That special courtyard of High Priest Ryun was not in the least bit affected by the blizzard outside. Ryun led his favorite disciple Mingzhu down a small path to the back gardens. A single piece of rockery almost twenty meters high was there, and it contained a path which led underground.
After a few twists and turns, the passage opened up to a hall, with an enclosure of transparent full-length glass windows at the center. This place was arranged like a medical laboratory, where there was a bed right in the middle. There seemed to be a humanoid figure on the bed, and a white bed sheet was pulled over him, making it impossible to make out his face.
Countless tubes were connected to the bed, or to be precise, these tubes were all connected to the humanoid. There were several strange machines around, all of them powered on and in constant use.
Peering in from behind the wall of glass, Mingzhu asked, “Can this person be saved? After suffering such grievous injuries, he’s practically a collection of limbs than a full being.”
Ryun said, “Whether he lives or not will depend on his good fortune; his warship suffered heavy damage as it entered a wormhole, causing the warship to break apart. The impact sent him hurtling into the wormhole. Most living creatures would have disappeared after such a catastrophe, so the fact that he still had some of his limbs intact was already.very lucky.”
Mingzhu furrowed his brows. “Master sure is kind to have saved this person from certain death, but is this person worth you doing so?”
Ryun burst out laughing. “You can’t put it like that. No getting up early if there’s no benefit is a saying commonly understood across the universe. Were it not for his body resonating such a strong grudge and resentment, your master would never bother retrieving him.
“Though he is braindead, his cells are still working fine, and given that it holds such a strong resentment with a savage intent of killing everything in his path, such a collection of limbs will make it most suitable for creating a synthesized abomination. Once complete, I’m afraid that even you will be no match for it.”
Mingzhu was shocked. “You say that even I, your disciple, will be no match for it?”
“Exactly. Most warriors will hardly be able to resist this abomination that has the genetic essence of two major races as well as the strength that comes from his powerful resentment. Three more days and this synthesization process will be complete. Just wait and see; right now, it all depends on if this fortunate soul can survive the next three days. The hard work of these past months all hang in the balance right now.”
Mingzhu chuckled. “If he manages to wake up and see how he looks now, will he go mad as a result? After all, his looks now are definitely nothing like his past appearance.”
Ryun mused. “That’s hard to say. The brain is extremely complex, and as soon as death occurs, brain cells will immediately begin dying, taking at most seventy-two hours before it completely collapses.
“Do you know that before the discovery of the warp engine, spaceships relied on cryogenics?”
Mingzhu nodded. “I’ve heard about that. Instantly subjecting lives to an absolute-zero life preservation chamber, every single cell in the body will enter a state of hibernation due to rapid freezing, and hundreds or even thousands of years will pass before those in the life preservation chambers will be thawed, letting life continue to take hold.
“While such cryogenics technology is simple to master, the thawing process is what’s abnormally difficult. At times, due to the rapid increase in temperature, whether it’s too fast or too slow, the cell tissues end up getting damaged. The lucky ones will find themselves crippled, while the unlucky ones instantly will die as a result. Such cryogenics fell into disuse once the warp technology was discovered.”
Ryun nodded his head, seemingly quite satisfied with Mingjzhu. Though he appeared like a brute, like a savage who had yet to be uplifted, he was actually quite smart and could promptly memorize whatever he had been given to read. This was also one of the reasons why he preferred Mingzhu over that mute girl Mingjing.
“You got that right. The brain is very mysterious, and if it’s only muscular damage sustained during the thawing process, then there will at least be ways to repair it, but if it’s brain, even a deity will be incapable of treating it. When I found this brain, it had already been floating in space for at least forty-eight hours, so the cellular damage to the brain was very severe. Even your master here is unable to repair the damaged brain, so he may not necessarily have any memories of the past when he wakes up.”
Mingzhu chuckled. “Hearing you, master, say that, I really want to build a metal helmet to protect my head as suffering any injury to it sounds terrible.”
The master-disciple pair laughed sinisterly. Anyone who heard that would have found it creepy. Seeing that there was nothing strange in the laboratory, the two left the place soon after.
“Master, there’s still no news from Mingjing. Could something have happened to her?”
Ryun contemplated a good while after hearing this news and replied in a serious tone, “Those men who went with her also disappeared without a trace. I’m afraid that this matter isn’t as simple as it looks.”
Mingzhu saw Ryun’s wrinkled and pudgy face and noted that his master was being unusually worried. Thus, he curiously ventured a question. “Master, that human shouldn’t be a Law of Space adept. I heard that he used a super bomb to ruin Uti’s fleets, even piloting a spaceship to snatch some mysterious item that Uti found in the Panhuman Alliance. His actions don’t seem to be what a Law Inheritor will do.”
Ryun anxiously waved his hands. “You mustn’t underestimate the opponent! Most Law adepts are of extremely odd character, and what if this happens to be one with a weird temperament? Perhaps he likes piloting warships and enjoys playing with toys like bombs.”
Mingjzhu wondered. “Is there really such a strange Law Inheritor? To not use the power of Law and instead rely on backward thermal weapons. How truly inexplicable.”
Just as he said that, the pair arrived back into their living room, and Mingzhu poured a cup of tea for Ryun. Ryun drank it all in one go before saying, “This universe is vast, and there are all sorts of strange individuals out there. I suspect that that expert is doing all this out of sheer boredom, deliberately toying with us mortals. There’s no telling when he will get tired of it, though.”
“Do you mean to say that he will eradicate the insectoids?” Mingzhu was shocked.
“Perhaps… Law adepts are unpredictable. Besides, I suspect that that strange Law expert could tell that I left a brand on Mingjing, so he probably opened a spatial door and sent her away, and that’s why we haven’t received any news from her on our end.”
Mingzhu panicked. “Master, by your deduction, wouldn’t the insectoids be in trouble? Why would you just stand by and watch this happen without intervening?”
Ryun waved his hand. “There used to be million others who cultivated with your master back then. Have you ever wondered why I’m the only one left?”
“Why is that?”
“Because your master is a lot more cautious than everyone else, much smarter, too. I will never do anything that may present an inkling of danger.”
…
Xia Fei had no idea that High Priest Ryun was rearing an abomination in his secret laboratory, nor was he even aware that Ryun had mistakenly believed him to be a Law Inheritor.
Not long after the fleet took off, Qingyan beamingly opened the crate. “Brother Xia, this journey’s going to take some time, so I feel that it’s a little disrespectful to have you cooped up inside. That is why I decided to take matters into my own hands and had you brought to my bedroom. I hope Brother Xia doesn’t blame me for it.”
Xia Fei nodded. Now that everything had been set into motion, there was no way for him to continue hiding in the box, either. He figured that it was best to see just what tricks this foxy insectoid shrew had up her sleeves.
A special aroma wafted in the air of this room, and no matter where Qingyan walked to, there would be this indescribable fragrance following. It was a very heavy scent as well, enough to cause Xia Fei’s stomach to do somersaults, giving him this slightly nauseating sensation.
The splendidly designed bedroom sparkled with magnificence and resplendence as if he had stepped into a palace. He watched as Qingyan took lithe steps toward the bed, where she proceeded to lay down, recumbent.
“The decorations in this room are all transported from the Panhuman Alliance; perhaps it will give Brother Xia a sense of familiarity?” Qingyan proudly boasted.
Xia Fei looked all around the room. Agate-stained glass as screens, mahogany tables and chairs embedded with polycrystalline stones, the bed sheets and quilts made from long-staple cotton, et cetera. While it was true that everything here was produced in the Panhuman Alliance, Xia Fei was not someone born from a rich background, and he had always been very plain when it came to his tastes. Even the sportswear he frequently wore was the Li Ning brand.
These luxury goods were completely foreign to Xia Fei, and he felt no sense of familiarity in them, unless it was not a sumptuous spread on the table but a bowl of fried paste noodles and shredded cucumber. It would be even more wonderful if there were two red tomatoes added.
Frowning, Xia Fei asked, “Are you sure it’s safe here?”
Qingyan assured Xia Fei. “Absolutely. Those imperial guards of mine wouldn’t dare get five hundred meters near me without my order.”
Xia Fei walked over to the walls and knocked at it a few times. “And you’re certain that the room is sufficiently soundproofed, so nothing will get out no matter what is being done in here?”
Qingyan’s heart beat wildly. ‘Why would he ask me about the soundproofing of the room… Does he perhaps want to… with me?”
Qingyan was still a virgin when she first entered the palace at the age of fourteen, and she had only ever been with one insectoid despite already being in her thirties. Uti was just taller than Qingyan’s knee as well, so it was impossible for him to satisfy Qingyan’s needs no matter how powerful he was.
Despite Qingyan looking as if she were a natural seductress and how she had the thought to be just that, she had never truly had the experience. Women in their thirties were like wolves and would become akin to tigers when they reached their forties. Qingyan was presently well in that stage between a tiger and a wolf, and this mental pressure on her only increased her physical desire. Xia Fei’s provocative words had immediately caused her pretty cheeks to flush red, and she could feel her heart rate spike.
‘Qingyan, what’s wrong with you today? You’ve always been the one doing the teasing, so why is it Xia Fei’s turn to do that to you now?’ Qingyan was having such sweet thoughts to herself as Xia Fei slowly examined the room.
Her eyes turned and shyly stared at Xia Fei. Humans and insectoids were vastly different. While Xia Fei would at best be mediocre looking in the Panhuman Alliance, that was hardly the case here with insectoids. The only male Qingyan had been with was semi-handicapped, which was why the young Xia Fei was practically prince charming in her eyes.
He was muscular and had a tough build. His eyes were sharp, and even his steps had a verve to them.
‘I’m sure he must be amazing in bed, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked if the room had sufficient soundproofing. Does he think that I can’t withstand his virility? Hmph! I, Qingyan, will never admit defeat!’ Qingyan’s thoughts were running wild, and she even promptly felt somewhat aroused by the prospect.
Qingyan’s room was a suite, and there was the exterior room and the interior room that they were currently in. Xia Fei carefully examined the set up before asking, “Is there someone staying outside?”
“Qingyan softly answered, “No. I’ve already sent my attendant away, so you and I are alone here in both the interior and the exterior rooms.”
She specifically emphasized the words ‘you and I’, tightly clamping her two legs as she let her hair down her back, exposing her snowy-white neck and the shapely outlines of her buxom chest.
Xia Fei smiled and punched his fists together. “Perfect! That’s silent enough, alright.”
Qingyan was very eager, moving herself deeper into the soft bed, giving Xia Fei more than half the bed as her two tender and fair thighs fidgeted restlessly.
Xia Fei sat on the edge of the bed and used his right hand to tousle his hair even as he asked apologetically, “Then, I’ll need you to tolerate staying in the exterior room for this voyage. I want to use this room for cultivation.”
