Chapter 2: Divergence

Xia Ningshang stood up and asked, "How come you're here, elder brother?"

Ji Junhong chuckled, "I slept at the mansion last night, and since it was still early, I thought I'd come by to see if I could snag some breakfast."

Ji Huo went to the kitchen and brought out a large bowl of scallion oil noodles, smiling as he said, "Then you've certainly come at the right time."

His elder brother was surprised. "You knew I was coming?"

"Not at all," Ji Huo explained. "It's just that Dad often comes over to freeload, so I got into the habit of making extra."

The elder brother stared at the massive bowl before him, lost in thought, suddenly feeling that he had arrived at the wrong time. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes immediately lit up. He had to admit, his younger brother possessed the talent of a master chef. If things ever settled down, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to become a cook—and for him to be a regular guest.

"There are many merchants entering the city now, and several breakfast shops have opened. This morning, I saw Father shouting with Aunt Bai about wanting to go get soy milk and fried dough sticks," the elder brother explained.

"It’s just soy milk and fried dough sticks. One of these days, I’ll grind the soy milk myself and make a batch," Ji Huo said quietly.

Is this that strange competitive nature of men? Xia Ningshang asked, "Uncle and... that Aunt Bai?"

The elder brother said decisively, "Based on my many years of experience, those two? No chance!"

Wait, where did you get "many years of experience"? Mr. Wen has long been bragging in every tavern that the current Emperor is a lifelong bachelor who has never had a partner, hasn't even held a girl's hand, and is even looking for a spouse online—even I’ve heard of that. Ji Huo ate his noodles in silence, too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Xia Ningshang sighed, expressing regret. "That’s a pity. Aunt Bai has been quite kind to me."

Ji Huo comforted her, "Such things are a matter of fate; one cannot force them."

After saying this, their eyes met again. Then, as if they had both thought of the same thing, they looked away at almost the exact same moment. The elder brother ate his noodles silently, looking straight ahead, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"What do you mean by 'a matter of fate'?" Xia Ningshang shook her head. "In our Dragon Kingdom, if you like someone, you go after them."

"And if they don't agree, what then?" Ji Huo mimicked his father’s gruff voice: "Sorry, I only see you as a little sister."

Xia Ningshang replied without hesitation, "Then knock them out and drag them away."

The elder brother began eating his noodles even faster, not daring to lift his head.

"What if you can't beat them?" Ji Huo asked again.

"Call for backup!" Xia Ningshang said bluntly. "If one person can't beat them, then ten! If ten aren't enough, then a hundred! A thousand! A hundred thousand! Until they are dragged back!"

Her tone carried an unquestionable, overbearing authority, coupled with an innate majesty and wildness. The elder brother ate his noodles even faster, his grin stretching nearly to his ears.

Ji Huo shook his head. "That doesn't align with the mainstream development of the Central Plains. We in the Central Plains believe in letting things take their natural course. If you don't believe me, ask elder brother!"

Xia Ningshang’s cold gaze swept toward the elder brother. He hurriedly swallowed a few mouthfuls of noodles and shook his head violently, denying it firmly.

"Based on my many years of romantic experience, the Central Plains don't believe in that at all! We advocate for free love, spontaneity, and diverse development." Worried he hadn't explained it clearly enough, he added, "Just do whatever makes you happy."

Wait, why are you switching sides on the spot? Ji Huo’s eye twitched, and he didn't dare look at Xia Ningshang.

Fortunately, Xia Ningshang picked up the bowl without a word, grabbed her chopsticks, and shoveled the remaining noodles into her mouth, finishing the bowl instantly before taking it to the kitchen to wash.

Ji Huo and his elder brother exchanged glances.

"Pfft!" The elder brother couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter.

A cold, sharp gaze shot out from the kitchen toward both Ji Huo and his brother. The elder brother shrank his neck, finished the last of his noodles with a smile, and left in high spirits.

After that day, for some reason, both of them became somewhat preoccupied. Although they still ate together as usual, they didn't speak. Even when they did, it was just simple conversation, completely unlike the casual chatting or friendly banter they used to have. Most of the time, they just sat there, lost in thought.

Xia Ningshang, for reasons unknown, would often sit on the roof, her lips pressed tight, her eyes flickering—sometimes frantic, sometimes nervous, sometimes helpless, and occasionally joyful or sorrowful. She would often sit alone for the entire day.

Ji Huo would sit under the tree, equally lost in thought, his entire being sunken into a state of lethargy, with many different ideas flashing through his mind.

If only I could be a salted fish lying on the beach for three months... Ji Huo muttered to himself.

Little Red Sugar once came back in high spirits, but upon seeing the state of the courtyard, she turned around and left without a word, even dismissing the members of the Heaven and Earth squads who had come looking for her.

This continued for several days until Little Red Sugar returned to the courtyard and whispered a few words into Ji Huo's ear. Only then did Ji Huo snap back to his senses, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he stood up and walked out of the courtyard.

Once Ji Huo and Little Red Sugar had left, only Xia Ningshang remained in the yard.

Although they hadn't been talking before, they hadn't felt any particular way about it. But now that she was alone, she felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness. Xia Ningshang then transformed into a dragon and flew off into the distance.

...

Ji Huo arrived at a certain courtyard and, looking at the much thinner Qian Wu, patted his shoulder and smiled. "Haven't seen you in a few months, you've lost quite a bit of weight."

A trace of a smile appeared on Qian Wu’s face as he bowed respectfully. "Boss, I have lived up to the mission."

Ji Huo sat in a chair, picked up a cup of wine, and drank it down. "It went smoothly? You returned much faster than I expected."

Qian Wu laughed. "The main trouble in going to the Dragon Kingdom was having to cross the Zhao Kingdom. Their border blockade is too intense, so we had to take a long detour. But we encountered a special situation on the way back, so we didn't have to take the long route, which saved more than half the time."

"What special situation?" Ji Huo asked curiously.

Qian Wu replied, "I don't know which maniac it was, but they broke through the Zhao Kingdom's border single-handedly."

"Wow, what a tough guy!" Ji Huo said, surprised and amused. "The borders are guarded by heavy troops, and he dared to take them on alone? I never expected the Dragon Kingdom to have such a fierce warrior."

"Exactly, we were stunned when we heard about it," Qian Wu laughed. "That person first broke through the border between the Dragon Kingdom and Zhao, so we took the opportunity to slip out. Apparently, he even managed to make it through."

"By the time he reached the border between Zhao and Great Zhou—well, it should be called Great Qi now—" Qian Wu paused, then continued excitedly, "The Zhao Kingdom was already on high alert, and we were already waiting at the border."

"Sure enough, that guy came to break through the border after a few days. It enraged the Zhao Kingdom so much that they threw their entire army at him. The fighting was absolutely earth-shattering."

"We took the opportunity to sneak across. When we left, we could still see the Zhao general fighting that tough guy in a duel, surrounded by layer upon layer of troops! It was intense!"

Ji Huo praised, "Impressive."

The two chatted and laughed for a while. Ji Huo drank his wine in silence, his eyes calm, and asked in a low voice, "So, what did you find out?"