Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 51

Upon seeing the message on the screen, Xing Lou couldn’t help but laugh. After pondering for a moment, he replied in kind.

[Your guess is spot on.]

Indeed! Heng He’s eyes shone. He never expected that one day he could “face-to-face” communicate with his idol in such a manner. This feeling was even more exhilarating than winning the top scientific invention award.

Yue Ying approached in a mode of fiber bundles. “You’re lying again.”

“How can you say I’m lying? All the information I passed on to him came from Tai Yin. I’m just the messenger. It would be strange if I said otherwise.”

“It’s also fortunate that he’s an admirer of Tai Yin and is obsessed with science, so everything went incredibly smoothly.”

“Right. Next, we just need to patiently wait for them to revive your body. Unfortunately, in the end, they’ll find out that after all their hard work, they only obtained a body without consciousness. I can’t wait to see the military’s reaction.”

As they were speaking, Heng He sent another long message.

[Teacher Tai Yin, I’m fully aware of your intention to help us, to cancel the coming-of-age ceremony, and to break the blood pact. This is also our goal! With your help, I believe we can achieve this soon. I promise not to disclose your identity to the military!]

Xing Lou chuckled. “This guy is so naively amusing.”

[Keep it up*.]

*Jiayou (加油) It’s a ubiquitous Chinese expression of encouragement and support. There is no direct translation for it (depends on context) but it could mean like good luck, you go do it!, ect.

He sent these words and then unilaterally terminated the connection. Then, he dialed Zhen He’s communicator.

“Senior, I want you to check out Zhu Yue’s background. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“I really don’t understand. What’s so special about someone like him that interests you? Oh well, I’m on it.”

Xing Lou was finally satisfied. “Thanks.”

Zhu Yue was once again “amicably” stopped by schoolmates for a “chat”. In the past decade, he faced such situations as if they were a daily routine. Not just from seniors, but even juniors would trouble him without any hesitation.

Over the years, the only tactic he mastered was to close his eyes, bear the torment silently, and wait for the bullies to get tired and leave. But today, it didn’t end that way.

Following a few thuds, the surroundings became quiet. He cautiously opened one eye and saw a pair of feet in front of him, and the bullies were scattered around those feet.

“Is it you?” He looked up with trepidation, unable to believe he’d encountered Zhen He here. “Aren’t you from that shop… Why are you here?”

Zhen He didn’t answer. “You don’t even resist bullies of this level? No wonder everyone picks on you. Can’t you show a little backbone?”

Zhu Yue, in this state, really didn’t seem to offer anything that would interest Xing Lou.

“I… I can’t beat them.”

“You never even tried to fight back. How would you know?”

Zhu Yue nervously glanced at the ground. This person had just effortlessly defeated three opponents. Even though they were from lower grades, their skill level was still enough for him to look up to.

“You… seem very strong?”

Zhen He chuckled. “What do you think?”

“Do you know Ying Feng from our class? He’s also strong. I wonder who’s stronger between the two of you.”

Zhen He made an estimate. “I’d stand no chance against him now. But if it were his younger self, we might be evenly matched.”

Zhu Yue looked down. “It must be nice to be as strong and wealthy as you.”

Zhen He couldn’t see anything special about Zhu Yue—unless being extraordinarily weak counted. And this weakness didn’t seem like an act. As far as Zhen He was concerned, his assignment from Xing Lou could end here. Perhaps Xing Lou had merely misjudged.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhu Yue said, “I want to buy something.”

Hearing potential business, Zhen He was immediately interested. “You’ve already made two purchases from me. Do you still have money?”

Zhu Yue cautiously looked around and whispered, “Follow me.”

Zhen He followed him to his dorm room and saw him nervously lock the door.

“Now that I’m here, speak up.”

“Let me state my request first.” Zhu Yue gritted his teeth. “I want the thing Ling Xiao stole from the base—exactly the same!”

Zhen He looked at him skeptically. “For me, that item isn’t hard to procure. But do you really think you can afford it? Don’t give me something like a month’s allowance; even a year’s worth might not be enough.”

“Wait a moment.”

Zhen He watched as Zhu Yue methodically opened a hidden compartment in his bedside table. With every step, Zhen He’s expression grew more and more astonished until Zhu Yue pulled out a soul binding stone from within.

“This should be enough to buy what I want, right?”

Upon seeing what Zhu Yue held, Zhen He’s gaze didn’t waver an inch. “No problem. Give me a day, and I guarantee I’ll get you what you want.”

Zhu Yue returned the soul binding stone to its original place. “Once you bring me what I want, I will naturally hand this over to you. I have one more condition: the transaction must be done in person, right here.”

“Why?”

“Both your items and mine are contraband. They’re likely to be caught by the security system during inter-dimensional transfer.”

“If that’s what you’re worried about, there’s no need. The head of the Tianyuan Network is well acquainted with me. There’s never been an issue with items from me.”

“No, I can’t take any risks,” Zhu Yue insisted. “This is my condition. If you want the soul binding stone, you’ll have to personally come and exchange it.”

Zhen He reluctantly shook his head. “Alright. I’ll prepare what you need. Please keep my payment safe. I’ll come to collect it.”

……

Ling Xiao had been beating around the bush in the principal’s office for a good half hour, and the principal sensed that there must be another reason for his sudden visit.

“What do you want to ask? Just speak directly.”

Since the principal said so, Ling Xiao went straight to the point.

“Principal, do you know someone named Ling Xing?”

The principal’s heart tightened. “Why are you asking about him?”

“Well…” Ling Xiao hesitated. Ever since he came across that name, he had been intrigued. “During a previous base tour, Dr. Zhi Shang mentioned that those awakened in the same energy chamber have the same surname. It’s like they are siblings of other races. I saw this name in the library among the survivors of the Ash Event. According to the doctor’s statement, he would be my brother. I would like to know more about him.”

The principal paced slowly, lost in memories. “I remember that name very clearly. Ling Xing’s class was the first batch of students I encountered upon coming to Bikong. Back then, I wasn’t the principal, and they were just freshmen. I watched them grow from the first year to the tenth, reliving my own student years.”

“Many students of that batch awakened by their ninth year, but by the tenth year, only Ling Xing hadn’t. Even though their physical awakenings were early, they resisted the coming-of-age ceremony mentally. They even formed an anti-coming-of-age alliance, continuously recruiting more fledglings both offline and online.”

“Once, behind the adults’ backs, they secretly convened what they called a major alliance meeting. Ling Xing was also dragged in. That day, someone’s hormones unexpectedly spiraled out of control. One triggered another until everyone lost control, turning their weapons against their comrades.”

“Ling Xing miraculously remained unaffected, but he witnessed the whole thing from a corner. The next day, when the adults found them, only half were alive. And Ling Xing was the only fledgling among the survivors.”

“After the incident, the principal and several administrators resigned. I then took up the role of acting principal. But Ling Xing was no longer my student.”

Having personally witnessed the departure of two souls, Ling Xiao was deeply affected. He could hardly imagine how Ling Xing must have felt, hiding in a corner, watching familiar faces turn on each other in bloody combat. However, he didn’t understand what the principal said next.

“No longer your student? Why?”

“The survivors of that incident all suffered varying degrees of psychological damage. Ling Xing was no exception. He couldn’t face the coming-of-age ceremony or his former classmates. So, he dropped out shortly after.”

“Dropped out?” For them, who spent their entire awakened lives in the academy, where would they go after dropping out?

The principal took out an old, dusty booklet from the top shelf, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. He gently wiped away the dust and said, “This is the graduation yearbook of their class. This one belonged to him, but he never came back to claim it.”

The principal turned to the first page, and the group photo on it was even more unbearable to look at than the wall of memorial photos Ling Xiao had seen in the library. In the picture, each person was holding a picture frame, and inside the frame was a black and white photo of another person. Their graduation photo could only be presented in this manner.

The principal pointed to the only boy on the side who wasn’t holding any picture. “This is Ling Xing. The photo was taken the day before he dropped out. The next day he left, and among the people in this picture, only a few are still alive.”

“What about Ling Xing?” Ling Xiao asked eagerly, “Is he still alive?”

After a long silence, the principal slowly shook his head.

“After leaving school, he went to live in a church. Occasionally, I’d hear about him. It seemed he had moved on from the shadows of his past and was doing quite well, but he never reached adulthood.”

“How did he die?”

“He was executed.”

Ling Xiao was shocked. “Executed?”

“For committing a crime.”

“What crime?”

“Treason.”

Ling Xiao was speechless in surprise. He distinctly remembered Yao Tai saying that no one had been executed in Nightmare Hall for many years. Treason was the highest crime in Tianxiu and an absolutely unforgivable offense.

“The news was sensational at the time, but by the time the truth came out, a long time had passed. I never had the chance to see him one last time.”

The principal sighed and closed the yearbook.

“That’s all I know about him. If you want to learn more, you’ll have to go to the church from back then. Since this was his, you might as well take it with you.”

Ling Xiao left the principal’s office, clutching the yearbook, and called Ying Feng to inform him of his whereabouts.

“I need to visit a nearby church, and I might return late.”

“Why are you going to the church?”

“To deliver something for the principal,” he replied, withholding some of the details.

Ying Feng, not entirely trusting Ling Xiao’s driving skills after that accident, said, “Did you forget what happened yesterday?”

Ling Xiao sighed. “Yesterday was an exception. I’m fine today.”

“Just wait. I’ll come to pick you up.”

When Ying Feng arrived, Ling Xiao was sitting in the passenger seat, holding an old yearbook.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s what the principal asked me to bring.”

Ying Feng didn’t press further and directed their vehicle to the church. Neither of them had ever visited before. The church, where Ling Xing used to live, wasn’t big but had a beautiful garden filled with various plants—some native to Tianxiu, others from different planets. It seemed as if exotic plants from different planets were all gathered in this small courtyard.

They followed the path, passing through the courtyard, and entered the church, where a tall statue of a deity hung prominently in front. Stained glass of various colors surrounded them, blocking the intense sunlight. Only slender rays of light that penetrated from small windows behind the deity retained a golden hue.

Ying Feng had never been here before, nor had he ever been conveyed the will of God. Yet, when he took his first step into this place, he felt a tranquility in his soul, an indescribable enchantment. All the restless elements within his spirit were soothed. In this world, there was no longer anything worth anger, sadness, or hatred. What remained was only peace, hope, and beauty.

He felt all this in silence, as time seemed to slow. It was no longer one second after another, but rather dust dancing leisurely in the sunlight. It felt like an hourglass tilted at a sixty-degree angle or the steady ticking of a clock where someone had gently turned on a faucet, leaving a small gap for time to drip out slowly. Past, present, and future all converged in the present moment. The person in front of him also seemed to be standing still for a long time, as if relishing this elongated moment.

Ying Feng suddenly felt that Ling Xiao had been still for too long.

“Ling Xiao.” He called out.

“What?” Ling Xiao turned abruptly with a serene expression on his face that Ying Feng had never seen before. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised in a genuine smile, one that was emitted from within without any pretense. This smile reached his eyes.

The rays of light passing through the window panes, bypassing the deities, shone against him in the opposite direction. Half of that smile was obscured in the haze, yet due to their extraordinary vision, every detail was captured vividly.

Fragments of his soul that had been scattered due to relaxation, in this instant, suddenly came together with great intensity, giving Ying Feng a strong jolt. A long, long time ago, someone seemed to have smiled at him in this manner, saying these words to him:

If you can’t understand human emotions, at least try to believe in God. God will love you just as He loves others. As long as you believe in Him, His love will reach your heart, allowing you, like any other person, to learn how to love.

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The author has something to say:

Tips: There are two powerful forces on Tianxiu—the military and the church.

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