Spiritual Energy Revival (9): 

Gu Juntian lay motionless on the bed, pretending to be deeply asleep, but inside he felt as if a raging storm had erupted.

When Zhou Qinghao examined his body, he had thought Zhou was a deeply filial son, and he was moved by it.

Who would have imagined that right after that, Zhou Qinghao would kiss him.

Did Zhou Qinghao know what he was doing?

Had Zhou Qinghao gone mad?

Countless thoughts flashed through Gu Juntian’s mind, yet he remained still.

He couldn’t move.

His spiritual sense was incredibly strong, so even though Zhou had used a drug on him, his consciousness stayed perfectly clear.

But his body had succumbed to Zhou’s drug, leaving him unable to get up.

All he could do was lie there, letting Zhou Qinghao kiss him.

Yes, Zhou didn’t stop at one kiss. After his lips, Zhou began kissing softly at the corner of his mouth, then lightly all over his face.

Zhou’s movements were feather-light, careful, as though Gu Juntian were some sacred treasure not to be defiled.

Gu Juntian couldn’t quite process it.

Looking like such an old man as he did now, Zhou Qinghao had still crept in at night to kiss him… What kind of taste was that?

There were people in this world who were naturally drawn to the elderly—could Zhou Qinghao be one of them?

Did Zhou Qinghao actually like him?

As Gu Juntian’s thoughts spun wildly, Zhou Qinghao sat upright, regaining his composure.

Just now, upon discovering how terribly frail Gu Juntian’s body was, he had lost control and kissed him.

Now, he despised himself.

He had actually taken advantage of his foster father’s unconscious state to steal kisses—utterly shameless.

But his foster father was dying.

The thought of that sent a wave of panic through Zhou’s heart.

He didn’t want Gu Juntian to die.

Was there any way to save him?

Zhou pondered for a long time, but found no answer.

After erasing all traces of his visit, he slipped away quietly.

Once Zhou had left, Gu Juntian could no longer focus on cultivation.

Zhou Qinghao liked him! After realizing that, how could he possibly settle down to cultivate?

No—perhaps it wasn’t him Zhou liked, but the original host.

Gu Juntian carefully reviewed the original host’s memories and indeed found some signs.

Ten years ago, after the original host saved Zhou Qinghao, Zhou had become very close to him. Before the battle with the evil spirit, there was even a time when Zhou refused to call him foster father, and seemed very concerned about his relationships.

Could it be that seven years ago, Zhou had already developed feelings for the original host?

A boy of fifteen or sixteen—just the age when love first blossoms…

Later, after the original host was gravely injured, Zhou had stayed by his side, tending to him with care. Even when the original host had a terrible temper, Zhou never complained. He had even given his blood for the original host to drink.

For the past seven years, Zhou had obeyed him in everything, fulfilling every demand.

Had Zhou always liked the original host?

In the original plot, the host had poisoned Zhou, set up formations in his room—things Zhou shouldn’t have known about. And yet, with his strength, when the host kidnapped him, Zhou could have turned the tables and killed him.

But he hadn’t.

Gu Juntian had always thought Zhou acted that way out of gratitude for saving his life. But now he realized—it was because Zhou liked the host.

But the host had never treated Zhou kindly. How could Zhou still like him?

What kind of taste was that?

Fortunately, now he had become the host, and he would treat Zhou Qinghao well.

The moment he transmigrated, he had fallen for Zhou Qinghao at first sight.

He hadn’t pursued him before, feeling that as his foster father, it would be shameless to do so.

But since Zhou liked him, then so be it—shameless or not.

He had to confess before Zhou did!

Gu Juntian waited until morning, when the drug Zhou used finally wore off.

He got up and went to wash.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help sighing again—what kind of taste did Zhou have, to even like an old man like him?

Still, if Zhou didn’t mind his appearance, then that was all the better.

Just as he was about to message Zhou, someone knocked on the door. He opened it and found Zhou standing there.

Zhou was carrying food in his hands. “Foster father, I went to the cafeteria and brought you breakfast.”

Seeing the food, Gu Juntian felt a moment of panic, afraid Zhou had mixed blood into it.

Fortunately, a sweep with his spiritual sense confirmed it was just ordinary cafeteria meals.

He invited Zhou into his room to eat.

Since Zhou had already come in last night and found nothing unusual, there was no need to keep barring him now.

Zhou’s expression was still icy cold, utterly unlike his warmth from the night before.

Remembering all those delicate kisses, Gu Juntian’s old face flushed red.

He forced himself to remain composed, sharing breakfast with Zhou.

Afterwards, he went to his office, though all the while his mind was filled with thoughts of Zhou.

How should he pursue him?

He had nothing to give Zhou, except perhaps more cultivation techniques and spells he devised himself.

In recent days, Gu Juntian had revised all of the Bureau’s techniques and given pointers to several new recruits.

Originally, he had planned to continue, mentoring every newcomer. But now he had no such intention.

He visited the training ground, briefly assessed the remaining recruits’ conditions, told them which methods suited them best, then left them to cultivate on their own.

From then on, he devoted himself to developing spells specifically for Zhou.

Zhou used a blade—perhaps he should design a set of sword techniques for him first?

While Gu Juntian busied himself, Zhou Qinghao was also occupied.

After examining Gu Juntian’s body, he knew the spiritual treasures and even his own blood were useless—at best they could ease his pain a little and extend his life briefly.

But that meant little. That must be why his foster father had rejected his offerings.

How then could his foster father survive?

Zhou returned to the Bureau’s archives, to the section storing various cultivation methods.

He searched for a long time but found nothing useful.

Yet the more he looked, the more he realized something was wrong.

There seemed to be fewer techniques here.

A year ago, he had slain a demonic cultivator who, facing death, had devised a method for body possession, even experimenting on children in order to seize a youthful body with great potential.

After killing him, Zhou had brought back his belongings to the Bureau, including his notes.

In them, the man had written extensively about his possession experiments.

Such heretical things should have been destroyed.

But the Bureau had preserved them, reasoning that records might help in future cases.

Now, that notebook was missing.

Had someone taken it? Who could it be?

An image of his foster father surfaced in Zhou’s mind.

His foster father had always wanted to survive. Others might not know, but Zhou knew it clearly.

And according to the gatekeepers, he came here often.

Could it be that his foster father intended to use possession to live on?

Zhou’s heart sank. His first instinct was to stop him.

All his life he had been taught never to harm the innocent.

So from now on, he would have to keep an eye on his foster father, to prevent him from making a mistake.

But without possession, his foster father would die.

Could possession be done on the dead?

No—his foster father might not be planning that. The missing notebook could have vanished for some other reason.

Zhou shook himself out of his thoughts and found his phone filled with messages from his foster father.

He was asking what Zhou was doing, inviting him to dinner, asking what he wanted to eat.

He even said he would cook for him himself.

Recently, his foster father’s attitude toward him had grown warmer and warmer—something felt off.

Zhou froze for a moment.

His foster father was proud, and valued strength highly.

If he truly intended possession, he might not choose a child. He might well choose someone powerful and exceptionally gifted.

So who would his foster father target?

The most gifted person in the world was him.

The thought flashed through his mind, then he dismissed it.

It was only speculation, nothing more.

Orc Priest (5): 

Zhou Qinghao studied the fishing net in his hands and felt that this thing would be very useful.

In their tribe, many people’s beast forms were suited for water.

Among them, eight had hippo forms, seven had water buffalo forms, and more than ten had beaver forms.

These people were not all young and strong, but if they joined in the hunt, there would still be more than ten in total.

Others in the tribe also knew how to swim.

They could choose suitable places in the lake to set fishing nets as traps, then drive fish toward them—there would definitely be a harvest.

Thinking this, Zhou Qinghao began weaving faster.

Gu Juntian opened the door, looked at the sky outside, and said to Zhou Qinghao, “Qing, it’s already dark, let’s sleep.”

Zhou Qinghao replied, “It’s still early, I’ll make this fishing net bigger first.”

Gu Juntian could only watch quietly at the side.

Zhou Qinghao’s hands weaving the net looked beautiful, and the man himself was even more so.

Thinking this, Gu Juntian spread hay on the ground, then covered it with animal hide to make a bed.

When the bed was done, he rolled over it a few times to flatten the hay, and relying on his senses, picked out the harder twigs hidden inside and threw them away.

He worked hard to make the hay smooth, creating a bed that would be comfortable to sleep on.

While Gu Juntian made the bed, Zhou Qinghao kept watching him out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing Gu Juntian so focused on bedding, even rolling around on it, he couldn’t help but smile.

He remembered how Gu Juntian was as a child.

Gu Juntian’s beast form was a tiger. The former priest loved tiger cubs, so Gu Juntian often turned into a little tiger and rolled around at the priest’s feet.

At that time, Zhou Qinghao would sometimes reach out and stroke him.

Unfortunately, after Gu Juntian grew up, he no longer acted like that in front of him…

Now, seeing Gu Juntian rolling on the bed, he realized that in private, Gu Juntian was still lively and playful.

That was really nice!

Zhou Qinghao continued weaving until the net was big enough, then stopped.

He set it aside, planning to sleep.

Seeing him finally done, Gu Juntian eagerly patted the bed he had just made: “Qing, time to sleep.”

Zhou Qinghao froze, wondering if he misunderstood—was Gu Juntian inviting him to sleep together?

Gu Juntian said again: “I made the bed, let’s sleep together.”

Zhou Qinghao then realized he had not misunderstood.

But sleeping with Gu Juntian… that was not possible!

He was afraid he might accidentally reveal something in his sleep and disgust Gu Juntian.

“No need, we can sleep separately,” Zhou Qinghao said.

“It’s been raining all day, it’s cold. If you sleep on the ground you might get sick. Just sleep with me on the bed,” Gu Juntian said.

Gu Juntian was truly sincere, and refusing again would seem wrong.

After thinking, Zhou Qinghao transformed into his beast form and hopped onto the bed.

Gu Juntian: “…” The fluffy little rabbit was too cute, too unfair—he really liked it!

But he wanted to sleep with Zhou Qinghao, not with a rabbit!

He stared at the little rabbit for a long time, sighed, and accepted it.

A rabbit was still better than nothing. Holding a rabbit to sleep was better than having empty arms.

Thinking this, he pulled the rabbit into his arms and stroked its fur a few times.

The little rabbit stiffened completely!

Gu Juntian really wanted to kiss the little rabbit, but was afraid it would run away, so he restrained himself.

Zhou Qinghao liked him, but as a priest raised to avoid intimacy, he likely never thought of really being with him.

Take it slow.

Gu Juntian hugged the warm, soft rabbit and gradually fell asleep.

Zhou Qinghao, however, could not sleep at all.

Gu Juntian wore only a hide skirt, which meant that when he hugged him, Zhou Qinghao was pressed against his bare chest.

The sensation was far too stimulating—how could he sleep?

He closed his eyes, not daring to look, but every breath was filled with Gu Juntian’s scent.

Earlier he suspected Gu Juntian knew of his feelings, but seeing how unguarded he was now, it was clear he didn’t.

From now on, he must hide it well.

He pretended to shift position and brushed against Gu Juntian, then after a while, brushed against him again.

He really, really liked Gu Juntian.

That night, the rain kept falling, though the wind eased.

The tribe slept soundly, and by morning, only light rain remained.

The hippo tribe usually kept their doors open, closing them only in heavy storms. Now that the rain had lessened, people opened doors and busied themselves inside.

Some ground animal bones on stone, some shaped tools, some wove vine baskets, and some sharpened sticks into hunting tools.

These sticks could be used not only for hunting but also for spearing fish. There was an old man in the tribe especially skilled at it.

In Zhou Qinghao’s vision, that man died after the storm.

But now, he was fine, not sick at all.

He even wanted to go fishing.

When Zhou Qinghao heard this while patrolling, he quickly stopped him: “It’s raining today, the water is murky. You won’t catch fish now.”

That was true, so the old man decided to wait until the rain stopped.

Because of Zhou Qinghao, Gu Juntian also paid attention to the old man.

He remembered that the man’s beast form was a cat—he didn’t like water, but loved catching fish.

With the water so dirty, it clearly wasn’t suitable for the old man. So Gu Juntian gathered the younger, stronger tribesmen to take the nets and catch fish.

That day, the hunting team returned full as usual, though instead of dinosaurs, they brought back fish.

Some beastmen partially transformed their claws to butcher the fish.

The heads and guts were put aside, inedible but useful as bait.

Fish roe was placed in a dinosaur skull—Zhou Qinghao planned to cook porridge with it for the children at night.

As for the fish meat, Gu Juntian divided it among the tribe.

Some wrapped it in banana leaves or mud to roast in the fire, others ate it raw.

Gu Juntian cooked fish soup, picked out boneless meat, and served it in a bone bowl for Zhou Qinghao.

The soup was fishy, but people of this time tolerated all sorts of strong smells.

Compared to the roasted fish others made, the soup was actually quite good!

Seeing Zhou Qinghao happily drink the soup, Gu Juntian felt deeply satisfied.

The light rain continued all day, but the tribe did not feel annoyed—they lived pleasantly.

Gu Juntian also thought it was a wonderful day.

Unfortunately, at night, Zhou Qinghao again turned into a rabbit.

Gu Juntian held the little rabbit, stroked it for a long time, then placed it on his chest to sleep.

Pretending Zhou Qinghao was in human form, lying on top of him—pure bliss!

Zhou Qinghao: “…” How could he sleep like this?

As a rabbit pressed against Gu Juntian, he could clearly hear his heartbeat, making it impossible to calm down.

Why was Gu Juntian suddenly treating him so well these days?

Though puzzled, he eventually drifted to sleep.

And in his sleep, he saw a vision again.

The storm caused some damage to the hippo tribe, but nothing major.

Life soon returned to normal.

But other tribes in the nearby forests suffered greatly.

They lived in treehouses, unlike the low huts of the hippo tribe, so the storm blew many away, and some trees broke, killing several.

Worse, the scent of blood attracted predators.

Beastmen could hunt dinosaurs, but sometimes they became prey themselves.

Some carnivorous dinosaurs, after tasting beastmen, even grew fond of it.

Beastmen, after death, returned to human form, lacking hard scales or armor, making them easy prey.

That tribe barely had time to mourn before more were killed.

They fled in panic, losing more people along the way.

Eventually, they reached the area around the hippo tribe.

In Zhou Qinghao’s vision, because the lake’s water level rose, the hippo tribe hunters could only hunt on land and happened to encounter the fleeing tribe. Conflict broke out.

In that clash, Gu Juntian was injured, and two more tribesmen died.

In truth, deaths were common—conflicts with other tribes had taken several lives before.

But Zhou Qinghao didn’t want anyone to die.

Still, outsiders had to be driven away. Nearly two hundred of them fled here, but this land could not support so many more.

What should he do?

As Zhou Qinghao pondered countermeasures, Gu Juntian thought of it too.

Prehistoric life was dangerous—death was easy.

In the hippo tribe, only one-third lived to die of old age.

And the former Zhou Qinghao truly had not been a qualified chief.

That conflict could have been avoided, but the former chief’s arrogance caused the fight. Though they drove the others away, they lost lives of their own.

Orc Priest (21): 

Gu Juntian gave Bai Yutian a look, trying to get him to say something, but Bai Yutian stayed silent.

Left with no choice, Gu Juntian abandoned the idea of having Bai Yutian spread word about his relationship with Zhou Qinghao.

Forget it. Better to deal with the Sirius Tribe first.

Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao selectively told the Hippo Tribe about the situation with the Sirius Tribe.

Zhou Qinghao also said, “The beast god told me that before long, the Sirius Tribe will come to our land, kill our people, and take our homes. Tian and I plan to take a few people to scout out the Sirius Tribe’s situation.”

Without the interference of this body’s original owner, the Hippo Tribe trusted Zhou Qinghao completely. They immediately decided that, when the time came, the tribe’s ten strongest warriors would accompany Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao to investigate the Sirius Tribe.

Of course, before that, they needed to hunt and dry more meat so the rest of the tribe wouldn’t go hungry while their strongest fighters were away.

Over the next few days, Gu Juntian led hunting parties everywhere.

By coincidence, they ran into people from the Ape Tribe after traveling a bit farther than usual.

When the Ape Tribe’s chief heard they were going to scout the Sirius Tribe, he volunteered to go with them and help.

He even brought along a tribesman with the beast form of a little monkey. That beastman wasn’t strong in combat, but he was unmatched at moving through treetops—no one could catch him—and he was skilled at hiding, making him an excellent scout.

In the end, when their group set out, there were fifteen in total.

Two from the Ape Tribe, Zhou Qinghao and Gu Juntian, ten of the strongest beastmen from the Hippo Tribe, plus Bai Yutian.

Bai Yutian wasn’t a fighter. At first, Gu Juntian hadn’t planned on bringing him, but he wanted to see the world.

Then Gu Juntian suddenly remembered—in the original storyline, Bai Yutian had left the Sirius Tribe secretly because he didn’t want to stay with the original owner.

This kid’s life had been too easy; he had no idea how dangerous the outside world really was!

But this time, the mission wasn’t too risky, so bringing him along was fine. He could gain some experience, and besides, Gu Juntian was counting on him to go get salt from elsewhere in the future.

Bai Yutian had crossed over just after graduating high school, bringing a head full of knowledge.

Gu Juntian had struck him down before, making him think his knowledge was useless. But in truth, it was very useful.

For this era, someone like Bai Yutian—who had been educated—was top talent.

After all, most of the Hippo Tribe couldn’t even count to a hundred.

Gu Juntian planned to entrust him with important responsibilities one day.

So the group set out toward the Sirius Tribe.

If Gu Juntian went alone, he could have reached them quickly. With spiritual power, even in a primeval forest, he could run as fast as a car on the highway.

But the others weren’t capable of that, so the group’s pace was much slower.

They set out at dawn, and after a day of hard marching, they reached the Sirius Tribe’s hunting grounds by midnight.

They rested for the night, then continued toward the Sirius Tribe’s settlement the next day.

Before long, they encountered slaves gathering food for the Sirius Tribe’s dinosaurs.

By coincidence, some of them were known to the Ape Tribe’s chief.

The Hippo Tribe group immediately captured these slaves.

It was easy—those slaves didn’t resist at all.

The Sirius Tribe had only spared beastmen with weak animal forms, who were long since cowed and broken, living in a daze without the will to fight back.

Yet despite their broken state, their hearts were full of hatred for the Sirius Tribe, and they shared everything they knew about it.

Zhou Qinghao had brought a block of salt with him, and Gu Juntian had learned how to light fires with spiritual power.

They built a fire, and Zhou Qinghao even cooked porridge for the slaves.

The slaves wept as they ate.

Bai Yutian wept too.

He had never seen such pitiful people in his life.

They were skin and bones, covered in scars, some with festering wounds crawling with maggots.

Bai Yutian even felt it was a miracle they were still alive.

Compared to them, even the Hippo Tribesmen who received little meat and lived on innards had good lives!

He was lucky he’d been taken in by the Hippo Tribe after arriving in this world, or else he might not have survived.

Gu Juntian, however, could see that these slaves were close to death.

Their bodies were too depleted.

Still, if he was willing to use his spiritual power, they could be kept alive.

Just as he thought this, he saw Zhou Qinghao already treating them with spiritual power and herbs.

So he joined in as well.

Gu Juntian held one slave’s hand and sent spiritual power into his body.

Neither he nor Zhou Qinghao made it obvious, only ensuring that several who were on the verge of death would not die so soon.

Others couldn’t tell, but those few felt the difference and knelt down in gratitude.

When their tribes had been destroyed, they had lost all hope. Now, a little hope returned.

Perhaps the Hippo Tribe’s chief and priest could avenge them.

From these people, Gu Juntian learned more.

For example, the attack on the Ape Tribe by a herd of carnivorous dinosaurs had been the work of the Sirius Tribe.

The Sirius Tribe had deliberately driven the dinosaurs toward the Ape Tribe to weaken them, planning to wipe them out afterward.

But the Ape Tribe had relocated quickly, so they weren’t caught.

Since the Ape Tribe was small, the Sirius Tribe hadn’t bothered chasing further. As for the Hippo Tribe, it was too far away, so they hadn’t targeted it yet.

But eventually, they would.

The Ape Tribe’s chief looked at Zhou Qinghao with excitement. They had heard that it was the beast god who warned Zhou Qinghao of the Sirius Tribe’s danger, leading the Hippo Tribe to investigate.

This priest was far greater than theirs. Their priest only occasionally received vague hints from the beast god, while Zhou Qinghao received clear instructions.

Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao could guess what they were thinking but didn’t mind the misunderstanding.

After all, what they were about to do would likely deepen it further.

Though this world’s spiritual energy wasn’t abundant, Gu Juntian’s divine sense was powerful, and his cultivation was progressing quickly. He already had some real accomplishments.

If not, he wouldn’t have thought of dealing with the Sirius Tribe on his own earlier.

Thinking this, Gu Juntian said, “Wait here. I’ll go take a look at the Sirius Tribe.”

“It’s dangerous there!” one slave blurted, and the others looked worried too.

“It’s fine. I am the beast god’s messenger,” Gu Juntian declared shockingly.

Regent (3): 

Gu Juntian sat in the carriage, observing the surroundings.

The inner city of Jin’s capital was mostly inhabited by people of power and influence. Their houses were well-built, with courtyards enclosed by stone walls.

At this moment, a household was repairing their house. On this chilly early spring day, some emaciated men in tattered clothing were working with numb expressions.

The original host had stood outside the city for just over two hours in thick clothing and already found it unbearable, yet these men, who barely had enough clothes to cover themselves, had to work the entire day.

If they worked too slowly, they would be whipped.

The lower classes of this era truly weren’t treated as human.

Gu Juntian was in a poor mood, until he turned his head and saw the sullen but silent noble clansmen following behind the carriage—then he felt a little better.

When they set out, those nobles had also wanted to ride in a carriage.

But Gu Juntian refused, telling them that only by walking could they show sincerity.

As for himself… this carriage wasn’t prepared solely for him—it was also for Zhou Qinghao.

After glancing at the nobles, Gu Juntian began looking at the common folk around them.

Closer to the city gates, there were no longer noble estates. Here stood only low wooden shacks.

No—these could hardly be called houses, just makeshift shelters to keep out the wind and rain.

The people living here mostly wore ragged clothes and were gaunt to the bone.

Upon seeing his procession, they immediately knelt and trembled.

When Zhou Qinghao was still around, he would take the original host out of the palace, even taking him beyond the city to watch farmers till the fields.

The original host must have seen the miserable lives of these people, but in his memories, there was no trace of such impressions.

Under the influence of those around him, he only thought that Zhou Qinghao took him to see farmers and eat coarse wheat porridge to humiliate him.

Gu Juntian sighed inwardly.

Zhou Qinghao had actually tried very hard to teach the original host, but by the time they met, the boy was already eleven years old, with a mind of his own.

The original host, spoiled by his mother, couldn’t bear the slightest hardship and looked down on the lower classes.

This era had only just emerged from slavery, and in some places, slavery still existed.

To most of the ruling class, the common people were no different from livestock.

In fact, the lives of the commoners were often seen as less important than those of cattle or horses.

It was a turbulent age.

But precisely because of that, there was much Gu Juntian could do.

When he and his entourage reached the city gate, there was still an hour before Zhou Qinghao would arrive.

Gu Juntian did not hurry to get out. He sat in the carriage, gazing into the distance.

All he could see was a gray haze.

The trees near the capital had all been cut down—not by the people for firewood, but to prevent enemies from using the cover of trees to hide their numbers during an attack.

Only a few roads were paved with stone; outside the city, the roads were all dirt.

Looking toward the end of the muddy road, Gu Juntian thought again of Zhou Qinghao.

He felt Zhou Qinghao was rather “foolish.”

This man commanded Jin’s army and held great power, yet still fell victim to the original host’s schemes.

Gu Juntian admired Zhou Qinghao—he was skilled in both civil and military affairs, a first-class talent.

If the original host had used him well, even if Jin could not unify the world, it could at least enjoy decades of peace.

Unfortunately, the original host had gone astray.

Of course, Zhou Qinghao also had his flaws.

He actually liked such a useless brat!

In the original storyline, the original host realized Zhou Qinghao liked him—the kind of liking a man has for a woman.

This was not the original host’s imagination.

After carefully examining the original host’s memories, Gu Juntian found that Zhou Qinghao truly treated him differently from others.

He harbored feelings of affection for him.

But Zhou Qinghao was a gentleman. When the original host tried to seduce him, he firmly refused.

Refusal did not mean lack of affection—this was clear from the fact that, upon hearing the original host was in trouble, Zhou Qinghao returned to the capital to save him without hesitation.

It had been a trap, and Zhou Qinghao could not have been completely unaware, yet he came anyway.

Moreover, Zhou Qinghao had no interest in women, had no wives or concubines, and at over thirty still had no children…

He must have preferred men.

What Gu Juntian couldn’t understand was why he liked the original host in particular.

Nor could he understand why the original host guarded so much against someone with no heirs.

If Zhou Qinghao rebelled, would he not simply give the throne to the very person he had raised?

Gu Juntian thought about it at length and decided how to deal with Zhou Qinghao.

He had no desire for romance—only to unify the world—so he would not return Zhou Qinghao’s feelings.

But he would give him full trust and the treatment he deserved.

In the future, they could be a harmonious ruler and minister, creating their shared future together.

As for Zhou Qinghao’s preference for men, he would just pretend not to know. Zhou Qinghao was a gentleman and likely would not mention it.

Fighting side by side to conquer the land was far better—love was just a waste of time!

While Gu Juntian was thinking about Zhou Qinghao, Zhou Qinghao was also thinking about Gu Juntian.

Or rather, about the young king in the palace.

After three years apart, he wondered how the boy was doing.

The Zhou family’s ancestral home was in the lands seized by Qi after Jin’s King Wu was defeated.

Their family had never been of high rank, and after losing their lands to Qi, they became utterly destitute.

Zhou Qinghao’s father had no choice but to come to the capital to make a living.

He worked as a retainer for a minor Jin noble, managing his farmland, just enough to scrape by.

Unfortunately, he fell ill and died early.

Zhou Qinghao inherited his father’s work, continuing to manage the farmland for that minor noble.

Such a background was only slightly above the bottom rung of society and looked down upon by the scholar class. Under normal circumstances, he could never have become a high official.

But when he was fifteen, Qi returned the former king to Jin.

That Jin’s king could be decided by Qi was a humiliation to the ruling elite.

When the former king first arrived, no one paid him any attention—his situation was dire.

But Zhou Qinghao saw hope in him.

He took the initiative to approach him, display his talents, and over ten years became the king’s most valued minister.

Before his death, the king entrusted his son to Zhou Qinghao’s care.

The former king had recognized his worth, and Zhou Qinghao was loyal to him—but he also felt guilty.

When the young Jin king was still a child, Zhou Qinghao already had a fondness for him.

He thought it was the affection of an elder toward a junior, or of a minister toward his future sovereign. But as the boy grew, Zhou Qinghao suddenly realized his feelings had changed.

He had developed thoughts he should never have had toward the ruler he had personally raised.

These thoughts were shameful, and at the time, with Jin suffering poor harvests, the only way to feed the people was to seize grain from Qi and Chu. So he chose to leave the capital for war.

Now, having returned victorious, he was about to see that youth again.

Three years had passed, and whatever inappropriate feelings he once had were long gone. This time, he would treat him as an elder should, helping him take the reins of government.

He only hoped the boy would not reject him too much.

Zhou Qinghao knew that the Jin king did not like him.

He was not skilled in manipulation, but he could read people well.

Even so, he still could not bear for that youth to suffer the slightest grievance.

The Young man in Online Romance (1): 

Gu Juntian had transmigrated.

He didn’t know who he used to be, only that his name was Gu Juntian.

And now, he had transmigrated into someone with the exact same name — a fat shut-in.

Looking at the piles of garbage in his room, Gu Juntian sighed.

The original owner’s life was really miserable!

The original owner was also a scumbag.

Gu Juntian had inherited the original owner’s memories, and he also knew the original owner’s future.

The original owner came from a fairly well-off family.

His paternal grandparents had worked in the education system, bought property early, and after some redevelopment projects, the family ended up owning several houses.

His maternal grandparents ran a small business, and in addition to several houses, they had a considerable amount of savings.

Both his parents were only children, highly intelligent and very capable, earning a substantial income.

Born into such a family, the original owner should have been very happy. And when he was young, he really was the pride of the family.

His parents married late, so by the time he was born, his paternal grandparents had already retired and could devote themselves fully to raising him.

By the time he was in kindergarten, he could already recognize many characters. In the first grade of primary school, he was able to read children’s books entirely in English. At school, he consistently ranked first in his class.

Up until the second year of junior high, he remained outstanding. But that year, he encountered a problem.

He could no longer get first place. Gradually, other students at his school began to surpass him in grades.

Unable to accept failure, the original owner studied desperately, sleeping only a few hours a day — but his grades only got worse.

He thought everyone was laughing at him, refused to go to school, and even refused to leave home.

He became addicted to video games, and whenever his parents tried to make him return to school, he would self-harm.

Terrified, his parents stopped forcing him. The original owner was more than happy with that and ended up staying home all day playing games.

This went on for over ten years, and now he was twenty-eight.

His paternal and maternal grandparents had passed away, and as for his parents…

Two years ago, while traveling, they had an accident and died unexpectedly.

At twenty-eight, the original owner inherited nine houses from his grandparents and parents, along with over ten million yuan in cash. Because his parents died in an accident, he also received several million in compensation.

He instantly became rich.

Since graduating from junior high, he had never studied further or worked. Before his parents’ death, his life had been entirely arranged for him.

His life skills were abysmal, and he had no concept of money.

Around this time, a company in his country launched a full-immersion online game. The original owner bought a game helmet and, relying on his money and years of gaming experience, became a well-known figure in the game.

In this game, you could spend money to improve your character’s appearance. Always shut in and overweight, the original owner spent heavily to make his game avatar look like the ideal version of himself.

He was extremely generous in the game, buying whatever he wanted. Within a year, he had spent several million.

Because of this, everyone assumed he was a rich second-generation heir, and a crowd of people flattered and praised him.

This gave him great satisfaction, and he became even more attached to the game world, even creating a fake identity for himself.

He claimed to own a large company, to be a successful businessman who could make huge amounts of money in minutes.

He also claimed he could be online for 17–18 hours a day because he hired people to play for him.

No one in the game doubted him, as his account practically shone with wealth.

It was during this time that he developed feelings for someone — a male streamer who played the same game.

The original owner was a prominent figure in the game, so the streamer teamed up with him to play, calling him “big brother” in a sweet voice while gaming.

The original owner was utterly smitten and began throwing money at him.

After spending about two million yuan, the streamer began flirting with him, which made the original owner ecstatic, and he continued to spend more.

Eventually, he ran out of money.

The more than ten million yuan in cash was gone. Although he still had real estate, the idea of selling houses was unbearable for such a reclusive shut-in.

Worried, he accidentally discovered that one of his guild members was wealthy — and seemed to like him.

So, he started a relationship with this person and began asking for money.

Sometimes he claimed his company lacked liquidity; other times he said he needed investment funds. Bit by bit, he scammed one million yuan from the other party.

Gu Juntian: “…” Are rich people these days really this easy to scam?

And this was only the beginning.

If he hadn’t transmigrated, the original owner would have kept scamming him.

After defrauding this man of two million, the man’s nephew approached the original owner, threatening to expose him online so that everyone would know his true nature, and also to sue him to recover the money.

Terrified, the original owner begged him not to.

He valued his online image more than his life and couldn’t bear the thought of losing his reputation.

Finally, the nephew made a demand — for the original owner to kill his online lover. If he did, the nephew promised not to expose him and would even give him a sum of money.

Any normal person would refuse, but the original owner actually did it!

He lured his online lover into the mountains and pushed him off a cliff…

Of course, the law eventually caught up with him. He ended up in prison, and his entire life story was exposed.

The original owner claimed everywhere that the murder was instigated by the lover’s nephew, but he had no evidence. Everyone believed he simply didn’t want to return the money and had killed for it.

The exposure of his real situation drove him mad.

Gu Juntian reflected on the original owner’s life.

The original owner had been too lucky as a child, and his family’s education had some problems, leaving him mentally fragile and unable to accept imperfection.

When his grades declined, he refused to go to school.

Once he became a “successful man” in the game, he fought desperately to keep that false status.

Fortunately, in the current timeline, the original owner had only scammed one million and hadn’t yet committed murder.

There was still time to fix things.

Gu Juntian couldn’t really understand the obsession with full-immersion online games.

They weren’t yet truly lifelike, and real life was still very different.

Most people only played in their free time, but the original owner spent all his time on it. Didn’t he get bored?

Well, in any case, the original owner was nothing like him.

He was the complete opposite — uninterested in games and only wanting to build a career.

The original owner had nine houses — one he lived in, eight others unused.

Before the parents’ death, six had been rented out, but afterward, he didn’t even bother collecting rent.

At first, when tenants transferred rent to his parents’ old phone account, he received it. Later, when they stopped paying, he didn’t even ask.

Even when short on money, he refused to sell property because that meant going out.

To Gu Juntian, this was a pointless way to live.

After calculating, he found the real estate was worth over ten million yuan.

The one million he had scammed from his online lover still had over a hundred thousand unspent. By selling a few houses, he could gather a full million to return to the lover.

He would also warn the lover about his nephew and break up with him.

Then, he could quit the game and start a new life.

Before quitting, he would sell the account and in-game items to recover some money.

After that, he planned to find something to do and start making money.

He absolutely refused to be a spendthrift — he would make money!

While thinking all this, he suddenly heard a sticky, syrupy voice: “Brother Tian, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Pulled back to reality, Gu Juntian realized he had been watching the streamer that the original owner liked.

The streamer was young. Though male, he was wearing a dress, styled as a woman, and speaking in a high-pitched, affected tone.

Gu Juntian was speechless.

What kind of taste was this? The original owner actually liked someone like that?

He exited the livestream and saw the desktop full of app icons, including the icon for the online game the original owner always played.

Thinking for a moment, he clicked on it.

He wondered if the online lover was online.

The lover’s in-game name was “Blue Sky White Sun,” real name Zhou Qinghao, and he was hopelessly love-brained.

Gu Juntian thought so because Zhou was far too easy to deceive.

The original owner hadn’t even pretended convincingly — no stock trading, no business experience — yet Zhou believed all the nonsense and kept sending money.

Gu guessed Zhou was an uneducated rich second-generation heir.

As for why his nephew would want him dead… perhaps Zhou’s parents had given him too much money and shares, and the nephew resented it?

While Gu was thinking this, in the headquarters of Z Country’s largest gaming company — also the manufacturer of the helmet he was wearing — one of the company’s heirs, Zhou Qinghao, was coldly addressing someone in front of him: “Redo your proposal. There are too many problems. It’s obvious you rushed it to fool me.”

The employee flushed red. “Sorry, President Zhou, I’ll redo it right away…”

“If you keep this up, I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Zhou said again.

This company, Qida Technology, was founded by Zhou’s grandfather.

Zhou’s father’s generation was mediocre, so his grandfather wanted to choose an heir from among the grandchildren.

He brought all of them into the company for fair competition, and Zhou Qinghao was the most outstanding of them all.

The Young man in Online Romance (17): 

Elder Zhou also used a phone, but because of his age, he didn’t like typing, so all the messages he sent to Zhou Lin were voice messages.

Zhou Lin played his grandfather’s voice message several times, still finding it hard to believe.

Could it be that his grandfather, like Zhou Qinghao, had been put under Gu Juntian’s spell?

Or was it that his grandfather actually didn’t care much about Zhou Qinghao and felt it didn’t matter who he dated?

Or maybe there was some other reason?

Just as Zhou Lin was thinking about this, he noticed that the post Little Lamb had made had already been deleted.

This was definitely Zhou Qinghao getting someone to delete it. Zhou Qinghao acted so fast!

But so what if Zhou Qinghao deleted the post? He could still post it again, even outside of the Xiuxian forum.

Zhou Lin made a phone call to confirm and learned that it was indeed Zhou Qinghao who had the post deleted. He sneered.

This time, Zhou Qinghao had really lost face!

Now, everyone in the company knew what kind of person his partner was.

He must be feeling terrible.

At this moment, however, Zhou Qinghao wasn’t feeling bad at all.

Although the fact that his own taste was so strange had dealt him a small blow, the fact that Gu Juntian liked him still filled him with joy.

It was just that now he had to switch mental gears while chatting with Gu Juntian, which felt a little strange.

See, he had just finished calling him “Brother Tian” and immediately switched to speaking as President Wang, discussing cooperation with the state on behalf of “Effort to Fill the Pit.”

The officials wanted “Effort to Fill the Pit” to work at a state research institute.

Gu Juntian agreed but said he wanted to talk to the officials in person.

The older man beside Zhou Qinghao immediately called Gu Juntian, and the two sides started talking.

He glanced at Zhou Qinghao and put the call on speaker.

Gu Juntian agreed to live at the research institute but had some conditions — for example, if he achieved results, the state had to pay him; they couldn’t stop him from playing games; and they had to protect Zhou Qinghao.

Finally, Gu Juntian said, “I also want a team that can help me lose weight and get in shape. I’m dieting right now, so I want someone to prepare nutritious meals and guide me in fitness.”

The officials agreed to all of it.

If Gu Juntian really had the ability, these were small requests.

“Then come pick me up right away,” Gu Juntian said.

Living alone was inconvenient; with state staff helping him handle all sorts of chores, he could focus on work and love.

But then he said, “Wait, better come pick me up tomorrow. I still have to get on the game tonight.”

The officials readily agreed.

Things went smoothly, and he was pleased.

But after hanging up, he commented to Zhou Qinghao, “President Zhou, it’s not very nice to lie to him.”

Zhou Qinghao replied, “He lied to me first.”

That guy Gu Juntian had lied to him first!

Just now, Gu Juntian had even insisted that he didn’t look like the person in the photo.

Still, it was pretty good that Gu Juntian planned to lose weight.

Once he started working with the state, they’d definitely assign people to protect him and manage his daily life, and his appearance should improve.

His clothing taste, though… terrifying. And he still wore that kind of T-shirt!

The two officials gave Zhou Qinghao a disapproving look and left.

Just then, Zhou Qinghao received a call from Elder Zhou, asking what had happened today.

Zhou Qinghao told him about Gu Juntian agreeing to cooperate with the state.

Elder Zhou asked, “And what does he think of Qida Technology?”

Zhou Qinghao said, “Grandpa, as long as Zhou Lin doesn’t cause trouble, he’ll have a good impression of Qida Technology. But today someone posted his photo on the forum, and he was furious. I think that was Zhou Lin’s doing.”

Elder Zhou also suspected Zhou Lin was behind it, especially since Zhou Lin had immediately come to him to complain.

Thinking about it, Elder Zhou said, “Ah Qing, I’ll arrange for your younger cousin to go to another company. From now on, Qida Technology will be under your management.”

The Zhou family owned several companies, and the most profitable was Qida Technology.

Giving it to Zhou Qinghao to manage was basically recognizing him as the Zhou family’s heir.

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Zhou Qinghao said.

In his generation, there were six siblings and cousins.

Above him, he had an older male cousin and an older female cousin.

His female cousin had a bad relationship with his eldest uncle and no interest in the family business. Although Elder Zhou had once arranged for her to work in the company, she quickly resigned to pursue her own career.

His older male cousin, Zhou Qi, was a lazy playboy who didn’t care about gender when it came to relationships, had never married but already had an illegitimate child, and had no interest in the company — just wanted to collect dividends and enjoy life.

Below Zhou Qinghao, there was one male cousin and two younger female cousins. Zhou Lin was close to him in age and had always competed with him, while the two younger girls were still in school, making it hard for them to surpass him.

Now, he had beaten Zhou Lin.

Elder Zhou added, “You need to maintain a good relationship with Gu Juntian… Grandpa believes you can do it.”

Zhou Qinghao: “…” Did his grandfather know something?

At Qida Technology, after the forum post about the Heavenly Emperor appeared, employees were abuzz.

“Is it true or fake?”

“If the Heavenly Emperor really looks like that, then President Zhou…”

“What Little Lamb said might not be true.”

…

As they discussed it, they learned there had been changes in the Zhou family.

The game Xiuxian had been handed back to Zhou Qinghao, while Zhou Lin had been sent to another company.

Why had Zhou Lin suddenly been transferred?

After thinking about it, they realized it might be because of that forum post.

They stopped gossiping and focused on work.

Meanwhile, Elder Zhou had learned two things.

First, in Gu Juntian’s new contract with them, he requested that payment go directly to his grandson Zhou Qinghao.

Second, the Heavenly Emperor in the game was Gu Juntian.

Since the game company could check player identities, it was easy for Elder Zhou to find out.

Zhou Qinghao must have learned the Heavenly Emperor’s real identity before starting a relationship with him.

After figuring this out, Elder Zhou called Zhou Lin to him. “That post today — you had someone make it?”

Knowing he couldn’t hide it, Zhou Lin admitted, “Yes.”

“What was your purpose in posting it?”

“Grandpa, Second Brother isn’t thinking straight. That Heavenly Emperor is useless and even scams his money, yet Second Brother treats him like treasure…” Zhou Lin went on at length.

He said the money the Heavenly Emperor had spent in the past six months came from Zhou Qinghao, and accused him of embezzling public funds.

He also claimed that Gu Juntian had liked Little Lamb and used Zhou Qinghao’s money to send Little Lamb tips.

Apparently, Zhou Qinghao had known Gu Juntian for half a year — which made Zhou Lin certain those technical achievements couldn’t have been developed in just one month.

Elder Zhou became even more impressed with Zhou Qinghao. “Your second brother is pretty capable.” That Gu Juntian had liked someone else, and his grandson had still managed to win him over.

With that kind of patience and temperament, how could he not succeed in big things?

Zhou Lin: “???”

Elder Zhou said, “From now on, you’d better behave yourself and stop making trouble! This matter ends here!”

He warned Zhou Lin and had Little Lamb’s account banned.

Since Gu Juntian would become a confidential figure, his identity couldn’t be leaked, so Elder Zhou didn’t say more, only telling Zhou Lin to stop targeting his own family.

Zhou Lin couldn’t figure it out and eventually thought of one possibility.

Had Zhou Qinghao set him up?

Maybe Grandpa didn’t care about the alleged embezzlement because the money had another source or purpose — or maybe Grandpa had wanted it transferred using Gu Juntian’s identity as cover.

Perhaps Gu Juntian himself had a special identity, like being the illegitimate child of some big shot, and Grandpa just wanted to use this to send money to that person.

Zhou Qinghao definitely knew, but didn’t tell him, using it to trap him instead!

The more Zhou Lin thought about it, the angrier he became — Grandpa was too biased, telling Zhou Qinghao everything but keeping him in the dark!

In that case, he wouldn’t be polite anymore!

He decided to gather evidence and make a big scene.

For now, though, he could lie low.

At 6 p.m., in the game Xiuxian…

At this hour, many people had finished work, so the player count was growing.

Many players were chatting about the Heavenly Emperor.

They’d heard he was fat, ugly, and poor, though no one knew if it was true.

“Probably fake. Little Lamb’s account got banned.”

“I saw the photo and think it’s fake. The Heavenly Emperor’s so rich — with just a little money, he could easily make himself look better than that.”

“Yeah, I think it’s fake too.”

“At this time, the Heavenly Emperor should be logging in, right?”

…

Sure enough, they saw the Heavenly Emperor come online.

As soon as Gu Juntian logged in, he got a flood of private messages asking about the post from earlier that day.

He ignored them all.

The man in the photo was indeed him, but he was now much more handsome.

That photo had been secretly taken two years ago, back when the original owner’s parents had just died, leaving him in terrible shape both physically and emotionally.

It had also been when he was at his heaviest.

But he would lose weight!

Gu Juntian planned to make a stunning public appearance once he slimmed down.

He couldn’t let people think that Qingtian Bai Ri’s partner was fat and ugly.

Oh, right — in two months, there would be an offline event for Xiuxian players.

He should attend.

By then, he would be presentable and could finally meet Qingtian Bai Ri in person.

Spiritual Energy Revival (10): 

Zhou Qinghao replied to Gu Juntian, saying he liked to eat anything.

Today, Gu Juntian kept glancing at his phone, waiting for Zhou Qinghao’s reply. When the message finally came, he immediately started a conversation with Zhou.

He didn’t know much about the outside world, so he could only talk about matters related to the Bureau of Monster Control.

The original host had made many enemies. Worried that going out might be dangerous, he had basically not left the Bureau for the past seven years.

It had been a very, very long time since Zhou Qinghao had chatted idly with his foster father.

He was happy, yet a little uneasy.

Why had his foster father suddenly become so close to him?

When Zhou arrived at Gu Juntian’s place, he found Gu chopping vegetables.

Seeing him, Gu smiled and said, “Qinghao, last time I cooked I used the rare ingredients you brought back, so I couldn’t really show my skills. Today I’ll make you something truly tasty.”

Zhou was from the south and preferred lighter flavors, so Gu stir-fried two vegetarian dishes, stewed a tofu soup with a big fish head, and braised the rest of the fish.

As he cooked, Gu chatted with him: “Qinghao, I remember you loved fish when you were little and even wrote about it in your diary. Do you still like it now?”

“Back then, you loved mixing rice with fish soup.”

“I added some pepper to the fish-head tofu soup. I remember you liked that—you always sprinkled pepper on the soup.”

…

Zhou had always loved fish, and he did indeed like pepper.

Mainly, his parents loved it. He ate with them, and over time he grew to love it too.

The Bureau cafeteria rarely served fish, much less fish soup, so after joining the Bureau, he seldom ate fish.

Back then, when he was taking online classes at the Bureau, a teacher assigned an essay, and he wrote about his mother’s fish-head tofu soup and braised fish.

His foster father happened to read that essay, then bought a bighead carp and made the soup and braised fish for him.

That image was etched deep in his heart, and he hadn’t expected his foster father to still remember.

To his foster father, he must also be very important.

“Try it and see if it tastes the same,” Gu said with a smile, inviting Zhou to eat.

Zhou mixed his rice with fish soup and ate obediently, glancing at Gu after every bite.

Gu unconsciously sat up straight, wanting to present his best self to Zhou, but quickly realized that, as he was now, he was just an old man—no matter how he presented himself, he still looked like an old man.

But Zhou absolutely, truly loved him. Despite his face full of wrinkles, Zhou kept looking at him again and again.

Gu couldn’t help it and looked at Zhou as well.

Their gazes met, and he smiled at Zhou.

Zhou’s heart pounded like a drum.

When his foster father had been cold to him before, he could still suppress his feelings. Now that his foster father was warm to him, he could no longer hold them back.

But the two of them could never be together.

Watching Zhou carefully, Gu naturally saw the affection in his eyes.

Zhou was absolutely head over heels for him.

He would nurture their feelings for a while, then confess.

As for how to build that affection…

After dinner, while Zhou was washing the dishes, Gu spoke up: “Qinghao, shall we watch a movie together?”

Zhou agreed. “Okay. What do you want to watch, foster father?”

“You pick something you like,” Gu said. The original host had seldom watched movies, and Gu had nothing in particular he wanted to see.

“I haven’t really watched many movies,” Zhou said.

When he was little, his parents often took him to the cinema, but since joining the Bureau, he had hardly watched any.

The two of them looked at each other.

Gu had thought of suggesting they go to the theater, but it was a bit far. And if the two of them went together and others at the Bureau found out, who knew what they would think.

In the end, Gu casually picked a movie, and they watched it together.

It was a comedy from over a decade ago.

Ever since the resurgence of spiritual energy, popular films were all tied to demons and spirits, with even the Bureau frequently appearing.

Worst of all, the monsters in those movies often fell in love with Bureau staff.

They wanted nothing to do with such films and firmly refused to watch them.

The comedy was decent, but being over a decade old, some parts felt awkward.

They finished the movie in silence, and Zhou took his leave.

Gu felt something was off.

A movie date ought to be romantic, but between him and Zhou there always seemed to be a layer separating them.

Was it because of their foster father–son relationship?

Should he confess sooner and break that barrier?

After some inner struggle, Gu went to cultivate.

Better to prioritize restoring his health.

After leaving Gu, Zhou’s mind became clear.

He often went on missions to handle all kinds of demons and spirits, which meant he frequently noticed subtle clues others missed.

Looking back, the more he thought, the more he felt that the current Gu Juntian was suspicious.

In fact, even in the previous years, his foster father’s behavior hadn’t been quite right.

Could his foster father really be planning to seize another’s body?

He wouldn’t share his suspicions with others, but he had to get to the bottom of it.

Zhou’s authority within the Bureau was second only to Gu’s.

That night, he went to the Bureau’s warehouse again, checked every storeroom except the “high-risk” one, and reviewed the related records. He discovered that many items were missing.

He had once encountered a person whose soul had left their body after contact with a “Soul-Leaving Stone.”

This stone didn’t harm the spirit, so it wasn’t considered highly dangerous and had been stored in the “medium-risk” warehouse—now it was gone.

Several other soul-related items had also vanished without a trace, and the entry logs were completely blank.

Even the records of those items entering storage had been wiped, as if he had never brought back the Soul-Leaving Stone at all.

The Soul-Leaving Stone…

Government departments are normally overseen by supervisors, but the Bureau’s situation is unique; ordinary people can’t supervise it. As for letting cultivators do it… Zhou was one of the strongest cultivators in the country. Only a Buddhist master who had a sudden enlightenment after the resurgence and an elder of the Xuan Sect could rival him.

They certainly couldn’t have the Xuan Sect supervise the Bureau.

The Bureau’s property was entirely in its own hands, and the director could easily take things from the warehouse.

Many of the missing items were connected to body possession, and Zhou grew ever more alert.

He decided to check the “high-risk” warehouse.

The high-risk vault wasn’t open to casual entry, but for Zhou, sneaking in wasn’t difficult.

It was built from special materials and layered with many formations.

He hadn’t set the earliest formations, but the current ones had been laid by him.

Avoiding the gatekeepers, Zhou slipped into the high-risk vault.

Things were missing here as well.

Having grown up in the Bureau, Zhou knew the high-risk inventory well.

Now, the items capable of damaging a person’s soul were all gone.

They were probably taken by his foster father.

Among all those items, the most terrifying was the netherstone milk.

It had been found in a gloomy, ghostly stalactite cave and inflicted severe harm on the soul— even cultivators who touched it would have unstable spirits.

Most of it had been destroyed at the time, and he had only brought back a few drops.

Now, those few drops were gone.

Zhou took a deep breath, deciding that starting tomorrow, he would keep a close watch on his foster father.

The next morning, as usual, Gu invited Zhou to have breakfast together to build their rapport.

After they ate, he told Zhou to go cultivate while he went to work.

But Zhou didn’t go to cultivate. He followed Gu to the Bureau’s office building and sat on the sofa outside Gu’s office.

As someone with an innate spiritual body, he could cultivate anywhere, and of course he could do so here.

After more than an hour of work, Gu learned from staff coming and going that Zhou had been guarding his door the whole time, and he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

He called Zhou into the office and had him stay by his side.

Guarding the door while he worked—just how much did Zhou like him?

Gu had thought Zhou would accompany him for a day at most, then go about his own business.

But the opposite happened. Over the next few days, Zhou stayed with him constantly, inseparable.

Zhou spoke little, but wherever Gu went, Zhou followed, as if he couldn’t bear not seeing him for even a moment.

At night, Zhou would sneak into his bedroom, sit by his bed to watch him, and steal kisses.

It was obvious that Zhou liked him very, very much.

But during this period, Zhou’s mood wasn’t good.

Gu thought it over and quickly understood why.

Zhou had examined his body and believed he was dying. In that situation, how could Zhou possibly be in good spirits?

After considering it, Gu decided to confess as soon as possible.

Zhou was secretly in love and heartsick over his failing health—he looked so pitiful that it made Gu ache.

If he confessed, at least Zhou wouldn’t have to sneak in at night to kiss him.

He wouldn’t mind Zhou kissing him in broad daylight!

Thinking of how Zhou had snuck in again last night to kiss him, Gu almost couldn’t bear to wash his face.

But he still had to. After washing and doing some skincare for his old face, Gu went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

At first, he only cooked dinner himself, but since Zhou loved him so much and followed him every day…

Now he cooked all three meals personally.

They say to win a man’s heart, you must first win his stomach, and he could clearly feel Zhou liking him more and more.

Breakfast was wontons. Halfway through making them, Zhou arrived.

Gu set the wontons on the table and looked at Zhou. “Qinghao, there’s something I’d like to tell you.”

Better to confess today—though the words would need careful crafting.

Orc Priest (6): 

Zhou Qinghao woke up with his mind full of prophecies.

The little snow-white rabbit lifted its head and fell into thought.

Normally, there was little contact between tribes, though not completely absent.

So, he knew something about the surrounding tribes.

The tribe that had a conflict with the hippo tribe was the monkey tribe. Not everyone in that tribe had a monkey beast form, but the chieftain had always been someone with a monkey form.

They lived in trees, usually ate wild fruits and tender leaves, and would also hunt some small prey.

Since the two tribes were close to each other, their structures were naturally similar. The monkey tribe also believed in the beast god and had a priest.

In the past, Zhou Qinghao had followed his tribe’s former priest to visit the monkey tribe’s priest.

Since they had priests, the monkey tribe people would surely respect them as well… If he had been there when the conflict happened, he should have been able to resolve it.

Now Zhou Qinghao already believed that his prophecy was real. He planned to go hunting with his tribe on that day, then persuade the monkey tribe to leave.

Having made the decision, Zhou Qinghao let out a breath of relief—only to meet Gu Juntian’s gaze.

Gu Juntian lay beneath him, smiling with narrowed eyes.

Had he been sleeping on Gu Juntian’s chest all night?

As he thought this and looked down, Zhou Qinghao found his paw pressing against a protrusion on Gu Juntian’s left chest.

The little white rabbit stiffened, then jumped away from Gu Juntian’s chest without thinking.

Gu Juntian had been watching the rabbit’s cute appearance with delight, but then the rabbit ran.

He paused for a moment, then clutched his chest and cried out: “That hurts!”

Seeing this, Zhou Qinghao quickly turned back into human form and asked, “Are you alright?”

When rabbits kicked with their hind legs, their strength was considerable. Could Gu Juntian have been injured by him?

Of course, Gu Juntian wasn’t hurt. Zhou Qinghao had fled in such a rush that his hind legs hadn’t even used any force.

He was only teasing Zhou Qinghao.

Now, seeing Zhou Qinghao worried, Gu Juntian released his hand from his chest: “I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Zhou Qinghao glanced at him and, seeing not even a bruise, realized Gu Juntian was joking with him. But looking at Gu Juntian’s face, he couldn’t get angry.

Wait, that wasn’t the point right now!

He wasn’t wearing his animal-skin skirt!

Zhou Qinghao left Gu Juntian behind and hurried to the corner to put on his skirt.

Actually, it wasn’t a big deal even if he didn’t wear it. People in the tribe didn’t care much about such things. But Gu Juntian’s gaze made him feel it wasn’t proper.

Gu Juntian, seeing this, quietly changed position, lying face-down on the straw bed so Zhou Qinghao wouldn’t notice the abnormality of his body.

In prehistoric times, everyone dressed lightly, yet the person he liked was parading around in front of him every day… It was hard to endure!

After Zhou Qinghao dressed, he went outside. Gu Juntian followed a little later.

It was still raining that day.

The swamp where their tribe lived was mostly flooded now, with only the little island they were on and some higher ground nearby still above water.

Many people had lost their homes, but the hippo tribe wasn’t miserable. They were even cheerful, sitting together chatting and making crafts.

The storm had struck suddenly, yet not a single tribesman had died or gone hungry.

Everyone believed it was the beast god protecting them, and they respected Zhou Qinghao, their priest, all the more.

If not for his preparations, they would have been living in flimsy houses. In the middle of the night, they might have been blown away along with their homes.

Even if they weren’t blown away, they would surely have been drenched, and not everyone in the tribe liked being soaked by rain.

“Today the hunting party will split into two groups: one to catch fish, the other to come with me and take a look around nearby,” Gu Juntian said.

For a prehistoric tribe, food was essential. If they could hunt, they must hunt.

As for the monkey tribe, they would only meet them in a few days, so there was no need to worry yet.

Gu Juntian led the hunting team out into the rain.

The rain brought some trouble, but it also dulled the prey’s awareness of danger.

By ambushing early, they still managed to catch some prey, though less than the day before the storm.

Two days passed like this, and finally the sky cleared.

Gu Juntian felt a little disappointed at the weather.

Once the sun returned, those who had been staying in Zhou Qinghao’s house would surely move back, and then Zhou Qinghao would also return to his own place.

He didn’t want to be separated from Zhou Qinghao.

In that case, could he think of a way to move into Zhou Qinghao’s place instead?

Looking at the little white rabbit lying beside him, Gu Juntian thought quickly.

Just then, sounds drifted in from outside—the tribesmen were waking up.

Gu Juntian didn’t move, but the little rabbit beside him stirred awake.

After waking, the rabbit lifted its head, hopped to the corner, transformed into human form, and dressed.

As usual, Gu Juntian lay face-down and watched.

Unable to hold back, Zhou Qinghao asked, “Why do you keep staring at me?”

Lately, Gu Juntian’s gaze made him uncomfortable all over.

Gu Juntian replied, “Because you’re beautiful.”

Zhou Qinghao’s face flushed red. He took a deep breath and then said, “Today I’ll go hunting with you.”

“Why?” Gu Juntian asked. Priests did leave the tribe sometimes, but they usually didn’t go with the hunting party. Instead, they led the gathering party to look around nearby.

“I want to go farther to gather things,” Zhou Qinghao said.

Since their swamp had been flooded, wanting to gather farther away was reasonable. Gu Juntian thought it over and agreed.

Their hunting wasn’t based on brute strength but on setting traps beforehand, so Zhou Qinghao wouldn’t be in danger with them.

Still, since he was coming, Gu Juntian instructed two hippo-shaped beastmen to protect Zhou Qinghao.

“Don’t worry, Chief, we’ll protect the priest!” the two promised, patting their chests.

Only then did Gu Juntian remember that today was the day they would meet the monkey tribe.

That made it even better for Zhou Qinghao to come, since the monkey tribe respected priests.

But to reach the riverbank now, they would have to swim, and Zhou Qinghao would end up soaked…

Gu Juntian removed the door of his house.

The door was woven from wood and vines, covered with animal hide, sturdy and waterproof.

Holding it, he said to Zhou Qinghao, “Qing, later you sit on this door, and Zhuang and the others will carry you.”

Already preparing to go into the water, Zhou Qinghao said, “That’s not necessary.”

“It is,” Gu Juntian insisted. “You’re the priest, you don’t need to swim with us.”

Others in the tribe chimed in: “Yes, priest, we’ll carry you!”

“The previous priest was carried too when he went out.”

“You’re carrying a lot of things. It would be bad if they got wet.”

Indeed, Zhou Qinghao was carrying items that couldn’t get wet. He believed that, since the monkey tribe had fled here in a rush, some must have been injured, so he brought medicine.

He planned to trade the medicine with the monkey tribe’s priest in exchange for their people leaving.

In the end, Zhou Qinghao sat on the door carried by two hippos and left the swamp.

Gu Juntian was delighted seeing Zhou Qinghao being carried clean and dry.

His priest should always be so spotless.

It was a pity that productivity was low in this era. Even though he had many ideas, he couldn’t take them out so casually… Once Bai Yutian arrived, he would definitely borrow his knowledge to improve the tribe’s life and let Zhou Qinghao live better!

Barefoot, the group walked through the jungle, Zhou Qinghao no exception.

At this time, people weren’t used to wearing shoes. They had been running barefoot since childhood, with thick calluses protecting their feet from injury.

Gu Juntian walked ahead of Zhou Qinghao, pushing aside branches so he wouldn’t be scratched.

“It seems someone has been here already. There aren’t many prey,” an experienced hunter said.

“Yes, someone has been here. Look, there are marks on the trees,” Zhou Qinghao added.

The others looked up and saw branches and leaves had been broken off in places.

The traces were clearly man-made, not caused by the wind.

Just then, a monkey dropped in front of them and turned into a boy of about fifteen or sixteen. “You’re from the hippo tribe?” he asked.

Gu Juntian wanted to block Zhou Qinghao’s eyes so he wouldn’t see the boy transform, but he was too late.

He could only glare at the boy, who was carelessly not even wearing an animal-skin skirt.

“Yes, we’re from the hippo tribe. I’m the priest. Are you from the monkey tribe?” Zhou Qinghao asked.

“Yes, I am. Priest of the hippo tribe, can you help our people heal?” the boy asked.

“Take me to see them,” Zhou Qinghao said, then asked, “Where is your priest?”

Hearing that, the boy’s eyes filled with tears. “Our priest is dead.”

The monkey tribe’s priest had died? Zhou Qinghao sighed. “Then lead the way.”

He glanced at Gu Juntian, only to see him frowning unhappily.

Although he had foreseen a conflict, he hadn’t known how it would happen.

The monkey tribe shouldn’t have provoked them first. Could the conflict arise because Gu Juntian disliked them?

As he thought this, he saw Gu Juntian force a kind expression and say to the boy, “Turn into a monkey and lead the way. Walking in the trees, you can also keep watch for danger.”

Being naked was improper, but as a monkey it was fine.

The boy from the monkey tribe found this reasonable, so he shifted into a monkey and leapt ahead.

Gu Juntian finally looked satisfied and smiled at Zhou Qinghao. “Qing, should I carry you?”

Orc Priest (22): 

Everyone looked at Gu Juntian in shock.

Zhuang, who was also in the group, blurted out without thinking, “Brother, no wonder you’re so powerful, turns out you’re the Beast God’s messenger!”

When the others heard this, they too looked at Gu Juntian with reverence.

“Chief, when did you become the Beast God’s messenger?”

“Chief, what does the Beast God look like?”

“Chief…”

Gu Juntian didn’t answer them. Instead, he said, “I’m going to take a look around the Sirius Tribe.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he darted off, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

That speed was too fast! The people who had still doubted that Gu Juntian was the Beast God’s messenger now fully believed it.

Only Zhou Qinghao felt a bit helpless.

Gu Juntian ran off so quickly, clearly to prevent him from following!

But letting Gu Juntian scout first wasn’t bad either. Their knowledge of the Sirius Tribe was still far too limited.

Zhou Qinghao knew that if their group was discovered by the Sirius Tribe, they would surely be in danger.

So he had the monkey-shaped orc from the Monkey Tribe go to investigate the Sirius Tribe, while the slaves they had brought back continued picking leaves to feed the dinosaurs at the Sirius Tribe.

These slaves could serve as inside helpers when they took action.

As for the others, Zhou Qinghao led them to a hiding place to rest and eat.

He planned to wait for Gu Juntian to return, discuss things with him, and then take action together to wipe out the Sirius Tribe.

But things turned out completely differently from what he imagined.

Zhou Qinghao waited a long time, but Gu Juntian never came back.

When it was almost dark, the monkey-shaped orc returned instead.

He landed by the fire Zhou Qinghao had lit, changed back into human form, and looked a bit unsettled.

“What’s wrong? Is Tian alright?” Zhou Qinghao asked.

The man replied, “He’s fine, Lord Messenger is fine.”

“Then why do you look like that? Did something happen at the Sirius Tribe?” Zhou Qinghao pressed.

The man looked absent-minded, then nodded. “Priest, something did happen to the Sirius Tribe.”

“What happened?” Zhou Qinghao asked.

The man said, “Lord Messenger… he has already taken control of the Sirius Tribe.”

Zhou Qinghao was stunned for a moment.

So was Gu Juntian, truth be told.

The Sirius Tribe had been dealt with a little too easily!

Gu Juntian had said he was going to scout, but in reality, he had another plan.

If conditions were favorable, he intended to deal with the Sirius Tribe alone.

And the conditions turned out to be very favorable.

When he arrived, the wolf-shaped orcs of the Sirius Tribe were abusing the slaves.

They were eating meat while forcing the male slaves to fight in beast form, and using the female slaves for their pleasure.

The scene was brutal, with some slaves dying on the spot.

Gu Juntian couldn’t stand it.

He had been hiding in a tree, concealing himself with a stealth technique, but suddenly leapt out!

When he jumped into the Sirius Tribe, he used an illusion to make his beast form look enormous.

A tiger as massive as a mountain suddenly appeared, terrifying the Sirius Tribe.

Before they could react, Gu Juntian killed several of their leaders on the spot.

The rest either collapsed to their knees, trembling, or scattered in terror, without the slightest will to resist.

Gu Juntian, who had been prepared for a bloody battle, was momentarily taken aback.

It could only be said—his illusion was too powerful!

That colossal tiger was far larger than any dinosaur they had ever seen…

Many orcs even thought they were looking at the Beast God himself.

“Who are you?” someone with courage finally asked.

Gu Juntian answered, “I am the Beast God’s messenger.”

He didn’t change into human form.

His entrance had been so grand that if he suddenly turned human and had no clothes, the intimidation would be ruined!

But speaking in beast form was different.

In this world, orcs couldn’t speak while in beast form—but he could. How extraordinary was that?

At the same time, Gu Juntian waved his paw, sending out streaks of spiritual energy.

Several fleeing members of the Sirius Tribe staggered a few steps before collapsing!

Gu Juntian then said, “If you dare to run, I will kill you.”

He hadn’t actually killed them.

He carried with him a toxin that caused paralysis, refined from a certain plant.

If ingested or if it entered the blood, it paralyzed the whole body.

Just now, he had wrapped this poison in spiritual energy and injected it into the bodies of those who tried to escape.

His spiritual energy was limited, and knocking people out directly with it would consume too much—this method was more efficient.

His control over spiritual energy was precise enough for such delicate work.

The Sirius Tribe was in chaos, and many had intended to flee, but after that, no one dared to.

This was the Beast God’s messenger—how could they dare to run?

And indeed, he was extraordinary.

Even though they were far away, when he spoke, it was as if the words were whispered directly into their ears!

But why had the Beast God’s messenger suddenly appeared, and why had he killed their leaders?

“The Sirius Tribe has committed too many crimes. The Beast God sent me to pass judgment upon you,” Gu Juntian declared.

He didn’t plan to kill too many.

This was a world of survival of the fittest—death in tribal wars was normal. Among the Sirius Tribe, there were both good and bad.

He couldn’t just slaughter them all.

But he would drive away those wolf-shaped orcs, and arrange something for the rest—perhaps send them back to their original homes.

The Sirius Tribe was terrified by his words, while the previously numb slaves suddenly lit up with hope.

Gu Juntian swiftly “judged” the Sirius Tribe.

At first, he hadn’t intended to kill too many. But the slaves were so furious that they accused many people.

In the end, one third of the wolf-shaped orcs were killed, along with dozens of others who had strong beast forms.

Thus, the surviving wolf-shaped orcs were mostly old men, women, and children.

Gu Juntian drove them out, forcing them to go in the opposite direction of the Hippo Tribe.

As for the rest, he told them to stay and recuperate.

There were quite a few of them, and it would take time to make proper arrangements.

Gu Juntian then dispelled his illusion, revealing his original tiger form.

But now his beast form was larger than a normal tiger, weighing several dozen pounds more than when he had first transmigrated.

He had taken good care of himself.

The glossy, powerful tiger stood in the middle of the tribe, surrounded by people staring at him with worship… and that was when Zhou Qinghao’s group arrived.

The monkey-shaped orc had seen Gu Juntian leap out earlier, and witnessed him using spiritual energy to create illusions. He now deeply admired Gu Juntian and was already considering joining the Hippo Tribe.

He desperately wanted to be closer to the Beast God’s messenger!

The Sirius Tribe’s slaves were even more convinced of Gu Juntian’s identity. At the sight of him, they could hardly stop themselves from kneeling in worship.

Gu Juntian didn’t know what to do with them.

Seeing Zhou Qinghao and the others arrive, Gu Juntian breathed a sigh of relief. “Qing is like me, also a messenger of the Beast God. He will take good care of you.”

This group was a total mess.

Gu Juntian intended to let Zhou Qinghao handle the cleanup.

Thinking this, the big tiger sheepishly rubbed against Zhou Qinghao’s side.

Zhou Qinghao: “…”

Everyone watching grew even more fanatical in their gaze at Zhou Qinghao.

Anyone respected by the great tiger must be even stronger!

Zhou Qinghao had also learned some spiritual techniques.

Having been a priest for years, he was very skilled at playing the role of a divine figure.

Using spiritual energy, he lit a pile of wood nearby and said, “Everyone, let’s eat something first.”

The Sirius Tribe had hunters, and the tribe had both freshly hunted dinosaurs and some that were domesticated.

By now it was dark. Zhou Qinghao planned to feed everyone a good meal, let them rest overnight, and deal with matters the next day.

When the Sirius Tribe saw Zhou Qinghao conjure fire out of thin air, their trust in him deepened.

In this prehistoric world full of dangers, a lone person in the wild would certainly be eaten by dinosaurs.

So no one tried to escape. They followed Zhou Qinghao’s instructions and began dividing the dinosaur meat.

The slaves usually lived on grass and weren’t allowed to eat meat. Now their eyes turned red at the sight of dinosaur meat, shoving raw pieces into their mouths.

Alarmed, Zhou Qinghao quickly stopped them. “The Beast God has decreed: you must not eat raw meat, nor eat too much at once.”

People who had been starving for a long time could harm themselves by overeating suddenly. Eating raw meat could even kill them.

Fortunately, they listened to Zhou Qinghao and didn’t fight over the food.

So he found containers that could be used as pots and had them boil porridge-like meals instead.

He even found salt in the tribe and added it to the food for the slaves.

Of course, not all who remained were weak slaves—there were also some strong individuals who had followed the Sirius Tribe for various reasons.

Gu Juntian had already killed the worst of them; the rest weren’t truly evil.

They were allowed to eat roasted meat, and Zhou Qinghao shared large cuts with them, chatting while using spiritual energy to sense their reactions and judge the truth of their words.

He wanted to make arrangements for every person in the tribe, which kept him very busy.

Gu Juntian was different. Still in tiger form, he lounged at Zhou Qinghao’s side, leisurely cultivating.

He even used his tail to hook Zhou Qinghao’s hand.

Bai Yutian glanced at the busy priest, then at Gu Juntian doing nothing, and admired his fellow townsman deeply.

His fellow had somehow become the Beast God’s messenger by living off his partner!

In his view, the true Beast God’s messenger should be the priest.

Since the priest and his fellow were partners, his fellow got to bask in the glory and wield power.

Bai Yutian wished he could be the Beast God’s messenger too, but he didn’t like men, and his fellow guarded the priest too closely to let him get near…

But in fact, Gu Juntian wasn’t doing nothing.

When he cultivated spiritual energy, he would pass it into Zhou Qinghao, giving him a steady supply to use.

He was absolutely a loving and devoted partner!

Zhou Qinghao spent five days arranging for the remaining people of the Sirius Tribe.

Some stayed nearby, others returned to their original homes to start anew.

But since they had been saved by the Hippo Tribe, they would maintain ties with it.

On top of that, Zhou Qinghao gathered the Sirius Tribe’s stockpiled goods and, after returning to the Hippo Tribe, set up a “market.”

Nearby tribes could come to the Hippo Tribe’s market to trade for whatever they needed.

This market was still rather quiet for now, but Gu Juntian could already foresee how bustling it would be in the future.

After all, Zhou Qinghao had arranged for Bai Yutian to lead a team to the seaside to collect salt.

Previously, the nearby tribes had never eaten salt, but in the future, they certainly would.

Besides salt, pottery making, cloth weaving, and crop cultivation could also be developed.

Gu Juntian was an ambitious man.

But in a prehistoric society, everything moved too slowly. Even with his great ambitions, there was no real stage to display them.

Agriculture had yet to take root, the overall population of beastmen was very small, and even if he led his tribe on campaigns everywhere, conquering lands and subjugating tribes, it would be meaningless.

If he brought those tribes with him, he would be forced to hunt constantly along the way to feed them.

If he didn’t bring them, then once he left, those people would simply return to their original lives, and he would gain no real benefit.

Therefore, conquering the world was pointless.

What he could do, however, was travel around with Zhou Qinghao as the Beast God’s messenger, learning and spreading knowledge.

The Sirius Tribe’s knowledge of raising dinosaurs was something worth spreading.

Recently, he had also discovered some plants suitable for cultivation, which the Hippo Tribe and nearby tribes could experiment with.

These plants could also be spread, and he could continue searching for more.

Gu Juntian had already thought about the future, but for now…

He returned to the tribe, living much as before.

But now, his identity as the Beast God’s messenger was widely known, and the people of the tribe revered him immensely.

Gu Juntian was quite pleased by this, and he began openly showing closeness with Zhou Qinghao, mainly holding hands in public.

But strangely, no one in the tribe thought they were a couple.

Gu Juntian: “…” Prehistoric thinking really was too straight-laced!

Still, he had a way to make their relationship public!

In the swamp where the Hippo Tribe lived, there grew a shrub that bore small purple berries.

When these berries ripened, the Hippo Tribe would gather them and use them to make offerings to the Beast God.

If someone in the Hippo Tribe wanted to become life partners, they could hold their ceremony during this offering.

When the weather cooled, the swamp was covered in ripe purple berries.

The berries were sweet and sour, very tasty, loved by the Hippo Tribe’s beastmen and even by some dinosaurs.

During berry season, the hunting teams didn’t need to travel far; instead, they joined the gathering teams to pick berries and only hunted the dinosaurs that came nearby to eat the fruit.

Sometimes, when roasting meat, they even cooked it with the berries, which gave it a unique flavor.

On the first day the hunting team stayed home, Gu Juntian came out bare-chested from Zhou Qinghao’s house early in the morning.

Bai Yutian, who had just returned with a team from the seaside bringing back plenty of salt, happened to see him—and also saw the ambiguous scratch marks on Gu Juntian’s body.

The chief and the priest were getting bolder!

Bai Yutian quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.

Gu Juntian couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. He looked around the tribe and organized the berry-gathering teams.

By the time he finished, Zhou Qinghao had gotten up.

The Hippo Tribe divided into four teams, each going to a different area to gather berries, while Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao wandered about freely.

The berries were only the size of blueberries, and their taste was similar as well.

Most people picked and ate at the same time, eating the misshapen, small, or bruised berries on the spot, while keeping the perfect ones for the offering.

Of course, those too would eventually be eaten, just later.

Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao picked and ate berries as they went.

Gu Juntian said, “A-Qing, during this offering to the Beast God, let’s become life partners.”

They had already been together for half a year—it was time to make it official.

He wanted to be with Zhou Qinghao!

“Alright.” Zhou Qinghao agreed instantly.

Recently, he had stopped seeing the future, but he had seen glimpses of his past with Gu Juntian.

It seemed they had not just one life together, but several.

If that was the case, then of course they were meant to be life partners.

As for obstacles…

Zhou Qinghao reached out, and the berries on an entire shrub fell neatly into his basket.

Gu Juntian could use spiritual energy to create illusions—so could he.

With such powers, no one would question their bond.

And this display was seen by nearby Hippo tribesmen, who looked at Zhou Qinghao with burning admiration.

Gu Juntian too looked at Zhou Qinghao, feeling his own heart heat up.

Spiritual energy improved the body, and after half a year, Zhou Qinghao looked more outstanding than ever, carrying a refined, otherworldly aura.

Once, Bai Yutian had been the palest in the tribe, but now Zhou Qinghao was by far the fairest.

After months of sun and wind, Bai Yutian looked no different from anyone else, but Zhou Qinghao stood out completely.

Gu Juntian couldn’t resist kissing him.

Afterward, he glanced around.

Many had seen it, but all looked unfazed.

He even heard Zhuang ask someone nearby, “My brother touched the priest with his mouth—is that some kind of ritual? Does it bring blessings?”

Gu Juntian: This idiot!

That evening, Zhou Qinghao counted those preparing to become partners.

There were many—thirty pairs in total.

Among the sixty people, twenty weren’t originally from the Hippo Tribe.

Ever since the Sirius Tribe had been driven out, many had wanted to join the Hippo Tribe, but it wasn’t easy. The usual way was to bond with someone in the tribe.

Thus, some tribe members had found good partners.

“There are many couples this time, so we’ll hold a grand celebration,” Zhou Qinghao announced.

The Hippo Tribe members were delighted, their eyes full of expectation.

He added, “At that time, I will also become life partners with your chief.”

The tribe was stunned.

The priest and the chief were both men—could they even become partners?

Becoming partners was usually to better raise children, but the priest and chief couldn’t have children at all.

In the past, the tribe would have questioned it, but now…

With Gu Juntian’s great strength and the priest’s extraordinary powers, who dared to doubt them?

All they could do was give their blessings.

The Hippo Tribe picked berries for three days.

The fruit was so delicious that people ate a lot, and a few even had stomach upsets, though nothing serious.

Once most of the berries were gathered, the day of offering to the Beast God arrived.

Fresh dinosaur meat was placed on the central stone slab, surrounded by baskets of berries, and the tribe began dancing around the food.

Every tribe had different rituals, though those nearby often shared similarities.

Gu Juntian thought the Hippo Tribe’s ritual was quite good. Everyone was happy, and afterward there was a feast.

Even though they hadn’t gone hunting lately, they had caught plenty of dinosaurs and other creatures that came for the berries, so there was no shortage of meat.

Everyone was in high spirits, and after the celebration came the time for couples to swear their vows before the Beast God.

As priest, Zhou Qinghao guided pair after pair to receive blessings.

At the end, only he and Gu Juntian remained.

The two stood before the offerings and officially became life partners.

Not far away, Bai Yutian watched and felt an unexpected wave of emotion.

The chief and the priest truly matched well.

But he himself had no partner.

Without a beast form, he was like a cripple in this world, and no beastman wanted him.

He also didn’t dare to seek a partner, afraid that humans and beastmen might not even be reproductively compatible.

And even if they were, what if his child was like him—without a beast form? That would be tragic. Worse, mixing human and beastman genes could lead to unforeseen problems.

After some thought, Bai Yutian decided to give up on finding a partner.

Gu Juntian had no idea of Bai Yutian’s thoughts.

At that moment, he was simply overjoyed about one thing—he and Zhou Qinghao had finally become life partners!

Regent (4): 

Zhou Qinghao returned this time with two hundred thousand troops.

Many of these soldiers were originally farmers from near the capital. When Jin suffered a disaster and its grain harvest fell, Zhou Qinghao had led them to war to seize Chu’s grain.

Now that the war was over, some would remain stationed at Jin’s borders, some had been absorbed into Zhou Qinghao’s elite forces, but the vast majority would return to farming.

Jin’s national strength could not support such a massive army.

These soldiers, like the commoners in the capital, wore ragged clothes and had little flesh on their bones.

Still, they were happy simply to have survived the war and returned to the capital. They even felt gratitude toward Zhou Qinghao.

He had lived and eaten alongside them, led them to victory, and ensured they did not starve to death.

These ordinary soldiers had already gone home over the past few days; now only twenty thousand elite troops and numerous generals remained by Zhou Qinghao’s side.

As the capital grew closer, Zhou Qinghao’s deputy looked at him worriedly. “General, many of our people in the capital have been killed. You must be careful this time.”

“I know,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

This deputy, also from a humble background, was literate and skilled at accounting. He had long served as Zhou Qinghao’s aide, managing military provisions.

He glanced at Zhou Qinghao’s profile, wanting to warn him to be wary of their king, but in the end said nothing.

Their general was loyal to the king; saying such things would only displease him.

Besides, what use would caution be?

The king was still their ruler.

Even though their general held the title of Regent, he was not the true king.

Jin’s royal clan and great nobles did not heed him. If he rebelled, the realm would fall into chaos, and no one would help him govern.

He could not flee to Qi or Chu either—both had deep grudges against him and looked down on him.

The deputy could only hope the king would not grow suspicious of their general, would not, like so many before him swayed by slander, kill him.

The deputy thought a lot; the ordinary generals thought far less. They were only looking forward to entering the capital to receive rewards and promotions.

Meanwhile, the nobles behind Gu Juntian had even more on their minds.

Standing in the cold wind, they whispered among themselves, exchanging bits of information.

“Why did the king kill that eunuch today?”

“Could it be the king discovered our scheme?”

“Most likely it was a moment of anger—the eunuch overstepped.”

“The king must have lashed out because he couldn’t bear Zhou Qinghao’s dominance.”

…

Gu Juntian’s sudden killing earlier had made them uneasy, but after discussing, they decided he probably hadn’t uncovered their private dealings. Killing the eunuch must have been because Zhou Qinghao was returning today, and the king was furious.

The former king had returned from Qi with nothing and still managed to suppress them—what about the current king?

Even with Zhou Qinghao’s help, he was still fooled by them.

They knew Gu Juntian well—he was like a flowery pillow filled with straw: fine-looking, but useless.

His killing, and dragging them to greet Zhou Qinghao, was likely just a way to vent anger.

And the target of that anger was probably Zhou Qinghao.

But the cold outside was real.

They had purposely arranged for the king to wait outside early to deepen his resentment toward Zhou Qinghao. They hadn’t expected that while the king sat in the carriage, they would be left standing in the freezing wind.

The group strained their necks, eager for Zhou Qinghao to enter the city quickly.

Although the original host could not issue edicts and was constantly obstructed, he was not without usable officials.

It was simply that those officials acted together to ignore him.

After arriving outside the city, Gu Juntian had sent someone on horseback to scout ahead and report when Zhou Qinghao was near.

When that man returned, Gu Juntian stepped down from the carriage and looked at the nobles. “Gentlemen, since uncle’s return is important enough for me to greet him in person, you should also show proper respect.”

Humiliation flashed in their eyes.

Gu Juntian saw it and chuckled.

In this era, birth was everything, and people looked down on those of humble origin.

Indeed, few of humble birth achieved success.

It was hard to learn in these times—knowledge was monopolized by the ruling class, and office was gained through recommendation, so commoners had no chance to become literate officials.

Even poor but educated men rarely rose above petty clerkships.

Thus, though Zhou Qinghao was highly capable and wielded real power, many still looked down on him.

In the distance, dust rose—Zhou Qinghao had arrived.

Gu Juntian straightened his robe and crown, ready to receive him.

A group rode up. Seeing Gu Juntian and the others, they immediately dismounted and strode forward.

At the head was a tall, strong man in his thirties, with sun-darkened skin and a scruffy beard.

Who else could it be but Zhou Qinghao?

Gu Juntian’s gaze landed on his face, and his heartbeat quickened with an indescribable feeling.

Zhou Qinghao looked weathered. He must have suffered much hardship in the years at war.

He ought to be high above, like an immortal exiled to the mortal world, enjoying the finest things—but now…

Before he left for war, his skin was fair, his looks striking, and countless women in the capital pined for him.

How had he come to look like this? He seemed to have aged more than ten years!

A pang of distress flashed through Gu Juntian’s heart.

He even wanted to go up and examine Zhou Qinghao carefully.

He suddenly remembered that Zhou Qinghao had been injured several times in the past few years.

Were those wounds serious?

Had he eaten and dressed warmly these years?

Countless thoughts raced through Gu Juntian’s mind, then startled him.

Why was he so concerned about Zhou Qinghao?

His heart raced just seeing him—was this love at first sight?

That didn’t seem right!

The original host’s memories contained Zhou Qinghao’s handsome youth, but those memories had stirred nothing in him. Yet now—

His skin was dark, his beard unkempt, his whole bearing rough—

And still, Gu Juntian had fallen for him at first sight!

Was his taste this strange?

Baffled, he stared straight at Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao froze.

Three years ago, when he realized his feelings for the young king had changed, he had despised himself.

It had taken him three years to forget Gu Juntian.

To sever this forbidden thread completely, he had returned to the capital without grooming himself, even growing a beard.

Yet the moment he saw Gu Juntian in the distance, all those feelings surged back uncontrollably.

In three years, his king had grown to match his height, now striking and extraordinary.

He wanted to embrace and kiss this young king.

At that moment, Zhou Qinghao deeply regretted—

Why hadn’t he shaved? Why hadn’t he cared for his face during those years?

His expression darkened.

Why was he even thinking like this?

He was the king’s uncle, the man who had raised him. He could not lead the king astray!

He had promised the late king to assist this boy faithfully.

And even if the king accepted men, he certainly wouldn’t accept him.

Years of campaigning had made him a burly, weathered middle-aged man.

In his youth, perhaps he could rely on his looks—but not now.

All these thoughts flashed through Zhou Qinghao’s mind before he pushed them all down.

Both men had been momentarily lost in thought, but they smoothly completed the formal scene of the Jin king welcoming the victorious regent, presenting a show of harmony before all.

When it ended, Gu Juntian invited Zhou Qinghao to ride with him back to the palace for the victory banquet.

Zhou Qinghao instinctively refused. “It is improper for me to share a carriage with the king.”

He had bathed and changed clothes yesterday, so he was not dirty, but he was unkempt, while Gu Juntian looked immaculate.

He even felt that getting in the carriage would somehow sully it.

“Uncle, have we not shared a carriage many times before?” Gu Juntian replied. In the past, Zhou Qinghao had often ridden with the original host.

Zhou Qinghao hesitated, then no longer refused.

Gu Juntian, however, studied him closely.

Zhou Qinghao had followed the late king at fifteen, when the original host had been only one year old—meaning Zhou Qinghao was fourteen years older.

Now Gu Juntian had just turned nineteen, while Zhou Qinghao was thirty-three.

That was not young in this era, though some well-kept nobles looked little different from men in their twenties.

When he left the capital at thirty, Zhou Qinghao had appeared very youthful.

Though he looked rough now, with a shaved beard his looks would not be lacking.

In truth, Gu Juntian’s attraction to Zhou Qinghao was not strange.

After all, in the whole of Jin, who could compare to him?