Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 18

“Dr. Yao!” Medical staff from other areas rushed in, all waiting for her instructions.

But she just waved her hand. “Seal the academy’s exits and split up to search.”

After dismissing everyone, Yao Tai took big strides towards Ping Zong.

Among everyone present, Ping Zong was the most anxious. Upon hearing the news of Lan Sheng’s disappearance, he stood there helplessly. Seeing Yao Tai approaching him, he was unsure why.

“Close your eyes,” Yao Tai said without hesitation as she pressed both of Ping Zong’s shoulders. “Focus your energy.”

Ping Zong closed his eyes as instructed, but his concern for Lan Sheng occupied most of his thoughts, and he couldn’t concentrate.

Yao Tai’s slow speech was in stark contrast to the current urgent situation; her voice was so calm that it seemed hypnotic.

“Feel his location.”

Ping Zong tried to think in the direction she pointed, but he was still kept out by Lan Sheng’s mental barrier. The resistance was stronger than he expected. The conflict was evident on his face, making Ling Xiao wish he could take his place.

In contrast, Ying Feng was much calmer. From Yao Tai’s words, he learned for the first time the extent of a Qizhu’s mental strength. No wonder they say that the Qizi have no freedom.

His gaze shifted from the troubled Ping Zong to the anxious Ling Xiao, who clenched his fists, looking as if he were the one exerting the effort.

Yao Tai continued her guidance. “Slowly, concentrate, and sense his position.”

Ping Zong shook his head in pain and opened his eyes. “I can’t do it.”

“You can.” Yao Tai still maintained her previous pace. “You’re his Qizhu. It’s your right. You must be resolute and not be swayed by his emotions.”

Ping Zong closed his eyes again, frowning and shaking his head. Time ticked away without any progress.

Just as Ling Xiao was getting anxious for him, Yao Tai’s soft voice suddenly turned sharp, startling everyone.

“Hurry! If we don’t find him, he’ll die!”

Ping Zong’s eyes shot open. “The rooftop! He’s on the rooftop!”

Everyone thought Lan Sheng had run away. They never expected him to be on the rooftop. Upon hearing the location, Ling Xiao was the first to dash out, followed closely by Ying Feng, whose speed matched his. Ping Zong, who most wanted to see Lan Sheng, was left behind because his body hadn’t fully recovered.

Ling Xiao was the first to reach the rooftop. But the sight before him made his heart race. Lan Sheng was standing on the edge. One more step, and he would plummet.

The wind billowed around him, his body swaying. Everyone stopped in their tracks, fearing that any noise might make him fall.

Ping Zong, the last to arrive, tried to push past Ling Xiao and Ying Feng to see, but they stood closer together, as if trying to delay the inevitable.

The noise caught Lan Sheng’s attention. He turned to look. The look in his eyes was seared into Ling Xiao’s memory—a look he’d never forget.

It was not the Lan Sheng he knew. Along with the darkness in his eyes, all signs of life seemed to have disappeared.

At that moment, Ling Xiao realized, without a doubt, that Lan Sheng truly wanted to die. Every word Yao Tai said by Ping Zong’s bedside was no exaggeration.

Ling Xiao, shocked, was pushed aside by Ping Zong, and the same scene unfolded before him.

Ling Xiao, seemingly coming back to his senses, urgently called out, “Ping Zong!”

But he couldn’t continue, at a loss for words.

Yao Tai, having been through such situations more than once, remained calm. She discreetly sent a distress signal via her personal terminal, hoping for timely assistance.

Then, Ping Zong spoke.

“Lan Sheng.” His voice was trembling. “I didn’t mean to retaliate. I truly wasn’t in control then. I don’t know what happened. Do you believe me?”

“What he said is true,” Ling Xiao quickly added, “The truth isn’t what the doctor said. We were all deceived. Ping Zong is also a victim. Apparently, during the coming-of-age ceremony, everyone is forced to act. You can distrust everyone, but how can you not trust Ping Zong? He sincerely wanted to give his heart’s blood for you. Do you think this outcome is what he hoped for?”

The words of these two people couldn’t shake Lan Sheng at all. An inorganic voice came from the wind and reached the ears of everyone present.

“The outcome is already determined. Does it matter whether it’s unintentional or intentional?”

This was definitely not the Lan Sheng that Ling Xiao was familiar with. The Lan Sheng he knew would never say such words to Ping Zong. Although he often had sharp words and was always pessimistic, he would never speak so coldly to his beloved.

It was only at this moment that Ling Xiao finally understood the mental disorder caused by the hormonal imbalance that Yao Tai mentioned—it was enough to turn one person into another, blinding their mind, controlling their actions, and even destroying their emotions.

“You come down first, and we can talk slowly, okay?” Ping Zong was still trying. “Dr. Yao said that you are currently experiencing a temporary hormonal imbalance. As long as we stay together for 72 hours, your mentality will return to normal. Please don’t do anything rash now.”

“It’s no use talking to him now,” Yao Tai whispered quickly behind him. “His current mental state can’t communicate with normal thinking. He won’t listen to anything you say.”

Ping Zong hesitated, obviously torn.

“Use the method I taught you. It’s the only way now. If you want him to live, you must control his mind. There’s no other way!”

“Lan Sheng!” Ping Zong called out unwillingly.

Yao Tai had lost hope in his indecision, and Ling Xiao’s anxiety was no less than that of Ping Zong. She exchanged glances with Ying Feng, and they both understood. The two tried to minimize their movements as they approached Lan Sheng from two different directions, trying to get close to him on the wall.

Now, Yao Tai only hoped that Ping Zong and Ling Xiao could buy them some time.

“Lan Sheng, do you remember what Dr. Yao and the professor said? As long as two souls are equal, their statuses are equal. I don’t know why things turned out this way, but I can promise you, whatever you promised me, I can do the same. Since we won’t abuse our rights, why are you so concerned about our status?”

“Lan Sheng, I promise you, I will cherish and respect you, using the power and rights I have to protect you. I will never oppress you with the position of the Qizhu. Our relationship remains the same; nothing will change. I’m asking you, not as a Qizhu but as a lover, can you please come down?”

—I willingly offer my heart’s blood, and in this life, I am his Qizi.

—I will also use the power and rights I have to protect him, and never oppress him with the position of the Qizhu.

Every word Ping Zong said was something Lan Sheng had said to him before, which had once confirmed his decision to spend his life with this man, even at the cost of his own life. But the same words couldn’t move the person in front of him at all, regardless of how Ping Zong tried to appeal to his emotions.

“Dr. Yao and the professor said that as long as two souls are equal, their statuses are equal.” Lan Sheng slowly turned around, and every little movement of his made everyone hold their breath. “But they also said that the professor willingly offered his heart’s blood during the coming-of-age ceremony and never regretted it.”

Yao Tai tensed up upon hearing this.

“Which statement should I believe?” Lan Sheng asked. “Dr. Yao deceived me, the professor deceived me, and even you deceived me.”

“I…” Ping Zong wanted to explain but found himself at a loss for words.

“For all these years, I prided myself on being able to protect you, even feeling proud of it. Thank you for satisfying my vanity for so long. My doubt only existed for a moment, when you blocked Ling Xiao’s punch. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t have done it without a scratch. Ling Xiao probably realized this long ago.”

“Even someone as obtuse as him realized that you’ve been indulging me all this time. Looking back, among the three of us, I am the most foolish one. I thought I was great when I was actually worthless.”

“You’re not!” Ping Zong retorted passionately. “I’ve never thought of you that way!”

“Every adult has been lying to us, my best friend hid things from me, and I can’t even trust the one I love.”

“Stop being foolish, alright?” Ling Xiao blurted out angrily. “He wasn’t trying to use you. Speaking of secrets, you two hid your relationship from me for three years. Did I ever say anything? Who said in the beginning that the bond between the Qizhu and Qizi would be based on each one’s own abilities? Even without all those lies, during the coming-of-age ceremony, you would still lose, still become the Qizi. How is that any different from today’s outcome?”

“You’re right,” Lan Sheng admitted nonchalantly. “I lost to you at the coming-of-age ceremony because I was less skilled. I shouldn’t blame you.”

“But I also can’t accept this version of me. I can’t accept living as a loser.”

“You’re not a loser!” Ping Zong roared, unable to hold back. “When I chose to become your Qizi, did you treat me as a loser?”

“I did say that to you, and I meant it. I still love you to this day. I just can’t accept myself. Thank you for putting up with me all these years. I’m sorry for holding you back in this life. In the next… No, there might not even be a chance to make up for it in the next life.”

“Lan Sheng!”

Lan Sheng’s voice was calm and composed. “Goodbye, Ping Zong.”

With one last glance at Ping Zong and Ling Xiao by his side, he leaned back, tracing an arc with his hand in the air.

Ling Xiao dashed to the edge without hesitation. Yao Tai and Ying Feng, who were closer, lunged from both sides. Yao Tai missed, but Ying Feng managed to grab a corner of Lan Sheng’s sleeve. However, the grip was slipping due to the weight. Without a second thought, Ling Xiao reached out to grasp Ying Feng’s hand and helped pull up, extending his other hand to grab Lan Sheng’s.

Turning to Ping Zong, who stood frozen, he yelled, “What are you waiting for? Help!”

Yao Tai deftly leaped over the barrier, one hand holding onto the edge and the other reaching for Lan Sheng, hanging in mid-air, attempting to pull him up.

“Watch out!” Ling Xiao, with sharp eyes, noticed Lan Sheng drawing a dagger from his waist and feigning a stab at Yao Tai, who swayed to dodge and almost lost her grip. Ling Xiao released Ying Feng and caught her just in time.

At that moment, Lan Sheng’s dagger suddenly changed direction, cutting off the corner of his sleeve. Ying Feng felt the weight disappear from his grasp, and they all watched helplessly as Lan Sheng plummeted.

“Lan Sheng!” Ling Xiao’s heart-wrenching scream echoed. Simultaneously, a brilliant flash of white light appeared, and to Ling Xiao’s astonishment, Pingzong appeared beside the falling Lan Sheng, gently embracing him. Their descent slowed until they safely landed on the ground.

Yao Tai used her right hand to propel herself back onto the rooftop. Ling Xiao turned around, but Ping Zong was nowhere to be found.

“What just happened?” Ling Xiao felt a sense of foreboding. Looking at Yao Tai, she turned away, closing her eyes in agony, as if she couldn’t bear to see.

With trembling lips, Ling Xiao managed to utter. “Dr. Yao…”

“In the end, he mastered a unique ability of the Qizhu,” Yao Tai murmured, “A power that can only be used once in a lifetime, the ultimate and most potent ability.”

“You mean…?”

“To exchange one’s life for another. That is the highest power of the Qizhu.”

On the distant ground, clarity returned to Lan Sheng’s eyes, but with it came confusion.

“Ping Zong, your body…”

Ping Zong’s body was starting to become transparent. “Lan Sheng, remember when you said that one life is just one life and that you wouldn’t hope for an uncertain next life? If I leave you in this life, you will continue living, cherishing the memories of me.”

He gently caressed Lan Sheng’s face, but all Lan Sheng felt was a wisp of smoke. “The things your crow’s mouth spews, they always come true.”

Around him, countless radiant spots emerged, intensifying in brightness and quantity, eventually forming a bright blue sphere, emitting blinding light.

Lan Sheng reached out but grasped nothing.

On this morning, the early risers of Bikong witnessed a bright blue orb rise from the direction of the medical building, piercing through the clouds towards the soul lighthouse, disappearing forever.

---

The author has something to say:

Tips: The Tianxiu people have a unique eye structure. They can see things in strong light and in the dark and are not far or nearsighted, so the glasses they wear are purely functional, like for storing data.

---

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