Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 4
Ling Xiao wasn’t truly fixated on his partner from a previous life. However, Zhen He’s words undoubtedly caught Ying Feng’s attention. Seeing the other party hesitate and then decide to return, Ling Xiao pretended to be interested and stayed as well.
“The base hold the secret to finding a partner in a previous life? Are you sure about this?” Ying Feng asked.
“No, I’m not,” Zhen He replied confidently. “I only heard about this rumor. I can’t guarantee it’s true.”
“If even the intel is uncertain, aren’t you just a scammer?” Ling Xiao interjected.
“Whether I’m a scammer or not depends on the needs of the buyer. Some might think this information isn’t worth a dime, while others might be willing to pay a hefty price, even if it’s just for the slightest chance.”
“I don’t believe it. Who would buy intel that might not even be true? That person must be crazy.”
“Name your price,” Ying Feng straightforwardly declared.
Ling Xiao couldn’t believe his ears. “You want to buy it?”
Zhen He, even more straightforwardly, simply raised five fingers to signify the price.
“That expensive?” Ling Xiao felt that calling Zhen He merely a scammer was an understatement. The price was equivalent to their two months’ living expenses.
“That’s a friendly price considering you’re fledglings and alumni. If it were someone from outside, the price would be much higher.”
Ling Xiao wanted to argue further, but before he could, he saw Ying Feng already taking out his card.
“I like doing business with decisive people like you,” Zhen He remarked, reaching out for the card, only to be stopped by Ling Xiao.
“Hold on!” Ling Xiao interjected, halting the two in the midst of their transaction. Both turned their attention to him.
“You really want to buy this?” Ling Xiao asked Ying Feng.
“What’s it to you?” Ying Feng shot back.
After a quick thought about the balance on his card, Ling Xiao said, “I want to pitch in and buy it with you.”
However, Ying Feng was unmoved by the suggestion. “If you want to know, buy it yourself.” He once again tried to hand over his card.
This time, Ling Xiao grabbed Ying Feng’s wrist. “Isn’t my proposal beneficial for you too? You could save half the money.”
Ying Feng glanced at Ling Xiao, then at Zhen He, who simply shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. Whether one or two people hear the information, it’s the same.”
Given Zhen He’s indifference, Ying Feng eventually agreed. “Fine.”
When the card was swiped, Ling Xiao sneaked a peek at Ying Feng’s account. He was shocked by the amount Ying Feng had saved, which explained why Ying Feng didn’t hesitate earlier. In comparison, Ling Xiao, who had nearly no savings, wondered how he would manage the upcoming days without money due to this impulsive decision.
“You can tell us now,” Ling Xiao said, grimacing at his nearly depleted account balance. He vowed that if the information turned out to be false, he’d come back and wreck the shop.
“Of course,” Zhen He said, twirling a ring on his finger. “It all began with the former chief researcher of the base, Tai Yin. As a top executive of the base, it would’ve been easy to discover a reincarnated soul’s identity, but doing so was strictly forbidden by law.”
“Why?” Ling Xiao curiously interrupted.
“It’s to maintain the stability of the Tianxiu partner system. As you listen, you’ll understand.”
Zhen He sorted out the topics before he was interrupted and continued, “Tai Yin was a genius in the scientific world. His most renowned invention was a chemical drug that greatly enhances combat capabilities in a short period. The military named it ‘Embers’.”
“That restricted drug only for the military?” Ling Xiao had heard of Embers.
“Exactly. Tai Yin had numerous significant inventions throughout his life. ‘Embers’ was just one of his well-known works. His extraordinary accomplishments were due not only to his exceptional abilities but also his longevity. The last time he appeared in public, he was 436 years old—a truly venerable age even among the people of Tianxiu.”
“More than four hundred years…” Ling Xiao mused, wondering what it felt like to live for so long.
“But longevity has its drawbacks. The longer one lives, the more farewells one must face. In the latter half of Tai Yin’s life, he witnessed the departure of many close friends. Although the people of Tianxiu generally accept death, after his beloved Qizi passed away, he inevitably went astray.”
“Going astray?”
“He used his position to track his Qizi’s soul. When the other party was reincarnated and awakened, he kidnapped the unaware young reincarnation and secretly imprisoned them.”
Ling Xiao was shocked. “But Dr. Yao said that each soul only has one chance for the coming-of-age ceremony in each lifetime. Even if one’s partner passes away, they can’t form a bond with someone else.”
“What you said is absolutely right. That’s why Tai Yin and his reincarnated Qizi found themselves in a stalemate—he couldn’t have them, and he wouldn’t allow anyone else to either. The young reincarnation was forced to remain youthful, unable to mature or grow. Now you see why the law strictly prohibits tracking the whereabouts of reincarnated souls.”
Ling Xiao frowned deeply.
“Of course, Tai Yin cared about this issue more than you do. So, before his actions were exposed, he had been secretly researching ways to dissolve the original partner bond. Unfortunately, his research was halted when he was betrayed by his own student. The young reincarnation managed to escape with the student’s help and reported Tai Yin’s deeds to the military, revealing the truth.”
“And then?” Ling Xiao, engrossed in the story, eagerly asked.
“When the military publicly arrested him, he injected himself with an enhanced version of ‘Ember’, twenty times more potent than the original, single-handedly broke through the military’s siege, and once again abducted the innocent young reincarnation. The two have been missing ever since, still on the run.”
With just a few sentences, Zhen He vividly painted a dramatic picture in Ling Xiao’s mind. He only wished he had been awake earlier to witness these events.
While Ling Xiao was lost in thought, he heard Ying Feng ask, “So Tai Yin found his past life’s Qizi using his position. This information is useless to me.”
With an expression showing “I knew you would say that”, Zhen He said, “It’s true that Tai Yin used his position to find his past life’s Qizi, but during his research, he accidentally discovered a method to identify if two people were connected in their past lives. This method is said to be recorded on his personal computer.”
“How can I find that computer?”
“That computer is still in his lab, which is located somewhere within the base.”
“Somewhere?” Ling Xiao thought the description was too vague.
Zhen He conjured a small chip and threw it in the air. It expanded into a map with a pinch of his fingers.
“This is the complete floor plan of the base. I’m sure you’ll find it useful. The value of this map alone exceeds the cost of the information you’ve paid for. Additionally, I’m lending you this as a favor.”
“What is this?” Ling Xiao looked at the USB-like device handed to Ying Feng.
“Even if you find Tai Yin’s computer, you won’t be able to access his personal system. This is a universal unlocking device that can automatically crack his password. Remember, this is just a loan. Once you return from the base, please make sure to return it.”
……
The long-awaited second physiology class finally arrived. The tenth-grade students of Bikong Academy arrived at the base’s main entrance via aircraft and were immediately awed by the majestic sculpture of the word “Zero” at the entrance. This simple word “Zero” was the true name of the base, while the term “base” was just its colloquial name.
“Zero,” Ling Xiao pronounced the word as if reciting, and just when Lan Sheng and others thought he was about to express some profound sentiment, he continued, “Xiao was here*.”
*Clarity: Zero is [ling] (零) which is a homonym for his surname [Ling] (凌), so he’s basically cracking a joke since his surname is pronounced the same as the base’s name.
“Idiot!” Lan Sheng promptly kicked his ass.
“What was that for?” Ling Xiao exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot. “Don’t you think this word and I have a connection?”
“All I think is that you’re being stupid,” Lan Sheng remarked, feigning disgust. “Don’t disgrace that surname.”
The group continued to marvel at the sculpture, with many students taking photos. Once they had their fill, the guide, Yao Tai, began her inquiry.
“Does anyone know why this place is named ‘Zero’?”
The students looked at each other, shaking their heads in unison, clueless.
Yao Tai solemnly explained, “Zero is the starting point of positive numbers and the endpoint of negative numbers. On the infinite number line, it always occupies the central position. For the Tianxiu people, this place is the beginning of our awakening, the end of our silence, and the midpoint of our souls.”
“After living our lives, no matter where we are, our souls return here for a brief rest and purification until they find a new body and enter a new life in slumber. Look over there.” Yao Tai pointed to the tallest building in the north. “That is the Soul Lighthouse, a beacon for departed Tianxiu souls. If it falls, our souls would be lost. Hence, every generation of Tianxiu people must shoulder the responsibility of guarding this lighthouse, and you will too in the future.”
Gazing at the towering lighthouse, the students felt a profound sense of belonging.
“I feel like there’s a voice calling out to me,” Ling Xiao murmured.
“Me too,” Lan Sheng added, looking distant. “As if something is pulling me towards it.”
Ling Xiao glanced over and noticed Ying Feng, who was away from the crowd, gazing in the same direction. His expression was as aloof as always, but there was a rare hint of gentleness in his eyes.
Ying Feng, sensing someone’s gaze, looked directly into Ling Xiao’s eyes. The brief tenderness vanished, replaced by his usual sharpness.
Caught off guard, like a child caught doing something wrong, Ling Xiao quickly turned away, feeling flustered. His heart was pounding.
After calming himself, he wondered why he had felt so guilty.
He defiantly looked back, only to find Ying Feng’s attention had shifted elsewhere, leaving him feeling a bit deflated.
“What are you daydreaming about? Let’s go,” Lan Sheng nudged Ling Xiao, who realized the group had moved on. They quickly caught up.
As they walked, Yao Tai pointed out various facilities. “This is the purification pool. Every returning soul rests here for a while. Religious people say it’s to wash away past life sins. But for scientists, it’s more of a memory cleansing place.”
The purification pool was covered with a transparent layer. Through it, they could see the clear blue water inside.
“I personally believe that, apart from memories, it also cleanses impurities in the soul. After existing for so many years, souls inevitably accumulate negative emotions. In the purification pool, these impurities are completely removed, reverting it to a pure soul form.”
“So, if we don’t go into the purification pool, will our past memories be retained?” A girl asked.
“That’s not a possibility. This place is essential for souls returning to the cycle. Without purification, souls cannot enter the Reincarnation Hall.”
The students nodded in understanding.
“And here, is the Tree of Souls, from which every soul is born.” Yao Tai pointed to a towering tree in the distance. “Each soul fruit requires the essence of heaven and earth, absorbing the spiritual energy of all things. After a full hundred years of nurturing, it matures. This shows how precious souls are to us.”
Everyone gazed intently. On the expansive canopy of the tree, there was just one fruit-sized sphere of light the size of a fist. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t even notice it.
“Why is there only one soul growing?”
“It wasn’t like this a long time ago. Perhaps the Tree of Souls felt that the planet was already saturated with souls,” Yao Tai explained ambiguously. “For nearly a thousand years, new souls have grown at such a slow rate. Regardless of how hard researchers tried, they couldn’t stimulate its growth. Fortunately, existing souls don’t easily perish, so we haven’t faced a population crisis.”
As they walked, they passed by a building. The structure wasn’t eye-catching. Its pitch-black exterior lacked decoration, giving no one the desire to enter. The oppressive architectural style only made people want to flee.
However, Ling Xiao felt strangely drawn to the building, glancing at it several times unconsciously.
“Dr. Yao, what is that place?” Noting that Yao Tai didn’t introduce it, he took the initiative to ask.
Yao Tai sighed, realizing she couldn’t dodge the question, and decided to tell the truth.
“That place is the Nightmare Hall. Originally, it was where executions took place.”
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