Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 67

In a flash, Ying Feng was back in the room they were in earlier, seemingly still feeling the warmth of Ling Xiao’s lips.

“Your companion has made his choice. Now it’s your turn. If you choose to sever the bond, it could mean setting him free or abandoning him. If you choose to refuse, it could mean being too attached or selfishly wanting to keep him by your side. The more you ponder over it, the more possibilities arise, which can cloud your decision.”

“The best way to answer this is to not consider any reasons and follow your heart’s desire. Do you have an answer now?”

Ying Feng paused for a moment. “Yes.”

……

Ling Xiao found himself back in the game room. There was no mystical dormitory, no blood pact reversal; everything had been an illusion.

“Ying Feng?”

He spotted Ying Feng at the other end of the room. “What are you doing there?”

“Welcome back,” the NPC’s voice chimed in. “Both players have answered their respective questions. Your current polarity is determined by your answers. Choosing A gives you an ‘S’ pole, and choosing B gives you an ‘N’ pole.”

Ling Xiao looked down to see an ‘N’ on himself. Ying Feng had the same, which explained the distance between them.

‘So Ying Feng chose B too,’ Ling Xiao thought, curious about Ying Feng’s question.

“Our polarities are the same. What do we do now?”

“This is the final challenge of this game. You’ll only clear the game when you touch each other. But you’ve answered all the questions; there’s no new one to reverse the polarity.”

“Isn’t this a trap?”

“Be patient. Each of you has a chance to change your answer. If one of you changes, both can succeed. Now, you may discuss freely.”

They gazed at each other from afar. “What should we do?”

Ling Xiao added, “We don’t necessarily need to change answers. We touched earlier when our poles repelled, right?”

He tried moving towards Ying Feng but couldn’t after a few steps.

“What about your teleportation and summoning abilities?”

“They won’t work here. All mental powers are blocked.”

“There must be a way.” Ling Xiao asserted, looking around. He ran and tried to use a wall to propel himself toward Ying Feng but got pushed back midway.

“If both of us try…”

“It’s useless,” the NPC interrupted. “The force repelling you is stronger than before. Without changing your polarity, you’ll never reach each other. Focus on discussing the answers.”

Ling Xiao attempted a few more times, finally sitting down defeated.

“What now? For the record, I won’t change.”

“I don’t want to either,” Ying Feng replied.

“So, it’s a stalemate? NPC, how do you handle such situations?”

“You’ll remain trapped in the game until a decision is reached.”

Neither wanted to change, leading to a standoff.

“Why don’t you want to change your answer? What was your question?”

“I just don’t. I don’t need a reason.”

“It’s just a game. The answer doesn’t matter, right?”

“If it’s just a game, why don’t you change?”

“This…” Ling Xiao was at a loss for words.

“Fine, let’s see who gives up first.” Ling Xiao lay down.

They persisted in this deadlock until the NPC played music, turning it into a peculiar date.

“I’ve figured it out,” Ying Feng suddenly said.

Ling Xiao sat up. “You changed your mind?”

“Yes, I finally understood the purpose of this game. It’s not to test our compatibility or choices, but how we handle differences: whether we insist, compromise, or find a new solution.”

“Well done.” The NPC simulated applause. “But your issue remains.”

“I’ll change my answer, but I choose to reveal my question first.”

Ling Xiao grew anxious, wondering what question could make Ying Feng so stubborn.

“My question was, if given a chance to break our blood pact, would I choose A. Agree, or B. Decline.”

Ling Xiao was in shock. He never thought Ying Feng would choose ‘Refuse’ for such a question. But now, if he changed his answer, would that mean he was willing to break the bond?

Only to hear Ying Feng continue, “Our pact happened under unfair conditions. Not only was my opponent affected by the side effects of the drug, but he also sustained serious injuries in the previous battle, all of which contributed to my victory. If the blood pact can be lifted, I’m willing to hold the coming-of-age ceremony with him again and duel him one-on-one under absolutely fair conditions. No matter who wins or loses, I will accept the result.”

“For the reasons above, I choose A. Agree.”

Ling Xiao was still in shock and was pulled by some magnetic force. He thought they would crash into each other because of the force, but their speed suddenly slowed down, and they safely touched each other.

“Congratulations on passing!”

A door opened, and light poured in.

Ling Xiao, in a daze, looked at the hand he was shaking with the other party, finding what had just happened unbelievable. Could it be CGI? Maybe this Ying Feng wasn’t real, but just his illusion. The real Ying Feng would never propose a coming-of-age ceremony with him, would he?

Ying Feng took a step before realizing Ling Xiao was still standing there. “What are you thinking? The game’s over. Let’s go.”

“Ah? Oh…”

Ling Xiao was led out in a daze to the next room.

“Stop acting goofy.”

Ling Xiao: …

This Ying Feng is real!

The NPC was still there. “You’re about to leave. When you do, everything here will be reset. No one will know the questions you got or the answers you gave, except you.”

“And you will be erased from my memory. The next time you come, I will treat you as strangers. It’s hard to say goodbye.”

“Don’t be so sentimental,” Ling Xiao couldn’t help but interject. “You’re just an NPC. You don’t have feelings.”

“While I don’t have emotions, when humans programmed me, they designated the sentiment of parting as reluctance. Whenever I detect this sentiment, I express it as humans instructed. Although you’re humans, who’s to say your feelings aren’t designed by a higher being?”

Ling Xiao: !!

“Alright, the game’s almost over. Please leave a good review for my service.”

Ling Xiao teased, “Even though some parts of the game were over the top, it was fun overall. So, I’ve decided to give you a bad review!”

The NPC exclaimed, “What? Why?”

“Haha, NPCs still can’t understand jokes. That’s the difference between you and humans.” As he moved to press the good review, Ying Feng pressed the bad review first.

“Ahhhh! Why!?” The NPC began to protest loudly.

“Because you lied.”

With that, Ying Feng silenced the NPC, which didn’t protest any further.

Ling Xiao was confused. “Huh? When did it lie? How did I not notice?”

“Let’s go.” Ying Feng didn’t explain, and Ling Xiao unconsciously followed, his gaze landing on Ying Feng’s lips.

Thankfully, the kiss earlier was fake. If Ying Feng knew, he’d tease him endlessly.

“What are you looking at?”

Ling Xiao quickly turned away. “Nothing.”

“Is the game over? You took longer than I expected,” the game store clerk said as they emerged, looking at them sympathetically. “How was it? The NPC talks a lot, right? I’ve requested the supplier to modify the program several times. It has received so many bad reviews that it can reach from here to Earth.”

“What’s our reward for clearing the game?” Ling Xiao couldn’t wait to find out.

“Here it is.” The clerk took out the reward.

“Soul crystals!”

“Your reward is 12 Level 3 soul crystals, 6 each of N-pole and S-pole. Using a soul crystal, you can assign a magnetic pole to someone, lasting half an hour. Using the same pole, the crystal will stack, while different poles will be replaced.”

The clerk checked something. “It seems you’ve used up both your objections. So, as a penalty, you’ll be deducted two pairs, leaving you with 8 crystals.”

“That’s the penalty? It’s nothing.” Ling Xiao didn’t mind.

“That’s not all.” The clerk held two crystals. “Activate.”

Ling Xiao: … Aren’t soul crystals only usable by special professions?

The clerk aimed at Ling Xiao. “Bestow N-pole.”

Then he did the same to Ying Feng. “Bestow S-pole.”

The two were magnetically pulled together, unable to separate.

“This is the penalty, lasting one hour. Thank you for coming, and please visit again.”

The two awkwardly left the game store, connected.

“Hey, watch where you’re going. I’m going to fall.”

“Go that way.”

“I can’t walk.”

Ying Feng frowned. “So noisy.”

Ling Xiao was also frustrated. “Why is this soul crystal so strong? Holding hands doesn’t even work. How are we supposed to walk?”

“I can use an S-pole soul crystal on you, so you can stay away from me.”

“Don’t waste it.” Ling Xiao had an idea. “I got it.”

He hopped onto Ying Feng’s back, arms around his neck, and legs around his waist.

Ying Feng was taken aback. “Get off. Are you a monkey?”

“Don’t want to.” Ling Xiao tightened his grip, even cheekily resting his chin on Ying Feng, whispering in his ear.

“Hey, aren’t you curious about the question I drew?”

Ying Feng remained silent.

“Ask me, ask me! I won’t tell you even if you ask, haha.”

Ying Feng: …Idiot.

“Where should we go next?” If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have thrown away Ying Feng’s love notes. Otherwise, they could refer to it now and check the ninety-nine things couples must do.

“Who was it that just said they didn’t want to play anymore and wanted to go back to the dormitory to sleep?”

“I changed my mind. As a top student, how can you go back to the dormitory right after class?” Ling Xiao changed the subject. “By the way, can we borrow the equipment for the second exam from the instructor?”

“For what?”

“To see if our scores have improved. Isn’t it said that we need to achieve seven stars before the end of the term? I also want to know our progress.”

“If you know the principle of that device, will you attack next time?”

“… You have a point.”

“The exams at the military academy must be different every time. Otherwise, if the previous examinees knew the questions, the following ones wouldn’t need to take the exam. But the purpose of the exam will not change, so there must be other ways to measure the emotional star value.”

“Right!” A realization hit Ling Xiao. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Plus, it’s only been a few days. What’s the rush? There’s still a long time until the end of the semester.”

“Hmm.” Ling Xiao murmured, “I’m just curious. I feel like we should be at three and a half stars now… Is there half a star?”

Adventure Game Store

“Oh dear.” The clerk noticed the report in the machine. “I forgot to give them their game results.”

He grabbed the report and ran out, but the two people were nowhere to be seen.

“Never mind. I’ll give it to them the next time they come.”

The clerk returned to the store and curiously looked at their test results.

[Your partner’s test result is… Stone.]

[Stone is hard and unchanging, but with enough external force, it can suffer irreversible damage, even shattering.]

[If your partner is a stone, both strength and stubbornness are their characteristics. Clashing head-on during conflicts will only result in mutual harm. To change the shape of the stone, be patient and persistent like the tides, and with time, they will soften their edges for you.]

Checking the other.

[Your partner’s test result is… Iceberg.]

[Icebergs are cold and hard to approach, but with enough warmth, they melt into water, and when the temperature drops, they freeze again.]

[If your partner is an iceberg, they are calm and rational, never overly impulsive. Don’t fear their cold demeanor; melt them with your warmth. The changes in them often go unnoticed by others, and only careful observation will reveal these subtle shifts.]

“Stone and iceberg,” the clerk muttered to himself. “A destined struggle.”

He flipped the report over, and on the back was a single line.

[Your current emotional value is—Five stars: Budding feelings.]

“Only five stars. It’s indeed low.” He shrugged. “If they passed with this score, it seems the game’s difficulty needs to be adjusted.”

---

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