Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 110

The lonely little prince finally had a companion—someone who understood his joys and sorrows and his every subtle expression. Without the need for any words, as soon as he had a thought, the other party would have everything ready. There was nothing more satisfying than this.

Different from the attendants who surrounded him, Ling Yi was his true friend in every sense. He didn’t tiptoe around to please the prince; they could talk about anything, ridicule the cabinet ministers, and even carry out the prince’s wild schemes that he himself could not accomplish.

Everyone in the palace had a headache over Ling Yi’s arrival. He was so agile and fond of playing pranks. From the ministers to the guards, almost everyone had been tricked by him. But because of Yue Ying, they couldn’t do anything to him.

It wasn’t until the age of fourteen that Yue Ying finally got to enjoy the fun that childhood should bring. Ling Yi was his Qizi, his stand-in, his legs and feet. He compensated Yue Ying doubly for the childhood he had missed. Yue Ying became the biggest supporter of the transplant program. With his endorsement, the project unfolded even more vigorously.

The emergence of the Qizis made all the Tianxiu people enthralled. People spent a lot of money just to select their own exclusive, outstanding Qizi. The higher the initial value of the Lone Star, the higher the market price, leading to hoarding and scalping. Following the gladiator arenas, Lone Stars became a new industry.

However, perfection was elusive. Lone stars, now endowed with human intelligence and emotions, soon showed their shortcomings on the battlefield.

In the royal council chamber, such a meeting was taking place.

“Can you believe it? The Lone Star Warriors we sent out didn’t complete the assigned tasks. They spared the chief’s wife and children. The reason given was that the mother was desperately protecting her young child. Too pitiful!” A minister waved his fist in anger. “We all know what kind of terrible enemy these hate-filled children will grow into in the future. If we don’t root them out today, we will be the ones to suffer their revenge!”

“Why would Lone Star understand motherly love? They don’t even have mothers! It’s that damn gene transplant program that gave them meaningless sympathy, and they projected that sympathy onto our enemies! We don’t need cowards who show mercy to the enemy; we need cold-blooded, ruthless warriors who will execute tasks perfectly!”

“But do you know what our warriors are doing now? They’re falling in love!” The minister pulled out his communicator. “Have you ever seen two communicators in love? Just like two real people, the simulation is so vivid, it’s laughable!” With a slam, he smashed the communicator on the floor.

The council chamber fell silent; such an occurrence was unexpected. They hoped the Lone Stars would have feelings for themselves, but they didn’t want these feelings to extend to irrelevant people, especially enemies.

“I have an idea.”

All eyes turned to the source of the voice. The man raising his hand was Tian Zhu, the proponent of the gene transplant plan.

Tian Zhu pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “The reason for this situation is because the Lone Stars, having gained intelligence, also gained unnecessary emotions. If we modify the trigger conditions for the coming-of-age ceremony, we can eliminate the emotions we don’t need.”

“How to modify?” The minister asked.

“They’re falling in love, aren’t they? Then let’s change the coming-of-age ceremony to be passively triggered when they fall in love. When they find that their love interest has been killed by their own hands, all excess emotions will be worn down to nothing.”

“I strongly oppose!” Tai Duo slammed his fist on the table. “If you’ve given them emotions, yet you obliterate them with such heavy-handed methods, this violent rule will one day provoke backlash.”

“Why is it always you?” Tian Zhu sighed in resignation. “You were against giving emotions, and now you’re against erasing them. What’s your brilliant idea? For them to treat us with the warmth of spring and our enemies with the coldness of autumn?”

“Enough arguing!” The minister waved his hand decisively. “I think this idea is good. I don’t want to foster a bunch of weaklings. The cabinet will now vote.”

The voting began slowly, with ministers whispering among themselves. Tai Duo, a fellow researcher at the Royal Science Academy, glared angrily at Tian Zhu, who indifferently turned his gaze elsewhere.

After six grueling hours, the vote that would determine the fate of all Lone Stars finally came to an end, with the proponents winning by a slim margin of 6 to 5. When the final results were disclosed, Tai Duo’s face was filled with disappointment towards the nation, while Tian Zhu looked at him with eyes brimming with triumphant mockery.

Having obtained modification rights to the central system from Yue Ying, the researchers at the Royal Science Academy worked overtime to alter the main program. Tai Duo’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Unable to save the future of the nation, he could only do his best to prevent the threat from spreading throughout the entire galaxy.

He covertly uploaded the encrypted and hidden code to the mainframe under the guise of deception. After completing all this, he left the Tianxiu Star with his family under the cover of night.

“Why do we have to leave?” his family asked, unable to understand.

“The Tianxiu people are on a path to self-destruction; they have no idea of the terrible monster they have created. One day, their own achievements in intelligence will bite back, and when that day comes, all Tianxiu people will cease to exist.”

“Where can we go then?”

“To Huosu Star! That is the only safe place. Today’s Lone Star Warriors will never be able to reach that distance. That’s the only thing I can ensure.”

No one paid heed to Tai Duo’s departure because his abilities, rivaling those of Tian Zhu, ensured the code of the soul traction was perfectly concealed. Moreover, it wouldn’t have any effect for a long time, and Tianxiu continued its unstoppable march towards dominating the universe.

……

Time flew swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, another two years had passed. The Royal Medicine Academy delivered tragic news: the only royal bloodline bearer, the young prince Yue Ying, just 16 years old, was diagnosed with a terminal illness. All the renowned physicians of the nation were powerless to help.

Yue Ying had just enjoyed two beautiful years before being told that his life was drawing to a close. No matter how hard Ling Yi tried, he could not cheer him up.

“Ling Yi, am I really going to die soon? I haven’t even had my coming-of-age ceremony. It is said that when royal males turn eighteen, they receive a badge symbolizing their status as heirs, but I’ve never even touched that badge.”

Ling Yi knelt down to comfort him. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. The medical academy will surely find a way to cure your illness. You will definitely receive your badge.”

Sadly, that day never arrived. After relentless discussions by the medical academy, the only solution they came up with was to cryogenically freeze Yue Ying’s body temporarily. They hoped to awaken him once medical science had advanced enough to cure his disease.

Ling Yi stayed by Yue Ying’s side day and night until the day of the plan. On that day, Cang Yun also came to visit. After Yue Ying refused to become his Qizhu, Cang Yun accepted a genetic transplant from a certain cabinet minister, regaining human emotions.

Whether this Cang Yun was still the same as before was something people could no longer ascertain.

Yue Ying looked at Cang Yun. Although his appearance remained youthful, in his heart, Cang Yun was always the servant of his great-great-great-grandfather… They were too many generations apart, and emotionally, there was a barrier.

“Cang Yun, will you take my place in guarding this nation?”

“Of course,” Cang Yun knelt down. “I promised your ancestors to always protect this country and its descendants. When Your Highness awakens from your slumber, I will personally present you with the badge that symbolizes royal status and conduct your coming-of-age ceremony.”

Yue Ying nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Ling Yi. “What about you? Will you also wait for me to wake up?”

Ling Yi knelt down, imitating Cang Yun. “I also swear to always be loyal to Your Highness, to never leave your side. Whenever you need me, even if it costs my life, I will not hesitate.”

Yue Ying finally felt at ease, overcome by a deep drowsiness. He felt his eyelids grow heavy.

“Ah, it feels like I’m going to sleep for a long time.” He slowly closed his eyes. “I hope when I wake up again, I’ll still see you both.”

After Yue Ying fell into his deep sleep, the royal family of Tianxiu officially had a vacancy. The in vitro fertilization project failed time and again. They succeeded in creating artificial beings with high intelligence but couldn’t cultivate even a single normal human infant.

The cabinet officially took control of power, training a group of cold and ruthless Lone Star warriors—possessing human intelligence and machine-like emotions unmatched within the galaxy.

Ending its history of being invaded, Tianxiu began an aggressive expansion. Their territory grew day by day, annexing one small section after another. Races not wanting to become colonized began migrating, with some even leaving the planet.

Ling Yi sat bored on a high branch and, seeing someone below, jumped down with a smile, intending to give them a fright.

Jun Lin had already anticipated everything and caught the attacker with his hand, setting him down smoothly on the ground. Ling Yi wrapped his arms around the other’s neck, clinging like a parasite.

From the moment they first laid eyes on each other, their “program” had subtly changed: their hearts raced when they met, they yearned when apart. Whether they understood what this complex emotion signified or not, it genuinely fermented, grew, and intensified within them until it occupied their entire being.

Jun Lin was accustomed to Ling Yi’s boneless, coquettish behavior. Perhaps because his Qizhu was the frail Yue Ying, he always liked to play the role of being delicate and powerless, even though his strength was far beyond that of the fledglings.

“Stand up straight,” he said with feigned impoliteness. “Don’t act like your Qizhu.”

Ling Yi reluctantly let go. “My Qizhu is still asleep, and I’m so bored.”

Jun Lin sat down on a bench in the royal palace garden. Not everyone had the freedom to come and go here. Strictly speaking, their actions were akin to a clandestine affair, but apart from the sleeping young prince, no one could control Ling Yi, so their tryst was somewhat more open and legitimate.

Ling Yi also sat down beside him, leaning in uncontrollably. “Hey, have you heard? We are going to war with the neighboring kingdom again. It’s so boring alone in the palace, and the army won’t take me because they say I’m not an adult yet. How am I supposed to become an adult?”

“I don’t know. Probably some kind of ceremony.” Jun Lin also had almost no clue. “All I know is that the people in the military are taller than us, and their eye colors are different from ours.”

“Right, now that you mention it,” Ling Yi noticed, “their eyes are all black, and our eyes are gray. How can we change to be like them?”

Jun Lin shook his head. Since the reform of the coming-of-age ceremony system, the Tianxiu beings had deliberately kept the truth hidden, leaving these young ones unaware.

“Forget it,” Ling Yi said seriously, examining Jun Lin’s face—a face that he could never tire of looking at, making him unconsciously want to draw closer.

Jun Lin held the same thought, and the two got closer and closer until their breaths intertwined and they could no longer be separated.

Their passionate kiss made them forget everything around them. Here and now, there was only the other, the sole focus of their hearts.

The most basic human emotions arose silently, taking root and sprouting, breaking through the soil, growing branches, and blooming in the wind… The levels of testosterone, dopamine, and adrenaline in their bodies were surging rapidly until they hit a certain threshold.

In the midst of their forgetful kiss, Ling Yi suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of red in his gaze, and Jun Lin agilely jumped back as a long and deep wound was sliced across his chest by the dagger that had suddenly appeared in the other’s hand.

Ling Yi, who had been kissing fervently just a second ago, looked numbly at Jun Lin in front of him, mercilessly raising the silvery dagger…

……

The next morning, Cang Yun, who was patrolling the palace, saw Jun Lin sitting alone on the ground in the back garden, his body covered with wounds, his uniform torn and tattered, staring blankly ahead. The part of him that belonged to human emotion had flown away.

Cang Yun bent down to pick up two daggers scattered on the ground, put the handles together, and snapped them into one.

Approaching Jun Lin, he handed over the newly formed dagger with both hands as if conferring an honor in the coming-of-age ceremony.

Jun Lin looked up, his pitch-black eyes especially striking in the daylight.

He took the dagger from Cang Yun’s hands, the very same one with which he had pierced Ling Yi’s heart the night before.

When he came to his senses after losing control, all he managed to catch was the arc of Ling Yi’s soul drifting away.

Cang Yun gave him a standard military salute.

“Congratulations, you have officially come of age. Welcome to the military.”

---

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