Lu Jiu froze, looking at Si Jinyan in astonishment and shock. "How could he not be an omega?" His tone was like he was questioning whether something had gone wrong with Si Jinyan's brain.
Lu Jiu said, "You suspect he isn't an omega? Then what is he? An alpha?"
This was practically questioning Lu Jiu's status as one of the Empire's top doctors.
Lu Jiu fired off a string of questions. How could he possibly have gotten Chi Li's gender wrong?
Si Jinyan remained silent.
Lu Jiu fell silent as well. "I'll run another examination in the next few days and tell you once the results are out. There's also the possibility that Chi Li has some kind of latent illness."
Si Jinyan asked another question. "Tell me, can an enigma mark an alpha?"
Lu Jiu was stunned by the question again, but he still analyzed and answered seriously. "Based on current theoretical foundations, it is possible for an enigma to mark an alpha. Although an alpha's gland does not develop to be as naturally suited for marking as an omega's..."
As Lu Jiu spoke, he touched his own gland. At the thought that it might be marked by an enigma like Si Jinyan, his scalp tightened and his whole body felt uncomfortable.
Lu Jiu continued, "But alphas still possess the corresponding functions; they are merely minimally suited to being marked. Alphas are not naturally receptive to marks, so they may require longer-lasting, continuous marking."
"Existing records also document cases where an alpha successfully marked another alpha. Of course, such marks lasted even less time than temporary marks. But alphas are not naturally the submissive party in a relationship's power dynamic. When being marked, they not only have to endure physical pain, but many alphas also struggle to overcome the psychological barrier."
When Si Jinyan and Lu Jiu came out, their expressions were calm. Chi Li had no idea that the two had just finished an argument about his gender.
Lately, Si Jinyan seemed to need it more frequently than before.
Chi Li had no choice but to ask, somewhat puzzled, "Has your pheromone instability flared up again recently?"
Si Jinyan nodded. "Mm."
Then he placed Chi Li on the desk and began the next round.
That evening, not long after dinner, Si Jinyan carried Chi Li into the bathroom.
A hazy mist of steam enveloped them both.
In the bathroom, Chi Li sensed it stirring restlessly.
Si Jinyan pressed Chi Li against the bathroom wall. Chi Li faced the wall, and where he could not see, a faint gold tinged Si Jinyan's black pupils.
Desire and Si Jinyan's overbearing urgency blurred Chi Li's senses. When those golden eyes fixed on him, Chi Li inexplicably felt the pressing threat of being watched by a beast.
Just as the string at the edge of danger drew taut, Si Jinyan suddenly patted his leg. His low, hoarse voice was thick with desire as he leaned close to Chi Li's ear, his voice seeming to carry a bewitching power. "Relax."
Chi Li's legs went weak, and the doubt and vigilance from that fleeting moment were once again drowned by desire.
Yet amid that desire, Si Jinyan maintained an unprecedented clarity—or rather, he had maintained an unprecedented clarity these past few days.
He watched the young man before him steadily and calmly as he gradually sank into the sea of desire, then at the right moment, marked the gland at the back of his neck.
As the enigma's sex-targeted genes were transmitted, Chi Li suddenly shuddered all over. As if jolted awake, he pushed at Si Jinyan's head behind him. "It hurts..."
Si Jinyan's gaze darkened, and he loosened his hold slightly. "Why does it hurt? It never hurt before."
Chi Li was groggy, and he did not know why either. "I don't know. It just hurts. Don't touch it anymore. Maybe the skin broke."
Si Jinyan's pupils flickered between gold and black as he suddenly asked in a low voice, "Then do you know why it hurts?"
Si Jinyan did not let him go. Chi Li's voice was broken as he felt baffled by Si Jinyan's sudden words and actions. Hesitantly, he turned to look back, only to find Si Jinyan's pitch-black eyes watching him.
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