Chapter 11: Big Brother Shen Feels His Cabbage Is Being Rooted Out by a Pig…
At that moment, Shen Lin was happy.
Li Heng was the first person since he came to this world who had been truly good to him. If it hadn’t been for accidentally hearing that Li Heng’s father had passed away and that his relatives were eyeing his “inheritance” like hawks, Shen Lin might have nodded the very first time Li Heng issued the invitation.
However, knowing that Li Heng was currently in a difficult situation, Shen Lin didn’t want to add to his troubles, so he refused. The light in Li Heng’s bright eyes vanished in an instant. The Captain of the Guard at the door reminded him several times that it was time to depart, but it was as if the boy hadn’t heard a thing.
Li Heng stubbornly asked one more time. Receiving no answer from the cub, the silhouette of his departing back appeared incomparably lonely.
Since Shen Lin had hatched in this new world, Li Heng was the first person to buy him toys and coax him into being happy. Seeing him unhappy made Shen Lin’s own heart feel stifled.
“This is for you.”
A beautiful and dazzling Chijin plume was suddenly shoved into his paws. Shen Lin’s drooping small ears perked up, and his pink, fluffy, round, short tail wagged uncontrollably. A thread of warmth from the plume seeped through his skin and into his body; it was very cozy.
When Li Heng gave him the plume, Shen Zeyu happened to see it from the doorway. At that moment, everyone felt as if the pressure of an S-grade Fierce Beast was about to crush them to death.
As the Emperor’s most trusted Captain of the Guard, Sang Hu didn’t dare to meet the gaze of Shen Zeyu, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot. As for why? Naturally, it was a guilty conscience.
Members of the Ikaruosi royal family did not easily give away the feathers on their bodies, especially their plumes. Unless it was to their parents… or their spouse.
This secret was only known to those closely related to the Ikaruosi royalty. Sang Hu was a trusted subordinate chosen by the late King for the Crown Prince’s next generation of core officials; he had learned some secrets from the previous Captain of the Guard that outsiders could never know. Ordinarily, the Crown Prince would only be taught about “spouses” after reaching adulthood.
Ahem… but the late King had passed away before he could explain anything to the Crown Prince. Li Heng had also been strictly warned by the late King about the importance of an Ikaruosi royal’s feathers. One must not easily give any feather from their body to an outsider, not even to relatives.
As it turned out, the Crown Prince was good at finding loopholes. He figured that since regular feathers couldn’t be given, giving a plume should be fine. Besides, the little cub wasn’t an outsider.
Shen Zeyu, of course, didn’t know the special significance of the plume. He just felt it was inappropriate for Li Heng to give Little Four something from his own body as soon as they met. He wanted to return it, but the other party took the opportunity to pat the little cub’s fur, specifically stroking the round little tail before running off.
Shen Zeyu’s face grew darker and darker. By the time he chased after him with the plume, the Ikaruosi Empire’s starship had already opened the star-track and departed. All that remained was a trail of exhaust.
Shen Zeyu actually thought about throwing it in the trash, but Little Four was staring at it expectantly. What could he do?
Shen Zeyu shoved the plume back into his arms and said with a tone of frustration, “You really think other people’s things are so easy to take? Who knows what kind of high interest is waiting for you behind this.”
Shen Lin didn’t understand words that were too profound. He just felt that Li Heng was truly good! If Li Heng couldn’t win back his inheritance this time and ended up living on the streets, he could take him along to wander together. After all, when it came to wandering, this cub was an expert!
Federation Prime Star.
Within the pale blue star-mist, constellations occasionally flickered with brilliant, colorful light. The dappled glow rose and fell, resembling a colorful Milky Way. Thousands of star-specks converged into a river of stars surrounding the Prime Star; these were the subsidiary planets of the Federation.
Across a distance of tens of thousands of light-years, the naked eye could barely capture the starships flashing through the star-tracks. The star-tracks crisscrossed through the star-river, forming a series of tightly interlocking “Ouroboros” rings. The subsidiary constellations surrounding the Federation Prime Star were encased within these rings, facilitating developed transportation while also serving as a defensive perimeter.
In District 11, working robots checked beneath the control towers to ensure there were no rusted bolts. Information about incoming and outgoing starships flashed rapidly across the light-screens. The staff worked busily but orderly within the information light-net, confirming that the identification of personnel entering the Prime Star was correct and that no suspicious individuals were allowed through.
“Ninth Legion, T5-00257 requesting landing…”
A cold, mechanical female voice echoed inside the tower.
“Landing permitted.”
The busy staff members subconsciously looked up, staring at the black prow emerging from the star-track. Recently, the words “Ninth Legion” had appeared on the Prime Star far too frequently; everyone on the planet knew about it. Members of the White Tower Council were arguing until they were red in the face over the ownership of the Ninth Legion, and everyone was speculating whose hands it would eventually fall into.
No one considered Marshal Shen’s own views; their eyes were filled only with the desire for power. At this moment, seeing the starship marked with the Ninth Legion’s hull number, the staff members—aside from reporting to superiors and obtaining clearance—had eyes filled with respect and a trace of helpless pity.
Since the battle between Marshal Shen and the Broodmother, his name had become a household word, and the Ninth Legion under his command had also become famous. Most ordinary beastmen had only a vague understanding of the information from above; they had nothing but blind worship and admiration for Marshal Shen, who had saved them from fire and water.
However, for those at the top or those with some internal insight, the behavior of certain members of the White Tower Council was far too unsightly. Less than a month had passed since Marshal Shen was severely wounded by the Broodmother, and these people were already starting to carve up the forces in his hands.
The wandering thoughts of the staff members while slacking off remained unknown to others. The ship piloted by Shen Zeyu docked in the corresponding position according to the tower’s instructions. A moment later, a large group of soldiers appeared in the exit area where Shen Zeyu and the others were.
Ke’erxuya strode forward, the military emblem on his Lieutenant’s shoulder straps flashing with a piercing light. Ke’erxuya had a pair of ant-like antennae at the corners of his forehead, and his eyes were covered with grid-like irises. In the depths of his pupils flickered disdain and a trace of calculation.
“Major General Shen, you should be performing military duties on the border battlefield, not appearing on the Prime Star. Now, I have reason to suspect you of deserting your post with impure motives. Furthermore, the White Tower also needs a reasonable explanation!”
His attitude was humble, but his words were full of malice. It was clear that as soon as Marshal Shen fell, all sorts of “ghosts and monsters” emerged. The adjutant suppressed the disgust in his heart and was about to step forward to explain.
Shen Zeyu raised his hand to stop him. His gaze was as sharp as a knife, and the murderous aura on his body swept toward Ke’erxuya without any concealment.
Boom.
The surrounding air suddenly compressed. Ke’erxuya’s face turned pale; it felt as if a mountain were resting on his back. The beast markings on his cheeks became increasingly obvious, his fingertips were covered in a hard carapace, elytra slid out from the sides of his body, and his knees nearly buckled.
Faced with the bloodline energy of a Fierce Beast among high-tier beastmen, he—an A-grade beastman—could barely hold on and almost showed weakness in front of his subordinates.
Shen Zeyu stared at the pea-sized beads of sweat appearing on Ke’erxuya’s forehead and his trembling legs. He gave a soft snort, and the pressure vanished instantly. Ke’erxuya managed to maintain his superficial dignity with great effort, but when he looked up and met the cold, indifferent gaze of Shen Zeyu as he brushed past, he subconsciously lowered his head.
The beastman soldiers following behind Shen Zeyu walked past Ke’erxuya with their heads held high and steady steps, looking like they had just won a battle. An ant-foot mongrel who licked the toes of the Fifth Council President didn’t deserve to clamor in front of their Major General.
Everyone knew who was behind Ke’erxuya. Today’s performance of acting high and mighty, aside from some of Ke’erxuya’s own petty schemes, was also a probe by the person behind him. The old lords of the White Tower Council had bellies full of twists and turns, which the straightforward military men had always found exceptionally hard to stomach.
“Wait, wait a moment, Major General Shen. Just now was a misunderstanding; it’s all my fault for being lightheaded and saying something that led to a misunderstanding.” As he spoke, Ke’erxuya slapped his own mouth several times and revealed a flattering smile.
The only thing about Ke’erxuya that commanded respect was that his bones were soft enough; his slide into a kowtow was fast, and his face was full of sycophancy. There was no trace of the “looking through nostrils” attitude from before.
“Major General Shen, actually, I came this time mainly for the young Master Shen. I heard there were some problems with the bloodline testing equipment on your ship, which led to an issue with the Young Master’s bloodline test. So, I brought the most advanced testing equipment to help the Young Master. This will ensure the test is uploaded to the gene bank immediately to update the Young Master’s identification information, so as to avoid any ‘blind’ things offending him in the future.”
Ke’erxuya gestured for the staff waiting nearby to bring the equipment forward. The staff didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately entering work mode, their fingers sliding across the equipment’s light-screen.
The metallic information light-net lingered around their feet. Their movements weren’t small, and with the appearance of the special light-net for bloodline testing, almost all the beastmen nearby—whether waiting to board or coming through security—noticed the situation. Quite a few people recognized the black-haired young man standing most conspicuously in the crowd.
“Is that Major General Shen?”
“Who?”
“Who else could it be? It’s the eldest son of the God of War, Shen. He currently holds the rank of Major General in the Ninth Legion and is the most likely person to command the Shen Family Army.”
“It looks like they’re conducting a bloodline test? Is the rumor on StarNet true? Is the Shen family about to welcome another Fierce Beast?”
Because of these words, the beastmen who were originally walking out in a hurry twitched their ears, turned their steps, and walked over. The hall was soon surrounded by layers of people.
Recommended Reads
