Kingbao

  DarkGem

  “Back then, the virus was rampant and the human species was close to its demise. There were still many who pressed on with finding a cure for the virus, but in the end, they did not discover a realf antidote.” He sighed, his face darkening. “Initially, one vaccine could indeed suppress the virus. But as time went by, the virus mutated within the infected person’s body, evolving. It transformed into a more deadly virus that killed at a faster rate. The infected victims would turn entirely blue and lose all sanity, turning into an unfeeling monster that could only kill.”


  “Zombies!” Yao Si exclaimed.

  “You can say that.” He nodded. “But when the news spread, many had already been infected. What’s worse was that anyone who got bitten by someone like that would die, including bloodlings.”


  “Then…… what happened next?”


  “In order to control the situation, bloodlings had to step in. The entire race was mobilized to eradicate the source, but there were too many people that had been injected with the vaccine. With their sanity eradicated, they could no longer feel pain and could only go forward attacking others. We…… lost a lot of people at that time.” He sighed once more. “Once an entire generation was killed, another generation would be sent over and then another, and another……”


  “You……” Her heart clenched.

  “Afterwards…… we realized that at the rate we were perishing, we would end up extinct before the humans. Hence, we converted the remaining humans into bloodlings.” Mu Xuan caressed her head for reassurance. “At that time, I entered hibernation due to an incident. When I finally woke up, the first thirty generations were no longer around, and the number of bloodlings remaining was small. I was in the last batch that was sent to battle.”


  “Were you alright, did you come back……”


  He stilled, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly. “Silly!”


  “.……” Yao Si sunk into embarrassment when she realized what she had asked. Her question was indeed silly. If he hadn’t come back, how could he be here with her?

  “I joined the war with the last batch, clearing the planet for three whole months. At the very end, I was bitten by an infected, but at that critical moment, my ancestral bloodline was miraculously awakened, allowing me to survive the ordeal,” he explained briefly as though it wasn’t anything important. Unlike him though, Yao Si was tense and bunched up. “After I awakened, I realized that my blood was able to suppress the virus, transforming the entire crisis around.”


  “.……”


  So his blood was the only cure for Luo Ying?

  “But it was a pity that due to that I lost the ability to convert humans into bloodlings. But thankfully, I have you!” He leaned closer, and her figure seemed to take over his entire vision as though…… she was the only one left on Earth.

  Before she could stop it, her heart skipped a beat.

  –


  The situation was getting out of hand—the virus had originated from Earth? But didn’t it disappear along with Earth a few million years ago? The day she had woken up from her hibernation, Earth was already gone. It gave her a tingling suspicion that someone was plotting something big.

  However, besides the words of Yuan Han, that weirdo, there weren’t any other clues. And even that guy was missing. The Elder Council was left in a frenzy due to the virus, and even Mu Xuan had to personally tend to the matter, but there didn’t seem to be any improvement. They were out in the open while the enemies lurked in the dark. Such a helpless situation was starting to unnerve her.

  “Your Highness!” Luo Ying, who rarely came by, glanced at Yao Si bashfully. She opened her mouth but then stopped herself, two visible red marks tainting her cheeks. “I was wondering…… are you free next weekend?”


  Yao Si was thrown off guard by her words. Luo Ying had a straightforward personality, so such restraint from her was out of character.

  “It’s a holiday and I don’t have anything planned,” Yao Si said with a nod. But when she saw Luo Ying’s eyes brighten, she hurriedly added, “But due to the virus, Mu Xuan doesn’t allow me to go out by myself.”


  “Oh……” Luo Ying’s spirits dampened.

  “What’s wrong?” Yao Si couldn’t help but ask. When she remembered the encounter with the virus, her heart clenched once more. “Oh right, have you fully recovered from the virus? Are there any side effects?”


  Luo Ying appeared visibly touched. “I’m alright now! Fully recovered without any side effects, and it’s all thanks to His Majesty that……” She stilled, as though a thought had just struck her. She then asked with nervousness, “Yes, is His Majesty free this weekend? If he came to accompany you, you wouldn’t be out alone.”


  “I…… guess so?” Yao Si couldn’t be sure, but recently, Mu Xuan seemed to be really busy, leaving early in the morning and only returning late at night. “Is there something important?”


  Yao Si glanced at Luo Ying seriously, because of which her face blushed a deep shade of red. She started to squirm slightly, biting down on her lip before passing a card over weakly. The card wasn’t the commonly used digital version, but was made from a prehistoric material — paper. It was a flamboyant shade of red.

  “What’s this?” Yao Si reached over. On the card, there were two words in a striking shade of gold – Wedding Invitation.

  “You’re getting married!” Yao Si’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

  No wait, a bloodling’s age was not based on their appearance. Besides, the schools in the Galaxy weren’t the same as on Earth; they didn’t just accept the younger generations. Many adults were enrolled in the academies to learn.

  “Mmh.” Luo Ying seemed extremely embarrassed, her entire face red as a tomato. “Originally, I wanted to wait till the graduation…… But after the incident, he was clearly startled. Even though we are bloodlings, there are still unforeseen circumstances. Besides…… besides, I won’t fall for anyone else. Hence…… we decided to bring it forth.”


  “I see.” Yao Si was still startled. She had never expected the obedient Luo Ying to throw such a bomb out of nowhere. “Don’t worry, this is a grand occasion, I’ll definitely be there.”


  She took a sip of the tea to calm her nerves. Luo Ying was going to get married, so naturally, she had to be there, but she couldn’t seem to figure out when this girl had started dating. After being classmates for a whole year, she never once saw her being intimate with another guy.

  “Oh right, who’s the groom, do I know him?” she asked casually.

  Luo Ying’s face turned a deeper shade of red when she glanced at Yao Si bashfully. “Your Highness, you’re teasing me again.”


  “Eh?”

  Yao Si flipped the invitation card open, and two names stared straight at her.

  “Who else other than Gu Shucheng?”


  Ptui!

  (⊙_⊙)

  Yao Si spat a mouthful of tea, then coughed a number of times. “Gu Shucheng!”


  “Mmh.” Luo Ying nodded, patting her back with suspicion. “Even though it’s a little rushed, both me and Shucheng aren’t that big on formalities.”


  “Wait a minute!” Yao Si was confused, her words slipping from her mind without thought. “But…… but, isn’t he your father?”


  “Yea,” Luo Ying replied confidently, even with a hint of pride. Her face then flushed once more. “So……”


  Before Yao Si could ask for clarification, Luo Ying’s optical computer started to beep, and she took a peek before taking a step away with a smile. “I’m sorry Your Highness, the wedding materials that we ordered have arrived, so I need to go back to take a look. I really hope you’ll be there next weekend.”


  With a blissful smile on her face, she exited, leaving Yao Si still in shock from the news.

  Yao Si remained in a daze for five minutes before realizing something…… She seemed to have misunderstood some matters! Immediately, she dialed Bai Yi. She needed an urgent answer!

  Bai Yi picked up almost instantly. In less than a second, he appeared on the screen.

  “Your—”


  Before he could finish his sentence, Yao Si cut him off. “Do you know that Nephew Gu and Luo Ying are getting married next weekend?”


  Bai Yi stilled before breaking into a radiant smile. “Your Highness, you must have received the wedding invitation? I never thought that they would drag it on for so many years. Originally, I was convinced that they would really wait till Luo Ying’s graduation, so I never expected for them to see the light so quickly. If I knew—”


  “Wait a moment, I can’t seem to understand something.” She inhaled deeply, then said, “Isn’t Nephew Gu Luo Ying’s father?”


  Bai Yi replied without hesitation, “Yea, so……”


  ‘So’ again? Why is it always this word, what exactly do you all mean?

  o(╯□╰)o

  “Aren’t they father and daughter?” If someone is a father to another, it means that they’re related, so how can they get married? Even though bloodlings don’t die and age doesn’t matter, their morals should be intact!

  “Father and daughter?” Bai Yi stilled, confusion washing over his face. “What father and daughter? Bloodlings aren’t able to reproduce, so new bloodlings all originate from Earth.”


  She totally forgot that they weren’t biologically related. Besides, if she were to recall the relationship between Gu Shucheng and Luo Ying, it was clear that they seemed more like…… a couple than a family!

  Her mind was in a mess.

  However, Bai Yi had no clue of the mental trauma she was experiencing as he added in high spirit, “Your Highness, you have no idea how long this couple has dragged on. We were starting to worry that there was something wrong with Shucheng and that they would end up as the first guider pair that didn’t end up together.”


  “First pair!” Yao Si exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You mean…… all the bloodling couples are…… the guider and their cub?”


  “That’s right!” Bai Yi nodded. “Bloodlings always appear in pairs. I even heard that Second Elder drags his cub along even when he leaves for groceries! Ai, only singles like me who haven’t gotten their cub……”


  Yao Si started to panic internally. The bloodlings were actually a race that brought up their other half? The truth was hitting home far too quickly.

  “No exceptions?”


  “From what I know…… it’s quite rare.”


  “Rare?” That meant that there were exceptions.

  “Even though there aren’t many bloodlings and we live long lives, there are always a few anomalies.” He gave her a knowing look. “I heard about one casanova who fought with his other half, and there was someone who had gotten someone from another race, but those usually don’t last long. From what I know, there is always a special bond between the guider and the cub, so neither party is able to tolerate a long separation with the other. Singles like me aren’t able to comprehend what that feels like though!”


  She suddenly remembered Mu Xuan’s look the night before, and her heart started to race, the resounding beat echoing in her ears. Minute details from her daily life then started gushing into her mind.