Chapter 32: Border Military District Part 2

Wei Tingxia flipped her the bird. “Never had a sister praise her brother as good-looking.”

“Then I’m the first.”

“I’m hungry. I want cookies.”

Wei Tingyun jumped up and saluted properly. “As you command, Princess.”

Before the words finished, she nimbly ducked a flying pillow and ran off laughing.

She had never told anyone, but when she learned Wei Tingxia had returned to Capital Star, Wei Tingyun was so excited she hadn’t slept all night.

Not just because it was her full-blooded brother, but because the Father Emperor was gravely ill, and a new sovereign would rise from the three brothers. Whether the eldest or third took the throne, her fate wouldn’t be good.

Only Wei Tingxia would consider her. So, at any cost, Wei Tingyun had to do everything to push her brother onto the throne.

…

The Emperor’s appointment came down two days later.

Second Prince Wei Tingxia was appointed deputy commander of the Border Military District, to assume duty immediately and jointly manage district affairs with legion commander Lin Wensi of the Border Military District legion.

Once the news spread, Eldest Prince Wei Heng smashed two porcelain cups in his study.

At this critical juncture, Father Emperor shoving Wei Tingxia into the Border Military District with the deputy commander position was tantamount to handing the Empire’s sharpest blade to him. Though Wei Heng didn’t know Lin Wensi personally, he knew the Border Military District legion under him was the Empire’s fiercest force. If Wei Tingxia truly subdued Lin Wensi, then both he and Father Emperor’s throne would be in peril.

Wei Heng paced anxiously in the study. The barrier agent barely suppressed the alpha’s violent pheromones, but that invisible flame still scorched the air, silently proclaiming his fury.

Meanwhile, in the Third Prince’s residence, Wei Shu, who had just returned from the research institute, also froze upon hearing the news.

“Why would Father Emperor choose him?” He looked at his trusted advisor beside him, his tone carrying a hint of confusion. “There are clearly more reliable candidates.”

The advisor responded in a low voice, “It was a decision made by Your Majesty after discussions with several assistant ministers.”

Father Emperor had grown old and muddled. Wei Shu sighed silently in his heart, unable to believe he would hand such an important position to Wei Tingxia.

Wei Shu let out a quiet sigh and then asked, “How is the drug research progressing?”

“It’s going smoothly so far.”

Wei Shu nodded slightly, removed his gloves, and carefully adjusted the edge of the barrier patch at the back of his neck with his fingertips, confirming there was no possibility of pheromones leaking out before slowly relaxing his slightly furrowed brows.

“Wei Tingxia… doesn’t seem like an omega,” he murmured, a glint of scrutiny flashing in his eyes. “I’ve tested him multiple times, but he never reacted.”

“That shouldn’t be,” the person beside him said, equally puzzled. He was a senior researcher at the institute and had followed Wei Shu for over a decade. “The transformation drug we used on him at the time was already quite refined, and besides, he did escape before his coming-of-age ceremony.”

He had clearly shown initial signs of transforming into an alpha, yet on the eve of his coming-of-age ceremony, he turned into an omega instead, losing his right to inherit. The best response Wei Tingxia could make was to flee Capital Star immediately.

All of this had been within Wei Shu’s expectations, but he never imagined that when Wei Tingxia returned, there would be no trace of an omega’s meek aura in his every gesture. He even ignored the oppressive pressure of high-concentration alpha pheromones.

This made him wonder if there had been a flaw in the scheme from three years ago.

“Have the people in the border legion keep a close eye on him. Report back immediately if any issues with him are discovered.”

A terrifying ruthlessness flashed in Wei Shu’s eyes, which were usually mild and approachable—like a venomous snake slithering slowly through the jungle, its fangs dripping poison.

Others thought he was obsessed with academics and indifferent to the throne, even his hot-tempered eldest brother believed it firmly. But in reality, only Wei Shu himself knew he was determined to claim that throne. To do so, he would use every means at his disposal and kill anyone who stood in his way.

……

……

Late at night, Lin Tao had long since fallen asleep.

Three hours earlier, Wei Tingxia had notified her of a 30-hour departure to the Border Military District. Lin Tao said nothing and simply returned to her room to pack her luggage.

She displayed the calm composure expected of an excellent ship doctor on a pirate vessel, and Wei Tingxia was very satisfied.

Looking out from the window on the south side of the master bedroom, he could see a expanse of prosperous, twinkling lights—that was the most vibrant area of Capital Star, where many nobles connected to the imperial family resided, including the maternal families of Wei Heng and Wei Shu.

Wei Tingxia mentally calculated the current web of interests on Capital Star and remained still for a long time.

[Incoming unknown communication. Accept?]

System 0188’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Wei Tingxia snapped back. “Accept.”

System 0188 flickered silently, and then a number that had never been registered in any official system loaded into the communication interface.

“I’ve received the orders,” the voice on the other end said coldly. “You’re to serve as deputy commander of the military district.”

“Yes.”

“Whose idea was it?”

“Does it matter?” Wei Tingxia countered. “The military district will be the same with or without me. I’m just going to join the fun.”

The voice grew heavier. “I suspect that once you accept the appointment, you’ll drag us into the power struggle, and the Border Military District along with it.”

Wei Tingxia laughed.

“Lin Wensi, how old are you this year?” he countered sarcastically. “How are you so naive?”

On the other end of the communication, Lin Wensi, the supreme commander and legion leader of the Border Military District, darkened his expression. “You’re deliberately dragging the Border Military District into the water. Isn’t it for power and profit?”

“Everyone of any renown who comes to Capital Star has only one thing to do: fight for power and profit. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Wei Tingxia leisurely tapped the handrail, gazing at the brightly lit Noble District in the distance. “Besides, even without me, the Border Military District will inevitably get pulled into the vortex sooner or later. Rather than having to choose between those two wastes then, why not pick me?”

“……”

Lin Wensi fell silent. This legion leader, rumored to be aloof and taciturn, clearly wasn’t speaking to Wei Tingxia for the first time. Their exchange wasn’t as stiff as usual; it carried a touch more humanity.

“……Even so, you can’t just drag the military district in directly.”

Wei Tingxia noticed that he didn’t refute calling Wei Heng and Wei Shu wastes, and the amusement in his eyes deepened.

He relaxed back into the recliner, swaying gently with the evening breeze. “Don’t worry. I’m going to the military district for other reasons. You’re just a decoy.”

Even treated as a decoy, Lin Wensi wasn’t upset and pressed, “What reasons?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Wei Tingxia said flatly. “Pick me, and I won’t harm you. Pick someone else? Once they seize power, the first to be used as a sacrificial flag will be the Border Military.”

His voice was calm, as if he were simply extracting a cold truth from the pages of a book and laying it out before Lin Wensi. Yet no matter how calm the surface appeared, when the truth struck the heart, it was enough to stir massive waves.

Lin Wensi said nothing and cut off the communication.

Wei Tingxia signaled System 0188 to clear the records and sank fully into the recliner. An intense sense of fatigue gripped him. His body’s craving for alpha pheromones nearly burned through his reason, and the artificial pheromones coursing through him offered no help—instead, they exacerbated the chaos.

“I need Yan Xinfeng right now,” he told System 0188, his voice carrying a faint hoarseness. “What do you think the odds are that we’ll end up in bed the moment we meet?”

System 0188: ……

It selectively ignored the question: [Your body is recovering and does indeed need marking from alpha pheromones.]

Speaking of recovery stirred a rare twinge of conscience in Wei Tingxia.

“How’s Yan Xinfeng’s injury?”

For an alpha of his level, ordinary wounds healed extremely quickly. But the special suppressant on Wei Tingxia’s blade naturally slowed the recovery.

[Nearly healed,] System 0188 replied. [Also, he found out you piloted a mecha behind his back.]

That was the hook Wei Tingxia had deliberately left, precisely so Yan Xinfeng would follow the trail and discover who he was.

After three years of entanglement, nearly losing his life, and finding his omega shrouded in mysteries, who could tolerate it?

Wei Tingxia gazed at the starry sky and murmured to himself, “He’s probably furious right now…”

But this time, he guessed wrong.

Yan Xinfeng had indeed nearly exploded with anger, but only for a few minutes. He quickly calmed down and then sank into a strange, inexplicable malaise.

He sat up from the treatment pod, paced up and down the warship several times, and finally entered the lower mecha bay, where he found Scarface bent over repairing parts.

Spouting wild nonsense in front of all the pirates about him being dead and taking over as boss—Yan Xinfeng had simply smeared him with grime and assigned him to mecha repairs, which was already extremely lenient.

The air in the lower bay was stagnant, thick with the smell of machine oil and metal; staying too long made it feel stifling. Yan Xinfeng sauntered up behind Scarface and sat on the massive attack arm of the mecha.

“I don’t understand.” He spoke abruptly.

Scarface, who had been buried in his work, lifted his head, face drenched in sweat, eyes bewildered. A bonded alpha had no unexpected pheromone leaks, so he hadn’t noticed Yan Xinfeng’s arrival at all.

“What don’t you understand?”

These days, there were many rumors on the starship. Some said Wei Tingxia was an Empire spy, others that he was the leader of another pirate group sent to deal with their boss, and the wildest claimed their boss had been whored out.

Scarface had learned his lesson and quietly listened to a lot but hadn’t dared utter a word.

Yan Xinfeng stretched out his long legs and was silent for a moment before saying, “Why… did he never tell me he could pilot a mecha?”

How would Scarface know?

But to prevent Yan Xinfeng from flying into a rage, he racked his brains for an excuse. “Maybe he didn’t want you to feel inferior.”

“……”

Sensing Yan Xinfeng’s gaze, Scarface realized his excuse hadn’t hit the mark.

“Fine,” he scratched his head and tried again. “Maybe there’s some hidden reason.”

“Like what?”

Scarface spread his hands. “How should I know? Anyway, if he really wanted to screw you over, he wouldn’t have gone all out with mutual markings, right? That’d be too much of a loss.”

Yes, satisfying physiological needs was one thing; lifelong marking was another. No one would joke with their entire life. Wei Tingxia might differ from other omegas, but when they confirmed their lifelong marking, both had been serious.