down.
“Sister Bing, how long was I out?” Ye Qiu asked.
Before Bai Bing could answer, the War God chuckled, “You were unconscious for two days and two nights. Little Bai was worried sick about you—she even personally performed the surgery to remove the bullets.”
“Compared to what Ye Qiu’s done, what I did was nothing,” Bai Bing said modestly. “Ye Qiu, keep the commander company. I’ll go to the cafeteria to get you some porridge.”
“Mm,” Ye Qiu nodded.
As soon as Bai Bing left, Ye Wudi grumbled, “I told you not to mess around with women. This time you nearly lost your life. Learned your lesson yet?”
“Are you worried about me?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Hmph.” Ye Wudi let out a cold snort and turned his head away.
The War God’s smile faded as he said, “Ye Qiu, you did well this time.”
“Of course. I was just following your orders,” Ye Qiu replied with a grin.
That night, the War God and Ye Qiu had a half-hour private discussion in a room, all centered on one thing: confirming whether Bai Yujing was connected to the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was a unique entity, and the War God wouldn’t tolerate anyone linked to it remaining in the Underworld Palace.
In truth, the War God had long suspected Bai Yujing’s ties to the Forbidden City but lacked evidence. So when he learned Ye Qiu was heading to the Bai family to “steal the bride,” he decided to turn the situation to his advantage.
Ye Qiu didn’t disappoint, ultimately forcing Long Jiu out into the open.
“War God, was he part of your plan too?” Ye Qiu asked, pointing at Ye Wudi.
“Yes,” the War God nodded slightly.
“So killing Long Jiu was something you’d planned all along?”
“No, Wudi’s appearance had one purpose: to save you.”
“Then why did he kill Long Jiu?” Ye Qiu asked, puzzled.
Ye Wudi answered, “I’ve long had enough of those Forbidden City bastards. Since I ran into one, I figured I’d just kill him.”
Alright, you’re badass.
“Though Wudi killing Long Jiu wasn’t part of my plan, it unexpectedly forced Long Ba and Long Qi out too,” the War God said. “The nine old fogeys of the Forbidden City have been in seclusion for decades. I thought only Long Jiu had emerged, but it turns out Long Ba and Long Qi did too.”
Ye Qiu said gratefully, “Good thing you showed up in time and set up the nuke, or I’d be a goner.”
The War God smiled faintly. “I forgot to tell you—I didn’t actually deploy a nuke.”
Huh?
Ye Qiu’s face froze in shock.
The War God explained, “A nuclear bomb is a national asset, only used when the country’s security faces a severe threat.”
“Besides, nukes are classified. Before deployment, there’d need to be a meeting and a final order from Old Tang himself. I don’t have the authority to launch one.”
Ye Qiu asked, “So when you were at the Bai residence, you were bluffing?”
“Exactly.”
“What about the sixteen fighter jets? I clearly saw warheads mounted on them.”
The War God replied, “The jets were real, but those warheads? Models.”
“Models?” Ye Qiu blinked, then said seriously, “War God, that’s not a funny joke.”
“I’m not joking. They were models,” the War God said. “They’re made to look identical to real warheads. We’ve got hundreds of them at the Underworld Palace base. Plus, at that altitude, who could tell if they were real or fake? It was enough to fool them.”
Ye Qiu was a bit annoyed. “There were plenty of big shots among the guests. Weren’t you worried they wouldn’t buy it?”
The War God said, “If it were just me, they might not have. But Wudi was there too.”
“Wudi is Old Tang’s personal bodyguard. When he killed Long Jiu, the guests would naturally assume he was acting on Old Tang’s orders.”
“So when I mentioned the nuke, they didn’t doubt it for a second—they’d think it was Old Tang’s will too.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Weren’t you worried Long Qi would go all out and fight to the death?”
“Of course I was, but I bet he wouldn’t,” the War God said with a smile. “Long Qi knows he can’t take us down alone. He’ll wait for his brothers to come out of seclusion before settling the score.”
Damn, this old fox had everyone figured out—even the enemy’s mindset.
What a sly bastard!
Ye Qiu cursed inwardly before saying, “War God, I’ve always been curious—what exactly is the Forbidden City?”
“Aren’t they just some faction?”
“Why don’t they take you or Old Tang seriously?”
