Chapter 82: Eighty-Second Day of Lying Flat Like a Salted Fish

Geshu Qing froze.

Although he trusted Lu Yuan’s judgment and knew he belonged to the Geshu Family, to be honest, he had never imagined he would share such a close blood relation with Geshu Ming.

Or rather, it seemed unrealistic.

Based on their ages, Lu Yuan had already known Geshu Ming by the time Geshu Qing was born. If Geshu Ming’s parents had conceived another child and lost it back then… Lu Yuan would have certainly known about it.

Yet Lu Yuan clearly had no knowledge of such an event.

Therefore, for Geshu Qing and Geshu Ming to be siblings, only one possibility remained.

Someone had stolen the genes of Geshu Ming’s parents to cultivate a baby.

But even that seemed far-fetched. Both of Geshu Ming’s parents were Awakened with Mental Power, and their abilities were far from weak. Stealing their genetic material without being detected might be possible, but it certainly wouldn’t be easy. Geshu Qing’s birth must have been the result of a meticulously calculated plot.

Under such circumstances, it was difficult to understand why the person who cultivated him would lose him or intentionally abandon him on a Desolate Planet.

However, the results of a genetic test did not lie.

…If that was the case, his background seemed rather complicated.

As the thought crossed his mind, Geshu Qing suddenly felt like laughing.

What kind of luck did this Desolate Planet have to gather such a bunch of “hidden dragons and crouching phoenixes¹” like them?

Then again, perhaps the credit belonged to Lu Yuan. Without Lu Yuan, people like them might never have had the chance to cross paths.

“It’s a good thing,” he said, smiling at Ying Xun after the chaotic thoughts finished flashing through his mind.

Ying Xun nodded. “Indeed!”

“So, do you plan to contact Geshu Ming?” Siming asked.

Ying Xun raised an eyebrow. “Contact?”

Siming paused, momentarily confused.

“In a broad sense…” Ying Xun rubbed his chin, smiling like a big-tailed wolf, “I suppose you could call it contacting her.”

With a flick of his wrist, he turned the holographic screen of his optical computer toward Siming. Siming looked closely and saw a public message displayed prominently on the screen.

[Ying Xun: Eldest Miss Geshu, your younger brother has been hanging out with me for a while and says he’s a bit homesick. Why don’t you see when you have time to come over and pick him up?]

Attached below was a photo of Geshu Qing.

The photo was quite blurry – it appeared to be a screenshot from surveillance footage, intentionally taken from a skewed angle at a moment when Geshu Qing was moving rapidly to produce such an image.

Geshu Qing’s features were barely discernible in the photo, making it difficult to extract facial characteristics. However, his eyes – a striking blend of blue and purple – were captured with extreme clarity, making them particularly eye-catching.

Siming was momentarily stunned.

Beside him, Geshu Qing had already opened his own optical computer and quickly found the post.

At this moment, the message had only just been posted, and few people had seen it. But Geshu Qing could already imagine how much discussion this post would generate in the near future.

Having spent enough time browsing StarNet, he was well aware of how much attention the Empire’s great families and the Imperial Family received. Anything related to them, given enough marketing, would inevitably capture the attention of the entire Empire.

And since Ying Xun had posted this publicly, he certainly wouldn’t be stingy with the marketing.

Geshu Qing clicked into Ying Xun’s personal profile. At the very top, the verification information was displayed clearly:

[Former Captain of the Sea Eagle Squadron, First Legion of the Galactic Empire – Former Colonel of the Galactic Empire – Current Leader of the Sea Eagle Pirates – Chief Captain of the Star Pirate Syndicate]

“…” Geshu Qing fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Ying Xun. “You’re hoping to boost the Sea Eagles’ reputation?”

“Bingo!” Ying Xun leaned back into his chair, cushioning his head with his hands behind his neck. He propped both legs up on the table, his toes tapping rhythmically, his expression relaxed and smug. “You’ve got a future, kid. You figured out what I’m up to immediately.”

Siming sighed inwardly, though his expression remained neutral.

He knew, of course, that Ying Xun didn’t intend to return Geshu Qing to the Geshu Family “for free” – Ying Xun expected Geshu Ming to pay a hefty sum for him. However, he hadn’t expected Ying Xun to have additional motives.

But then, this was perfectly normal.

For Ying Xun, extorting a sum from Geshu Ming was a delightful prospect no matter how one looked at it.

But he certainly wouldn’t refuse other benefits.

The Sea Eagle Pirates had been merged into the military for ten years and had only regained their independence after Lu Yuan’s departure. They had suffered many losses during that time, and their current scale was far smaller than it once was. They were currently desperate for manpower.

In the star pirate business, attracting new recruits was the hardest part. Usually, one could only wait for people to come and seek them out.

It was far too passive.

Therefore, he had to find a way to drum up some publicity for himself.

Kidnapping the eldest young master of the Geshu Family was impressive without being wasteful or burdensome to the public. Only the Geshu Family would suffer, while everyone else could happily enjoy the drama. It was the perfect opportunity to build prestige and showcase the chaotic neutral style of a free and unrestrained pirate.

Ying Xun naturally wasn’t going to let it slip by.

Except…

Word getting out that Star Pirates had detained Geshu Ming’s brother wouldn’t exactly benefit the Geshu Family.

Geshu Ming was having a bit of a rough time.

She had just been set up by them once, and now… she was being set up again.

He hoped she wouldn’t be too furious when she finally learned the truth.

Ying Xun glanced at Siming. “You have an objection?”

Siming didn’t dare have an objection. He shook his head and smiled. “I just feel like for Geshu Ming, this is a complete bolt from the blue.”

“A bolt from the blue?” Ying Xun let out a short laugh. “I suppose so. But if she handles it well, she might even be able to turn it to her advantage… it depends on her own ability.”

Siming frowned slightly, lowering his head in thought. Geshu Qing happened to turn his head at that moment, and their eyes met. Their gazes touched for only a second before pulling away.

Ying Xun watched them, unconcerned. He grabbed some wine to drink and casually tossed a bottle toward Siming.

“Let’s not talk about that,” he said. “The question now is, what are you and Zhu Rong going to do next? Geshu Qing is definitely going back to the Geshu house. Are you two going with him?”

Siming caught the wine and shook his head. “We just want to obtain a legal identity from the Geshu Family, one that’s enough for us to live normal lives as ordinary people.”

“A formal identity, huh…” Ying Xun narrowed his eyes, recalling his initial conversation with Zhu Rong when they first met. The plan these people had was remarkably clear and precise from start to finish. It was as if they knew exactly how everything would unfold according to their expectations.

“Is being a Star Pirate so bad?” Ying Xun asked as he watched Siming take a swig of wine.

“I think it’s fine,” Siming said, his expression sincere. “But Zhu Rong is only twelve. She should have the right to choose her own life. The same goes for Geshu Qing. So I hope they can go to school like normal children, at least until they finish middle school.”

“In the beginning,” Ying Xun said, “Zhu Rong said that even if you obtained formal identities, you would always belong to the Sea Eagle.”

“Yes,” Siming nodded.

“If I have a need for you…” Ying Xun trailed off meaningfully.

Siming answered readily, “We’ll be there at a moment’s notice.”

–

The Capital Star.

Geshu Ming couldn’t possibly stay glued to the StarNet surfing at high intensity all day, so she didn’t see Ying Xun’s message the moment it was posted. However, as soon as she received the report regarding the matter, she immediately dropped everything else to focus her full attention on it.

In the photo, Geshu Qing’s image was blurred.

But as the head of the Geshu Family, Geshu Ming naturally recognized her own kin.

She knew perfectly well that the person in the photo was not a member of the Geshu family.

However, Nan Yingzhe had told her that Ying Xun had asked him for the DNA records of the Geshu family members, and he had indeed provided them.

So, since Ying Xun dared to claim this person was her brother… then in all likelihood, the DNA test results said exactly that.

The problem was…

Where did she get a brother from?

The Geshu Family hadn’t lost any children in the last decade or so.

Furthermore.

If her deductions were correct, the news of the Emperor’s critical illness had likely been leaked by this very person.

Why would he do that?

Geshu Ming had a faint suspicion in her heart. But she couldn’t be certain yet. Or rather, while her logic had already settled on a certain theory, her intuition told her there was still something not quite right about the whole situation.

–

The eastern edge of the galaxy.

The forces of the First Legion were massing here.

Nan Mu had already sent word that he would be returning to the country soon, and the First Legion had been ordered to receive him here.

Normally, members of the Imperial Family should have come to wait. Even if Nan Xiao didn’t come, the younger generation should have appeared-especially Nan Mu’s own son, Nan Yingzhe. There was no reason for him to be absent.

But Nan Mu had said that with the Emperor gravely ill, his descendants should remain at his side to tend to him. He insisted they shouldn’t come to meet him and that everything should be kept simple.

Thus, Nan Xiao had arranged for the First Legion to come instead.

Of course, the entire First Legion hadn’t arrived.

The legion had over ten billion active-duty personnel; bringing them all here would be an excessive display of force.

Wen Shen had sent two escort teams and the Mecha Maneuver Team.

At this moment, Chen Feiyun was piloting his mecha, hovering at the head of the formation. He maintained communication with the captains of the other two escort teams, waiting for Nan Mu’s arrival.

Nan Mu returned a bit later than expected.

Chen Feiyun kept a close eye on the time. It was a full three hours late when Nan Mu’s fleet finally appeared in the distant reaches of deep space.

The communications ship was the first to warp over, integrating Nan Mu’s fleet into the military’s communication network. Chen Feiyun followed, maneuvering his mecha to offer a crisp military salute. “I am Chen Feiyun, Captain of the First Legion Mecha Maneuver Team. Welcome home, Your Highness!”

“Thank you,” a gentle, deep male voice replied over the comms, his tone carrying a warm, pleasant smile. “Hello. I am Nan Mu.”

Translator’s Notes