Exclusive Possession – CH 074

Chapter 74.

For a long time, my impression of Yi Pucheng was that of a cunning, ruthless, but straightforward mercenary commander, transformed from a human into a cyborg. I also asked the elders of my tribe, but no one remembered any of them having any connection with a man named Yi Pucheng in history. Perhaps it was too far in the past.

But what he said next surprised and unsettled me.

Because he said, “Okay, I didn’t mean any harm. It’s all because of clan rules.” Seeing that Mu Xian and I were both silent, he added, “Half-machine race.”

Semi-mechanical… race?

A race I’ve never heard of before.

“Where are you?” Mu Xian’s voice was cold, her pale face seemingly radiating chill. “Where do you live?”

Yi Pucheng shook his head: “I don’t know. I’ve never seen any other members of the clan—those two clan precepts have been written into the chip in my body since I became conscious.”

Neither of us made a sound. Yi Pucheng remained calm, leaning back lazily on the sofa, his posture relaxed, not at all like a suspect being interrogated.

“First, cyborgs will always be the loyal guardians of the Time Clan.” He glanced at me, his gaze deep and unfathomable. I was a little surprised, and Mu Xian’s expression changed slightly.

“Second, protect Yu Xin until the end of the universe.” He looked at the chip in Mu Xian’s hand, a thoughtful smile on his face. “It’s that little gadget in your hand.”

My heart skipped a beat. I took the chip from Mu Xian’s hand and brought it close to my eyes for a closer look. What I saw shocked me even more.

The thin slice, about the size of a pigeon egg, wasn’t pure white and transparent but had many fine and dense lines. It looked extremely intricate and complex in structure, yet it has a hidden order.

What exactly was this thing?

I held the chip up to the light. Yi Pucheng’s sneer rang out: “What are you looking at? If you can reveal Yu Xin’s secret, I will truly admire you.”

I glared at him, and he turned to Mu Xian: “That’s all I know. I don’t know why there are these two clan precepts; I don’t know what use Yu Xin is. You can give it back to me or keep it for yourself; it’s up to you. But I’m begging you, don’t destroy it. Clan precepts may seem inexplicable and deliberately mysterious, but there’s always some reason behind them, right?”

He spoke in a very gentle tone and with sincere words, which was truly rare for him.

I looked at Mu Xian, and he nodded calmly: “Go to Yu.”

Yi Pucheng shrugged and said, “You really don’t leave any room for maneuver.”

I was taken aback, recalling Mu Xian’s earlier words, and then I understood—he said he had stayed in Yuli for three thousand years without discovering the existence of this Yu Xin. How did Yi Pucheng “take” it? To verify the truth of his words, I should have taken him to Yu and had him demonstrate it, and then I would know.

We soon arrived at the top of Yu Mountain. The starlight was abundant, and the surroundings were deserted. Mu Xian, being bold, tossed the suspicious chip to Yi Pucheng.

Yi Pucheng caught it steadily with one hand, knelt down on one knee, and placed the chip on the ground. And his expression was surprisingly solemn.

“Miss of the Time Clan, please give me an order.” He suddenly looked at me with a half-smile. “That way, it won’t be considered that I’ve revealed Yu Xin’s secret without permission.”

I was stunned. Mu Xian nodded at me. I said softly, “Yi Pucheng, show us Yu Xin’s secret.”

“Yes, Lord of Time.” Yi Pucheng’s smile faded, his dark eyes fixed on the chip.

Yes, Lord of Time.

Why did these words evoke an unprecedented feeling of sadness when they came out of his mouth?

A sudden intuition surfaced in my mind—this Yi Pucheng truly had countless connections to our Time Clan. Otherwise, this statement wouldn’t have caused my mental energy field to ripple so gently.

“The black vortex devours light-years; the Lord of Time is reborn in the heart of space,” Yi Pucheng muttered to himself, but I was horrified by what I heard.

“Wait!” I shouted. “What did you just say?”

“The black vortex devours light-years; the Lord of Time is reborn in the heart of space.” Yi Pucheng opened his eyes and repeated it, looking at me with deep eyes—twice, he used the language of the Time Clan, not Stan.

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied casually. “It’s also part of the clan precepts.”

Mu Xian looked at me: “What are you remembering?”

My mind was in complete turmoil.

The black vortex swallowing light-years—could it be referring to the massive black hole at the center of the universe, large enough to devour the entire cosmos, on the eve of its destruction?

What did “Heart of Space” refer to? It couldn’t be this small patch of “Yu Xin,” could it? But why was it called “Heart of Space”?

What was regeneration?

Mu Xian and I had never mentioned the destruction of the universe to anyone else. The migration we were undertaking was only said to be to save Stan Star. Yi Pucheng certainly had no way of knowing what would happen in the future, so these two sentences shouldn’t be fabricated by him.

If these really were left behind by the ancestors of the cyborgs and the ancestors of the Time Clan, did they already foresee the end of the universe?

What was the connection between the cyborgs and the Time Clan?

“Continue.” Mu Xian’s eyes were cold.

Yi Pucheng glanced at me, then suddenly lowered his head and plunged his hands into the surface of Yu Mountain, up to the base of his thumbs, his entire palms buried inside. Only then did I notice that his hands had turned into gray metal at some point.

There was only a brief pause, and then something strange happened.

His hand began to deform rapidly.

A thin gray metallic film extended from his palm, rapidly expanding in all directions, seemingly endlessly. In the blink of an eye, the entire summit of Yu was covered by the thin gray metallic film. His lower body, from his wrist down, vanished, becoming directly connected to this metallic film.

Just then, the light from the center of Yu Xin flashed and suddenly expanded into a vast, faint shimmering light, enveloping the metal membrane above Yi Pucheng. When I looked again, the light vanished, and Yu Xin on the ground was gone.

At the same time, the metal film on the top of Yu Mountain contracted rapidly in the opposite direction. As soon as Yi Pucheng withdrew his hand, the metal film was completely absorbed into his palm. He stood up, and his hand returned to normal.

On the top of Yu Mountain, it was as if nothing had happened.

He looked at us calmly: “That’s how you take and release Yu Xin. Stop asking me questions. I’m just as confused as you are. If you hadn’t said there would be a major disaster on Stan Star, I wouldn’t have remembered that there was this troublesome thing called Yu Xin.”

…

A blue spiritual energy enveloped Yi Pucheng’s entire body, meaning that Mu Xian would be able to sense him wherever he went from now on. However, he seemed indifferent and turned to enter the palace. Only then did Mu Xian take my hand and leave.

The night was cool and quiet, and the green path was secluded and deep. Mu Xian and I walked slowly through the woods and along the pond.

But my mood became even heavier.

Since I could turn back time, I’ve always hoped that everything would happen the way it did in my previous life. That way, we could act according to plan and ultimately avoid disaster and death.

However, Yi Pucheng was clearly an unplanned and significant variable.

Mu Xian changed history and temporarily cooperated with him to control the imperial government. However, Yi Pucheng’s hidden identity from the previous life was exposed this time, along with Yu Xin’s.

Suddenly, I realized that what I knew before might only be a small part of history.

It seems as if an invisible hand, the hand of history, was resisting us and jointly influencing the future.

Can we really change the outcome?

Mu Xian, who was beside me, suddenly stopped and squatted down in front of me: “Get on.”

I was taken aback, then laughed and climbed onto his back. A smile appeared on his lips as he stood up with me on his back.

“Do you believe in Yi Pucheng?” I pressed my face against the back of his neck.

He paused for a moment, then replied, “Yes.”

“Yes,” I thought so too. No one knew that Mu Xian could sense Yu’s energy. Yi Pucheng could have stolen Yu Xin without anyone noticing tonight. Moreover, the unique way he took and put away Yu Xin made me believe that the cyborgs were truly protecting Yu Xin.

“I’ve instructed the Academy of Sciences to expedite research on Yu Xin,” Mu Xian said in a deep voice.

A thought struck me, and I said, “I will go to the Academy of Sciences to keep an eye on things these next few days. Yu Xin is related to the Time Clan, so maybe I can be of help.”

Mu Xian remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

The atmosphere was a bit heavy, so I deliberately lightened the mood and said, “If we can’t figure anything out, what will you do with this Yu Xin after we’ve finished migrating and re-established the Stan Empire? Will you return it to Yi Pucheng?”

Mu Xian’s gaze was deep, and a smile appeared on his lips: “Make him pay for it.”

I chuckled: “You are pretty cunning too!”

Neither of us spoke again. He carried me on his back and walked step by step toward the palace.

In the darkness, his profile was soft and clean. His broad shoulders were the most reassuring feature.

“Hua Yao, I have been missing you in Yu Li.” A soft voice rang out.

My heart skipped a beat silently, a mix of pain, sourness, and sweetness.

A few days ago, when I confessed my past life to Morin, he wept bitterly, but he was even more worried about Mu Xian. He said no one could stay in darkness for a hundred years, even if the commander had extraordinary mental strength. He said he was really afraid that Mu Xian had post-traumatic stress disorder, that is, psychological trauma.

But Mu Xian was too resolute.

From the very first day of his rebirth, he shouldered the fate of the entire empire and the heavy responsibility of changing history, without ever slacking off or showing the slightest weakness.

But Morin and I still didn’t dare mention his being three thousand light-years away in Yuli, for fear of touching upon his inner pain. He also never told us what he had experienced while staying in Yuli.

But today, he brought it up on his own initiative.

He said he was in Yuli and had been missing me.

My eyes welled up with tears: “Mu Xian, promise me, no matter what happens in the future, we will never be apart. We will be together in life and death. If time could turn back, I would rather be trapped in Yu Li with you for thirty million years. After you die, I will suffer a fate worse than death, yet I can’t bear to die because if I die, I won’t even be able to have the memory of you.”

He stopped abruptly and put me down. Before my feet even touched the ground, he turned and pulled me into his arms. His dark eyes were fixed on me, and his cool lips pressed down suddenly.

In the midst of his raging silence, my mind was already a complete mess. I didn’t know when, but I was back in the room, put on the bed by him; I didn’t know when, but tears were streaming down my face.

“Why are you crying?” His low, husky voice held a hint of helpless amusement as he lowered his head and gently kissed away my tears.

“I’m worried…” I said, choking back tears.

I fear history would repeat itself, and you would die before my eyes.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly picked me up and pinned me against the wall. He hoisted my legs onto his shoulders, supporting my hips and waist with his hands. I was now completely draped over him. He thrust in, beginning a fierce assault. The light shone on his swaying face, cold and jade-like. His extremely delicate and refined features were now tense like a wild beast. His dark eyes were fixed on me, and amidst my panting, he softly said, “Don’t worry, leave everything to me.”

***

Two days later, the Academy of Sciences was still unable to reach any accurate conclusions.

“Structurally, it looks like a chip,” the dean said. “But from a physical analysis, it’s just a normal chip; we cannot find any trace of artificial processing.”

After listening to his words, I remained silent for a moment and then called Morin over.

Since I came to the Academy of Sciences to take charge, Morin had followed me around, running errands for me. Because he had a sweet tongue and cooked delicious food for the scientists every day, he got along very well with everyone.

However, I brought him here for another reason—but An. The chief expert of the Academy of Sciences, thirty million years from now.

“Morin, I have something for you to do,” I said softly. “Don’t tell Mu Xian about it.”

Morin was taken aback.

***

After giving instructions to Morin, I left him at the Academy of Sciences to continue overseeing things and then took Yu Xin and returned to the palace.

The officer in charge of guarding the palace reported to me that Yi Pucheng hadn’t caused any more trouble in the past two days, nor had he seduced any more palace maids—I guess his previous actions were just to cover up his theft of Yu Xin.

I went straight to Mu Xian’s office.

It was late afternoon, and his office was empty; the door to the conference room in the back was tightly shut. I peeked through the door and saw him with a cold expression, holding a video conference with a group of officials. When he saw me, he merely nodded.

I walked straight to the table, picked up a stack of newly delivered documents, and began to organize them. A short while later, I heard a rapid knocking on the door.

It was Adop.

His expression was extremely grim, and he lowered his voice to ask me, “Miss, is the Commander here?”

“They are having a meeting inside.” My heart sank. “What happened?”

He said in a deep voice, “I just received news from the forward fleet—the ship responsible for transporting that group of psychics encountered a supernova explosion near the third beta right-hand arm system. The energy of the explosion destroyed all stars and ships within a light-year. Currently, we haven’t found any survivors.”

I was startled and exclaimed, “A supernova explosion? Didn’t you survey the dangers along the route before setting the course?”

Adop’s voice was hoarse, his expression grave: “We’ve surveyed it. That supernova shouldn’t explode for at least another million years. This is a very unusual and accidental event. I’m sorry.”

My heart sank.

We deliberately sent this ship full of people out to disrupt a necessary condition for the arrival of the superpowered era. But by sheer coincidence, they encountered a premature supernova explosion.

With a soft “thump,” Mu Xian walked out, his face cold. Adop quickly reported the situation, and Mu Xian and I exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.

“So…are they already dead, or have they just not been found?” I asked hesitantly.

Adop replied, “Theoretically speaking, they can only be considered missing. But the chances of them surviving are very slim.”

It could only be classified as missing…

A highly unusual and accidental event…

A cold sweat broke out on my back. Mu Xian silently held my hand tightly.

Why did I feel that they might not be dead?

Where did they go? Would they repeat history and return to Stan again?

No, impossible! They only knew that the planet would be destroyed. Even if they survive, how could they possibly come back?

Is this… yet another variable that had slipped out of our control?