Hai Yu came to check on Lu Yunian’s condition. The pale man lay unconscious on the bed. Hai Yu, now emboldened by Kun’s backing, scolded Hai Mu’er with a regal air, finally able to assert himself.
“How could you do that to him? He’s Xiao Yu’s wife after all. When Xiao Yu wakes up and sees his wife coughing blood because of you, won’t he overturn our entire palace?” Whether due to receiving the divine power of “military prowess” or not, Hai Yu had grown taller in recent days. The little mermaid Alpha, who previously could only look up to his nephew, had finally broken the 180cm height barrier and could now almost see eye to eye with Hai Mu’er.
“Hmm.” Hai Mu’er listened halfheartedly, examining Lu Yunian’s injuries. Suddenly, his eyes darkened, and he summoned a subordinate, whispering a few instructions. “Spread the news of Lu Yunian’s injury back to the military camp. Make sure Pei Xiuran knows.”
Seeing Hai Mu’er’s dismissive attitude, Hai Yu wanted to protest further, but his eyes lit up at the mention of “Pei Xiuran.” He cautiously crossed his arms and said, “You’re trying to lure Doctor Pei here again? Last time he said he never wanted to see you again in this lifetime. How can you be so thick-skinned?”
Annoyed by his chatter, Hai Mu’er silenced the young Alpha with a cold glare. Hai Yu hugged a large pearl, covering half his face, but still muttered, “He doesn’t like you…”
Hai Mu’er had already turned to ascend the steps, but hearing Hai Yu’s words, he came back down and said, “He doesn’t like you either. So what if you got a divine gift? You’re still a weakling.”
Hai Yu ran all the way to Kun’s resting chamber, bursting in and crying at his bedside, “Big brother, wake up. Your little brother is being bullied, and your wife is about to be beaten to death… If you don’t get up soon, seaweed will be growing on both my and Lu Yunian’s graves!”
He crouched by Kun’s bed, sobbing and rambling for half the afternoon, recounting in detail how Hai Mu’er had bullied him, his little uncle, since childhood. He vividly described Lu Yunian’s miserable state, embellishing with many fabricated accusations.
“He’s fought Lu Yunian so many times, how could Lu Yunian fare well in his hands? Now he’s just coughed up a vat of blood. If you don’t save him soon, he’ll bleed dry by tomorrow.”
“He’s been putting slow-acting poison in Lu Yunian’s food. The dose is light, but after forty-nine days, even the gods won’t be able to save him.”
“He even verbally abused Lu Yunian, saying he’s just a kept man who became an Imperial War Star solely because of his husband’s gift. In reality, he has no real skills, and once his divine power was taken away, he’s just a useless Omega.”
“He…” Hai Yu was getting more animated as he spoke, but suddenly saw Kun sit up on the bed, his eyes emitting an eerie light. Startled, Hai Yu stumbled backward and fell to the ground.
Lu Yunian slowly regained consciousness, feeling helpless due to his physical weakness. The loss of divine power was more of a psychological blow than a physical one. It had originally belonged to Gu Zeyu, and he could give it to whomever he wished. But Lu Yunian had made a mental note of this; once he coaxed Gu Zeyu back, he’d have to give him a few spankings to feel better.
He turned, trying to reach for the conch shell filled with water on the bedside table, but the movement aggravated his chest wound, causing more blood to seep out. When Kun entered, he saw Lu Yunian coughing blood by the bed, the trail of blood at the corner of his mouth a shocking sight.
“Still trying to act tough without any self-defense ability? If you’d invoked my name, would anyone dare touch you?” Kun’s tone carried a hint of anger. His gaze softened as he walked to the bedside and placed the conch shell in Lu Yunian’s hand. “How can you nurse the child when you’re injured, foolish Omega.”
“Heh… You, an ancient god, previously hid in my army and now you’re hiding with the sea clan. Would invoking your name have any use?” Lu Yunian took a sip of water, his parched throat finally finding relief. He slowly propped himself up, facing Kun’s powerful aura without fear.
“That was because my divine consciousness was damaged, my power not yet restored…” Kun had only spoken half a sentence when he noticed Lu Yunian’s intense gaze. Realizing he had been led on by this cunning Omega, he coldly snorted and refused to argue further.
“You were fine staying with me, I could protect you and Gu Lulu. Why did you have to run to the sea clan… Hai Mu’er has always been my mortal enemy, aren’t you afraid he might one day disobey you and kill me when you’re not paying attention?” Lu Yunian had been constantly observing Kun’s expressions. These words weren’t meant for the ancient god at all, but for Gu Zeyu to hear.
“You don’t need to use these tricks in front of me. You humans are always so presumptuous.” Despite his harsh words, Kun still approached Lu Yunian, placing his hand on the gland at the back of his neck, continuously supplying Alpha pheromones. Lu Yunian’s chest wound slowly healed under the soft blue light. When Kun withdrew his right hand, a trace of fatigue flickered across his brow.
“I’ll instruct the sea clan not to harm you. Behave yourself and accept your captivity.” Kun said coldly. Seeing Lu Yunian lowering his head in thought without responding, the air filled with the scent of Omega rum pheromones that had been stimulated.
He didn’t want to linger and entangle with Lu Yunian any longer. As he stood up and took a few steps, Lu Yunian suddenly embraced him from behind. Hot lips pressed against the inhibitor patch on the Alpha’s nape, teeth tearing it off in one bite.
The room filled with a sweet fragrance. Seeing his guess confirmed, Lu Yunian grabbed Gu Zeyu’s waist and pulled him back to sit on his lap. He gently bit Gu Zeyu’s ear and whispered, “You’ve become quite the actor, baby. Getting smarter, aren’t you? You even learned how to deceive.”
Exposed, Gu Zeyu panicked, his face turning bright red. He tried to wiggle off Lu Yunian’s lap, but Lu Yunian, having just regained strength from his divine power, had recovered about 70-80% of his strength. He held Gu Zeyu’s waist tightly, refusing to let go. Their friction ignited a fire of passion.
“Stop f*cking moving, you’re making me hard,” Lu Yunian freed one hand and gave Gu Zeyu’s butt a hard smack, finally making the Alpha in his arms behave. He rested his chin on Gu Zeyu’s shoulder, his nose pressed against the exposed gland, taking a deep breath. “This scent is much better than expired seawater.”
“How… how did you know it was… was me…” Gu Zeyu had acted so convincingly, his tone and demeanor perfectly mimicked. He hadn’t even given himself away when scolding Hai Mu’er earlier, yet Lu Yunian saw through him at a glance.
“Intuition, I guess. I knew it was you the moment you stepped into the room.” Lu Yunian suddenly looked up, turning Gu Zeyu to face him, their eyes meeting. He spoke fiercely, “Gu Zeyu, since you’ve walked into my trap, let’s settle our accounts.”
“Our marriage was a business arrangement, forced upon me by your twelve brothers, right?” Lu Yunian saw Gu Zeyu trying to avoid his gaze and gripped his chin, forcing eye contact.
“Mm.” Gu Zeyu’s eyes began to moisten, a look of grievance appearing on his face.
“You were silly and clumsy, causing trouble for me every day in the military camp. The complaint letters about you piled up by the hundreds on my desk, right?”
“Woo…” Gu Zeyu’s lips drooped, tears starting to well up in his eyes.
“Our first time was half-forced, and that Kun said I wasn’t worthy of his mark. We still only have a temporary bond, right?”
“Mm… but…” Gu Zeyu wanted to explain but was silenced by Lu Yunian’s gaze and swallowed his words.
“I carried Gu Lulu for ten months, and you ran away with him without considering my feelings, right?” Lu Yunian felt a twinge of heartache but showed no sign of it on his face. The matters between him and Gu Zeyu needed to be cleared up.
“I…” Gu Zeyu wanted to hide again, even starting to regret his impatience in coming to see Lu Yunian. He was no match for Lu Yunian.
“Good, now that we’ve settled your account, let’s settle mine.” Lu Yunian finally relented, pulling Gu Zeyu into an embrace and kissing his forehead before continuing, “I was a very weak Omega since childhood. Later, by chance, I became increasingly strong… I always thought I only loved the strong, so when we first married, I truly never considered letting you be my Alpha.”
“But it’s different now…” Lu Yunian said passionately, his gaze fixed on Gu Zeyu. He noticed a flash of panic in his eyes.
“Is it because I’ve become stronger… that you…” Gu Zeyu’s heart raced, Pei Xiuran’s words echoing in his ears. Did Lu Yunian love him or the ancient god?
“Xiao Yu, let that Kun keep sleeping. The person I want is Gu Zeyu, not some ancient god. You don’t need to grow up, you don’t need to become stronger. I don’t need to be a General anymore either. Let’s just live an ordinary life as a family…” Lu Yunian lowered his head and captured Gu Zeyu’s lips, the gentle kiss dispelling all of Gu Zeyu’s grievances.
“Gu Zeyu, I now order you to mark me, permanently mark me. I, Lu Yunian, allow you to be my Alpha.”
Author’s Note: Always remember, this is a sweet romance novel.
Lu Yunian’s character isn’t sentimental. He didn’t speak up before because their relationship hadn’t developed to that point, and he’s rather rough around the edges. He didn’t even care much about losing his talent, let alone realizing that Xiao Yu’s constant silly smiles in front of him were actually signs of unhappiness.
But he’s a decisive person, so now he’s become quite the chatterbox.
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