Lu Xi took out the food from his bag and placed it on the table one by one. "Miss Yun will be going with us to the capital in a few days."
Yun Manman gulped down the food Alice fed her with an "awooo" sound and nodded. "Yes. General Lu Qi said we need to go to the lab to collect some samples."
She was a bit excited about it.
Originally, she had studied at university in the capital, but Yun Manman had no memories of the capital.
Since she had crossed over, she hadn't left Siduo City, so she was very curious about the outside world.
This was like a free tour on official business.
Lu Xi asked with a smile, "So where do you plan to stay?"
"At a hotel, of course," Yun Manman said matter-of-factly.
Lu Xi's eyes showed concern. "But your front paws haven't healed yet."
"Why don't you stay at the General's mansion? There's a whole medical team there."
Yun Manman quickly shook her head. "No, that wouldn't be right. It's not convenient."
Lu Xi looked at Lu Qi, who was standing stiffly. "The Singing Snake Mansion is so big and old, now with only the General living there. It's empty, with no other beastmen. Isn't that right, General?"
Lu Qi: ...
You've said so much, what else can I say?
The young man nodded nonchalantly, but his snake tail hidden in the shadows nervously stopped swaying.
Yun Manman was about to say something, but she saw Alice nodding too. "I think it's a good idea. You still need to guide the General's mental power, so it's convenient this way."
Yan Ye, who had been listening on the side, joked, "Or you could stay at the Yunzheng Mansion? After all, my place is full of feline beastmen, very lively. Better than a certain snake's cold and empty house."
Alice frowned slightly, "The Yunzheng Mansion is too far from the Singing Snake Mansion. Yun Manman still needs to go guide the General's mental power in the morning."
Yan Ye, whose suggestion was rejected, rubbed his nose. "It's fine, I was just mentioning it."
Lu Xi clapped his hands. "Let's settle on this then. Stay at the Singing Snake Mansion, it's convenient this way."
The cat finally compromised. "Alright. Then I'll have to trouble General Lu."
After all, it's just for a few days, it'll be over soon.
The General's house should be very big, right? I probably won't see him much except during mental power guidance sessions.
Anyway, she wouldn't disturb him.
Hearing the cat's words, Lu Qi frowned slightly.
Why did hearing her politely call him "General Lu Qi" make him feel uncomfortable?
It was like his breathing was blocked by large cotton fluffs falling from the cottonwood trees blooming at the transition of spring to summer, leaving his chest feeling stuffy.
He looked at the cat smiling brightly under the light and touched his chest.
Tsk, is there something wrong with his heart?
Should he ask Lu Xi to arrange a physical examination? Since they're at the hospital anyway.
As Yan Ye was leaving, he whispered in Lu Qi's ear, "My dad said, when you're free, go back and see him."
"I reckon he wants to talk to you about the marriage arrangement."
After discussing official business, Lu Qi leaned against the wall lazily, resuming his indolent demeanor.
He yawned, his eyes drooping. "Not going back. Not talking about it."
Yan Ye glanced towards the hospital bed. "You're getting along quite well with the cat, aren't you?"
"Anyway, I've already told my old man, and His Majesty knows too. He said when you come back, he'll talk to you about the marriage arrangement."
Lu Qi: ...
So you've been reporting in real-time, huh?
He straightened up irritably, his white jade snake tail swaying impatiently behind him.
Yan Ye said with schadenfreude, "If you really don't want to, just reject it early. It's even better if you have someone in mind. Anyway, His Majesty won't force you."
"Don't keep our eligible beastwoman waiting either."
His Majesty might not force him, but he would make Lu Qi come to the palace every day to chat with him!
Yan Ye knew very well that His Majesty was a chatterbox!
Two years ago, when Lu Qi's mental power was in disorder, His Majesty helped him contact the best guide from Lanqi Country, requiring him to go there.
At that time, Lu Qi was very depressed and stubborn, refusing to go no matter what was said.
So His Majesty would pull him along every day to do handicrafts and chat, from morning till night.
Oh right, His Majesty's favorite hobby was bamboo carving.
And Lu Qi was terrible at these delicate tasks.
Later, Lu Qi couldn't stand it anymore and had to obediently go to Lanqi Country to receive guidance.
Yan Ye looked at the worried Lu Qi, then turned his golden cat eyes towards the cat sitting on the bed, chatting excitedly with the elf and Lu Xi, his expression thoughtful.
There were some things he needed to confirm back in the capital.
The sky seemed to have a hole in it, with rain pouring down in sheets. Occasional rumbles of thunder could be heard from the thick clouds.
With the arrival of the rainy season, most beastmen who disliked water had holed up, leaving the capital city quiet.
There were few people walking on the streets, with only the occasional delivery rider speeding by.
In a certain luxurious residence.
A brown figure was lying on a warm, large bed, its round belly slowly rising and falling. Occasionally, it would scratch its bottom with a brown furry paw.
At this moment, a figure hurriedly passed through the rain curtain with an umbrella, pushed open the door, and upon seeing the huge figure lying on the bed, became anxious.
"My goodness, you're still sleeping!"
Saying this, he gave the brown bear on the bed a push.
The brown bear was pushed onto his stomach and opened his sleepy eyes.
He yawned, "What's wrong?"
"It's raining, Fu Li. Why did you still come?"
Fu Li looked at the bear sitting up on the bed, as massive as a mountain, and said exasperatedly, "I don't have fur, so rainy days don't bother me."
"Xiong Xiong, is there still no news from the vampire side?"
Xiong Xiong rubbed his eyes, "Don't be impatient. Just yesterday, we received news that they're preparing to make a move."
"You know, the vampires are also waiting for the rainy season. I reckon they're still in preparation."
The brown bear then complained, "Only you guys like the rainy season. The rainy season is such a hassle, it's hard to transport goods, and they're easily damaged..."
Fu Li suppressed his inner panic and, hearing Xiong Xiong's dissatisfaction, quickly put on a smile. "Well, isn't it for the ore in the vampires' possession? I heard that the mines they have produce rare gems..."
At this, the brown bear perked up with interest. "Hope this cooperation goes smoothly. If so, we might be able to get a good mine from them."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't even want to cooperate with them, it's such a hassle..."
Fu Li kept smiling, "Yes, yes, I'm also worried that they might be heavy-handed and end up killing someone while sucking blood..."
If it weren't for the vampire connection you have, I wouldn't want to cooperate with you either.
Fu Li sneered at Xiong Xiong in his heart.
The brown bear was in the jewelry business, controlling mines with rare ores. Although not as rich as a country, he was still one of the top wealthy individuals in Kashida.
Fu Li had found out that Xiong Xiong had private connections with the vampires. Xiong Xiong provided the vampires with channels into Kashida, while the vampires exchanged rare ores with Xiong Xiong.
To achieve his goal, Fu Li had invested all his assets in Xiong Xiong, leaving his already thin family fortune even more depleted.
Fu Li had probed the vampires and discovered that they also had the intention of putting Lu Qi to death, so the two parties were in tacit agreement.
He secretly provided them with information about Lu Qi, planning to take him down while his mental power was in disorder.
Xiong Xiong knew nothing about this.
Xiong Xiong just thought the vampires would come in and suck some blood as they did before.
Little did he know that Prince Qiao You of the vampires was already quietly executing the plan. As long as they found Lu Qi in his mental power disorder, they could easily kill him.
Soon, his great hatred would be resolved!
If it weren't for Lu Qi, how could his Viper clan have fallen to such a state!
Fu Li looked at the large brown bear turning over in front of him, thinking maliciously in his heart.