OL CH19

Bai Su arrived back at the Marquis’s estate a step ahead of Bai Heguang. Chen Tian had stayed as a guest in his courtyard today, happening to watch this entire farce play out alongside his lover.

Bai Su knew that without King Ning’s intervention, he never would have had the chance to render meritorious service, nor could the Marquis of Zhongyong’s estate have escaped unscathed.

Turning to Chen Tian, he expressed his gratitude with solemn sincerity. “Chenye, thank you so much for this. Were it not for you…”

Chen Tian cut him off gently: “Between you and me, why speak of thanks?”

He then glanced at Madam Liu, who was a pathetic mess of tears and snot on the floor. Leaning in, he murmured into his lover’s ear, “Did that satisfy your anger?”

Bai Su pressed his lips together, showing no trace of vindictive triumph on his face.

To him, this mother and son were merely reaping the consequences of their accumulated transgressions. He simply shook his head and said, “They are inconsequential people, nothing more.”

Hearing this, Chen Tian’s gaze softened, finding his lover remarkably magnanimous. Recalling Bai Su’s earlier offer of gratitude, he whispered playfully, “If Zisu truly wishes to thank me, once we return to the room, we can move to the couch. I would like to…”

While Chen Tian kept teasingly demanding sweet favors, he watched Bai Su’s earlobes flush deeper red and his head dip lower. Refusing to relent, Chen Tian pinched his fingers and wheedled shamelessly, “Will you or not, baby?”

Then, he watched Bai Su give a swift, subtle nod.

In an instant, a radiant grin broke across Chen Tian’s face.

His heart bubbled with delight. His darling truly was the gentlest person in the world!

Yet while his Xiao Bai took things in stride, Chen Tian could not. The grievances Bai Su chose not to pursue, he would settle on his behalf.

Remembering Bai Feizhang, who remained a fugitive on the loose, Chen Tian asked 009 in his mind, “What is Bai Feizhang’s current status?”

The plump fledgling, who had been dozing against a plush toy inside the sea of consciousness, snapped to attention and replied dutifully: “Boss, Bai Feizhang’s karmic fortune has been extracted according to your instructions. He is still hiding on Panlong Mountain, but he broke a leg while evading pursuit and is currently holed up inside a cave.”

Viewing the scene transmitted by 009, looking at Bai Feizhang reduced to a wild beast of a man, Chen Tian nodded inwardly. There was no longer any need to spare attention for this individual.

Transmigrators and reincarnators in minor worlds, regardless of the underlying cause, even when corruption tampered with their fate, still held immense karmic luck unattainable by ordinary mortals. Saying they possessed their own protagonist halos was no exaggeration, which explained why everything previously bent to their favor.

Directly plundering their luck from the outset was impossible; it required deliberate steps to systematically sever their fortunes.

Now that the assassination attempt had failed and Bai Heguang had severed paternal ties with him, Bai Feizhang’s momentum was utterly shattered, allowing 009 to smoothly extract his karmic luck within this realm.

Without the protection of karmic fortune, his good days were finished.

Bai Feizhang had never been favored by Heavenly Law to begin with, and he had committed numerous vile deeds. At present, he was plagued by absolute misfortune; even if left alone, he was bound to meet a gruesome end.

Then there was Bai Heguang, who had aided and abetted wickedness. He possessed no special halo, being merely an ordinary mortal.

“009, extract a portion of Bai Heguang’s luck,” Chen Tian ordered crisply.

The little bird nodded and acted upon its boss’s command without asking unnecessary questions.

Now that Bai Su was firmly in the ascendant, even if Bai Heguang suffered misfortune, Bai Su could shield the Marquis’s estate from ruin. Chen Tian felt he could at least mete out a measure of discipline to this scumbag father first.

The days that followed passed amidst domestic upheaval in the Marquis’s estate, while Bai Su and Chen Tian enjoyed sweet, quiet intimacy.

Unfortunately, peaceful days were short-lived before Great Yan lost its patience and mobilized troops after all.

The affair involving Count Anhe was grave; Great Yan calculated that Xiling would never swallow such humiliation, deciding it was better to strike first to gain the initiative.

At this point, even Situ Hongshen could no longer speak of seeking peace, left with no choice but to send troops to war. The proposed marriage alliance was naturally abandoned.

Yet after so many years of neglect, where could any capable commanders be found in the imperial court? Even among those who volunteered, the throne dared not deploy them rashly.

The court ministers argued and shifted blame in disarray. Just as the old Emperor was about to lose his temper, Bai Su stepped forward, cupping his hands in salute: “This subject is willing to lead the army into battle!”

Bai Su’s words silenced the squabbling assembly instantly. Chen Tian’s gaze snapped toward him in shock. Even Situ Hongshen froze in disbelief before recalling this young general who had long remained quiet.

Bai Su’s string of past battle honors was still fresh in memory. Everyone remembered that he had inherited Old Marquis Bai’s true teachings, an expert commander who had once dazzled the battlefield with peerless brilliance.

However, the Emperor had his own misgivings.

Old Marquis Bai had passed away, Bai Heguang was hopelessly incompetent, and Bai Feizhang was a fugitive. In the entire Marquis’s estate, only Bai Su remained respectable, yet he was still impaired by an injury.

Although Bai Su walked normally now and had displayed extraordinary martial skill while guarding the throne days earlier, making him undeniably the best candidate, he was the sole pillar left in the Marquis’s lineage. If dispatched to the battlefield, would subjects view the Emperor as excessively harsh?

At this thought, Situ Hongshen hesitated.

Right then, the Fifth Prince, Situ Chen, stepped forward unexpectedly to support him: “Imperial Father, this son believes the Heir Zhongyong excels in both civil and military arts. If the Heir leads the expedition, Xiling will surely secure total victory.”

Having spoken, the Fifth Prince looked toward Bai Su with profound respect, genuinely trusting and admiring him.

After a moment of silence, Chen Tian stepped forward as well, his expression grave as he said in a low voice, “This subject also believes Heir Bai is the only suitable choice.”

With the Fifth Prince and King Ning taking the lead, the remaining officials chimed in with their agreement one after another.

Snapping out of his hesitation, the Emperor clapped his hands repeatedly: “Good! Good! Good!”

Uttering the word three times in succession, everyone felt that Xiling was finally saved.

Situ Hongshen drafted an imperial decree on the spot, appointing Bai Su as Grand General to personally command the army against Great Yan.

Yet Chen Tian, who had spoken up for Bai Su just moments earlier, clenched his fists tightly upon hearing the decree, barely suppressing the fury surging within his chest.

He knew Bai Su missed the battlefield, where his grand strategies and talents truly belonged. More importantly, Bai Su held a deep commitment to guarding the country and its people.

At such a critical juncture, Chen Tian would never hold his lover back, yet he could not calm the turmoil inside.

His Xiao Bai was forever pure and noble, holding the entire realm within his heart. Whatever world he inhabited, whatever identity he bore, he was always ready to aid and deliver the common folk.

Chen Tian knew that compared to himself, Xiao Bai was truly noble, yet he would rather the man not be so noble.

Because his own heart was so terribly, terribly small.

Chen Tian was born of a spiritual artifact. Though he had governed the myriad worlds of the artifact from the beginning, he had existed in muddled ignorance. After gaining sentience, he was further shackled by cosmic rules, only experiencing true joy upon meeting Bai Su.

He once knew neither good nor evil, black nor white. It was Bai Su who taught him right from wrong and gave him the name Chen Tian. Bai Su had warmed him, teaching him the meaning of love.

It was not that Chen Tian cared nothing for these myriad worlds, but to him, the most important presence was always his beloved.

Yet Bai Su was different from him.

Chen Tian believed his partner loved him above all else, but with such a virtuous lover, he constantly had to worry about him suffering injuries to protect others.

He completely forgot that back when his own memories were sealed and he drifted through numerous minor worlds, how many people Bai Su had crushed just to avenge him and make him smile, or how many underhanded methods Bai Su had deployed along the way.

Right now, through Chen Tian’s endless rose-tinted filter, his lover was the absolute embodiment of virtue and grace.

Therefore, it never occurred to him that Bai Su’s primary reason for volunteering was actually to seize status and military power. Bai Su was even harboring thoughts of monopolizing supreme power in the imperial court, resolved to keep King Ning exclusively by his side, even if it meant staging a palace coup down the line.

Melancholy weighed heavily on Chen Tian. Bai Su’s choice had been well within expectations, yet he remained deeply unwilling, for what he dreaded most was seeing his lover come to harm.

Sometimes, he wished Bai Su would simply rely on him alone, sheltered safely beneath his wings.

Yet if that happened, he would no longer be the true Bai Su, and Chen Tian could not bear to see his sweetheart miserable.

Meeting Bai Su’s resolute gaze, Chen Tian ultimately refrained from voicing objections, though the aura surrounding him chilled noticeably.

When court adjourned, he did not wait for Bai Su as usual, but strode out of the hall alone in visible fury.

Bai Su noticed this immediately. Seeing the cold detachment on Chen Tian’s face, his heart tightened. Disregarding the ministers crowding around to fawn over him now that he was appointed general, he hurried out after King Ning.

Yet King Ning appeared genuinely enraged this time. By the time Bai Su rushed out of the hall, the man was already nowhere to be found.

Panic seized Bai Su. Were it not for strict palace rules barring such conduct, he would have used light-body techniques across the rooftops to search for him.

Moving to the palace gates as quickly as he could, he finally exhaled in relief upon spotting the familiar carriage from the Prince’s estate.

He climbed inside in haste, and sure enough, King Ning was seated within.

Yet unlike his usual attentive warmth, Situ Chenye sat alone in the corner of the carriage with an icy expression, paying him no heed whatsoever.

Feeling inexplicably guilty, Bai Su shifted closer, reaching out to take Chen Tian’s hand, only to have the man pull away.

This had never happened before, sending a jolt of panic through Bai Su. He reflexively grabbed Chen Tian’s hand in a tight grip, unwilling to let go once he held it.

Chen Tian initially intended to wrench free, but seeing Bai Su’s anxious expression, he ultimately could not bring himself to do so.

Still, the realization that his lover had volunteered for war without discussing it with him first reignited his temper. He scoffed coldly, “General Bai will soon command the three armies and must be terribly busy. Why waste your time on an idle prince like me?”

“No, that isn’t it!”

Hearing this, Bai Su grew frantic, but words had never been his forte. At a complete loss, he leaned in and pressed his lips onto Chen Tian’s, attempting to appease him with a kiss.

Chen Tian, suddenly caught in a forceful kiss: …

I will get back to being angry with you once you are done kissing me!

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Author’s Note:

Chen Tian: Furious! The kind that even a hundred kisses cannot soothe! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻