Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 62

On a lounge chair that was originally empty, a figure suddenly appeared. However, this person’s eyes were tightly shut, motionless, and even his breathing and heartbeat had completely stopped, as if he were dead.

A voice anxiously called out to him from the side, but other than that, the voice couldn’t do anything.

“Xing Lou, Xing Lou!”

After what felt like an eternity, the man called Xing Lou slowly began to wake up, and his heart gradually resumed its beat.

“I succeeded,” he said, showing a bit of excitement as he somewhat recovered. “I can finally traverse dimensions to change time. This time, I successfully traveled back 600 years. Next time…”

“There won’t be a next time.” Yue Ying said sadly.

“There will be!”

“I just scanned your body. The burden on your soul has reached its limit; it can’t carry any more data.”

“That’s impossible!” He refused to believe.

“It’s true. You have retained memories across four consecutive lifetimes, not to mention the ancient memories you still hold. Each time you travel through time, you bring back more fragments of memories. That’s why your lifespan gets shorter with each generation. Your soul is overwhelmed. If you reverse time again, I fear your soul will dissipate in the river of history.”

Xing Lou’s face darkened terrifyingly. Why? He was so close to success. If he declared failure now, what would all his previous efforts amount to?

“Can’t the useless memories be erased?”

“Forcing a deletion will only cause memory corruption. The only way to clear memories is to let the soul pass through the purification pool. While this method can erase memories, it can’t heal a damaged soul. Retaining memories of past lives goes against the initial setting of this species. Likely, in your next life, you won’t inherit any existing memories. As punishment for breaking the rules, your soul will decline with each reincarnation until you die during the fledgling phase, disappearing completely.”

Xing Lou slowly stood up. “I’m not afraid of death, but I fear living without knowledge. If I will forget past grudges, promises, and even you in the next life, then I’d rather this life be the end…”

He suddenly turned his head. “Who’s there?!”

An unexpected visitor rushed in like the wind and grabbed Xing Lou by the collar without a word. “I need you to help me kill someone. I must kill him!”

Xing Lou leaned slightly back. “Wow, Zhen He? It’s been a while. You’ve changed so much that I barely recognize you. A staunch opponent of the coming-of-age ceremony, what made you like this?”

“It’s all because of Zhu Yue! The Zhu Yue you asked me to investigate last time! He…”

“Sorry for the intrusion.”

Upon hearing that voice, Zhen He stiffened and turned, only to face his nightmare.

“You actually followed me here?”

Zhu Yue seemed much more confident than before, albeit slightly nervous. “For a Qizhu, finding his Qizi isn’t difficult.”

Zhen He was clearly irritated by those words. Releasing Xing Lou, he lunged at Zhu Yue, his fist stopping just inches from his face.

Zhu Yue, almost stepping back in fright, managed to regain composure. “Surprisingly, the blood pact still works here in virtual space. I thought your punch would hit me.”

Zhen He gritted his teeth in fury, turning to yell. “Xing Lou!”

Having been observing the whole time, Xing Lou finally spoke in a leisurely tone. “I feel like I’ve finally understood…yet, I’m still a bit confused. Would either of you care to explain more?”

“I can explain,” Zhu Yue stepped forward.

“No need for you to speak!”

Ignoring Zhen He, Zhu Yue said, “I know you.”

Xing Lou: “Oh? Maybe we met somewhere on campus?”

“Before that, a long time ago,” Zhu Yue whispered. “Marshall, no, the former Marshall.”

The smile on Xing Lou’s face gradually faded. “Who are you?”

Zhu Yue took something out of his pocket. Seeing it, Zhen He looked as if he wanted to snatch it and destroy it immediately—the very source of his current misfortune.

“Soul binding stone. I think you should recognize it. A legendary stone said to awaken the oldest memories of the soul. You have one too, don’t you?”

Xing Lou didn’t reply, which was as good as a confirmation.

“Since we both have memories of the past, it will be easier for us to communicate.”

“What do you want?”

“I want to cooperate with you.”

“Xing Lou!” Zhen He exclaimed angrily. “He’s my enemy! You want to work with him?”

Xing Lou patted his shoulder. “Relax, we’re just talking. Wait here for a moment.”

The two went into the adjacent room. Zhen He, in his rage, started smashing things around him. However, everything in this virtual space was simulated. Anything destroyed would respawn. By the time the two men came out, everything was intact.

This time, Zhu Yue left without a word. After venting his frustrations, Zhen He finally calmed down, his eyes glaring darkly at Xing Lou.

“You really decided to cooperate with him? After seeing what happened to me, you still don’t believe he’s a cunning person?”

Xing Lou countered, “What do you propose then?”

“Of course, kill him!”

“Wouldn’t that be letting him off too easily?”

Xing Lou approached him, warmly placing an arm around his shoulder. “I know you despise him deeply. If he just dies, he’ll reincarnate. Are you content with that?”

“What do you suggest?”

“Master Tai Yin’s experiment might soon succeed. By then, you can break the blood pact. You’ll regain your freedom, and he’ll return to a fledgling state, unable to reincarnate. Once he dies, his soul will disintegrate… Which of these outcomes do you prefer?”

As Xing Lou spoke, the murderous intent in Zhen He’s eyes began to subside, eventually sheathing like a sword returned to its scabbard.

“I understand. I’ll wait. In the meantime, I’ll let him live. One day, I’ll witness his soul dissipate in front of me.”

After Zhen He left, Yue Ying’s waveform reappeared on the wall. He had clearly heard the conversation between Xing Lou and Zhu Yue.

“Was what he said true?”

“Yes,” Xing Lou replied, lowering his head as if deep in thought. “Your previous speculation was accurate. He truly is one of the survivors from your clan, although now he’s only half of one. It’s surprising he survived in this manner. No wonder he’s so weak… However, it seems he has found strength in his own way.”

“What have you decided? Will you accept his proposal?”

“His goals align with mine in some ways. I’ve decided to cooperate with him, but only temporarily.”

He lowered his voice. “I don’t like this man. Once our objectives are met, even if he’s your last kin, I don’t wish to keep him around.”

……

About six hundred years ago.

“You can open your eyes now.”

The blindfold was removed, and Chang Jiang opened his eyes in astonishment. Before him lay a blonde figure in a fetal position, surrounded by strange equipment and computers.

“I’ve heard that you are a once-in-a-generation genius in the field of computers. Were you the one who hacked into the military mainframe recently?”

The young Chang Jiang was nervous. He had breached the system out of mere curiosity, only intending to test his skills without stealing any secrets. Yet, such an act was already a grave crime.

“We can spare you any punishment, but you need to do something for us.”

Hearing that he could be spared from punishment, Chang Jiang was willing to accept any conditions. “What do you want?”

“Our computer had some issues three months ago. No matter what we do, we can’t resolve it. We’d like you to assist in troubleshooting.”

It was said lightly, but Chang Jiang understood that this meant the military’s top computer experts had been defeated. He was anxious inside. If he couldn’t fix it, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be imprisoned.

“I’ll try my best.” He swallowed hard.

The man in front of him stepped aside.

“But before that,” he glanced at the blonde figure on the bed, strangely concerned, “can you tell me who he is?”

“I advise you not to ask questions you shouldn’t know.”

Chang Jiang remained silent and took a seat in front of the computer.

One hour, two hours… Several hours passed, and Chang Jiang made no progress. The computer’s programs had all been altered and couldn’t run properly. It didn’t look like a typical virus. He had never encountered such a situation before.

“How’s it going?” the person who had been monitoring him suddenly asked, startling Chang Jiang.

“It’s complicated.” Chang Jiang hesitated. “I need some time.”

The officer frowned and left abruptly. Soon, two soldiers took his place at the doorway. Thankfully, they stood farther away, reducing Chang Jiang’s pressure.

Suddenly, strange waveforms appeared on the screen. Chang Jiang nervously tapped on the keyboard, having done nothing to cause this, attracting the guards’ attention.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” In his haste, Chang Jiang hit the restart button and then blocked the screen with his body. “Just a minor glitch. I’ve fixed it.”

The guard didn’t press further. Chang Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and refocused on the screen, where he saw a strange message.

[I’ve finally found you.]

Taken aback, Chang Jiang typed hesitantly:

[Who are you?]

The text on the screen refreshed.

[Yue Ying.]

Chang Jiang swore he had never seen this name before. He typed a lengthy response.

[Who are you? Where are you? Why are you in the computer?]

[I am right beside you.]

Beside? Chang Jiang seemed to realize something, turning stiffly to see the person on the bed surrounded by a transparent shield—a vacuum chamber.

Is this person Yue Ying? Is his consciousness inside the computer? Overwhelmed by the information, Chang Jiang was at a loss.

Another message appeared on the screen.

[Save me.]

Chang Jiang leaned forward.

[How?]

Driven by an instinctual trust, he didn’t question why he should save Yue Ying or consider the consequences.

[Find the soul binding stone. It will help you recover lost memories.]

The door opened again, and the officer from earlier returned. The content on the screen vanished instantly.

“Still not fixed?” the officer asked impatiently.

“I need some software tools. Can I bring my usual storage device?” Chang Jiang hesitated.

“No,” the officer immediately declined. “You can’t bring anything in or copy any content from here.”

“I’ll have to write the necessary programs on the spot, which might take more time.”

“Then stay here. Leave only when it’s fixed.”

The officer departed, and Chang Jiang’s gaze once again drifted to the bed beside him. Yue Ying…

“…I promise to get you out.”

“You already have.”

Yue Ying’s voice echoed. Xing Lou opened his eyes in the moonlight, seeing Yue Ying’s fibers glowing in the darkness.

“Did you dream of our past again?”

“Yes.” Xing Lou pinched the bridge of his nose. “I dreamt of the first time we met at the Gene Center.”

He climbed out of bed, opened the secret compartment on the bedside, and there lay a soul binding stone similar to the one in Zhu Yue’s hand, but in a lavender color.

Having received Yue Ying’s message, Xing Lou endured countless hardships to obtain this soul binding stone. He finally recovered memories from ancient times and managed to copy Yue Ying’s consciousness. He dedicated everything to build a place for him—the so-called Tianyuan Network. The computer genius, in this way, started a new chapter in the history of the internet.

“Yue Ying.” He reached out, and Yue Ying immediately wrapped around him.

“I promised your ancestors that I would always take care of their descendants. But I forgot that promise for thousands of years. A few hundred years ago, I promised to get you out, but I’ve only managed to free your consciousness so far. If this life is my last, no matter what, even if it costs my soul, I will rescue you from eternal slumber and truly get you out.”

“This time, I won’t forget my promise.”

……

Zhu Yue was packing his bags when the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open. Startled, he turned around and saw someone he thought would never return.

“Why are you back? Didn’t I let you go?”

“How could I bear to leave you just like that?” Zhen He closed the door behind him. “Abandoning a Qizi is illegal. You took my blood; you are obliged to take care of me till the end. Besides, all my money is with you. Are you planning to walk away without taking responsibility?”

He approached step by step. After becoming the Qizhu for so long, Zhen He’s presence still put pressure on Zhu Yue. Although he had matured as the Qizi, he still stood a head taller than Zhu Yue. As he neared, Zhu Yue couldn’t help but take a small step back.

“I will always be by your side,” Zhen He said, lowering his head and gritting his teeth. “My Lord Qizhu.”

……

“Didn’t you say you’d apply to your superiors to reduce the amount of blood taken?” Ying Feng’s anger was more evident than before. “What’s happened to him now?”

Ling Xiao, lying on the bed, was almost unconscious, with not a hint of color on his face.

Heng He stammered, “I did apply…” But the military disagreed and insisted on following the original plan. The amount of blood taken today was nearly two-thirds of Ling Xiao’s total blood volume.

With a stern face, Ying Feng picked up the weak Ling Xiao, who weakly struggled for a moment before resting his head against Ying Feng’s chest.

Heng He watched as Ying Feng left with Ling Xiao in his arms, feeling uneasy. Such incidents would keep happening. How would he face Ying Feng’s growing protective feelings for Ling Xiao?

……

—Yao Tai (3928–4026), appointed as the school’s health doctor at Bikong Academy in 3992. She resigned in 4026. During her tenure, she was diligent and performed excellently…

The principal sighed and put down his pen. The man had passed away. Was there still value in writing such work history?

Perhaps it could only serve to be remembered by future generations.

He walked to the window and spotted a streak of yellow—he recognized it as Ying Feng’s vehicle. Every week, they would leave early one day and only return at dusk.

But soon, such scenes would no longer be seen.

The night at Bikong was as tranquil as usual. After tonight, some would leave while others would stay. In the future, when they met again, a new chapter full of tumultuous events would unfold…

[End of Bikong Arc]

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