Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 105

Ling Xiao, lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes. Lan Sheng nervously crouched beside the bed. After confirming his gray eyes, he sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Zhu Yue stood arrogantly by the side. Seeing this, he smirked in ridicule.

Ling Xiao looked at the two of them—one towering above and the other lower. They met in Bikong and spent their fledgling period there, experiencing friendship and conflicts. Lan Sheng always looked down on Zhu Yue. He even had a big fight with him when Zhu Yue insulted Lan Sheng. However, no matter what, those young and impulsive fledglings never harbored such immense malice towards others, treating lives like grass. After leaving the gates of Bikong, their paths diverged, and they could never return to the old days.

Lan Sheng grabbed Ling Xiao’s hand and tentatively called out. “Ling Xiao?”

Ling Xiao closed his eyes. He couldn’t move, but at least he could choose not to see.

Lan Sheng seemed disappointed, but he didn’t give up, whispering, “I know it’s hard for you to accept this now, but it’s okay. I’ll be with you until you find yourself.”

Zhu Yue left and came back with another syringe. Lan Sheng defensively stood up and pushed him, asking, “What are you doing?”

Zhu Yue clearly disapproved of Lan Sheng’s actions and warned, “Just because I couldn’t beat you in Bikong doesn’t mean I can’t now. If you care about your friend, step aside.”

Facing the taller Zhu Yue, Lan Sheng still stood in front of Ling Xiao, insisting, “I need to know what you’re injecting him with!”

“Have you never been through the tumultuous phase?” Zhu Yue mocked. “The presence of another soul in one’s body causes rejection. I’m just kindly giving him a sedative.”

Lan Sheng was skeptical about Zhu Yue’s intentions, but the term “tumultuous phase” startled him, leading him to reluctantly step aside. Zhu Yue, seeing Lan Sheng’s concession, was pleased.

The supposedly sedative, transparent liquid was injected into Ling Xiao, but he soon realized something was wrong. This wasn’t a sedative. Every inch of him felt like it was about to explode in pain. However, the drug must contain sedative components because, despite the pain, he couldn’t move at all. Lan Sheng, deceived by this facade, believed Zhu Yue’s words and was oblivious to Ling Xiao’s agony.

After dealing with Ling Xiao, Zhu Yue also gave Yue Ying a shot. Yue Ying’s body seemed frail, showing clear signs of exhaustion.

“It’s done.” Zhu Yue glanced at the time. “You two should rest. The nobler the lineage of the ancient Tianxiu blood, the weaker the body. After such a long journey from the genetic center to here, it must be the limit for you, right?”

Xing Lou, surprisingly, didn’t object and pushed Yue Ying away. Ling Xiao, though paralyzed, was still keen of hearing. He found it odd how both of them obeyed Zhu Yue. Zhu Yue’s words to Yue Ying were even weirder.

Ling Xiao’s mind was still racing with concerns for others, even in his critical state. Lan Sheng leaned close, whispering, “You should rest too.”

His next words were even softer, and Ling Xiao suspected only he could hear. “Once you wake up, I’ll take you away from here.”

Ling Xiao wished he could tell him how naive he was. What made him believe they would be let go?

As he heard Lan Sheng’s departing footsteps, someone adjusted his bed, forcing him to sit up. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Zhu Yue.

Zhu Yue squatted down in front of him.

“Does it hurt? Body modification is not a comfortable thing. I’ve experienced the same pain.” His eyes drifted to the side, seemingly reminiscing the past. “It’s a pity that it was a long time ago, and I can’t quite remember. So, I can’t share in your pain. What a regret.”

Though he spoke so, his expression clearly indicated regret, not for the other’s pain but because he couldn’t derive greater pleasure from it.

“But don’t worry. This process is quick. Soon you won’t feel any pain; in fact, you won’t feel anything.” Zhu Yue’s voice grew colder. “Because you will disappear from this world.”

Ling Xiao found he could speak gradually. “Who… are you…”

Zhu Yue answered indifferently, “Remember that off-campus internship in Bikong? It was during that internship that you and Ying Feng met the Kui.”

How could Ling Xiao forget? That was one of the most profound memories in his life.

“I accidentally obtained the soul stone of that Kui. Have you ever heard of the legend about the soul stone? It contains ancient history, and if you possess it, you can recover memories from a thousand years ago.”

Ling Xiao had heard, but he thought it was just a legend.

“Let me tell you, that legend is true.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes.” Zhu Yue knew what Ling Xiao wanted to ask. “I have memories of my soul’s first life. What Yue Ying told you was just a story to you, but for me, it was a personal experience.”

“I witnessed the prosperity of the ancient Tianxiu, the revolt of the artificial humans, the fall of the imperial power, and the birth of the Republic. My memories are even more direct than Yue Ying’s because he was frozen early on, but I saw everything firsthand. I saw my race being destroyed by you.”

Ling Xiao was taken aback. “You aren’t a Tianxiu?”

Zhu Yue stood up. “I should say I am the real Tianxiu. With your powerful forces, you sought to exterminate us who were powerless. To survive, I had to abandon my body, obtain immortality in my Qizi, and through reincarnations, I forgot that I was a Tianxiu.”

Ling Xiao finally understood why Zhu Yue had such rare pale yellow hair and why he seemed so weak compared to them. A bold speculation sprouted in his heart.

“You want me to keep Yue Ying alive?”

“Yes, our unfortunate prince contracted a rare disease before he reached adulthood. The medical science of that era couldn’t help. As a last resort, they froze his body, hoping future medical advancements could cure him.”

“But today’s medicine…”

“How could it cure his disease?” Zhu Yue finished his sentence. “Without treatment, even if Yue Ying awakens, he won’t live for more than six months. Now you know why Xing Lou collaborates with me, right? Because he needs me. Without me, his thousand-year wait would be in vain.”

“And you? Do you want revenge like Yue Ying?”

Zhu Yue’s eyes softened, an emotion rarely seen. Ling Xiao wondered if he was mistaken.

“My wish is simple. Initially, I just wanted those who looked down on me to see me differently, to make those who rejected me regret it. I used to think that not being looked down upon was everything in life. Now, I realize how naive that was.”

Zhen He came down holding a box. As he and Zhu Yue faced each other, Ling Xiao understood the source of that rare tenderness.

“Due to my inherent flaws, after awakening, I’ve always been ridiculed and bullied. Even when I willingly offered my heart’s blood, no one wanted it. You were the first person who paid attention to me without mocking. Even knowing you were deceiving me, I was happy.”

Facing Zhu Yue’s heartfelt confession, Zhen He remained silent; his expression looked like he was smiling but not.

“Once Yue Ying possesses Ling Xiao’s body, he will surely begin his revenge, plunging this planet into chaos and bloodshed. Thousands of years have passed, and I’ve long regarded myself as a Tianxiu person, and the grudge of extermination was diluted by time. Now, I don’t care how others see me. I don’t want to be dragged into war. I just want to live with the person I like.” He placed his hand on Zhen He’s chest. “Can we forget about today and start over?”

“Would you still meet your first love?” Zhen He raised an eyebrow.

The previously gentle-faced Zhu Yue quickly turned cold. “Of course, I spent so much time and laid so many plans just for this moment. I want him to regret, to experience unbearable pain.”

His words were delivered with such vehemence that it was as if he were a completely different person from a moment ago.

But in the blink of an eye, he smiled sweetly again.

“After this is over, let’s go to another planet, away from all this, alright?”

After a moment, Zhen He responded to him, “Alright.”

A simple answer made Zhu Yue smile brightly. He tiptoed and tightly hugged Zhen He’s neck. The person being hugged didn’t move, with an expression on his face that Ling Xiao couldn’t understand.

Ling Xiao was startled by Zhu Yue’s unpredictable behavior and began to feel some sympathy for Zhen He. Living with such a neurotic master would drive anyone insane sooner or later; no wonder he wanted to break the blood pact.

After the embrace, Zhu Yue let go of Zhen He and waved at Ling Xiao.

“Ying Feng, have you seen enough?”

Ling Xiao stiffened, realizing that Zhu Yue had known all along. What he had said wasn’t only meant for himself but also for Ying Feng.

“Is your mental strength still enough? Let me help you save some.”

Zhu Yue connected a video call with the ship where Ying Feng was, and Ying Feng’s image appeared on the screen.

Ling Xiao finally saw Ying Feng again. Through the screen, their deep gray eyes met, and even though it had only been two days, it felt like an eternity.

“Ying Feng!”

He exclaimed happily and then saw a small head squeezing onto the screen below. “Xiao Hui! Are you okay?”

Xiao Hui whined anxiously and pitifully in response, extending its right claw to fiddle with the screen, not understanding why Ling Xiao was behind a mirror.

Ying Feng leaned over and placed his hand on the screen, his thumb tracing the edge of Ling Xiao’s eye. He had lost the ability of his bond, but fortunately, the soul crystal that allowed sensory sharing still worked. Because of that, he felt all the pain that Ling Xiao endured, yet he was powerless to help.

Zhu Yue wasn’t pleased with their loving gaze and rudely stepped in between. “We meet again. Last time I sought you out, you said you were busy. Do you have time now?”

Ying Feng withdrew his hand. “I don’t recall doing anything that would warrant such calculated revenge from you.”

“Of course you don’t remember. Every word I’ve said to you is probably forgotten, right? But no worries. At least I can help you recall one incident.”

“Once in Bikong, I was attacked by a senior student. You drove him away, but I ended up stabbing you. Your blood spilled onto the ground and attracted the nearby blood. You were frantic, asking whose blood it was. That was the first time I saw you so unsettled. Do you remember?”

Listening in, Ling Xiao was taken aback. Blood attracting each other was a sign of past life partners recognizing one another. So, Ying Feng had once encountered this person in school, but why hadn’t he searched for him?

“I remember,” Ying Feng answered coldly. “You said you didn’t see.”

“What if I said I lied to you?”

Ying Feng narrowed his eyes.

“I knew whose blood it was and later found out why blood attracts. You were so desperate for the truth back then. Don’t you want to know who your lover from the past life was?”

The pain in Ling Xiao’s heart surpassed his physical pain. He knew of Ying Feng’s obsession. Even though he had buried the peach core, he surely wanted the truth.

He was prepared to hear an affirmative response but heard Ying Feng calmly reply:

“No.”

Ling Xiao looked up sharply, meeting Ying Feng’s gaze, unable to believe he would pass up this opportunity.

“Why not?” Zhu Yue tilted his head. “Ling Xiao will soon be no more, and you’ve regained your freedom. Don’t you want to take this chance and find your old love from a past life?”

“No,” Ying Feng said slowly. “No matter who was by my side in the past, in this life, my only Qizi is Ling Xiao.”

Zhu Yue hung his head low, letting out a few eerie laughs.

Ying Feng was displeased. “Why do you laugh?”

“What if I told you that the person you’ve been desperately searching for is Ling Xiao?”

Both of their expressions shifted.

“Impossible.” Ying Feng denied it first, as they had clearly tested it when they were at the base.

“I don’t know why you’re so certain, but I swear by what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

Zhu Yan took a box from Zhen He and placed it on the table, rotating it 180 degrees towards Ying Feng. “To prove I’m not lying, I’ve carefully prepared this for you.”

He opened the box, and a cold mist billowed out. After the mist dissipated, two test tubes were revealed side by side.

“What’s this?” Ying Feng didn’t understand. Ling Xiao couldn’t see due to the obstruction and was eager to know what it was.

“I have been looking forward to this day for a year.” Zhu Yue slowly pulled out the test tubes. “Tai Yin once drew blood samples from everyone on Tianxiu to type-match with Yue Ying’s blood. This is what I specially asked Xing Lou to retain: the blood samples of you two in your fledgling state.”

He lifted the test tubes, and indeed, their names were labeled on them.

“One of the conditions to verify a past life relationship is that the Qizi must be in its fledgling state.”

Zhu Yan elegantly poured the blood from the two test tubes onto the smooth table, and the two blood puddles remained still.

Ying Feng’s face darkened. “There’s no change at all.”

“Why the hurry? It’s not time yet.” Zhu Yue raised his right hand in the air intoxicatingly, stimulating a gesture of holding hands. “Back then, he just grabbed the dagger with his bare hand like this. I watched his blood drip in front of me…”

Ling Xiao’s face turned pale. He remembered that incident when he was injured trying to save Zhu Yue, mistakenly thinking that Ying Feng was concerned about Zhu Yue.

“Your long-sought lover from the past life will soon be revealed. Are you excited?”

“Unfortunately, whether it’s a lover from a past life or your patterner in this life, you will end up with nothing.”

Zhu Yue walked a few steps away from the window. They were currently on the dark side of the Tianxiu planet, shielded from the rays of the burning sun.

“People often associate darkness with despair and dawn with hope.”

“Ying Feng, from now on, every time you see sunlight, I want you to feel endless despair.”

He closed his eyes, spread his arms, and as the spaceship moved out of the shadow of the Tianxiu planet, the light of the distant star passed over the planet’s curve and defiantly squeezed in from the gap under his arm, shining on the two dark red puddles on the table.

It seemed as if the sunlight gently blew a breath into the air, and one of the blood samples began to slowly flow towards the other. This bond from their previous lives resisted the purification pool’s cleansing and had remained for twenty years. Those unforgettable memories still lingered in their instincts. Upon seeing their past life lover, they wanted to get closer without any reservations.

The blood on the screen eventually merged intimately. Interwoven and inseparable.

Ying Feng’s face turned pale. He staggered, supporting himself on the console.

Zhu Yue covered his face, his shoulders shaking, a suppressed laugh coming from deep within his throat. Gradually, the laughter grew louder and more piercing. After waiting for so long, he could finally return all the frustration this person gave him. He laughed like a madman until the entire spaceship was enveloped by his distorted laughter, drowning out all other sounds.

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