Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 78

Ling Xiao pressed both hands against the glass with an expression that was a mix of wanting to cry and laugh.

Just moments ago, the very person who moved him deeply, Ying Feng, glanced at him with disdain and said, “What kind of expression is that? You look so stupid.”

Ling Xiao’s face became even more comical. “Who does that? Praise someone and then mock them right after? Don’t you know that’s embarrassing?”

“If you cry here, that would be the real embarrassment for me.”

The two of them chatted as if no one else was around, disregarding matters of life and death and any imminent danger.

The overlooked Tai Yin was annoyed. “Enough with the flirting! This isn’t the place for your public displays of affection.”

“Sorry.” Ling Xiao made an apologetic gesture. “I almost forgot that everyone here is single.”

With that comment, he seemed to have mockingly targeted everyone present. Some were already giving him fiery glances, as if they wanted to incinerate him.

“Since your bond is so strong,” Tai Yin raised his hand again, a soul crystal shimmering in his palm, “I’ll help you seal it.”

“Wait!” Fei Jing interrupted him. “What about Xing… How will he manage?”

“He’s waited this long; he won’t mind waiting a few more decades.” As long as Ling Xiao reincarnated, they could find him amidst the vast sea of people. They could then drain out his blood and awaken the dormant Yue Ying.

Even foreseeing Xing Lou’s impending rage, Tai Yin was resolved to not let those who humiliated him leave alive.

Fei Jing frowned. He didn’t have any particular relationship with Xing Lou; he just didn’t want to see the two die. But considering Tai Yin’s reaction, there seemed no way to save them, even by invoking Xing Lou’s name.

“What should I do?” Ling Xiao smirked. “After hearing my Qizhu’s words, I’m even less inclined to die.”

Seeing him raise his fists, Tai Yin grew alert. “What are you planning?”

“This.”

Ling Xiao’s punch landed on the containment device’s exterior. As Fei Jing had said, anyone attempting to damage it, from inside or out, would be hit with a strong electric shock. Electric currents buzzed around Ling Xiao, and under Ying Feng’s astonished gaze, he raised his other hand and struck again.

“That’s all?” Tai Yin scoffed at his seemingly futile effort. “My creation can withstand a hail of bullets. Trying to break it with your bare hands is a dream.”

Ling Xiao’s hands seemed stuck to the surface, with the electric currents flowing from his fingertips to his head, causing a tingling sensation.

“Who said… I wanted… to destroy it…?”

His voice was interrupted by his clenched teeth, and the electric charge he was absorbing grew beyond his body’s limits.

“Ling Xiao!” Ying Feng cried out softly.

“Ahh—!” Ling Xiao let out a roar. With a surge of effort, his hands broke free from the electromagnetic pull. From his center, electric currents spread in every direction, forming a luminescent blue boundary. With hands hanging low and palms facing each other, a large electric ball began to form between them.

“I’m glad I was trapped inside just now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought of this method.”

Ling Xiao slowly raised his head, his pale gray eyes fearlessly fixed on Tai Yin. “Since I have no weapon, I’ll use yours.”

“How laughable!” Tai Yin scoffed. Could such a trivial amount of electricity, which even a mere Qizi didn’t fear, harm him?

But Ling Xiao seemed not to hear. He raised his hands high, the electric ball in the air growing larger and more formidable.

Tai Yin kept a calm exterior, but inside he was shocked. Where had this boy gotten such immense power to manipulate this astonishing electric force?

“Take this!” With a forceful swing, Ling Xiao hurled the electric ball at Tai Yin at high speed.

Although Tai Yin verbally dismissed the threat, he quickly sidestepped to narrowly avoid the attack. The electric ball hit the ground, transforming into rapidly spreading electric waves, with sparks flying everywhere.

At this moment, in the center of the field, Ling Xiao had already leaped to Tai Yin’s side, using the light ball as a cover. With every punch and kick, currents flowed. Whenever he grabbed Tai Yin, the latter would feel numbness in his wrist.

While the high voltage wasn’t fatal, the pain was real. Tai Yin wondered how Ling Xiao could detach himself from the pain, but he was more eager to end this fight quickly. After all, getting entangled for too long with a newly matured Qizi wasn’t a matter of pride.

Seizing an opportunity, Tai Yin leapt back, activating the soul crystal in his hand. Ling Xiao was suddenly flung away as if he were a kite without its string.

“Goodbye,” Tai Yin said, confidently raising his weapon, ready to deliver the final blow.

“Wait!” Fei Jing suddenly intervened, disrupting Tai Yin’s aim. The missile went off course, hitting an unidentified device nearby.

“What are you doing?” Tai Yin shouted in annoyance.

“I think you should ask him,” Fei Jing said, gripping his launcher.

Taking advantage of their argument, Ling Xiao flipped in mid-air and, with a single touch on the ground, landed next to the experiment table.

Tai Yin had a bad feeling. All the electric shocks and fighting had been a distraction. Ling Xiao’s real target had likely been clear from the start. It was—

“Stop him!” Tai Yin shouted in panic. The onlooking novices instantly reacted; dozens of weapons targeted Ling Xiao and fired, instantly reducing Tai Yin’s equipment to shreds.

“No!” Tai Yin tried to intervene, but it was too late. “Get down!”

The glass containers shattered under the gunfire, and the spilled chemicals merged. Under the effects of light and heat, they reacted violently, causing an explosion.

Tai Yin lay flat on the ground, covering his nose and mouth as debris flew overhead. Fei Jing lay beside him, also looking worse for wear. He had intended to save Ling Xiao, but now not only had he failed to do so, but he had also caused the loss of Tai Yin’s experimental results.

As the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Ling Xiao. Given the intensity of the attacks and explosions, his survival seemed impossible. Perhaps his soul had departed the moment everyone ducked.

Damn it! Tai Yin crawled up, tapping his temple to activate his invisible protective mask. The thought of his years of hard work being destroyed in an instant was unbearable, even if it meant Ling Xiao’s sacrifice.

He glanced at Ying Feng, the only one unharmed in this chaos, protected by the containment device. All of Tai Yin’s extra fury was now directed at him.

Fei Jing also noticed this. The calm expression on his face seemed off.

Have you ever cried for your Qizi?

There’s a soul connection between a master and a contract child. If one departs, the other will definitely feel the grief.

“He’s still alive!” Fei Jing shouted. Just as Tai Yin took a step forward, a gust of wind came head-on. Before he could react, he was sent flying.

A shadow flashed, already waiting at the landing point. Poor Tai Yin hadn’t even touched the ground when he was struck and sent flying in the opposite direction. Fei Jing and the others watched in astonishment as a shadow darted through the air, with Tai Yin’s body uncontrollably being thrown around, utterly defenseless against the blows.

“What’s happening!” Everyone raised their weapons, but they were clueless about where to aim.

Fools! Tai Yin mentally cursed, trying to activate another soul crystal. Unfortunately, before he could, the shadow kicked his elbow, sending several soul crystals flying into the air, shimmering brilliantly.

Ling Xiao waved his arm, and the airborne crystals shot out, embedding themselves in the cabin wall.

Finally, the chaos ceased, and everyone got a clear look at the attacker. Ling Xiao’s face was unchanged, but his expression was devoid of human emotion, filled with a chilling murderous intent.

He walked emotionlessly towards Tai Yin. Fei Jing raised his gun.

“Don’t move!”

When Ling Xiao turned to look at him, Fei Jing broke into a cold sweat. This wasn’t the young man who had teased him earlier. Ember had turned him into a cold-blooded monster, capable of killing without hesitation.

Tai Yin understood the power of Ember better than anyone. If he could just endure this period, Ling Xiao, affected by the drug’s side effects, would become vulnerable. But confronting him head-on during the drug’s active phase was suicidal.

Seeing that Fei Jing had drawn Ling Xiao’s attention, Tai Yin discreetly stepped aside—one step, two steps… Now’s the chance!

He turned to flee, but Ling Xiao’s figure was already in front of him. He hadn’t teleported, yet he moved with a speed akin to it.

Backed into a corner by Ling Xiao, Tai Yin realized with dread that he might meet his end at the hands of this young man he once looked down upon, and more ironically, at the hands of his own scientific achievements.

Ling Xiao’s first punch shattered Tai Yin’s protective mask, causing him to stagger backward. The second punch hit his jaw, and Tai Yin fell limply to the ground. As Ling Xiao’s third punch, aimed at his temple, prepared to descend, it seemed the genius scientist, after 400 years, was about to meet his end.

A gloved hand blocked the punch. Instead of the sound of bones breaking, the sound of metal snapping rang out.

“Enough!” Fei Jing voiced. “You don’t really want to kill him, do you?”

Ling Xiao coldly glanced at the man who dared to obstruct him, making Fei Jing tense. The Ling Xiao now seemed intent on slaughter, and Fei Jing feared even he might not be spared.

“Ling Xiao!” Another voice called from behind. Fei Jing was stunned to see a fleeting emotion pass through the emotionless man’s eyes upon hearing the call.

Following that voice, Ling Xiao lowered his fist and emotionlessly moved towards the one who had summoned him, his Qizhu. He acted as if Fei Jing and Tai Yin ceased to exist.

Relieved by Ling Xiao’s withdrawal, Fei Jing began, “The password is…”

Before he could finish, Ling Xiao, just as before, placed his hands on the seam of the glass doors and pried them apart effortlessly, despite them being designed to withstand missiles and even his previous electric shocks. His brow couldn’t help but furrow.

As Ling Xiao’s face cleared before Ying Feng, emotions gradually returned to his eyes due to the diminishing drug effects.

Regaining his clarity, Ling Xiao flashed a grin. “See, I can protect you too.”

After using all his strength to say this, he could no longer stand. Just as Ying Feng regained his mental powers, he teleported behind Ling Xiao, catching him as he collapsed.

Furious, Tai Yin pointed at the two but couldn’t find words. Fei Jing remained silent, and the others seemed lost.

Suddenly, someone yelled, “There’s a vortex!”

Unprepared, Ying Feng, holding Ling Xiao, almost stumbled as a powerful tremor shook them. When he regained his balance, everyone was rushing to their posts, ignoring their presence.

The ship’s turbulence worsened. They were nearing a vortex unique to the vicinity of the Tianxiu planet. It was like a moving black hole that ruthlessly crushed anything in its path, powerful enough to disintegrate a small asteroid in minutes.

As the vortex approached, the starship was being visibly sucked in. From time to time, people’s shouts were heard in the cabin.

“Prepare for warp!”

“The second warp drive is damaged!”

“The booster is malfunctioning!”

They remembered that just a while ago, a fierce battle had damaged many systems. Repair hadn’t been possible. Now, they were facing this impending doom of a black hole-like vortex.

“Initiate spatial jump!”

In front of the Eagle a massive mirror-like surface appeared. With the combined forces of propulsion and the pull from the vortex, the starship struggled to move forward.

It was as if a part of the universe had been erased, with the starship that entered the mirror-like surface vanishing from sight, leaving behind only parts that continued to resist vehemently. Two-thirds of the starship had disappeared, and the speed of the encroaching black hole was accelerating. Facing the most severe turbulence they’d ever encountered, Ying Feng laid down, cradling Ling Xiao in his arms. As the world seemed to spin around them, Ying Feng’s vision went dark. When he awoke, they found themselves in a shattered cabin.

Although the black hole was out of sight, the rapid movement of the ship’s wreckage alarmed Ying Feng. Clutching Ling Xiao, he escaped through an opening, realizing the force that was propelling them at such a high speed.

Not far away was a stargate, leading to an unknown destination. What could be more despairing than having just escaped one vortex, only to be faced with another?

Ying Feng quickly activated all the power crystals he had on hand. Using their power to counteract the force, they managed to slow down their speed slightly but couldn’t completely escape the gravitational pull of the stargate.

There were three oxygen soul crystals left. Ying Feng activated one of them, lifted Ling Xiao’s chin, and transferred half of its power to him. Under the side effects of Ember, Ling Xiao’s body temperature had risen alarmingly. The saliva from the Qizhu, which had a purification effect, was transferred through the mouth, akin to a dying man in the desert finding a clear spring.

Ling Xiao, having slightly regained consciousness, opened his eyes to see Ying Feng’s face pulling away, feeling somewhat reluctant to let go. However, now was not the time for such sentiments. He struggled to look around, seeing the dazzling star gate nearby and the brilliant star cloud in the distance, both signaling the dire situation they were about to face.

Ying Feng showed him the soul crystal in his hand, and Ling Xiao weakly shook his head. At this point, he couldn’t muster any mental power. Drifting like this, they might be pulled into another time and space. Perhaps this was their ultimate fate. The side effects of Ember consumed Ling Xiao’s blood. Even in death, he didn’t want to die by burning blood. Ling Xiao embraced the person in front of him, initiating a kiss and greedily drawing the last bit of coolness from him.

As they continued to kiss, a stream of oxygen filled Ling Xiao’s lungs. He weakly tried to pull away but couldn’t muster the strength, letting more and more oxygen in without the ability to refuse.

Enough!

He tried to communicate with his eyes, but Ying Feng’s eyes remained closed as if this sweet kiss shouldn’t be interrupted by any gaze. The last soul crystal transferred all its oxygen to Ling Xiao. This was the longest kiss in the universe; no other couple’s kiss in recorded history lasted this long. From this kiss, planets revolved, the sun set and rose, tides ebbed and flowed under the moon’s influence, stars formed a brilliant river, connecting every distant galaxy.

No!

Ling Xiao screamed in his heart, a shout that vibrated every cell, but none reached Ying Feng. He felt so close, yet infinitely far away. Ying Feng’s kiss moved from his lips to his forehead, placing a solemn final kiss there. Tears streamed from Ling Xiao’s eyes, but they had no place to fall.

Ying Feng released Ling Xiao, holding two soul crystals in his hands, the last of his mental powers.

When Ying Feng’s hand rested over their hearts, it would be their last touch.

Ling Xiao tried to raise his hand, but he grasped nothing.

Opposite poles attract while like poles repel. The two, having the same magnetic polarity, flew in opposite directions. Ling Xiao escaped the gravitational pull, while Ying Feng hurtled toward the star gate vortex.

Ying… Feng…

Ling Xiao screamed, but there was no medium in space to carry his voice. He watched as Ying Feng’s figure grew smaller, tears floating in space like an eternal rain that would never fall.

Ying Feng was now enveloped in a blue glow, looking at the distant figure, wondering if his remaining mental powers were enough to say his final words. He sent a thought—a voice that traveled across the universe, spanning galaxies, echoing in Ling Xiao’s mind.

Ling Xiao, I think I…

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

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 76

With a muffled bang, Tai Yin’s body jolted backward, and for a brief moment, everything went dark before his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Ying Feng had calmly discarded the gun in his hand. The moment the weapon left his grasp, it vanished into thin air.

Tai Yin clutched his chest; he could clearly feel something had penetrated his body. Yet, there was no wound, let alone any bleeding.

“What did you use on me?” Tai Yin asked with suspicion in his eyes.

“My soul shard,” Ying Feng replied with a calm demeanor. “You claim to be a genius scientist. You must understand why a Qizhu can control a Qizi. Since you’re pretending to be my Qizi, please try to be more professional about it.”

Tai Yin, however, lost his composure. “Do you realize what this means for you? A Qizi is meant to die during the coming-of-age ceremony. It’s the Qizhu who transfers their lifespan to allow the other to live. By doing this, you can only control me for a short while, but at the permanent expense of your own lifespan. Hurting your enemy at the expense of yourself, do you think it’s worth it?”

“Injuring you is already rewarding enough,” Ying Feng remarked as he halted the spaceship. Not far away, a stargate, resembling a massive blue whirlpool, spun clockwise. Passing through it would lead to another galaxy. However, if a being rather than a machine traversed it, they would be crushed and torn apart by the compressed space.

“Is this the rendezvous point? When will your contact arrive?”

Tai Yin didn’t answer. Ying Feng shot him a cold glance, causing Tai Yin, usually proud and haughty, to feel an unprecedented pressure bearing down on him. He nearly collapsed but managed to brace himself with a hand on the console. Sweat poured down, dripping audibly onto the metallic surface.

“Your contact method,” Ying Feng pressed again.

“Shield… recharge…” Tai Yin struggled to utter these words through clenched teeth. The overwhelming pressure atop his head vanished as if wings had taken it away. The abrupt change in pressure, like transitioning from the deep sea to the surface, forced him to grasp the edge of the console, gasping for breath. No matter how proud he had been before, in front of this individual who was over four hundred years younger than him, he lost all his dignity.

“You’re so adept at this; you must’ve tried it on your own Qizi,” Tai Yin remarked, attempting to open his sweat-blurred eyes. “Now I know why he doesn’t address you directly.”

Ignoring him, Ying Feng activated the shield modulator, emanating waves of cobalt blue light from the ship’s hull. Operating such high-consumption equipment in a safe zone was certainly conspicuous.

A black spaceship emerged from invisibility; its rear adorned with an emblem of an eagle with dominant eyes—a signature of Star Tower assets—the Eagle. It was their mobile space lab.

The Eagle readily opened its gates, and Ying Feng piloted the half-severed ship into the enemy’s lair.

“How does it feel to embrace death?” Tai Yin watched Ying Feng’s fearless descent, desperate to see some emotion on the young man’s stoic face—defeat, fear, separation from a loved one—just as he had inflicted upon him.

“Now, there’s nothing to support your body,” Ying Feng retorted.

Fei Jing, puzzled, approached. “Why only you? Where’s Shang Yang?”

Tai Yin stepped aside, revealing the person behind him. The two paused momentarily when they saw each other.

Fei Jing looked up at Ying Feng, who was taller than him, while Ying Feng observed Fei Jing. The two circled each other cautiously before stopping.

“Ta Yun.” A name came out from Ying Feng’s mouth.

Fei Jing’s expression shifted. Ying Feng realized the truth in the principal’s words. “You truly are the principal’s Qizhu.”

Fei Jing was surprised. “Principal? What do you mean? He’s still alive and became a principal?”

“Exactly.”

“Which school?”

“Bikong, your alma mater.”

Fei Jing scoffed. “I thought he wouldn’t survive the chaos period. Turns out he’s not only alive but also thriving.”

Ying Feng subtly observed the surroundings. “Seems like he’s doing better than you, hiding here.”

Fei Jing’s gaze darkened. “You’re as unlikeable as your Qizi.”

Ying Feng’s time to control Tai Yin was limited, and he didn’t want to waste words on him. “Where is the other person?”

Fei Jing pointed with his thumb to a glass apparatus behind him. Ying Feng naturally noticed Ling Xiao, who was lying on the ground.

“What did you do to him?” he asked, a hint of interrogation in his voice.

“He talked too much, so I made him take a nap.”

Ying Feng felt relieved. He knew Ling Xiao couldn’t help but talk too much wherever he went. A saying came to his mind: humans die for wealth, birds die for food*, and monkeys perish from talking too much. He could almost foresee Ling Xiao’s fate.

*Idiom referring to how humans would sacrifice even their lives in pursuit of wealth, just like how birds would die in pursuit for food. The last part is made up by him (I think) referring to Ling Xiao (as the monkey).

He turned to Tai Yin. “Release him.”

If you don’t want to relive the experience you just had in front of others.

The unspoken words were evident on Ying Feng’s face, and Tai Yin pretended not to notice.

“What’s going on here?” Fei Jing was filled with confusion as he saw Tai Yin following Ying Feng’s order, entering the passcode.

After entering the last digit, the transparent material imprisoning Ling Xiao vanished. Ying Feng approached and turned Ling Xiao over, revealing the dagger beneath him. Ying Feng glanced at Fei Jing, who simply shrugged.

“He threatened me with suicide. I was trying to save him,” Fei Jing explained.

Without a word, Ying Feng pocketed the dagger, picked up the unconscious Ling Xiao, and turned to leave. As he did, Fei Jing aimed his weapon at Ying Feng’s back.

“Wait.”

Ying Feng stopped.

“Can someone explain what’s happening?” he asked Tai Yin. “You were supposed to rescue someone. Not only did you fail, but you’re also letting the opponent brazenly take the hostage away. Do you think this place is a public area?”

Ying Feng calmly turned to face the gun pointed at him.

“You might have defeated the principal during the coming-of-age ceremony. I recognize your past strength. But you may not be a match for me now, and that weapon in your hand may not hit me.”

“Really?” Fei Jing casually looked around the interior of the spaceship. Following his gaze, Ying Feng noticed heavily armed individuals every few meters on the platforms surrounding them. Though their physiques appeared like fledglings, their eyes betrayed their adult identities.

“Alright,” Ying Feng said, changing his tone. “If you don’t let us go, I’ll kill him.”

“Kill who? Him?” Fei Jing glanced at Tai Yin, then back to the unarmed Ying Feng holding Ling Xiao. “How do you plan to do that?”

With his actions, Ying Feng answered. Tai Yin, seemingly out of control, slowly drew a dagger, aiming it precisely at a lethal spot on his body.

The scene before him surprised Fei Jing, until Tai Yin managed to speak, “Let… them go…”

The weapons held by the people above were simultaneously lowered. Fei Jing hesitated but finally holstered his weapon.

“Alright, you win. Take him and go.”

Though Ying Feng didn’t fully trust him, he said to Tai Yin, “Since you’re the master here, please escort our guest.”

With Tai Yin by their side, no one dared make a move. The two intruders had entered the heart of the enemy’s lair and were now leaving unscathed, to the discontent of the residents.

As they were about to disappear from Fei Jing’s sight, Ying Feng suddenly turned. “I know the incident years ago wasn’t your fault. Abandoning him was understandable. But times have changed, and so have people. He’s still waiting where you two met. Perhaps you should go back and hear what he has to say.”

With that, Ying Feng, followed by Tai Yin, and carrying Ling Xiao, returned to where their spaceship was parked.

“You’ll… regret… this…” As they were about to board, Tai Yin threatened through gritted teeth.

Ying Feng paused, looking at Ling Xiao in his arms, an idea forming in his mind. “Raise both hands.”

Like a puppet, Tai Yin’s arms were uncontrollably raised.

“Lift your right foot.”

Tai Yin was forced into a ridiculous pose, his anger seemingly enough to burn Ying Feng alive. Yet his comical position made him appear even more ridiculous.

Ying Feng’s expression wasn’t as cold as before.

“I’ll give ten years of my life for ten minutes of seeing you like this*.”

*Golden rooster standing on one leg (金鸡独立) It’s a pose made of standing on one leg normally seen in Chinese martial arts (example).

He looked down at Ling Xiao in his arms. “It’s a pity the one who loves a spectacle the most is asleep.”

Tai Yin finally saw a different expression on his face—a hint of gentleness that was hard to detect. This was the kind of revenge Ling Xiao would have chosen, and Ying Feng silently executed it in his dream. Who said the Qizhu couldn’t change? After spending so much time with a naive individual, he even adopted some juvenile traits and took actions his past self would never have imagined.

The spaceship restarted, and the Eagle reluctantly opened its hatch, letting the two intruders out with apparent disdain. Just as they were about to make a jump through the stargate, Ling Xiao groggily woke up.

“Why am I here?” he asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Did you bring me out?”

‘Sure enough, this is the real Ling Xiao,’ Ying Feng thought. He wouldn’t seriously tell him “thank you” or “I’m sorry.” Even if faced with danger, to him, it was just like taking a nap. Such a Ling Xiao couldn’t possibly be imitated by a mere illusion.

Although Ling Xiao wasn’t ecstatically happy about a near-death experience, he was delighted to see Ying Feng again. He excitedly shared, “I just had a weird dream where you taught Tai Yin a lesson.”

“How did I do it?” Ying Feng feigned ignorance.

“Like this.” Ling Xiao made an exaggerated gesture, laughing uncontrollably. “Isn’t it funny?”

After finishing his laughter, he sighed. “Ah, it’s a pity it was just a dream. How could you possibly do such a thing?”

“Yes, you were dreaming,” Ying Feng responded, subtly activating the spaceship’s thruster as they sped straight into the stargate. The pitch-black clouds and distorted light formed an illuminated tunnel that seemed like a bizarre dream even when they were awake.

Unintentionally, Ying Feng’s hand brushed against Ling Xiao’s, eliciting unexpected reactions from both. Maybe it was the mesmerizing scenery around them, but the shifting lights made everything seem simpler and more genuine, making them want to express their innermost feelings.

Having traveled through time and space together, seeds of emotion that had been buried deep within them were now sprouting, ready to bloom in the sunlight.

Ling Xiao nervously swallowed, realizing at some point their hands had intertwined. Neither initiated the gesture; it just happened.

“What… what are you thinking?” he stammered.

Ying Feng remembered the instructor’s words—that touching his hand would accelerate his heartbeat and make him want to express his feelings. And indeed, the sensation was different than before.

“A certain part of my body reacted,” Ying Feng answered truthfully.

Ling Xiao’s face reddened as he understood the implication. “You pervert, thinking about such things at this moment…”

Despite his words, Ling Xiao continued to hold Ying Feng’s hand tightly, not wanting to let go even for a second. Ying Feng’s face grew closer, and as they both shut their eyes, their breaths mingled in the confined space.

The spaceship rushed through the stargate, with blinding white light replacing the darkness for a brief moment. When everything returned to normal, the two individuals maintained their previous postures, their gazes reluctantly moving away from each other’s faces. In front of them was a fleet of sniper ships, neatly arranged in two rows, their guns uniformly aimed at them, ready to fire at any moment.

Their ships had an off-putting black-gold hue, designed to mimic various insects in shape and color. Their structures were as sharp as if carved by a blade, with some of the ships’ front lights designed to resemble compound eyes and others had strange antennae. Every ship bore the emblem of a scorpion.

Anyone with a bit of common sense would recognize this as the notorious pirate insignia of the galaxy— the Poison Pirates.

A communication signal came in, and a coarse voice with a foreign accent, speaking in a clumsy Tianxiu dialect, boisterously complained, “Oh dear, that was close. If you had escaped, that mad scientist would have certainly used it as an excuse not to pay the protection fee. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am your beloved pirate captain, Captain Sheng Xie*. If you ever encounter me in the universe.” His voice suddenly took on a sinister yet tempting tone. “Congratulations, you’re in trouble.”

*Clarity: His name means Prosperous Scorpion.

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 75

Ling Xiao was rendered speechless by his words, unable to find a rebuttal for a moment.

“Why didn’t you develop? Where is your Qizi?”

“Who knows,” Fei Jing answered indifferently, as if discussing an unrelated person. “My coming-of-age ceremony wasn’t voluntary. Why would I live with someone I don’t like?”

“My coming-of-age ceremony was also not voluntary, but my Qizhu still stayed.”

“Really, how noble of him,” Fei Jing said dismissively, with no trace of flattery in his tone.

“Although we didn’t get along at first, after the initial adaptation, I am grateful he stayed. After hearing what you said, I feel even luckier that he didn’t leave. If he had, he might be trapped like you, and I might think he’s living well; learning the truth later would be even more upsetting.”

Fei Jing sneered, “You keep talking about adaptation, but it seems to me that you, as a Qizi, lost your personality in repeated conflicts and have been brainwashed to become an attachment to another person. Can you honestly say you are the same as when you were in your fledgling state?”

“Of course not. I was arrogant and unclear about my own feelings in my fledgling state, hurting others unknowingly. As a Qizi, I sacrificed some dignity but also got rid of the bad parts of my personality. Like cutting off a tumor will inevitably bleed, but I don’t regret the change. And do you think this change is only about the Qizi? My Qizhu used to have no friends and had to look up even the meaning of a kiss, but now he is starting to understand others’ feelings. Whenever two people are together, they will change due to each other. It’s not compromise; it’s growth.”

“You probably can’t understand the difficulties of a Qizi living alone. My former principal lived in the disease control center for six years, witnessing the deaths of countless Qizis like him. Such a scene is unforgettable once experienced. He still can’t sleep without medication; even if his Qizhu returns, his severe mental damage prevents him from being apart from him for even a day.”

“I don’t know what deep hatred you have for your Qizi, but I’ve heard that Qizhus also suffer from soul loss when leaving their Qizi, yet you’d rather endure this pain, preferring to stay in this hidden place rather than turn back. You haven’t even tried the first step with him; how do you know it definitely won’t work?”

“What do you know?” Fei Jing said harshly. “You only see the difficulties of a Qizi’s existence. You don’t know what I sacrificed for this relationship.”

“I really don’t understand. I didn’t understand why some people willingly become Qizi for love and why some end their lives after becoming a Qizi. But when I became a Qizi, I didn’t understand how some can still live on… Every time I solve an old problem, a new one arises. I’m always in a state of not understanding, but I’m not muddling through; my questions are being answered with my experiences. Like the first problem I mentioned, I still don’t understand, but I believe that as long as I live, I will find the answer one day.”

“I am in a cage, but the gaps in the cage are always wider than the bars, and when the sun shines in, the area of sunlight is always greater than the shadow. You long for freedom outside the cage but stubbornly stand in the shadow. What right do you have to mock me standing in the sunlight?”

Fei Jing fell silent for a moment. “Do you want to know how irreconcilable our conflict is?”

He approached Ling Xiao. As soon as he embraced the universe, Ling Xiao noticed the conspicuous black glove on his left hand, and now he not only took off the glove but also rolled up his sleeve.

Ling Xiao couldn’t believe what he saw.

“…A prosthetic limb? How… Isn’t it said that even vital organs can regenerate as long as the treatment is timely?”

“Yes, that’s true for normal injuries. When I had nowhere to go, Tai Yin’s companions found me, provided me shelter, and even promised that if the experiment succeeded, I could regain my freedom. The price was to be their guinea pig.”

“I don’t know how many times I have undergone such experiments or how many strange drugs have been injected into my body. Some can make people wish for death due to pain, and some eat away at the body of the test subject like this. In a failed experiment, my left hand began to melt like wax from the fingertips. Although Tai Yin cut off this arm in time, it never regrew.”

Ling Xiao was horrified; if he had accepted Zhen He’s invitation back then, he might have ended up like Fei Jing—a mutilated experimental subject. He had once brazenly said in front of Zhen He that he wouldn’t care even if he lost an arm, but seeing Fei Jing today, he’d rather he had never said such words.

“There used to be many people here, just like me, all wanting to break the Blood Pact, willingly becoming test subjects for Tai Yin. But more and more people die due to failed experiments—some even die in a tragic state. I, standing before you, am the one with the strongest constitution and least damage among them. But when I permanently lost this hand, I knew that the Blood Pact was unchangeable for the Tianxiu people, and this is the price I paid for trying to change it.”

“Now you should understand how much I long to break this relationship. Initially, it was just a wish of mine, but now it has become the whole meaning of my existence. If I don’t do this, I don’t know where else I can go or what else I can do.”

“You can still go back to your Qizi and start over,” Ling Xiao said urgently. His hatred for Tai Yin increased after listening to Fei Jing’s words, as well as disliking Fei Jing’s self-abandonment. If he were free at this moment, he would definitely force Fei Jing to return to the surface to search for his Qizi, whose whereabouts were unknown.

“Do you think I look like a fledgling, so my age must also be very young? Let me tell you, it’s been over a hundred years since my coming-of-age ceremony. Even if that person survived the critical period, they have long since reincarnated.”

“That’s not necessarily true!” Ling Xiao retorted. “Have you cried for your Qizi?”

“Cry? Why should I cry?”

“I’ve seen a Qizi leave; his Qizhu cried heartbreakingly even without knowing. There is a soul connection between a Qizhu and a Qizi. If one leaves, the other will definitely feel sad.”

Fei Jing quietly reflected for a moment. “No, I’m sure I have not shed a tear for him.”

“That means he’s still alive. Our principal said that as long as you are alive, there is a chance to meet again. Maybe he’s also persistently waiting for you to come back. You’re now like a defeated gambler who, having lost too much, is reluctant to leave the casino. But if you continue to stay here, you will lose more and more, perhaps even the remaining hand and your life.”

“Do you think you can persuade me? How old are you? Have you even been an adult for a year?”

“Although my adulthood is short-lived, the time I’ve spent with my Qizhu is definitely longer than the time you’ve spent with your Qizi. In this regard, I have much more experience than you. Think about it, if you’re together, you can realize your dreams again and travel to even farther planets. Although seven is not that many, it’s always better than three, isn’t it? Traveling with someone is always better than being alone, isn’t it?”

Fei Jing silently confronted him for a moment, then turned around and put on his gloves again. “Forget it, discussing this with you is a waste of time.”

“Don’t go.” Ling Xiao forcefully banged on the glass in front of him. “Are you avoiding the topic because you think I make sense? What’s the name of your Qizi? Maybe I’ve seen them.”

“Hey! Don’t touch that!” Fei Jing issued a stern warning but couldn’t stop Ling Xiao’s action in time. A massive electric current struck. Ling Xiao convulsed under its effect; snapping sounds filled the air. Fei Jing rushed to the control panel to enter the password. “123456…no, 888888, also no…”

After trying several times, the electric current finally stopped. Ling Xiao propped himself up against the glass with his head drooping. Occasional blue sparks still circled one arm.

It took a while for him to recover from the pain of the electric shock while gritting his teeth. “How can you forget such an important password?”

Fei Jing boldly replied, “Who told you to hit it so hard? This device is specially used to confine Tianxiu people. Not only does it have a mental barrier, but if someone tries to violently destroy it, it will automatically release a 3600-volt electric shock, which even a fully developed adult cannot withstand.”

“Yes, I felt it.” Ling Xiao, with little strength, raised his right hand, sparking, and gradually formed a high-speed rotating ball of electricity. But when the fist-sized ball of electric light was thrown at the transparent material, it disappeared with a pop, not even leaving a crack.

“Are you willing to behave now?” Fei Jing raised an eyebrow.

Ling Xiao backed a few steps, leaning against the rear wall to support his weary body. “Although you sound fierce, judging by how you hurriedly tried to save me just now, you’re actually a good person, so why become an accomplice to evil?”

Fei Jing scoffed at him. “You’re still trying to persuade me in this state? I advise you not to think too much. I saved you because your life is useful to someone. I am responsible for delivering you safely to the rendezvous point, so you better not cause me trouble.”

“Really?” Ling Xiao flipped over. The soul crystal on his body was indeed gone, but since mental powers were shielded here, even if the soul crystal was still here it wouldn’t be of any use.

His dagger was still there. It seemed they were very confident in their confinement equipment. With a flick of his forearm, the dagger slid into Ling Xiao’s hand.

“What are you doing?” Fei Jing kept a close eye on his every move.

Ling Xiao held the dagger to his heart. “Let me out, or I’ll commit suicide.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t your mission to protect me? If I die, you’ll have a hard time explaining, won’t you?”

“I was going to let you go, but I want to find a safe place. Do you want me to throw you somewhere random in space?”

“Oh, I see.” Ling Xiao’s eyes shifted. “I changed my mind. I’m not going. If you force me to leave, I’ll die right in front of you.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Unless you come with me, I’m going to take you and Shang Yang back to the surface. That’s where you guys belong.”

Fei Jing was infuriated. “Don’t treat me like a fledgling. I don’t want to play such childish games with you.”

“I’m serious. You look a lot like my Qizhu. I feel a kinship when I see you. Thinking of your abandoned Qizi, it feels like another possible version of me. I can’t bear it…”

Fei Jing, unable to tolerate it any longer, pressed a certain operation key. The octagonal space quickly filled with a hypnotic gas that was effective only against the Tianxiu people. Ling Xiao couldn’t finish his sentence and fell to the ground with the dagger.

I shouldn’t have listened to his nonsense. Fei Jing glared at the man on the ground in annoyance. “So talkative.”

The Eagle was gradually approaching the stargate as planned. A small escort ship had been tirelessly harassing them. Fei Jing, feeling annoyed, decloaked and launched a torpedo, splitting it in two.

On another ship heading in the same direction, Tai Yin looked down at the gun pressed against his chest with displeasure. “This is the second time today that someone has pointed a gun at me. You and your Qizi are really impolite.”

“Reveal your true form.” Ying Feng ignored his comment.

Tai Yin gently touched his temple. Ying Feng’s vision warped, and in a matter of seconds, Tai Yin transformed into the tall man Ying Feng had previously seen through mental vision. His narrow eyes exuded an air of authority and disdain.

“Who are you?” Ying Feng asked.

“Tai Yin,” he replied succinctly, without any prefix.

As Ying Feng suspected, the fledgling lying behind them was Shang Yang. It made sense that they were hiding in space; no wonder the military couldn’t find them.

“A question for a question is only fair,” Tai Yin said calmly. “When did you realize I wasn’t your Qizi?”

“At the space station, when you said ‘my Qizhu’.”

Tai Yin recalled. Indeed he had said that, but he hadn’t thought it would give him away.

“What’s wrong with those words?” he asked.

“Ling Xiao never addresses me that way in person.”

Tai Yin feigned realization. “But he does call you that behind your back quite frequently. I must have overestimated your relationship. No wonder you hesitated. You tried to use the Qizhu’s power on me, didn’t you?”

He glanced inside the cabin. “But I don’t understand. If you knew my identity, then why go along with the plan and bring him out? You had the chance to exchange him for a hostage, yet you abandoned your Qizi in such a dangerous place. Having second thoughts now?”

“I never said I’d exchange the fledgling for a hostage. Ling Xiao would never agree to that. I brought him out because it wasn’t safe for him to stay there. And now I have the perfect hostage to exchange.”

“You mean me? Do you think once I’m reunited with my comrades, you’ll still have control?” Tai Yin laughed, as if calling him naïve. “Regardless, thank you for personally delivering Shang Yang.”

“You’re the naive one. Haven’t you noticed this is a dual-engine ship?”

Tai Yin’s eyes widened, but Ying Feng was quicker, pressing the separation button on the control panel. The doors between the cockpit and the cabin quickly closed, and with a jolt, the rear of the ship detached from the main cabin.

Tai Yin’s eyes darted around, trying to come up with a plan as the current situation was unexpected.

“No need to think. They will jump to the next galaxy. While you weren’t paying attention, I contacted the military there. They will escort them randomly to a space station. Even if something happens to me, you won’t find out where they are from me.”

Tai Yin stared at him for a moment, then started to laugh sarcastically. “You’re not even an adult yet, right? I can’t believe I was outwitted by a kid. You and your Qizi are a perfect match, coming one after another to die for a stranger.”

“You’re wrong. I’m not here to die. I want to go back alive with my Qizi. You’ve had a gun pointed at you twice today, but do you know the main difference between him and me?”

Tai Yin scoffed. “What?”

“He talks too much and misses opportunities. When it’s time to shoot, I won’t hesitate.”

With that, he aimed at Tai Yin’s heart and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

---

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 74

The escort ship that Bing Can “borrowed” automatically joined the military communication channel. After listening for a while, Red Head realized something was wrong.

“They are heading in a different direction than us.”

The directions of both parties’ advancements had at least a 30-degree angle difference. The military had radar and anti-stealth technology; there shouldn’t have been such a large error.

However, the only radar on Ying Feng’s garbage truck was broken, but he was moving very determinedly in one direction without any hesitation, at least from what Bing Can could see trailing behind him.

“What should we do?” Red Head asked.

“Follow Ying Feng.” Bing Can made a provisional decision. “Use your terminal to keep in communication with Ying Feng. If the other party is still using magnetic field interference, we should be able to detect it immediately.”

Ying Feng’s terminal was connected.

“How’s it going on your end?”

“I can’t detect with spiritual probing.” No matter how his consciousness spread out, he couldn’t capture any trace of Ling Xiao. It was as if he had disappeared from this universe.

“Is the direction incorrect?”

Bing Can was about to report the military coordinates to him, but heard him say, “No, they should choose this route, and they will arrive soon.”

This was the shortest line from the incident location to the space station; they should be able to guess where the fledgling was sent.

Ying Feng held the Shared Five Senses soul crystal by Fu Yao tightly in his hand. This was his umpteenth attempt today, but no matter how he infused his mental power, he couldn’t activate it.

Despite having trained very hard, Ling Xiao’s trust in him never reached one hundred percent.

The sense of powerless frustration made him furious, and his mental power turned into attack power that transmitted to the palm of his hand, crushing the extremely hard soul crystal into powder, which slowly flowed down between his fingers.

This awakened Ying Feng.

The cabin shells on both sides of the scavenger opened, and the vacuum cleaner used for cleaning small matter extended outside the body. Ying Feng issued the opposite order, and the dust particles mixed with metal fragments absorbed earlier flew out in reverse. In zero gravity, they collided and scattered everywhere. Ying Feng manipulated the scavenger and drew a circle, weaving a dust net in space.

Bing Can and Red Head in the escort ship were dumbfounded. “If there were environmentalists here, he would definitely be fined a huge amount.”

The voice from the terminal suddenly distorted, emitting a harsh metallic sound.

“They’re here!”

It seemed like the celestial net had been torn open. “There!”

Without hesitation, Bing Can manipulated the escort ship to go up and fire in the direction of the loophole.

For a spaceship of that scale, their bullets were like tickles. Bing Can’s goal was just to harass them as much as possible. Once they got annoyed and retaliated, the stealth system would automatically deactivate.

“Still can’t summon Ling Xiao?” They were already so close.

“I guess the place he’s in might have blocked mental power… Wait!”

An escape pod popped out from the enemy spaceship. This escape pod seemed to be controlled by someone who purposefully drove towards the scavenger. Soon, someone jumped out from it.

“Ling Xiao?” Ying Feng quickly opened the cabin door and let Ling Xiao in. “How did you…?”

“I escaped.” Ling Xiao appeared before him, unharmed. “I was hit by a gun. When I woke up, there was no one around. It seems like they didn’t want my life and didn’t care about my whereabouts. They probably found out that even keeping me couldn’t be used for hostage exchange, thinking I have no value.”

Ying Feng stared at him unblinkingly, making Ling Xiao a bit uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.” Ying Feng probably experienced the first urgency since he woke up, but there was no due joy in seeing Ling Xiao return unharmed.

“By the way.” Ling Xiao’s expression was grave. “Did you send that fledgling to the space station? We must get there as soon as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because I heard that’s their destination too; they must want to reclaim the fledgling. If we move fast, we might be able to transfer the fledgling while they’re not paying attention.”

Without waiting for Ying Feng to make a decision, he proficiently chose the space station as the endpoint for the navigator, and the scavenger turned around and drove towards the destination.

“Ling Xiao, are you back? Are you alright?” Bing Can’s voice came from the terminal.

“I’m fine.” Ling Xiao’s gaze was fixed straight ahead at the retreating meteorites and debris. “Can you help us buy some time? We have to transfer the fledgling to a safe place before they do.”

Ling Xiao’s politeness made Bing Can pause, but he quickly responded, “As long as you’re fine, I’ll do my best.”

He pulled the joystick, and the escort ship flew vertically, maneuvering flexibly around the starship, occasionally firing a missile or two, trying to buy time for Ling Xiao and the others.

“What’s the situation inside?” Ying Feng asked during this gap.

“I only saw one person; the one who hit me with the gun must be another person, but I didn’t see his face. Apart from this, I didn’t see any living people. They might all be elsewhere.”

His description matched what Ying Feng saw with his mind vision.

“It’s my poor planning.”

Ling Xiao turned his head slightly. “I’m sorry. I made you worry.”

Ying Feng was stunned. The scavenger had already docked, and Ling Xiao jumped out of the cabin proficiently.

“Where’s the fledgling that was just brought here?” he asked.

“He’s undergoing treatment,” a staff member replied. “The military ordered you to return to the ground immediately.”

“The enemy warship will appear in three minutes, and that’s a naval-grade starship. Do you have enough manpower?”

The staff member was startled. “But we received a message that the enemy had fled towards the stargate.”

“I don’t know about the accuracy of your information, but I just escaped from that starship.” He stepped aside, revealing Ying Feng behind him. “My Qizhu can attest to this.”

Ying Feng remained silent for a moment before saying, “It’s true.”

The staff member was a bit panicked. “We also dispatched many warships and personnel; only a few medical and research staff are left here. It’s already too late to notify them to return.”

“Why not send the fledgling back to the ground?” Ying Feng asked.

“We can’t,” Ling Xiao firmly rebutted him. “The fledgling’s body is fragile. He can’t use the teleportation device.”

After saying this, he turned his head to ask the staff member, “Right?”

The staffer wanted to speak but was preempted by him and now quickly nodded in confirmation. “Yes, he can only be transported back by flight after he recovers.”

“But we can’t wait now,” Ling Xiao said. “Lend us a ship. We’ll take responsibility for delivering him to the nearest space station.”

Seeing their hesitation, his tone was firm. “We are students of Royal Sky, future soldiers of Tianxiu. We swear on our souls to ensure the fledgling’s safety. There will be no mishaps.”

Pressed by time and seeing their young ages not only saving the fledgling safely but also escaping from the enemy, the staff member somewhat trusted them and agreed to his proposal.

The fledgling was transferred to the spaceship. Besides Ying Feng and Ling Xiao, there was also a medical staff member from the space station with them.

The spaceship quickly left the space station, heading to another space station seven jumps away, even crossing a stargate in between.

The light in the universe distorted, and the spaceship entered a warp state. Ling Xiao stood in the cockpit with his hands behind his back, the corner of his mouth subtly curving up.

“Ling Xiao.” Ying Feng called his name.

“Hm?” He turned around with a smile, but the smile froze on his face. In Ying Feng’s hand was a weapon identical to the one used on Ling Xiao, and now the muzzle of the gun was pointed at his chest.

“What are you doing?” Ling Xiao’s gaze moved from the weapon to his face.

Ying Feng was also staring at him with probing eyes. “You are not Ling Xiao. Who are you?”

……

Ling Xiao woke up from a coma and found himself in a strange space, surrounded by a transparent medium forming an octagon, and he was trapped in the middle of this octagon.

He pushed against the glass-like objects. If this was the cage to confine him, this material obviously wouldn’t be as fragile as glass. It could be even more solid than the walls of the training hall.

“You’re awake?”

A voice made Ling Xiao realize that he wasn’t the only one here. When the speaker turned around, Ling Xiao incredulously widened his eyes.

“Ying Feng?”

The one called Ying Feng raised an eyebrow. “Who’s that?”

Ling Xiao, shocked, stared at this “Ying Feng” before him, certain that he wasn’t the person he thought. Standing here was a younger version of Ying Feng, exactly like he was in his fledgling state. More precisely, he looked like Ying Feng just after his coming-of-age ceremony. Even the color of his eyes was pitch-black.

Seeing Ling Xiao unable to speak, “Ying Feng” thought it was due to fear of being captured.

“Don’t worry, we won’t harm you. You’ll be free once we reach our destination, but for now, you must stay here.”

Ling Xiao fixated on his face, feeling a sense of time reversal, ignoring the reason why they kept him here.

“Who are you? Why are you with Tai Yin?”

“It’s rare to see young people who still recognize him. I thought he was only a hero to our generation.” The fake Ying Feng played with a virtual universe sandbox in front of him. “You can call me Fei Jing.”

“Unfortunately, in our eyes, he’s not a hero,” Ling Xiao said earnestly. “He’s a wanted criminal.”

Fei Jing glanced at him disdainfully. “How old are you? Perhaps in your past life, you were his fervent admirer. When he left Tianxiu, you were probably still crying under your blanket.”

“Whatever happened in past lives has nothing to do with me.” Ling Xiao looked around. “Besides, this isn’t really leaving Tianxiu. It’s more like eking out a living on the periphery of this planet.”

A dangerous light flashed in Fei Jing’s eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you are very good at irritating people?”

“I guess Tai Yin just thought the same thing.”

“You managing to irritate him means you have some skills. Apart from Shang Yang, I have never seen anyone else affect his emotions. A man who has lived for over four hundred years hardly has any nerves left to be touched by people or things.”

Fei Jing flicked his index finger, and a planet in mid-air began to spin rapidly. “35,200 EAU.”

“What?” Ling Xiao didn’t understand.

“Starting from the core of Tianxiu, it’s the furthest distance Tianxiu people can reach. Once we surpass this distance, we will lose all ability to act, like lambs to the slaughter. Even an alien child could easily kill us. This is the so-called soul traction.”

Ling Xiao had heard a bit about what Fei Jing was talking about but chose to listen quietly.

“The last planet conquered by the Tianxiu people is Huangxiu, 32,000 EAU from here. This is already very close to our limit. If it weren’t for the sparse population, the primitive military of that planet, and the service of a Lone Star to the military, it would have been absolutely impossible to succeed.”

“Owning seven conquered planets wasn’t enough for Tianxiu. A hundred years later, which is seven hundred years ago, the military launched an invasion towards the eighth planet, here.” Fei Jing pointed to a beautiful red planet with a halo. “Huoxiu, 36,000 EAU away from us.”

Ling Xiao had crammed some history; naturally, he knew about the Huoxiu Battle seven hundred years ago—a nightmare a thousand times worse than the Ash Event for this planet.

“The accuracy of this critical value was measured by the lives of the soldiers who went on the expedition. On one side, the invaders who couldn’t fight back, and on the other, there were the defenders who were fully prepared. There were no lone stars in that era, so the outcome was predictable.”

“Due to the distant location, the souls of the deceased soldiers couldn’t return and dissipated in the vast universe. Tianxiu lost tens of thousands of its elite soldiers overnight—not just their bodies, but their souls as well.”

“That battle severely weakened Tianxiu. It took nearly a hundred years to recover. Some conquered planets seized this opportunity to gain independence. We dispatched troops to suppress them, going back and forth for several hundred years. Although the situation has stabilized now, no one dares to cross this limit again.”

Ling Xiao waited for a moment. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Do you think 35,200 EAU is a long distance? On this sandbox, it’s not even as long as my arm. I can embrace all the accessible planets with my arms open.”

He did just that, seeming to embrace the entire universe.

“Since my youth, I have longed to visit other planets and experience different landscapes. Sadly, when I left Tianxiu, I discovered that 17,000 is the furthest distance I can reach. Not even half of my arm, here.”

He pointed between the third and fourth planets. “I can only visit the third planet and can’t even go to the fourth one. It’s ridiculous.”

“Why?”

“Probably because I’m not fully developed, my soul traction is much more severe than others’. When I reach the third planet, I am already so weak that I can hardly walk independently.”

Only now did he look at Ling Xiao, responding to the earlier taunt. “Do you think I want to live here in such a miserable way? The space I yearn for is so vast, yet the land under my feet is so limited. I was born imprisoned here. Even if you can go a bit further, you still can’t escape beyond an arm’s length. You, who have a slightly larger cage, what right do you have to mock me who can’t leave here?”

---

The author has something to say:

AU is the astronomical unit on the earth, which represents the distance from the earth to the sun. EAU is the derived astronomical unit, but who knows how much this unit of length represents.

---

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 73

In no more than ten minutes, Red Head jumped out of the engine compartment, wrench in mouth, leaving only four people inside, including him.

The indicator lights on the panel lit up one by one, and the spaceship, which seemed to have been swept by storms, regained its power.

“I can only restore sixty to seventy percent of it. That’s all I can do.” Time was tight, parts were scarce, and as a non-mechanical student, this wasn’t easy to achieve.

“You have done very well,” Bing Can praised him, then turned to Ying Feng with a worried look. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, even if we restore full power, we can’t fly faster than the starship,” Ying Feng said in a low voice. “This is the only way to buy time.”

“If this is your decision, I will fully cooperate.” He turned his head and called to Red Head. “You take the wheel, release the rope, and return immediately.”

The scavenger disconnected from the escape pod. The rope floated irregularly in space due to inertia, seemingly trying to grab something. But its original master turned mercilessly away, and the spherical escape pod floated lonely in the universe again, like a planet without an orbit.

A huge black starship came over, silently swallowed it into its belly, and gradually disappeared into the darkness. If it weren’t for the debris floating around after the spaceship was hit, no one would notice what had happened here.

The escape pod was sucked into the starship as if it were originally a part of it. A large man appeared in the circular view as the cabin door opened. Ling Xiao had been lying in wait for this moment. He swiftly assembled a weapon in his right hand and firmly aimed it at the man’s chest.

“Don’t move.”

“How is it?” Bing Can saw the light in Ying Feng’s fingers and knew that the soul crystal he had been holding had been activated, which meant that Ling Xiao was confronting the enemy.

Ying Feng closed his eyes. His vision was no longer there.

“There’s only one person.” He was inspecting a corner of the starship through spiritual vision, which was several times larger than the retired starship they had seen in the military academy, but within his field of vision, there was only one living person, and all the posts that should have been manned were handled by machines.

“They must never have thought that we would dare to invade their territory alone, so they were unprepared.”

“But there must be others here. A starship of this size cannot operate with machines alone.”

Ling Xiao stood alone, confronting the man, who stood calmly, showing no concern.

“Is it you?” The tall man recognized the young man.

Ling Xiao couldn’t think of when he had met him.

But now was not the time to inquire about his identity. He emphasized again, “Don’t move. Hands up.”

The man complied, opening his hands to reveal nothing.

“Let them go. Don’t chase.”

The man calmly glanced at Ling Xiao’s uniform. “You are young, but brave. Everyone on that garbage ship must be your classmates. If there was an adult, they wouldn’t send you.”

“I am already an adult.” Ling Xiao straightened his back.

The man responded with a disdainful sneer.

“Where are you taking Shang Yang?”

Ling Xiao’s mind thundered.

He raised his head abruptly. “Are you Tai Yin?”

He could never have imagined that the man standing in front of him would be Tai Yin, the state-level fugitive who had lived for more than four hundred years.

Ling Xiao’s palms were filled with cold sweat. How much chance of winning did he have against this dangerous individual and the unknown number of unseen people?

He remained vigilant. Tai Yin’s accomplices hadn’t appeared, but Ling Xiao believed he wouldn’t be the only one on this starship.

Regardless, Shang Yang couldn’t fall into his hands again.

Ying Feng could see the scene but not hear their conversation.

“What are they talking about?”

“It seems like he recognizes Ling Xiao.”

“Do you know him?”

“Never seen him before.”

“We should call Ling Xiao back as soon as possible.” Bing Can had a sense of unease.

“Mm,” Ying Feng said, using the summoning token, but Ling Xiao didn’t appear as expected. He focused again but felt nothing on the other end.

Bing Can stood up; Ying Feng said nothing, but his expression told him what he feared the most had happened.

“They should be far away by now. You’ve been left behind like this, don’t you mind?” Tai Yin kindly reminded Ling Xiao.

The time was about what Ling Xiao had estimated. Even if he left now, Tai Yin couldn’t catch up to them. Thinking of this, Ling Xiao’s tone became much more relaxed.

“I haven’t been left behind.” He curved his lips slightly. “Your Qizi is already dead, but my Qizhu is still alive.”

His words successfully made Tai Yin’s face darken a bit. “Your so-called battle plan wouldn’t be so naive as to send you to delay time and then let your Qizhu summon you back, would it?”

“Naive or not, it’s a fact that you can’t catch up to them now.”

“But you can’t go back either.”

Ling Xiao tried his best to appear calm on the surface, but he had started to have doubts. Ying Feng should have pulled him back long ago. Why hadn’t he acted yet?

Seeing his expression, Tai Yin knew he had guessed correctly. “Young man, you have never left your Qizhu’s side, right? Did you really think the abilities of a Qizhu are omnipotent? Daring to invade anywhere and abduct anyone without assessing one’s own abilities.”

“Do you know the summoning range of a Qizhu? When they accelerated for the second time, you were already unable to teleport next to them. Then, the mental vision failed, and finally, even the voices of mental communication can’t be conveyed. It’s really regrettable. Sometimes the Qizi is powerless in the face of distance.”

Ling Xiao’s face gradually paled, and Ying Feng’s voice resounded in his mind as if corroborating.

There’s a problem with the plan, I… 

His voice abruptly stopped. The scavenger had already driven out of the effective range of mental communication, and Ling Xiao believed Tai Yin was telling the truth.

“Now do you know why I’m not in a hurry to chase?” Tai Yin spoke in a tone as if he had the situation under control. “Because they will come back sooner or later, unless they simply don’t care about your life or death.”

“How is it?” Bing Can took a step forward anxiously.

Ying Feng had a complicated expression. “…It seems there’s a distance limit to summoning. I’ve lost contact with him.”

The scavenger made an emergency stop.

“You mean you can’t summon Ling Xiao back? Why didn’t you discover this earlier?” Red Head was about to turn around by pulling the control lever, but he was forcefully stopped midway.

Red Head turned his head in surprise; it was Ying Feng who stopped him, and the latter’s eyes were shimmering, seemingly battling internally.

“What are you doing!” he questioned.

“Don’t turn around. Keep moving forward.” Ying Feng’s voice was very low, as if coming from deep within his throat.

“Are you joking?! Ling Xiao is alone there. Do you know how dangerous that is?”

Ying Feng was silent for several seconds before he struggled to say, “I know.”

“You know and you’re still stopping me?” Red Head shouted incomprehensibly. “Even if your relationship is only three stars, he is still your Qizi. Don’t you even care about his life or death?”

Another hand touched the back of Red Head’s hand, gentle yet firm. “Ying Feng’s decision is correct. Do as he says.”

“Even you too…”

Bing Can turned his head, and Red Head instinctively followed. An unidentified fledgling was lying there, still unconscious despite receiving treatment.

On one side was Ling Xiao, and the fledgling was on the other. Without a surplus of words, Red Head understood what they wanted to say.

The plan was hastily made, but someone had anticipated all possible situations, including the one where Ling Xiao couldn’t come back.

This decision was made the moment Ling Xiao entered the escape pod. Every mature Tianxiu person would protect the fledglings with their lives; this was the foundation for their race’s survival.

Red Head’s hand, which was gripping the control lever, began to shake. Feeling his struggle, Bing Can increased his grip. He could forcefully make his Qizi let go, but at this moment, he hoped Qian Si could make the decision himself.

“I understand.”

Red Head closed his eyes and pushed the control lever forward. The street sweeper moved towards the space station at the fastest speed on the predetermined route.

“No, you are wrong.” The young man in front of Tai Yin suddenly spoke. Tai Yin raised an eyebrow, unaware of his mistake.

“They won’t come back, not even for me here.”

“It seems your Qizhu and companions don’t care much about you. Knowing you’re in danger and still not coming back to save you.”

“It has nothing to do with the quality of affection. I’ve told you the reason.” Ling Xiao calmly looked into his eyes. “Because I’m an adult, always ready to sacrifice for the fledglings. I believe my companions would make the same choice. That fledgling isn’t Shang Yang; he risked the danger of his soul scattering in the universe to escape from here. Don’t you understand his choice by now?”

Tai Yin stared at him with a dark expression. “I don’t know about others’ choices. I just know you’re in big trouble soon.”

With a muffled sound, Ling Xiao fell softly to the ground, losing consciousness. After he fell, a person was revealed standing behind him; the muzzle of the gun in his hand was still emitting a faint smoke.

“You’re too slow.” Tai Yin blamed him dissatisfactory.

“I was just curious because you hadn’t come back for so long, so I kindly came down to check. I didn’t expect you, being a genius scientist, to be so foolish as to be taken hostage. Did your intelligence flee along with Shang Yang on the day he escaped?”

“They drove a scavenger. I thought they were workers cleaning up space. I didn’t expect them to be students of Royal Sky. It was my momentary carelessness.”

“Well, you have a hostage now anyway. Can’t you just have them exchange him directly?”

“Don’t be naive. The military won’t exchange an adult for a fledgling. This person is useless and will attract the military’s firepower.”

“I see.” The man shrugged his shoulders. “Then I’ll just throw him out of here.”

“What I meant by useless is to me, but he is the one Xing Lou wants. We have to ensure that he stays alive.” Tai Yin complained in a low voice, “How unlucky to run into him.”

“Neither throwing nor keeping him is good. What should we do now?”

Tai Yin thought for a while. “Throw him into the escape pod and leave a launch signal for him. Someone will find him.”

“How troublesome.” The man tried to pick up the gun on the ground, but the weapon disappeared the moment it left Ling Xiao’s hand.

“…What annoys me the most are those soul crystals you guys use. You don’t leave any spoils of war.”

A mechanical alarm sounded from the loudspeaker. “Radar has detected an approaching fleet. Do you want to change course?”

Tai Yin snorted. “They came really fast.”

He turned and walked quickly to the upper level, instructing loudly as he walked, “Don’t worry about that man for now. Throwing him out now will be noticed. Shang Yang should have been sent to the nearest space station. We need to find him and leave here as quickly as possible.”

The battered scavenger rushed into the space station, and the staff had already been waiting near the runway.

“We have already notified the military to come to the rescue. You all did very well. Leave the rest to us. Superiors ordered you must return to the ground immediately.”

Before Bing Can and Red Head, who were helping to carry the fledgling out of the cabin, could say a word of refusal, the parked scavenger flew out quickly and sailed into space, leaving everyone stunned.

Red Head chased angrily for a few steps. “Ying Feng, you idiot, what’s the use of driving a garbage truck out? You should take me with you!”

A two-person military battleship quietly stopped beside him. The door opened, revealing Bing Can in the driver’s seat.

Red Head’s eyes lit up, and he jumped in. Bing Can pulled the control stick and once again left in front of the staff. The people reacted and ran after him, but they couldn’t catch up with the speed of a battleship.

“My Qizhu is much smarter than Ling Xiao’s Qizhu.” Red Head looked back at the group of people running and waving them to stop, feeling proud. “So I am much smarter than Ling Xiao.”

“The casualty doesn’t hold.” Bing Can initiated the secondary acceleration. He must catch up with Ying Feng as soon as possible. “The starship just now has a stealth system. Even the military might not be able to find it.”

Red Head immediately became nervous. “Then who can find it?”

“Ying Feng. If Ling Xiao is still on that starship, only Ying Feng can find him.”

---

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 72

“You want to test your relationship’s star level? Why?” The instructor asked upon hearing Ying Feng’s intention.

“Because it seems that I’ve unintentionally used Spiritual Comfort. I want to know whether our progress has genuinely reached six stars.”

The instructor laughed dismissively. “Indeed, there are methods to measure relationship star level, but I don’t want to tell you.”

Ying Feng was puzzled. “Why?”

“If one does not understand to what extent their own emotions have developed and needs to rely on external means to judge—that’s just absurd. There are so many species in the world; only our feelings can be measured by values. Does this mean that all other species don’t fall in love?”

“I want you to develop relationship star levels because, from an outsider’s perspective, this is the only standard to judge the quality of your relationship. But being the involved party, you should know more clearly than any instrument the extent to which your feelings have developed.”

Ying Feng frowned; this seemed to be much more complex than combat training for him.

The instructor, somewhat dissatisfied, elaborated further, “Besides being able to use Spiritual Comfort, don’t you have any other feelings? Psychologists define this stage as the moment when the seed breaks through the soil. Your heart rate would accelerate when you touch his hand; you can’t help but express your feelings to him. This is the state that should correspond to six stars. Do you understand what I mean? Your judgment should not come from here.” The instructor pointed to the computer and then moved to his heart. “But here.”

When Ying Feng returned to the dormitory, Ling Xiao was playing a newly released strategic simulation game. The living room was covered with projections of the universe. Ling Xiao was controlling his fleet and attacking some unknown player’s planet with Red Head online. The battle was intense.

“Return to defense! The tail ship needs support! You’re back.” His greeting was interspersed between various shouts. “Someone is attacking me!”

Ying Feng walked over without a word and unexpectedly grabbed Ling Xiao’s hand. Ling Xiao was dumbfounded, and the tense battle was set aside. Only Red Head’s voice was constantly heard in the room.

“Ling Xiao, what are you doing? Enemy reinforcements have arrived; they are firing at your main ship! Why aren’t you moving? Hey, where are you!”

Ying Feng was silently experiencing the feeling described by the instructor. Ling Xiao’s gaze was constantly moving between the other’s face and his own hand. Is this some new ability? Why doesn’t he feel anything?

“What are you doing?” he couldn’t help asking.

“Nothing.” Ying Feng released his hand. Is it because of the constant contact that there’s no accelerated heartbeat when touching hands?

…What’s going on?

Red Head’s voice was replaced by Bing Can.

“Ling Xiao, has Ying Feng come back? If he’s back, let’s do the social work.”

“He’s back,” Ling Xiao hurriedly responded. He hadn’t forgotten their thirty-hour community service punishment. “We’re coming right away.”

He hastily commanded the surviving fleet to retreat to their base and joined Ying Feng, along with Bing Can, to go to the administration building.

The staff there were used to this kind of situation. “Pick a task from the recruitment board yourself. The terminal will automatically record your working hours.”

Looking around, Ling Xiao saw a variety of jobs, from cleaning the school to clearing obstacles—even strange tasks like clearing space debris. Besides those punished with community service, there were people volunteering.

“What does this X2 icon mean?” Ling Xiao asked.

“That represents high-difficulty jobs, counted as double time.” The staff looked at them. “You guys are freshmen? I recommend not trying.”

“So, we only need to do fifteen hours?” Ling Xiao pointed to the space debris clearing task. “I want to do this one.”

“Me too!” Red Head agreed joyfully.

“It’s work, not play.” The staff slammed the table. “Think carefully.”

“I think this one is good. I don’t want to clean the school for thirty hours.” Bing Can asked Ying Feng, “What about you?”

“No objections.”

“Well, whatever.” The staff saw this and didn’t interfere.

The four people arrived at the space station via teleportation. This was their first visit to space. Although it was for labor, they were as excited as if they were on vacation.

“This small work spaceship is called the Space Scavenger. It’s specifically used to clean up space debris. You are responsible for clearing all the debris in this area. Even parts smaller than one centimeter in diameter cannot be overlooked as they can pose a threat to the safety of space stations and satellites.”

The staff at the space station introduced them to the operational procedures, finally reminding, “You need to be careful to avoid high-speed objects when working. After all, what you are piloting is not a military aircraft. It has quite average safety performance and can easily be damaged if hit.”

“What if we encounter enemies?”

“You’ve watched too many movies. It’s not that easy to encounter enemies. I’ve been working here for seven or eight years and haven’t even seen a shadow of an enemy. If there were any dangers, students wouldn’t be asked to do this. Don’t overthink it, just go.”

They piloted the scavenger away from the space station. When they saw floating debris or wreckage, they used vacuum cleaners or mechanical arms to collect them. This work was much less laborious than cleaning school buildings, but it required more concentrated attention.

After they moved some distance away from the space station, Ling Xiao, who was responsible for piloting, suddenly detected an unidentified object on the radar.

“Look, what’s that?”

The other three gathered around, but no one could identify what it was until the UFO got closer to the scavenger. They recognized it as an emergency escape pod.

The four of them looked at each other. “Does this count as large trash?”

“Either way, let’s report it first.”

Ling Xiao reported their findings to the space station.

“We haven’t received any distress signals. You can check it first but be careful.”

Ling Xiao maneuvered the scavenger to fly around the escape pod twice. There was no response, and there was no reply to the communication request.

“Maybe there’s no one inside.”

“Not necessarily; the person inside might be unconscious.”

“I’ll go check,” Ling Xiao said.

“I’ll go with you,” Ying Feng said, not feeling secure with him going alone.

They both came to the outside of the cabin. The actual space environment differed slightly from the simulated environment in the training room. After a brief period of adjustment, their bodies adapted to the most suitable state.

In front of them was a sealed single-person escape pod. Without any glass, they could not see inside. Ling Xiao tried to turn the pressure valve, and during this time, Ying Feng carefully inspected the surrounding area of the escape pod. The spherical object was very tightly made, unlike what ordinary civilian equipment could achieve. There were words on the pod’s wall; it indeed was a product of Tianxiu.

How is it?

He floated to Ling Xiao’s side.

The indicator light here is red.

Ling Xiao pointed to the most conspicuous place outside the cabin door. This indicated that there was a living person inside, but the vital signs were extremely weak and in danger at any time.

We might not have time to drag it back. Let’s try to transfer the person inside to the scavenger. Bing Can should be able to perform first aid.

Ying Feng thought for a while and agreed. He secretly held a protective soul crystal in his hand and nodded to Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao strengthened his force and turned the pressure valve clockwise several times. The cabin door finally opened, and the sight stunned them.

The unconscious person in the escape pod was just a fledgling from the look of the body shape. He obviously didn’t have the ability to survive in the space environment like Ling Xiao did, and his body had already begun to freeze rapidly in this short time.

Ying Feng acted swiftly, using the protective shield originally prepared to protect them on the fledgling. Ling Xiao broke into a cold sweat; he almost murdered a fledgling—but why would there be a fledgling here?

They didn’t have time to think too much now. The protective shield had a limited time; they had to transfer him to a safe place as quickly as possible.

Ling Xiao turned around and waved his hand, and shortly after, a mechanical arm extended from the side of the scavenger grabbed the protective shield along with the fledgling, like cleaning the trash, and pulled them back.

“How could there be a fledgling here?” Red Head, seeing the true face of the “trash”, was as astonished as Ling Xiao. In Tianxiu, nothing was more strictly managed than fledglings. It was hard for them to get out of school before, let alone appear in space.

Bing Can lifted his eyelids and saw that it was really a fledgling, not an undeveloped adult. This was truly bizarre.

However, the priority was to treat him. Bing Can activated all the healing soul crystals. He placed his hands glowing white light on the fledgling’s forehead and chest. The nearly dying fledgling’s face gradually recovered to normal.

Ling Xiao and Ying Feng tied the escape pod to the scavenger and rushed back. Bing Can had exhausted all his mental power and was pale, leaning on the seat, but the fledgling’s condition was much better than when they first saw him.

“What happened?” Ling Xiao asked eagerly as he entered.

“If you are asking about the reason for his unconsciousness, it’s due to long-term fasting and dehydration, plus physical weakness leading to loss of consciousness. It seems that he had been there for a long time before we discovered the escape pod.”

“If you are asking why he’s here, that’s unknown. We have notified the space station, and they want us to return immediately.”

As he spoke, Red Head had proficiently turned around, and the scavenger was heading back to their origin, pulling the sealed cabin.

Ling Xiao was still frightened by the situation just now. “Thankfully, Ying Feng discovered it early, otherwise…”

Before he finished speaking, the scavenger bumped violently. Ling Xiao barely stabilized himself against the cabin wall to avoid falling.

“What happened?” Everyone became tense.

Just after asking, another violent shake occurred, and at the same time, the alarm in the cabin rang. Red Head’s voice came from the cockpit.

“We are under attack! Radar and communication systems have all failed!”

“What?!”

Ling Xiao stumbled into the cockpit. “How is the damage so severe? Have the defense systems been activated? What about the weapons?”

“We are a garbage cleaning ship. Do you think we are a battleship?”

“Who is so crazy that they won’t even let go of a garbage truck?”

Red Head suddenly pointed forward in astonishment. “I guess it’s them.”

Without him saying, Ling Xiao also saw it. In front of them, a huge object gradually appeared. It was a giant starship, all black, with sharp edges, giving a strong sense of oppression.

“Not good!” Another row of laser bullets came, and Ling Xiao dodged left and right, grabbing the control stick. Still, a bullet hit, and the scavenger, with negligible defensive capabilities, was almost paralyzed.

“The power system is also malfunctioning!”

“I’ll go fix it!” Red Head ran towards the tail of the aircraft. Bing Can continued to guard the fledgling while Ying Feng came to the front.

“They are probably coming for what’s behind us.”

“You mean, they’re here for that fledgling?”

“Exactly, otherwise who would make a big fuss over a scavenger.” Ying Feng pondered. “Can we connect with the other side?”

Ling Xiao tried on the panel. “Our equipment can’t send out signals unless the other side contacts us first.”

He had just finished speaking when the screen filled with snowflakes flickered twice, and a completely unfamiliar voice came through.

“Release the escape pod or bear the consequences.”

“You’re looking for the person inside, aren’t you?” Ying Feng asked.

“It’s none of your business.”

“What if I told you there’s no one inside anymore?”

“What?” The voice on the other side immediately became tense.

“Because the person has already been transferred to our side.”

The voice was silent for a moment, and when it sounded again, it was filled with anger.

“Are you joking?”

“It seems you know very well who is inside. If you continue to attack us, this scavenger will soon be pierced through. At that time, we can still delay for a while, but whether the person you are looking for can survive until you come to rescue him is uncertain.”

Ling Xiao had been quietly listening to Ying Feng’s negotiations with that person, and suddenly he raised his hand to turn off the microphone.

“Have you considered that he might catch all of us along with the entire scavenger?”

“He won’t want us to enter his cabin. Besides, if we encounter danger, we may take hostages. This person is very important to him; he doesn’t dare to gamble.”

After saying this, he asked Red Head loudly, “How’s the progress on your end?”

“I still need time! Stall them a bit more!”

“Even if the power system can be restored, you won’t be able to escape their attacks,” Bing Can reminded him.

“Let’s try.”

“What do you want?” The man finally said.

Ying Feng turned the microphone back on. “We can send him back to where he came from, but you have to let us go.”

The other side snorted. “How do I know if there is anyone in the sealed cabin?”

“Even if we start fleeing now, with your speed, are you afraid you won’t catch up to us?”

The owner of the voice pondered for a moment and accepted this proposal. “You have five minutes.”

Red Head was frantically gesturing in the background.

“Ten minutes. We need time to transfer him. You wouldn’t want any mishap during this, would you?”

“Fine, ten minutes. I will be here watching your every move. Don’t try anything sneaky.”

Ying Feng turned off the communication and saw Ling Xiao burying his head in his terminal.

“It’s useless. The other side is using magnetic field interference.”

“What do we do now?”

Ying Feng said calmly, “We will naturally do as he says.”

---

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 71

“Love, confession, kissing, growth—this is the correct order, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, what if the order is growth, kissing, confession, and love?”

“Hahahaha, what is this? A time-reversal game?”

“Hey!”

Ling Xiao and Red Head were lying head-to-head on the grass. The weather today was clear, making it a perfect day to lie comfortably on the lawn and talk.

After laughing for a while, Red Head realized, “You’re not talking about yourself, are you?”

“I’m serious with you, and you’re making fun of me. I shouldn’t have asked you.”

“So, it really is like that, huh?” Red Head flipped over curiously. “Three-star couples are indeed different.”

“You’re still laughing?”

Red Head still wants to laugh, trying hard to hold it back. “I won’t laugh anymore; tell me, which step have you reached?”

Ling Xiao hesitated. “The second step.”

“Kissed? So, isn’t the next step to confess?”

Ling Xiao was stunned; he had never thought about this.

“Just confess!” Red Head sat up abruptly. “What are you waiting for? Once you confess, you can start dating, and the seven stars will be within reach.”

“Seven stars…” Ling Xiao hesitated. “When you got together with Bing Can, did you confess first?”

“Of course, my Qizhu is the male god of Lion Academy. Many people secretly admired him like I did.” Red Head sank into sweet memories. “Back then, to gain his attention, I often deliberately did stupid things in public, causing the other students to burst into laughter. At that time, even if he just glanced at me a little, it felt worth it, even being laughed at by others…”

“Hey.” He poked Ling Xiao discontentedly. “I’m sharing my personal experience with you. Are you listening?”

“I’m listening, I’m listening,” Ling Xiao said absentmindedly.

At this time, what he was thinking was that gaining someone’s attention by any means originated from this mentality. If he had realized it earlier, perhaps he and Ying Feng could have developed in the normal order.

Red Head finally finished recalling the past. “…And he accepted my confession. It still feels like a dream when I think about it.”

He finished his lamentation and saw that Ling Xiao hadn’t responded for a long time, so he poked him again. “No applause?”

Ling Xiao didn’t hear how he successfully confessed. “Then? Because you liked him, becoming a Qizi didn’t matter?”

“How can you say that? Of course, I also hoped to be a Qizhu. I did my best in the coming-of-age ceremony too. I willingly became a Qizi because I lost due to my lesser skills. If he lost, he would naturally be the Qizi. There’s nothing to worry about. The coming-of-age ceremony is fair.”

He finished and asked again, “So, have you figured it out?”

Ling Xiao was taken aback. “Figured out what?”

“Confessing!” Red Head was anxious for him. “I’ve talked for so long; you haven’t been listening at all.”

“Oh, that…” Ling Xiao wanted to back out as soon as he heard it.

Red Head punched him. “You’re hesitating. That’s not like you.” He suddenly had a bright idea. “I have an idea.”

He whispered his plan to Ling Xiao.

“Is this okay?” Ling Xiao frowned. “It’s too high-profile. Ying Feng won’t like it.”

“Nobody dislikes a passionate confession ceremony. Trust me.” Without another word, Red Head pulled Ling Xiao up from the grass and dragged him towards the experiment area.

“Where to?”

“To get props!”

Chemistry Department Laboratory Building.

“Let me introduce you. This is my classmate from Shiji. He also got admitted this year, studying in the Chemistry Department.”

“Hello.” The two greeted each other.

Red Head described what he needed. “Do you have something like this?”

“Yes, what color do you want?”

“For a confession, it has to be pink, don’t you agree?” He asked Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao was unsure. A person who likes strawberries should like pink, right?

“Then let’s go with pink.”

The classmate from the chemistry department brought them two small bags of powder, one white and one pink. “Mixing them together will achieve the effect you want.”

“Is this little amount enough?”

The classmate patted his chest. “It’s enough. Trust me.”

Ling Xiao and the others, with the items obtained from the chemistry lab, headed straight to the Royal Sky landing pad.

“Is this method you mentioned really effective?” Ling Xiao asked, sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Of course.” The voice of Red Head came from behind. “Once I modify the exhaust pipe, when you start it, the Flying Shark will spew pink gas. Wow, it will be so romantic.”

“Okay, it’s done!” He got into the co-pilot seat. “Let’s go to the most conspicuous place in Royal Sky where everyone can see!”

The only place Ling Xiao could think of was the playground, which was spacious enough. He switched the Flying Shark to flight mode and activated the jet system, and indeed, pink smoke was emitted from behind the Flying Shark.

“Haha, how about it? Pretty, right?” Red Head was directing from the side. “Try drawing a heart.”

Ling Xiao circled in the air twice, leaving behind a pair of huge hearts reflecting each other and lingering in the air for a long time.

“Cool! Look, people are already watching below.” Red Head was as excited as if he were confessing. “Can it be more complicated?”

Ling Xiao’s piloting skills were impeccable. He played various stunts in the air, becoming more and more excited and even forgetting his initial purpose.

“I feel something is wrong.” Red Head said while coughing, “Why is there so much smoke in the cockpit?”

Ling Xiao also realized retrospectively that the smoke inside the aircraft was getting thicker and the visibility outside had almost dropped to zero. Even the radar had automatically turned on, and the alarm system was sounding non-stop.

“What the hell, cough cough.” Red Head was fanning desperately. “Land quickly, land quickly.”

Ling Xiao also wanted to land, but he couldn’t see anything. The students on the ground were pointing, “Ah, is it on fire up there?”

“Someone come and put out the fire!”

The two people sitting in the aircraft only felt a sudden stop, and the speed gradually decreased.

“Damn, it seems like we hit something!”

“Heavens!”

“It’s auto-descending!” Ling Xiao made another discovery in panic.

The Flying Shark slowly landed from the air. As soon as the cabin door opened, two people hurriedly escaped to a safe place, gasping for fresh air.

“What happened?” Although Flying Shark had landed, a large amount of smoke was still pouring out, looking like a grand pink firework.

Ling Xiao was about to speak when he saw a person walking out of the smoke. He gulped down his words.

The person he remembered deeply on the first day of school, the rumored strictest administrator of Royal Sky, the Disciplinary Director, was walking towards them with a serious face.

Red Head also saw him, and his voice trembled. “We’re doomed.”

The director came over, and the two stood straight. “Hello, sir! Sir, we know we were wrong!”

The Disciplinary Director saw that the troublemakers were two first-year students. “What happened here?”

“Reporting sir, it was, it was an accident.”

“Accident?”

Red Head caught a familiar figure in the crowd out of the corner of his eye. The person immediately fled upon being spotted.

“Ah, don’t run!” Red Head wanted to chase him. This dumb chemistry student had gotten them into big trouble.

“Stop!” The Disciplinary Director shouted causing Red Head to freeze in place.

“Still trying to run?”

“No…”

“Which department are you from?”

“Reporting sir, Joint Combat Department.”

“Call your Qizhus here.”

The two were dumbfounded. “Eh?”

“Eh what? Qizhus are responsible for their Qizis’ mistakes. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

The two were dumbstruck. After a while, Ling Xiao said, “Can we not call our Qizhu? They didn’t know about the trouble we caused.”

“Yes,” Red Head pleaded. “Sir, please, just punish us.”

“Be serious!”

Red Head put his hands back to his sides.

“It’s the school rule; no exceptions!”

Ling Xiao braced himself. “School rule, can we challenge it…”

The director sneered, “Sure, the holder of this school rule is me. Come and challenge.”

Ling Xiao: ……

“If you’re not challenging, then hurry up and notify your Qizhus to pick you up.”

Ying Feng and Bing Can received a notification and hurried to the scene. Upon arrival, they saw Ling Xiao and Red Head standing dejectedly by the playground, being scolded by the director. They looked like completely different people compared to their usually aggressive selves.

In the middle of the playground, not far away, there was a gleaming yellow Flying Shark, from which a strange pink smoke was emanating. Although most of the smoke had dissipated, this discordance with the serious atmosphere of the military academy still left a strong visual impact.

“Hello, director… May I ask what happened?” Bing Can carefully inquired.

The director grunted, “Ask them.”

The two hesitated for a long time and didn’t clarify the matter. Every time Red Head mentioned words related to a confession, Ling Xiao would subtly elbow him, a sight caught by the three bystanders. The Disciplinary Director didn’t expose them, and the other two also endured.

“Forget it. I don’t want to know the reason. Mistakes must be punished. Although the Qizhu was unaware beforehand, the lack of supervision also deserves punishment.”

Red Head’s head was almost hanging to the ground; Ling Xiao was extremely regretful, and he felt embarrassed that Ying Feng found out about this silly act.

“Considering it’s your first offense in the first year, a verbal warning for each of you, and 30 hours of compulsory labor.” The director pointed with his chin. “Get your junk out of here.”

Bing Can had already noticed that Ling Xiao had something to hide and didn’t let Red Head say it. He quickly took his Qizi back for “education” as an excuse.

Once they were far enough away from the others, Bing Can asked, “What happened?”

Red Head stutteringly explained the cause and process of the matter, leaving Bing Can massaging his forehead in frustration.

“Monkeys and apes together can’t think of anything romantic. You should stop giving people bad ideas.”

“But that’s how I won you over.” Red Head wasn’t happy being scolded like that.

“You hung banners on every tree in the academy. It took me a long time to clean them up. Your way of confessing is too brutal; even I can’t stand it, let alone Ying Feng, who is even more introverted than me?”

Hong Mao was about to cry. “You said you were touched at the time.”

“Because if I didn’t say that, you wouldn’t stop.” Bing Can was helpless. He knew Red Head meant well, but the combination of their poor judgments was still negative. “Those methods don’t work on Ying Feng.”

“So what will work?”

“That’s between them. Different partners have different ways of getting along. You, an outsider, should not interfere.”

Seeing Red Head looking hurt, Bing Can affectionately patted his head. “They will find a way suitable to express their feelings. Moreover, not all feelings need to be spoken out loud. A look can be a confession.”

Red Head closed his eyes, seemingly enjoying this action. “Pat me again.”

Bing Can, holding back his laughter, patted him again. “You were the one who made a mistake. How did this turn into a reward? If you do this again, such treatment will be canceled.”

The onlookers gradually left, leaving only Ying Feng and Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao, lowering his head, was sneakily observing Ying Feng’s reaction from the corner of his eye, quickly averting his gaze when caught.

Ying Feng walked around the Flying Shark, finally stopping in front of it. The vehicle had ten deep fingerprints; the director had forced it to land with his bare hands in midair. Ying Feng measured the depth of the fingerprints with his hand. The physical specialist had used at least a level seven soul crystal.

Ling Xiao’s mood worsened after seeing those fingerprints; he felt remorseful and scared that Ying Feng might be angry.

“What are you doing standing there? Come up.”

Ling Xiao snapped back to reality, noticing that Ying Feng had already entered the cabin and activated the air purification equipment.

He quickly got in. “Where to?”

“Repair, of course.”

Ying Feng drove the Flying Shark to the repair center, leaving pink exhaust all the way. He didn’t ask Ling Xiao for the reason. Ling Xiao’s heart was in suspense. Fortunately, the vehicle had a long warranty; Ling Xiao didn’t know this and thought he would have to pay a huge repair fee, considering the obvious high cost of the Flying Shark.

Ying Feng finished arranging the repair and saw Ling Xiao waiting dejectedly. If he had a tail, it would definitely be hanging to the ground, and his ears seemed to want to cover his face.

Before Ying Feng could speak, Ling Xiao hurriedly said, “I will only eat bread this month, won’t buy things, won’t play games. If that’s not enough, add my living expenses for next month.”

Ying Feng, originally a bit angry at Ling Xiao for disregarding school rules and acting recklessly, felt his anger dissipate after seeing Ling Xiao like this.

“Why?” he finally asked.

“…Wanted to give you a surprise.” Ling Xiao gave a half-true reason.

Ying Feng looked back at the Flying Shark under repair. “It is quite surprising.”

Ling Xiao pursed his lips. “I’m sorry.”

Ying Feng, seeing his infinitely guilty look, inexplicably felt an impulse and went up to pat his head. Ling Xiao kept his body straight, his expression strange.

“What did you just use?”

“What?”

“On your hand.” Ling Xiao was unsure. “It felt strange.”

Ying Feng looked at his hand. There seemed to be a slightly burning sensation just now, but he was sure he hadn’t used mental power.

“Is that so?” He patted again.

This time, Ling Xiao, closing his eyes and raising his head, felt a comfortable sensation spreading throughout his body along with Ying Feng’s touch, lightening his depressed mood.

A word suddenly appeared in Ying Feng’s mind, but he wasn’t sure, or, to be precise, he didn’t believe it.

Seeing Ling Xiao enjoying himself so much that he was unwilling to open his eyes, Ying Feng quietly turned around and pulled up the information he had stored earlier in the terminal.

[When the objects of mutual crushes gather the courage to confess, congratulations, your affection value has reached six stars. If you have already become spouses, don’t forget to try the Qizhu’s skill—Spiritual Comfort. This will allow your Qizi to get rid of sadness, anger, or other negative emotions and also make them feel comfortable and relaxed.]

[Spiritual Comfort does not consume mental power, and once your Qizi has enjoyed it once, they will never tire of it. Do not let your indulgence make them overly addicted to it; use it as a means of comfort only when necessary.]

After enjoying the lingering effects of the soothing, Ling Xiao still craved more. He opened his eyes only to see Ying Feng with his back to him, bowing his head, not knowing what he was looking at.

“What are you looking at?” He tried to look around but was blocked by Ying Feng’s body and couldn’t see anything.

“Nothing.” Ying Feng shut down the terminal, but a huge question mark rose in his heart.

Seeing him turn around, Ling Xiao happily put his head forward. “Pat my head, pat my head.”

Ying Feng uncertainly put his hand up, and sure enough, Ling Xiao again revealed that kind of joyful and enjoyable expression, making it impossible for him not to believe.

But six stars… is it really possible?

---

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

Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

---

Chapter 70

The “agreement” between Yu Ji and Shuang Feng left Ling Xiao puzzled for an entire afternoon, and he was still guessing when he went to bed at night.

“Ah, what do you think their agreement really is? Could it be some kind of promise from Yu Ji never to touch him? Otherwise, why didn’t his blood exhibit any arousing effects…”

Ying Feng endured a whole night of incessant chatter and now just wanted to sleep quietly. However, even after lights out, Ling Xiao still had no intention to stop. With a push of his hand, Ying Feng’s face appeared above Ling Xiao’s.

Ling Xiao nervously swallowed. “What, what are you doing…”

Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was covered, and as the kiss deepened, a strong sense of sleepiness attacked him. It was a familiar feeling.

Ying Feng figured it was about time and ended the kiss. Ling Xiao, who was spirited just now, was already drowsy.

“You cheated…”

He managed to squeeze out these words before nodding off, leaving Ying Feng to finally sleep in peace.

Half an hour later, Ling Xiao rolled over, half-lying on the bed, full of energy, his eyes shining in the dark night.

Next to him, Ying Feng was breathing evenly, clearly fast asleep.

“Hey, why are you asleep again?” He stretched out his hands to push Ying Feng. “I haven’t finished talking. I can’t sleep without clearing this up…”

Ying Feng, still half asleep and without even opening his eyes, intuitively found his target and kissed Ling Xiao.

“Uh, mmm…” This time the kiss lasted longer. Ling Xiao struggled initially, but his voice got lower and lower, sounding like a mosquito.

Only then did Ying Feng let him go; Ling Xiao opened his mouth in protest.

“Again…”

After saying this, he collapsed on Ying Feng and fell into a deep sleep.

This time Ling Xiao slept until daylight, waking up in the same position, honestly lying on Ying Feng’s chest, with Ying Feng’s arm still around his neck, looking like a harmonious and loving scene…

No! Ling Xiao got up angrily and began to shake Ying Feng.

“I’m telling you, Ying Feng, that’s not how kissing works!”

Ying Feng was completely awakened by him. “How is it done then?”

“It’s, it’s…” He was at a loss for words. “It is when words can’t express your love, so you use actions instead, doing it sincerely, without any other intentions. That’s what a kiss is!”

Ying Feng couldn’t understand his incoherent explanation. “Is it in the books?”

“No!!!”

Ying Feng got out of bed. “Going to class.”

Ling Xiao desperately held his head. Having to go through a love course with someone with negative emotional intelligence was really too hard.

“Starting this class, we need to start learning to adapt to all combat environments: sea, land, air, including space. Everyone is required to be as proficient as on flat ground.”

“First, we learn how to fight in space. In outer space, we need to overcome two major difficulties. One is the lack of oxygen; the other is the lack of gravity.” The instructor extended three fingers, holding two soul crystals between them. “We mainly use these two soul crystals to solve the above problems.”

“The first one can generate airflow under our feet.” He demonstrated, slowly rising and hanging in the air, the dust beneath his feet spinning.

“And the second one stores oxygen in our lungs while allowing us to breathe normally. We don’t need spacesuits or oxygen masks. Having no encumbrances is our advantage, but we must always pay attention to our internal oxygen storage, the oxygen-producing soul crystal, and whether our mental power is sufficient; otherwise, you’ll be in danger.”

“Today’s training soul crystals have been distributed to everyone. The training room has simulated the space environment. Complete the tasks in groups.” A cunning light flashed in the instructor’s eyes. “Those who fail to complete the task will hop around the playground for five laps.”

Everyone began to familiarly check the soul crystals they received. The instructor distributed different amounts and types of soul crystals to everyone based on their actual conditions; every pair received different tasks.

“Our task is to steal the Blue Star crystal chip and then deliver the chips to headquarters.” Ling Xiao saw his task target and read it out loud; many people on the scene looked at him.

“What a coincidence.” Bing Can laughed. “Our task is to assist you in clearing the obstacles.”

“Really?” Ling Xiao asked Yu Ji. “What about you?”

Yu Ji turned off the terminal. “Can’t say.”

“What’s with the secrecy?” Ling Xiao rolled his eyes and suddenly had a good idea.

“Shall we make a bet?”

“What bet?”

“Whoever completes the task first can ask the other a question, and the other must answer truthfully.”

Yu Ji evidently had little interest in this wager. “But I have no questions to ask.”

“Come on, just ask anything.” Ling Xiao began to beg. “Like what I like to eat…”

Yu Ji and Shuang Feng looked at each other, reluctantly saying, “Fine, but the chances of us losing are slim.”

“You know my task, but I don’t know yours, so you have the advantage, but we’ll see.”

Five couples entered their training room, appearing in five different positions, with the enemy’s mothership located directly opposite Ling Xiao and his team.

We’re ready.

He gestured to Bing Can on the other side, and the latter responded with understanding.

Ling Xiao activated the soul crystal and immediately felt his lungs fill up. He adjusted himself, confirmed that breathing was unobstructed, and leapt into simulated space, floating up due to the weightless environment.

Be careful.

Ying Feng’s voice appeared in his mind. Ling Xiao heard the warning and instinctively activated the power soul crystal, immediately rushing forward to avoid a particle beam attack.

He stopped by grabbing a meteorite floating in the air and turned his head to see one of his classmates floating opposite him, one of the ten people who came in together, holding a beam gun in his hand.

What are you doing?

Ling Xiao signaled to him.

His Qizhu flew over and answered for him.

Our mission is to stop you from stealing the chip.

Ling Xiao finally understood that everyone’s task in this training was opposed. Indeed, some people would inevitably fail and be punished. The instructor was really cunning.

But even so, those who couldn’t complete the task wouldn’t be them. Ling Xiao avoided the next wave of attacks behind a meteorite and unexpectedly rushed in the opposite direction. Bullets chased after him. He dodged left and right, but still got scratched on the arm.

A figure flew over, grabbing him and jumping up. Bing Can activated healing mid-motion, and Ling Xiao’s injury quickly healed.

They hid behind a larger meteorite, and soon the attacks ceased. Two people came out from their hiding place. As expected, Ying Feng and Red Head had each restrained one. Red Head gave them a “done” gesture.

The plan was successful. The four of them replenished oxygen and power and flew towards the enemy mothership. The weapons and soul crystals they obtained by the defenders were abundant. They moved through the hail of bullets. Unfortunately, the enemy kept hiding and never showed themselves, so they could only do their best to approach the source of the attack.

Bing Can was flying last when suddenly he was frozen in place. Then, a person appeared from invisibility and gently touched his chest, which meant he was “dead” in combat.

Red Head flew halfway and found his Qizhu was missing. He hastily looked back. He saw Bing Can alone there and flew towards him without thinking. Bing Can was anxious, but he was out and couldn’t make any moves to signal Red Head and couldn’t use mental communication. He could only watch him helplessly, about to follow in his footsteps.

At the front line, Ying Feng used the weapon’s soul crystal. Ling Xiao in front clasped his fists, assembling a plasma cannon with his arms. Ling Xiao aimed at the largest meteorite in front and fired accurately. The huge recoil made him fly backward, but Ying Feng was ready and caught him midway.

The meteorite was shattered, and the hidden attackers jumped away awkwardly; both were scratched by the debris.

Ling Xiao was about to rush up to deal with them when Yu Ji and Shuang Feng appeared behind them and efficiently took them down. Only then did Ling Xiao know that Yu Ji and the others were on his side, but they didn’t say so earlier.

He looked around.

Have you seen Red Head and the others?

Yu Ji shook his head, also gesturing.

You go and fetch it; we will keep watch.

Ling Xiao counted the people; there were no enemies left. He came to the mothership, teleported inside, and quickly found his target.

“Got it!” He was about to get the chip when two people suddenly pounced from the dark. Ling Xiao rolled back alertly, avoiding the enemy’s attack.

“You…”

The ambushers were a female couple from his class. The Qizi smiled. “We were set to ambush here before you came in; this is our secret mission.”

The instructor is too cunning!

Ling Xiao barely avoided several pincer attacks. He was no match for them alone. He threw out a soul crystal in the chaos, summoning mechanical bugs to seek help from Ying Feng, who was guarding outside.

Ying Feng also thought there were no more enemies. When he received Ling Xiao’s distress signal, he teleported in immediately and was surprised to find the sixth pair of classmates who shouldn’t have been there.

With his arrival, the situation quickly turned around. The two girls weren’t their match and gradually fell into a disadvantage.

“We surrender.” They stepped back. “The chip is yours.”

Ling Xiao grabbed it triumphantly. “Thanks!”

Ling Xiao didn’t have much remaining mental power. This time, he didn’t teleport but walked out of the cabin swaggeringly. Yu Ji and his team were standing guard there. Ling Xiao made a successful gesture to them.

Go back and report.

Roger!

The four of them returned the same way. Midway, Yu Ji suddenly turned around, put his fingers together, and struck heavily near the left side of Ying Feng’s collarbone, immobilizing him. Shuang Feng then restrained him with the dagger.

What’s going on?!

Ling Xiao was greatly surprised and hurriedly halted.

Our mission is to intercept you after you get the chip. Hand it over now.

Yu Ji made this series of gestures and then opened his hands to Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao glanced at Ying Feng and helplessly took out the chip.

Yu Ji reached out without any doubt, but when Ling Xiao opened his palm, he realized he had been deceived. The chip in Ling Xiao’s hand had somehow turned into a soul crystal; he activated it, and he was already several meters away—

That was close. It’s a good thing I didn’t use the last teleportation just now!

At the same time, Ying Feng also activated a protective shield and then teleported next to Ling Xiao. The shield originally meant to protect him now became a sealed transparent sphere trapping them inside.

What a pity! Ling Xiao waved the chip in his hand maliciously at them and lowered his head to check the remaining soul crystal, which made his heart skip a beat.

The previous teleportation had consumed his remaining mental power. Now, he only had enough to activate one soul crystal. If he used it for oxygen, he wouldn’t have enough for propulsion and wouldn’t be able to escape. Likewise, he would suffocate before he could successfully escape if he used it for propulsion.

If he were to give the chip to Ying Feng… He quickly calculated Ying Feng’s remaining mental power and found that the other party also encountered the same problem. Ying Feng had just used two high-consumption soul crystals, along with various teleportations, and now, probably like him, whether they could leave here or not was a problem. They were in a bad situation.

The protective shield didn’t last long. Ling Xiao’s oxygen was running out, and he was already having difficulty breathing.

Ying Feng’s left hand landed on his neck. Ling Xiao turned his head in confusion, and Ying Feng’s face pressed down timely, and their mouths intimately connected again.

The oxygen continuously flowed in, and Ling Xiao finally understood the intentions of the other party. When he got enough oxygen, he clenched his right hand, air spouted from beneath his feet, and, holding Ying Feng, he flew straight towards his own base.

“The first team to complete the mission are: Ying Feng, Ling Xiao, Bing Can, Qian Si. The others, leapfrog for five laps.” The coach announced the training results.

Except for the named four, the others looked distressed. Ling Xiao stopped Yu Ji, who was about to leave.

“Our bet!”

“Oh, right.” Yuji turned around. “What do you want to ask?”

“Your…”

“How did you perform that move?” Ying Feng interrupted.

Wait! That’s not what I wanted to ask!

“Oh, so you wanted to ask this.” Yu Ji explained to him and finally said, “If we confronted directly, I wouldn’t have been able to touch you. It was because you let your guard down that I could launch a surprise attack. And your recovery time was faster than I expected. It seems to vary from person to person.”

“I’ve answered your question. Today’s training was very rewarding. Hope we have the opportunity to exchange blows in the future.”

Ling Xiao weakly stretched his hand towards their departing figures. Come back. That’s not what I wanted to ask!

Ling Xiao was quite dissatisfied that his hard-won bet was used up like this and continued to protest until he returned to the dorm.

“Why did you waste my chance? I could have asked him about their agreement…”

Ying Feng bent over and sealed his mouth. This kiss felt different from any before, with his tongue gently stirring in his mouth and his lips and teeth intertwined. Ling Xiao widened his eyes, disbelieving Ying Feng’s actions.

After the kiss, Ling Xiao stood there for a moment, then slowly laid down.

After a while, he felt something was wrong and quickly closed his eyes.

A little while later, he still felt uneasy and opened his eyes again.

“What did you use on me this time? A calming technique? Hypnosis?”

“Neither.” Ying Feng looked at him from above. “Didn’t you say that kissing is heartfelt and shouldn’t have any purpose?”

Ling Xiao blinked. “No, I choose to believe you used hypnosis.”

After saying this, he tilted his head, pretending to be dead.

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Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

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

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Chapter 69

Ling Xiao’s expression became serious when he heard this. “What special training?”

Fu Yao took out a soul crystal and tossed it to Ying Feng. “This is a level 3. Try it.”

Ying Feng channeled his mental power into it, but the soul crystal showed no reaction.

“Is there an emotional value limit?” This was Ying Feng’s best guess.

“No, it’s trust value.”

“What’s the difference between trust value and emotional value?”

“Emotional value is only limited between the Qizhu and the Qizi. Trust value can be with anyone. As long as someone’s trust value in you reaches 100%, you can use this Shared Five Senses Soul Crystal on them.”

“Shared Five Senses?”

“You can see what they see, hear what they hear, and feel what they feel. Likewise, you can convey everything you perceive to them. On the battlefield, this is a very convenient means of communication, especially when the other party cannot speak.”

“So how can trust value reach 100%?” Ying Feng asked again.

“It’s simple: as long as they are willing to entrust their life to you.”

Ying Feng frowned. “That simple?”

“For some, it’s difficult. But for an outstanding general, personal charisma sometimes even surpasses personal ability. My subordinates trust me 100%. If you want to achieve the same,” he turned to Ling Xiao, “start with those closest to you.”

It was then that Nie Yun understood Fu Yao’s intentions. He wasn’t setting a regular student’s expectations for Ying Feng; he intended to train him by the standards of a general from the very beginning.

Ying Feng straightened up. “How do I do it?”

……

In front of Ling Xiao and his team was a blank arena. However, Ling Xiao recognized that its structure was identical to that of the venue for their first exam, meaning it could simulate various terrains.

Fu Yao handed them two earpieces, one for each, and said to Ling Xiao, “Remember this: no matter the situation, trust your commander unconditionally. Even if their orders place you in danger, trust them with your life. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

Fu Yao activated the training platform on the control board. “Go in.”

Ling Xiao entered the arena, while Ying Feng remained outside.

“There’s not much to explain. Just direct him to move forward.”

Ying Feng glanced over. Ling Xiao was standing at the entrance. In front of him was a straight path.

“Move forward.”

Ling Xiao followed the path beneath his feet, proceeding straight until Ying Feng gave the next instruction.

“Turn left.”

Ling Xiao stopped. The straight road ahead ended. To the right was a path, but to the left was a void.

“Are you sure it’s left?”

“Yes.

“You’re not opposite me and mistaking right for left, are you?”

“I mean your left.”

Ling Xiao frowned, looking to his left. “There’s no road on my left.”

“The right side is empty. If you turn right, you’ll fall.”

After contemplating, Ling Xiao cautiously tested a step to the left and found solid ground. The reality differed from what he saw. What Ying Feng saw was the truth. But walking on an unseen path would evoke fear in anyone.

“Turn right now.”

Ling Xiao hesitated momentarily before proceeding, confirming a path was on the right before stepping into thin air.

Fu Yao shook his head. “Too slow. If enemies were chasing, you’d be dead many times over.”

Ling Xiao faintly heard Fu Yao’s voice through his earpiece, but it was unclear. “What did the commander say?”

“He said you’re too slow. Move faster.”

Ling Xiao steeled his heart, thinking that since Fu Yao had also said to trust Ying Feng, he might as well trust him this time. After all, even if he fell in the simulated training ground, he wouldn’t die.

He quickened his pace, with Ying Feng’s directions coming in intermittently.

“Turn left, then right.”

“Jump after three steps.”

“At ten o’clock, there’s a platform about a meter high and two meters away. Jump onto it.”

With every instruction, Ling Xiao struggled more. He was essentially walking blind, taking gambles with every move.

“Now, jump! There’s a wall above you. Climb over.”

Ling Xiao looked up. Indeed, there was a wall, but it was a wall of fire.

“Are you sure I can climb this?”

“Yes.”

“What if I don’t climb and just move forward?”

“You’ll hit a wall of fire.”

Ling Xiao: …

He hypnotized himself, thinking, ‘This is a stone wall, this is a stone wall.’ Leaping up to grasp the crevice in the stone, an immediate burning pain emanated from his palm.

Fu Yao began to explain, “When people see fire, even if they know it’s fake, their subconscious will still induce a feeling of pain. The same goes for other environments. Deciding whether to trust one’s own subjective feelings or another individual outside of oneself is a very difficult choice.”

Ling Xiao gritted his teeth and endured, constantly reminding himself that it was just an illusion. In a few swift movements, he scaled the wall. When he landed, it felt as if his hands had been scorched, and he could even smell the charred scent from his nose.

But the trial wasn’t over.

“Lie down and crawl forward.”

The ground in front of Ling Xiao was covered with sharp knives. Crawling over them would surely result in severe injury, with his insides spilling out. Yet, he knew if he didn’t proceed, invisible blades awaited him from above. Why was he always chosen for such brutal training?

Bracing himself, Ling Xiao crawled over the path, laden with sharp blades. This time, he simply kept his eyes shut, just like during the school rule challenge. Regardless of what Ying Feng said, he executed with his eyes closed, his speed much faster than before. Outside, Fu Yao nodded in approval.

“Run!” Ying Feng’s voice suddenly amplified.

“Run!”

Ling Xiao ran as fast as he could. Even if he could see, there was no time to test the authenticity of the commands. Ying Feng told him to turn, and he turned; told him to jump, and he jumped. Without looking back, he kept running until he reached the edge of a cliff.

“Jump off!” Ying Feng’s command came decisively.

Looking down, Ling Xiao felt dizzy. It was damned lava again! He had narrowly escaped it once in the game store, and now he was supposed to willingly jump into it? It seemed he was fated to have encounters with lava.

Ling Xiao looked back, but there was nothing behind him. Ying Feng’s tone suggested urgency. “Hurry up!”

Trust him with your life, no matter the circumstance.

Fu Yao’s command echoed in his mind. Ling Xiao thought to himself, if he’s going to get burned, so be it. He closed his eyes and jumped straight into the rolling lava.

Splash—

The sound of splashing water. Opening his eyes cautiously, Ling Xiao found himself no longer in the hellish environment but surrounded by cool, clear lake water. The scenery was stunningly beautiful.

Looking up, on the high cliff edge, a SS-level beast, the Golden Lion, paced agitatedly, frustrated that its prey had just barely escaped.

“You did well, but you took too long.” The beautiful surroundings vanished, and Ling Xiao stood unharmed in his original spot—not even a droplet on his clothes.

“In your heart, there’s still hesitation. 100% trust means following orders without any doubt. It’s not achieved overnight. My soldiers and I achieved it through life-threatening battles. Fortunately, you have plenty of time.”

At this moment, Shuang Feng came out from the neighboring training room. Perhaps aiming to impress, his time was slightly faster than Ling Xiao’s.

“You can freely use these two training rooms in the future. Strive to meet the standards I’ve set.”

“Yes, sir!”

“That’s it for today. You can practice freely now.”

After Fu Yao left, Ling Xiao eagerly stepped forward. “Again.”

“Hold on.” Ying Feng held his shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“It’s my turn.”

Ling Xiao was puzzled. “Isn’t the training to measure my trust in you?”

“For you to trust me 100%, I also need to trust you the same way. I will only trust you with my life if you do the same for me. I believe that’s how Major General Fu Yao did it.”

Fu Yao, who had pretended to leave but lingered nearby, smiled upon hearing this. He had intentionally concealed the true training method, allowing them to find the answer after facing challenges. These two were indeed the ones he had his eyes on.

“He’s right,” Yu Ji said to his Qizi. “Trust is mutual. Let’s swap places too.”

Moved by Ying Feng’s words, warmth welled up inside Ling Xiao. He nodded deeply. “Okay!”

The two switched places, with Ying Feng now in the darkness and Ling Xiao in a position to see everything.

“I’m ready.”

“Move forward!”

……

The four of them trained all morning, and each had made significant progress compared to when they first started. Even though Shuang Feng always looked like he hadn’t woken up, when he got serious, his strength wasn’t to be underestimated. However, Yu Ji wasn’t weak either, but there was still a gap compared to Ying Feng. Hence, Ling Xiao became even more curious about how Yu Ji had defeated Shuang Feng and became the Qizhu.

Ling Xiao, someone who couldn’t hide his thoughts, finally took the opportunity to ask Yu Ji about his long-standing doubt when they were alone.

“Well,” Yu Ji pondered for a moment. “It’s because…”

Suddenly, he attacked Ling Xiao. Caught off guard, Ling Xiao felt numb all over and couldn’t move for about two seconds.

“I only used 20% of my strength just now. If I use my full strength, I could probably immobilize you for ten seconds.”

Ling Xiao was taken aback. Being immobilized for ten seconds during combat would determine the outcome. If Yu Ji was his enemy, that would have been enough time for him to die countless times. He then remembered that Yu Ji had used this technique during the third test.

“Every creature has its pressure points. These points are not fixed; they shift with the flow of vital energy within the organism. Because of my interest in creatures, I spent a lot of time observing and studying them. Over time, I became sensitive to these points. Humans are also creatures, so I extended this immobilizing technique to humans and found it to be equally effective.”

“I see. So you used this method to defeat Shuang Feng during the coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Yes,” Yu Ji said with a downcast gaze. “Actually, it was quite unfair to him. In terms of pure strength, I was no match for him. I feel like I took a shortcut.”

“Why think so? It’s also a result of your efforts. He shouldn’t blame you and forsake your previous feelings.”

Yu Ji was silent for a while before saying, “Actually, we didn’t have feelings for each other before.”

“What?”

“It’s embarrassing, but our coming-of-age ceremony was a huge misunderstanding from start to finish.”

Ling Xiao felt that his coming-of-age ceremony was the most chaotic, but he couldn’t believe that there could be another more chaotic than theirs.

“Shuang Feng and I weren’t lovers before.”

“Huh?”

“We were love rivals.”

Ling Xiao: =口=

“It’s not that serious. We just happened to fall in love with the same person. Unfortunately, that person didn’t love either of us.”

Who was this irresistible person?

“On the day she held her coming-of-age ceremony with someone else. Both of us were upset, and we did something stupid. We hid in the dormitory and drank alcohol.”

Ling Xiao was puzzled. “You were still fledglings. Where did you get the alcohol?”

“It’s no secret. There’s a shop in the fledgling area that sells everything. We bought it there.”

Ling Xiao: ‘That bastard!’

“The shopkeeper said the alcohol would make one forget their worries and even make dreams come true. We foolishly believed him. Later, we found out it contained hallucinogens. That night, we both hallucinated and saw the person we loved.”

“…But in reality, it was each other?”

“Yes. Our coming-of-age ceremony was a total mess. I didn’t want to accept the relationship for days.”

Ling Xiao finally believed that there were people with more tragic experiences than them. No wonder their star rating was rated even lower than theirs.

“Was Shuang Feng’s severe mental trauma caused by this?”

“Yes. When he woke up, he disappeared. Others couldn’t find him, but I didn’t want to. I endured for a week, almost getting killed by the school doctor and the instructor. I refused to listen.”

“A week!”

Yu Ji suddenly asked, “Is it really hard for a Qizi to endure without its Qizhu during the chaotic period?”

Ling Xiao turned pale at the memory. Yu Ji understood immediately.

He sighed. “Regrettably, back then, I wouldn’t listen to anyone. In the end, it was my own unbearable feeling of a missing soul that made me compromise. At that time, many people thought he had already died, and when I found him, he was indeed on the verge of reincarnation.”

Ling Xiao restrained himself for a while and said, “Even though it may not be appropriate for me to say this, you really went too far.”

“You saying that actually makes me feel a bit better. At that time, I felt that my pain was the greatest pain and never realized that my Qizi was bearing several times more pain than I was. Especially considering that Shuang Feng was inherently stronger than me, yet he was forced to become my Qizi, and the way I treated him…”

“I deeply regret it now. Shuang Feng’s mental trauma and his excessive sleepiness are lifelong. In fact, he used to be as vibrant as you. It’s all my fault that he became like this.”

“It’s not you; it’s Zhen He. He bears the vast majority of the blame!” Ling Xiao said indignantly.

Yu Ji was puzzled. “Zhen He? Who is that?”

“The one who sold you the alcohol. I used to think he only sold things like information and discs. I never thought he’d sell such dangerous things to fledglings. He’s purely driven by profit!”

“Perhaps he does share part of the blame, but our deliberate wrongdoing is an undeniable fact. No one else can be blamed for the consequences. At first, Shuang Feng wasn’t willing to forgive me.”

“How did he agree to come back with you then?”

“…We made an agreement.”

“What kind of agreement?” Ling Xiao inquired.

A blush appeared on Yu Ji’s face inexplicably. “Ah, let’s hurry back. If Shuang Feng wakes up from his nap and can’t find me, he’ll throw a fit.”

“No, wait! What was the agreement? Don’t leave me hanging like this. Hey…”

Ling Xiao persisted in following Yu Ji, continuously asking him about it, but Yu Ji refused to answer. By the time they got back to their dorm, Ling Xiao still hadn’t gotten the “truth.”

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