“Are they dead?” Qi Zhen asked, putting his fingers to the neck of the closest one, feeling his pulse.
“Of course not.” Sheng Fei answered. “They’re just unconscious.”
Truly, as Sheng Fei said, Qi Zhen felt the heartbeat under the pad of his fingers and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Leader, I am glad you are here.” Blaze said, feeling relieved that he didn't have to go along with the old man's idea of drinking tea and talking calmly with the General. He turned to Sheng Fei. "What shall we do with the General? He injured Rina and Jade. Rina is already conscious but Jade hasn't woken up yet. He dislocated her wrist even though he knew that she is an Omega."
Hua Ren scoffed at Blaze. "She’s an omega skilled enough to kill me and you still expect me to be soft on her? If I had let my guard down, I would have been dead by now. She's lucky I didn't even kill her."
Sheng Fei let out a small smile. His mate’s skills were not the only thing that was sharp. Even his tongue was too.
Hua Ren’s words made Blaze burn with fury. "You would kill my sister?!" He shouted, pointing his kunai at Hua Ren's face.
“Now now, I think we should all calm down and talk over a nice steaming pot of jasmine tea...” Qi Zhen said, trying to smooth things over but he was directly ignored.
Hua Ren looked at Blaze squarely in the eyes. "I would kill her and the entire village. All of you are traitors. There's nothing you deserve more than death. I would be doing you all a favour!" He did not feel threatened at all for he could finally feel his strength coming back. All he needed was a chance to grab the kunai.
Blaze's anger surged like a tidal wave in response to Hua Ren's incendiary words. The accusation of treason and the threat against his sister's life and the village ignited a fierce rage within him.
“You bastard!” Without hesitation, he lunged towards Hua Ren, intent on killing him. However, Hua Ren had already anticipated Blaze's attack. He deftly maneuvered, evading the assault and redirected Blaze's momentum. With precise timing, he seized Blaze's wrist and disarmed him of the knife clutched tightly in his hand then kicked him at the back of his knees, sending him to the ground.
Blaze hissed in pain. He tried to get up but it seemed like Hua Ren had hit a specific point, rendering him unable to move. “I-I can’t move!” He panicked. “You bastard! What did you do to me?!”
The villagers standing there were shocked. Blaze was an Alpha and the third in command but The General had rendered him immobile in just a few moves! They all shuffled backwards, unwilling to engage in a fight with Hua Ren. He had showed an omega no mercy. What about them that were betas? He would break them to pieces.
Knowing he would definitely lose if he engaged in a fight with Sheng Fei, Hua Ren planned to make a run for it. He would prove his innocence to the Emperor another way.
But before he could make a move, Sheng Fei intervened swiftly and decisively, wrapping one arm around Hua Ren's waist, and firmly holding the hand that had gripped the weapon with his other hand.
Hua Ren panicked. He wasn't expecting to be stopped so easily. "Let go of me!" He shouted, struggling to free himself but Sheng Fei's grip remained resolute.
"I would stop if I were you." Sheng Fei whispered in his ear.
"And why would I?" Hua Ren gritted, his muscles tensing, a shiver running down his spine from the feeling of the warm breath against his ear. He still struggled, trying to free himself but Sheng Fei's hold on him was too strong. Besides, being so close to the Alpha, his nose could catch whiffs of Sheng Fei's scent and it made him feel weak. Despite his best efforts to resist, Hua Ren couldn't deny the effect it had on him.
"Don't forget that I'm your Alpha, Ivory Warlord." Sheng Fei asserted. "With a simple release of my pheromones, I could render you immobile in an instant. The villagers would quickly realize that you're not the Alpha you claim to be, but an omega whose mate is none other than me, the Rebel leader. I'm sure you wouldn't want that to come to light, would you?"
Hua Ren gasped and ceased his struggle instantly. Sheng Fei chuckled knowingly in response. "That's what I thought."
"Make no mistake," Hua Ren warned, his voice firm as he turned his neck, locking eyes with Sheng Fei. "I may allow you to capture me now, but I will seize any opportunity to escape. Do not let your guard down."
Hua Ren was not joking and Sheng Fei could feel it. All Hua Ren needed was one simple mistake on their part. No matter how little it was. He wasn’t called the Ivory Warlord or the First General for nothing.
"Anyone with a rope here?" He asked the villagers.
"I have some!" One of them shouted and quickly gave the rope to Sheng Fei.
Qi Zhen remained silent. At first, he wanted to protest against tying Hua Ren up since he was an omega but then remembered that although he was an omega, he was an extremely dangerous and unpredictable one. They couldn't let him free just yet. Not until they convinced him to join them.
"Why are you tying him up leader?" Blaze questioned, glaring at Hua Ren. He was still unable to move." I suggest we kill him like we initially planned. If we don't, he'll kill us all!"
"No one is killing anyone." Sheng Fei commanded, his voice carrying a tone of finality. Especially not his omega. "That is not what we stand for."
"You should listen to your weak subordinate." Hua Ren said to Sheng Fei. "Kill me now or I'll kill you all later and deliver your heads to the Emperor."
Sheng Fei was quite stunned. "You say this despite knowing who you are to me? Despite our bond?" His voice was lowered so the rest could not hear.