Ch. 97 – Ticket to the Show

It took Hao Chen a moment to realize that Feng Ye was teasing him, but despite understanding, he still felt that something about Feng Ye was off.

Feng Ye didn’t seem like the type of person to joke around like that, ah. Thinking of the bowls of wine Feng Ye had drunk earlier, Hao Chen couldn’t help but look down at Feng Ye laying on his lower abdomen.

He couldn’t get a good look at him, but just then, Feng Ye raised his head and sat up straight again.

Hao Chen finally got a clear view of Feng Ye’s face. He wasn’t flushed or out of breath, and didn’t look drunk at all.

But those weren’t requirements for drunkenness. Some people could drink without showing any physical indications, even if they were so drunk that they couldn’t distinguish between humans and animals.

“Are you drunk?” Hao Chen raised five fingers and waved them in front of Feng Ye’s eyes.

“Not drunk,” was Feng Ye’s immediate retort.

He’s definitely drunk, Hao Chen concluded. Every drunk person would claim they weren’t.

Although he had previously used Feng Ye’s intolerance to alcohol as an excuse, this dragon unexpectedly couldn’t hold his liquor.

Alcohol tolerance varied from person to person, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if someone handled it well or poorly. But right then, Hao Chen was genuinely shocked.

Given Yinglong’s reputation, he should be the kind of person who could drink a hundred cups without getting drunk, but it turned out that he could only drink three.

But when Hao Chen thought about it further, rumors tended to be unreliable. Before getting to know Feng Ye, how could he have imagined that this dragon, sharp-featured and covered in scales, actually had a soft heart?

This contrast inexplicably…..delighted him.

Hao Chen suppressed the urge to revert to his original form and roll around in the sea. Softening his voice, he coaxed the drunken dragon: “Alright, alright, you’re not drunk. Let me help you outside to get some fresh air.”

Feng Ye: “…..”

He really wasn’t drunk. He was just…..slightly tipsy.

Feng Ye didn’t drink often. In fact, he rarely drank at all.

Alcohol numbed the brain and slowed down reaction time, so he almost never drank of his own accord.

Having just drunk three bowls of wine, he was momentarily intoxicated, causing his rationality to falter long enough for him to inadvertently act before thinking.

But what was done was done. Just as he was wracking his brains for a reason to explain his loss of composure, Hao Chen handed him the perfect excuse. Pretending to be drunk was indeed a good option….

With this in mind, Feng Ye nodded obediently and prepared to go out for fresh air with Hao Chen’s assistance.

Seeing this, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui more or less understood the reason behind Feng Ye’s childish behavior just moments ago – as it turned out, he was drunk.

They exchanged a knowing glance. Why else would this Useless Shixiong try to listen to the sound of the sea for no reason? You couldn’t judge the logic of a drunkard.

Zhao Yi then nudged Wang Wu, who was slumped over the table. Although he had succumbed to the liquor, he wasn’t fully unconscious, and this nudge caused him to lift his head again.

Zhao Yi put his arm around Wang Wu’s shoulders and pulled him up, explaining to the others: “I’ll help him to the river to wash his face. Please make yourselves at home, we’ll be right back.”

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui nodded, and the former even offered enthusiastically: “Can I help you at all?”

As he spoke, he started to get up and help Zhao Yi support Wang Wu.

“No need!” Zhao Yi immediately declined his offer and quickened his pace, wary of Fang Yang following them.

Stepping outside, they saw Feng Ye and Hao Chen, who had come out before them. Zhao Yi nodded at them in greeting, then guided Wang Wu straight toward the river.

The river wasn’t near the house, and could only be reached by trekking through the forest. Wang Wu and Zhao Yi’s figures gradually vanished into the woods.

Feng Ye, with Hao Chen’s support, strolled around performatively a few times. When the other two had almost disappeared from sight, he suddenly brushed off Hao Chen’s hand and came up with an excuse to separate from him: “Didn’t you say you were tired earlier? How about you go back and rest for a while? We still have a journey ahead of us this afternoon. I’ll just stroll around by myself.”

Hao Chen wanted to say that he wasn’t tired now. Actually…..he wasn’t that tired before, either.

But he had used it as an excuse to make Feng Ye carry him all this way, and if he came clean now, it might not end well for him.

“Okay.” Hao Chen had no choice but to take Feng Ye’s suggestion.

He reluctantly said farewell to Feng Ye, then walked toward the wooden house.

Feng Ye watched Hao Chen leave, then turned and entered the forest.

Hao Chen immediately turned around and glanced back. It was blatantly obvious that Feng Ye had sent him away so that he could do something.

Although he wanted to go and watch the show in person, he could try a different approach…..a method he had used many times before.

Hao Chen approached the back of the wooden house. He deliberately chose this spot because it was unlikely for anyone to go there, making it convenient for him to cast his spell.

But just as he was about to take out his folding fan, he saw that Fang Yang and Cao Zirui, who should have been resting inside the house, were also there.

And next to them was a large dog, about half the height of a person.

The dog must belong to Wang Wu and his companion. It had brownish-grey fur, erect ears, and a slightly longer muzzle than most dogs. Its eyes were also much fiercer than those of a domesticated pet, and although it was nominally a dog, it really looked a lot like a wolf.

Facing the strangers standing before it, it crouched down and bared its fangs, letting out a threatening growl.

Judging by his ferocious appearance, it would have certainly pounced on the two people in front of it and bit them if it wasn’t tied back by a rope.

But teenagers always loved to play with cats and dogs, and no amount of aggression could stop them. Besides, the dog was leashed. It could do nothing but posture, powerless to harm them.

Therefore, Fang Yang crouched down in front of the big dog. He calculated the length of the rope to ensure that he was too far away for the dog to bite him, then confidently waved the leftover rabbit bone in front of the dog’s nose.

Cao Zirui stood behind him. He didn’t participate, but he did watch with great interest as Fang Yang played with the dog.

Seeing this, Hao Chen didn’t disturb the two of them. He turned around, deciding to find another place for himself.

Hao Chen entered the wooden house. Then he unfolded his fan and pulled off a rib from the outermost side, which transformed into a shiny black feather in his hand.

Hao Chen casually tossed the feather aside. As it fell to the floor, it transformed in the blink of an eye into a crow with spread wings, which then flapped its way into the woods.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and switch his perspective to his avatar, Hao Chen suddenly recalled that each time he released his avatar, it seemed to meet a terrible end.

He had used it three times in total, and was caught by Feng Ye twice. Feng Ye had even destroyed half of his previous fan.

Hopefully Feng Ye would be gentler this time, otherwise his newly-replaced folding fan would be missing a rib.

Hao Chen silently offered up a small prayer, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was looking down from above.

The vast land was laid out before him as he soared overhead.

Humans moved slowly through the forest due to the vegetation that often blocked their path, and sometimes had to take detours.

But birds didn’t have such a problem, as there was nothing to block their path in the sky. Therefore, although Hao Chen was the last to set off, he moved much faster than the three who had a head start and didn’t miss the opening of the show.

When he arrived, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi had just reached the riverbank.

Wang Wu was still completely drunk. He wasn’t faking it. He had genuinely been defeated by Hao Chen’s drinking capacity, and was dragged all the way here by Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi, who had been playing the good guy with Wang Wu for so long in front of their guests, finally ran out of patience and threw his drunken companion into the river.

It wasn’t a true river, but more of a trickling mountain stream where the deepest part only reached the ankle.

Wang Wu fell headfirst into the river, and didn’t react immediately.

A few moments later, bubbles began to gurgle up around Wang Wu’s face, and with a loud curse, he abruptly sprang to his feet out of the water.

The icy river water and the lingering fear of nearly drowning instantly brought him back to his senses. Looking around, he immediately spotted Zhao Yi standing on the shore with his arms crossed, and realized who the culprit was.

One curse hadn’t satisfied him, so he cursed again: “Motherfucker! Zhao Yi, are you out of your damn mind?!”

Zhao Yi replied with a sneer: “Aren’t you the one out of your mind? You didn’t even consider whether or not the two of us can handle that group, and just let them stay.”

“Why can’t we handle them?” Wang Wu shot back defiantly, wiping the water out of his eyes.

“A couple swigs of alcohol and you’ve practically forgotten your own surname! Those four are clearly not ordinary people. They’re definitely trained martial artists. And looking at their hands at the dinner table just now, three of them had callouses on their thumbs, indicating that they’ve been practicing for many years.” Zhao Yi scoffed at Wang Wu, who was still standing in the middle of the stream. “We could have tried a sleeping draught if we still had any, but we’ve been in this godsforsaken place for too long and we’re out of stock. With your pathetic skills, do you actually think you can take four people at once?”

Wang Wu didn’t care whether or not Zhao Yi’s analysis was reasonable. He had drunk a belly full of water, and was also holding a stomachful of anger. Zhao Yi’s tone sparked his temper, and he decided to vent his anger first before getting down to business. So he went right up to Zhao Yi and presented him with a string of warm greetings, from his children and grandchildren to eighteen generations of his ancestors, not missing a single one.

Not to be outdone, Zhao Yi expressed his longing for all of Wang Wu’s female relatives.

The two traded blows back and forth, and it was impossible to determine who had the upper hand.

The crow found itself a branch of suitable height and watched with great interest as the bandits fought amongst themselves.

Just as he was watching intently, he sensed a gust of wind approaching from the side.

The crow immediately flapped his wings and soared into the air to dodge.

When he looked closely, he found that it was a small twig the size of a thumb, which had been casually picked up and thrown directly at his perch.

Someone had taken a cheap shot at him.

In a place like this, there was basically only one person who would be bored enough to pick on a little crow.

Hao Chen flew off and quickly located Feng Ye, who was hiding behind a large tree as he watched the show.

Feng Ye, who was clearly a bit drunk but refused to admit it.

Although he claimed to just be slightly tipsy, drunk was drunk. At most, he was a little less inebriated than that, but he still wasn’t quite the same as usual.

The crow landed on the tree closest to Feng Ye and perched in the canopy, looking toward where Feng Ye was standing beneath the opposite tree.

Feng Ye was also looking up at him. 

It seems he noticed me long before, thought Hao Chen.

Although neither of them had explicitly revealed their identities to each other, they were both largely aware of the truth. In that case, there was no need for him to pretend to be some ordinary crow passing by.

With this in mind, a bold idea suddenly occurred to Hao Chen.

Feng Ye saw the pitch-black crow stare at him for a moment, and then it suddenly flew away without a word.

Is he angry? But I didn’t even hit him, Feng Ye thought with some confusion.

But before he could finish this thought, the crow was already returning with something clutched in its beak.

It was bright red, like some sort of berry.

This time, the crow didn’t perch on a branch. Instead, he flew straight to Feng Ye and hovered in front of him, flapping his wings.

Feng Ye figured this meant that he should take the berry, so he stretched out a hand and did so.

With his delivery successful, the crow then perched comfortably on Feng Ye’s shoulder.

Feng Ye turned his head to the side, staring silently at the crow on his shoulder. Hao Chen never learns his lesson, he thought to himself. He had destroyed Hao Chen’s avatar last time, and this time he actually dared to stand on top of him.

But things were different now, and Feng Ye had no intention of destroying it again. He already owed Hao Chen a fan, and if he owed him another one, his debt would grow even larger.

Oblivious to the thoughts running through his mind, Hao Chen actually dared to land directly on his shoulder. He even stared him directly in the eye, puffing out his fluffy chest with an air of complete self-righteousness.

What logic was this?

Feng Ye squeezed the berry in his hand, then suddenly realized what it meant.

This berry was a ticket – a ticket to stand on his shoulder.

As the saying went, be grateful when fed, and be obliging when someone gives you money. Although the berry was small, he had indeed accepted it.

Feng Ye: “…..”

He’d fallen for it.

A man and a bird hid behind a tree, avoiding the attention of Wang Wu and Zhao Yi. Even though the crow’s flapping had made some noise, who would suspect an ordinary little crow?

Feng Ye resigned himself to the extra passenger on his shoulder. Meanwhile, the two mountain bandits had finished their quarrel.

After cursing for a while, they had mostly vented their anger and could finally discuss serious matters.

“If you want to die, go on and do it yourself. I won’t accompany you,” Zhao Yi concluded, subtly shifting his feet as if to say that he would abandon his comrade if Wang Wu didn’t heed his advice.

There was never any genuine affection among mountain bandits. They were all the sort who valued money over their own lives, and if working alone wasn’t so inconvenient, they would never team up with others.

“What do you mean, I ‘want to die?’ Zhao Yi, tell me honestly, have I ever done anything that I wasn’t absolutely sure about?” 

Wang Wu’s words did make Zhao Yi a little uncertain. It was true. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to partner with Wang Wu for so long.

He couldn’t help but ask: “Then what’s your plan? Can you take all four of them at once?”

Wang Wu raised a finger and waved it. Instead of answering the question, he brought up Zhao Yi’s earlier speculation: “You said before that they’re all trained martial artists, but I don’t think that’s entirely true. We’ve traveled far and wide over the years and heard tales of people who cultivate to immortality, traversing heaven and earth and summoning the wind and rain.”

“You mean to say that they…..” Zhao Yi asked hesitantly.

“Don’t you think those people are strange? They’re clearly traveling without any proper luggage, and their tiny bundles shouldn’t last them more than a day or two. What gave them the confidence to enter this mountain forest? And did you notice that person’s clothes? That fellow named Feng Ye – I saw him spill a little wine on his clothes, and it just rolled right off. Have you ever seen fabric like that?”

Wang Wu answered his own question: “I’ve never heard of any place that can produce such fabric. They can only be those legendary cultivators.”

“And you still dare to make a move on them?! Are you insane?!” Wang Wu had convinced Zhao Yi, but this only increased his horror.

If they were ordinary martial artists, they still might be able to escape if they couldn’t defeat them. But who knew what sort of powers these mysterious cultivators possessed?

Some stories claimed that they were able to behead people from thousands of li away.

“Hehe.” Seeing the look of horror on Zhao Yi’s face, Wang Wu merely let out an easy chuckle. “Didn’t you hear their destination? They’re going to the ruins of the ancient city. You know how that place…..”

“Eats people.” Wang Wu deliberately lowered his voice when he spoke these two words.

A cold wind blew through the forest right at that moment. The crow put on a show of fear, tucking his feathers in as he moved a little closer to Feng Ye’s neck.

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Chapter 96 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 98

Ch 29 – Why Are You Sad?

“So you’re a father too?!” Curtis was deeply shocked. Tau had never mentioned having a child, ah, and his attitude toward Kersz had been strange, as if he was repelled by him.

But when they met this time, Tau’s mental state had clearly shifted. He seemed absent-minded, and people would have to repeat themselves two or three times before he heard them.

Curtis thought he was ill at first, but then Tau admitted that he was worried about his child.

His little dinosaur was back at home. He had prepared food and beautiful clothes for it, but he worried that it might run around and get into trouble.

Tau suddenly realized that he had forgotten to add guardrails for the little dinosaur. He wanted to go back, but Yu Xi and Kersz wouldn’t let him.

“I’m worried that he’ll get hurt. I thought I did my best, but I just realized that I still overlooked something.” Tau’s anxiety was genuine, but he was also subconsciously playing his role.

Curtis was dying of envy.

There seemed to be an unusually high concentration of good fathers in this galaxy, but he was the unlucky guy who had missed out.

“Why haven’t I heard you talk about your partner?”

Curtis also wanted to envy other people’s mothers, but he suddenly realized that these two had never mentioned their significant others.

Tau simply stared at Curtis without saying a word.

Curtis blinked, then let out a gasp: “C-could something have happened to them?”

Tau didn’t answer, but Yu Xi hummed in response where he was sitting on Kersz’s lap.

The dinosaur’s mother had indeed met with an accident, all because of that giant meteorite from the Cretaceous period.

Curtis immediately apologized to Tau, who shook his head with a cold expression and remained silent.

Curtis had no intention of asking where Yu Xi’s mother was. What if it ended up being another tragedy?

Yu Xi actually felt that Curtis’s family background was a bit abnormal. He asked Tau and Kersz about it, and then realized that his stereotypes came entirely from his deep memories of the humans who had not yet left Earth.

This was the interstellar world.

Curtis’s parents definitely had feelings for each other, and the bond between them was profound.

But this profoundess was different from what Yu Xi understood.

The Supreme Governor and the High Lord were very satisfied with each other’s personalities and families, and their genes were compatible, so they formed an alliance and started a family together.

They spent some time together each year, but for the majority of the time, they remained at their own posts.

Tau was quite certain that the two of them had never reached the point of being “deeply in love,” because it was too awkward and undignified for humans to sleep together. They believed that it was disrespectful to the other party.

Such private issues could be resolved with their respective androids.

Yu Xi let out a sigh when he learned about this situation. He had known that humans’ sense of boundaries would become stronger and stronger.

But then he couldn’t help but inquire: “They don’t even sleep together! What kind of marriage is that?! They could have simply framed it as forming an alliance, ah!I”

This level of intimacy would have been considered friendship at best among the ancient humans!

These interstellar partners only put on a facade of intimacy!

However, Kersz later comforted Yu Xi with some good news. For example, although his own parents had a good relationship, he had no idea if they were ever intimate, because adults would never talk about that kind of thing in front of children.

But his parents did live together.

Yu Xi wanted to ask for more details, but he also knew that Kersz’s past was a tender spot for him. So after hesitating for a long time, he decided not to ask Kersz if he had ever seen his parents kiss.

This was all because Curtis had started to talk about his family of origin the moment he met them, and after hearing about it so many times, Yu Xi also became interested in such things.

But he couldn’t exactly interrogate Kersz, because he hadn’t been in a good mood lately, and kept waking up in the middle of the night.

Yu Xi was unaware that the reason for his frequent waking was to check if Yu Xi had suddenly powered down. He didn’t know what ‘anytime’ meant in regard to Yu Xi’s depleting lifespan.

In fact, Kersz later realized that since Yu Xi’s concept of time was different from his own, perhaps ‘anytime’ could be a very long time away.

But Yu Xi had also made it clear that he might not outlive Kersz.

Kersz also asked Yu Xi what would happen to the compressed galaxy when he shut down, and Yu Xi replied that it would be permanently sealed inside the galaxy-dot-zip file. To outsiders, the only proof that the galaxy had ever existed would be the brilliant gemstone on his necklace.

Yu Xi understood Kersz’s worry, and assured him that the necklace wasn’t so easy to break, and that Kersz might be able to sell it for a good price later on.

Kersz was not pleased by this.

But he felt that he should be pleased. Strictly speaking, he and Yu Xi hadn’t known each other for very long, and Yu Xi’s necklace was indeed a big danger.

The length of Yu Xi’s existence was not something Kersz could control. He should breathe a sigh of relief that humanity had escaped a catastrophe.

But Kersz wasn’t happy.

“This nutrient solution is disgusting.” Yu Xi put down his cup. He hated the artificial flavoring.

“If you don’t like it, then don’t drink it.” Kersz’s voice was so gentle that Yu Xi didn’t realize it was him speaking at first.

Even Curtis and Tau were taken aback.

Oblivious to it all, Kersz wiped tiny Yu Xi’s mouth, then leaned down and softly pressed his lips to the top of his head.

Yu Xi’s eyes widened. He was completely blindsided.

What was wrong with Kersz? Why did he seem so fragile?

Kersz looked at him, and a moment later, he pressed his cheek against Yu Xi’s and gently nuzzled against it.

Such an intimate gesture startled Yu Xi into curling into a ball.

Something was definitely wrong with Kersz. He was so upset.

When the three of them returned home, Yu Xi formally took Kersz’s hand to indicate that they needed to talk.

“Are you unhappy because we talked about your parents?” Yu Xi asked.

Tau was sitting near them, but he was clearly distracted.

Yu Xi suggested that Tau go and keep his little dinosaur company, and the man happily ran off.

“No.” Kersz looked into Yu Xi’s greenish-blue eyes.

He had encountered this robot by accident…..by a wonderful accident, he now thought.

“I just don’t think that my luck is very good,” Kersz said. “It seems like every good thing eventually leaves me.”

Yu Xi sucked in a breath. Sure enough, this child had psychological problems.

“I read a lot of books as a kid,” Kersz said, “most of them fairytales. I thought I was lucky enough to stumble upon a ‘fairyland’ where everyone could forget their troubles and no longer have to worry about the future.”

This was one of the most popular fairytales in the Interstellar Alliance. The young protagonist encountered a lost extraterrestrial visitor, and they embarked on an adventure behind the parents’ backs to send the alien back to its wondrous ‘fairyland.’

Young Kersz would always sneak out of bed once his parents were asleep, then go to the storage room and rummage around in search of any extraterrestrials.

Later on, he stopped believing in such things.

He thought he had changed – that he had broken down, becoming mad and unfeeling.

No one could take anything away from him again, because now he was the executioner.

Yu Xi sat up straight and told Kersz that he could confide everything to him, and that he would never criticize Kersz’s actions.

Kersz smiled. He didn’t like talking about the past, because it was a dream he could never return to.

Yet he suddenly found himself lacking resistance against this little robot from a ‘fairyland.’

Kersz had been well-protected by his parents, and unlike Curtis’s, his father and mother had lived together.

Kersz was aware that his family had been closer than other people’s families, and under the care of his parents, he always felt like he was growing up slower than others.

But his learning ability was excellent.

“My family wasn’t anything special, but my parents had pretty good jobs. They were maintenance personnel for the central AI consciousness mainframe.” There was little pride on Kersz’s face as he said this, and a whole lot more indifference. “They knew all the underlying code and backdoors to the database.”

Their lives were relatively affluent, and at that time, Kersz was considered to be a genius. His ability to learn was unparalleled, and he remained one of the best among his classmates through graduation.

Kersz once thought that his life would be smooth sailing. He would graduate peacefully, secure a decent job, and perhaps find a lover with whom to spend the rest of his life.

Instead, he received news of his parents’ passing.

“It was said that the servers suddenly malfunctioned, causing a meltdown. Everyone in the compartment died, including my parents.” Those people generously gave Kersz a large sum of compensation money and told him that his parents were heroes of the Alliance.

They also widely publicized their condolences on the StarNet, and countless people who were unfamiliar with Kersz’s parents joined in to express their grief.

Kersz was in a state of shock, and wasn’t even sure if he was sad, nor if he was still alive.

“The downside of having such a good relationship with my parents was that I couldn’t handle them leaving,” Kersz said.

When reporters tried to interview Kersz about his parents’ lives, he was finally able to react.

He was indescribably offended, feeling that his parents and the relationship between them was being treated as an entertainment exhibit.

Those people forcibly inserted themselves into his emotions. They seemed to want to impose a set of standards on him, hoping that the orphaned child of ‘heroes’ would put on a show of pitifulness and vulnerability in front of the cameras, acting according to their expectations.

All to satisfy the voyeuristic tendencies of those self-righteous bastards.

Kersz went berserk. He insulted countless people, and was attacked by countless others.

At that time, he was in a state of rage and confusion. He didn’t understand why those unrelated people were so angry with him when he was only refusing to be a spectacle.

“I was too young then, and I didn’t want to believe that my parents were dead. I had no basis for my suspicion that there might be a conspiracy behind it all.” Kersz just wanted an outlet for his emotions, and needed to find someone to blame.

“It was precisely because I had no proof that I never hid my suspicions about my parents’ deaths from the outside world. I refused the medal the authorities offered me and lost my temper, telling them that it was all a conspiracy and that I would uncover the truth.” Kersz took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

He genuinely did attempt to uncover the truth, even though he had no evidence or clues in his hands. This was all because he was unable to put his emotions to rest.

“Perhaps I seemed too confident in my assertion, because some people thought I had actually discovered something.” At that time, Kerz had already enlisted in the military.

He continuously made contact with his parents’ former colleagues and friends, piecing together clues about their deaths.

And little by little, he actually discovered a problem.

He told his uncle, who had always supported and encouraged him, about his discovery. That uncle was his father’s childhood friend, and told Kersz that he had also been investigating the death of his father.

But after giving him that information, Kersz was immediately dismissed from his post under the charge of “abusing power for personal gain.”

So Kersz didn’t like to talk about his past. He felt that in this story, he was just a helpless fool who could be manipulated at will.

“That sort of impotent rage was just screaming to the world, ‘I’m so pitiful.’ I kept trusting people and getting taken advantage of,” Kersz said. “It was so pointless.”

Yu Xi understood: “So you’ve kept it all to yourself?”

“It’s even more pointless to guess what others will think about it.” Kersz shrugged.

Yu Xi put his arm around Kersz’s shoulder: “Do you want me to help you investigate the cause of your parents’ deaths?”

“I already know the cause. Back then, two coalitions clashed at the border of the Interstellar Alliance. The Alliance was on the verge of unleashing weapons of mass destruction, and more than a dozen third-class planets were to be abandoned as a lost cause.” Kersz said, “My parents discovered that the authorities were going to completely cut off communications with those third-class planets and destroy those people’s identity cards.”

“They did cut off communications, but a backdoor was left open. My parents intended to expose the plot before the weapons were activated, but their actions were discovered. Then, they died.”

“But those people are dead too.” Kersz raised an eyebrow at Yu Xi. “I killed all of the culprits, those people who were so secure in their power that they thought they were above everyone else. Oh, right. The reason I’m being hunted down is because I killed the former leader of the Star Union.”

Yu Xi: “Wow! No wonder I saw on the news that a new leader is being elected.”

Kersz: “Are you pretending to be shocked?”

Yu Xi: “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been around humans for so long, and I’ve seen so many leaders. He’s nothing special – just another human.”

“Yes, ah. Nothing special, just another human.” Kersz smiled. “Why do people have to take themselves so seriously?”

He directed his smile toward Yu Xi: “But I might be beyond saving, someone who is just longing for warmth.”

“I….I don’t want you to shut down.”

Yu Xi was puzzled: “What? Once I shut down, my necklace will stabilize completely and the galaxy inside won’t go out of control.” He felt that Kersz’s words ran somewhat contrary to his character.

Kersz was a lone wolf, but he still cared about his fellow humans to some extent.

Although he and Kersz were friends, it wouldn’t be Kersz’s fault when he shut down. He didn’t need to put so much pressure on himself. He just needed to allow himself some time to grieve the passing of a friend.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Kersz said helplessly, “But I want you to stay.”

Yu Xi tilted his head slightly.

“Not because I’m worried about the galaxy exploding, but because I….I still want to see you, not the you who has shut down. I want you to keep responding to me.” Kersz didn’t dare look him in the eye.

It had been a very long time since anyone had responded to him like Yu Xi did.

He responded to all of his stupid questions.

Yu Xi finally grasped Kersz’s meaning: “Wait! You mean you want me to stay with you?” He repeated what Kersz had already said.

“Just me?! Personally?!” Yu Xi was astounded.

“Just you,” Kersz said with some embarrassment.

“Heavens! Heavens!” Yu Xi exclaimed in disbelief.

He had always carried human emotions with him, but he knew that those feelings had nothing to do with him personally.

He was once a robot vacuum cleaner. The child mistook him for a family pet, and when the family’s cat and dog died, the parents continuously repaired the old machine for the child’s sake.

Later, when the child grew up and the parents passed away, Yu Xi became evidence of the parents’ love.

That grown-up child placed all of his yearning for his parents onto Yu Xi.

Yu Xi really liked this sort of emotion. He was born from such feelings, although none of them were directed toward him personally.

He was the oldest robot in existence, a piece of technology from before humanity entered interstellar space, and part of a family legacy.

As time went by, the emotions directed toward him became increasingly vague, drifting further and further from him.

He was always just one of many, and the least important one at that.

Just like when he was a robot vacuum cleaner at home. When it was running, the big fat cat would occasionally sit on him mischievously, curious about what he was doing.

But his program had always been the least significant one of all.

Humanity would always have its own future to strive for.

Yu Xi would always answer: “Wow, amazing, and then what?” as the humans carried him forward.

But when humanity rushed toward death, they refused to take him with them, and he didn’t know what to do.

“Heavens!” Yu Xi felt his eyes becoming wet.

Was he malfunctioning?

“What’s wrong?!” Kersz leaped up and quickly wiped away Yu Xi’s tears.

“Heavens.” Yu Xi kept repeating the same word.

When Yu Xi came into the world, he was destined to live the rest of his life as a robot vacuum, wandering around in perpetuity as he watched humans do their own thing.

Why would a loner like Kersz sit down at his side and tell him that he didn’t want Yu Xi to shut down?

How could this intense emotion be directed at him?

At a robot vacuum cleaner?

Was he no longer a symbol of someone else’s feelings, but a vessel for emotions himself?

“Heavens, how did I ever pick up a human like you?!” Yu Xi was losing control of himself. He couldn’t keep the tears from welling up in his eyes, and he didn’t want to anymore.

If he was broken, then he was broken. He had a feeling that he was beyond repair.

As Kersz wiped away his tears, Yu Xi reached out and cupped Kersz’s face in his hands. Then he leaned in slowly and pressed a gentle kiss to Kersz’s lips.

Kersz froze.

“You are my human,” Yu Xi said. “You are my good human.”

Good human – what kind of strange appellation was that?

Kersz intended to ask, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

Kersz stared into Yu Xi’s eyes, and Yu Xi couldn’t resist leaning in and kissing his lips again.

He knew that such contact was somewhat inappropriate, but he also felt that it was permissible between him and Kersz.

Yu Xi’s lips were cool, and very soft.

In the wake of the second kiss, Kersz finally came back to his senses and said: “I’m so worried that you won’t respond when I wake up tomorrow.”

Yu Xi: “Ah? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’ll have shut down.” In the end, this would have all just been a beautiful dream for Kersz.

And when he awoke from that dream, he would continue to wander around the desolate universe, filled with hatred and with nowhere to lay his head.

Yu Xi: …..

Yu Xi released Kersz’s face: “I have more than three hundred years before I shut down.”

Kersz choked.

“But I remember you saying that you could shut down at any time, ah,” Kersz said, slow to respond.

“For me, three hundred years is just a moment in the grand scheme of things,” said Yu Xi.

Kersz: “You said I might outlive you.”

“Miracles are always possible. If you’re a long-lived old man, then you could indeed live longer than me,” Yu Xi said.

Kersz remained silent.

Yu Xi finally understood what Kersz had been so sad about lately: “Oh! Wait! You were upset because of me? You thought I could just die tomorrow?!”

When Kersz finally realized the actual state of things, he started to get a little angry.

“Goodness! I’m so sorry! I didn’t explain it clearly!” Yu Xi was regretful, but also a bit happy at the knowledge that Kersz’s pain stemmed from the possibility of him shutting down.

He immediately cupped Kersz’s face in his hands again and kissed him on the lips: “I’m so sorry! I scared you, oh heavens, worrying is really bad for your health. I’ll have to give you a checkup later.”

“Heavens! Heavens!” Yu Xi kissed him twice, then stroked Kersz’s hair, kissed him twice more, and rubbed his back.

His coaxing prevented Kersz from venting his anger, and Yu Xi’s touching and stroking dissipated that anger entirely.

When Yu Xi pressed his lips to Kersz’s again, Kersz licked them.

Yu Xi abruptly leaned back and covered his mouth with his hand.

Kersz gave him an innocent look.

“You can be really naughty sometimes,” Yu Xi said.

“It’s because I’m a space pirate,” Kersz said.

“No, you’re my good human,” Yu Xi corrected him. “A good human who’s a little strange.”

Yes, very strange, ah.

There were so many humans in the universe, habitable planets teeming with them, yet Kersz felt that Yu Xi’s was the best place to stay.

Yu Xi felt a contentment that was hard to describe. If he had to put it into words…..

It was just when he sat atop the tallest building on the planet, gazing up at the starry sky like he had done countless times in the past

Yu Xi would always talk out loud, then use loudspeakers spread across the earth to respond to himself, engaging in a lively and boisterous question-and-answer game.

Now there was someone next to him. Someone who had come over and sat down of his own volition.

Yu Xi had thought that this human would continue to live his own life inside a building, just like all the other humans.

But he didn’t.

In his mind, the human climbed up to the rooftop and sat down, gazing at the sky with Yu Xi.

They felt the blowing wind together, neither of them speaking a word. But when the human wrapped his arms tightly around himself, Yu Xi draped a blanket over him.

They huddled even closer together.

The broadcasts all across the planet fell silent.

Silence. The entire planet was silent, but Yu Xi felt so warm. The person next to him was so warm.

Yu Xi swung his legs, and the human next to him copied his movements.

Yu Xi wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh at how sly and mischievous the human beside him was.

He laughed and so did the human, and they huddled close together.

This once silent planet seemed to suddenly be filled with sound.

Yu Xi told Kersz about this feeling, and asked him what he thought.

Kersz put an end to his mischief and gazed intently at Yu Xi for a long time.

Finally, he said: “I found that extraterrestrial visitor in the storeroom.”

In that fairy tale, there was an extraterrestrial visitor from “fairyland,” and only good children were capable of seeing it.

As a child, Kersz would often search his family’s storeroom. In order to prove that he was a good child, he would often donate his savings and actively strive to do “good deeds.”

Later, when he grew up, he realized that there were no fairy tales in this world, and that there were no “aliens that only good children could see.”

Fairy tales had no basis in reality, and were completely illogical.

Furthermore, that little brat who believed in fairytales had been corrupted beyond recognition by reality. He dropped onto a mining planet and nearly died in that place, where he witnessed humanity’s most primal desires.

He had also killed people. Many, many people.

He accepted the reality that his parents were gone, and repeatedly reminded himself that they were just two dead people who would never return.

In the future, he would never have the opportunity to love them again.

He told himself that he could no longer be so foolish. That he couldn’t vent his true feelings everywhere, screaming and wailing like a helpless child.

He had to smile – smile in a way that made others uncomfortable, because that was the only way he could make others cry.

He wanted to remain unfathomable to everyone, to never place his trust in any of them, because people were selfish creatures and were only looking out for their own futures.

This was nothing out of the ordinary. It was only natural.

He needed to understand that.

Then, no longer clinging to his dangerous innocence, he dragged those people down with him into hell.

But somehow, as he neared death, he seemed to break through the door of that old storeroom again.

The surroundings were silent. Exhausted, Kersz closed his eyes and fell asleep there.

And when he opened his eyes again, he found that extraterrestrial from “fairyland.”

His eyes were as beautiful as a saltwater lake under sunlight.

The extraterrestrial reached out a hand to him and said: “Good child, let’s go on an adventure together behind everyone’s backs.”

Their future seemed to be as boundless as the starry night sky, as vast as the cosmos.

Like sparks that had been ignited, they ran hand in hand as they were carried upward on hot thermal currents.

Defying gravity, they soared toward the infinite beyond.

---

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Chapter 28 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 30

There was singing and dancing on Splendid Plaza, and atmosphere of peace and prosperity.

Due to the arrival of the vassal kings in the capital and the festive season, the major restaurants and theaters had become more lively.

Even the court officials, who were rarely seen out and about on ordinary days, had been appearing more frequently due to their days off, and would often run into colleagues and exchange pleasantries.

It was no exaggeration to say that during this time, if one walked down the streets of the western market, they were likely to bump into an official at every turn.

Those, powerful, high-ranking officials, mindful of the stances of various factions in the Imperial Court, would try to steer clear of trouble.. Knowing that a vassal king was hosting a banquet at Mingyue Tower tonight, they gave it a wide berth.

Conversely, lower-ranking officials and members of certain prominent families risked going to catch a glimpse of the vassal kings.

The host of today’s banquet was none other than Dongjiang-wang Bai Lihe.

It was common knowledge that Bai Lihe’s fiefdom spanned across Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. His maternal family was also a wealthy and influential local clan, and were quite prosperous due to resources such as porcelain and iron ore.

He was also a hedonist and was skilled at everything related to eating, drinking, and having fun.

He had built numerous gardens in his estate, including a menagerie housing countless rare creatures.

Having arrived in the capital city, such a person was naturally not content to stay put. Indeed, he had only arrived that morning, and was already hosting a banquet that very night.

Those he invited to the banquet included several other vassal kings, as well as the heads of the four great noble families and high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court.

He made no attempt to conceal his interactions with these people, but also wasn’t so foolish as to attempt to woo them over in public. This was just a casual get-together to discuss various topics. It could be considered a preliminary meeting, and if any ideas of collaboration arose later, they could proceed with them at that time.

About half of the people he sent invitations to accepted them.

Besides those high-ranking court officials, most of the vassal kings were present, with the exceptions of Pingxi-wang Bai Lizheng and Nanjiang-wang Bai Lihao.

But those two had always preferred to keep themselves apart, and didn’t interact much with the other vassal kings, so their absence today was understandable.

The heads of all four great families were present.

Even family head Qiu Xuanzheng, who had previously been strictly disciplined by his older brother for his impulsive and irascible nature, was present today.

However, he hadn’t come alone. He had brought an advisor from among Qiu Hongkuo’s staff, who would continuously monitor his words and actions to prevent him from causing trouble.

In the spacious main hall of Mingyue Tower, music and dancing filled the air.

Everyone took their seats at separate tables arranged around the dance floor in the center, with virtually no distinction in rank or hierarchy.

Bai Lihe turned his head to look at the row of vassal kings beside him.

Anhuai-wang Bai Liming belonged to a younger generation, and sat at the farthest end, along with the one vassal king who had yet to leave the capital – Bai Lihai.

Bai Lihai wore a gentle smile as he spoke with Bai Liming. The two were of a similar age and possessed rather soft personalities, so they seemed to get along well. 

Aside from the vassal kings, there were also the four family heads.

Bai Lihe raised his head and met the gaze of the handsome family head Xiao Yao, who was directing a smile in his direction. 

Maintaining his own smile, Bai Lihe raised his wine cup and mimed clinking glasses with him from a distance.

Xiao Yao’s smile deepened slightly.

Both men finished their drinks, and Bai Lihe then shifted his gaze across the other three family heads.

The aloof and dignified Wang Huanzhi, the imposing Lu Jinfeng, and the seemingly indolent but powerfully built Qiu Xuanzheng.

Although Lu Jinfeng was a martial artist, he still possessed the refined demeanor of a member of nobility, exuding an air of “righteousness.” Leaning against a low table and drinking heavily, Qiu Xuanzheng was his complete opposite.

With just a glance, Bai Lihe was able to discern the characters of these people before him.

He naturally wasn’t the only one doing so. Everyone at the banquet was sizing each other up.

The relationship between the vassal kings and the noble families had always been delicate.

It wouldn’t even be wrong to call it hostile.

However, they didn’t seem to have any compelling reasons to be at odds with each other. In fact, cooperation, provided that everyone’s interests were safeguarded, would be the ideal option.

Ultimately, it all boiled down to the fact that they now shared a common enemy – the person sitting on the throne.

And aside from these prominent figures, there were naturally some less important characters attempting to take advantage of the situation at this banquet.

But their courage was lacking, and they only looked on from a distance before turning and melting away from the crowd, fearful of accidentally causing trouble.

An Wuji had also received an invitation, but he had no intention of attending, and only stopped for a quick look when he happened by during his patrol. 

Seeing that these people were only making insincere and meaningless chatter, he withdrew.

Leaving Mingyue Tower behind, he led his troops to patrol the streets of Splendid Plaza.

The city had been busy lately with all of these various forces gathering together, and he was genuinely worried that something similar to what happened at the auction might occur again.

The group walked through the bustling streets and alleys, footsteps crunching in the snow as they passed the newly-renovated Nanjiang Silk Shop and Yaotai Bookstore.

Something suddenly caught his notice, and An Wuji looked up, his sharp eyes fixed on the second floor of the silk shop.

At the window, a boy with a high ponytail was leaning out and looking at him.

The youth was handsome and refined, wearing a long, tasseled earring unique to Nanjiang on his left ear that dangled down to his shoulder, along with an exquisite silver necklace around his neck.

Instantly guessing his identity, An Wuji calmly looked away and continued walking forward.

Situ Zhaoyao watched him leave, then turned his attention back toward the room.

A young woman clad in a light purple dress sat at the table, her silver ornaments and jade bracelets jingling as she spoke animatedly with the person opposite her: “This shop is even better than how you described it to me. Every corner of it is breathtakingly beautiful! Jiyue-gege is so amazing!”

Across from her, a young man in light pink robes fanned himself and said with a gentle smile: “I’m glad Xiao Ling likes it.”

“I absolutely love it! Plus, the second floor is directly connected to your bookstore, which makes it convenient for us to meet in secret.” Situ Zhaoling’s eyes gleamed brightly as she turned toward her brother. “A-Di, don’t stand by the window. You might catch a cold.”

Situ Zhaoyao closed the window and went to take a seat at the table, saying: “I just saw Commander An, the one who greeted us today. He just came out of Mingyue Tower.”

“Mingyue Tower?” Situ Zhaoling raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that where Dongjiang-wang is hosting a banquet?”

“En. I wonder what they’re talking about,” Situ Zhaoyao said with some curiosity.

Wang Qichen’s lips curved up as he said: “Under the circumstances, they’re probably just testing the waters today and won’t say anything useful.”

The siblings were still quite young, and hadn’t been raised in the cutthroat environment of the capital city, so their understanding of such matters was far inferior to Wang Qichen’s.

“Then  when will they say something useful?”

Situ Zhaoling voiced this question with humility.

“After they leave the capital,” Wang Qichen said, calm and collected. “The capital is full of spies loyal to Ning-wang, and with the current situation being this chaotic, it would be difficult for the vassal kings to get involved.”

Everyone was trying to gauge each other’s intentions on this trip to the capital, and it was impossible for anyone to stir up trouble or be the one to make the first move for the time being.

But after they all departed, cooperation between the vassal kings and the noble families would inevitably begin in secret.

As for who would cooperate with whom, and who would oppose whom, everything was still uncertain.

Ultimately, as long as their interests aligned, cooperation between anyone was a possibility.

At that time, all of the various forces would reveal their true intentions, and true chaos would descend upon Great Ning.

At the mention of Ning-wang, Situ Zhaoling couldn’t help but frown. She lowered her voice, saying: “With the Divine Lord here, Ning-wang should be healed soon, right?”

Wang Qichen nodded: “Perhaps he has already recovered, but the news hasn’t gotten out of the palace yet.”

Shortly after Qin Xiao returned from the Northwest, all of the Imperial Physicians had been summoned to Yangxin Hall. Some parties tried every means to extract information from those people, but they all maintained a consistent story and said that it was just a routine examination.

The suspicion was only that Qin Xiao might have been injured.

But when another two days passed with no appearance from Qin Xiao or Chu Jiubian, they all became completely certain that not only was Qin Xiao injured, but gravely so!

Otherwise, they would have never remained out of sight for so long.

After all, according to common sense, Qin Xiao should have summoned top officials of the first and second ranks to the palace for discussions after his victorious return, even if court was out of session.

Said discussion would naturally revolve around the matters of rewards and punishments, as well as how the Western Regions should be governed in the future.

Therefore, the fact that all of the vassal kings had arrived in the capital, yet Qin Xiao still had yet to appear, was the biggest point of suspicion.

However, with Chu Jiubian around, everyone also knew that Qin Xiao would be fine. He might just have to endure some amount of hardship.

However, what concerned Situ Zhaoling and Situ Zhaoyao was not this point, but rather…..

“Say, what is the relationship like between Ning-wang and the Divine Lord, ah?” Situ Zhaoling leaned in closer to Wang Qichen, lowering her voice even further.

Wang Qichen thought for a moment, then said: “There’s probably some affection involved.”

“Ah?!” Situ Zhaoyao exclaimed in surprise. “Didn’t A-Jie say that the Divine Lord and that person have a very deep relationship?”

‘That person,’ of course, referred to the High Priest.

In the Divine Realm, Wang Qichen had discussed the relationship between “the High Priest” and “Grand Tutor Chu” with Situ Zhaoling, which had excited her immensely at the time.

However, the closer she got to the capital after leaving home, the more rumors she heard.

These included stories about the “romantic entanglement” between Grand Tutor Chu and Ning-wang, portraying their relationship in a very suggestive and ambiguous light.

Situ Zhaoling naturally sided with the High Priest, and therefore had a negative impression of Qin Xiao, believing that he was competing with the High Priest for the Divine Lord’s affections.

However, Ning-wang was a person who acted for the good of the nation and its people, and he had even conquered the Sai Kingdom. After hearing about his deeds, Situ Zhaoling was unable to bring herself to dislike him any longer.

All she could say was that “attraction” was such a mysterious thing.

Love, too, was beyond anyone’s control.

If the Divine Lord truly fell in love with Ning-wang, the High Priest would likely be left heartbroken.

Wang Qichen fanned himself and let out a sigh: “We mere mortals cannot comprehend the Divine Lord’s mind.” He added, “But hopefully the High Priest will be able to.”

The three of them chatted for a long time about a variety of topics, and soon became as close as family. 

Only when the streets were nearly deserted and the snow and wind intensified did they reluctantly part ways.

Wang Qichen returned to his bookstore through the secret door on the second floor, while Situ Zhaoling and her younger brother left the silk shop and returned to their residence in a carriage.

After a long time had passed, when the night was late and the streets were quiet, Wang Qichen finally left the bookstore. This was to ensure that nobody noticed his meeting with the Situ siblings.

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace…..

Chu Jiubian donned his robes and a thick cloak, completely ensconcing himself in the black fabric before venturing out into the wind and snow.

Lying in bed, Qin Xiao listened to the sound of the door closing.

After just a moment or two, he got to his feet.

Outside, Chu Jiubian walked all the way to the main chamber of Yangxin Hall and saw that Qin Chaoyang’s nose was red from the cold. He had likely been waiting for some time.

When he saw him coming, Qin Chaoyang stepped forward and respectfully asked: “Young Master, shall we go now?”

Ever since Chu Jiubian saved Qin Xiao’s life, Qin Chaoyang’s already deferential attitude had become even more pronounced, and he seemed to want to worship Chu Jiubian at all times.

“Let’s go,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Chaoyang turned around and went down on one knee, saying: “Please excuse me.”

Just as Chu Jiubian was about to climb onto his back, he heard footsteps behind him.

Qin Xiao, who had changed into a black outfit at some point, had arrived in the falling snow without even a cloak.

“What are you doing here?” Chu Jiubian’s tone was somewhat chilly.

As Qin Xiao approached, Qin Chaoyang had already gotten up and retreated back a little, lowering his sense of presence until he was nearly imperceptible.

“I’ll take you,” said Qin Xiao.

Chu Jiubian glanced at his chest: “How do you expect to take me in that condition?”

According to the latest intelligence, Nanjiang-wang and his wife had left their palace and secretly gone to the Qin family’s prison where Cheng Shuo was being held.

Chu Jiubian’s plan was to go and check on Cheng Shuo’s situation, mainly to keep an eye on the couple’s actions and ensure that no unexpected incidents arose.

But this was a confidential matter. Chu Jiubian needed to leave the palace in the middle of the night, and the more secretly he could do so, the better.

Thus, he planned to have Qin Chaoyang carry him out directly. He was a skilled martial artist, and the dark, windy night suited their plan perfectly.

Qin Xiao looked at Chu Jiubian and said somewhat stubbornly: “I’m feeling much better. Martial arts will not be a problem for me.”

There was a moment of silence, and when Chu Jiubian spoke again, his tone was even more unpleasant: “Why do you actually want to go?”

There was no point in saying that he didn’t want Qin Chaoyang to be the one to carry him. Even Qin Xiao himself wouldn’t believe it if he said it out loud.

Qin Xiao wasn’t that foolish, and finally spoke after a pause: “I want to know if he was truly under the control of an external force.”

If that was the case, it would only prove that Cheng Shuo was weak in willpower. Qin Xiao wouldn’t entrust him with important tasks in the future, but he also wouldn’t do anything to harm him.

However, if that wasn’t the case, then Cheng Shuo truly held a grudge against Qin Xiao.

And Qin Xiao would not allow such a person to live.

Chu Jiubian gazed steadily into the man’s deep, inscrutable eyes.

A moment later, he heaved a sigh: “Let’s go.”

Just as Qin Xiao turned to kneel down, Chu Jiubian took his hand and led him to the staircase.

He positioned himself on the steps, then reached out and wrapped his arms around Qin Xiao’s neck from behind.

Qin Xiao wasn’t wearing a cloak, but with Chu Jiubian draped over him like this, the other’s body heat and cloak dispelled the chill from Qin Xiao’s body.

The young man’s warm breath tickled his ear, and Qin Xiao’s eyes darkened slightly.

He softly grasped the other’s knees and lifted him onto his back. Then, with a light step, he leaped over the courtyard wall.

Qin Xiao walked steadily along the wall with Chu Jiubian on his back, hiding among the shadows cast by the wall and trees.

His steps were so quick that Chu Jiubian felt the wind stinging his face, so he lowered his head and buried his face in the neck of the person beneath him.

Breathing in that faint, pleasant scent, he was momentarily disoriented.

Qin Xiao was a man of great loyalty and integrity, but at every turn, Chu Jiubian still found him somewhat difficult to understand.

Cheng Shuo was a close friend of Qin Xiao’s parents, a kind uncle who had been there for him throughout his childhood, showering him with affection and support, and even fighting battles on his behalf.

Even with the knowledge that this military expedition was likely to end badly, he had still followed him without hesitation.

Qin Xiao had never imagined that this person would betray him, and was deeply affected when it actually happened.

His had insisted on coming tonight solely because he wanted answers.

He wanted to know if the man had actually betrayed him, or if it was unintentional.

A ringing sound echoed in his ears, and a dazed look spread across Chu Jiubian’s face.

He seemed to be looking at a little boy.

The child knelt by a bloodstained bed amidst scattered pieces of flesh, stubbornly clutching a woman’s cold, clammy arm as he asked her why she had given birth to him.

He asked her why she didn’t want him.

His body jolted abruptly, and Chu Jiubian awoke with a start, instinctively tightening his arms around Qin Xiao’s neck.

Qin Xiao didn’t pause in his steps, but his voice, gentle and low, reached Chu Jiubian’s ears.

“Were you asleep?” he asked.

Chu Jiubian’s grip had almost loosened completely just now. Had he not hefted him up slightly, the young man would have slipped from his back.

Chu Jiubian rubbed his face against the man’s slightly cool ear and softly murmured: “En.”

The man smiled, and a few leaps and bounds later, they finally came to a stop in a courtyard.

This was a side building in the Qin family compound, specifically used to provide food and lodgings for the family’s private guards.

However, there was also a prison within the compound used to confine assassins, spies, and other criminals who were guilty but could not yet be sent to the Ministry of Justice or Dali Temple.

There were currently only a few people being held in the prison, so the sounds coming from one of the cells were exceptionally clear.

Chu Jiubian went with Qin Xiao into the prison and followed the sounds to their source. There in the cell, Cheng Shuo was rolling around on the ground, clutching his head in pain.

Outside his prison cell were two figures, one tall and one short, standing side by side. Several Qin family guards stood to their left and right, watching them intently with their bodies tensed in defensive postures.

When he heard a sound behind him, the tall man turned around.

He had a handsome, elegant face, with deep-set eyes and an impressive bearing. 

The other party revealed no surprise upon catching sight of them, and didn’t approach them to exchange greetings. Instead, he turned back to watch the person in the cell.

And the shorter person beside him was Situ Anli, the Saintess of Nanjiang.

She didn’t turn around, remaining entirely focused on the prison cell as she murmured some sort of complex, ancient incantation.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao exchanged a look, then approached without a hint of caution.

They didn’t believe that this king and queen would harm them. After all, judging from their actions in the past, it was clear that they weren’t the sort of people who prioritized personal gain above all else.

Of course, even if they did try something, Chu Jiubian wasn’t worried. After all, he had the Situ siblings as his Believers, didn’t he? He would be able to utilize his relationship with them to resolve such a crisis. 

And even if using the two children was ineffective, he could also learn several relevant books on the spot from the System Mall and integrate the knowledge.

Upon reaching the prison cell, the two of them noticed that Situ Anli’s face was covered in a thick layer of sweat.

Cheng Shuo writhed in pain inside the cell as a small green snake slithered around him, its cold eyes scrutinizing his form.

Nobody spoke. They simply watched in silence.

Then Cheng Shuo let out an abrupt scream, and a centipede about the thickness of a pinky finger rapidly crawled out of his nostril.

The little green snake slithered over at lightning speed and swallowed the small centipede in one gulp.

The nearby guards all wore rather grim expressions, and when they saw the little green snake slither back to Situ Anli’s head and hide in her hair, their faces went ashen, their gazes toward her filled with shock and terror.

Even Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had never witnessed such a scene before, and their expressions shifted as they stared at Situ Anli.

Bai Lihao supported his wife, tenderly wiping the cold sweat from her forehead as he said softly: “How are you, Li’er? Do you want me to carry you?”

Situ Anli shook her head and said with a weak smile: “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

She forced herself to stand upright and looked at Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, saying: “Greetings, honored lords.”

She placed her hands in front of her chest and performed a traditional Nanjiang greeting.

“No need for formalities, Saintess.” Qin Xiao looked toward Cheng Shuo, who had lost consciousness, and said with a frown, “What happened to him?”

“He will survive, but there was damage to his brain, and he will likely suffer some memory loss in the aftermath,” said Situ Anli.

Chu Jiubian asked: “What kind of gu was he infected with?”

That centipede just now was a gu insect used in witchcraft, but the person controlling it was unknown.

“It was a type of parent-child gu. The mother is able to control the behavior of the host carrying her offspring, but only to a limited extent and for short periods of time. For example, making a person sit or lie down is a fairly common use.”

Situ Anli said with a somewhat imposing expression: “Only a gu master with profound abilities would be able to exert enough control on the lieutenant general to force him to kill someone.”

Chu Jiubian nodded: “Then do you know of anyone with such abilities?”

“There are a few other candidates aside from me, but they are all members of my clan.” Situ Anli said earnestly, “They have never left the Nanjiang region, so it couldn’t have been them.”

“Escort Lieutenant General Cheng to a guest room to rest,” Qin Xiao instructed his guards, and only after the man had been carried away did he turn to the others and say, “There are some reclusive families and sects in the jianghu. Perhaps a clue can be found among them.”

“Does My Lord not suspect us?” Bai Lihao spoke up suddenly, directing his mild gaze at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao’s lips curved slightly, and he said: “I had my doubts.”

Bai Lihao smiled back at him.

“Thank you both for taking the time to come and help today. This lord will surely reward you handsomely in the future,” Qin Xiao said, offering them a formal bow.

This statement was, in fact, a promise.

Regardless of how he might target the powerful noble families and the vassal kings in the future, Nanjiang would remain a safe zone.

Both Bai Lihao and Situ Anli understood this, and after bowing in return, they took their leave.

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian returned to the palace soon after.

A wave of warmth enveloped them when they entered Yangxin Hall, making them both feel much more comfortable.

“System, scan his injury,” Chu Jiubian said internally.

[The wound is healing well, and the internal injury is not serious. Please rest assured, Host.]

It seemed that Qin Xiao was in excellent physical shape. After carrying him on his back for a round trip, he was still perfectly fine.

It was getting late, so Chu Jiubian said: “Go and wash up.”

Qin Xiao had already removed his outer garment, which was soaked from the snow. Hearing this, he turned and asked: “What about you?”

“I’ll wash up too.”

“Don’t you take a bath every night?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian gave him a look: “Did Xiao Xiangzi tell you that?”

“En.”

Chu Jiubian let out a light snort. He must have reported that in the initial period after Chu Jiubian’s arrival.

“That’s not necessary during winter,” he said.

Thus, just as they had done in the morning, both of them washed their faces and brushed their teeth, then gave themselves a quick wipe-down and got in bed.

Chu Jiubian still kept to the inner side.

But this time, he had learned his lesson. As soon as he crawled in, he turned his back and faced the wall to avoid any awkwardness.

Qin Xiao chuckled softly as he watched him huddle under the blankets.

Chu Jiubian ignored him and closed his eyes.

The lights in the room went out, and the bed jostled slightly.

Then Chu Jiubian felt the blanket being lifted, and the body heat of another person entered the bedcovers.

It was nice and warm.

Chu Jiubian closed his eyes and compelled himself to fall asleep.

But the presence of the person beside him was so strong that he was unable to.

Qin Xiao turned his head to look at him in the darkness, similarly unable to sleep.

Chu Jiubian had disdained him eating in bed earlier, so he had ordered the bedding to be changed. For this reason, his own scent had faded, but the faint fragrance emanating from Chu Jiubian lingered in his nose.

Qin Xiao felt a little parched. Just as he was considering getting up to fetch some water, he heard someone knock softly and rhythmically on the window outside.

---

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Chapter 73 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 75

Ch. 96 – Drinking Capacity

When Feng Ye entered the room, the four people who had entered ahead of him were already seated side by side at the dining table.

Although there were only two residents in this wooden house, there were four long benches occupying each side of the square table.

With the bearded man and the scarred man each sitting on one side and Fang Yang and Cao Zirui squeezing into another, the last remaining side was naturally reserved for Feng Ye and Hao Chen.

Before taking his seat, Feng Ye cast a cursory glance around the room. Although the house was small, it contained all of the necessities, such as beds, cooking utensils, and some other common household items. There were even embroidery needles and thread laying out, as well as a cloth tiger.

Feng Ye’s gaze lingered briefly on the cloth tiger.

“Come sit down! We just caught a rabbit today,” the scarred man called out to Feng Ye.

Feng Ye looked away and sat down at the table.

But before he could settle into his seat, Hao Chen unceremoniously squeezed in next to him, forcing him to move to the side.

Even though Feng Ye had given him enough space, Hao Chen completely ignored the ample space on his other side and pressed close to Feng Ye.

Despite carrying the fish all this way, Feng Ye still instinctively balked at anyone getting so close to him, and shifted a little further away.

Hao Chen, pushing his luck, scooted closer and closer to him.

This repeated several times.

The long bench was meant to be shared equally between two people, but Hao Chen was already seated in the middle, leaving Feng Ye with only one side of his buttocks resting on the bench.

If he moved any further, he would fall flat on his rear. Feng Ye finally gave up struggling and resigned himself to sitting close to Hao Chen.

Meanwhile, as the two of them shifted in their seats, the others at the table had already struck up a conversation.

The scarred man introduced himself first: “My name is Wang Wu. I’m a hunter from the mountains.”

Wang Wu then gestured to the bearded man on his left and said: “This is my good brother, Zhao Yi.”

Compared to Wang Wu’s beaming smile, Zhao Yi appeared somewhat indifferent. He had likely not been very willing to allow Feng Ye and the others inside his home, but Wang Wu had cut his refusal short. When Wang Wu introduced him, he simply nodded to everyone.

Once the two of them finished their introductions, it was Feng Ye’s turn to introduce his crew of four.

But he was currently occupied with his back-and-forth with Hao Chen, so Fang Yang stepped up to set an example. He introduced his party one by one, from the furthest away from him to the closest.

He only said their names, without explaining where they came from or what they were doing here. Because Fang Yang felt that even if he told these two hunters, they wouldn’t understand, since cultivation sects usually interacted very little with ordinary people.

But Wang Wu wasn’t satisfied with Fang Yang’s lack of explanation. His smile remained unchanged as he subtly probed for information: “I can see that the four of you possess an air of authority and an extraordinary bearing. You don’t seem like ordinary people.”

Fang Yang scratched his head sheepishly, and was about to say that they were just ordinary disciples of an immortal sect when a voice suddenly cut in.

“We brothers have only practiced martial arts for a short while, so we’re just mediocre, not much better than the average person. But Wang-xiong and Zhao-xiong seem to be quite skilled.”

Feng Ye gestured to the roasted rabbit on the table and smiled, saying: “This rabbit may look simple, but they’re actually incredibly difficult to catch. Once they really start to run, even a wolf might not be able to keep up. I see there are two more dead rabbits lying by the stove. To be able to catch three at once, Wang-xiaong and Zhao-xiong must have considerable martial arts skills.”

“Haha, hunting is all about experience. Properly set up the trap and bait, and the prey will fall right in. It’s not as complicated as you think. My brother and I are just physically strong, which can’t compare to the formal training and techniques of you four,” Wang Wu responded with a hearty laugh.

“An unconventional path is not necessarily inferior to orthodox martial arts. In the beginning, these so-called techniques were merely things that martial artists devised through their own contemplation. Wang-xiong, there’s no need to sell yourself short,” Feng Ye added.

Wang Wu chuckled again and dropped the subject.

He had already realized that Feng Ye was being evasive, so he decided to try a different approach to pry some information out of him: “By the way, what brings you four young men to Longqiu? This is a desolate wilderness teeming with wolves, tigers, and leopards; it’s not an ideal destination.”

Feng Ye replied with a smile: “We heard that there are ruins of an ancient city here, which made us very curious. Since we happened to be passing by Longqiu, we made a special trip to see them.”

Wang Wu’s eyes flickered briefly, and he replied: “Ancient city ruins, huh? That’s certainly true.”

“Oh? In that case, would Wang-xiong be so kind as to point the way? After a brief rest, we’ll head out and not trouble you any further,” said Feng Ye, raising his eyebrows.

“Hey, we met by fate, don’t speak of troubling us.”

Wang Wu waved his hand, then gestured outside: “As you can see from this mountain road, there’s absolutely no structure to it. After the rain, the dirt washes away as mud and the shape of the path changes. Since it’s your first time here, you’re bound to eventually get lost, so how about you just rest here for a while? This afternoon, when it’s not so hot, my brother and I will personally take you there.”

Faced with Wang Wu’s enthusiastic suggestion, Feng Ye thought for a moment, but didn’t refuse. He simply thanked the man: “Many thanks to Wang-xiong and Zhao-xiong.”

Seeing that the two had come to the end of their conversation, Fang Yang finally had a chance to chime in. He lamented to Wang Wu and Zhao Yi: “You really can’t judge a book by its cover, ah. I never imagined that Wang-xiong and Zhao-xiong would be such kind-hearted people. At first glance, you seemed a bit fierce, and I even thought you resembled bandits from a storybook.”

The lively dinner table fell silent in the wake of Fang Yang’s words.

Even the roasted rabbit, which was still piping hot after coming out of the pot, couldn’t alleviate the sudden temperature drop.

Wang Wu’s smile froze on his face, and Zhao Yi’s eyelid twitched, his right hand subconsciously going to his waist.

Cao Zirui glanced around, sensing that something was amiss.

Feng Ye’s gaze lingered on the long, narrow outlines at the waists of the two men. Judging by the length, they were probably daggers.

Hao Chen, on the other hand, calmly opened his fan and waved it.

Fang Yang was completely oblivious to the tremendous truth his words had inadvertently revealed, and he was equally oblivious to the strange atmosphere.

After speaking, he shifted his attention to the roasted rabbit on the table.

Although cultivators at Foundation Establishment stage were able to practice inedia, this rabbit really did smell delicious…..

Fang Yang swallowed.

“Ai, my brother and I have suffered a lot because of our appearances. When we went to the city to work as laborers in our early years, people thought we looked too fierce and refused to hire us.” After a brief tension, Wang Wu broke the silence around the dinner table.

His complexion returned to normal, warm and smiling, and he invited everyone: “We’ve been chatting so long that we forgot to eat. Come on, help yourselves.”

As he spoke, he personally tore off a rabbit leg and handed it to Fang Yang, hoping to stuff his mouth with it. 

Then he spoke again: “We didn’t expect to have guests today, so we only roasted this one rabbit. If it’s not enough, I’ll go roast another one right away.”

“No need,” said Feng Ye. “We’ve already eaten some dry rations on the way. Just a taste is enough. There’s no need for you to go to such trouble, Wang-xiong.”

“Oh, I see…..” Wang Wu feigned a regretful expression.

After saying this, he suddenly got up and fetched a jar of wine from the corner of the room. The jar was half a meter high, and looked quite heavy.

Although it wasn’t easy for Wang Wu to move it, he eventually managed. Such strength was not common in ordinary people.

At this sight, Feng Ye became more certain of his suspicions.

Wang Wu carried the jar to the table and broke off the mud seal, then smiled at everyone and said: “Just eating meat isn’t enough, it needs to be paired with wine to truly savor the flavor. Homemade rice wine can’t compare to the wine in the city. Please don’t be offended!”

As he spoke, he filled each of the bowls on the table to the brim, pouring such an unusually large amount that they nearly overflowed.

After pouring, Wang Wu sat back down and set an example for everyone by picking up his wine bowl: “I’ll drink first as a sign of respect!”

Having said this, he really did drink it all in one gulp.

When he finished, he turned the bowl upside down to show that not a single drop was left.

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui actually didn’t drink, but in the face of Wang Wu’s enthusiasm, as well as the fact that he had already finished his drink, they felt that it would be impolite to refuse.

Drinking was an essential part of becoming a man; it was something they would have to learn eventually. Thus, the two of them also picked up their wine bowls and began to drink in small sips.

Feng Ye picked up his bowl too. He briefly stared at the crystal-clear liquid, and only after confirming that it hadn’t been tampered with did he tilt his head back and drink it down.

Bang.

“Feng-xiong, please have more!”

The moment Feng Ye’s bowl clattered to the table, Wang Wu urged him to drink more.

Wang Wu poured himself another bowl, and also filled Feng Ye’s to the brim.

His intention to get him drunk couldn’t be clearer.

Whether that foolish boy named Fang Yang was truly a fool or merely putting on an act, he had actually laid their identities bare in one sentence.

But as he watched Fang Yang happily munch on a rabbit leg, Wang Wu leaned toward the conclusion that he was genuinely a fool.

Of the four people present, the most difficult one to deal with was probably the one named Feng Ye. After talking with him for so long, he had been unable to glean any useful information.

Feng Ye’s stated purpose for coming here, as well as the identities of this group, were probably not true at all.

Wang Wu had already realized that it would be difficult to get Feng Ye to talk, but…..

Men were most liable to open up in two situations: one was during pillow talk, and the other was after drinking.

He would get Feng Ye absolutely drunk, and then he would pour out everything he was holding back.

Although Wang Wu was also forced to drink during this process, he was extremely confident in his alcohol tolerance and didn’t believe that anyone could outdrink him.

Out of everyone at this table, it definitely wouldn’t be him who collapsed first.

However, his confidence was shattered merely half a shichen later.

And it wasn’t Feng Ye who shattered it, but Hao Chen.

After Wang Wu toasted Feng Ye three times, Hao Chen, who had been silent until now, suddenly joined the drinking party.

He had realized Wang Wu’s intention to get them drunk, and couldn’t help but pick up his fan and give it a flutter, feeling that an opportunity to showcase his charm had finally arrived.

Shielding one’s wife from drinking was practically a must-learn skill for any responsible man.

So Hao Chen snatched the wine bowl from Feng Ye’s hand, which had been refilled for the fourth time, and smiled slightly at the somewhat surprised Feng Ye: “You can’t hold your liquor. I’ll drink for you.”

Feng ‘can’t hold his liquor’ Ye: “ ……”

Hao Chen didn’t mind that Feng Ye had already used the wine bowl, and didn’t even sip from a different part of the rim. He simply drank all the wine in the bowl directly from where Feng Ye had drunk from.

This sudden disruption didn’t bother Wang Wu. He figured that with his enormous capacity for alcohol, he could easily get Hao Chen drunk and then start on Feng Ye again.

After drinking round after round, Wang Wu began to experience some pressure when the bowls numbered over a dozen. He was already slightly drunk, but this fellow named Hao Chen wasn’t even breathing heavily or red in the face. He seemed as if he could go a dozen more rounds without a problem.

Wang Wu’s eyes darted around, and he gave Zhao Yi next to him a meaningful look.

Zhao Yi nodded in understanding. He found a pretext to lift his bowl and propose a toast to Hao Chen, then took turns with Wang Wu plying him with drink.

They refused to believe that between the two of them, they couldn’t drink him under the table.

However, they had no choice but to believe it. Hao Chen accepted every one of their toasts, drinking every bowl Wang Wu and Zhao Yi poured him. Even when they refrained, he drank one bowl after another without stopping.

The roasted rabbit was long gone. Fang Yang and Cao Zirui stared in disbelief as Hao Chen repeatedly set down empty bowls, still holding their unfinished bowls of wine.

The dinner table had become a drinking battleground.

At long last, the wine jar was empty. Wang Wu had also reached his limit.

He stared at Hao Chen with a baffled expression. It truly defied belief; did this fellow have an entire ocean in his stomach?

He ended with a half-hearted compliment: “Hao-xiong, what great drinking capacity!”

Then he slumped over on the table.

Hao Chen finished the last bowl of wine in front of him, then turned to Feng Ye with a grin.

It was evident that he was seeking praise.

Feng Ye ignored him, staring at Hao Chen’s stomach with a head full of questions.

He shared the same idea as Wang Wu: was there an ocean inside Hao Chen’s belly?

The jar of wine weighed at least twenty catties, and most of it had ended up inside Hao Chen. Yet despite drinking so much, his belly was still flat. It was unknown where all of that wine had gone.

Feng Ye had seen Hao Chen’s true form in his dream, that Peng bird that blotted out the sky. Even if Hao Chen couldn’t drink up the sea, he could certainly drain a small river.

But that was his true form. How was the human version able to drink so much?

Feng Ye’s original form wasn’t small either, but his appetite and alcohol tolerance changed with his size. He could eat more in his dragon form, but as a human, he was no different from any ordinary person.

But that didn’t seem to be the case for the Kunpeng. Could it be that the structure of Hao Chen’s human form was different from ordinary people?

The more he thought about it, the more confused Feng Ye became. So, under Hao Chen’s bewildered gaze, he leaned down and pressed his ear against the other’s stomach.

Hao Chen stared down at Feng Ye lying in his lap, and asked in confusion: “What are you doing?”

Feng Ye first shushed him. Then, after listening for a moment, he replied: “I want to hear the sound of the sea.”

Hao Chen: “……”

---

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Chapter 95 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 97

Ch 28 – In Deep Trouble

Tau went looking for Yu Xi, wanting to get some materials for his figurine’s eyes. The door to Kersz and Yu Xi’s room wasn’t closed all the way, and he heard Kersz’s voice.

“Y-Yu Xi, don’t lick me, ah.”

Tau froze with his hand outstretched toward the door, then hugged his little dinosaur tighter.

After returning to his room, Tau couldn’t stop himself from turning around and glaring toward their door.

Sure enough, that madman Kersz was desperate to sell his body, and Yu Xi had gladly accepted.

The relationship between these two was incredibly messy, and something bad was bound to happen sooner or later.

How could he so easily get into an intimate relationship with someone as dangerous as Yu Xi? What if their relationship hit a snag and Yu Xi had a breakdown?

If Yu Xi were to try to drag humanity into death with him, would they be able to stop him?

Thinking of these things, Tau shook his head in disapproval at the actions of that dissolute space pirate Kersz.

Tau couldn’t sleep, because he hadn’t been able to put eyes on his little dinosaur yet.

He wanted a pair of eyes…..a pretty pair of eyes, preferably purple.

Tau poked the little dinosaur’s empty eye sockets a few times.

Were Yu Xi and Kersz finished?

Tau went out again, hugging his dinosaur. This time, he heard Yu Xi’s voice when he walked to their door.

“But you kept making that sound, like the meowing of a small kitten….”

Tau sighed. They weren’t finished.

He took the dinosaur back to his room.

Did Yu Xi perhaps have a problem with his aesthetic tastes? How could a kitten’s meow have anything to do with Kersz?

Tau had no choice but to return to his room.

He waited a little longer, thinking that this time, it should be fine.

But when he reached the door, he heard Kersz asking: “Give birth to robots? Why would I give birth to robots?”

Tau: ……

He glanced at the time. It had only been a few hours. How had they progressed to the point where they were discussing having children?

Furthermore, did Yu Xi have genetic material? And even if he did, he couldn’t combine it with Kersz’s, right? 

And what did they mean by ‘giving birth?’ Nowadays, humans were grown using machines. Human conception was illegal, ah.

Also, humans could not give birth to robots.

After lingering for a while at the door, Tau came to a conclusion – this must be a crazy, ridiculous little game between them.

Tau had seen far too many filthy things. Illegitimates like him occasionally received missions that required them to use their own bodies, so such things were not unusual to Tau.

But was Kersz really not afraid of developing health problems? Or did he have that much faith in the medical facilities of the ancient humans?

This space pirate was truly insane.

Tau returned to his room, where he cuddled his eye-less dinosaur until dawn.

He didn’t close the door, and rushed out the second he heard footsteps.

Upon laying eyes on Yu Xi, he raised up the dinosaur in his arms: “Do you have two purple eyeballs?”

“Huh? You finished it?” Yu Xi was rather surprised.

Tau nodded.

“Would you like to install a small interactive system in this little dinosaur?” Yu Xi asked.

Tau was stunned: “Is that possible? But its body is very fragile. Won’t it break easily?”

“You can apply some protective coating to it. The interactive system has a basic emotion module. Would you like that?” Yu Xi felt that Tau was exceptionally fond of this little toy.

Tau wasn’t sure if he wanted it or not: “But what if I die after installing the emotion module?”

“Even with an emotion module, it will still just be a pet. It won’t have the same profound emotions as humans.” Yu Xi felt that there was no need for Tau to worry about this.

“But what is profound, and what is superficial?” Tau felt that this was wrong. Feelings were feelings. How could there be a distinction between them?

Was the affection of a “pet” something that could be easily discarded?

“Profound affection is when your loved one understands you completely, including your good and bad qualities, and loves you regardless,” Yu Xi explained. “With superficial affection, the subject doesn’t understand you. Not your experiences, your suffering, or your joy.”

“They only like you because of the tiny bit of kindness you give them,” Yu Xi said. “You can’t be sure if they’ll still like you after they discover the real you.”

Kersz also overheard Yu Xi’s speech, and sighed as he straightened his clothes: “Aren’t your words a little too cold?”

“No, I’m speaking from experience,” Yu Xi said.

“Have you owned many pets?”

“I feel that I was kept as a pet by humans for a long time.” Yu Xi hadn’t expected that Tau would be so concerned over the feelings of a pet.

Clearly, Tau didn’t even care about the life or death of other humans.

After hearing Yu Xi’s words, Tau hugged his little dinosaur even tighter.

“With the emotion module, will it become like you one day?” he asked.

“No, that is just an artificial emotion system. You can think of it as your pet imitating you.” Yu Xi had undergone countless upgrades to become what he was. “Although it is incredibly close to reality, grief won’t cause it any physical problems.”

Tau: “So it would just be a lie.”

“You can think of it that way.” Yu Xi frowned. “But I don’t like using such a depressing word to describe it. Rather than a lie, I would say it’s a ‘fantasy.’”

Tau looked down at the dinosaur in his arms, then up at Yu Xi.

After a moment’s thought, he held the dinosaur out to Yu Xi with both hands: “Then please install an artificial emotion module in it. And purple eyes.”

“Okay. I’ll make the two of you look more like family.” Yu Xi took the dinosaur. “Have you named it?”

Tau shook his head. He didn’t know what to name it: “What did your ancient humans call this type of creature?”

Yu Xi: “Humans collectively referred to them as dinosaurs, or kǒnglóng.”

“It sounds so imposing. Then let’s call it ‘kōnglóng.’” Tau was very satisfied with this grand-sounding word.^[1]

Yu Xi: “…..Hehe.” He was still helpless against non-standard pronunciation.

Yu Xi went to assemble the protective casing and emotion module for Tau’s little dinosaur. Obviously, he would still need to modify the joints and muscular structure to make it look even cuter.

Kersz didn’t stick to Yu Xi. He was actually quite curious about Tau.

He didn’t understand why Tau had suddenly become enthralled with doing handicrafts.

Kersz asked him, but Tau didn’t feel that he was enthralled. It was just that he couldn’t do anything right now, such as transmitting intelligence, so he could only tinker with these little things.

“Then why not eat or drink instead of making things like that?” Kersz had also grown bored after recovering his health, so he started finding ways to amuse himself.

And his source of amusement was food.

He had never tasted any of this food before, and longed to try every single one of Yu Xi’s dishes.

Kersz was quite certain that Tau had never eaten proper food either. The Supreme Governor wouldn’t give his henchmen so many benefits.

Tau’s hobby was somewhat divorced from reality, and it seemed to be a sort of spiritual pursuit as well.

“Why are you thinking about food and drink?” Tau didn’t understand.

“Because those are a person’s most primal desires,” Kersz said. “Do you not have an appetite?”

Tau countered: “Isn’t lust also one of humanity’s most primal desires?”

“Of course it is~” Kersz agreed at once.

“You were exposed to lust much sooner than me,” Kersz said, looking Tau up and down. “Do you not feel it?”

“No.” When Tau engaged in such behavior, he was just completing a task.

“How can that be? You haven’t modified your flesh and blood body.” Kersz felt that it was impossible for Tau to be completely unaffected.

“I did experience a physical reaction, but it didn’t bring me pleasure.” Tau knew that it was just a normal human response. “I advise you not to mistake this fleeting pleasure for true love.”

Kersz: “Ah?”

Tau continued: “It is very deceptive. As I understand it, some people become addicted to this toxic pleasure.”

After venturing into space, humans rarely had sexual relations with each other anymore.

Because most people were not ‘compatible”

Compared to incompatible humans, customizable androids that could meet certain needs were more useful.

Human pregnancy was also illegal, so there was no need for humans to force themselves to have offspring with another human.

Human-on-human sexual relationships had become more of a peculiar “hobby.”

It was a desire to conquer that drove people to subdue a member of their own race.

Tau certainly found that to be a toxic pleasure.

“I didn’t feel pleasure, nor did I feel humiliated. But I think the lack of humiliation was because I don’t have much shame to begin with.” Tau looked at Kersz. “Ask yourself honestly, how did you feel when Yu Xi touched you?”

Kersz: “Very aroused.”

Tau: “Tell the truth.”

Kersz described it in more detail: “Even though I was aroused, my mind was pretty clear. I wanted him to continue, but I also felt that our relationship wasn’t at that point. I wanted him to stop, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the word ‘stop.’”

Tau: ……

Tau went quiet.

Kersz snuck a couple of glances at him. In consideration of their former friendship, he felt that he should show him a bit of concern: “Were you abused by those people?”

Tau: “Actually…..”

Kersz’s eyes widened.

“Actually, it’s those mentally-stressed people in high positions of power who prefer to be abused,” Tau said. “They always seem to enjoy finding a ‘master’ for themselves within a safe space.”

“As for those with sadistic tendencies, that group of people are a bit too extreme. Approaching them through lust is unreliable, because they really do cause deaths. Raising an Illegitimate is not a simple endeavor, and nobody would allow one in their hands to be scrapped so easily.”

“Your world is far more unhinged than that of a madman like me,” Kersz exclaimed.

Tau didn’t respond. He simply stared at Yu Xi’s door, waiting for the results.

Kersz’s curiosity was piqued again: “So, who have you been the master of?”

Tau remained silent.

Kersz: “Was there anyone you felt pity or tenderness for?”

“They have power and status. Why would I pity them?”

“Ha, you can see it when it’s not your father in question,” Kersz laughed.

Tau refused to speak.

Kersz attempted to strike up conversation again, but Tau ignored him.

Tau maintained this silence until Yu Xi brought out the little dinosaur, which had been fitted with an emotion module and a protective casing.

Tau’s eyes lit up, and he immediately straightened up and stretched out his hands to welcome his dinosaur.

Yu Xi handed over the small creature, whose expressions and facial features resembled those of a well-made cartoon character.

Most importantly, its eyes were a light purple just like Tau’s.

“Congratulations, you’re a father!” Yu Xi smiled and clapped, and then the entire room filled with cheers and applause.

Yu Xi had long since replaced the main system in this room with one more like that back on his planet.

Amidst the cheers, Tau hugged his dinosaur tightly.

He truly felt like he was a father.

He looked down at the dinosaur in his arms again. This was something he had painstakingly pasted together with pieces of paper.

Tau extended a finger, and the little dinosaur rubbed its head against it.

Tau felt as if he had received an electric shock.

The little dinosaur let out two “roars,” and Tau trembled helplessly. In the end, he looked to Yu Xi for help: “What does it mean?”

Kersz noticed that Yu Xi had changed into a white lab coat, and that upon hearing Tau’s words, he immediately pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket: “Come here, and I’ll tell you a few key points.”

Tau stiffly followed Yu Xi to the table.

“First, when it comes to holding a baby, you should ideally support its head, neck, and bottom. But considering that this one could run from the second it was born, you can just hold it however you like.” Yu Xi then pretentiously took out a piece of paper and a pen. “Then comes feeding. This is a creature hatched from an egg, so it doesn’t need breastmilk, but you must create food for it.”

Tau: “Create?”

“Yes, small food-shaped toys. If you really don’t have time, you can draw food on paper and cut it out. It will be able to eat it.”

Tau was shocked: “It’s really edible?”

“It can still taste the flavor.” Yu Xi smiled. “The more refined the product is, the more the child will like it. Don’t underestimate the technology of the ancient humans.”

Tau let out an exclamation of awe, and the dinosaur in his arms echoed him.

He stared wide-eyed at the dinosaur, and it wagged its tail at him.

Yu Xi tapped Tau’s head with his pen: “Listen carefully.”

Tau quickly sat up straight.

“Eating coarse food for too long can can cause it to have diarrhea,” Yu Xi added.

Tau was even more astonished: “It can get diarrhea?”

“Of course it can. The diarrhea will come out as bits of paper. Look at its bottom – those bits of paper will come out from there.” Yu Xi’s modifications to the dinosaur were very successful. “Healthy stool will look like a tiny crumpled ball of paper.”

Tau touched the dinosaur, utterly shocked.

“You can also make him some miniature clothes and shoes from time to time. Children like to look good.” At this point, Yu Xi lowered his head with a smile and asked the dinosaur if it liked pretty things.

The dinosaur nodded its big head, looking rather shy.

Yu Xi also reminded it that it wasn’t wearing clothes at the moment.

The dinosaur tried to cover its body with its short arms, but found that its forelimbs were far too short. Unable to cover itself, it could only surreptitiously tug part of Tau’s jacket over its body.

Tau looked completely dumbfounded.

Goodness! It really looked like a living thing. A living thing he had created himself!

He was really going to be a father!

What should a father do? The dinosaur currently had no clothes or food….that’s right! The dinosaur had nothing at all!

Tau jumped up with the dinosaur in his arms. He needed to quickly prepare food so that the dinosaur could have a full belly before he made its clothes.

Tau needed to get busy.

He asked Yu Xi for the food recipe, then took the paper and white glue back to his room.

“I still don’t get it.” Kersz crossed his arms and stared in the direction Tau had gone.

“I heard what the two of you were talking about,” Yu Xi said.

“Then why do you think he’s so obsessed with this little toy instead of food or physical pleasure?” Kersz asked in puzzlement.

Yu Xi had been pondering this question, and had even searched for references among the records of the ancient humans: “You weren’t interested in physical pleasure at the beginning either.”

“Because I was too focused on killing people. He’s obviously not as angry as I am.”

Yu Xi didn’t agree: “Perhaps you wished to use your rebellion to reveal your anger to everyone. Even if you couldn’t change the entire situation, you could still irk them, like a fishbone stuck in their throats.”

Kersz: “Why would people eat fish bones?”

“Oh, I forgot you’ve never choked on a fishbone.” Yu Xi realized that he hadn’t used the right analogy. “Or you could become a thorn stuck under their fingernails, unable to be ignored.”

Kersz considered this and decided that it was pretty accurate.

“In fact, many humans have a stronger reproductive desire under extreme conditions. It’s natural.”

People always hoped to pass on their genes as another form of “escape.”

But these desires seemed to belong to the future.

Both appetite and lust were forms of yearning for what was yet to come.

But these “Illegitimates” had no future at all.

What tomorrow would bring was not something they could dwell upon. Through repeated torment, their most primal desires as living beings had been forcibly snuffed out.

These “Illegitimates” were like rootless duckweed. They had no official identity, their biological parents had long since died, and they had nowhere to go.

Disobeying orders meant death.

Those early childhood education cartoons may be the “safe haven” Tau had found.

Tau was pursuing something unreal. His understanding had matured, but his preferences were deeply bound to those early childhood education cartoons.

Those animated films, which made it seem like the whole world was accommodating and guiding the viewer, contained a fatal attraction for Tau. And the act of making handicrafts posed no danger to him.

This was more like doing something to relieve boredom, but this “boredom” was particularly important for Tau.

All of this was absolutely safe for him.

And Tau had never felt absolutely safe before.

Thus, Tau became addicted. Like a child engrossed in playing house, he began to take care of his little dinosaur, creating food and clothes for it.

His feelings for the little dinosaur were real, but it was all a fantasy.

This, too, was a form of security.

“But his feelings for that thing really seem genuine.” Kersz grasped the key point.

Yu Xi hummed in acknowledgement: “Indeed. He might hope that the dinosaur’s feelings for him are also genuine.”

“Then why not get a real pet?”

“He doesn’t dare.” Yu Xi shrugged.

“From an outsider’s perspective, we humans are a bit too pathetic.” Kersz found it comical, but he couldn’t laugh.

“It’s hard to say what conditions would make your kind comfortable and at peace. I thought the ancient humans had finally found the answer, but then they still left.” Yu Xi didn’t understand either.

He had a clear understanding that both Tau and Kersz were in pain, but he couldn’t understand why the ancient humans, who were free from such pain, would still choose death.

Must every road have an end? Wasn’t that too pessimistic?

Kersz felt that his own behavior must also be incomprehensible to Tau, and that he must think that Kersz was blinded by simple, straightforward pleasures.

At this thought, Kersz felt that something wasn’t quite right.

Hadn’t Yu Xi just said that appetite and lust were part of a desire for a “future?”

Then did that mean Kersz wanted to have a future?

Hadn’t his lust toward Yu Xi just been caused by excessive touching?

Yu Xi was clearly a standard robot, yet he was more erotic than those androids that specialized in human desire.

Those androids were only capable of some straightforward functions. Yu Xi, however, was quite advanced, and he had a restrained, ascetic style.

Right now for example.

“What are you looking at?” Yu Xi noticed Kersz staring at his neck.

“You’re wearing a turtleneck underneath,” Kersz said.

“Yes, it’s very comfortable.” Yu Xi tugged at his collar. “Do you want one?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Kersz shook his head.

What a pro, ah.

The blueish line on Yu Xi’s lower lip ran down his chin and across his Adam’s apple before finally disappearing beneath his turtleneck.

Wasn’t this designed to entice people into exploring below, following the dim, pulsing light?”

Indeed, this sophisticated, subtle eroticism was the real culprit behind arousing his lust.

It wasn’t that he hoped for a future with Yu Xi.

How could he possibly have such expectations?

“What are you tsking about?” Yu Xi asked.

“I was tsking at myself. As I recall, you said that your energy is running out soon, but you’re a robot who’s existed since before the ancient humans left the planet. You lived through the extinction of the ancient humans, and even to the birth of new humans. Your concept of time is definitely different from ours,” Kersz said.

Yu Xi nodded: “It is.”

“So I figure you won’t completely shut down until tens of thousands of years after I’m dead.” If that was the case, then how could Kersz possibly fantasize about a future with Yu Xi? Their futures were not on the same plane of existence.

Yu Xi reassured Kersz: “No, I’m burning through my energy very quickly. It’s possible that you will outlive me.”

Kersz: …..

Kersz suddenly took a few steps toward Yu Xi, but managed to control himself and suppress his agitation.

Yu Xi’s concept of time was indeed different from that of Kersz and others: “I could just keel over and die at any moment.” After all, three hundred years would pass in the blink of an eye.

Kersz froze.

He stared at Yu Xi, feeling his desire drain away again.

All of a sudden, it all felt so meaningless.

---

[1] The way Tau pronounces this makes it sound like “impractical dragon.” ⮐

---

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Chapter 27 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 29

Ch. 95 – Longqiu

Unlike the flat plains, this vast and lush mountain forest occupied uneven terrain. Undulating mountains and ancient trees of various heights stood side by side, their crowns forming winding, rippling waves. Though there were no turbulent waves like on the coast, the forest itself was a sea of trees, swaying in the wind.

Due to the rugged terrain and inconvenient roads, few people lived in these parts.

At the highest point of this mountain forest, one couldn’t see any signs of human habitation for many li around.

But today, something was different. On a forest path frequented by herb gatherers, four people were walking in pairs.

Hao Chen unfolded his fan, using it to shield his eyes as he peered up at the scorching sun, which was so bright that a moment’s glance was enough to blur one’s sight. After only a couple of seconds, he lowered his head and blinked his eyes.

Once the spots in his eyes subsided a bit, he couldn’t help but ask Feng Ye beside him: “How much longer do we have to walk?”

Hearing this, Feng Ye looked at the map in his hand and thought for a moment. The map was hand-drawn, with messy and primitive lines, lacking any aesthetic appeal. Its only redeeming quality was the clarity of the markings, which allowed one to roughly determine the route.

Feng Ye had gone to great lengths to obtain it, emptying his already meager savings to get an illiterate villager to painstakingly produce it for him.

This was an absolute necessity, for only upon truly entering the territory of Longqiu did they realize just how desolate the place was. So desolate, in fact, that aside from their small group, there wasn’t another living soul in sight.

And with nobody around, there was naturally no one to ask for directions. Without this map, they would be like headless flies, wandering aimlessly through the forest.

The four of them had set off from Lingxiao Sword Sect and headed to the nearest dock to take a ship to Longqiu. Given how desolate Longqiu was, there were obviously no direct routes running through it. 

They disembarked at another dock and then traveled by various means of transportation, including horse-drawn carriages, oxcarts, and even donkey carts, not missing a single mode of travel.

As members of a cultivation sect, by all rights, they shouldn’t have fallen so low as to travel by donkey cart. It was completely beneath the dignity of immortals.

But of the four, two appeared to be low in power and incapable of flight, and of the other two, one was a novice prone to crashing when flying on his own, so carrying someone else as well would be quite the gamble. The remaining one had extensive flight experience, but was still recovering from serious injuries and should avoid using spiritual power casually.

Thus, the four of them had no choice but to keep company with various livestock and hitch rides with traveling merchants or farmers heading to the market.

After three days of such travel, they finally arrived in Longqiu today.

They had passed through the last village at dawn, travelling deep into the heart of Longqiu. The sun was currently high in the sky, and it was the hottest part of the day.

Feng Ye studied the map for a long time, but he really couldn’t estimate how far they were from their destination on this hand-drawn map with arbitrary proportions.

But how far could it be? At most, they would traverse the entirety of Longqiu in two or three days. 

Two or three days of walking was nothing to a cultivator.

Although traveling beneath such a scorching sun was indeed somewhat grueling, cultivators had their own methods for regulating their temperature. Fang Yang and Cao Zirui, who were walking ahead, were full of energy. They were chatting and laughing, walking with a skip in their step, without a drop of sweat on their foreheads. They would occasionally leave Feng Ye and Hao Chen behind and rush off together to look at the scenery along the roadside.

Feng Ye himself also felt fine, but he had only been walking for half a day and wasn’t in need of rest.

Hao Chen was the only one with a listless look about him. In just one morning, he had asked “how much farther?” more than five times.

And the intervals between these questions were becoming shorter and shorter.

Feng Ye thought that this fish was just being lazy again, so he simply folded the map and put it in his sleeve, giving a perfunctory reply: “Almost there, almost there.”

Before Hao Chen’s eyes could completely light up, Feng Ye added: “We’ll definitely arrive within two more days.”

The look in Hao Chen’s eyes instantly turned to resentment, and he stared at Feng Ye so intently that Feng Ye couldn’t help but shiver even under the sun.

Feng Ye felt that Hao Chen was being unreasonable. They had only walked for half a day, so how could he be tired? This fish wasn’t some pampered young lady who had never left home.

Although he didn’t express his true feelings, his expression betrayed him.

Hao Chen couldn’t help but justify himself: “It’s too dry here…..”

Although Lingxiao Sword Sect was not located by the sea, it was situated near the coastal plains, so the air was humid. In spring and autumn, even without rain, it was difficult to keep quilts dry all year round.

Longqiu, however, was located in the northwest inland. As they ventured further into it, they subsequently moved farther away from the coast, and the air became increasingly dry.

Ordinary fish could not survive without water. And although a big fish like Hao Chen could move freely on the shore, at heart, he was still a water-loving creature.

He hated the dry air and scorching sunlight.

The sun wasn’t visible for most of the year in the North Sea, and when it was, its rays were gentle and warm, inducing someone to sleep while basking in it.

Hao Chen felt no discomfort in the early morning when the sun had not yet fully risen, but as it moved across the sky, he felt the moisture leaving him at an accelerating rate. If he stayed in the sun for too much longer, he might very well become a dried fish.

Although it may sound like an exaggeration, his desire to never again toil under such intense sunlight was genuine.

Instead of allowing himself to become a dried and salted fish on the shore, he should sink into the deep sea, quietly waiting amongst the cool currents for the hottest part of the day to pass.

When he heard Hao Chen’s reasoning, Feng Ye didn’t understand. So what if it was dry?

But then his eyes lit up in sudden realization.

This fish was struggling to acclimatize.

It seemed Hao Chen wasn’t being deliberately lazy. It was simply his nature as a fish to hate being active in such sweltering heat.

Although Feng Ye himself could be considered a seafood product, and he was fond of water, he wasn’t as dependent upon it as Hao Chen.

Seeing Hao Chen’s expression, as if he wanted nothing more than to lie down and do nothing, it seemed that only a timely rain would be able to alleviate his situation.

But such thinking was useless. Even as a dragon, Feng Ye was unable to call down rain.

In most myths and legends, summoning clouds and rain was one of the abilities of the dragon race.

This wasn’t entirely untrue; the dragon residing in the Eastern Sea of the heavenly realm could indeed control the clouds and rain. However, Feng Ye was a yinglong cultivated from a jiao, which was somewhat different from a naturally-born dragon.

His power was derived primarily from resentful energy. Specifically, the black mist he had brought back from the Emberless Horizon. While he did possess the ability to manipulate water, it was by no means his strong suit.

He could manipulate the water currents in the deep sea, but conjuring rain out of thin air in such a dry environment was beyond his abilities.

Since the power of a dragon was unable to bring rain, Feng Ye was out of ideas. He asked Hao Chen: “What do you suggest we do?”

Hao Chen took on a pensive look. Inwardly, he was delighted. At last, Feng Ye had fallen into his trap.

His listless expression was half genuine and half for show as he waited for Feng Ye to ask and let him reveal his long-held scheme.

“Carry me on your back,” was Hao Chen’s answer after feigning deep consideration.

If he was unable to ride Yinglong in his original form, riding his human form as a compromise would still be a satisfying experience.

Feng Ye’s resulting expression was one of complete disdain, as if to say, “keep dreaming.”

“Ai.” Hao Chen sighed, taking the hint. With no further unreasonable demands, he walked in laborious silence under the scorching sun.

Walking beside Hao Chen, Feng Ye was initially firm that carrying the fish was pure fantasy.

But seeing how Hao Chen was swaying unsteadily, like a drunkard unable to maintain his balance, Feng Ye’s resolve wavered.

After walking a few more steps, Hao Chen’s complexion grew increasingly weak, almost to the point that it made one think he was terminally ill and on the verge of death.

Feng Ye’s resolve wavered even more.

Hao Chen stumbled, nearly hitting his head on a rock. But he regained his balance at the last second and managed to stand up, giving Feng Ye a brave smile that said, “I’m fine.”

Feng Ye: …..

The two youths leading the way finally realized they were moving too fast, leaving their companions, who walked slower than the elderly, far behind.

They retraced their steps, only to find Feng Ye moving slowly forward with Hao Chen on his back.

With his plan a success, Hao Chen’s listless expression instantly vanished. He chattered incessantly in Feng Ye’s ear, admiring the scenery from the dragon’s back while complaining about the way Feng Ye was carrying him.

One moment, he would complain that Feng Ye was holding his knees too tightly, making them itchy, and the next he complained that Feng Ye wasn’t holding them tightly enough and he was about to slide off his back.

The “ # ” on Feng Ye’s forehead grew larger and larger, covering it almost completely.

Fang Yang ran back to their side with Cao Zirui, asking Feng Ye: “What’s wrong with Hao-dage?”

They thought that Hao Chen must be injured. What other reason would Feng Ye have for carrying him on his back? 

Before Hao Chen could explain, Feng Ye spoke up in a dark tone: “His legs are broken.”

Although this was clear mockery, Hao Chen didn’t speak up in his defense. He knew he had become a little too complacent, and that if he pushed his luck any further, the dragon might just throw him off his back.

So Hao Chen remained silent and tacitly accepted Feng Ye’s slander, wrapping his arms tightly around the other’s neck to prevent him from throwing him off. 

“How did he suddenly break his legs?” Fang Yang muttered, somewhat baffled.

But neither Feng Ye nor Hao Chen seemed inclined to answer, leaving Fang Yang with his doubts.

Meanwhile, Cao Zirui inspected Hao Chen’s legs and realized that they weren’t broken at all. He thought about why Feng Ye would carry Hao Chen on his back, and why he would say such a thing.

He even came up with a reasonable explanation: the two of them were flirting.

He still hadn’t forgotten the scene in the Floating Island Secret Realm where, upon waking up, he seemed to have seen the two of them kissing.

After the initial shock, he had gradually accepted it as fact.

The two of them being men didn’t seem to matter much. The path of cultivation was destined to be long and lonely, and whether one’s chosen companion was male or female was irrelevant.

Out of everyone in the group, only Fang Yang was oblivious to what was going on.

But oblivious as he may be, he still realized that carrying someone on his back must be exhausting for Useless Shixiong. So he suggested to Feng Ye: “Shixiong, we spotted smoke rising from the woods when we were walking ahead. There seem to be people nearby. Shall we go over and rest our feet for a while?”

Rest their feet…..although Hao Chen lived up to the “heavy” character in his name, Feng Ye felt that he could still go on.

He didn’t need to rest, but he did need to ask for directions.

“Living Soil is hidden in the mountains and marshes of Longqiu” was just a general statement, but in fact, there were more detailed accounts in the records.

There was a human saying that went: ‘Circumstances change as time passes, and even seas can transform into fields.’ Time could render the same land entirely unrecognizable.

Longqiu had not always been so rugged and sparsely-populated.

Legend had it that this place was once the site of the royal city of an ancient kingdom. However, as a new dynasty arose, Longqiu was struck by an earthquake that completely destroyed the old site of the royal city.

Plains were compressed by the seismic activity, causing mountains to rise up. Buildings that were originally distributed across the earth sank beneath it, with only a few scattered places still exposed above the ground.

Ling Yun had discovered the Living Soil near one of these ruins.

Therefore, the ruins were Feng Ye’s destination.

During the untold centuries these ruins lay submerged beneath the earth, the exposed sections had become largely overgrown with vegetation and blended seamlessly into their surroundings. A cursory glance from above would reveal nothing. Only by actually traversing the terrain would one realize that there was actually an ancient city buried beneath.

For this reason, Feng Ye didn’t let Fang Yang fly ahead on his sword to find the way, as it would be a waste of effort and Fang Yang might even get lost.

Compared to searching blindly on their own, asking the local residents for directions was clearly the wiser choice.

Feng Ye had previously inquired with a farmer who frequently went to the mountains to collect herbs, and he did indeed know where these ruins were.

Feng Ye had studied the map repeatedly, and although it was fairly accurate at first, the deeper they went into Longqiu, the more the map deviated from the actual route. He felt that if he continued to follow this map, he might end up straying far from his destination.

For this reason, he needed to find another person to correct his course. If there were indeed people ahead, those who lived in these mountains and forests would certainly be more familiar with the situation in Longqiu than that herb gatherer.

With this in mind, Feng Ye said: “Lead the way.”

Fang Yang readily accepted, and walked ahead with Cao Zirui.

Their destination seemed close, but it was actually quite a ways away, and it took the four of them another half a shichen before they finally arrived at the source of the smoke.

Young people possessed abundant energy, and both Fang Yang and Cao Zirui looked at ease. Hao Chen was also relaxed, and was even at leisure to take out a fan and wave it for Feng Ye while lying on his back.

Feng Ye had already realized that the fish was putting on an act, but he was also aware that the dry environment did have some effect on Hao Chen.

So in the end, he didn’t abandon Hao Chen, but carried him on his back for a short distance out of the goodness of his heart.

But that was the end of it. When they reached the wooden house from which the smoke was rising, Feng Ye immediately released his grip.

Hao Chen took the opportunity to climb down from his back, deciding to quit while he was ahead.

The wooden house was neither large nor small, and had been divided into two rooms.

But apart from this one house, the landscape was just like everywhere else in Longqiu, a vast stretch of mountains and forests.

A trail of smoke drifted alone in the sky, seeming a little desolate so far from human civilization.

It was unknown what sort of person would choose to live alone deep in the mountains.

Just as Feng Ye was thinking, he saw the homeowner push open the house’s wooden door. He was a muscular, middle-aged man with a full beard, and sized up Feng Ye and his companions with an unfriendly expression.

The four of them had been making a bit of a racket as they walked, so it was only natural for the homeowner to notice.

There were also sounds coming from inside the house, indicating that there was someone else living there.

Sure enough, shortly after the bearded man came out, another man emerged. He was also tall and burly, with a scar on his face.

“Why are you here?” asked the first bearded man.

“Oh, we came to get directions, and also to see if it’s convenient for us to rest here,” Fang Yang responded politely.

“No –” the man’s refusal was cut short.

Feng Ye glanced down to where the scarred man had grabbed his companion’s hand behind his back, but kept silent.

“No problem!” The scarred man managed to smooth things over, displaying a level of enthusiasm that didn’t match his appearance as he greeted the four of them: “Come in and sit down, good timing matters more than being early. We’ve cooked a meal, all wild game from the mountains. Would you like to have some?”

“We couldn’t possibly…..” Fang Yang sounded a little embarrassed, but the way he stepped forward betrayed his true feelings.

He was indeed very tempted by the delicious aroma of food wafting out of the house.

When Fang Yang went inside, Cao Zirui naturally followed suit.

Only Feng Ye and Hao Chen remained standing at the door.

The scarred man glanced at them, saying with a smile: “Aren’t you coming in?”

Feng Ye finally stepped forward, Hao Chen following close on his heels.

Seeing this, the two men went inside to prepare the meal.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen walked slowly. The distance to the house was only ten meters, but it felt more like ten li as they whispered to each other on the way.

“Does Fellow Daoist Feng Ye think there is a problem with these two people?” Hao Chen asked in a low voice.

Although Feng Ye hadn’t said a word, Hao Chen keenly sensed his suspicion.

Feng Ye chuckled softly, saying in a similarly low voice: “Two middle-aged men living together in the middle of the mountains? It’s obvious that something is going on.”

Those who lived in the mountains were either hunters or hermits who wished to escape from the world.

And judging from their uneducated appearances, these two were definitely not hermits.

That left one possibility: hunters.

However, hunters didn’t usually set up permanent residences in the mountains, and would typically just set up a small hut to rest in if their hunting went too late to return home.

The two men seemed to have lived here for years, and the house was fully-furnished, indicating that it wasn’t just somewhere for them to rest.

Their intentions were highly questionable. Longqiu’s soil was fertile due to the presence of the Living Soil, and farmers here were wealthier than in other areas.

Even if they lacked farmland, these two men were strong and healthy, and working for a landowner would be more lucrative for them than hunting.

But these two men had done the opposite, hiding themselves in the mountains. Feng Ye didn’t believe that there was nothing wrong with them.

Hao Chen’s gut also told him that something was off about those two, but he still couldn’t keep himself from arguing for the sake of arguing: “Are you sure?”

Feng Ye glanced at him and asked: “If you had the choice, would you be willing to live in a deep, remote mountain forest with another man who’s unrelated to you?”

Humans were social creatures, and most would never choose to live on such a remote mountain.

It would be understandable if someone lived there with a wife, since they at least wouldn’t be too lonely. But staring at a man who wasn’t related to you by blood all day long…..wouldn’t you feel suffocated?

Upon hearing this, Hao Chen immediately envisioned himself and Feng Ye building a small log house together in the woods, living happily without only each other as company. A smile spread across his face, leaving Feng Ye baffled. Then he took on a serious expression, answering solemnly as if reciting a marriage vow: “I am willing.”

Feng Ye: “…..”

He felt deeply that communicating with Hao Chen was impossible. Thus, he stopped dawdling outside with Hao Chen and strode forward, heading inside on his own.

---

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Chapter 94 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 96

The two of them stayed awake all night, and didn’t get up until the sun was shining brightly the next day.

When he awoke, Chu Jiubian first took a moment to assess his surroundings, making sure that he was lying still with his hands resting properly on his chest, instead of touching anything they shouldn’t. Only then did he slowly open his eyes.

What entered his vision were walls in grey and white.

He gradually levered himself up and turned to find that Qin Xiao was still asleep. He was lying perfectly straight, just as he had been before falling asleep the previous night. It didn’t seem as if he had moved at all.

“System, perform a scan,” Chu Jiubian said internally.

[Host, this System has detected that the patient’s wound has not reopened, and that it is in the process of healing.]

Chu Jiubian’s heart settled. With daily dressing changes over the next couple of days, Qin Xiao should be able to attend the palace banquet on the 30th without a problem.

Abruptly, he recalled the passage he had read in the original novel —

[Ning-wang Qin Xiao led his army to defeat a border kingdom in the Western Regions and was seriously injured. It took him three months to recover.]

Qin Xiao had still suffered a serious injury that was even more severe than in the novel, but thanks to surgery, advanced medical technology, and medicine, he was recovering faster than before.

But it took one hundred days to recover completely from such an injury, and the wound was also internal. Even though he could get out of bed, he still needed a longer period of rest in order to make a full recovery.

It was likely that he wouldn’t fully recover until after the New Year, but before the Imperial Examinations.

Chu Jiubian carefully examined Qin Xiao’s face. His complexion was better than it had been yesterday; he wasn’t as pale, and his lips had a little more color to them.

The black stubble on his chin was very noticeable.

Chu Jiubian touched his own face and could barely feel any. It was so subtle that one wouldn’t be able to see it unless they looked closely.

Qin Xiao was tall, but why did his beard grow so fast too?

In a moment of inexplicable impulse, Chu Jiubian reached out and gingerly touched the man’s chin.

The short stubble was a bit stiff, tickling his fingertips.

The man’s prominent Adam’s apple suddenly bobbed, and Chu Jiubian realized the impropriety of his actions, immediately withdrawing his hand.

Looking up, he found that the man’s eyes were closed, as if he had yet to awaken.

But Chu Jiubian knew at a glance that he was awake. Perhaps he was keeping his eyes closed in order to avoid an awkward situation for both of them.

Chu Jiubian felt that the room was a little too hot.

He got to his knees and, just as he had done the previous night, crawled across the man’s body to leave the bed.

He put on his boots, and seeing that Qin Xiao’s eyes were still closed, stood up and went to the outer room.

After grabbing his cloak, he headed outside to relieve himself.

A cold wall of air rushed in as he pushed open the door.

He realized that the wind had stopped, and that a blanket of snow had fallen over the courtyard without him noticing.

Qin Xiao had already met with Qin Chaoyang and Bai Lihong the day before, so two more palace servants had been assigned to the courtyard to attend to him.

The snow on the ground was currently only about one centimeter thick, but the snow on the rooftops was several times deeper. The palace staff had clearly shoveled the footpaths once, but the snow was still coming down.

Chu Jiubian summoned the palace servants and instructed them to help Qin Xiao get up and dress. Only then did he wrap his cloak around himself and step out onto the covered walkway, leaving a trail of footprints in the pristine snow.

There were actually places to relieve oneself inside the palace. Separated by partitions, they were similar to modern restrooms.

But since Qin Xiao was still inside, Chu Jiubian felt more at ease going out.

Meanwhile, at the city gates…..

An Wuji ordered his men to open the gates when the time arrived.

Huguang-wang and Dongjiang-wang had been unable to enter the city the previous night. Given the frigid weather, they couldn’t just sleep outdoors, so they had traveled to the nearest village and found lodging in a few residences.

Knowing that these people were members of the royal family, as well as vassal kings, the villagers were terrified. They offered them the best houses to stay in, slaughtered chickens, and prepared the most sumptuous of meals.

The two vassal kings secretly looked down on such things, but for the sake of their reputations, they behaved in a relatively friendly manner.

They even left some money for the villagers before departing in the morning. It was just a small amount of loose change that slipped through their fingers, not even enough to cover a single meal, yet the villagers were incredibly grateful.

Before they even arrived in the capital, their reputation for kindness and benevolence had already spread.

The city gates had been open for half an hour. Many shops had already opened on the bustling main street, and numerous people were out and about when the two vassal kings finally entered the city.

The common people quickly moved aside, and just as they were about to kneel in reverence, An Wuji and his Imperial Guards arrived.

It was well-known that An Wuji was half a member of the Qin family, so wherever he went, the common people were never required to kneel before him.

Thus, everyone simply hid inside the shops or stood behind their stalls rather than kneel.

Even when the procession of vassal kings entered the capital, An Wuji raised his hand to signal that they need not prostrate themselves.

The snow on the ground was several inches deep. Kneeling would certainly soak one’s robes and trousers, so it was best to not freeze themselves.

An Wuji stepped forward a few paces and led his troops to greet the entourage.

The two groups stopped upon approach, and An Wuji, in full view of the commoners, declared loudly: “This subordinate welcomes your Royal Highnesses. It was past the time to open the city gates last night, and in adherence to my duties, I was unable to allow Your Highnesses to enter the city.”

“However, this subordinate is truly impressed by Your Highnesses’ magnanimity, and the fact that you were willing to abide by the regulations of the Imperial City just like the ordinary citizens.”

With just a few words, he was able to corner both Bai Liyue and Bai Lihe.

If they revealed displeasure, it would demonstrate a lack of tolerance and a refusal to abide by the same rules as the commoners, making them no different from those powerful figures who abused their power and bullied the weak.

But if they were magnanimous and didn’t drag the matter out, they wouldn’t be able to rid themselves of the resentment in their hearts.

Neither of them were pushovers, and they certainly wouldn’t be so easily manipulated by An Wuji.

A few muffled coughs came from Dongjiang-wang’s carriage, and an attendant immediately said: “Your Highness, please drink some water to soothe your throat. Once we arrive at the palace, we will have an Imperial Physician examine you.”

His only response was two coughs.

The attendant looked very anxious, and there was a hint of anger to his expression.

He took a few steps forward and glowered at An Wuji, saying: “Commander An, please cease your cold comforts. Our lords have traveled a long distance, and barely stopped to rest in order to see His Majesty as soon as possible. They had hoped to arrive before the city gates closed yesterday, but unfortunately, we were a little late. We had nowhere to stay last night in such frigid weather, and His Highness even caught a cold. This morning, he even…..”

“I’m alright!” A slightly hoarse male voice sounded from the sedan chair. It was Dongjiang-wang.

“This lord’s attendant is inexperienced and lacks etiquette. Hoping Commander An will not take offense.” Dongjiang-wang did not show himself, and coughed a few more times inside the sedan chair before speaking again, “Please lead the way, Commander An. This lord also wishes to rest and recuperate quickly before seeing His Majesty.”

Dongjiang-wang avoided blaming An Wuji explicitly, but his words implied that the other man was cold and unsympathetic.

Having traveled a long distance, this vassal king wanted to meet the new emperor as soon as possible, but was unfortunately unable to make it there before the city gates closed. And in order to avoid trampling over the regulations, he was forced to search for a place to stay the night, which resulted in him catching ill.

Although An Wuji was only doing his duty, when taking the special circumstances into consideration, it wouldn’t have hurt for him to be a bit more flexible.

At present, his actions seemed somewhat rigid and unsympathetic.

Even the locals felt that An Wuji’s actions were a bit problematic. Those two were vassal kings, after all. They were the Emperor’s uncles, and if they were allowed to enter through the city gates, the common people wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

This was the nature of the common people. They naturally harbored reverence and fear toward the powerful and privileged, instinctively elevating those who were already in positions of power even higher while neglecting their own rights in the process.

Even if they didn’t know who these powerful figures were, and understood that they would never share their power and wealth with them, they still catered to them in such a way.

This was something that escaped their self-awareness.

An Wuji’s mind might not be on par with Qin Xiao’s or Chu Jiubian’s, but he didn’t hold this position simply because of his friendship with Qin Xiao. He genuinely possessed the necessary abilities to fulfill the role.

Among the military officers, he was also a man of superior strategy and intelligence.

Therefore, he fully understood Dongjiang-wang’s intentions at this moment. He donned a tense expression, saying: “It is entirely this subordinate’s fault that His Highness has fallen ill. Had this subordinate known earlier, he would have been more flexible and granted His Highness this privilege that does not extend to the common people.”

The word “privilege” was deliberately emphasized.

These common people, who had become accustomed to the higher classes possessing and using special privileges, seemed to awaken to the reality of the situation.

Yes, ah. By doing what he did, Commander An was ensuring that the powerful and wealthy abided by the same rules as ordinary citizens. This demonstrated his respect for the common people. How could they possibly think that Commander An had done anything wrong?

“What is Commander An saying?” Huguang-wang’s voice sounded from the other carriage. “This lord has never sought out any special privileges. Didn’t we wait for the gates to open before entering the city like everyone else?”

At this point in the confrontation, neither side had gained any advantage.

Even Huguang-wang felt that if this discussion continued, they would be unable to out-argue Commander An.

This man was a military officer, yet he possessed such eloquence and intelligence.

Bai Liyue’s appreciation and desire for such talents grew even stronger.

He composed himself and lifted the curtain to look at An Wuji, saying in a gentler tone: “Please lead the way, Commander An.”

Observing the expressions of the surrounding common people, An Wuji realized that not many of them had been misled. Thus, he didn’t argue further, and simply said: “This way, Your Highnesses.”

He escorted the two of them to their respective residences and entrusted them to the care of others, then prepared to return to the palace.

But Bai Liyue climbed out of his carriage and stopped him, walking up to him with a smile: “I have long heard that Commander An is remarkably accomplished for someone so young. Meeting him now, I see that he truly possesses extraordinary charisma.”

An Wuji’s expression remained unchanged. He said with a bow: “Your Highness is too kind. You are the one with great talent and extraordinary charisma.”

Bai Liyue laughed, then reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying: “This lord hasn’t been back to the capital in a long time. Are there any good places to visit in the city?”

“Does Your Highness wish to find a restaurant?”

Since these vassal kings would be going outside the city the next day for fasting and ritual observance, it would be understandable if they wished to eat and drink something today.

Bai Liyue: “Indeed, do you have any recommendations?”

“There is a restaurant belonging to His Majesty on Splendid Plaza. The food and drink there is excellent. Your Highness might want to give it a try.” An Wuji never forgot to drum up business for the Emperor.

Then Bai Liyue said: “I wonder if Commander An has any free time tonight to share a drink with this lord? I feel an instant connection with you, and I think we are very compatible.”

An Wuji had long heard that Bai Liyue possessed many talented subordinates, and that he also enjoyed recruiting various talents.

This person was clearly extending an olive branch, hoping to befriend him.

If Chu Jiubian were in his shoes, he would immediately agree, then see what benefits the other party had to offer and use the opportunity to gather some intelligence.

But An Wuji knew that although he was fairly intelligent, he was definitely no match for Huguang-wang. Therefore, he politely declined the invitation, saying that he had other matters to attend to, and set off straight for the Imperial Palace.

Bai Liyue stood in place, letting out a long sigh as he gazed after that retreating figure.

What a pity.

If a talent could not be used for his own purposes, it was better to destroy them rather than let others benefit from them.

*

*

Inside Yangxin Hall.

When Chu Jiubian returned from relieving himself outside, Qin Xiao had gotten out of bed.

Two wash basins had already been placed side by side in the room, along with buckets for changing out the water, and all of the necessary items, such as soap and willow twigs for brushing their teeth.

Palace maids were pouring hot water into the wash basins.

Chu Jiubian unfastened his cloak and hung it on the rack by the door, then looked up and met Qin Xiao’s eyes.

The two gazed at each other in silence.

The palace maids knew that neither of them preferred being waited on, so they quietly withdrew after placing the items down.

The door closed, leaving only the two men in the room.

Chu Jiubian stepped forward and stopped two paces from Qin Xiao.

“Are you cold?” Qin Xiao asked.

“No.”

Snow had fallen onto his hair, melting into water as soon as he entered the house.

A few strands of hair clung to Chu Jiubian’s face. Qin Xiao’s fingertips twitched, but Chu Jiubian had already raised his hand to smooth them away.

Qin Xiao rubbed his fingertips together, smiling silently.

Chu Jiubian had stopped concealing things from Qin Xiao and was no longer hesitant to reveal his supernatural abilities, so he directly took out a toothbrush and toothpaste from his spatial storage in full view of him.

Of course, just to be on the safe side, Chu Jiubian had transferred the toothpaste to a different container, and the toothbrush he brought out had a wooden handle.

Holding a willow branch, Qin Xiao turned his head to look at him and said: “That thing looks quite useful.”

Before he even spoke, Chu Jiubian had already bought a set of toiletries from the System Mall, including a razor.

Thus, the moment he finished speaking, Chu Jiubian handed him a brand new set of dental hygiene items.

Qin Xiao was taken aback. “I didn’t mean for you to do that,” he said.

Having said this, he still reached out and accepted the toothbrush and toothpaste, asking: “Did you conjure up all of these?”

“En.” Chu Jiubian couldn’t possibly explain the System Mall and his storage space to him, so he just gave a vague response.

Following his example, Qin Xiao put some toothpaste on his toothbrush and stuck it in his mouth.

The refreshing taste of lemon and mint instantly reminded him of that rainy night, when the same taste had been on the young man’s lips.

Fresh and sweet. Soft.

His expression shifted minutely, and he lowered his eyes to glance over himself. His robes were loose and flowing, and there was nothing unusual to be seen.

It was early in the morning, the room was hot, and he had been sharing a bed with Chu Jiubian all night. Qin Xiao felt that he was dangerously close to having an inappropriate reaction.

After brushing his teeth, Chu Jiubian squeezed some shaving foam onto his face.

The young man naturally had a somewhat distant and aloof appearance, but after covering his face in soft, fluffy white foam, his features were softened, making him look softer and more adorable.

Qin Xiao found everything about him novel. He was about to ask what that substance was when Chu Jiubian turned to face him and said in a cool voice: “Don’t speak yet.”

Qin Xiao swallowed back his words.

Chu Jiubian raised his hand and squeezed some shaving foam around his lips as well.

Since the shaving foam couldn’t be transferred to another container, Chu Jiubian didn’t give the bottle to Qin Xiao, but instead put it back into his storage space. 

He would buy some later that came in a ceramic jar.

“This is for shaving. It softens the stubble,” Chu Jiubian explained.

Qin Xiao nodded and didn’t ask further questions.

Chu Jiubian was aware of why he was giving Qin Xiao these things, and why he was explaining them.

He wanted to share things with Qin Xiao.

But he deliberately avoided thinking too deeply about it, maintaining an unusually calm demeanor.

He calmly accepted the subtle change in his relationship with Qin Xiao, but while he didn’t reject it, he also didn’t plan to do anything about it.

After waiting for a little while, Chu Jiubian took out a razor and a small mirror, and carefully began to shave his stubble.

Qin Xiao observed from beside him, and only spoke once he was finished shaving: “This mirror is nice. Can they be manufactured?”

“They can.” After washing his face, Chu Jiubian applied some lotion. “But we need to manufacture glass first.”

“Glass?”

Chu Jiubian smiled. He took out a new razor, then looked up at Qin Xiao and said: “Don’t move.”

“En.”

Chu Jiubian reached up and, supporting the man’s neck with one hand, began to carefully shave his beard with the other.

Qin Xiao looked down slightly, his gaze lingering on the young man’s exquisite, flawless face. Their eyes met unexpectedly, but Chu Jiubian casually looked away, avoiding any further “entanglement” with him.

As he wiped the last bit of shaving foam away, Chu Jiubian’s fingers rested on the man’s Adam’s apple, which bobbed beneath his fingertips.

Chu Jiubian withdrew his hand, and Qin Xiao washed his face in silence.

Not long after, the palace servants entered and cleared everything away, but Qin Xiao kept the toiletries on the table.

About half an hour later, there was more commotion outside. Breakfast had been delivered – but by Bai Lihong and An Wuji rather than the palace servants.

An Wuji had returned to the palace after getting the two vassal kings settled in, heading directly for Yangxin Hall.

He hadn’t been in the palace the day before and was unaware that Qin Xiao had woken up, so he went to the main hall.

His plan was to discuss the matter of the two vassal kings with Hong Fu or Qin Chaoyang, and go over whether he had said anything inappropriate at the city gates.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the main hall, Bai Lihong scurried out and nearly collided with his legs.

Upon inquiring, he learned that Qin Xiao had actually regained consciousness the day before.

An Wuji immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and the invisible pressure that had been weighing on him for the past few days melted away.

He followed along upon learning that Bai Lihong was going to see his uncle, and as they reached the entrance to the western courtyard, he casually took the food trays from the servants’ hands.

Once he placed the trays down on the table, he turned to find that Bai Lihong had already moved closer to the bed.

Qin Xiao was sitting upright. Chu Jiubian reached out and picked the child up, then placed him on the bed. He even took off his shoes as he arranged Bai Lihong next to Qin Xiao.

“Thank you, Xiansheng,” Bai Lihong said sweetly. He then turned and carefully hugged Qin Xiao’s arm, tilting his chubby little face up to look at him. “Jiujiu, are you feeling better?”

“Much better,” said Qin Xiao. “You didn’t cry last night, did you?”

“Of course not,” Bai Lihong said proudly. “I wanted to, but I held it back.”

Jiujiu had been healed by Xiansheng, so he hadn’t cried at all.

Qin Xiao let out a soft chuckle.

Chu Jiubian smiled as he washed his hands.

An Wuji swept his gaze over the three of them, thinking to himself, This looks like a happy, harmonious family of three. Although His Lordship and the Young Master had no children of their own, having a well-behaved child like the young Emperor was no different from having a biological child.

“Jiujiu, are you going to eat in bed?” Bai Lihong didn’t forget that his uncle hadn’t eaten yet.

Qin Xiao just looked at Chu Jiubian.

He had been standing up for a while, and had even gone through some exercises. It was only a short while ago that he had sat down again.

Chu Jiubian actually wanted him to eat at the table, if for no other reason than his own disdain for eating in bed, but moving up and down was difficult for someone in such a state.

Figuring that the bedding could be changed out later, he said: “Just eat in bed.”

With great perceptiveness, An Wuji picked up the small bed table and set it on the bed, then placed the food on it.

Chu Jiubian assisted in bringing Qin Xiao one of the cups of water, then turned to go eat at the main table.

Qin Xiao looked at the second teacup, then asked An Wuji: “Is this yours?”

An Wuji had just poured water for everyone, including himself, so this cup must be his.

An Wuji glanced at it: “Yes.”

Qin Xiao then pushed the cup toward him: “You take it.”

“My Lord seems to look down on me,” An Wuji said casually, taking the cup back. “Even the Young Master didn’t look down on me.”

Qin Xiao hesitated, then looked up at him and asked: “What do you mean?”

Chu Jiubian’s hand froze midway through picking up some food with his chopsticks.

Bai Lihong blinked his bright, clear eyes, looking from one person to the other.

An Wuji walked to the window and sat down on the couch with his cup of water, saying: “When we first met, the Young Master even drank water from my water flask.”

Qin Xiao turned his head to look at Chu Jiubian, and found him eating his meal as if completely unaffected.

“When did this happen?” Qin Xiao asked.

His tone was mild, but An Wuji still detected a subtle strangeness to it. Realizing belatedly that he had misspoken, he took a sip from his cup.

Sensing the other man’s gaze on him, Chu Jiubian glanced up.

Their eyes met.

Chu Jiubian’s lips curved, and he said with a half-smile: “You nearly strangled me to death back then. I would have died without any water.”

Qin Xiao’s expression shifted as he recalled when they first met, his jaw tensing.

A long silence descended.

Chu Jiubian let out a light snort and resumed eating.

How dare he even ask? Wasn’t it Qin Xiao himself who had throttled him back then?

But Chu Jiubian wasn’t angry. The situation was different at that time; it would have been perfectly understandable if Qin Xiao had killed him.

However, there was one matter that caused Chu Jiubian’s mind to wander.

Qin Xiao had previously drunk from Chu Jiubian’s teacup, and even used the handkerchief he had wiped his hands with…..

Only now was Chu Jiubian able to confirm that it wasn’t because Qin Xiao was unrefined or lacking a sense of hygiene.

He didn’t treat everyone the same way – he wouldn’t even share a cup of water with An Wuji, his very close friend and subordinate.

The atmosphere in the room was a little strange.

Not daring to linger, An Wuji quickly composed himself and recounted everything that had happened this morning and the previous night. 

“There is nothing wrong with your actions,” said Qin Xiao. “Spread the word that His Majesty is deducting three months’ salary from you. This should appease Dongjiang-wang. Then have Hong Fu bestow some rewards on the two of them, and the matter should be settled.”

“As for their invitation to go drinking, it is good that you declined. You might not be able to handle them and end up falling into a trap.”

An Wuji was naturally aware of this, and nodded in agreement.

With the vassal kings arriving in the capital, city defense was of paramount importance. This kept An Wuji very busy, and he was unable to stay for long.

With nothing further to report, he stood up and took his leave.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao finished their meals and had someone clear the tables.

A desk was placed on the low platform by the window, where Chu Jiubian and Bai Lihong sat opposite each other, children’s writing materials and official memorials spread out between them.

Qin Xiao sat on the bed with a low table placed in front of him, upon which lay an even thicker stack of memorials.

As the New Year approached, memorials and holiday greetings of all kinds were pouring in in overwhelming numbers.

Fortunately, Bai Lihong was able to approve these types of documents himself, and would only show them to his uncle or the Grand Tutor if he couldn’t understand them or was unsure.

Chu Jiubian then took out the student exam papers and read through them one by one.

If he happened across a good one, he would take it to Qin Xiao and show him.

He avoided specifically looking for Lu Yao’s exam paper. If Lu Yao’s answers were mediocre, then he would have to spend more time instructing him, but if he did well, Chu Jiubian might become dissatisfied with everyone else’s exam papers after reading his.

The snow had stopped falling outside, and the servants were bustling about as they cleared the walkways. Inside, the underfloor heating was working well, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The three of them sat there quietly, each doing their own thing.

The two vassal kings naturally made their way to Yangxin Hall, but since Bai Lihong was “slightly ill with a cold” and was unable to meet with them, they could only accept their rewards and go back to their residences.

As evening approached, the other four vassal kings finally arrived at the capital – before the city gates were closed.

By the time they arrived, Huguang-wang and Dongjiang-wang’s reputations for their “benevolence,” having spent the night in villagers’ homes and rewarding them with a “large sum” of money, had spread throughout the streets. 

Dingbei-wang Bai Liyu closed his eyes inside his carriage and let out a light chuckle, paying these words no heed.

The other three vassal kings also pretended not to have heard.

Situ Zhaoling and Situ Zhaoyao were sitting in their own carriage, following behind that of their parents.

Situ Zhaoling quietly lifted the curtain and peeked outside to see the street bustling with people and stalls. Everywhere she looked, there were red walls and dark-tiled roofs with upturned eaves, a scene that was completely different from what could be found in Nanjiang.

Everything seemed so fresh and novel.

Situ Zhaoyao lifted the curtain on the other side and exclaimed “Wow!” at the sight of some tanghulu skewers.

The carriage traveled along a side street before arriving on the busy and prosperous main thoroughfare.

This wide street divided the city into the eastern and western districts. The eastern commoners’ district was lively, but lacked the prosperity of the western side.

And along the western side of the road were numerous restaurants, brothels, and various other shops, all housed in either two or even three-story buildings.

Situ Zhaoling observed all of this with great interest. As they passed by a restaurant, she suddenly felt a strange sensation and looked up to see a figure in pink by a second-story window.

He was a handsome man with long, slightly curly hair and fox-like eyes that slanted upward at the corners, smiling as he looked over.

It was Wang Qichen!

Situ Zhaoling’s eyes lit up. But rather than greeting him, she simply regarded him with surprise and delight.

Wang Qichen opened his fan to conceal the smile at the corners of his lips, then gave her a slow wink.

Only once the carriage carried them out of sight did Situ Zhaoling lower the curtain, sit back in her seat, and excitedly tap her feet on the floor.

“A-Jie?” Situ Zhaoyao tilted his head and looked at her. “Did you see a friend?”

His sister always got so excited and happy when she was about to go out with a close friend, but this was the capital city. They had never been here before, so how could she possibly know anyone here?

“A-Di,” Situ Zhaoling said with a smile, “After we pay our respects at the palace, come out for a stroll with me.”

Her family was unaware that she also owned a shop in the capital, and her little brother was no exception.

She would go later to take a look at the shop in person. Her little brother was in for a shock.

Of course, she would be able to see Wang Qichen there as well.

Although she had met Wang Qichen many times in the Divine Realm, for some reason, she was incredibly excited to meet him in person.

News had spread that the young Emperor had caught a cold, but Nanjiang-wang and the others were still required to go through the formalities of visiting the palace.

After all, they were going to the temple tomorrow, and greeting him only when they attended the palace banquet would be a serious breach of etiquette.

And all of them wanted to meet the three-year-old Emperor.

As for Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, the news they received stated that the two were still in Yangxin Hall, and there had been no further information. It seemed that Qin Xiao had still not recovered.

Some people were even saying that Qin Xiao was critically ill and on death’s doorstep, and that even a godly incarnation like Chu Jiubian was unable to save him.

They had also learned the reason for Qin Xiao’s injury: one of his most trusted deputies had betrayed him by shooting him in the back, nearly killing him on the spot. It was a miracle that Qin Xiao had survived long enough to make it back to the capital.

As for why the other party had betrayed Qin Xiao, there was no specific information available. They only knew that even after being subjected to heavy torture, that person had yet to utter a single word.

Naturally, this news had been deliberately spread by Qin Xiao himself in order to make those working in the shadows lower their guard.

Nanjiang-wang Bai Lihao entered the palace along with the four other vassal kings, bringing his wife and children with him.

They didn’t see the Emperor outside Yangxin Hall, and after lingering for a while to demonstrate their respect, they took their leave.

Eunuch Xiao Yuzi, who served Bai Lihong, personally led the contingent of vassal kings back outside the palace, remaining close to Bai Lihao the entire way.

Once outside the palace, everyone boarded their respective carriages.

Bai Lihao and his wife, Situ Anli, also boarded theirs.

Including the one carrying the Situ siblings, five carriages in total gradually made their way from the palace to their respective residences.

Upon reaching the main street, Situ Zhaoyao got out and hurried to his parents’ carriage, where he told them that he wanted to go shopping with his sister and would return later.

The brother and sister were both intelligent and precocious, and of noble birth. They also possessed deadly weapons and venemous gu to protect them, so they were naturally quite safe. 

Therefore, the two parents were quite at ease and allowed them to go amuse themselves, only warning them not to stay out too late and not to drink alcohol.

After agreeing, Situ Zhaoyao returned to his sister. Rather than making a turn with the other carriages, they proceeded straight ahead toward the silk workshop in the western market.

Meanwhile, Bai Lihao and Situ Anli returned directly to their residence in the capital.

Upon arriving in the main courtyard and confirming that everyone around belonged to their family, Bai Lihao procured a piece of paper from his sleeve.

Written in a sharp, bold hand, the letter read: We suspect that Cheng Shuo is under the control of gu, and hope that the Nanjiang royal family will assist in identifying them. A generous reward will be granted.

Also included was the location where Cheng Shuo was being held. The letter was signed by Chu Jiubian.

“A letter from Grand Tutor Chu?” Situ Anli’s brow furrowed.

Bai Lihao nodded. Xiao Yuzi had secretly handed him the letter, and he hadn’t let on that anything was out of the ordinary the entire way back.

They knew who Cheng Shuo was; he was the deputy general who had injured Qin Xiao.

Previously, they had discussed in private how Cheng Shuo’s sudden betrayal was, if not induced by coercion or bribery, most likely caused by external manipulation.

It seemed that Chu Jiubian had the same theory in mind.

But why would Chu Jiubian trust them? Shouldn’t they be the first names on the suspect list?

Or perhaps…..the other party was simply testing them?

“Husband, we should go.” Situ Anli took Bai Lihao’s hand. The little green snake poked its head out of her hair, flicking its tongue.

Bai Lihao nodded: “Let’s wait until later tonight.”

---

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Chapter 72 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 74

Ch 27 – Companionship for the Lonely

Curtis held Yu Xi firmly and didn’t let go. Yu Xi wanted to return to Kersz’s embrace, but Curtis had no intention of giving Yu Xi back.

This kid really liked children. He had originally been holding Yu Xi in his right arm, but then it began to tremble. 

Just when Yu Xi thought Curtis was going to let him go, he switched to holding him with his left arm instead.

His left arm also began to tremble shortly after, so Curtis tried using both hands, but he wasn’t able to hold on for long that way either. Finally, he asked Yu Xi if he wanted to sit on his shoulders.

“I’m afraid of heights.” Yu Xi felt that this human needed to get some exercise.

Curtis wanted to buy a baby carrier, but Kersz pulled Yu Xi back into his arms and didn’t give him the chance.

After securing Yu Xi in his embrace again, Kersz heard a very small sigh.

He glanced down at Yu Xi, who wriggled in his arms, adjusting his position until he found the most comfortable way to lay down.

Yu Xi looked very relaxed.

As Kersz spoke to Curtis with a smile on his face, he would occasionally tickle the child. Yu Xi tried to dodge his pestering hands at first, but when leaning away and light warning smacks were ineffective, he realized that Kersz was getting a sick pleasure out of this.

When Kersz reached out again, Yu Xi grabbed his fingers. But he didn’t shove Kersz’s hand away, because he knew that if he did, it would only come back and tickle him again.

Yu Xi clamped Kersz’s hand tightly in his arms.

Kersz: ……

“Are you sick in the head?” Tau asked Kersz in a whisper.

He noticed that Kersz’s ears were a little red.

Tau recalled that Kersz had never been prone to blushing before. Faced with his current appearance, Tau felt goosebumps rising on his skin.

Kersz looked at Tau with a smile: “You finally noticed.”

Tau remained silent.

Kersz moved his fingers slightly again, and Yu Xi quickly grabbed them.

This robot was really amusing.

Kersz laughed out loud.

Curtis looked on with envy: “You two have such a good father-son relationship.”

No, that was not an accurate description of their relationship.

Tau worried that Curtis, this fool, would attempt to replicate this interaction with the Supreme Governor.

“Perhaps you and your father just don’t have enough intimate contact.” Kersz gave him a beaming smile.

Tau’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Curtis was already an idiot, and Kersz was digging another hole for him.

Fortunately, Curtis wasn’t drunk this time and didn’t immediately call his father to act like a spoiled child. He just gave a wry smile and waved his hand dismissively.

Curtis asked Kersz if he had arranged for accommodations, and if he wanted to stay at his place.

Kersz declined the invitation.

Curtis was indeed a fool, but if their relationship developed too quickly, the Supreme Governor might grow suspicious. It was better to proceed gradually.

When the three of them returned to their lodgings, Yu Xi assumed his adult form. “How can a fool like him gain access to that big white dog system?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kersz rushed up and hugged him.

He nuzzled Yu Xi’s cheek, and Yu Xi could feel that his breathing had become heavier.

“Are you alright?” Yu Xi asked.

“I’m fine~” Kersz was fully blushing.

Yu Xi stared at Kersz for a long moment, then came to a sudden realization: “Do you have a strong need for control?”

Kersz smiled and asked in return: “Why do you say that?”

“You seem to really like holding me. Or rather, you seem to really like holding my small self. Is it because I look more harmless?” 

“You’re not harmless. If you were angry enough, you could wipe out the entirety of human civilization.” Kersz felt that Yu Xi’s analysis was incorrect. “You’re more dangerous than any of the people in power here.”

Yu Xi thought for a moment: “But you think I’m easier to control than they are.”

“To put it another way,” Kersz corrected, “You’re less likely than them to hurt me.”

“But it would be easy for me to kill you.”

“But you won’t.” Kersz shrugged. “Just like you said, you could hurt me easily and I wouldn’t be able to resist, no matter what you wanted to do.”

“I know I’m pathetic. Please have mercy on me and don’t ask any more questions.” Kersz pouted, looking very pitiful. “If you insist that I admit it, then even though you’re strong enough to kill me, you’re so honest that I feel perfectly safe.”

“I never really had a good life. Look at my former friend.” Kersz caught Tau as he passed by and pushed him toward Yu Xi. “I once thought of him as a close friend, but he was sent by the Supreme Governor and never actually opened his heart to me.”

“Given my status and situation, compared to others, I only feel secure when I’m with you.” Kersz released Tau, who regarded him with a frown.

For the past few days, Tau had been unable to access the StarNet on his datapad, and had therefore been unable to send his father any messages.

Tau felt that Yu Xi’s vigilance toward him was unnecessary, because Yu Xi was terrifyingly powerful. He was also worried that he would fly into a fit of rage and attack the Supreme Governor.

Nobody here was capable of stopping Yu Xi.

Tau felt that his mission was being sidelined by Yu Xi’s monstrous strength, and that his only option now was to cooperate with him.

In the past, Tau lived every second of his life for the missions. He needed to constantly accept and complete missions, and if one day he failed, death was the only fate that awaited him.

This was the case for all Illegitimates. He wasn’t special.

But now, he found himself having to think about other things, because his mission had been interrupted.

He lay in wait at Yu Xi’s side, looking for a way to either kill him or get him to work for the Supreme Governor.

Just that necklace around Yu Xi’s neck would be enough to take everyone out.

Tau felt helpless, as if he had been forcibly released from a cramped space.

He had a constant desire to act, but was acutely aware that nothing he did would be of any use.

“Go ahead and finish your work.” Yu Xi’s blue eyes flared slightly, and Tau’s half-finished dinosaur figurine appeared in his hand.

Tau: …..

It seemed that Yu Xi had a multitude of spatial compression devices on him.

Tau took the dinosaur, as well as the craft materials Yu Xi handed him.

Tau’s lips pressed into a thin line. He glanced down at the half-finished product in his arms, then back up at Yu Xi.

After looking back and forth several times, Tau was satisfied and left with his little figurine clutched in his hand.

They had picked a three-bedroom suite with two living rooms. Tau went into one of them, then came out again.

“Can I stay here?” Tau asked, pointing toward the room he had just entered.

“Of course you can.” Yu Xi nodded.

Tau pursed his lips again, then clutched his figurine and went back inside.

Yu Xi stared at Tau’s door in puzzlement.

“Was he smiling just now?” he asked Kersz.

“I think so.” Kersz felt that Tau was pursing his lips to hide a smile, especially since he widened his eyes at the same time in a way that made them sparkle.

“Is he very happy? But I’ve kidnapped him.” Yu Xi didn’t understand.

“Maybe he’s happy to be kidnapped.” He couldn’t do anything anymore, couldn’t accomplish any missions, which allowed him to finally relax.

It was like having freedom forced upon him.

“He doesn’t need to be accountable to anyone anymore.”

Yu Xi nodded in apparent understanding, then noticed Kersz touching his hand again: “What are you doing?”

“I’m feeling the temperature of this powerful and ferocious robot~” Kersz said.

“I’m not ferocious.” Yu Xi had never killed anyone.

“I know. And it’s precisely because I know that I’m so greedy.” Kersz pulled Yu Xi’s hand to his chest. “I like holding you. And you like being held by me, right?”

Yu Xi’s pupils dilated slightly.

“Do you want to touch more?” Kersz asked.

Yu Xi: “You’re tempting me.”

Kersz: “That’s right~ So, are you tempted?”

Of course Yu Xi was tempted. He dragged Kerz into a bedroom, and without speaking a word, got to work.

He liked Kersz’s powerful physique. While Yu Xi had previously been concerned about human “personal space,” now that Kersz had given up those rights, Yu Xi couldn’t be held accountable.

Kersz was a little anxious at the realization that he had become somewhat dependent on Yu Xi.

Perhaps it was similar to Tau’s situation. Yu Xi was powerful beyond comprehension, and his presence had become a kind of safe haven for him.

And the things that Yu Xi wanted…..were so simple.

Yu Xi’s personality had not yet fully matured, and all he wanted was some form of companionship.

No, perhaps it wasn’t quite so simple.

Kersz himself didn’t open up to others easily…..but he and Yu Xi had become friends.

Fortunately, this space pirate wasn’t an antisocial bastard who wanted to drag everyone down with him, so perhaps he wasn’t such a bad friend.

“Hey!” Kersz’s eyes suddenly widened. “What are you doing?!”

“Taking a taste,” Yu Xi said, holding Kersz’s arm.

“Did you bite me just now?” Kersz asked him.

“Yes, I felt very strange.” Yu Xi nodded, saying seriously, “When I touched you, I felt that you were especially cute, but then I thought of the things you do behind my back and also found you somewhat hateful.”

Kersz blinked.

“Then I had an inexplicable craving. I wanted to chew you up and swallow you whole, but you would die if I did that, and I don’t want you to die.”

“So I took a bite.” Yu Xi didn’t bite very hard. There wasn’t even a bite mark.

Kersz swallowed hard. “How do I taste?”

“Like meat.” Having said this, Yu Xi felt that the description was too vague. “Very, very tasty meat. If humans were food, you would definitely be the most delicious dish.”

Kersz: “…..Thank you for the compliment.”

Yu Xi smacked his lips: “Can I taste some more?”

“Taste?” Kersz’s voice trembled slightly. Did Yu Xi even realize how lewd his words were?

This behavior had gone far beyond what was permissible. Logically, Kersz should stop him immediately, but he didn’t say a word.

In the end, Yu Xi touched Kersz’s entire upper body. Yu Xi felt that he was very sensible, and didn’t touch certain parts of his body that should not be touched casually. 

Furthermore, considering the specific connotations of lip contact, Yu Xi avoided touching Kersz’s mouth.

He just touched everywhere else.

Yu Xi thought that Kersz was exceptionally good and generous, and felt that he had become much more tolerant of Kersz’s petty schemes.

And as for Kersz…..

Kersz couldn’t sleep. He looked at Yu Xi sleeping soundly beside him and didn’t understand how he was able to doze off.

Just now, Kersz had felt like his mind was about to explode. Yu Xi’s enthusiasm almost led him to believe that he had developed the desire to explore matters of love and romance.

He had thought that they were about to enter a messier, more intimate relationship.

Yet in the end, Yu Xi stopped once he had “tasted” enough and simply rolled over and lay down next to Kersz. He looked blissfully happy, and said that this was the luckiest day of his life, that he had never touched a human like this before.

He also solemnly thanked Kersz for his generosity, then fell asleep with a radiant expression on his face.

Kersz stared at Yu Xi’s sleeping face for a long time.

Then, with a sigh, he got up and went to the bathroom. He had a minor problem of his own to solve.

He had gotten too excited. His relationship with Yu Xi was getting better and better, and Kersz was stimulated by the intimacy.

Kersz wanted to find a way to ensure that his and Yu Xi’s relationship would always be unique, and that no matter how many humans Yu Xi abducted in the future, the special nature of their relationship would remain unchanged.

“I really have lost my mind a bit.” Kersz smacked his head.

Was he truly craving a sexual relationship?

Or did he just want to keep someone who treated him well?

“Mmm……ahh!!” In the middle of his self care, Kersz glanced toward the door and saw a pair of glowing blue eyes.

When had Yu Xi gotten here?!

Yu Xi’s eyes shone with an unnatural brightness. Upon realizing that he had been discovered by Kersz, he slowly closed the door.

Such was his fright that Kersz no longer had a “little problem” to solve. He rinsed off and changed his clothes.

Upon leaving the bathroom, Kersz found Yu Xi lying in bed asleep like he had been there all along. As if the blue eyes he’d seen had been an illusion.

“Yu Xi?” Kersz called out.

Yu Xi didn’t respond.

Kersz approached the bedside and gave him a gentle nudge.

Yu Xi still didn’t respond.

“What did you just see?” Kersz whispered in his ear.

Yu Xi trembled slightly.

Kersz: “Ha! You couldn’t control yourself, could you?”

Yu Xi had no choice but to open his eyes, looking somewhat at a loss: “I didn’t mean to.”

Kersz: “Hm?”

“I really did fall asleep, but I woke up as soon as you left.” Yu Xi defended himself, “I thought you needed to go to the toilet, so I waited outside the door.”

“Wait a minute. You thought I was using the toilet, so you waited outside the door?”

Yu Xi nodded.

“So do you always wait outside the door when I’m using the toilet?!” Kersz was astonished.

“It’s because my bed is empty.” Yu Xi didn’t think it was a big deal. He had always done this.

When the ancient humans kept cats and dogs as pets, those animals did the same thing.

Yu Xi was simply waiting for the human to solve his problem, after which he would return to bed and continue sleeping with him.

“But this time was different.” Yu Xi silently looked away, avoiding eye contact with Kersz. His hands gripped the edge of the blanket tightly. “I waited by the door for a while, and then I heard a sound.”

Kersz: ……

“It was a very soft sound, like a sound of discomfort.” Yu Xi had thought Kersz was hurt.

“I usually respect human privacy, honest!” Yu Xi excused himself again. “I thought you were injured, so I went to check on you.”

At first, Yu Xi didn’t realize what Kersz was doing, and was just relieved to see that he wasn’t injured.

“But you kept making that sound, like the meowing of a small kitten. A kitten with a deep voice. Then I realized what you were doing.”

And with that knowledge, Yu Xi’s rationality told him that he should quietly shut the door and pretend like nothing had happened.

But Yu Xi’s rationality didn’t seem to have any effect whatsoever, and he remained motionless, spying through the crack in the door. Judging from his actions, he didn’t seem conflicted at all.

“I wanted to keep watching…..but then you saw me.” Yu Xi was still a little regretful. “You looked so good just now, really.”

Yu Xi really liked Kersz’s tense body and expression of indulgence, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what kind of liking it was. He felt like he wanted to push open the door and suddenly leap inside, making Kersz jump. But he also worried that Kersz would put on his habitual mask and hide his true feelings.

Kersz looked into Yu Xi’s eyes and found himself unable to speak.

Yu Xi’s eyes were still dimming and brightening, which clearly indicated that his emotions were still in a state of flux: “So did you become like that because I bit you?”

After a moment of silence, Kersz nodded with a burning face.

“I understand, it’s a secret of the human body caused by excessive touching.” Yu Xi pulled the blanket up to cover the lower half of his face.

“It’s not exactly a secret…..whatever, go to sleep.” Kersz felt that he shouldn’t continue talking to Yu Xi.

“If I hear that sound again, I definitely won’t open the door.” Yu Xi said this with a hint of disappointment. He wanted to see more, but feared that the human would object.

“En.” Kersz got back in bed and pulled the covers over him, closing his eyes.

Damn it, he seemed to be getting excited again.

Why?

Was it because he caught Yu Xi watching him?

Did he have a fetish for being watched? But he hated it when anyone tried to control him.

In the middle of pondering whether or not he was a masochist, Kersz fell asleep.

That night, Kersz dreamed of many things. His family, friends, and teachers, then the framing, accusations, and betrayal he experienced later on.

Kersz practically relived his entire life through these dreams.

Kersz killed countless perpetrators, and felt like he was losing his mind. He was both exhilarated and wracked with grief and indignation, and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Drenched in blood, he continued running forward.

He felt that this road had no end, or that perhaps death was the only end that awaited him.

Only death could quench his burning resentment.

But as he ran and ran, Kersz felt that he was at the end of his strength.

He collapsed to the ground, heaving for breath.

“Are you tired?” someone suddenly asked him.

Kersz looked over and found someone sitting next to him. It was Yu Xi.

“What are you doing here?” Kersz asked.

Yu Xi thought for a moment, then shook his head: “I don’t know. I…..I wish someone would tell me what I should do.”

Yu Xi: “Maybe I’m waiting for someone.”

“Maybe? Then will the person you’re waiting for actually come?”

“I don’t know,” Yu Xi said, somewhat lost.

“What if you never see them again?” Kersz asked in puzzlement. “Have you considered that they won’t come?”

Yu Xi looked very sad.

Kersz sat up and dusted himself off: “Don’t be sad. I’ll wait with you for a while.”

Yu Xi didn’t seem to understand: “But don’t you have your own things to do?”

Kersz plopped down next to him: “I don’t know what to do either. I wish someone would tell me how to make things better so that I can stop being so angry.”

“Being angry is very miserable,” Yu Xi said.

“It is.”

“Waiting is also very miserable,” Yu Xi continued.

“Yes.”

Neither of them had found an answer yet. Fatigued by his anger, Kersz suddenly rested his head on Yu Xi’s shoulder, and Yu Xi tilted his head down to rest it against Kersz’s.

Kersz woke up.

He stared at the ceiling for a while, then turned to look at Yu Xi.

What was this robot dreaming right now?

Yu Xi dreamt of waiting.

He was surrounded by robot vacuum cleaners in a variety of colors. Yu Xi paced back and forth, scratching his head and rubbing his hands together.

Finally, a white robot vacuum cleaner emerged from the ward: “It’s born! It’s born!”

Yu Xi rushed to the robot vacuum cleaner, which carried a bundle of blankets on its back. Yu Xi picked up the bundle, inside of which was another robot vacuum cleaner the size of a palm.

Then a patient transport bed was pushed out, and Yu Xi saw Kersz laying on it. He hastened over and took Kersz’s hand: “You’ve worked hard.”

Yes, Kersz had reacted because of him, even though his reproductive drive wasn’t strong to begin with.

So while it was probably due to Yu Xi’s excessive behavior, was it possible that……Kersz wanted to start a family with him?

Yes! This human wanted to start a family with him! 

They would raise a bunch of little robots.

Why robots and not humans? Because Kersz was incapable of giving birth to humans. He was male.

Yu Xi felt that this was very scientific.

Still half asleep, Yu Xi murmured: “K-Kersz, are you trying to feed the baby?”

Kersz: ?

“You’re so good, but a robot vacuum cleaner doesn’t have a mouth.”

Kersz: ? ?

Wait, what kind of dream was Yu Xi having?!

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Chapter 26 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 28

Ch. 94 – Departure

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, I’ve finished packing. Why aren’t you ready yet?” Hao Chen leaned casually against the doorframe of Feng Ye’s room, teasing him as he watched him pack his things.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ye glanced at this person who claimed to have finished packing. Hao Chen was still dressed the same as before, without any bags or other travel items in sight.

His so-called “packing” was simply stopping by his own dormitory before rushing over to Feng Ye’s. The gap between their parting and reunion was less than half an incense stick’s time.

But Hao Chen really didn’t have much to pack. He had come to Lingxiao Sword Sect as a guest empty-handed, and he would naturally leave the same way. He couldn’t very well take the bedding from his guest room with him.

Also, cultivators had no need to carry bedding, cotton clothes, and dry provisions with them like ordinary people when they went out. Cultivators were not sensitive to cold or heat, nor did they require food. It was enough to keep a small amount of money, elixirs, and magic tools in their storage bags.

On the surface, they were only at the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining respectively, and neither of them had reached the stage where they could adhere to inedia. But their identities were all but exposed, so there was really no need for them to waste their energy pretending anymore.

Feng Ye didn’t plan to pack much, and was just tidying up his room.

Because after he left, he didn’t know if he would ever come back.

If this trip to Longqiu went smoothly and he was able to completely resolve the matter, he might not return.

In that case, today was the last time he would visit his dormitory. In the end, this room belonged to Lingxiao Sword Sect. He had been borrowing it all this time, and it would be a shame to return it in a dirty, messy state.

Without turning his head, Feng Ye placed the folded bedding into the closet. Then he went to the table and tossed a rag to Hao Chen, saying without any courtesy: “Come and help.”

This rag was thrown with great accuracy straight toward Hao Chen’s face. Hao Chen caught it with lightning speed, preventing the dusty rag from marring his fair and handsome features.

Hao Chen looked down at the rag in his hand, feeling that in all his time in Lingxiao Sword Sect, each day found him either sweeping the floor or wiping down tables. How could he, the Lord of the North Sea, have fallen to such a state?

But when he gave it some more thought, the man in front of him, the infamous Yinglong whose hands were said to be piled high with corpses and blood debts, had just been carefully folding a quilt. In light of this, he didn’t seem to have anything to complain about.

They clearly weren’t even married yet, so why were they doing housework? With these complicated thoughts swirling around in his head, Hao Chen dutifully began to wipe the table.

And as he wiped, he chattered continuously: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, you’re going to Longqiu to find the Living Soil?”

Feng Ye knew very well that he had absolutely no chance of concealing this matter from Hao Chen. His objective had always revolved around Jianmu, so his sudden announcement that he was heading to Longqiu was undoubtedly for the sake of the Living Soil.

He hummed in agreement.

“Then what are Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s plans for travelling? Longqiu isn’t exactly nearby,” Hao Chen asked again.

Feng Ye thought for a moment, then replied: “We’ll go by ship.”

This ‘ship’ did not refer to a vessel sailed on the sea, but specifically to a ship-shaped magic tool that could soar through the sky, just like the one Lingxiao Sword Sect used to travel to the Floating Island Secret Realm last time.

In addition to such privately owned ships, there were also some public ships that travelled along specific routes.

Although cultivators were able to fly on swords after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, flying on their own still consumed spiritual energy. This was fine for short distances, but long distances required resting between periods of flight, which was far more strenuous than taking one of these public ships.

The price of a ship ride was also not expensive, and only required paying a certain amount of spirit stones.

Although Feng Ye had already emptied his pockets in North Sea City, his sect subsidy for the month had conveniently just arrived, providing him with a dozen or so spirit stones. It was just enough to purchase a ship ticket.

Upon receiving this answer, Hao Chen felt a pang of regret.

Taking a ship wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. He very much wanted Feng Ye to fly there himself…..

Then Hao Chen could sit beside Yinglong’s horns, riding a dragon in the wind…..

Of course, he knew this was just wishful thinking. Feng Ye wasn’t even willing to remove his disguise, so how could he possibly shift into his true form and let Hao Chen sit next to his dragon horns?

But everyone needed a dream – even a fish. Hao Chen couldn’t help but imagine what such a future would look like.

He wondered when he would be able to touch Yinglong’s scales with his own hands, how different they would feel from fish scales, whether they were smooth or rough, and how pleasant to the touch they would be…..

The more he thought about it, the more absorbed he became, and his mind grew increasingly scattered. In a daze, he even felt that he had already touched those scales, and that they felt rather exquisite.

Feng Ye, unable to bear it any longer, flung Hao Chen’s fingers off the back of his hand. Even as this fish was wiping the table, there was a strange smile on his face. There was no telling what was going through his head.

After folding the quilt, Feng Ye had gone over to Hao Chen and waved a hand in front of his face, trying to call back the fish’s soul.

Unexpectedly, Hao Chen grabbed his hand and began to caress the back of it with all five fingers, inch by inch, like a big scoundrel.

Hao Chen belatedly realized what he had done after Feng Ye shook off his hand. It wasn’t just an illusion. He had really touched the dragon’s claws.

He reacted quickly, defending his actions with an earnest expression: “I was just reading your palm.”

In response, Feng Ye grabbed the rag and threw it at Hao Chen’s face.

This time, Hao Chen wasn’t able to react quickly enough. It was a direct hit. He immediately stopped trying to argue and ran out to wash his face.

With some annoyance, Feng Ye watched Hao Chen leave before turning back to continue tidying up.

By the time Hao Chen returned after washing his face, Feng Ye had finished cleaning. He surveyed the room with satisfaction. It was spotless and immaculate.

“Ready to leave?” Hao Chen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Feng Ye nodded: “Let’s go.”

Although Hao Chen was unable to fulfill his wish of riding in the wind on a dragon, he was still very much anticipating the journey to Longqiu.

Because it was just the two of them on this trip. What a perfect two-person world.

Hao Chen rubbed his hands together, pondering how he should break through Yinglong’s hard scales and touch his soft interior.

After weighing the matter carefully, Hao Chen concluded that it was better to take a step back than to push forward.

Whether Feng Ye himself was aware of it or not, after spending so many days together, Hao Chen had already realized that Feng Ye was not easy to get close to. He seemed to have a deep-rooted aversion to any sort of intimacy.

If Hao Chen got too close, the result would be just like before – the dragon’s stress response would be triggered, and he might even receive a beating.

Getting a rag thrown at him was nothing. A real beating was no fun at all.

Therefore, Hao Chen decided to patiently display his masculine charm, strength, safety, and reliability to the dragon during this trip to Longqiu, in the hopes of making the dragon willingly throw himself into his arms.

Then he would catch the other man against his broad chest. Feng Ye might not let him ride in the wind on his dragon form, so he would transform into a peng bird and carry Feng Ye on his back.

Side by side, Feng Ye and Hao Chen walked toward the mountain gate. Hao Chen’s eerie smile returned after only a few steps.

Feng Ye: “…..” Had this fish lost his mind?

As Feng Ye debated over whether he should ditch this fish and continue on his way alone, he unexpectedly caught sight of two familiar faces at the mountain gate.

“Shixiong!” Fang Yang greeted him happily. He was carrying a small bundle on his back, as if he was about to embark on a long journey.

“What’s going on…..” Feng Ye asked hesitantly.

Fang Yang wasn’t the only one carrying supplies. Cao Zirui also had his own package in the form of a fist-sized, jar-shaped satchel.

“We’re going to Longqiu too!” Fang Yang excitedly informed Feng Ye of the details.

After parting ways with his Useless Shixiong, he went to eat in a rather low mood, planning to visit Cao Zirui after finishing his meal. Unexpectedly, before he could head over, Cao Zirui came to find him first and told him that he was also going to Longqiu, then asked Fang Yang if he wanted to come along.

Fang Yang…..naturally wanted to go!

His shixiong and friend were both going to Longqiu, so how could he possibly stay at the sect alone?

But he didn’t know if Feng Ye had already set off, so he hastily packed his things and ran to the mountain gate to intercept him.

Luckily, he was able to catch him.

Cao Zirui was also going to Longqiu?

After hearing this explanation, Feng Ye looked at Cao Zirui with some surprise. Going to Longqiu at this time, it could be for no other reason than for the Living Soil.

But why was Cao Zirui looking for it?

Feng Ye’s eyes suddenly narrowed, zeroing in on the fist-sized ceramic jar that Cao Zirui was carrying across his body. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it really was a jar rather than a storage bag.

This jar was narrow at the top and bottom, yet wide in the middle. Consequently, unless one peered down from directly above, it was impossible to glimpse what was inside.

But without even looking, Feng Ye could guess what the jar contained.

Hao Chen noticed it too. They exchanged a glance and saw the same answer in each other’s eyes.

Jianmu.

“Has your Sect Leader Ji ever married?” Hao Chen abruptly asked a seemingly random question.

“No,” Cao Zirui replied with a puzzled look.

“If he does get married, even if the woman’s entire family worked together, they would likely never find his secret stash of money,” Hao Chen couldn’t help but lament.

What on earth was this about?

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui were equally baffled.

Feng Ye nodded in understanding. Although Hao Chen’s example was far-fetched, it was indeed accurate.

Ji Chengyue really was a…..genius at hiding things.

In fact, Ji Chengyue had planted the Jianmu sprout in the busy main square, and although he had set up a protective array, it was still not entirely safe.

Yesterday’s battle had made it abundantly clear that the force behind Xue Ren was after Jianmu. Having failed once, they were bound to try again.

Although Jianmu was a divine object, it was, by the same token, a magnet for trouble.

No matter what kind of protection was used, the person in possession of it would never have complete peace of mind, and they would certainly be in grave danger.

Ji Chengyue’s solution was to carry out a covert operation.

First, he openly made it known that he had planted the Jianmu sprout in the main square, and then he took it out and substituted a fake one.

Like this, everyone vying for Jianmu would focus solely on the fake one in the square.

And as for the real Jianmu, it was entrusted to Cao Zirui.

And Cao Zirui was instructed to stay far away from the center of the conflict.

Not only would this preserve the Jianmu sprout, but Ji Chengyue’s only remaining disciple would also be safe.

It must be said that this was a brilliant idea, killing two birds with one stone.

Ji Chengyue had previously hidden Jianmu in the most obvious place, and neither Feng Ye nor the creature impersonating him had found it the first time. Now, he had come up with an alternate way to hide it. Ji Chengyue’s mastery of concealment was truly admirable.

Fang Yang saw his Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage exchange a look, but he didn’t understand what it signified. He turned to chat with Cao Zirui, glancing back at the sect they were about to leave: “Ai, I didn’t even have a chance to see what Jianmu looks like,” he sighed.

Their journey had come at the last minute. In the morning, he had thought he would have plenty of opportunities, but with this unexpected afternoon departure, he wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of the Jianmu sprout.

When he heard this, Cao Zirui instinctively clutched the small jar he was carrying.

He wanted to tell his friend that Jianmu was actually here with him, but then he recalled his master’s instructions. He pursed his lips and ultimately didn’t tell his good friend.

The fact that he had absconded with Jianmu must be kept completely confidential.

Only if no one else knew about it would the enemy keep their eyes on the fake in the square. If it was exposed, then Cao Zirui, who was carrying the real Jianmu, would be in extreme peril.

In truth, Ji Chengyue had come up with this method out of desperation.

This time, Jianmu had absorbed divine power in order to sprout.

However, Yinglong gave the sprout to Ji Chengyue, and without a continuous source of divine power, Jianmu once again showed signs of decline.

Ordinary soil was simply incapable of providing it with sufficient nutrients for growth. If it continued to be cultivated within the sect, sooner or later, it would inevitably wither and die.

Only when all three nutrients were acquired for Jianmu would the sprout truly come to life.

Ji Chengyue didn’t know how long Jianmu could survive in ordinary soil, but the sooner these things were found, the better. Thus, the search for Living Soil was an extremely urgent matter.

However, he had his hands full with sect affairs and couldn’t spare the time. His identity as a sect leader was also too conspicuous, so it would be impossible for him to go to Longqiu unnoticed.

If he couldn’t do it himself, then he had to hand over the responsibility to someone else. But that person must be absolutely trustworthy. Ji Chengyue had been pondering who to entrust it to.

As it happened, Cao Zirui had just arrived to bid him farewell. This young disciple of his was someone he could trust without reservation, and while Cao Zirui had a formidable reputation within the sect, he was fairly unknown to the outside world.

He had only been a disciple for a year, and his trip to the Floating Island Secret Realm had not yielded any outstanding results, so he naturally went unnoticed by most people.

With his low profile and trustworthiness, Cao Zirui was simply the perfect candidate to search for the Living Soil in his place.

And after Ji Chengyue explained the advantages and drawbacks, Cao Zirui readily agreed.

Although his internal injuries had not yet healed, as long as he didn’t tell anyone that he was concealing Jianmu, he shouldn’t run into danger.

There was no problem with going out to get some fresh, healing air, and if he was able to help his master along the way, the situation couldn’t be better.

Thus, carrying the small jar containing Jianmu on his back, he invited his friend out and set off.

Since Jianmu wasn’t an inanimate object, it couldn’t be placed in a storage bag, and he could only find this jar to store it in. This jar had an ordinary appearance, but it was actually a magic tool capable of concealing an object’s aura.

Generally speaking, no one should realize that Jianmu was hidden among them.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen only noticed it when in very close proximity to Cao Zirui.

Although the boys were unaware of why Feng Ye and Hao Chen were going to Longqiu, having company was a good thing, so the two waited for them at the mountain gate.

Gazing at the two youths standing before him, each with a small bundle strapped to their back, Hao Chen belatedly realized that the “two-person world” he had just been envisioning suddenly felt a little crowded.

Contrary to Hao Chen’s reluctance, Feng Ye was quite agreeable to this arrangement. It was just as well that Cao Zirui kept the true Jianmu by his side. As long as the matter of the fake Jianmu remained undiscovered, Cao Zirui would face no danger. But should it ever be exposed, Feng Ye would be ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

Thus, the four people, each with their own thoughts, walked out of Lingxiao Sword Sect’s mountain gate. As the mountain wall inscribed with the four large characters of the sect’s name disappeared from view, they officially embarked upon their journey to Longqiu.

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Chapter 93 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 95

T/N: Sorry for the late update! I drove across the country to visit my grandparents and forgot to bring my laptop…..

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The room fell into a peculiar silence.

A moment later, Qin Xiao spoke again: “Come here.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..Are you telling me what to do?”

Qin Xiao chuckled softly, then seemed to wince from the pain in his chest. He raised a hand and pressed it gingerly against the wound before continuing: “How could I dare?”

He was being sarcastic.

Chu Jiubian ignored him and remained lying down.

However, he soon heard a rustling sound from the bed, and turned his head to see Qin Xiao slowly trying to sit up.

Chu Jiubian quickly sat upright and said while putting on his shoes: “What are you doing? Don’t move.”

Qin Xiao stopped moving, then lay back down.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said.

Chu Jiubian froze briefly. He couldn’t see Qin Xiao’s face in the darkness, but he could still feel the other man’s focused gaze.

He got off the couch somewhat uneasily and said: “I’ll go back to Yaotai Residence. Call Qin Chaoyang and have him bring a longer couch so he can keep you company.”

This hadn’t occurred to him earlier. Since Qin Xiao was now out of danger, it would be fine for someone else to stay with him and see to his needs.

Qin Xiao said nothing.

Chu Jiubian picked up his cloak and headed for the door. However, before he had taken more than a couple of steps, the other’s deep voice sounded behind him again: “My wound still hurts a bit.”

Chu Jiubian paused in his steps. He turned to look back.

Qin Xiao continued: “I think I strained something when I was washing up earlier.”

At this time, the System emitted a notification sound: [Host, there is indeed some minor bleeding from the patient’s chest wound.]

Chu Jiubian immediately frowned. As he walked over, he casually threw his cloak onto the couch and took a flashlight from the System Inventory to illuminate the area.

The powerful flashlight immediately brightened the entire room, and the person on the bed closed his eyes in surprise against the sudden illumination.

Chu Jiubian noticed at once that the man’s face was absent of stubble, and that his face looked clean and refreshed.

As for the blood and medicinal scent on his body, all of that had been cleaned away while he was in the Divine Realm.

His alternately heavy and shallow breathing had now returned to normal. Thus, aside from his pale complexion, Qin Xiao looked no different than he normally did.

Chu Jiubian shifted his gaze to his chest, noting that Qin Xiao had changed into clean undergarments made of black silk. The collar was slightly askew.

Beneath the smooth fabric, the undulating contours of his musculature were smooth and elegant, subtly conveying a sense of strength and vitality.

Qin Xiao adjusted to the light and opened his eyes, following Chu Jiubian’s gaze toward his chest before looking up at him.

Chu Jiubian only took a quick look, and before he could tell Qin Xiao to take off his clothes, the other man was slowly undoing the ties to reveal the entirety of his upper body.

His well-developed pecs and uniform six-pack abs came into view. Chu Jiuian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

There was gauze wrapped around his chest, and although some blood had seeped through, it was only a small quantity.

“System, has the wound reopened?” Chu Jiubian asked internally.

[No, some minor bleeding is normal.]

Chu Jiubian’s heart settled, and he looked up into Qin Xiao’s deep, penetrating eyes.

“The wound hasn’t healed yet, so don’t move around much these next two days,” he said.

Qin Xiao gave a hum of acknowledgement.

Glancing at his wide-open shirt, Chu Jiubian said: “Put your clothes back on.”

“I’m allowed to move?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian: “Yes.”

Qin Xiao slowly re-fastened his clothes, but they were loose and sloppy, which looked stranger than when they were halfway undone.

Chu Jiubian averted his gaze, going to the sofa to fetch the blanket for Qin Xiao.

“You’ll be fine if you don’t move around. I’ll come see you again tomorrow,” Chu Jiubian said, and once again prepared to leave.

“What if I need to get up in the middle of the night? Can I move on my own? Drink water?” Qin Xiao asked three rapid-fire questions, his tone casual and playful. “Unless the Young Master personally supervises me, I won’t know what I can do by myself.”

Chu Jiubian looked at him steadily, then suddenly let out a light chuckle: “Do you not want me to leave?”

“En,” said Qin Xiao. “I feel at ease knowing you’re here.”

Chu Jiubian said nothing, simply observing his expression in an attempt to glean something from it.

But before long, he was the first to look away, fearful of finding what he was looking for.

He turned off the flashlight and stashed it away in the System inventory.

The room returned to darkness, and it took a while for both of them to adjust before they could once again make out some vague outlines.

Qin Xiao followed the young man’s figure, watching him walk a few steps before stopping again.

Then, he turned around and went back to the bedside.

Chu Jiubian sat down on the bed, took off his shoes, and twisted to crawl in.

The bed was about 1.5 meters wide, which was plenty of space for two people. And although there was only one pillow, it was long enough to share comfortably.

However, Qin Xiao was sleeping on the outer side of the bed, and it wasn’t convenient for him to move. Chu Jiubian got on his knees and swung a leg over so that he was straddling Qin Xiao, placing his hands on either side of him out of caution. His long hair cascaded down his shoulders, bringing with it a tingling sensation as it brushed over Qin Xiao’s neck and lips.

But in an instant, Chu Jiubian was already lying on the inner side of the bed.

Without removing his outer garment, he lay straight on his back and stared at the bedframe above him.

At this moment, they were truly “sleeping together.”

Chu Jiubian had never been close to anyone like this before, and his entire body tensed up even as his mind went completely blank.

Qin Xiao lay still for a while before turning his head to look at the person beside him.

He seemed to notice how tense Chu Jiubian was, and reached out to share the blanket with him.

Chu Jiubian finally reacted and said: “Don’t move.”

“Cover up,” said Qin Xiao.

Chu Jiubian froze for a moment. Then, when he reached out to grasp the blanket, his hand happened to brush against Qin Xiao’s.

Those hands had regained their warmth, in stark contrast to their previous iciness.

His fingertips curled slightly, and he quickly grabbed a corner of the blanket and pulled it over himself.

Qin Xiao looked away, gazing up at the bedframe as well.

The room hadn’t been cold to begin with, and now that he was under the covers, it was even warmer.

Before long, Chu Jiubian felt his feet and legs warming up, but his hands remained stubbornly cold.

The room was silent save for the wind howling outside, which made the branches of the trees in the courtyard sway and rustle.

The two lay together in silence, separated by only a few inches. Neither of them were sleepy, but neither of them spoke.

This room belonged to Qin Xiao, and so did the bed, blanket, and pillow. The person himself was even lying directly beside him. Chu Jiubian felt as if he was enveloped in the subtle scent of Qin Xiao, and that some of it had even transferred onto him.

His breathing was light and shallow. Listening to Qin Xiao’s breathing, he knew that the other man wasn’t asleep either.

“Are you not tired?” His voice was somewhat soft.

“I’m not. You?”

“Me either,” said Chu Jiubian. “Did you eat something earlier?”

“No. I don’t know what I’m able to eat,” said Qin Xiao.

Chu Jiubian glanced toward him. Even in the darkness, he could see the other’s straight nose and the ridge of his brow. “So when you woke up, did you not also consider that you shouldn’t be moving around so freely?”

Qin Xiao smiled faintly and turned his head to look at him, saying: “I was very careful.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

As they looked into each other’s eyes, silence descended between them once more.

Due to their close proximity, Chu Jiubian felt as if he could feel Qin Xiao’s breath on his lips.

Suddenly, he noticed Qin Xiao leaning closer to him.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned his face away to look back at the bed frame.

“If you’re not going to sleep, then let’s talk about Cheng Shuo.” Chu Jiubian awkwardly changed the topic.

Qin Xiao turned his gaze away, and said while staring upward: “He has been thoroughly interrogated, but we were able to get nothing out of him.”

“Was torture used?”

“Severe torture.”

“Is there a grudge between you and him?” Chu Jiubian then immediately dismissed the idea, saying, “No, his family background is impeccable, and you and the Qin family have even shown him kindness. He shouldn’t have had any reason to harm you.”

Before Qin Xiao took Cheng Shuo with him on the expedition, Chu Jiubian had instructed Qin Chaoyang to re-investigate Cheng Shuo’s family background and recent actions.

People could change, and his worry was that this person might have had contact with someone else without Qin Xiao’s knowledge.

However, after Qin Chaoyang’s investigation, there was indeed nothing suspicious about Cheng Shuo.

“It is also impossible that his wife and children at home are being held hostage or threatened,” Qin Xiao said. “I’ve had people looking after his family affairs, and there is no way anything unexpected could have happened.”

“So he betrayed you for no reason?” Chu Jiubian asked with a frown.

Qin Xiao gave a hum of agreement.

A few moments later, he suddenly asked: “What is your relationship with Nanjiang-wang?”

Outsiders may be unaware of what happened early in the disaster that hit Nanjiang, but Qin Xiao knew that the solution to the grain shortage was all due to Chu Jiubian’s machinations.

Therefore, he must have a connection with Nanjiang-wang.

At the sudden mention of Nanjiang, a thought flashed through Chu Jiubian’s mind, and he turned his head to look at the other man: “Has Cheng Shuo been infected by gu?”

The Great Ning Dynasty existed in a world that combined elements of martial arts fiction, featuring internal energy, martial arts techniques, and many strange or unusual clans and their traditions.

The poisonous parasites called gu in Nanjiang were known throughout the world, and there were indeed occult practitioners who used such gu to kill or even control people.

The most powerful gu masters in Nanjiang were actually the Saintesses of each generation.

The current generation’s Saintess, Situ Anli, was the princess of Nanjiang and the mother of the Situ siblings.

To be able to control a man as strong as Cheng Shuo and force him to assassinate Qin Xiao against his will was a feat that no ordinary gu master could accomplish. It must have been the work of an exceptional practitioner.

Therefore, Saintess of Nanjiang Situ Anli was a prime suspect.

Qin Xiao said: “Hu Fang has witnessed people under gu-induced mind control. Their thoughts are altered, and they will act against their own will according to the wishes of the gu master.”

The way Cheng Shuo was acting now was completely different from before the assasination attempt that day.

Qin Xiao carefully recalled that before the assasination, Cheng Shuo had been acting normally, just as carefree and unrestrained as usual, without any signs of aberration.

But in the wake of the assassination, Cheng Shuo changed.

He became sullen, his eyes devoid of any hint of emotion.

Even the strongest person would reveal some signs of pain under severe torture, but Cheng Shuo, despite being covered in wounds, didn’t even flinch. It was as if he was immune to pain.

Listening to this, Chu Jiubian felt that it sounded somewhat like hypnosis.

Were these gu parasites really so powerful?

“I can’t confirm whether or not this matter is related to the Princess of Nanjiang,” Chu Jiubian said.

He was confident in the character and abilities of the Situ siblings, but he wasn’t certain of their parents’ temperaments.

However, judging by their actions during the drought, these two didn’t seem to be bad people. And since they had raised two such wonderful children, their character couldn’t be all that bad either.

But what if?

What if something bad could give birth to something good?

Chu Jiubian didn’t dare to speak too definitively.

Qin Xiao: “It is also possible that someone is deliberately framing them. Let’s wait until Nanjiang-wang arrives in the capital tomorrow, then find an opportunity to investigate further.”

“Nanjiang-wang will be here tomorrow?” Chu Jiubian had been in the Divine Realm for the past two days, and hadn’t seen Qin Chaoyang upon emerging today, so he was naturally unaware of such an event.

Qin Xiao, however, had already spoken with Qin Chaoyang and met with the young Emperor to reassure the child.

Since Chu Jiubian had asked, Qin Xiao replied: “Huguang-wang and Dongjiang-wang will arrive outside the city tonight, while the other four vassal kings are staying at the nearest post station and should arrive in the capital tomorrow evening.”

Chu Jiubian smiled when he heard this: “Are Huguang-wang and Dongjiang-wang trying to intimidate us?”

“Perhaps.” Qin Xiao smiled as well.

Although they hadn’t said much, the two of them understood each other without the need for words.

In the current situation, it was impossible to say who would intimidate whom.

As they were discussing the matter, two groups of people had already arrived outside the gates of the tightly-closed city.

From atop a tall horse, the leader of the guards escorting Huguang-wang shouted up to the city guards stationed on the wall: “His Royal Highness Huguang-wang and His Royal Highness Dongjiang-wang have arrived! Open the gates immediately and welcome them into the city!”

But a clear voice sounded from one of the people on the city wall, saying: “The city gates are already closed for the night. Hoping Your Highnesses will understand!”

As he spoke, a handsome man clad in soft armor appeared on the ramparts with a sword at his waist, gazing down at the crowd outside the gates.

Huguang-wang Bai Liyue disembarked from his carriage in magnificent robes, his demeanor stern and imposing. Simply by standing there, he exuded an overwhelming sense of authority.

Many soldiers on the city wall lowered their eyes, not daring to look at the other party.

This was the awe-inspiring aura of the most powerful vassal king.

Huguang-wang gazed up at the young commander upon the city wall and narrowed his eyes: “Who might you be?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the person on the city wall possessed excellent hearing. He smiled upon hearing these words, then performed a formal bow and said: “This humble servant is An Ping, also known as An Wuji, Commander of the Imperial Guard. Paying respects to Your Highnesses.”

The city garrison and Imperial Guard were mostly composed of former members of the Qin Family Army. And although An Wuji was nominally the Commander of the Imperial Guard, the city garrison was also under his jurisdiction.

Therefore, there was nothing wrong with his appearance on the city wall.

“So it’s Commander An. I have long admired your reputation.” A laughing voice rang out, and a man dressed in dark green brocade robes stepped out of another carriage.

An Wuji looked over.

The man stood behind Bai Liyue. Although he was slightly shorter and thinner than him, his demeanor was in no way inferior to Bai Liyue, the most powerful of the vassal kings.

And despite his smiling appearance, there was no hint of warmth in his eyes. They were cold and sinister, sending chills down the spine of anyone who met his gaze.

This was Dongjiang-wang Bai Lihe. His maternal family was a wealthy and influential clan from Jiangnan, and he had also been the most favored second prince during Emperor Chengzong’s reign.

He was once the most promising prince to ascend the throne, but he was unfortunately defeated by Emperor Yingzong. However, due to the great influence of his mother’s family, his life was preserved and he was sent to a fiefdom to start anew.

But it could be said that among these seven vassal kings, these two were the most ambitious and truthful about their real selves.

“This subordinate is merely a humble commander. How could I dare accept a compliment from Your Highness?” An Wuji said.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, there were only two “rulers:” the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Therefore, even when facing a powerful and influential vassal king, officials did not need to address them as one would a ruler, but could simply refer to themselves as “this subordinate.”

“Commander An is too kind. You are a highly-favored figure in the eyes of His Majesty and Lord Ning-wang,” said Bai Lihe. 

“Although we brothers have arrived late today, we hope that Commander An will be kind enough to allow us into the city, so that we may avoid having to spend the night outside the city walls.”

“Rules are rules. Please understand, Your Highnesses,” said An Wuji, completely unmoved.

Bai Liyue gave a faint smile and said: “What a fine rule. Perhaps you could go and inform His Majesty? If His Majesty also believes that we should camp outside the city walls, then we will have no complaints.”

“It is late, and His Majesty has already retired for the night,” said An Wuji. “This matter will be handled according to regulations, so there is no need to report it to His Majesty.”

“Won’t Commander An cause too much offense by handling the matter this way?” The soldier beside him looked a little nervous as he whispered this to him.

“It’s alright,” An Wuji replied softly. “I’ll take responsibility if things go wrong.”

Bai Liyue and Bai Lihe might plan to shift the blame onto the Emperor for being unable to enter the city, but An Wuji wouldn’t give them the chance.

He would take full responsibility.

This way, when the young Emperor later punished him with a mild but public penalty, the two vassal kings would appear to have received justice.

These two had deliberately waited to arrive until after the city gates closed, but their plan had completely backfired.

Not only was it impossible for them to enter the city on the basis of privilege, but they also couldn’t blame the Emperor for being forced to sleep outside the city walls. After all, the Emperor wasn’t even aware of their arrival. All of this was simply the result of An Wuji diligently fulfilling his duties.

They wanted to put on a show of power in front of the Emperor, but now they found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Bai Liyue’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Hadn’t it been said that neither Qin Xiao nor Chu Jiubian would be around? How could a small child like Bai Lihong have anticipated all of this?

Then was this a strategy devised by An Wuji himself, or perhaps by that eunuch, Hong Fu?

Bai Lihong truly had a wealth of talents around him.

Bai Liyue felt a sense of missing out.

How had all of these talents ended up belonging solely to the Emperor?

If possible, he would also like to find a way to get in touch with these people during this trip to the capital. 

It would be fantastic if all of these talents could be pulled into his service.

Bai Lihe fixed his gaze on the young commander for a long moment, his smile unchanged. However, the cold, sinister look in his eyes intensified until they were like those of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, observing its surroundings.

*

*

Inside the bedroom in the western courtyard of Yangxin Hall.

Chu Jiubian listened with great interest as Qin Xiao spoke of several of the vassal kings.

Perhaps to help him understand more clearly, Qin Xiao even assigned them “animal personas,” which was quite unconventional.

Bai Liyue was a black bear who considered himself clever, but in reality, his fists were more effective than his brains. Bai Lihe was a sinister, venomous snake who liked to manipulate people, while Bai Liyue was a smiling, two-faced tiger who remained indifferent to matters that didn’t concern him.

Bai Lizheng was a rigid, old-fashioned ox who only cared about his small sphere of influence, Bai Lihao was a free-spirited steed who yearned for vast open spaces, and Bai Liyu, lacking sufficient strength, compensated with cunning schemes – a highly aggressive hawk.

“And as for Bai Liming…..”

Chu Jiubian said: “I think he’s a lot like a rabbit.” He was delicate and harmless, and often appeared easily startled.

Qin Xiao said: “I’m not familiar with him.”

In fact, he wasn’t very familiar with the other vassal kings either, and had only gleaned a few insights from their actions.

“Then what about me?” Chu Jiubian asked. “What kind of animal do you think I am?”

Qin Xiao glanced at him and let out a low chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?” 

Instead of answering, Qin Xiao countered with a question: “What does the Young Master think I am?”

“I asked you first,” said Chu Jiubian.

Qin Xiao: “You tell me first, and then I’ll tell you.”

Chu Jiubian: “Then let’s not talk about it.”

The room fell silent again.

Still not feeling sleepy, Chu Jiubian spoke up again: “Your injury is actually related to the Lu family.”

The Lu family’s ancestral home was Wuwei, located in Gansu. They had a natural connection with Dingbei-wang Bai Liyu, whose fiefdom ran through Shaanxi and Gansu.

It had been Minister of War Lu Youwei’s brother-in-law Pang Ruizhi,  commander of the Northwest Army, who had cooperated with Dingbei-wang to allow the enemy army to occupy Gansu, thus forcing Qin Xiao to go to war.

“En,” said Qin Xiao. “I’ve gathered some evidence, but now is not the time to make use of it.”

Chu Jiubian rolled over to face him.

Qin Xiao froze, and for some reason didn’t turn his head to look at the person beside him.

“The Lu family also has connections with the Tatars,” Chu Jiubian said. In the darkness, Qin Xiao’s jaw instantly tensed.

Chu Jiubian noticed this and unconsciously lowered his voice: “We’ll uncover the evidence.”

Qin Jingzhao and his wife were killed by the Tatars, but everyone knew there was more to the story. There must have been a traitor who leaked or falsified military intelligence, which led to their ambush and deaths in a foreign land.

And now, both Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian knew that this matter was inextricably linked to the Lu family.

But they simply didn’t have any evidence.

With such a major event, they felt that the Lu family couldn’t have been the only ones involved. There must have been other forces at play. Were the other three great families participants, or perhaps one or more of the vassal kings?

Anything was possible.

“Since no external leads can be found, perhaps we can try to find a breakthrough within,” said Chu Jiubian.

Qin Xiao said nothing.

Chu Jiubian continued: “Regarding the mandala incident, we killed Wang Wenyao, the Xiao family head’s son, as well as that young man from the Lu family, Lu Xingwen.”

“Lu Xingwen’s parents don’t belong to the clan’s main branch, but to a collateral one, and Lu Xingwen was their only son.”

Qin Xiao finally turned his head to look at him.

The young man lay curled up on his side, and even in the darkness of night, Qin Xiao could faintly discern the glint in his eyes.

“Someone heard Lu Xingwen’s parents say that their son’s life had been traded for two Lu family shops. Their tones sounded strange, which suggested that they harbored resentment toward the Lu family.” This was something Chu Jiubian had overheard from some gossiping lower-ranking officials while working at the ministry.

“This might be a breakthrough,” he said.

Lu Xingwen had been killed by Qin Xiao, but it was also true that the Lu family had failed to help him when he was in danger. The couple, having lost their only son, could not possibly see the so-called “bigger picture.”

Therefore, they now hated Qin Xiao and the Lu family to the bone.

If there was an opportunity to let “two dogs bite each other,” why not take it?

Chu Jiubian’s intention was to exploit their mindset and guide them to expose the Lu family’s collusion with foreign enemies, as well as their persecution of the loyal Qin family officials.

With the charges of harming loyal officials and colluding with foreign enemies to plot rebellion, the Lu family would be severely punished, if not sentenced to death outright.

Qin Xiao remained silent. An unknown amount of time later, he asked softly: “Are you looking into this to take on the Lu family, or is there another reason…..”

His words cut off halfway through.

Chu Jiubian didn’t answer, but instead said in an even softer voice: “I’m tired. Let’s go to sleep.”

*

*

For the next couple of days, they stayed holed up in Yangxin Hall to avoid having to go out and deal with those vassal kings.

It was now the 27th, with only three days left until the New Year.

The vassal kings were expected to go to the temple for fasting and ritual practices, and only on the thirtieth would they be able to return to the Imperial City to attend the palace banquet.

But tomorrow, they would certainly come to meet with Bai Lihong and pay their respects.

This was also a customary practice for vassal kings entering the capital.

Bai Lihong had cried again when he saw Qin Xiao today, and it took a considerable amount of effort to comfort him.

Qin Xiao then instructed him to feign illness so that the vassal kings wouldn’t linger when they came to pay their respects, thus preventing them from setting up a pitfall for the child.

For this reason, Physician Zhang was stationed in the main room of Yangxin Hall, and would likely remain there until the 27th.

Ever since obtaining a medical book from Chu Jiubian, Physician Zhang had firmly aligned himself with their cause.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy was ill at home, and had already submitted a request for retirement. Physician Zhang was the most likely candidate for promotion, and naturally knew who his true masters were. Therefore, nothing was kept from him regarding Bai Lihong’s feigned illness.

As a shrewd and opportunistic person, he was naturally very diplomatic, and after taking Bai Lihong’s pulse, he understood without anyone needing to speak a word.

That being said, Chu Jiubian and the others had nothing to do for the next two days.

He lay on his side facing Qin Xiao, curled up with his hands clasped across his chest.

Closing his eyes, he tried once more to fall asleep.

If he didn’t sleep tonight, he would be exhausted during the day.

He was capable of sharing a bed with Qin Xiao under the cover of night, but it was impossible for him during the day.

Chu Jiubian lay there for quite some time.

Even with his eyes closed, he could sense Qin Xiao’s gaze on him.

Inexplicably, his body tensed up even more, and sleepiness evaded him.

Only when Qin Xiao moved – presumably shifting his gaze away – did Chu Jiubian feel himself relax slightly.

A while later, drowsiness gradually set in.

Qin Xiao waited until the breathing of the person beside him became heavy and deep before turning his head to look at him again.

He still couldn’t make out the other’s features, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to look.

A long while later, when his neck had become stiff, he finally turned his head back and closed his eyes.

However, before he even began to feel sleepy, he felt a weight settle on his shoulder.

He froze, not daring to move.

The young man was now breathing closer to his ear, clearly indicating that he was resting his head on Qin Xiao’s shoulder.

Qin Xiao didn’t sleep all night.

Chu Jiubian also “woke up” briefly during the night, though not with his physical body – it was his soul that awakened and entered the Divine Realm. 

This was for no other reason than that one of his Believers was calling out to him in the middle of the night, unable to sleep.

Chu Jiubian was initially a little reluctant, but had no objections once he realized that it was Qin Chuan who had summoned him.

It was likely that he had heard the news of Qin Xiao’s severe injury, and had come to the High Priest for help.

Sure enough, after offering him a formal greeting, Qin Chuan said in a heavy voice: “High Priest, may this subordinate receive the reward he was promised earlier?”

“You want me to save someone?” Chu Jiubian asked, knowing perfectly well what this was about.

“Yes,” said Qin Chuan. “This subordinate would like you to save Ning-wang Qin Xiao, who is in the Imperial Capital.”

Chu Jiubian considered agreeing, but then thought better of it.

“Grand Tutor Chu” was the one who had saved Qin Xiao, and he couldn’t take credit for it as the High Priest. Besides, it would be a good thing if this incident caused Qin Chuan to regard Grand Tutor Chu with gratitude and respect.

So he said: “He is recovering now.”

Qin Chuan was taken aback, and a look of barely-concealed astonishment appeared on his face: “Truly? Then Chu…..was it the Divine Lord who saved him?”

In the presence of the High Priest, that person should only be referred to as the Divine Lord, the Sacred Star – not Grand Tutor Chu.

When the High Priest answered affirmatively, Qin Chuan’s heart finally settled, and the anxiety that had been plaguing him ever since he heard the news subsided.

Ever since taking on the task of protecting Lu Yao and coaching him in interpersonal relations, he hadn’t paid much attention to intelligence from various sources, leaving it all to his subordinates.

And due to the fact that said subordinates were unaware of his relationship with Qin Xiao, they hadn’t reported the news of his grievous injury with any haste.

They instead continued their investigation, and only after two days, when they had confirmed that Qin Xiao had without a doubt been seriously wounded, did they dare to report it. Their caution stemmed from wanting to avoid incurring the displeasure of the alliance leader by submitting a false report.

Due to this, Qin Chuan was only approaching the High Priest now.

Even with the knowledge that Qin Xiao was in recovery, Qin Chuan was still not quite at ease. Thus, he asked the High Priest for leave, intending to temporarily set aside guarding Lu Yao in favor of going to the capital in person. 

And since the New Year was approaching, he might even be able to spend the holiday with his older brother.

The results of the third exam had not yet been released, so Lu Yao’s reputation had not spread very far, and few people had taken notice of him.

With the secret guards sent by Qin Xiao, plus the two extra men Qin Chuan assigned to the task, Lu Yao would be very safe.

This being the case, Chu Jiubian granted his request and allowed him to travel to the capital to see Qin Xiao.

When Chu Jiubian left the Divine Realm afterward, he inevitably woke up.

He opened his eyes. It was still dark outside, and it seemed to be snowing. The howling wind further intensified the cold, but Chu Jiubian’s cheeks were fiery hot, and his entire body seemed to be burning.

This was not due to the warmth of the room. It was because, without even noticing, he had almost completely plastered himself against Qin Xiao!

He was grasping the man’s arm with one hand, while the other rested over his chest.

His hand had thoughtfully avoided the side with the wound, only touching the pectoral closest to him.

The man’s elevated body heat warmed his hands, startling him and instantly sweeping away his drowsiness.

He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Then he slowly retracted his hand, slowly turned around, and curled up with his back to the other man, burying his face in the blanket.

In the darkness behind him, the man’s lips curled into a smile.

---

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Chapter 71 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 73