General 6
His gaze was too fierce, startling Tang Xi.
Unlike the previous two villain, this one had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Killing someone was as easy for him as crushing a chick in his hand.
Realizing he had frightened the young emperor, Nie Rong quickly wiped the ferocity from his face and, with an expressionless demeanor, stated, “The reward I desire is to drink with Your Majesty tonight.”
Preferably, to share a bed for the night.
He didn’t overthink it—he simply voiced what he wanted directly.
The thought of this young emperor having so many beauties in his harem filled him with irrational frustration, and he desperately needed an outlet for his irritation.
There were also the rumors he had heard while stationed at the border.
Rumors that, upon ascending the throne, the emperor had eagerly collected beauties from all over the land—delicate maidens and noble daughters alike—spending his nights indulging in endless pleasures.
Back then, he had laughed off the gossip. But now, that very thought burned within him like an unquenchable fire.
Tang Xi panicked. He hadn’t forgotten his biggest weakness—if he drank alcohol, he might accidentally reveal his true form.
[1551, do I have the right to refuse?]
1551 thought seriously for a moment: [Nope!]
The little puppet emperor, feeling extremely wronged, reluctantly agreed.
Only then did Nie Rong’s expression soften.
. . . . .
The banquet was still ongoing, but Tang Xi once again left early.
Dining with so many people while constantly maintaining his character was exhausting—he couldn’t even eat as much as he wanted.
Tang Xi smugly thought, [This is all to solidify my persona as a frivolous, incompetent ruler!]
[1551: Oh? And where are you planning to go now to continue being incompetent?]
Tang Xi flashed a somewhat sheepish smile. [I want to go watch the fish in the pond.]
1551 praised without emotion: [Wow, that’s truly… incredibly incompetent.]
Almost as soon as Tang Xi stepped away, Nie Rong followed.
Ministers were not allowed to wander freely in the imperial grounds. Apart from designated banquet areas and paths, they were forbidden from straying.
But Nie Rong moved in and out of the imperial garden as if it were his own home—after all, no one dared stop him.
From a distance, he saw the young emperor leaning against a pavilion, gazing into the pond with a melancholic expression.
The ripples in his eyes were clearer than the lake itself.
Nie Rong slowed his steps, suddenly feeling a tinge of regret.
At the banquet earlier, he hadn’t given the emperor any face—perhaps that was why he had left early.
Tang Xi had no idea what Nie Rong was thinking about him. He was, in fact, troubled—troubled by the sight of an entire pond full of fish he could see but not eat.
He tossed in another piece of pastry, watching the vibrantly colored fish swim back and forth. Unable to hold back, he muttered, “They’re so free…”
“Does Your Majesty feel restricted?”
Nie Rong’s sudden voice startled him.
Tang Xi lost his balance and nearly toppled into the lake.
Fortunately, Nie Rong reacted swiftly, taking two long strides and grabbing him from behind.
Both were shaken for a moment. Tang Xi, dazed, turned back to look at him.
Nie Rong had been about to reprimand him, but when he saw the young emperor’s curled lashes quivering with two unshed tears, the words stuck in his throat.
His face remained dark as he grumbled instead, “Is Your Majesty seeking death?”
I’m not! I didn’t! Don’t make things up!
Tang Xi gave him a look as if he were an idiot. “I just slipped.”
Being treated like a fool by those eyes, Nie Rong’s expression visibly softened. “That’s good. Your Majesty must take care of your health.”
Tang Xi responded perfunctorily with a couple of hums, then unceremoniously dismissed him.
Nie Rong wasn’t offended. Instead, he deliberately drawled, “Has Your Majesty forgotten that I am staying in the palace tonight?”
He wasn’t particularly interested in staying at the palace, nor did he see it as an honor. Even he wasn’t sure why he had just asked for such a reward.
As he had hoped, a trace of anger appeared on Tang Xi’s fair, delicate face.
The young emperor had suffered multiple setbacks at his hands. Even though he knew better than to offend this man, he couldn’t hold back his frustration and petulantly threw the pastry in his hand at Nie Rong.
Nie Rong could have easily dodged it the moment Tang Xi raised his hand, but he remained where he stood, allowing the young emperor to throw it at him—just like an indulgent adult watching a child throw a tantrum.
Tang Xi, pleased with his successful hit, looked a little smug.
Seeing his anger dissipate, Nie Rong thought to himself—he really is just a child.
For the entire day, Nie Rong followed him around like a dutiful bodyguard, trailing wherever the young emperor went.
When Tang Xi crouched down to tease the palace’s imperial cat, Nie Rong stood behind him, openly watching without the slightest restraint.
His gaze was intense and direct—so straightforward that it made the young emperor feel unbearably uncomfortable.
Finally, Tang Xi couldn’t stand it anymore and sneered, “General Nie, do you know what you look like right now?”
Nie Rong raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What?”
“A dog circling around its master.” Tang Xi curled his lips into what he thought was a fierce, menacing grin.
Provocatively, he stared at Nie Rong, fully expecting a harsh retort.
But instead, he saw a suspicious flush creep onto Nie Rong’s ears.
Tang Xi was dumbfounded. [1551, the poop scooper is broken.]
[1551: …Looks like this world’s villain learned quite a bit in the military.]
Nie Rong cleared his throat twice and reminded, “I have already ordered fine wine to be prepared.”
He had spent the whole day following the young emperor, watching as he idly played with cats and dogs, doing nothing of importance—just like a child, endlessly curious about everything. Even a butterfly fluttering in the imperial garden could make him stop and stare.
Watching this sheltered and oblivious young emperor gave Nie Rong a strange, restless feeling—like a thousand tiny claws scratching at his heart.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
Not wanting to be captured and taken away like some little demon, Tang Xi quickly sought help from the system. [Give me a tool that lets me drink a thousand cups without getting drunk!]
1551: […Where am I supposed to find something that convenient?]
Anyway, even if the host’s identity was exposed, it wouldn’t affect their relationship. After being force-fed dog food for two whole worlds, he had seen through everything.
Tang Xi’s attempt at acting spoiled didn’t work, so he had to change tactics: [Buy me an item that lets me stay sober no matter how much I drink, and I’ll give you an extra 20% of the item’s cost in points.]
1551 hesitated for only two seconds: [Deal!]
As soon as Tang Xi equipped the “Never Gets Drunk” buff, he felt reassured.
Seeing Nie Rong set out the alcohol, he wasn’t nervous at all. Like a proud little peacock, he flicked his robe and sat down across from him.
“General Nie, just finish your drink and go back.”
Nie Rong glanced at this heartless little emperor with a half-smile. He wasn’t in a hurry. On the surface, he remained serious, but in his mind, he was already strategizing how to secure more private time with the emperor in the future.
He had figured out this outwardly fierce but inwardly timid emperor. In front of the ministers, he wouldn’t dare embarrass him, but in private, he was as bold as ever—he even dared to call him a dog to his face.
Nie Rong was determined to get him drunk and kept pouring one glass after another.
Tang Xi: [Ha! Joke’s on you. I can’t get drunk.]
1551 stared at the garbled text appearing on the item’s interface, falling into deep thought. He was so shocked that he didn’t even stop the host in time.
This was a system-issued item! The only time it should malfunction was when used on a high-ranking judge.
A hint of suspicion flashed through 1551’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Even if the villain was a judge, they wouldn’t be able to break the item’s effect so easily—unless they were the Supreme Judge.
But every system and judge knew that the Supreme Judge hadn’t shown himself in a thousand years.
After thinking it over, 1551 could only accept his bad luck. He must’ve accidentally bought a once-in-a-century defective item.
[Silly cat, wait—] He finally realized he should warn him.
But it was too late.
Tang Xi’s cheeks were already flushed red, and his eyes had narrowed into sleepy slits.
He looked completely drunk.
1551: […] Playing dead.
“Your Majesty, you’re drunk.” Nie Rong had achieved his goal, but seeing the soft, dazed little emperor, he suddenly found himself at a loss.
He didn’t even know what he truly wanted. When he made that request at the banquet, it had been purely instinctive.
On the battlefield, he was decisive and ruthless. But now, he was fumbling around like an inexperienced boy.
Tang Xi straightened his face and corrected him seriously, “I’m not… not drunk.”
I have a never-gets-drunk item! How could I be drunk? This dumb poop scooper…
But this item had a really weird side effect. Not only did his whole body feel floaty, but the top of his head and the base of his tailbone were also itching like crazy.
It felt like… something was about to come out.
The feeling grew stronger and stronger.
Tang Xi placed a hand on top of his head, looking aggrieved. “Something’s coming out.”
Nie Rong, treating him like a child, coaxed, “Mm, Your Majesty isn’t drunk. I’ll take you back to your room.”
Drunk to the point of messing up his own speech and spouting nonsense.
Seeing that Nie Rong didn’t believe him, Tang Xi suddenly got annoyed. He let go of the hand he’d been pressing against his head.
“Look!”
A pair of fluffy little ears suddenly popped out, twitching slightly in the open air.
Nie Rong’s expression tensed. He quickly pulled the little emperor, who had tried to back away, into his arms and reached out to touch the cat ears, rubbing them in disbelief.
His hands were rough and calloused, and Tang Xi shivered from the touch, his voice taking on a teary edge. “It hurts.”
Nie Rong instantly pulled back as if scalded, awkwardly apologizing, “Sorry.”
Tang Xi, still dazed and tipsy, stared blankly at him. “Are you drunk?”
This man had to be drunk. Otherwise, why was his face so red?
Nie Rong’s face wasn’t just redder than the drunken little emperor’s—his gaze was completely frozen, and veins of restraint bulged against his neck.
In all his twenty-eight years of life, this was the first time he had encountered a real mythical creature.
It should have been a bizarre sight, yet the cat ears on the little emperor looked strangely natural, almost… dangerously alluring.
So, all this time, had he been bullying a small animal???
Nie Rong had the sudden urge to punch himself in the face—and then curse himself out for being a beast.
. . . . .
Nie Rong carried the little emperor back to his chambers, wrapping him up tightly before practically fleeing the scene in a panic.
Because when the little emperor, still half-asleep, blinked up at him with drowsy eyes, his cat ears twitching slightly on the bed—
Nie Rong reacted.
Those ears didn’t feel like they belonged on the emperor. It felt like they were growing straight from his own heart.
Every little twitch sent a violent tremor through his chest.
Nie Rong paced around his manor for half an hour in the cold night air before his body finally calmed down.
His mind, however, was still a tangled mess—like a ball of knotted yarn, woven with self-loathing and doubt.
Frustrated, he decided to drag his most trusted aide, Zhang Xiaosheng, out of bed.
Zhang Xiaosheng barely had time to throw on his robes before rushing over, instantly alarmed by the general’s grave expression.
With a tense posture, he asked, “What happened, General?”
The last time he’d seen this look on Nie Rong’s face was when they were surrounded by enemy forces on the battlefield. They had suffered heavy losses that day, yet under the general’s leadership, they still emerged victorious.
Nie Rong, looking as if he were facing the greatest dilemma of his life, asked, “If, every time I look at someone, it feels like a cat is scratching at my heart—what does that mean?”
Zhang Xiaosheng was stunned for a full ten seconds. The sheer absurdity of the question knocked the breath out of him, and he nearly rolled his eyes back in exasperation.
“General, congratulations. You’re in love.”
“In love?”
Zhang Xiaosheng waggled his brows at him. “Which young lady is it? Or is it a young master?”
He had no prejudice against men being together. In the military camp, he had seen plenty of soldiers pairing up.
Their general, however, was already twenty-eight, had never set foot in a brothel, and never spared a single glance at the ladies who tried to hand him embroidered handkerchiefs.
For a long time, Zhang Xiaosheng even suspected the general might have… certain physical issues.
Turns out, he had simply never met the right person.
Under Zhang Xiaosheng’s prying gaze, Nie Rong slowly exhaled two words:
“The emperor.”
The emperor? What emperor?
For the first time in his life, Zhang Xiaosheng’s strategist brain short-circuited.
He stared at his general’s solemn face for a full ten minutes before realization finally struck—
And then, with a look of pure enlightenment, he clapped his hands together.
“Oh—I see! I’m still dreaming!”
Author’s Note:
The villain in this world is the first (and possibly the only) one to ever feel remorse for bullying a small animal.