Seven Days Later, Home

Seven days later, home

Tang Ping carried a deep black Sword Box on his back, its strap pulling slightly against his shoulder. In his hand, he held his luggage, with his Virtual Helmet packed inside.

He had spent a million Silver Blue Coins having the Sword Box custom-made. Its outer layer was covered in a special alloy that blocked mental scans, while its interior was lined with soft velvet, perfectly cushioning the Sky-Splitting Sword. Anyone who saw it would take it for an ordinary storage case, never suspecting what it really held.

He raised a hand and patted the Sword Box, his fingertips gliding across the cool metal. Then he turned and began to look around the house one last time.

A faint scratch remained on the armrest of the living-room sofa. He had made it as a child, when he'd climbed onto the sofa and accidentally scraped it with a toy car. An old, faded T-shirt still hung from the clothesline on the balcony. He'd worn it when he first started university.

Even in the kitchen cupboard sat half a jar of coffee beans he hadn't finished. He'd bought them with the first money he earned from a part-time job, and by now they'd long since gone damp and clumped together.

For eighteen years, this house had watched him grow from an ignorant boy into a cultivator who could stand on his own. The marks charting his height on the wall, the old, yellowed books on the shelf, the childhood toys tucked away in a drawer...every corner bore the traces of time.

But now, he had to leave it all behind.

"So this won't be home anymore." Tang Ping touched the scratch on the sofa, a hard-to-name ache rising in his heart.

He knew all too well that as Luo Feng Ancestor ventured farther and farther into the universe, Earth would only become more exposed to danger. The conflicts that came from the stars, the battles that could destroy the heavens and earth—ordinary people could be torn to pieces by even the shockwaves.

If not for Luo Xiaoyu needing to return to a familiar place to give birth when her due date approached, he probably would never set foot on this land again. Any future visits would have to be quick, with no time to linger.

Yesterday, he'd already signed a contract with an agent. The house would be rented out, earning him a sum each year. It was a way to keep some small connection to the memories of those eighteen years.

"Being an orphan has its advantages. I don't have to say goodbye to anyone." Tang Ping curled his lips in self-mockery.

He'd seen the neighbors' children leave home, their parents' eyes red from crying as they stuffed their suitcases with local specialties. He'd watched them cling to each other at the station, unable to bear parting.

Goodbyes always came with tears and reluctance. He didn't have to face any of that.

But then, a hollow feeling settled in his heart. He'd envied children with families, too—the ones who could run into their parents' arms and cry when they were wronged, who had someone to stand up for them when things got tough. Even when they were away from home, they'd receive calls from their parents asking how they were, or packages stuffed with snacks and clothes.

"At least my parents left me enough money to grow up without hardship." Tang Ping looked toward the drawer in the coffee table. It had once held the bank cards and will his parents had left behind. Now he kept them in a bank safe-deposit box.

He still remembered how lost he'd felt when a bank employee told him the money would be enough to support him comfortably for the rest of his life.

Even on their deathbeds, his parents had worried about him.

His thoughts drifted, and he suddenly remembered reading Swallowed Star in his previous life.

Back then, he'd sat in front of his computer arguing with fellow readers. If the Virtual Universe was so powerful, why didn't the Human Race's leaders completely regulate the wars and killings within their territory? Why let "the law of the jungle" become the norm?

The other readers had said that only through bloodshed and turmoil could true geniuses be forged, that only then could the strong grow stronger. Some even thought that Luo Feng protecting his family and forbidding wanton killing later on was "too soft-hearted." If Luo Feng hadn't been powerful enough, they said, his actions might have hindered the Human Race's development.

But now, standing in the house he was about to leave, Tang Ping finally understood.

The law of the jungle might benefit geniuses blessed with great fortune, but what about ordinary people? Without Luo Feng, Earth would have become a target for Nuo Lanshan's slaughter, all to keep it secret. Otherwise, everyone would have become slaves, spending their lives in darkness without even the right to look up at the sky.

In that time, all people—for generations and generations, their children and grandchildren—would have known only despair, never hope.

"A speck of dust in the tide of an era can be a mountain on an individual's shoulders." Tang Ping sighed softly.

For the countless ordinary people, what they needed wasn't "progress through the law of the jungle." They needed a saint like Luo Feng, a hero who could hold up a peaceful sky for them.

He suddenly clenched his fist. The Sky-Splitting Sword in its case seemed to sense his resolve and gave a faint tremor.

If he got the chance in the future, he'd follow in Luo Feng's footsteps and do something for ordinary people, too. Those wicked men who slaughtered mortals at will, those bastards who treated lives like grass—they had to die!

A peaceful environment might produce powerful warriors more slowly. So what?

He, Tang Ping, would become the kind of powerhouse who could turn the tide in a crisis and stand against ten thousand!

"Let's go!"

Tang Ping took a deep breath, gave the house one last look, then turned and strode toward the door.

Of course, first he had to cultivate to the Cosmic Venerable level. After that, he'd handle any opponent below King Rank.

He had the heart of a powerhouse. Fighting above his level was what he did best!

Jiangnan Starport

This starport looked like a vast metal island suspended among the clouds. The silver-white dome reflected the morning sun, while countless streamlined spacecraft glided slowly past the landing platforms, their exhaust flames drawing colorful arcs across the sky.

As soon as Tang Ping reached the entrance, he spotted the familiar white figure. Luo Xiaoyu carried a silver spear, its shaft wrapped in a plain-colored cover. The spearhead's cold gleam was still faintly visible through the fabric.

She stood among the crowd, her cool presence like an invisible barrier that quieted the noisy surroundings around her.

"Are you all ready?" Tang Ping walked over.

They were both orphans and had few friends to begin with. Now, as they watched people around them crying with their families and friends making tearful farewells, the two of them seemed especially "carefree."

Perhaps they'd both thought of the same thing. They looked at each other and couldn't help laughing, though a quiet understanding that only they shared lingered in their eyes.

From now on, they'd be family to each other.

While they waited for the Space Elevator, Tang Ping suddenly tugged at Luo Xiaoyu's sleeve. "Stand still. Let's take a photo."

He had Luo Xiaoyu turn to the side, then moved close to her. They gently hooked their index fingers together and leaned their heads against each other. In the photo, Luo Xiaoyu's lips curved into a rare, faint smile, softening her cool features.

Click. The moment was captured.

Almost at the same time, they both posted to their social feeds. They used the photo of themselves together and the exact same caption: "Our lives are too short to witness words so distant they seem like a dream, like forever, the ends of the earth, heaven and hell, or the changing seas and mulberry fields.

"So, be happy."

Moments later, their Smart Bracelets started ringing nonstop.

Tang Ping opened his feed. Luo Xiaoyu's post was filled with the same response: "Huh?" The count jumped from a hundred and kept climbing. Clearly, her admirers and friends had been stunned by the sudden announcement.

His own feed was packed with messages saying, "You bastard!" There were more than two hundred of them, and he could practically feel his friends' "grief and outrage" through the screen.

Before he could reply, Liu Hui's video call came through.

As soon as he answered, a round, plump virtual image popped up. Liu Hui had a mess of hair and potato chip crumbs on his face. The moment he saw them holding hands, he let out a wail. "Ah! Bro, I'm begging you to break up! If you do, I'd even eat shit!"

Luo Xiaoyu couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing. Her fingertips rested lightly against her lips, and tiny sparks of light danced in her eyes. For once, she looked charmingly playful.

Tang Ping laughed so hard he could barely stand upright. "Ha ha, not a chance! I'm off to enjoy life among the stars. You study hard at university, and once you graduate, come work for me. I can even pay you a higher salary."

Liu Hui clutched his chest and wailed even more pitifully. "Why?! My bro's got it so good, living off his girlfriend! This world is way too unfair to goblins like me!

"My heart's cold, my hands are shaking!"

They chatted a little longer. Tang Ping gave him the address of the star system they'd be moving to and promised that if Liu Hui ever visited, he'd put him up for free and treat him to a lavish meal. Only then did he manage to soothe the "outraged" Liu Hui and end the call.

Once they'd finished catching up, the Space Elevator arrived.

As the elevator rose, the view outside gradually changed. The city shrank until it became a scattering of lights beneath them, while Jiangnan Starport loomed ever clearer ahead.

Beneath the enormous transparent dome, countless suspended walkways crisscrossed one another. Colored indicator lights blinked like stars, and spacecraft of all sizes came and went. Some looked like silver droplets; others resembled giant birds with wings spread wide.

The entire port looked like a space city straight out of a science-fiction film, so dreamlike that it was impossible to look away.

"We've got time. Want to look around?" Tang Ping suggested.

Luo Xiaoyu nodded, and the two of them strolled along the suspended walkway. There were far more aliens here than they'd imagined, and they came in all kinds of shapes, though they all had humanoid forms.

One alien from the Crystal Armor Race stood two and a half meters tall. Its skin was translucent pale blue, with luminous liquid flowing visibly beneath it. It had no hair on its head; in its place were three long, slender crystal spikes.

Several members of the Scale Race stood beside a nearby stall. Their skin was covered in fine silver-gray scales that gleamed like pearls beneath the lights. Their eyes were slit-pupiled, like a cat's, and their pupils could contract into thin lines. They had pointed ears and tiny fins, and their speech bubbled and gurgled like flowing water.

There was also a little boy from the Feather Race, barely reaching Tang Ping's waist. Soft pink feathers covered his body, and a pair of palm-sized wings sprouted from his back. His feathers looked dusted with gold, and each time he moved, a few sparkling down feathers drifted to the ground.

He tugged at his mother's clothes and pointed at the candy on the stall. A cowlick atop his head wobbled with each movement.

The two of them were fascinated. They walked to a food court and decided to try some alien specialties.

The first stall sold Star Ring Fruit Nectar. Its vendor was an alien from the Plant-Person Race, its entire body covered in dark green vines and a purple flower blooming atop its head.

The vendor handed Tang Ping a cup of pale green juice. The cup was made from the fruit of some kind of plant and gave off a faint, fresh fragrance.

Tang Ping took a sip and immediately grimaced. It was sour and astringent, with a hint of metal, like someone had juiced a lemon and rust together. He barely stopped himself from spitting it out.

The next stall sold Roasted Star Bug Leg. The legs were as thick as a forearm, with dark brown skins that crackled and glistened with oil on the grill. Golden powder had been sprinkled over them.

Curious, Luo Xiaoyu bought a skewer and took a bite. Her brow furrowed, too. The meat was tough and dry, with a strange fishy smell, like fish innards that hadn't been cleaned properly. After chewing twice, she couldn't help spitting it out.

"Looks like not all alien food is good." Tang Ping tossed the rest of his Star Ring Fruit Nectar into a trash can and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Luo Xiaoyu wiped the corner of her mouth, but her eyes still held a smile. "At least we got to try it."