Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 21

Standing outside the Ling Xiao door was Lan Sheng. It had been exactly one week since Ling Xiao last saw him.

During this week, Lan Sheng was forcibly isolated by the school authorities, and no visits were allowed. Ling Xiao went to Yao Tai twice to see him but was unsuccessful.

The reason Ling Xiao couldn’t guess that the person outside was him was because before this, when Lan Sheng knocked on Ling Xiao’s door, he either slapped or kicked it. He had never been as polite and distant as he was now.

“I’ve come to say goodbye,” Lan Sheng said calmly. Ling Xiao looked stunned. Apart from the color of the pupils, nothing had changed. It was such a familiar face, yet so unfamiliar, he didn’t even know how to react.

Lan Sheng continued, “The school says that a Qizi like me during puberty must go to the mental health control center for treatment. I don’t know how long it will be, but we probably won’t see each other for a while.”

He mentioned his bereavement so lightly, it was like a sledgehammer, heavily hitting Ling Xiao’s heart.

Seeing Ling Xiao’s expression, Lan Sheng smiled slightly. “Don’t worry about me. Since I promised Ping Zong to live with the memory of him, no matter how difficult it is, I will persist. I’ve already broken my promise to be with him for a lifetime once. There won’t be a second time.”

Ling Xiao moved his lips but made no sound.

“Before I leave, I want to give this to you.”

Lan Sheng handed him a black box. Inside was a dagger.

“My dagger has been taken away. This is the only relic of Ping Zong.”

Ling Xiao felt the heavy weight in his hand. “Such a precious thing; why don’t you keep it?”

“Because where I’m going, weapons are not allowed, and I don’t trust anyone else with it. You’re the only one I’m willing to entrust it to. I believe you’ll keep it safe.”

He paused and added, “I’m giving it to you also because I feel responsible for you losing two friends in one day…”

“You didn’t,” Ling Xiao interrupted quickly, his voice choking up. “You’re still alive, and Ping Zong will always be in my heart. I never lost you both, and I never will in the future.”

“I’m surprised you feel that way,” Lan Sheng said. “I used to be so naive, thinking I was more mature than you. But one coming-of-age ceremony changed both of us. Being steps in your growth journey is probably the only consolation for me and Ping Zong. I hope you won’t forget us with this dagger.”

Hearing the metaphor of steps, Ling Xiao almost burst into tears.

Lan Sheng squeezed his hand. “Ling Xiao, even though you were the first to wake up among the three of us, you’ve always been the most carefree. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have missed the fact that Ping Zong and I were together for three years. He cared about you even more than he did me. I’d often pretend to be jealous, but in reality, I’m most worried about you. Thinking that neither of us will be by your side in the future, you might not even know when you’ll awaken or fall in love, and I worry for you.”

“Lan Sheng…”

“Ling Xiao, promise me that no matter what happens in the future, think of me. I’m your example, and you can’t make the mistakes I made. Don’t live in regret.”

Holding back tears, Ling Xiao nodded. “Will we see each other again?”

“As long as you’re willing to wait for me, we’ll reunite. I just don’t know what we’ll look like when we meet again. But I bet you’ll be taller than me.”

Ling Xiao’s voice wavered. “I’ve always been taller than you.”

Lan Sheng stepped forward and hugged him tightly, and Ling Xiao wished he could keep him there forever.

A moment later, the hug ended, and Ling Xiao reluctantly let go.

“Take care,” he said.

“You too.”

After Lan Sheng turned around, Ling Xiao only then noticed two adult males in white uniforms standing not far away. He had seen those uniforms once before. They claimed to come from the Disease Control Center, a mysterious and daunting place.

Ling Xiao had heard stories about people who went there and never returned. He never thought he’d one day witness his best friend heading there.

It was then that Ling Xiao realized why the school allowed Lan Sheng, who had a history of suicidal tendencies, to bring a weapon on his own. He watched Lan Sheng leave with those two men, as if this was their final farewell.

After Lan Sheng left, Ling Xiao was downcast the entire day. Those around him thought he had moved on from that incident, but seeing him like this again, they were all worried. To cheer him up, a few close classmates came up with a dubious plan.

That evening, just as Ling Xiao was preparing to leave for another commitment, he was stopped by a student named Ting Lei from next door. Without any preamble, Ting Lei pushed him into his dorm room.

“Ling Xiao, come here.”

“What are you doing?” Ling Xiao asked in confusion. “I have a training appointment.”

“You train every day. Aren’t you tired? Take a break,” Ting Lei whispered mysteriously, “I’ve got something great.”

“What is it?” Ling Xiao asked, curious about Ting Lei’s secretive behavior.

Before he could finish his question, he was pushed into the room, which was already filled with several others, all huddled around something.

“Hey, Ling Xiao, come see. This is what we got just for your entertainment.”

“You probably wanted it for yourself,” another guy retorted.

“As if you’re not interested,” the first shot back.

Watching them bicker reminded Ling Xiao of his own interactions with Lan Sheng. To distract from his sadness, he quickly sent a message on his device. “I need to message Ying Feng to let him know I won’t be coming.”

“You two are dating?” Ting Lei exclaimed. “I thought you were joking about wanting Ying Feng as your Qizi!”

“What are you talking about?” Ling Xiao paused. “We just train together.”

“So you fall in love by training? And with a Qizi, you gain an ability boost, right? If you really take him, won’t you be unstoppable?”

Ling Xiao tried to change the subject. “Didn’t you want to show me something? What’s so secretive?”

Ting Lei, forgetting the previous topic, responded, “Just watch, it’s definitely worth it.”

The lights in the room went off, replaced by a projection on the wall. It turned out to be just a movie. In this age of 3D movies, 2D ones had lost their charm, making Ling Xiao wonder why this old-fashioned movie was exciting them so much.

As the movie started, he realized it wasn’t a local production. He couldn’t recognize the film company’s name, and the characters looked like they were from the neighboring Wolfsbane, with darker skin and slightly pointed ears. When the dialogue began, Ling Xiao was taken aback.

Ling Xiao could only patiently continue watching. The person in the projection said a few lines he couldn’t understand, then began to undress.

Ling Xiao: =口=

Now, he finally understood why there was no need for voice dubbing or subtitles. The content of the interactions between the protagonists in the film was so straightforward. However, the way they communicated was so profound and complex for those like them who had no knowledge about sexuality.

The novices, who had never experienced such stimulation, held their breath and stared at the screen without blinking. Even Ling Xiao, who initially showed little interest, was involuntarily captivated.

On the screen, the two main characters were passionately entwined. Just when everyone thought this was the climax of the movie, another person entered the room. They exchanged a few words—this time, Ling Xiao no longer complained about not understanding.

Soon after, the newcomer also joined the fray.

For these kids, their first taste of forbidden fruit was so intense. How could they hold themselves back? They were all parched, flushed, and by the time of the final six-person melee, some of the Wolfsbane people had even transformed, leaving some students dripping in sweat.

“So exhilarating,” one said, licking their lips with satisfaction after the film ended.

“Where did you get such an explosive film?” a classmate curiously asked Ting Lei.

“Don’t tell anyone. I bought it online, spending almost half a month’s living expenses,” Ting Lei replied. Due to inherent conditions, Tianxiu had no adult entertainment industry, and movies of this nature were smuggled in from other galaxies at high costs.

“They sell this in the non-adult section?” They knew they couldn’t access the adult section online.

“There’s a store on the shopping street called ‘Everything Sold Here’. It has many hidden treasures. A worker there found out I was a student from Bikong Academy and even gave me a 10% discount.”

Ling Xiao: …I knew it.

It seemed that Zhen He was indeed a well-known name in Bikong, yet very few knew him personally. And most who met him assumed he was just an intern; unaware he was the owner.

After discussing the origin of the movie, everyone enthusiastically began discussing its content.

“Hey, have any of you experienced what was shown in the movie?”

“Which part?”

“Well…” A classmate hesitated and gestured vaguely. Surprisingly, others understood.

“No.” Several people shook their heads. “Never.”

“It’s only after watching this that I realized that part can also become erect.”

“Yeah, will we become like that in the future?”

“We probably will. We don’t react now, probably because we haven’t awakened yet.”

“I really want to awaken soon…”

“Ling Xiao, what about you?” Ting Lei slapped the daydreaming Ling Xiao.

“Huh? What?”

“Have you… experienced it like in the movie?”

Ling Xiao paused. “No, I’m like you all. I haven’t awakened, so how could I have any physical reaction?”

“Ah,” everyone felt a bit disappointed.

While some wanted to watch the movie again, others planned to visit Zhen He’s store for more films. Ling Xiao didn’t want to accompany them anymore. Making up an excuse, he left. Initially, the others had gathered under the pretext of cheering up Ling Xiao by secretly watching the movie, but now they didn’t bother about him, letting him go.

Ling Xiao returned to his dorm alone. Whether it was because of watching that kind of movie, he felt the room was hotter than usual, and he kept sweating.

After turning down the room’s temperature system, Ling Xiao undressed and stood under the shower. The slightly cooler water felt incredibly refreshing on his skin.

While the physical heat subsided, his mental agitation didn’t. As Ling Xiao washed, he felt something amiss. Looking down, a certain part of him, dormant for a full ten years, was now quite lively, much like what he saw in the movie that night.

Staring at the change in his body, Ling Xiao slowly realized: Have I… awakened?

……

“Your bodily indicators are all normal. Congratulations on officially entering the awakening period. Are you sure you don’t need the inhibitor?”

“No need, thank you, Dr. Yao.”

Yao Tai nodded, opened the door, and escorted the student who had just entered the awakening period out. “As long as you remember the points I mentioned that you need to be careful of during the awakening period, you’ll be fine. Also, you cannot participate in the outdoor field practice organized by the school the day after tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

After the student left, Dr. Yao noticed another person standing outside the door.

“Ling Xiao? Do you need anything?”

Ling Xiao’s attention was entirely drawn to the latter part of Yao Tai’s words. He was unaware of the existence of the inhibitor. He only heard that after entering the awakening period, he couldn’t participate in the outdoor field practice. Knowing that the annual routine outdoor field practice was something he had looked forward to for a long time, there was no way he would give it up for such a reason.

The field practice was only for three days, so delaying reporting for a week… shouldn’t be a problem, right?

With this thought, he quickly shook his head. “No, I don’t need anything.”

Yao Tai looked at his hastily departing figure with some suspicion. Would someone without any problems specifically come to the infirmary?

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The author has something to say:

A little tip: Because the people of Tianxiu only have 1v1 mate relationships, they won’t have physiological reactions to anyone other than their mate. Hence, the planet doesn’t have any indigenous adult industries.

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