Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“What happened? Is it because of the mushrooms?” Han Sen pointed at the plants that were on both of their heads.
Gu Qingcheng shook her head. “I told you, I’m not a person of the modern age. I am a Qi Gong user of ancient times.”
“So is this happening because of your lifespan?” Han Sen’s heart jumped. Gu Qingcheng was the same as him; both of them had entered a crystallizer control room. When Gu Qingcheng had left the control room, she had been transported tens of thousands of years beyond the period in which she had been born. She had entered a world that was completely different from the one she knew.
If they calculated the time that had passed while she was in the control room, Gu Qingcheng should have died a long time ago.
Gu Qingcheng nodded, then shook her head. “It is because of my lifespan, but it is not as you think. It isn’t because I entered a crystallizer control room.”
“Then, what is it?” Han Sen asked in concern.
Gu Qingcheng and Elysian Moon looked at each other. Then, Elysian Moon said, “It is because of me.”
Han Sen turned his gaze to Elysian Moon and said nothing. He waited for her to proceed. He still had no idea what was going on.
Elysian Moon was confused and unsure of what to say. She moved her lips but no words came. Gu Qingcheng said, “Let me explain it, then.”
Han Sen turned back to Gu Qingcheng. He was growing more concerned by the minute.
A long time ago, he had been interested in the relationship between Gu Qingcheng and Elysian Moon. Gu Qingcheng was an ancient human Qi Gong master. Elysian Moon had been a spirit inside the sanctuaries. Their races were different, but they looked exactly the same. So, Han Sen was curious about the relationship they shared.
“I practiced a Qi Gong called Sword Fairy Picture,” Gu Qingcheng said. “According to the ancient theories of Qi Gong, you could watch yourself generate a god and become the Sword Fairy Picture. Through this, you could unlock the Sword Fairy Path.”
“Elysian Moon is your Sword Fairy Picture? You created her?” Han Sen looked at Gu Qingcheng with shock.
Gu Qingcheng shook her head. “Elysian Moon is the Elysian Spirit, and she is very special. Due to an accident, the two of us combined with my Sword Fairy Picture. That was how our fates became intertwined.”
Han Sen looked at Gu Qingcheng and Elysian Moon. He wasn’t sure what sort of “accident” she was referring to. It would have taken quite an accident to make a Qi Gong master connect with a spirit, after all.
“Didn’t I tell you that I was different from ordinary spirits? I told you that my spirit stone wasn’t in a spirit statue, and I kept it on my person instead. I was actually lying to you, though. My spirit stone had already combined with her.” Elysian Moon pointed at Gu Qingcheng.
“Is that related to your lifespan?” Han Sen asked.
Gu Qingcheng nodded. “Our situation is very complicated. I am a human combined with a spirit’s spirit stone. It made my spirit very strong, and I also earned the body type of a spirit. I took Elysian Moon’s spirit stone, while she drew power from my Sword Fairy Picture. Over time, her body changed. We are a part of each other, but not exactly.”
“When we entered the Alliance, we were reconstructed. At that time, our connection was pretty much severed. We thought the effect we had on each other would be over and we would live apart from each other, but after contacting each other, we swiftly found out that the connection was becoming stronger and stronger. Stronger than it had been before.”
Elysian Moon looked gloomy. She said, “In the geno universe, this power resulted in big changes happening to our bodies. We have begun to level up very quickly, and as long as there is energy available, our level can continue to increase at this rate. We were happy about this, but then we discovered that these changes make us age faster, as well.”
Han Sen’s face changed. “You guys are saying you are getting old very fast?”
“Something like that. I’m not sure exactly how it works. Based on the speed we’ve been progressing, though, we only have a year at best. A few months, in the worst-case scenario. We will grow old, and we will die.” Gu Qingcheng nodded.
“Have you found a way to stop this?” Thinking about what Bao’er said, Han Sen had a few guesses.
Gu Qingcheng and Elysian Moon nodded. Elysian Moon said, “We have been investigating this issue for quite some time, and we have conducted many tests. We have come to realize that we are supposed to be together. As long as we remain separate, we will never be whole. So, there are flaws in our genes. These flaws are what is making us grow so old so fast. They’re pushing us to develop far too quickly.”
Gu Qingcheng leaned forward and said, “It is like this: if we were ordinary humans, our lives would have a lifespan of one hundred years. Our current aging process is like that of a mosquito. From birth to death, our whole lives could now pass us by in a fortnight. The only way to get rid of this flaw is for me and Elysian Moon to become one. In that way, we can repair the flaws of our genes. When we are perfect, we will have a lifespan like an ordinary human.”
“Can you guys combine and become one person?” Han Sen looked at Gu Qingcheng and Elysian Moon with confusion.
While Elysian Moon was still a spirit, Han Sen could picture her possessing Gu Qingcheng.
Now that they both had physical bodies in the geno universe, Han Sen couldn’t believe that they could still combine.
“I wish we couldn’t, but we did find out it was possible. But that means we will become one person, and even our personalities will be merged.” Elysian Moon looked dire.
Han Sen understood the crux of their conflict now. As a creature with emotions, no one would want to be a part of another. They wanted to be individuals.
But now they must become a part of each other. Otherwise, they’d die. It was a very painful dilemma.
As Han Sen thought about their conflict, he realized that they were fighting over which of the two would control the body.
But the reality was crueler than Han Sen thought. Gu Qingcheng coldly said, “And we found another way. We don’t need to combine our personalities; the other option is for one person to die. That way, the body of the deceased can be combined with the body of the living one. If we do that, there will only be one personality. There would be no need for a merging.”
Han Sen was shocked. He just stared at Gu Qingcheng and Elysian Moon with bewilderment. He hadn’t expected that to be a potential solution.
“Are you guys going to go through with this?” Han Sen sighed. In a situation like this, Han Sen didn’t know how he should advise Elysian Moon and Gu Qingcheng.
“We don’t want to do this, but it doesn’t seem like there is a fairer alternative. If the two of us are going to die, then I would rather the other be alive,” Elysian Moon coldly said.
“Even when you combine and become one, your personalities may not match,” Han Sen said.
“No, they do. We have tried it before.” Elysian Moon shook her head with certainty.
“How?” Han Sen asked the two with curiosity.
Elysian Moon and Gu Qingcheng didn’t say anything. They looked at each other, and then Han Sen’s mouth opened wide. Elysian Moon and Gu Qingcheng walked nearer each other. Then, when their two pretty faces drew closer, they locked lips in a kiss.
