Chapter 233
Chapter 233: Missing His Wife So Much He Went Into Heat—He Refused Treatment After Getting Beaten, Just to See Who Cared
Zhong Li He nearly choked. His reflex was to twist the knife deeper. “At night you can’t hold your mate and you can’t touch your cub, so you come to me for a fight?”
He leaned forward, delighted. “People who don’t know you would think your mate ran off with your cub and another male, and you’re so furious you can only come beat me up to vent.”
He was happy to oblige. Chong Ming was always showing off. If Zhong Li He could poke him hard enough to make him bleed, it would serve him right.
Kong Que stared, speechless.
It was his fault. He’d spoken too slowly. If he’d finished his analysis of Jiang Tea Tea’s motives, maybe his Chief Executive wouldn’t have blurted the exact line that hit Chong Ming’s core.
One glance at Chong Ming’s face—at the pressure rolling off him like a storm—told Kong Que everything: Zhong Li He’s careless mouth had nailed the truth, and Chong Ming hated it.
Chong Ming rolled up his sleeves, face like ice. “Move. The training ground downstairs is cleared.”
Zhong Li He crossed his arms and refused, delivering a third stab. “Your mate and cub aren’t home. You’re not working. And you want me to fight you? I still have work to do with Kong Que.”
He pointed dramatically. “Kong Que! Tell him I’m busy, that I’m drowning in government affairs!”
Kong Que coughed politely and sold him out without blinking. “Chief Executive… yesterday’s and today’s urgent matters have already been handled. The non-urgent ones can wait a couple days.”
“Kong Que, you—”
Chong Ming grabbed Zhong Li He by the collar.
“Hey—hey—don’t drag me! Let go! I’ll walk myself! Let go! You savage dragon! We’re finished! I’m cutting you off!”
Kong Que followed right behind, not because he was brave—because he was terrified Zhong Li He would get hurt. And also because this was Chong Ming’s territory. Friends sparring was “normal,” right?
Back on Capital Planet, the property broker, desperate to curry favor with the only 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer in the entire star system, went all out. He dragged every mountain listing he had into Jiang Tea Tea’s view—and even called in fellow brokers with more listings.
Capital Planet was huge. Mountain sales, land sales, manor sales, farm sales—brokers were everywhere, each one with endless resources.
Jiang Tea Tea dragged Jin Lin from south to north, north to east, east to west, all night long. From seven in the evening to seven the next morning, they looked at mountain after mountain.
In the end, they chose a mountain with spring-like weather year-round—average temperatures around 19 to 25 degrees—about two thousand kilometers from the Imperial Palace and a little over two thousand kilometers from the Royal Military Academy.
The mountain range was vast, stretching over three hundred kilometers. It sat in a warm temperate climate, rich in spiritual energy, with thriving trees, fungi, and small wildlife.
And beyond that range lay another: a tropical monsoon belt stretching over a thousand kilometers. Half of it was untouched primeval forest; the other half had been partially developed along the edges before being abandoned.
Jiang Tea Tea bought Jin Lin a three-hundred-kilometer mountain range.
She bought herself the thousand-kilometer range right next to it.
Jin Lin’s land could be developed freely—tourism, business, whatever he liked.
Jiang Tea Tea’s land was restricted: personal residence and exploration only. No commercial development.
It didn’t matter. They weren’t buying land to build resorts. They were demons. They were buying land to cultivate.
The price was obscene—billions upon billions—and she paid in full.
The broker’s grin nearly split his head. He launched into after-sales service immediately. “Miss Jiang Tea Tea, Mr. Jin Lin—there are houses on both properties. More than one. Basic facilities are fine, but if you’re moving in, you’ll want professionals to do repairs and install safety measures.”
“In the mountains there are aberrant beasts and wild animals. You don’t want something wandering up to your door at night—or in broad daylight—and scaring you.”
He sent his contact info. They added each other on their lightbrains. He even offered to call teams right away.
Jiang Tea Tea declined politely. “Not yet. If I need anything later, I’ll contact you. For now, I’m taking my friend to look around.”
The broker nodded eagerly. “Of course, of course. I’ll take my leave, then. If anything comes up, contact me anytime.”
After he left, Jiang Tea Tea turned to Jin Lin. “Come on. Let’s go look at your mountain.”
Jin Lin hesitated, then asked seriously, “Great Demon Senior… should I kowtow to you before we enter? As thanks?”
Jiang Tea Tea laughed. “No need. Let’s go.”
Jin Lin immediately transformed, returning to his demon form—thick as a barrel, a hundred meters long—and surged into the forest at sunrise, morning dew scattering in his wake.
In a hotel bathroom somewhere far from the mountains, Zhong Li He stared at his reflection and hissed through his teeth.
His once-handsome face was a rainbow of bruises.
He didn’t dare touch it. He could only swear. “Chong Ming, you bastard—dog—son of—”
“That old dragon is completely unsatisfied. Jiang Tea Tea is out there with her cubs and another male, and he’s miserable, so he comes and beats my face.”
“I didn’t do anything! I’m just a little more handsome than him, a little taller, a little more capable—and he can’t stand it. He wants to ruin my face because he’s afraid I’ll steal his mate. He’s a coward!”
Kong Que stood in front of him with disinfectant, carefully treating the cuts. “Chief Executive, you can lie in a medical pod for half an hour and every bruise will heal without a scar.”
“If you don’t like the pod, a medical spray will do it in fifteen minutes. But you…”
“I’m not getting in the pod,” Zhong Li He snapped. “And I’m not using the spray.”
He glared at his own swollen face like it was a badge of honor. “I’m going to parade around Zhen Lin Empire like this and let the entire M31 star system know Chong Ming beat me.”
Who fights from eight or nine at night until after seven in the morning—only stopping because the account-balance deduction alert went off?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think Zhong Li He had spent Chong Ming’s fortune and got punched for it.
No. He had to keep the bruises. He had to let the world know Chong Ming wasn’t a “good dragon.”
Kong Que’s gaze was heavy with warning. “Chief Executive… if you walk around like that, the M31 star system won’t assume Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming beat you.”
“They’ll assume you lost.”
“And your reputation will become everyone’s favorite piece of gossip. They’ll say, ‘Da Xi Nation’s Chief Executive is nothing special. He can’t beat Zhen Lin Empire’s Commander-in-Chief. He’s weak.’”
Zhong Li He flinched as Kong Que dabbed a bruise. “Ow—gentle—gentle! Damn it, that hurts.”
He grudgingly saw the logic, but he still didn’t want to let it go. His eyes darted. “Fine. Spray my face. But leave one mark—just one. I’ll cover it with something.”
Kong Que answered calmly, “With modern medicine, leaving a scar on purpose is easy to spot. People will think you’re pretending.”
Zhong Li He stared. “What?”
He wasn’t pretending. He just wanted to smear Chong Ming’s reputation.
Kong Que, reading him like a book, spoke slowly. “Chief Executive. If you want to make Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming suffer, you don’t need to hurt yourself.”
“Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming still hasn’t won Miss Jiang Tea Tea. And now Miss Jiang Tea Tea is friends with a beastfolk over three hundred years old.”
Kong Que’s voice softened, almost lazy. “When you meet Chong Ming to discuss cooperation today, you can poke him with Miss Jiang Tea Tea. That will be enough.”
“And if you want more leverage… I can call Miss Jiang Tea Tea and ask what she’s doing. Then you’ll have sharper ammunition.”
Zhong Li He’s bright blue eyes lit up like gemstones. “Kong Que. Of course it’s you. You can come up with something this nasty.”
He grinned viciously. “Do it. I’m going to piss that old dragon off so badly he dies.”
Kong Que looked away, swallowing. He swapped to the medical spray. “Before you kill him, we should heal your face.”
“Heal it. Hurry.”
Zhong Li He closed his eyes and shoved his face forward, impatient for the spray so he could go stab Chong Ming where it hurt most.
Up in the mountains, Jiang Tea Tea and Jin Lin spent the morning exploring. By noon, under bright sunlight, they finally stopped.
Jin Lin placed the repayment containers—blood, flesh, and scales from the Yellow Dragon Clan—in front of Jiang Tea Tea. “Great Demon Senior. These are for you. Use them to nourish yourself.”
The fresh offerings radiated energy beneath the stench.
Jiang Tea Tea stepped back and refused. “I’m a great demon. This is your compensation for three hundred years in captivity. Why would I take a little demon’s things? I don’t want them. Take them back.”
Jin Lin looked at her with pure respect. “No. Great Demon Senior, without you I would still be chained in that underground river, suffering who knows how many more years of butchery—blood drawn, flesh cut, scales torn away.”
“These are true dragon blood, dragon flesh, dragon scales. This world may be different from ours, but for demons, dragon blood and flesh are still precious.”
Jiang Tea Tea started to argue—only for Jin Lin to cut in. “Great Demon Senior… I ate Chong Luo Han’s family. Four dragons.”
His hand pressed his still-bulging abdomen. “Their energy is too great. I haven’t digested them yet.”
“If I eat all this as well, with my current cultivation and age, I can’t refine the energy. I might burst and die.”
He met her eyes, sincerity burning. “So rather than chase a death I can see coming, I’d rather give these to you—to repay your saving grace, to show my gratitude.”
Jiang Tea Tea fell silent for a moment. Then she gathered magic power, sealed the containers, and stored them away. “Fine. I’ll seal them for now. If you ever need them, come to me. I’ll return everything.”
Jin Lin performed a full demon clan bow. “Thank you, Great Demon Senior. But… there will be four or five hundred thousand more portions from other nations later. I’ll need you to store those too.”
Jiang Tea Tea frowned. “Why?”
Jin Lin’s body shifted, half-snake, half-human. He patted his belly. “Great Demon Senior, look. The four dragons I ate are still here. Nothing has changed.”
“To digest them and claim their energy… it will take time. One year, two years, ten years, a hundred, a thousand—I can’t know. You can’t know either.”
He looked at the forest like it was his true home. “So… thank you for the mountain. I love it. I’ve decided to stay here and cultivate.”
“As a snake demon, my greatest wish is to turn from snake to dragon, soar into the Nine Heavens, become the Dragon God, and receive the worship of countless beings.”
He didn’t want to go out.
He didn’t want to taste this world.
He wanted only cultivation.
No wonder he’d climbed from snake to python to jiao in a thousand years. The man had a heart that could turn anything into reality.
Jiang Tea Tea laughed softly. “Good. If that’s what you want, I respect it.”
Jin Lin smiled back. “Thank you, Great Demon Senior. We part here. I’m going to find a beautiful cave.”
Jiang Tea Tea nodded. “You have my sound-transmission talisman. If you encounter danger, call me. As long as I’m still alive, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Great Demon Senior. We’ll meet again.”
Jin Lin transformed and vanished into the woods.
Jiang Tea Tea stood there, watching the place he disappeared, then leapt up onto the highest branch of the tallest tree and looked out over endless green mountains. She formed several barrier arts and set them across both properties.
When it was done, she used Shrink the Earth to an Inch to cross to her own mountain.
She landed, transformed into a tree, sank roots into the soil, and grew into Skywood—bathing in sunlight and wind, drinking in the world’s essence like fertilizer.
Back at the Military Department, Sui Xuan Chu, Cheng Lin Yue, Cheng Xiao Ting, and their team hadn’t left once since arriving. At dawn, they were dragged into routine training.
Everyone in the Military Department was a powerhouse—high-ranked abilities, bodies of iron. Compared to them, the newcomers were minnows. Even basic drills left them gasping, close to collapsing.
And then, at a meal, they overheard someone say the Commander-in-Chief had returned to the Military Department early that morning with a bruised chin.
Sui Xuan Chu nearly fell out of his chair. With his uncle’s ability level, who could bruise his chin?
His roommate, maybe?
If it was his roommate… that actually made sense. If his roommate hit him, he wouldn’t hit back. A bruise would be nothing.
Sui Xuan Chu couldn’t stand it. He secretly messaged Jiang Tea Tea.
The message vanished into silence.
The next day, around noon, Jiang Tea Tea finally transformed back into human form. She touched her belly. It was slightly round, like a small pouch.
The cubs inside seemed to sense her hand. They shoved and bumped against her palm, eager and lively.
Jiang Tea Tea stroked them for a moment, then pulled out her flyer, climbed in, and flew toward the Military Department.
Her flyer had full clearance there. She didn’t have to worry about the defense system shooting her down.
She flew straight to Chong Ming’s office. As if he’d known she was coming, he stood at the open window waiting.
The flyer slid neatly through the window.
Jiang Tea Tea got out, stored the flyer, and looked him up and down. “You’re injured?”
Chong Ming remembered Zhong Li He’s sneaky punch to his chin and answered flatly, “I’m not injured.”
Jiang Tea Tea walked closer, inspecting him like a hawk. “Stop being stubborn. Your chin is bruised. Your mental power is restless.”
She squinted at him. “You’re in heat again.”
Chong Ming’s gold eyes tightened. “It’s nothing. Come. I’ll take you to the Military Department lab. We need to look at the living dead your team brought back—”
Jiang Tea Tea lifted a hand, cutting him off. “Wait.”
Chong Ming stopped and looked down at her. “What?”
Jiang Tea Tea pointed at him from head to toe. “Your heat cycles are way too frequent. You can’t relieve it, and you stink like it. Holding it in too long will ruin you.”
She shrugged, entirely serious. “My advice? Either find a mate, or give yourself a few shots. Don’t tough it out. You’re going to wreck yourself.”