"Reject the Emperor," Sheng Fei demanded, turning to Hua Ren. "If you don’t, I swear to the Gods above. I’ll storm the palace on your wedding day, expose to everyone that I am your Alpha, release my pheromones, weaken you, and mark you permanently in front of the entire court."
Hua Ren shuddered at the threat. He could tell from just the hard look in Sheng Fei’s eyes that he wasn’t bluffing. Not even a little.
But then, his threat was impossible to achieve. "You think you can do that on your own?" Hua Ren scoffed. "If that day comes, the palace will be swamped with guards. You’d have no way out once you get caught."
"Let me worry about my survival." Sheng Fei said, his eyes narrowing. “You should focus on not getting permanently marked by me in front of that sorry excuse of an Emperor you claim to love.”
Hua Ren’s blood boiled at those words. He swiftly reached into his robe, pulling out a dagger as he glared at Sheng Fei. “Take that back,” he growled.
Sheng Fei’s lips curled into a mocking sneer. "Make me."
Hua Ren’s anger surged but he could not take any action or the guards outside would know. He could only glare at Sheng Fei, who stood there, looking infuriatingly calm. How he wished they were somewhere far. He would definitely make Sheng Fei eat those words.
The Ivory Warlord had clearly forgotten that Sheng Fei had a way to completely subdue him.
"Now now, you two should settle down," Qi Zhen interrupted, clearing his throat after sipping his tea. "We wouldn’t want to draw unnecessary attention from the guards, would we?"
Knowing the old man was right, Hua Ren shot one last withering glare at Sheng Fei before reluctantly sliding the dagger back into his robes.
“General,” Qi Zhen called, his calm, measured tone drawing Hua Ren’s focus. “I have a question for you.”
“Go on,” Hua Ren replied, grateful for the distraction. At least Qi Zhen was more level-headed than the Rebel Alpha.
Qi Zhen carefully set down his teacup, his wrinkled fingers stroking his long, white beard as he studied Hua Ren. “You have feelings for the Emperor, do you not?”
Hua Ren nodded without hesitation. "I do." His gaze flickered to Sheng Fei, his heart feeling a little lighter when he noticed the brief tightening of his jaw and the way his fists curled at his sides.
“I see...” Qi Zhen murmured thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Then, why didn’t you accept the Emperor’s proposal immediately?”
Hua Ren stiffened. This old man...
Qi Zhen continued, his sharp gaze boring into Hua Ren. “If your feelings for the Emperor are as sincere as you claim, why hesitate? What need is there for time to think? You should be overjoyed. The man you have admired and loved secretly has now shown interest in you. Why haven’t you truly accepted the proposal?”
Hua Ren gritted his teeth, carefully measuring his response. “Marriage is not something to take lightly. There are many things to consider.”
Qi Zhen leaned forward. “Ah, but this is the Emperor,” he said. “Now that your identity as an Omega has been exposed, you are no longer a General but a civilian. What does someone like you, a mere civilian, have to consider before marrying the ruler of this kingdom?” His eyes gleamed with an unsettling insight as he spoke his final words. “Unless... you have some doubts.”
The room fell silent.
Hua Ren felt the weight of the old man’s words over his shoulders like a boulder. He glanced at Sheng Fei once more, not willing to admit that he had doubts about the Emperor even though it was true.
Qi Zhen could sense the turmoil within the Ivory Warlord. After all, it was hard to admit to your enemies that your faith in your ruler was shaking. He couldn’t pinpoint whether it was his earlier words at Eternal Grain Valley or something else, but he knew that the Ivory Warlord definitely doubted the Emperor. This was their chance to reveal the truth about the Emperor to Hua Ren.
He rose from his chair, leaning on his walking stick as he walked towards Hua Ren.
Hua Ren gazed at the old man, wondering what he wanted to do. He felt that the old man had changed somewhat. He was more confident. Was it because of Sheng Fei’s presence?
"I’ll stop here, General." Qi Zhen said, taking out a bronze amulet which he handed to Hua Ren. "This might clear your doubts. Go to the Twin Tigers Inn at midnight. Look for a man with two swords tattooed on his left cheek. Give him this amulet and say the password; "I’ll have the Twin Tigers special, the long night.’ He’ll let you through. Once inside, be extremely careful General, and do not stir up trouble."
Hua Ren hesitated, eyeing the bronze amulet skeptically before taking it. "How do I know this is not a trap? How do I know you’re not doing this to kidnap me or kill me?"
Sheng Fei let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. "Oh, you’ll know once you get there."
""Please, General," Qi Zhen implored, his voice earnest. "Obtaining that amulet was no small feat. We lost three of our own to secure it so please, be careful and I repeat, do not stir up trouble."
"And if, after what you witness, you decide to reject the Emperor’s proposal," Sheng Fei interjected, stepping closer to Hua Ren and placing a black whistle into his palm, closing his fingers around it, "blow this whistle."
Hua Ren’s eyes flickered to their joined hands before gazing back up at Sheng Fei. The touch was different. Extremely different from the Emperor’s. From the Emperor, he felt disgust but from Sheng Fei, all he felt was warmth.
"However," Sheng Fei continued. "If you choose to proceed with the marriage..." His golden eyes bore into Hua Ren’s, sending a shiver down his spine. "I will do exactly as I said earlier. I will forcefully claim you before everyone and make you mine. You may not accept me as your mate but I have already accepted you as mine and I will be damned if I let anyone, especially the Emperor have you."
Hua Ren’s breath caught in his throat, feeling the weight of an Alpha’s presence for the first time. He felt like he couldn’t breathe which told him that Sheng Fei would definitely make do with his threat. No one has ever made him feel this way before.
Sheng Fei was powerful. He could feel it.
"That’s all we have to say today, General." Qi Zhen said, moving towards the door. "Thank you for the tea and snacks. They were delicious."
Hua Ren nodded absentmindedly, his attention fixed on Sheng Fei’s intense gaze.
"For both our sakes, General," Sheng Fei said, his voice dropping to a whisper. He reached up, brushing aside a few stray strands of hair from Hua Ren’s beautiful face. "Do not proceed with the marriage."
Leaning in, Sheng Fei pressed a chaste kiss to Hua Ren’s forehead before stepping back, donning his mask, and exiting the chamber alongside Qi Zhen.
Hua Ren stood in stunned silence, his mind reeling. He lifted a hand to touch the spot where Sheng Fei’s lips had briefly touched his forehead.