Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 129

This was probably the most rudimentary Marshal’s investiture ceremony in the history of Tianxiu. Fu Yao solemnly received the mandate from Dai Xuan, not in the solemn and dignified military hall but amidst the ruins and broken walls.

Following the youngest general, Fu Yao became Tianxiu’s youngest marshal—even he thought the timing was too early. Since the former Marshal followed his Qizi to reincarnate, handing over the Marshal title to Long Yin, only a little over a decade had passed. Long Yin also became the Marshal with the shortest tenure; his duty of transferring military command even had to be completed by his Qizi.

Now officially the highest commander of the Tianxiu military, Fu Yao stepped back. Standing behind him was a neat row of soldiers, his Qizi and current Deputy Marshal, Nie Yun, at the forefront.

Under Fu Yao’s lead, everyone saluted Dai Xuan, watching her head toward a black building nearby. The war had destroyed a corner of its roof, and cracks on the walls added a sense of somberness.

Ling Xiao and Ying Feng, who had just arrived, also watched her last journey. Ling Xiao learned of her identity from Ying Feng. Despite their poor impression of Long Yin—especially Ling Xiao, who had witnessed Ling Xing’s experiences—they couldn’t help but feel poignant about such an ending.

Since the practice of bonding began, she wasn’t the first to follow her other half in death, but others left with the hope of reuniting in the next life. Her next life, however, wouldn’t have traces of that person.

In a field of metal debris, a clear area was made, gathering scattered daggers and even fragments, solemnly lined up. Some were identified by their patterns, others marked with blank nameplates, signifying their owners had once been there.

Mourners offered bouquets for the warriors’ remains. There wasn’t much time for grief; most people joined in rebuilding the base after mourning. This was a resilient nation, not defeated despite such a disaster.

Ling Xiao moved with the crowd to Long Yin’s name. His dagger, being at the explosion’s epicenter, was severely damaged, barely pieced together and still incomplete.

Ling Xiao, who had planned to settle accounts with Long Yin regarding Ling Xing and Jing Yu, could only sigh, placing a white bouquet in front of his dagger.

“I had many complaints against you.” Ling Xiao spoke heavily, while Ying Feng listened quietly. “But your actions this time lived up to a military Marshal’s title. I respect you as a national hero.”

After speaking, he paused. “May your soul rest in peace.”

Ying Feng and he saluted Long Yin’s remains together, then turned to see Red Head and others.

Red Head and his group were actively involved in rebuilding the base. Seeing Ling Xiao, he ran over, surprised to find them there.

“Why are you two here?” he asked incredulously. “Weren’t you doing the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“It’s over,” Ling Xiao replied calmly, his light gray eyes confirming it.

Red Head then turned to Ying Feng. “Why did you let him run around during his chaotic period?”

“He insisted on coming,” Ying Feng explained succinctly.

“Do I look like I’m in a chaotic period?” Ling Xiao added.

Red Head examined him closely. “So, a second bonding doesn’t lead to a chaotic period?”

“If it’s with the same person, I guess not.”

“That’s good news; I was worried for you.” Red Head happily scratched his head. “But why did you come so early?”

“I wanted to see if there’s anywhere I could help.”

“You’re too diligent, but I understand your feelings.” Red Head sighed, glancing at the temporary altar, “Honestly, if it weren’t for the joy of your return to lighten the mood, everyone’s spirits would be really low right now.”

“It’s good that you came back. Thinking about how you were sent back thousands of years ago and still managed to return alive, I feel like there’s nothing in the future that can’t be overcome.”

“You’ve matured a lot.” Ling Xiao looked at him with relief. “I genuinely feel a sense of pride, like my baby gorilla has finally grown up.”

“Fuck off.” Red Head punched him. “If time allowed, I’d really like to hear about your experiences over the past four thousand years, but it’s too busy now.”

“There will be plenty of time in the future. I’ll tell you slowly.” Ling Xiao stepped forward. “I’ll help too.”

Before he could take a step, a hand was placed on his forehead, the icy palm glowing with white light. Ling Xiao was familiar with this action; Bing Can had used this method to check his body when they first met.

“Your mental injury is healed?” Bing Can asked with some surprise.

“It healed when the blood pact was lifted,” Ling Xiao said, glancing back at Ying Feng, realizing he had forgotten to tell him. “I think it’s probably because the soul injected into my body repaired my spirit.”

“No wonder. I’ve been worried for so many years…” Bing Can, not wanting to touch on Ying Feng’s sore spot, stopped mid-sentence.

“Even though it’s now known that the injury is not incurable, the cost of healing is too high. Otherwise, Shuang Feng, the principal…” He inadvertently mentioned the principal and then became melancholic again, “…and others could be freed from this mental illness.”

Seeing the conversation turn solemn, Red Head quickly changed the subject. “Ah, Ling Xiao, guess where Commander Fu Yao, no, the Marshal, planted the Soul Tree?”

“Isn’t that military secret?” Ling Xiao then turned his head towards the lighthouse, where light reached far away, clearly visible even in daylight, as if it had never been extinguished.

Red Head said mysteriously, “I’ll tell you secretly. The Marshal planted the Soul Tree in the sky!”

“In the sky?” Ling Xiao was surprised. A tree could be planted in the sky?

Ying Feng, after some thought, understood. “Indeed, it’s the safest place.”

“You knew?” Ling Xiao was even more surprised. “How did you understand that?”

“Do you remember why the military couldn’t catch Tai Yin for many years?”

“Because he never had a fixed landing point but used the stealth capabilities of warships to hide in space…” Ling Xiao suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, I know now!”

“Smart, right?” Red Head admired Fu Yao’s decision. “The Marshal transplanted the Soul Tree into the most hidden spaceship, orbiting within the range of the lighthouse, so even the smartest enemy wouldn’t think of it.”

“It’s a good method…” As Ling Xiao was speaking, his gaze fell on a person not far away. That person was staring in their direction, and Ling Xiao felt something was off. Before his brain could process it, he had already flown over.

Unexpectedly, the person turned and ran upon seeing him coming, which further confirmed Ling Xiao’s suspicion. He instinctively reached out, only to realize he didn’t have a single soul crystal on him. Seeing that the person was about to escape, Ling Xiao had no choice but to shout in the direction of the escapee, ‘Stop him!'”

A familiar figure appeared in the suspect’s path, and Ling Xiao, recognizing Ying Feng’s face, breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, with Ying Feng’s intervention, the person was quickly subdued, and several soldiers came from elsewhere to firmly control him.

Ling Xiao finally caught up, gratefully saying, “It’s good that you’re here, Ying Feng. Otherwise, he would have escaped.”

Unexpectedly, the person raised an eyebrow. “Who are you calling?”

Ling Xiao stared at his face, stunned for a moment. This person, a few centimeters taller than him, had a playful look in his eyes and a slight smirk on one corner of his mouth. The Ying Feng he knew didn’t have such a rich range of facial expressions.

After realizing something, Ling Xiao quickly shifted his gaze from the other person’s face to his left hand and unceremoniously removed the black glove there, revealing a cold mechanical hand.

“Fei Jing?!”

Ling Xiao never thought he would see this person again in his life. At this moment, the real Ying Feng also appeared beside him, having teleported using the Qizhu ability. The two identical people standing side by side made it difficult to distinguish between them.

“Ling Xiao.”

At this time, someone smilingly walked over from behind Fei Jing and gently called his name.

“Principal!” Ling Xiao recognized him at a glance, and just as he rushed over for a long-awaited hug, he stopped, taking a while to realize something was off.

“You’ve grown?!”

The principal looked at Fei Jing somewhat embarrassedly, thinking it was quite obvious. “I thought the first question you would ask would be about me still being alive.”

“You’re still alive?!”

Prompted by the principal, Ling Xiao quickly added the question, then felt it was a silly one.

Indeed, Fei Jing mocked him unkindly. “After so many years, how can you still be so stupid?”

The smile on Ling Xiao’s face from the reunion quickly fell. “You’ve grown, but why hasn’t your hand regrown?”

“You—” Fei Jing extended his mechanical hand, intending to hit Ling Xiao’s head, but was subtly stopped by Ying Feng.

Ling Xiao then turned back to the principal and asked, “But how did you escape? I saw you rush towards Tai Yin when he self-destructed.”

“Hmph,” Fei Jing responded disdainfully. “Such a simple thing, nothing surprising.”

The principal smiled and explained to Ling Xiao, “The spaceship had an emergency ejection system; rushing in without considering that was redundant on my part.”

Fei Jing had an attitude of ‘as long as you know’. “I could have easily escaped by myself. Carrying a half-dead person was just a burden.”

“Hmm, thanks for the trouble,” the principal said smoothly, leaving Fei Jing speechless and unsure of what to say.

Ling Xiao quickly asked, “Since you’re still alive, why didn’t you come back to find us?”

The principal hesitated before responding, “Because Fei Jing is a wanted criminal. If he stayed, he would only end up in prison, so he had to leave.”

“So he abducted you too?”

“He wanted to follow,” Fei Jing interjected.

Ling Xiao was displeased. He knew nothing about their past entanglements. In his view, Fei Jing had always been an irresponsible Qizhu who abandoned his own Qizi, and Ta Yun was the principal at Bikong, so he naturally sided with him.

“You’re just taking advantage of the principal’s severe mental injury, and he can’t leave you, right? Let me tell you, now mental injuries can be healed.”

“Really?” Both asked in unison, but with different tones: one anxious, the other delighted.

Ling Xiao just wanted to tease him. Of course, he wouldn’t reveal the real method. “Of course it’s true. My mental injury has been healed, and now it’s okay even if I leave Ying Feng.”

Ying Feng: “……”

“Is it true?” This time, the principal asked Ying Feng.

Ying Feng thought about it and decided not to expose him, nodding along with his words.

“That’s really great.” The principal seemed genuinely happy for Ling Xiao, also feeling a vague sense of anticipation. Fei Jing, however, looked conflicted, seemingly hoping for the other’s injury to be healed yet not wanting him to be freed from dependence.

The principal glanced back and guessed what he was thinking, holding back a laugh. “But I don’t need it, right?”

“Why not?” Ling Xiao felt the same confusion as Fei Jing upon hearing this.

“Because if there were a way to cure mental injuries, the cost would be extremely high, likely more than we can afford.” He lowered his head, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes. Ling Xiao had seen him smile at Bikong, but those were mostly bitter smiles. He had never seen the principal smile so genuinely. “Moreover, as long as two people don’t separate, the mental injuries are as if non-existent. Over the years, we’ve traveled many places together, and I’ve long forgotten what that feels like.”

After enduring nearly a hundred years of severe mental injury, it was impossible to just forget about it. Ling Xiao knew that the principal’s words were a lie but chose not to expose it.

However, regarding Fei Jing, Ling Xiao remembered his dream was to travel everywhere. It seemed now that his wish had been fulfilled.

“Why did you come back if he is wanted?” Ling Xiao remembered to ask.

The principal then said seriously, “We heard that our home planet was attacked and rushed back as quickly as we could. This news has spread throughout the entire galaxy. Now is the weakest time for Tianxiu, and all the planets that hold grudges against us are restless. I thought the military must be short-handed, so even at the risk of being arrested, we had to come back to help.”

His words reminded Ling Xiao, and the soldiers who had helped catch the suspect finally found the opportunity to speak. “What crime did this person commit?”

Everyone then remembered the suspicious individual who had been left aside for a long time. Ling Xiao walked up to him and examined him closely, finally confirming. “He is not one of us.”

“What?!” Everyone was shocked.

“Although he looks like us, I’ve seen Jing Yu. This person’s eyes are just like Jing Yu’s.”

Only Ying Feng among those present had heard the name Jing Yu. The others were clueless. “Who is Jing Yu?”

“He is Ying Feng’s past life.” Ling Xiao looked at him. “The last generation’s Lone Star.”

“Ying Feng in his past life was a Lone Star?” Red Head immediately exclaimed, “No wonder he’s so cold in this life!”

Ying Feng had already guessed his own identity from Ling Xiao’s hints but hearing him say it out loud made him feel a mix of emotions.

“So, you mean to say,” Bing Can said uncertainly, “this person is also a Lone Star?”

Everyone turned their attention to the Lone Star mentioned by Ling Xiao. Indeed, they found no emotion in his eyes; despite being captured, he stood emotionlessly.

“Mm.” Ling Xiao nodded. “The Lone Star is the original version of us, the Tianxiu people. When the ancient Tianxiu people created us, they named us after the Lone Star. And those who left Tianxiu to settle on Huoxiu hold the code of the original Lone Star.”

“So this person is from Huoxiu, deliberately left behind to infiltrate us as a spy? Who knows how many such people there are.” Red Head was frightened. “The things I just told you, he didn’t hear them, did he?”

“Fortunately, Ling Xiao discovered it early. Even if he heard, he probably didn’t have the time to transmit the information back.”

“What do we do with this person now?”

Bing Can thought for a moment. “Take him to Marshal Fu Yao and see how he decides to deal with him.”

The soldiers left with their orders, but not long after, there was a commotion. By the time people noticed, they could only catch a glimpse of a soul’s fleeing light trail.

The person responsible for escorting him was dumbfounded. “He deliberately tripped, used the momentum to break free from us, and then committed suicide.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiao’s eyes dimmed, but he didn’t seem too surprised. “His genes are the same as ours, programmed not to allow themselves to be captured. Once they feel there’s no hope of escape, they won’t hesitate to end their lives.”

Although they came from different camps, probably only artificial beings would feel sorrow for the death of another artificial being. To their creators, they were merely objects. Their life span had come to an end; they might be recycled for reuse or simply discarded. Apart from the economic loss, what difference did it make from other inanimate objects?

On the distant Huoxiu, a person stared at the constantly changing data on the screen. After detecting a certain anomaly, he turned his head, revealing a pair of crimson eyes.

“AF-107 has returned.”

Another person, similar in appearance, asked, “What information did he bring back?”

“They still have a Soul Tree, and the lighthouse has resumed illumination. The Soul Tree must be somewhere near the lighthouse.”

The other person was clearly dissatisfied with the information the Lone Star had brought back with his life. “Wasn’t it said that there was only one Soul Tree, and only one lighthouse? That by destroying the Soul Tree, they would be left with no choice but to await death? What’s this about another Soul Tree?”

He walked down from his seat a bit agitatedly and ordered, “Connect me with Zhu Yue. Four thousand years ago, they destroyed our nation and exterminated our people. Even if it goes against our ancestors’ teachings, we must avenge this grudge.”

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