Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Yu Ning agreed to Mu Zong’s proposal, and the latter was not at all surprised at how the entire matter had unfolded, instead pulling out a contract that had been prepared earlier.

Having seen early on how those manufacturers were extremely fond of Gu Xiqiao’s software that were auctioned, and the enthusiasm of the youth nowadays for ‘Nine Heavens’, Mu Zong had arrived at a conclusion regarding her abilities. Although it was hard to swallow, there were not many geniuses in the world, and someone like her who was both hardworking and capable with high intelligence was even more rare, but now their company had managed to get three of them!

When he thought about this, Mu Zong’s blood boiled with passion as he watched Yu Ning sign the contract.

Yu Ning signed away his soul on the contract, thinking about the fact that just a few days ago, he had wanted to remain a free man, never expecting such a drastic change of plans. After signing the contract, he found that he didn’t feel disagreeable a single bit, but instead his heart was full of anticipation.

The few of them came to a consensus, and Wang Bo was the most excited among them all. Thinking about being in the same company as the most talented hacker in history, it felt like a dream to him.

Until the time they left, he was still pinching himself and asking Mu Zong repeatedly whether it was a dream, to the point that Mu Zong got tired of engaging him.

“Wenlang, there’s something concerning Dalin,” Gu Xiqiao blurted out, as some of them were getting into the car.

Luo Wenlang looked at her, and she lowered her gaze, the moonlight casting a shadow of her eyelashes onto her cheeks, and he couldn’t see her expression.

Unknowingly, a feeling of uneasiness gripped his heart. He silently followed Gu Xiqiao to the opposite side of the road.

“I guess it’s considered to be good news, my bone marrow can match Dalin’s.” Gu Xiqiao stated, her eyes on the cars that were on the road, her lips curled up slightly, and a sparkle of light in her coal black eyes.

Luo Wenlang gaped at Gu Xiqiao, his line of sight narrowing on her, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop the trembling of his hands. After experiencing so many years of despair, there was finally a ray of light in sight, and he was at a loss at what to do.

Seeing the state he was in, Gu Xiqiao touched her nose awkwardly. “But you know, Dalin’s blood type is Rh, and my bone marrow is 100% compatible with his. This is Gu Zuhui’s hair, it’s up to you whether you want to do a paternity test, since you are Dalin’s brother.”

Between them, she was an outsider. The younger brother that he had brought up and depended on each other for so many years, to hear suddenly that he still had family, it made Luo Wenlang feel conflicted. He looked at the hair on the milky white palm for a long while, not reaching out to take it.

Gu Xiqiao placed the hair on his palm, leaving the decision up to him.

The two of them on the roadside attracted a lot of attention, with people walking past giving them looks occasionally. The girl was a rare beauty, with enchanting eyes and snow white skin, while the guy was tall and handsome. At first glance, they looked like a beautiful couple.

A man sitting in the car didn’t hesitate as he opened the door, calling out in a deep voice, “Xiqiao.”

His voice was clear and cold, standing tall and straight by the black Bugatti that he had gotten down from. The buttons on his white, crisp shirt were buttoned up all the way. He stood there, a pair of obsidian black eyes on his well defined face, a stunningly attractive sight, though the intimidating aura that he emitted made it hard for people to look at him.

Hearing the familiar voice, Gu Xiqiao retracted her hand, turning towards him. “Brother Jiang.”

“Hm,” Jiang Shuxuan grunted, seeing Gu Xiqiao’s eyes lit up the moment it landed on him, his figure reflected in her eyes, the agitation that was in his heart dissipated instantly.

After exchanging a few more words with Luo Wenlang, Gu Xiqiao left with Jiang Shuxuan.

***

Yu Ning, who was still standing at the door of the hotel narrowed his eyes. He glanced at the person beside Gu Xiqiao, and asked suddenly, “Do you know the person who is beside Miss Gu?”

Mu Zong turned to look at the person, and replied in a low voice, “I’ve only met him a few times, don’t be too curious about it. He’s not an ordinary person, so don’t provoke him in any way.”

“I know,” Yu Ning replied, his tone thoughtful, “When I hacked into the national database, I saw that person’s information in there. It was all in the highest level of encryption, I spent three days getting through it, just to find that it was written in ancient Chinese script!”

Thinking back to that time, Yu Ning felt his mood dampened. When he thought about how he had cracked the code after not sleeping for three days, disregarding how proud he felt in that moment, he didn’t expect to be faced with ancient Chinese script, who would understand all the squiggling words?! Why the hell was his information so! Damn! Secretive!

“Cough cough.” Mu Zong coughed lightly. “Yu Ning, don’t talk about such things in such a public area. Let’s head back and talk about it.”

‘Aren’t you afraid of being caught by the police to be interrogated in broad daylight?’

‘Kids nowadays,’ Mu Zong thought to himself as he massaged his temples, they really were getting more and more terrifying.

***

“What were you talking about with your classmate just now, his face was unnaturally pale.” After getting into the car, Jiang Shuxuan raised the question, seemingly indifferent about it.

Gu Xiqiao didn’t bother hiding anything from him, and rehashed the entire story for him.

Jiang Shuxuan listened to her words, his brows furrowing deeply before suddenly stepping on the breaks. Gu Xiqiao’s eyes widened slightly, turning to him in surprise. “Brother Jiang, what’s wrong?”

“Your bone marrow has a 100% match with his?” His voice was low and deep, unlike the usually clear tone that he spoke with, as though he was suppressing his anger.

He didn’t turn his head, and Gu Xiqiao couldn’t see the expression on his face, and was not able to gauge what he was feeling at the moment, and replied in a slightly helpless voice, “I mainly wanted to express that Wenlin may be Gu Zuhui’s son, and my half-brother. Brother Jiang, you’re focusing on the wrong point.”

“I’m not, are you saying you’re going to donate your bone marrow to him?” Jiang Shuxuan finally turned to look at Gu Xiqiao. His brows were tightly knitted, an extremely deep frown on his usually smooth face. These past few days, the color had finally returned to her face, but she was still too thin for his liking. Where did all the soup that she ate go? “There’s no meat on these bones at all, did the soup all go into Haha’s stomach?”

“…I’ve grown recently,” Gu Xiqiao said slowly, but then she got excited when she next spoke, “At least four or five centimeters!”

“Four, five centimeters?” Jiang Shuxuan stared at her, and reached out to measure with his hand, “So, just a little past my shoulder?”

Gu Xiqiao: Okay, we can stop talking and cut off our friendship here!

“When I first saw you, you didn’t even reach my shoulder, and now you just slightly pass it.” When he mentioned this, Jiang Shuxuan’s eye softened—a warm, gentle hint entering it. At that time, she was just a small, thin, little thing, crystal clear eyes, and extensive mental power—a genius.

He had felt regret back then, thinking that it was such a pity that a talented person like her had not learnt ancient martial arts. But he received a surprise after that, finding out that she wasn’t only part of the ancient martial arts world, but her level was… hm, it was now at Tendon Forging level, the speed of her advancement was simply baffling.

But Jiang Shuxuan himself was an insane genius, so he wasn’t too surprised by that, and there was a strange sense of pride in his heart at that.

“I’m 165 right now, 170 isn’t that far away,” Gu Xiqiao said, her eyes brightening. She had almost been 170 in her past life, so she should be able to surpass that in this life, right?

Jiang Shuxuan started the car again, driving slowly towards the flow of people. “If you really want to donate your bone marrow, don’t hide it from me.”

He knew that he couldn’t stop her, with her attitude and personality, she wasn’t the kind to turn a blind eye in these situations. He could be cold and ruthless to anybody else, but he could never deny her.

“It will be especially painful, right?” Jiang Shuxuan tried, but he couldn’t hold it in in the end, and he also thought about her pursuing medical studies. “Will it have a major impact on you in the long run?”

“It won’t hurt, and it wouldn’t impact me too much,” Gu Xiqiao said, flashing him a smile, “Brother Jiang, you can rest assured, I know my limits.”

“When have you ever made me not worried?” Jiang Shuxuan said, arching an eyebrow, “That time, when you…” Whenever he recalled the horrifying memory, he would feel a stab of fear go through his heart. If it wasn’t for the fact there was a surge of profound energy, if she hadn’t left him a trace, he wouldn’t have made it to her in time.

“That was an accident, an accident!” He would always bring up this incident when he lectured her, and because she couldn’t refute it, she felt a little disheartened.

***

At the same time, the painting that Gu Xiqiao had given to Yao Jiamu had finally reached the Imperial Capital, after going through a lot of hardships.

After a while, there was a knock on the door, and Sima Jun took off his glasses. “Come in.”

A young man came in, dressed in a stylish white shirt, a handsome and pleasant face with slightly upturned eyes that were as dark as night. His tone was cold and aloof as he spoke, “Teacher, you were looking for me?”

“Mm, let me show you something,” Sima Jun glanced at his only disciple, a smile on his face, “I want you to take someone in as a disciple.”

Mu Yunfan glanced over absent-mindedly, but when his eyes fell on the painting, his gaze sharpened.

Seeing his expression, Sima Jun felt pleased with himself. “Isn’t this a spectacular piece of work? I heard that she had just turned eighteen, and a capable talent that can be polished. I’m preparing to take this painting and yours to send to the Biennale1.”

“There’s a lot of spirit and feeling in this, where is she?”

Sima Jun let out a disappointed sigh. “I don’t know where she is, only that she’s in N City. I’ve asked many people to inquire into it, but the leads all disappear into nothing, it seems like someone is blocking them.”

“There are actually people in this world that are not willing to be your student, I couldn’t even resist back then,” Mu Yunfan reached out and lightly caressed the four beautiful words written at the bottom of the painting: For A Millenium.

He slowly raised his head, silently repeating the words to himself before turning to look out the window. “N City.”