The spaceship had been traveling through interstellar space for several days and was now slowly approaching Blue Star. As the saying goes, you get used to it after a while—just as Lian Qiguang was beginning to adjust to the dizziness aboard the ship, it entered Blue Star’s protective shield.
“Sis-in-law, are you heading to Zone 1 first, or going straight back to Zone 3?” After disembarking, Yuan Ling retrieved her jet and asked Lian Qiguang for her preference.
“Home,” Lian Qiguang said, leaning back in the jet with her eyes closed.
Noticing Lian Qiguang’s exhaustion, Yuan Ling didn’t disturb her further. She turned up the temperature inside the craft a bit and activated autopilot.
Lian Qiguang dozed off in the craft. By the time she opened her eyes again, it had come to a stop. She lifted her head and looked out the window, noticing that it had already grown somewhat dark outside.
“Sister-in-law, we’re here.”
“Second Brother!” No sooner had Lian Qiguang stepped out of the vehicle than—before he could even steady himself—a cheerful voice rang out, and a white figure darted toward him, throwing herself into his arms.
Without even turning his head, Lian Qiguang grabbed the back of that little pig’s collar with one hand and set her aside.
“Second Brother! Second Brother! I missed you so much—you’re finally back.” Lian Xiaoju tugged at Lian Qiguang’s sleeve, swaying back and forth, her lips pouted in a look of complaint.
“He’s back.” Lian Yucheng walked over, patted Lian Qiguang on the shoulder, and a smile spread across his face.
Lian Qiguang turned his gaze to Lian Yucheng and noticed that, after not seeing him for a while, Lian Yucheng seemed to have grown noticeably thinner and paler.
“Sister-in-law, why don’t you go inside first?” Yuan Ling glanced at the crowd gathered around them, chattering away, then took two steps forward and spoke up.
“Where are you going?” Noticing that Yuan Ling didn’t seem intent on staying, Lian Qiguang asked.
“I’m just stopping by to see Grandpa. There’s still a lot to do at Buluoxing, so I’ll have to rush back tomorrow,” Yuan Ling said with a smile, though a hint of sadness crept into her expression.
As a soldier stationed far from home, it wasn’t easy to make a quick trip back, and Lian Qiguang understood that, so he didn’t press the matter. He nodded slightly. “It’s no big deal to stay a couple more days.”
“???” Yuan Ling froze, staring blankly for a moment at Lian Qiguang’s expressionless profile.
Lian Qiguang withdrew his gaze and turned back toward the courtyard.
“ “Second Brother! Wait for me!!” Lian Xiaozhu scampered after him.
“Thanks for your help.” Lian Yucheng nodded at Yuan Ling, then turned and entered the courtyard as well.
Back inside the house, Lian Qiguang looked at the familiar furnishings in the living room. For some reason, the tension that had been building up in him these past few days suddenly eased.
“Second Brother, here’s some water.” Lian Xiaoju held out a cup of water with a beaming smile and handed it to Lian Qiguang.
Lian Qiguang glanced at Lian Xiaoju’s dazed, innocent face, took the cup with one hand, walked over to the sofa, sat down, and stared expressionlessly at the space above his head.
“If you’re hungry, have some nutritional supplements first. The 009-A has a minor malfunction; I’ll go buy a new one in a couple of days.” Lian Yucheng walked over, gave him a quick reminder, then turned and headed upstairs.
“What about that guy named Long Ying?” Lian Qiguang suddenly asked. Lian Yucheng’s ascent came to an abrupt halt; with his back to Lian Qiguang, he remained silent for a long time.
After a long pause, Lian Yucheng continued up the stairs, his calm voice carrying a hint of chill. “He’s a stranger. Why bother with him? Don’t bring him up again.”
Lian Qiguang clutched the cup in his hand, watching in silence as Lian Yucheng closed the door, then turned to look at Lian Xiaoru, who was cowering nearby. “What’s going on?”
“Big Brother, he said not to talk about it,” Lian Xiaoru muttered softly, her head bowed.
“Crack!” The cup in his hand was crushed to smithereens. Lian Xiaoju jumped in fright and covered her face with both hands. “I—I’ll tell you! Second Brother, please don’t get angry!”
“……” Lian Qiguang set down the mangled cup and stared expressionlessly at Lian Xiaoju.
“It was just a few days after you left, Second Brother. I don’t know why, but one night, Eldest Brother suddenly got into a huge fight with Brother Long Ying—they nearly tore the house down. I was locked in my room by Eldest Brother and couldn’t get out. That was also when Brother Long Ying beat 009-A until only his head was left. The next day, Brother Long Ying disappeared, and he still hasn’t come back.”
‘She’s slipped up.’ That was the first thought that popped into Lian Qiguang’s mind.
“Second Brother, can you find Brother Long Ying?” Lian Xiaoju walked over to Lian Qiguang and tentatively tugged at his sleeve.
“Big Brother likes Brother Longying. After Brother Longying disappeared, Big Brother was very sad—I saw him crying.”
“Why look for him?” Lian Qiguang pulled his sleeve away and stared expressionlessly at the ceiling. “He left on his own—so he shouldn’t come back.”
“Second Brother…”
“If he dares to come back, I’ll chop him down.” Lian Qiguang cast a cold glance at Lian Xiaoju, making her shiver as a chill ran down her spine.
“How are you feeling? How’s your health?” Remembering that he had purified Lian Xiaoju’s body before leaving, Lian Qiguang asked.
“Huh? Oh! I’m all better now.” Lian Xiaoju was taken aback for a moment, but once she realized what Lian Qiguang was referring to, she quickly nodded, her little face flushing with excitement.
“Second Brother, I’m perfectly healthy now, and I don’t feel any pain.” Lian Xiaoju happily hopped up and down in front of Lian Qiguang, then clenched her fist.
“And, Second Brother, look,” Lian Xiaoju said, holding out one hand. A water ball about the size of a fist hovered above her palm.
Lian Qiguang’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed through his mind. ‘Water-type ability?’
“Second Brother, I’m really powerful now.” ” Lian Xiaoju looked up at Lian Qiguang with wide eyes, beaming with joy as she hoped for a word of praise.
Lian Qiguang cast a casual glance at Lian Xiaoju, then stood up and headed upstairs. As he passed her, he flickered his fingers, and the water ball in Lian Xiaoju’s hand froze instantly. Lian Qiguang went upstairs and closed the door behind him. With a “crack,” the water ball shattered into countless pieces.
“Stupid!” Lian Qiguang muttered.
“……” Lian Xiaoju.
Leaning against the headboard, Lian Qiguang fiddled with a model of a combat spaceship, but his mind was preoccupied with the matter of the Dragon Shadow. Suddenly, a certain person came to mind.
Lian Qiguang paused in his movements, glanced at the optical computer in his hand, thought for a moment, and sent a message.
The next day, first thing in the morning, Lian Qiguang left the pitiful-looking Lian Xiaoju behind and headed out alone.
“Little Guangguang, you really do love me—you came back just to see me.” A flying craft pulled up beside Lian Qiguang. Xiahou Luoyu poked her head out, grinning at him. Her flamboyant, eye-catching outfit made Lian Qiguang’s eyes sting a little.
Lian Qiguang shot Xiahou Luoyu a blank glance, then flipped and leaped onto the flying craft. Xiahou Shaoxuan giggled and was just about to move closer when—to her surprise—Lian Qiguang, without so much as a flicker of expression,凝聚ed an ice arrow in his hand and hurled it straight at Xiahou Luoyu.
“Whoa!” Xiahou Luoyu gasped in surprise, letting out a shriek as she quickly dodged to the side. “Little Guangguang, even if you love me that much, you don’t have to show it this way, do you?”
“What on earth is going on?” Lian Qiguang kept the ice arrow pointed at Xiahou Luoyu as he said in a flat tone.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’?”
“I told you not to go to my house and cause trouble. What on earth did you do!” The ice arrow shot toward her, causing Xiahou Luoyu to scream in terror.
“What could I have done? I didn’t do anything!”
“The Dragon Shadow is gone.”
“What?” Xiahou Luoyu froze, her eyes wide, murmuring, “Since when did this guy become so fragile?”
“So it was you after all.” Lian Qiguang narrowed his eyes as frost spread beneath his feet; icicles shot up abruptly, piercing toward Xiahou Luoyu. Xiahou Luoyu dodged repeatedly, raising a protective barrier of fire around her body. But the ice spikes didn’t stop; instead, they pierced right through the fiery shield, trapping Xiahou Luoyu inside.
“Peak Xuan-tier?” Xiahou Luoyu gasped in shock.
“Where did you take the Dragon Shadow?” ” Lian Qiguang walked up beside Xiahou Luoyu, pressing the ice spike against her brow.
“I don’t have that kind of ability,” Xiahou Luoyu protested. “I just got a little itchy to fight, so I challenged him to a duel. But before we even started, your brother caught us. I was afraid of accidentally hurting someone, so I left.”
“……” Just as he’d suspected—it must have been because Lian Yucheng discovered Long Ying’s true identity when the two of them were about to fight.
“Hey, Little Guangguang, what’s going on?” Seeing that Lian Qiguang wasn’t speaking, Xiahou Luoyu suddenly had a bad feeling and asked in a low voice.
“I didn’t do a thing.” Seeing Lian Qiguang look her way, Xiahou Luoyu quickly distanced herself from the situation. “I was just trying to scare him a little. He shouldn’t be so sensitive.”
“You went to my place and caused a scene. Lian Yucheng discovered Long Ying’s true identity, and the two of them fell out,” Lian Qiguang said in a flat tone.
“Huh?” Xiahou Luoyu was stunned.
“Long Ying has been missing for a long time now. Where do you think he might be?”
“How would I know?” Xiahou Luoyu pouted, but when she saw Lian Qiguang raise the ice spike in his hand, she quickly shouted, “Hey, hey! Don’t be so impulsive! Let me think—let me think for a second.”
“I really don’t know where he’d go, but if I were really angry, I’d definitely find a place to get into a fight…” Xiahou Luoyu’s voice suddenly trailed off as she cautiously glanced at Lian Qiguang.
“Hey, Little Guangguang, do you think something might’ve happened to him?”
Lian Qiguang shot her a glare, and Xiahou Luoyu fell silent immediately.
“I’m giving you five days to track him down.” Lian Qiguang waved his hand, dispelling the ice spikes surrounding Xiahou Luoyu.
“Why me?! What do I have to do with him?!” Xiahou Luoyu, fuming, reached for her sword. “I’d love nothing more than to slaughter that bastard.”
“This whole mess started because of you. Once you find him, you won’t have to do it—I’ll cut him down myself.” Lian Qiguang walked over to Xiahou Luoyu and opened her lightbrain with one hand.
“You—what are you doing?” Seeing Lian Qiguang approach, Xiahou Luoyu assumed a defensive stance, but Lian Qiguang didn’t give her a chance to escape. He grabbed her by the collar with one hand and yanked her hard. Caught off guard, Xiahou Luoyu fell face-first onto Lian Qiguang, and the two of them stumbled, crashing onto the craft.
Lian Qiguang pressed the shutter button, capturing the moment. From the angle of the photo, it looked as if Xiahou Luoyu had forcefully pinned Lian Qiguang down.
“You, you, you… what are you doing? What’s the meaning of this!?” Xiahou Luoyu stammered, trembling.
Lian Qiguang stood up and fiddled with the optical computer in his hand, his face expressionless.
“Find that person for me in five days.”
“Why should I?”
“Send this photo to Shao Xuan and tell him you were out of control after drinking.”
“Hey, hey! Don’t do that! That little bastard will skin me alive.” Xiahou Luoyu flailed her arms wildly, trying to snatch the optical computer from Lian Qiguang’s hands, but he dodged her.
“I’ll find him! I’ll go find him—is that okay?” Seeing that Lian Qiguang was actually about to hit send, Xiahou Luoyu quickly shouted.
“Good work.” He put away the optical computer without a trace of emotion.
“Little Qiguang, you’ve gone bad.” ” Xiahou Luoyu whimpered.
“Actually, you don’t need to be afraid. Shao Xuan won’t believe it.” Lian Qiguang looked completely serious.
“Of course he won’t believe it, but what does that have to do with him punishing me?”
“You’re his younger sister-in-law.”
“I can’t beat him!!”
“……” Lian Qiguang