Bai Heting truly met the other five people on the list on the very day the autumn hunt began.
According to convention, after the luncheon concluded, the noble families’ dependents would return to their respective residences, while the Alphas and Betas would enter the hunting grounds together with their attendants, hounds, horses, and a large amount of supplies. They would then head to the camps their attendants had set up in advance to begin the half-month-long autumn hunt.
The nobles were quite enthusiastic about hunting. Aside from using it to display their status and socialize with other families, the more important reason was that Bai Yi was incredibly generous with his rewards. If one performed outstandingly during the hunt, apart from gold, precious jewels, and various rare items imported from abroad, there was also the possibility of receiving new titles and fiefs.
However, Bai Heting had other motives for participating in the hunt.
Ever since he differentiated into an Omega, Bai Yi superficially continued to reward him according to his merits, but other than that, he almost never proactively summoned him again. In contrast, Bai Yi ordered a group of personal bodyguards to be trained for him.
While all nobles had their own bodyguard teams, Bai Heting’s bodyguard group was unique; only Betas of exceptional quality could pass the vetting process to join. Excellent Betas were no worse than Alphas; they were unaffected by pheromones and would not expose themselves because of them, making them better suited than Alphas for executing certain tasks that required stealth. Bai Heting’s most capable deputy, Qiu Chen, was a Beta. However, Bai Yi’s decision was clearly not made out of appreciation for these advantages of Betas.
Bai Heting had no affection for this bodyguard group, but the people selected this time caught him quite by surprise.
With a gentle pull on the reins, he brought his mount to a stop before the tallest of the five men and asked, “How old are you?”
Whether out of nervousness or something else, the tall man kept his head lowered very deeply, and his posture was much stiffer than that of the others. Because he kept failing to answer Bai Heting, Qiu Chen’s expression began to look a bit ugly. These five people had indeed been selected layer by layer from within the group, and their combat, horsemanship, and archery were all top tier. He hadn’t expected them to drop the ball at such a crucial moment.
“Luo Congye,” Qiu Chen spoke up from the side to remind him, “the General is asking you a question.”
Only then did Luo Congye raise his head.
His gaze lingered on Bai Heting’s face for only a brief moment before quickly shifting away, lowering to the white horse’s fluffy mane as he replied, “Nineteen.”
Compared to two years ago, this kid seemed to have grown quite a bit taller again. If memory served correctly, he was only six years old when Bai Heting brought him back.
Thirteen years had flown by in a flash.
Bai Heting scrutinized him for a moment, then suddenly said, “Turn around.”
Luo Congye froze for a second but still did as he was told.
Bai Heting spoke again, “Peel off the suppressor patch.”
This time, Luo Congye hesitated.
Bai Heting dismounted directly from his horse, ripped the suppressor patch off the back of the youth’s neck in one swift motion, and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
A faint, unidentifiable scent of pheromones emanated from the suppressor patch, yet there wasn’t a trace of pheromone scent on Luo Congye’s body.
This was the only Alpha in the bodyguard group, someone who had fooled the vetting process back then and managed to stay in the group for nearly a year before being found out.
Generally speaking, the lower the grade of the pheromones, the less noticeable the scent, but this was the first time Bai Heting had ever encountered a scent this faint. It was highly likely that this kid’s pheromone grade was extremely low, and his gland was underdeveloped.
He slapped the suppressor patch back onto the back of Luo Congye’s neck, turned around to mount his horse, and said to Qiu Chen, “Get him another new one.”
*
Since being brought back to the estate by Bai Heting at the age of six, this was the first time Luo Congye had heard Bai Heting’s voice face-to-face.
His voice was so clean.
Luo Congye had gone to great lengths to sneak into the bodyguard group, but he never could have imagined that this group was nothing more than a decoration to General Bai.
Bai Heting had never allowed them to accompany him.
When Qiu Chen came to the bodyguard group this time to screen guards for the autumn hunt, it took Luo Congye quite a while to process it. All of his grades ranked among the very best in the group, making his selection a done deal, yet he still prepared thoroughly for the multiple martial trials.
Luo Congye had waited thirteen years, and finally, in his nineteenth year, he stood before the twenty-seven-year-old Bai Heting just as he had always envisioned.
There was a faint fragrance on the general.
It was as clear and pure as an empty mountain after rain, carrying a subtle hint of sweetness.
Luo Congye knew that was the scent of his pheromones.
But that originally stable fir-tree fragrance suddenly fluctuated.
Luo Congye carefully looked over, only to find that Bai Heting had actually furrowed his brows. Immediately afterward, a choking scent of tobacco spread through the air.
Pheromones of a similar grade made Luo Congye instinctively feel uncomfortable. Following the source of the scent, he turned his head and saw an Alpha riding over leisurely on a black thoroughbred. Shao Yixiao deliberately slowed to a stop as he passed Bai Heting, his gaze sweeping over their group as he asked in an amused tone, “All Betas, huh?”
Having said that, without waiting for Bai Heting’s response, he left with a meaningful “Good luck,” leading his large entourage of over a hundred people away.
Qiu Chen also noticed Bai Heting’s expression and asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Bai Heting shook his head. “Just didn’t have a good lunch.”
