Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 15

Ling Xiao strode across the campus, wiping away the tears flowing from his eyes as he walked. However, the tears flowed incessantly, like a breached dam.

If it weren’t for Ping Zong and Lan Sheng, if it weren’t for the impending parting, if it weren’t for the alcohol…

Ling Xiao ran back to his dorm, slammed the door shut, and leaned against it. It took a while for his tears to finally stop.

How ridiculous!

To make matters worse, Ying Feng saw the whole thing. How many times did he have to embarrass himself in front of him?

Ling Xiao sniffled, threw himself onto the bed, lying in various positions, but couldn’t sleep.

He got up and paced around the room, restless.

Forget it. Maybe a movie would help.

Ling Xiao accessed an online movie library. Most of the films required payment. The free ones were either overwatched classics or odd indie films.

Given Ling Xiao’s current financial state, he had to pick from the free section. With limited choices, he reluctantly selected a foreign action film, subtitled, seemingly from another planet.

Though it was free, the film was in 3D. Ling Xiao activated the ceiling projector. The entire room transformed, making the actors seem lifelike. The viewer could watch from any angle, even passing through the actors.

The film began in a forest. Its realism was impeccable, from morning mist to the chirping of birds, dappled sunlight, and the scent of trees and earth, immersing the viewer entirely.

Initially, Ling Xiao had intended to watch this film as a distraction. However, the content captivated him. It was a fresh experience to see beings that looked like him grow from youth to adulthood.

The story followed an organization that trained orphans to become assassins. They grew up together, forging deep bonds, including romantic ones.

The male and female leads were childhood sweethearts. Their love grew stronger as they matured, evident even when they sparred.

One day, their master gathered everyone. As he looked at the disciples he had personally raised over the years, each outstanding and exceptionally skilled, genuine appreciation shone in the master’s eyes.

“Through past assessments, you all have excelled. I’m proud of my years of nurturing. Today marks the end of your training and your final test. It’s a life-or-death challenge. Only those who pass can leave alive.”

Upon hearing their lifelong master’s words, everyone was on high alert.

“For this test, partner up in pairs to complete the task.”

Close friends quickly paired up. The male and female leads did the same, linking their pinkies secretly.

The master’s sharp eyes scanned the pairs.

“You’re all skilled, but remember, you’re assassins. Emotions are your greatest weakness. This final test requires you to forsake your feelings. There’s only one path: kill your partner and survive—or die.”

“If anyone hesitates,” the master drew a knife, “I’ll do it for them.”

In a moment of desperation, Ling Xiao lunged forward, trying to stop the female lead from stabbing her beloved with a sword from above. But it was all an illusion. The blade still pierced the man she loved, splattering her face with blood. Ling Xiao, witnessing this up close, instinctively wiped his face.

After killing her lover, the female lead became a heartless killing machine, able to take a life without hesitation.

After she had finally killed all of the enemies of the mastermind behind the scenes, the last person she killed was herself. In her dying hallucination, the shadow of the male lead appeared, and the film returned to that forest. There was a hazy mist, mottled sunlight, the chirping of birds, and the fragrant scent of soil wafting towards her…

Ling Xiao’s already low mood worsened. A heavy, almost tangible feeling of oppression lingered in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He experienced the worst night of his life, tossing and turning, with sleep eluding him.

When dawn finally broke, he desperately wanted to talk to someone. But, to his dismay, he realized that aside from Lan Sheng and Ping Zong, he didn’t have anyone else to confide in.

After much thought, he reconnected to the Tianyuan Network. It was still early, and no one was in Zhen He’s shop. The call bell, indicating interdimensional connectivity, read: [No one in the shop. Please ring the bell.] Ling Xiao persistently pestered the other end.

“Do you know what time it is?” Zhen He’s figure gradually appeared, his face showing clear irritation from being awakened.

“I’m feeling down. Talk to me,” Ling Xiao pleaded shamelessly.

Zhen He yawned, lounging on his personal chair. “Seeing how pitiful you look, I’ll begrudgingly listen. Speak. I’ll try not to fall asleep.”

Ling Xiao, as if urgently needing to share the source of his distress to lessen his burden, recounted the movie he had watched last night to Zhen He. When narrating the most impactful scenes, he had to pause many times, struggling to convey the sequence of events.

“That’s it?” Zhen He listened patiently, seemingly less affected than Ling Xiao.

“That’s the story,” Ling Xiao finished, yet he didn’t feel the anticipated relief.

“How do you feel now?” Zhen He asked about his current state.

“Not great,” Ling Xiao admitted.

“Your emotional upheaval seems more intense than what a movie might trigger,” Zhen He pointed out astutely. “Did you resonate deeply with something while watching?”

Dejectedly, Ling Xiao sat down. “My two best friends had their coming-of-age ceremony last night.”

Zhen He remained expressionless. “Oh?”

“While watching the movie, I kept thinking about the two of them. Especially during the duel between the male and female leads. Their images kept replacing the characters, disturbing me.”

“Really?”

“Even though I know it’s just my imagination, such a thing would never happen between them. They’re deeply in love, even willing to offer their ‘heart’s blood’…”

Zhen He suddenly burst into exaggerated laughter, tears forming in his eyes. “Offering their heart’s blood? Who taught you that?”

“Dr. Yao’s Qizi said he did the same,” Ling Xiao answered, confused. “What’s so funny about that?”

“Alright.” Zhen He’s laughter subsided. “I heard the academy is advocating a gentler teaching method this year due to the high death rate last year. I just didn’t expect them to say it like that.”

Thinking about it, he laughed again, leaving Ling Xiao bewildered.

“What the hell are you laughing at?”

Without warning, Zhen He’s smile abruptly vanished, his gaze sharp as a torch, emitting an overwhelming murderous intent from head to toe. Originally lounging in his chair, Ling Xiao, feeling the intense pressure, immediately jumped up. Goosebumps rose on his skin, his mind tensed up, and every cell in his body was activated, instinctively taking a defensive stance.

“See that?” The intense aura vanished instantly, and Zhen He lounged lazily in his special recliner, as if the one who had just intimidated Ling Xiao wasn’t him at all.

Ling Xiao slowly lowered his arms, cautiously sitting on the edge of his chair, his gaze fixed on Zhen He.

“When you feel threatened, your first response is self-defense. Do you know what this is called?”

Ling Xiao shook his head.

“It’s called instinct. It’s etched in our genes, and no one can overcome it. Do you know that even the urge to find a partner after awakening is one of the primal instincts of our kind?”

“Why are you still single then?”

“Yes, even I can’t resist my instincts. After holding out for so long, I’m beginning to feel drained,” Zhen He admitted, a rare display of vulnerability.

“What does this have to do with what I said earlier?”

Zhen He smirked. “Aren’t you always curious about me? Why not indulge your curiosity a bit?”

“You’re not charging today?”

“I’ll give you a huge discount today; it’s free. Ask whatever you want.”

After pondering for a moment, Ling Xiao said, “Tell me about the person you like.”

Zhen He habitually fidgeted with the ring on his finger. “The person I like… has someone she loves, and coincidentally, the person she loves, loves them back. This is unfortunate for me, but from her perspective, perhaps nothing could be more fortunate.”

“If you love them too, why didn’t you try to pursue her?”

“Have you never heard the saying? True love is granting the one you wish to imprison the most, the utmost freedom.”

Ling Xiao repeated the words in his mind, seemingly touched.

“It’s a pity that such a simple truth is something some people fail to understand, even after living for over four hundred years.”

“What happened next?” Ling Xiao asked.

“The two of them were deeply in love, just like your buddies, wholeheartedly looking forward to their awakening period. But, on the day of their coming-of-age ceremony, that turned out to be the end of her life in this incarnation.”

Ling Xiao almost thought he’d heard wrong. “What?”

“She died,” Zhen He said emotionlessly, “They didn’t follow the school’s regulations and united in secret. By the time people discovered her the next day, her soul had already reincarnated. She was stabbed through the heart with a dagger by the one she loved.”

Ling Xiao was in disbelief. “How… How could this happen?”

“It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Dying in the coming-of-age ceremony. It’s indeed a rare occurrence, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. And it unfortunately befell her. Perhaps I should feel relieved. At least she completed the ceremony before her death. At least she could reincarnate without her spirit dissipating.”

“How is this possible?” Ling Xiao couldn’t understand. “Didn’t they love each other?”

“Even the deepest mutual affection can’t overcome primal instincts. Like when I exude murderous intent, you become defensive. The demand for one’s Heart’s Blood is a threat millions of times more severe than mere murderous intent. No one would willingly submit. Even if they love each other, even if they are willing to sacrifice everything for each other, they can’t defeat the instinct ingrained in our genes.”

“I don’t know what sweet words the school has used to deceive young naive souls like you, talking about voluntarily offering up Heart’s Blood, but in the end, it’s all a joke. Instincts are invincible. No matter how nicely they put it, they can’t change the brutal fact that the coming-of-age ceremony is about making loved ones fight to the death.”

“The spouse system of Tianxiu is the most brutal in the entire universe, and their coming-of-age ceremony is the cruelest and most inhumane battle among the stars. To establish a spousal relationship, the Tianxiu not only have to engage in motiveless combat, but they also have to fight against their most intimate person. You’ll never know the real reason for this fight because it’s been completely erased by our ancestors. The current adults just feed naive youths the ‘survival of the fittest’ bullshit.”

“In this world, every battle has a reason, whether it’s for resources, to defend territory, or simply out of spite. But no matter what, these people have motives. No one fights for no reason, except us.”

“Have you ever seen two Tianxiu, having lost their sanity, fight each other to the death? In the galaxy, we, known as battle machines, can fight mechs with bare hands and can survive in outer space without any aid. If there’s anything more powerful than a Tianxiu in a one-on-one battle, it’s an out-of-control Tianxiu. Every Tianxiu will lose control once in their life, during the so-called coming-of-age ceremony, in a bid to become the ‘Qizhu’ and conquer the other by any means.”

Zhen He’s words felt like a splash of icy water. By the end, Ling Xiao’s fingers felt icy cold, almost numb.

“What about Lan Sheng and Ping Zong…”

“Your two little friends?” Zhen He’s face was impassive. “Don’t worry. After all, dying in the coming-of-age ceremony isn’t something that just happens casually. Especially since the school has placed a lot more emphasis on safety after that incident.”

“Instead of worrying about their physical health, you should think about how to explain to them the huge lie of voluntarily offering up the Heart’s Blood when they awaken. The crazy notion of wanting to kill the one they love—I hope it doesn’t cast a shadow on their mutual affection.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>