Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 77

With the rude and arrogant greeting from the pirate leader, the Poison Pirates presented their welcome gift—beams of stagnating entanglement combined with warp-jump interference. Their ships were firmly bound in place, completely losing their ability to move.

Pirates didn’t play by the rules; their only goal was money.

Ying Feng turned on the communicator. “We have no money.”

“Oh, oh.” The other party still had that exaggeratedly annoying tone. “My nose already told me that. I just stopped you on behalf of an old friend. As for the money, don’t worry; someone will pay on your behalf.”

The “old friend” he mentioned soon emerged from the stargate vortex, its massive body blocking the distant stars, enveloping them in darkness.

Out of the tiger’s den and into a wolf pack, and what was worse was discovering that the tigers and wolves nested together.

The Eagle opened its orbital cabin door, and under the effect of the tractor beam, the ship was forcibly pulled inside the starship. The pirates followed closely with malicious intent, and even if they wanted to abandon the ship and flee, there was no chance.

“Come on out,” Sheng Xie said with a grin, knocking on their cabin door. This was the first time Ying Feng and the others saw a higher intelligence life form other than the Tianxiu people. His eyes were brown, and one was covered by a black eye patch. His hair, seemingly not combed or cut for a long time, was braided into several plaits that hung over his shoulders, making his head seem larger than average.

Members of the Poison Pirates came from various planets, engaging in deadly dealings. Injuries were common, and many had missing limbs. Ling Xiao was recently shocked by Fei Jing’s mechanical hand, and now he saw a display of cosmic prosthetics, looking at them with a touch of novelty.

In contrast to his reaction, from the moment the two stepped out of the cabin, various weapon muzzles never left their bodies. Every pirate was full of hostility and vigilance, treating them not as captives but as potential invaders.

“Don’t be nervous,” Sheng Xie said insincerely. “Whenever my men encounter Tianxiu people, they tend to be overly cautious. But you can’t blame them. Their current state is largely thanks to your kind, including my eye,” he pointed to his eyepatch, “which was blinded by your people.”

“Had there not been a special reason, I wouldn’t have wanted to step foot in this shithole. The last time I came here, your patrol army took down three of my ships, killing more than a dozen of my men,” he said, stretching out three thick fingers. It was then that Ling Xiao noticed one of his right-hand fingers was missing. “But you’re unlucky today. I happened to be here collecting rent. Even with risks, money must be made, right?”

As Sheng Xie babbled on, directing his men to escort the two upstairs, Tai Yin, seeing Ying Feng, grabbed a syringe from the test bench and stormed towards him.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Fei Jing stopped him. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t stop me!” Tai Yin, the chief researcher and genius scientist, was nowhere near as composed as he should be. His anger towards Ying Feng had consumed his reason. “I’ll make sure he can’t use his right leg for life!”

Having seen Fei Jing’s hand, Ling Xiao knew Tai Yin wasn’t bluffing. Whatever was in that syringe was probably what was injected into Fei Jing earlier. Without hesitation, he stood in front of Ying Feng, who was surprised by Ling Xiao’s protective gesture.

“Calm down!” Fei Jing growled. “Don’t let outsiders mock us.”

His words had the desired effect; Tai Yin cooled down significantly, but his eyes were still fixed intently on Ying Feng.

Sheng Xie had been watching the developments with amusement, and at this point, he feigned heartbreak.

“After all our collaboration, the Tianxiu people still see you as enemies, and now I’m the outsider?”

“I never thought you’d ally with such notorious pirates,” Ying Feng said, directing it at Tai Yin. He had moved slightly forward, subtly standing side by side with Ling Xiao.

“Ah, you’re mistaken,” Sheng Xie said, wagging his finger. “This isn’t collusion, it’s mutual cooperation. Without us, how do you think he replenishes this huge ship? Do you think he goes to your space stations? Hahaha.”

He laughed on his own for a while, and seeing no one joining in, he quirked a corner of his mouth. “Not funny, huh?”

Tai Yin, with a cold expression, replied, “I’ll send your payment in a few days. You can leave now.”

“This time we did you a huge favor. Isn’t it only fair to add a bit more to the payment?”

Tai Yin, finding Sheng Xie’s greed unbearable, retorted impatiently, “Understood! I’ll send it.”

Instead of leaving, Sheng Xie became more demanding. “It’s not that I’m inflexible, but you still owe me from last time. Could you possibly settle that now? From what I know, your financial situation isn’t as good as before. My men risk their lives to transport goods for you, and you keep delaying payments. It’s hard to explain to my crew.”

He shifted his gaze cunningly. “Of course, if you’re genuinely facing financial difficulties, I’m not heartless. There are many ways to make money in this universe; you don’t always have to stick to just one.”

Tai Yin sensed the underlying message. “What exactly do you want?”

“To be frank, in the underground market, a live Tianxiu person fetches a bounty of 20 billion starlink coins. That’s about our group’s income for two years,” he said, casting a meaningful glance upwards. “And you have so many people here…”

“I warn you. Don’t even think about it.” Tai Yin immediately shot down his suggestion.

“Alright.” Sheng Xie backed off a step. “I won’t touch your people. But these two aren’t yours, right? Two people, 40 billion, we split it. Not only does it solve your current financial crisis, but it also clears your previous debt. What do you think?”

He licked his lips greedily. 20 billion was enough to tempt anyone into having bad thoughts. Even if he didn’t act on it, there would naturally be risk-takers who would.

But Sheng Xie wasn’t foolish. Without Tai Yin’s assistance, they couldn’t possibly deliver a Tianxiu person alive to the designated location. For some reason, the Tianxiu people seemed immune to their drugs, anesthesia, hypnotic gasses, and even electric shock guns. If a Tianxiu person were conscious, it’d be even harder. The moment they realized escape was impossible, they’d end their lives without hesitation. Some had tried this before and failed miserably. And the Tianxiu military was ruthless with such perpetrators, which was why he hadn’t acted on his desires until now.

However, Tai Yin’s response was a cold splash of water.

“I advise you to drop this idea.” Tai Yin’s gaze passed over the two. “I have a use for this one. As for the other…” His voice turned threatening. “I want to send you to reincarnation personally.”

Keeping Ying Feng alive was merely due to Ling Xiao’s mild mental trauma. Without his Qizhu, drawing blood wouldn’t be as efficient. But if Ying Feng chose death, then that was his own doing.

“I have a proposal.” Ying Feng, who was being discussed as if he was a war trophy, suddenly spoke up.

Sheng Xie, having been rejected by Tai Yin several times, responded with an edge. “Speak.”

“You can’t capture a Tianxiu person alive merely because you lack the ability. Luckily, this genius scientist in front of you has a great invention that can amplify a person’s combat ability tens of times in an instant. With it, what can’t you achieve?”

“Hey!” Fei Jing stepped forward nervously; even Ling Xiao stared in disbelief, not understanding why he would reveal such critical information.

Sheng Xie’s eyes sparkled after hearing this. “Really?”

Tai Yin scoffed. “You want Ember? Fine, take it.”

He picked up a mini syringe and tossed it over. Such an important item was left out in the open, making it feel suspicious.

Indeed, Sheng Xie eyed the syringe in his hand skeptically. “Is this real?”

“Why don’t you try it and see?” Tai Yin replied sharply.

“You’re really giving them that?” Fei Jing’s words echoed simultaneously, lending some credibility to the claim.

Sheng Xie suddenly grabbed one of his green-skinned subordinates and, without hesitation, injected the transparent orange liquid inside him. The injected henchman roared in rage, his fist smashing the metal ground and creating a deep crater. The pirates who witnessed this were all astonished and exclaimed.

It’s real! Sheng Xie looked at the syringe in his hand with surprise. With this, capturing a Tianxiu would be easy. They wouldn’t even need to fear their military.

“Great! I will…” Before he could finish his sentence, the henchman he had injected began to writhe in pain, uncontrollably rolling on the ground. His body seemed to burn from within, and within seconds, he turned to ash.

The pirates, who were just surprised at the powerful effects, now looked terrified. In anger, Sheng Xie threw the syringe on the ground, drew his weapon, and pointed it at Tai Yin, shouting, “You tricked me?”

All the pirates raised their weapons, and metallic noises echoed from the upper levels. Tensions were high, with both sides aiming at each other, ready to fire.

“Hmph,” Tai Yin sneered coldly. “An inferior race like yours, daring to covet our treasures? You’re overestimating yourselves.”

“Fire!”

The starship echoed with the sound of gunfire, with multicolored laser bullets filling the space. Ying Feng used the soul crystal in his hand to create a mirror shield, grabbed Ling Xiao, and rolled to the side, successfully deflecting all the attacks.

“Go!” Ying Feng signaled Ling Xiao to retreat.

“What about them?”

Ying Feng immediately understood who Ling Xiao was referring to. “The pirates are no match for us. If we don’t leave now, we won’t get another chance.”

Ling Xiao quickly followed. They broke through the surrounding fire, protected by their shield. A large, blue-skinned pirate noticed their escape and roared, charging at them.

Ying Feng released a transparent soul crystal, and Ling Xiao, with a cannon assembled on his right arm, aimed and blasted a hole through the pirate’s chest. Using the force of the blast, Ling Xiao slid back a considerable distance, narrowly avoiding incoming lasers.

Ying Feng waved his hand, causing explosions among the chaotic crowd. Thick smoke obstructed everyone’s vision. He teleported next to Ling Xiao, asking, “Where’s your soul crystal?”

“It was taken!” As the two made their way through the gunfire to the lower level, occasionally causing disturbances to hinder their pursuers, a strange red light illuminated the area. “Look out!”

Ying Feng pushed Ling Xiao aside as eight transparent glass panels descended, trapping Ying Feng inside. Both recognized the device and were surprised by its mobility and tracking capabilities.

“Don’t attack it!” Ling Xiao warned, recalling the terrifying electric shocks associated with the device.

Ying Feng quickly tried to teleport and use the soul crystal but found that neither worked. It seemed that this device was indeed designed specifically for them; once trapped, it was difficult to escape.

“Wait! I know the password!” Ling Xiao tried hard to recall. Fei Jing had clearly mentioned the password before. What was it?

“123456, 888888, none of them are right…” As he continued to input guesses, a voice came from behind him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Ling Xiao quickly turned around to see Tai Yin, with a sinister expression, step out from the intertwined laser beams. Despite the intense battle, he only had a few minor scratches.

He opened his right hand to reveal an object with which Ling Xiao was all too familiar.

“I forgot to tell you, I am not only a user of the soul crystal but also its creator. The device behind you is my handiwork.” With a squeeze of his hand, a pirate charging at him from behind was instantly obliterated.

The sounds of combat gradually subsided. The pirates were almost entirely wiped out. Even facing undeveloped Tianxiu adults, they stood no chance.

Ling Xiao tensely stood in front of Ying Feng, clearly understanding Tai Yin’s intentions from his previous actions. He drew his dagger, the only weapon he currently had.

“Kid, the Tianxiu people use daggers for suicide, not for killing. It’s a bit weak for that.”

With a wave of his hand, before Ling Xiao could even see what he did, the dagger was pulled from his grip, flying towards Tai Yin as if drawn by a massive magnet.

Tai Yin seized the dagger, casually discarding it to the side, and continued to approach the pair. Ling Xiao kept retreating, his back now against the glass, but he stubbornly refused to step aside.

“You can go,” Tai Yin said dismissively, ignoring Ling Xiao’s struggles. “I won’t kill you. But he must stay.”

Ling Xiao slightly bent forward, fists clenched, ignoring Tai Yin’s words.

Tai Yin found Ling Xiao’s futile resistance amusing. “Your Qizhu is no match for me, let alone you.”

“Even so,” Ling Xiao said with unwavering determination in his eyes, “he is my Qizhu, and I won’t leave him here alone.”

The sound of applause echoed in the room.

“Congratulations. How does it feel to finally hear those words?”

Tai Yin spoke with arrogance.

“Unfortunately, this will also be the last time you hear them.”

He took another step forward.

“Hiding behind your Qizi and relying on him for protection—a Qizhu like you—is truly disgraceful. If I were you, I’d be mortified by now.”

“When you sent your Qizi here alone, you should’ve been prepared for this. As a Qizhu, you can’t even protect him and expose him to danger. Do you think you deserve the power you gain from him?”

“Before I change my mind, get this nuisance out of here. Unless you want him to die with you.”

“I won’t leave!” Ling Xiao exclaimed. “Not unless you release him!”

“My patience is wearing thin.” Tai Yin began to countdown. “Ten, nine…”

“Just count to one!”

“One!”

With a slight movement of Tai Yin’s hand, Ying Feng’s voice resonated.

“I won’t send him away.”

Ling Xiao turned his head to see Ying Feng standing upright in the center of the octagon. The binds restricted his movements but didn’t suppress his aura.

“We had an agreement that I can’t use my powers to command him. Standing here, I’ve lost that ability.”

“But even if none of that existed, I wouldn’t use the Qizhu’s authority to force him away. If staying is his decision, I respect it.”

“Just like when he willingly chose to enter the escape pod in place of Shang Yang, knowing the risks. I didn’t stop him then. Now, if he wishes, he can stay.”

All eyes were on Ying Feng. In the silence after the battle, only his voice resonated in the vast space.

“Since our binding, countless people have told me to protect your Qizi. You’ve said the same.”

“But the Ling Xiao I know never admits defeat. He doesn’t flee from battle or abandon his comrades. He was like that from the first day I awakened and remains so today.”

“Even as a Qizi, he’s not someone who hides and needs my protection.”

“Even if he’s behind me, he stands tall, letting me trust him with my back.”

“That’s my Qizi.”

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