TL: Hua

Chapter 50

Pei Yingye lowered his head and buried his face in Ji Xuan’s neck. Blood surged through his body. He bit down on Ji Xuan’s slender neck; after grinding his canines over it, he licked it erotically with his tongue.

Adam’s apple, the side of the neck, the gland… the troublesome collar had already been removed. His cool nose tip pressed against the burning gland, and snow-like pheromones wafted out. He breathed them in greedily, also feeling Ji Xuan’s momentary stiffness.

Something he hadn’t obtained despite enduring for so long in the full-domain simulation was now within easy reach. The dream coming true so suddenly made his heart beat violently with excitement.

To facilitate his movements, Ji Xuan tilted his head back slightly with his eyes lowered, his breathing shallow. His thick, long lashes trembled; if one looked closely, they might see the extremely brief lapse of focus in the depths of his eyes.

Without giving Ji Xuan a chance to refuse or make trouble, Pei Yingye didn’t dare to bite his gland. He only slightly revealed his fangs and gently ground them on the nearby skin.

Kissing all the way from the neck to his earlobe, the arm restricted around the waist suddenly tightened. Pei Yingye lifted his head and scanned the marks he had left, which looked exceptionally decadent and eye-catching under the light.

“…Is that enough?”

Ji Xuan raised a hand, his fingertip lightly touching the places that had been licked. He couldn’t tell if it was an illusion, but a slight itch and sting came from his neck. He walked to the full-length mirror nearby to take a look; the chaotic marks were just right, enough to invite imagination.

“The effect is good,” he evaluated objectively.

Pei Yingye’s eyes were deep, hoping to see some reaction on Ji Xuan’s face, but the other only briefly inspected his own neck before heading straight into the bathroom.

The next day at noon, the appointed time with Zakun arrived.

Zakun was still waiting in yesterday’s casino suite. When the waiter pushed the door open, the dense smell of cigars and alcohol rushed out. Unlike the previous two days, there was an Omega by his side today with shoulder-length hair and an appearance with quite an oriental flavor. However, a sense of cowardice and timidity lingered between his brows. Pei Yingye looked him over inconspicuously; whether it was due to plastic surgery or some other reason, he felt there was something slightly off about his looks.

The Omega didn’t care who the newcomer was, sitting beside Zakun as still as a beautiful statue.

Zakun didn’t care much about him either, throwing his gaze unreservedly onto the newly arrived Ji Xuan. “Young Master Lin” was dressed as usual in a silk shirt with two buttons casually undone, candidly showing the marks on his neck to outsiders. The black collar covered the gland but couldn’t hide the bite marks on the surrounding skin.

Zakun’s eyes darkened, then he put on a suggestive smile: “Young Master Lin, did you rest well last night?”

Ji Xuan gave a lazy yawn, the corners of his eyes carrying a hint of satiated yet weary lethargy as he casually pulled out a chair and sat down: “Not bad. Thanks for the gift last night. The new pet is a bit clumsy; it took some effort.”

Zakun laughed heartily, his gaze landing on Pei Yingye.

Sensing his stare, Pei Yingye looked up and gave him a chilly glance, his lips pressed into a straight line. He silently lit a cigarette for Ji Xuan, his movements hiding a hint of displeasure. Zakun guessed it was because he had been upstaged by the newcomer last night and didn’t dare to speak out.

Seeing this, his mood improved.

“The most important thing is that Young Master Lin had fun,” Zakun agreed hypocritically, signaling the dealer to start dealing cards. “But, as the saying goes, success in love, failure in gambling… heh, I wonder if the god of luck will favor Young Master Lin today.”

Ji Xuan exhaled a cloud of smoke without saying a word.

“But why didn’t you bring the new toy along?”

Ji Xuan lifted his hole cards with his fingertips for a look and said indifferently, “He left last night. Said he couldn’t get paid if he didn’t work… I don’t even know how much he took from me, yet he still cares about that little bit.”

Zakun laughed along.

“Still, our Ah Ye is better, following me so loyally,” Ji Xuan said, holding the cigarette out to Pei Yingye. “It’s strawberry flavored today; want a taste?”

Pei Yingye was caught a bit off guard, but he quickly leaned down and caught the cigarette filter with his mouth from Ji Xuan’s hand. He took a deep breath; the sweet strawberry essence mixed with the pungency of tobacco filled his mouth, followed by an extremely faint scent of Ji Xuan’s pheromones from deeper within.

He exhaled a cloud of fruit-scented smoke, straightened up, and retreated to his position with lowered eyes.

“It seems the old flame still holds Young Master Lin’s heart the most,” Zakun joked, pushing the chips in front of him forward.

“After all, he’s the one I set my sights on at an underground fighting ring; it took quite a bit of effort to get him,” Ji Xuan said, calling Zakun’s bet.

His luck today seemed exceptionally good. The phrase Zakun had said casually didn’t come true; over the course of the afternoon, everything lost to Zakun yesterday was won back, and he even made quite a profit.

The chips in front of Zakun were gradually running out, but he wasn’t angry; instead, he maintained the smile on his face.

On the space route, one couldn’t distinguish day from night; only the constantly rotating clock in the center of the suite indicated that it was now dusk on land. Ji Xuan pushed the won-back chips aside nonchalantly, tapped his fingertips on the table, and said with interest, “It seems the saying isn’t always that accurate. Now, sir, about our previous agreement…”

“Of course. Young Master Lin has great skill; I am thoroughly impressed. Once we dock, the club’s invitation will certainly be delivered on time, and I will take full responsibility for all your travels on Planet Belheim.” He clapped his hands, and a subordinate immediately came in from outside, presenting an exquisite metal box. “This is the club’s preview catalog and some small trinkets. Consider it an early gift, Young Master Lin; I hope it contains what you are looking for.”

Ji Xuan signaled Pei Yingye to take it and tilted his head to inspect the contents. Before departure, Aslan had shown them samples of the Zerg extract. Although the box only contained an extremely small amount in separate packaging, with something labeled in a language he didn’t recognize, Ji Xuan still identified it based on memory.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Ji Xuan stood up and closed the box. “I’ve been sitting too long, and I’m tired. I’ll head back first.”

“Please, go ahead.” Zakun stood up to see him off.

Returning to the room and closing the door, Pei Yingye began checking the equipment in the unit once more. Ji Xuan walked over to the bar, poured a glass of ice water, and drank most of it in one go.

“Das Lied der Nachtigall,” Pei Yingye muttered in a language Ji Xuan didn’t understand at all. “The Song of the Nightingale. Smugglers really do have a sense of sentimentality, naming things made of Zerg after birds.”

He was referring to that tube of extract.

Ji Xuan only felt that his pronunciation was very pleasant to the ear, sounding inexplicably sexy.

“Shen Que left a message,” Pei Yingye said, producing an object he had found under the sofa.

After the “orders” were given last night, Shen Que and his companions had worked tirelessly to aggregate the information they had obtained so far, delivering it under the guise of this morning’s cleaning service.

Because there were different types of service personnel on the starship, they were able to easily determine that no large-scale suspicious items existed on board, nor had they found any individual who could correspond to the “seller” Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye had mentioned.

A starship was never a good place for a transaction to begin with; if they ran into the Alliance military, they would simply be rounded up in one fell swoop. Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye had already made this judgment, but the news sent by the others further confirmed their suspicions.

The transaction location should still be at the end of the journey: Planet Belheim.

Ji Xuan flipped through the collections displayed in the catalog. There were rare snake species from major galaxies, brilliantly colored and varied in form. However, his gaze quickly skimmed past them and stopped on the last few pages: oriental beauties within the club and Zerg specimens that had no pictures, only text descriptions.

Looking at the images in the catalog, Pei Yingye recalled the Omega he had seen earlier in the private suite.

Now, he finally seemed to understand where that sense of dissonance came from.

Every person had a mole beneath their right eye, and most of their face shapes were very similar. Their eyes, whether natural or surgically altered, were all uniform “peach blossom” eyes.

If viewed individually, it might be difficult to notice the resemblance, but seeing a row of people standing there revealed a bizarre commonality and uniformity.

Ji Xuan noticed it as well; he held the page open, his gaze lingering for a long time.

The original “Ji Xuan” did not resemble him; perhaps due to the data implantation, no one had questioned his sudden change in appearance. Three years ago, that “Ji Xuan” had only just left the garbage planet, but even if he had met Zakun, the face left in the man’s memory shouldn’t have been this one.

“What is this supposed to be? A provocation or an ultimatum?” Pei Yingye did not bring up the similar faces, instead changing the subject with a look of disgust.

Closing the catalog, Ji Xuan said indifferently, “Perhaps both.”

The remainder of the voyage was uneventful. Zakun did not appear again, but various small gifts and attentive greetings were sent to Ji Xuan’s room from time to time, with the boundaries maintained quite well.

Ji Xuan was happy for the peace and quiet, either spending time on the top deck watching the nebula or lounging in Pei Yingye’s arms in the bar having a drink. Because of the act they had put on in front of Zakun, it was much easier for them to exchange intelligence with Shen Que.

Zakun had indeed been quiet these past few days; he was either in the casino or the entertainment hall, always accompanied by that Omega.

On the fifth day of the journey, the starship finally docked at the spaceport of Planet Belheim.

Planet Belheim was famous for its entertainment and tourism industries. Due to some historical legacy factors, it was not entirely under the control of the Alliance. Large areas of the planet’s surface were covered by artificial oceans. Within the brilliant neon cities, even during the day, massive holographic billboards floated in the sky, broadcasting bizarre and fantastical imagery.

As expected, Zakun sent a private car to wait at the port and took them directly to the most luxurious hotel on the planet. The hotel’s penthouse suite was extremely spacious, occupying an entire half-floor, and its huge circular floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Belheim’s famous Polaris Beach.

The moment the waiter left, Pei Yingye immediately began his routine security sweep. Ji Xuan walked to the window, looking down at the waters inlaid like gemstones amidst the land and the undulating city skyline in the distance.

“It’s clear.” Pei Yingye said after finishing the sweep, walking to his side. “I didn’t expect Zakun to be more generous than anticipated.”

Though they said this, they both knew that Zakun must have already marked the price for these things in the shadows.

That evening, Zakun’s invitation arrived as scheduled. The club’s location was a winery on the edge of the city, operating under the name of a high-end private club.

Ji Xuan changed his clothes and was preparing to set out with Pei Yingye, but unexpectedly, he was stopped before he could even board the aircraft.

“Mr. Zakun only invited you; your subordinate cannot come along.”

Ji Xuan rested a hand on Pei Yingye’s arm. There was no look of offense on his face; he merely said, “Oh? There’s such a rule? But without Ah Ye’s protection, I’ll feel very insecure.”

The man sent by Zakun bowed slightly, his attitude respectful yet firm: “Please rest assured, the club’s security is absolutely foolproof. Mr. Zakun is also considering your interests; with outsiders present, certain ‘pleasures’ would instead lose their spark.”

Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye exchanged a look. He inconspicuously touched the wrist blade on his arm and adjusted his sleeves, then instructed Pei Yingye, “Since Mr. Zakun’s hospitality is so difficult to refuse… you wait for me to return at the hotel.”

Pei Yingye lowered his eyes and replied in a deep voice, “…Alright.”

He watched Ji Xuan board the aircraft alone with Zakun’s people. Before the hatch closed, Ji Xuan looked back at him. The aircraft slid silently into the city’s heavy traffic and soon vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, in the club on the other side, Zakun dismissed most of the idlers and was sitting excitedly in his largest exhibition hall, sipping a glass of aged wine, waiting for his prey to take the bait.

Purchase complete translation in EPUB format HERE.