Twelve

12. Friends, a Visit

It was easy to invite Wang Fei and Zhao Long; the four of them were the kind who immediately clicked with each other. Wang Fei and Zhao Long arrived together, both applying to join the military. They were currently in the assessment phase. Their personal qualifications didn’t quite fit the current selection mechanisms, yet their identities were unique. The military, taking special circumstances into account, reserved spots for them, ostensibly for an assessment that was likely just a formality. Neither Wang Fei nor Zhao Long felt regret or disappointment. Having lived in the military for so long, the chance to return—even if not as combat soldiers—was enough. They were willing.

The first thing Wang Fei said upon seeing Zhu Anfu was, “Is the legendary Bingwu actually Yuchi Ankang?” Wang Fei had considered that Zhu Anfu might be Bingwu; Zhu Anfu’s absent-minded personality did resemble Bingwu’s, but no matter how Wang Fei looked at him, Zhu Anfu didn’t seem like a great master. He couldn’t imagine any of the others who had come with them being Bingwu, and as for those scientists, their eyes were fixed only on science—how could they possibly write such fantastical content? After weighing his options, Wang Fei could only suspect Yuchi Ankang.

Zhu Anfu shook his head seriously. Surely not everyone knew Bingwu’s account had been activated by now! Why hadn’t the website staff come yet—could it be they hadn’t pressed the withdrawal button? Should he try it? Little did Zhu Anfu know, elsewhere the Zhou Hu family was holding a meeting; since receiving word yesterday that a legendary account from a thousand years ago had been activated, and after confirming who had done it, the Zhou Hu family head was frustrated. The ancestors never mentioned that one of these two was a great master. The website’s management put forth three plans to handle the anticipated massive withdrawal: first, prepare a huge fund for a potential single withdrawal and hire a lawyer in case the master wanted other forms of compensation; second, package the master and make the millennium-old master the face of the website, sign him with their entertainment company to smooth out the financial transaction; lastly, offer shares, though only a very small amount. The Zhou Hu family head decided they should talk with Zhu Anfu first. After contacting the robot at Zhu Anfu’s home and learning he had visitors today, they could only book for tomorrow. Even if they wanted to come now, the Prince would turn them away—the security was excellent. Burglary was almost impossible; even the lowest-level AI would set up the house so that intruders would never leave, drastically reducing incidents of breaking and entering, assault, or murder.

All this, Zhu Anfu was unaware of—as were all those who had just arrived from a millennium ago. Seeing Wang Fei’s disappointed face, Zhu Anfu hesitated whether to reveal that he was Bingwu. Before he could decide, Zhao Long burst out, “You two—have you gotten married?!” He pointed at their bracelets as he spoke. Zhao Long, curious about the bracelets, had studied them seriously; now, seeing both wearing them, he was shocked. They married others? Impossible—the bracelet contained a special tool for messaging names, and given the short time, a flash marriage with someone else made no sense.

“We’ve known each other for a long time. I’ve always liked Anfu. Here, same-sex marriage is allowed, so why not?” Yuchi Ankang saw no problem, and put his arm around Zhu Anfu. “Here, we only have each other. Since this place accepts us, we don’t need to hide. Besides, do you think people here will truly accept us? Everyone looks at us like we’re strange creatures. They’re curious now, but once the novelty wears off, if we can’t surpass them in any task, they’ll only look down on us. Anfu and I are just a bit luckier, receiving more privileges than you.” Yuchi Ankang paused. “We probably won’t be able to return home. Since we’ll spend the rest of our lives here, we might as well choose the most comfortable way to live.”

Zhao Long agreed. The thought of spending his life with the people here—he glanced at Wang Fei. Spend his life with him? Meeting Wang Fei’s gaze, Zhao Long couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Too unreliable. Wang Fei was a headache; he never played by the rules, and living with him meant constantly cleaning up his mess. Exhausting.

Wang Fei quickly turned away. Why did he feel his face flush and his heart race when he met Zhao Long’s eyes? They’d lived together for years without trouble, so why, after seeing Zhu Anfu and Yuchi Ankang get married, was he suddenly reacting? It made no sense.

“Actually, I think you two make a good pair. You certainly wouldn’t want to marry those scientists, nor would you want anyone from the slums,” Yuchi Ankang analyzed earnestly for them.

Thinking of those people, both shuddered. Wang Fei threw himself at Zhu Anfu. “Anfu, how could you marry Yuchi Ankang? Why didn’t you wait for me?”

Yuchi Ankang lifted his hand, pushing Wang Fei away and pulling Zhu Anfu into his arms. No one expected that Yuchi Ankang, with just a touch, sent Wang Fei crashing into the wall, eliciting a cry of pain, “Ow…”

“Are you alright?” Zhu Anfu asked worriedly, thinking Wang Fei had hit the wall hard. He didn’t believe Yuchi Ankang could push Wang Fei so far—maybe it was just a well-placed force. Of course, except for Zhu Anfu, the others dismissed Wang Fei’s cry as theatrics. After all, Yuchi Ankang was only a teacher; his strength couldn’t possibly surpass that of a soldier. To send Wang Fei flying—ridiculous.

“Pain, pain, pain, pain…” Wang Fei cried out repeatedly. “Yuchi Ankang, are you secretly a weightlifter?” he grumbled, humiliated to be pushed so far by someone weaker than himself.

“Prince, check on Wang Fei—make sure he isn’t actually hurt,” Zhu Anfu quickly called out. Prince obeyed, examining Wang Fei, then reported, “Master, your friend Wang Fei received a level seven force attack from Yuchi Master. Should I add him to the unwelcome guest list?”

“Level seven force?” Wang Fei and Zhao Long looked at Yuchi Ankang in unison. “What did you do before?”

“Professor at X University, taught Chinese.” Yuchi Ankang and Zhu Anfu didn’t understand force grades, so their shock seemed misplaced. “I only pushed gently, didn’t use any strength. Maybe it was just a well-placed force.”

“Damn, your well-placed force registers as level seven? I’m a soldier and only tested at level five! That’s outrageous!” Wang Fei was frustrated—level seven was the qualifying standard for soldiers in this era.