Chapter 9: 9

So sorry for the delay in posting! Things have been hectic since the holiday is approaching, and my body decided to give up on me bc of the stress… so I somehow ended up getting sick every day…… anyway plsplspls enjoy!

Yan Junyu’s ill feelings towards him subsided a lot once he learnt that Qi Ze was most likely a descendant of the Huaxia people that left the Black Eye Galaxy back then. However, this was only speculation, and more facts were necessary for this to be proven. It also made absolute sense if he was, in actuality, a well-trained spy of the Federation and had fabricated his entire background for him to gain the favor and trust of the imperial upper class.

Yan Junyu stood rooted in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the countless twinkling stars in the sky, contemplating what was weighing on his mind. If Qi Ze was, indeed, a fellow wandering compatriot, where were his ancestors? What did they go through? Did they establish their own nation? Were they humiliated by other foreign races?

The Empire, which had developed from a weak, little regime to the super-hegemony of today, faced countless crises of extinction and the brutality of war. Once someone would decide to settle down in an unfamiliar place, encountering various difficulties was something bound to happen. To break free from such predicaments, injuries, bloodsheds and sacrifices were inevitable.

Neptune1, and even the Huaxia2 Empire, was a completely strange and new environment for Qi Ze. Beneath the guise of a reckless and persistent individual, was he feeling lost and helpless? Was he having trouble resting at night, being frightened and uneasy?

As he was entertaining all sorts of ideas, the bathroom door behind him creaked open, and Qi Ze came out, wiping his hair, with only a towel hanging around his waist. His complexion was waxen, exceedingly so, even under the soft glow of the orange light. Being respectful and considerate, Yan Junyu avoided looking at his figure; yet, the next moment, he whipped his head back around, displaying a stunned expression.

He watched as Qi Ze brought out of his Interspatial Button several articles of clothing, one by one, for him to wear. Two of the items were solid white top and pants, made of a flexible and light material, and close-fitting; the other was a black robe, a kind of Chinese-style jacket with buttons down the front3, with frog fasteners4, and a white jade belt5 at the waist. The elegant, wide cuffs and hem were embroidered with silver silk thread in a floral pattern of clouds and flames.

As a descendent of the Huaxia people and an old nobleman with a distinguished family background, Yan Junyu was not so ignorant as to be unable to even recognize the garbs of his ancestors. However, no hanfu6 he had set his eyes upon before could compare to what he was seeing in front of him at that moment. Qi Ze’s whole demeanor had changed, becoming reserved, fetching, solemn and dignified.

The casual expression, which always permeated the corners of his eyes, had disappeared, and was replaced by a self-possessed and serious look. He smoothed out the folds of his lapels and hem, and flicked the wide sleeves, before pulling open the door of the study and stepping inside.

Yan Junyu promptly followed him, only to discover that the study contained a table and a chair; any other pieces of furnishing were missing. Just as he was pacing around and inspecting the room, he noticed Qi Ze’s flick of his sleeve. The originally cramped space twisted, and after a few seconds of incessant shaking, the room immediately became larger, wider.

“Spatial folding?” Yan Junyu was completely astounded. The technology of spatial folding had long been widespread in the Empire, however Qi Ze’s method of superimposing dimensional space on actual, real space in the absence of the aid of energy crystals and space materials was something unheard of and unprecedented. Supposing that everyone could possess such technology, the housing price in the Imperial Star’s capital would never face a sudden rise year after year due to the surge in population.

At the moment, the Interspatial Button with the largest storing area available on the market had several square meters of space; though, there was no air inside, and time couldn’t flow, making it impossible for any living being to stay in there. That’s to say, from the subspace that Qi Ze had opened up, which was connected to real space, could be deduced, just from a technical level, that it utilized technology hundreds of years ahead of what was accessible in the Empire—and the technology used in the Empire was the most advanced in the entire Black Eye Galaxy. 

“Where exactly are you from?” Despite quizzing him, Yan Junyu was unshaken in his belief that the youth was a visitor from an alien galaxy. If those supporting him possessed such advanced technology and military power, they would’ve been in control of the Black Eye Galaxy long ago. Why would they let the Empire and the Federation still be in command of the galaxy?

What was initially the most unlikely speculation was now the one closest to the truth instead. Yan Junyu kneaded his forehead and thought bitterly that the situation was more complicated and baffling than he had imagined. Unknown enemies coming from foreign places were much more onerous to handle than those they were knowledgeable about. His only wish was that Qi Ze had no ill will against the people of the same blood.

Chewing over all this information for some time, Yan Junyu belatedly realized that Qi Ze had already stepped into the space that had inexplicably appeared, so he immediately followed suit.

It was a palace made of immense rocks, with its dome being supported by nine columns with countless plain, yet breathtaking totems sculpted on them. Yan Junyu advanced towards them for a closer look, recognizing only the dragon and phoenix. He had never seen the rest of them before. 

Dragons and phoenixes had been the symbols of Huaxia ever since ancient times. These carvings could be seen everywhere in the palace, proving Qi Ze’s origin, along with his connection to Huaxia. Back then, those Huaxia ancestors left due to their opposition to genetic modifications and intermarriages; no wonder he claimed to be carbon-based.

Yan Junyu understood right away that, unconsciously, the animosity he felt towards Qi Ze had diminished a lot, and instead, some kind of brotherhood had weakly been established between them in his mind. The people of Huaxia attach great importance to one’s bloodline. Regardless of how far away one met another, they’d always offer to help their compatriots. And because of this ineffaceable quality that’s in their nature, they were able to leave the most kindling in the face of disaster7.

The fact that Qi Ze was a kindred, and if he did not have any ill intentions in his heart, he could reside in the Empire and live well. Yan Junyu’s stiff facial lines relaxed when he deliberated over this. He went about in the palace, glancing around, his heart filled with eagerness and wonderment.

Judging from the architectural style alone, it appeared to be an ancient relic belonging to the people of Huaxia. What was the reason for Qi Ze to bring it all the way to the Black Eye Galaxy? And why did he leave his homeland? 

When one mystery was solved, more would eventually come to light. Yan Junyu’s mood changed subtly as well. At first, he had nothing but qualms and was fretful; now, however, he wished to uncover the truth and track down his origins. The Empire had used up a great deal of money to preserve the ancient culture, but it proved to not be successful. It seemed the exiled compatriots were doing it well.

He stared at Qi Ze with great interest as he took out a black cream from his Interspatial Button and put it into the copper stove, situated at the center of the palace. A wisp of smoke curled upwards, carrying a fragrant aroma. Concurrently, the wall lamps mounted on the columns lit up the space without fire and one by one.

Deep in the dark and tranquil hall, a stone tablet with countless sword marks finally appeared in its entirety, sending forth a bit of its majestic and vast power, but also causing Yan Junyu’s spiritual body to shake. He fell back in horror, his eyes enlarging from the shock.

Qi Ze, however, slowly approached, and eventually knelt down in front of the stone tablet, with three sticks of incense in his hand. He held them tightly and kowtowed; after three bows, he placed the sticks inside the copper stove and kowtowed yet again. Dong dong dong—the muted sounds of his kowtowing resounded throughout the empty area contained between the dome and the pillars, causing one’s heart to ache for absolutely no reason.

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On the stone tablet were etched five Chinese characters, with their style of calligraphy matching those of the oldest seal characters8. Even if some of the most qualified archeologists in the Empire were invited to read and decipher the text, they would not be able, let alone Yan Junyu. Even so, Yan Junyu caught on to what Qi Ze was doing.

This kind of stone tablet was utilized by the people of Huaxia to record the life of the deceased, and only the names of the dead were engraved on it for future generations to burn incense and offer a sincere memorial service. Such tradition and protocol had only been read about in historical documents; watching it happen before his very eyes, it came without surprise for Qi Ze’s movements to be so solemn9, hushed and melancholic. On closer inspection, it looked as though there was liquid gathering in the corners of his eyes, shimmering shyly under the candlelight.

As if in a trance, Yan Junyu drew near him and knelt down next to the youth. Just as he was about to reassure him, he heard the other mutter, “vast and broad is the Way of the Heaven, and the Great Mystery has no form or appearance. None can behold its emptiness and silence, as it disappears within its own walls…10” Reciting this particular phrase, his clear voice became both croaky and choked with emotion. His eyes glistened with tears, as if a simple flutter of the eyelashes could unleash a cascade of teardrops.

Right when Yan Junyu believed the youth would stop speaking and burst into tears, he instead tilted his head to gaze expressionlessly at the dome, his face revealing his profound abhorrence and intense longing. But it was only for a moment, because in the next he adjusted himself, and by the time he dropped his head, the tears in his eyes were all gone, and all the aggressive emotions were buried in his heart.

It was a child who had lost a loved one, and a child who had been saddled with hatred. Yan Junyu finally got a glimpse of the truth, and had some vague speculation regarding the boy’s background.

His speech and demeanor were very elegant and flamboyant, pointing to the possibility that his family must be extraordinary. Everything he wrote and uttered were abounding in ancient rhymes. Therefore, he must’ve been taught Chinese studies from an early age, meaning he was cultured. If so, why did he not remain in his homeland, but instead chose to stray hundreds of millions, or even billions, of light years away from his home planet, to be trampled on and humiliated for being a carbon-based person?

The two most plausible explanations for this could be that he had either run away from home, or he was persecuted.

Yan Junyu peeked at the stone tablet, and then at the youth kneeling before it sorrowfully, concluding that it was the latter. He abruptly recalled the moment he had first seen the other: Qi Ze lay in a pool of his own blood, looking fixedly at him with a pair of incomparably bright eyes. That strong desire to survive that had burned in his gaze had greatly impressed him for a long, long time.

Afterwards, the youth was admitted to hospital for three months, during which he had not spoken a word once. At that time, a ship carrying civilians had crashed on Neptune, one of its passengers being a carbon-based man. He was preparing to study at the Neptune Military Academy, yet the body had never been found. After a nurse checked his genes, it was determined that he was carbon-based and of the exact age as the missing individual; naturally, he was singled out as a survivor of the airship’s crash.

He hadn’t identified himself from beginning to end, and all he did was push the boat along the river11. It wasn’t surprising he had made Ouyang Ye aware that he had never fabricated anything he’d said and didn’t have any ulterior motives.  The most likely reason why he came to the Black Eye Galaxy was to avoid being murdered by his foes.

When he got to the bottom of the sequence of events, Yan Junyu’s gaze was softer, and he patted the top of the youth’s hair with his translucent palm, whispering comfortingly, “you don’t have any relatives anymore, do you? Then all the more reason to live well.”

The youth seemed to have heard, but also seemed not to have heard his words. He banged his head against the stone tablet, then straightened his back. His face showed only perseverance, lacking any of the former distress and hatred.

1Remember: The ‘Neptune’ in this story is most likely different from the Neptune we know of! 海皇星 hǎi huáng xīng is the one mentioned in the story, and 海王星 hǎi wáng xīng is the actual Neptune.

2Remember: 华夏 huá xià is the ancient name for China.

3对襟 duì jīn — looks something like THIS, but imagine it’s a man wearing it and it’s black lol.

4盘扣 pán kòu — an ornamental braiding, consisting of a button and a loop, for fastening the garment without an overlap. This is how they look. 

5白玉带 bái yù dài — white jade belt; something like this, I imagine.

6汉服 hàn fú — lit. Han clothes (clothes of the Han Dynasty); hanfu is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. 

7留下最多火种 liú xià zuì duō huǒ zhǒng — refers to the story of Prometheus stealing fire after raiding the workshop of Hephaistos and Athena on Mt. Olympus to give to man, a gift which would greatly help him in life’s struggle, something which outraged Zeus; subsequently, he punished Prometheus eternally; basically, it means to sacrifice yourself for another.

8篆书 zhuàn shū — seal character; Chinese writing of an early type that is still employed on seals and inscriptions.

9庄严肃穆 zhuāng yán sù mù — only using the word ‘solemn’ doesn’t do this expression justice; especially in this context, it means that ‘an atmosphere of solemnity and reverence prevailed’

10天道甚浩旷，太玄无形容。虚寂不可睹，宗门已消亡 is a snippet from Cantong qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three), written by Wei Boyang. These verses can be found in the third book’s poem called “The timeless instant between end and beginning” (there’s a pdf translation of the books on the internet c: )

11顺水推舟 shùn shuǐ tuī zhōu — make use of an opportunity to achieve one’s end; make use of the favorable current situation to push matters through with little effort.

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