Chapter 108: Converted Earthling vs Cub
Back when Yao Si had just arrived at Red Planet and met Mu Xuan, she had indeed heard others mention how he was finally going to escape the t.i.tle of million year single dog. At the time, she had a.s.sumed that this t.i.tle referred to how everyone named those without a cub. But it… had the same meaning as back on Earth?
She and Mu Xuan…
Her heart started racing.
No, no, no! There had to be something she had missed; she clearly treated and respected him as her father.
It was comparable to her biological father… Probably?
While taking in a deep breath, Yao Si shook her head. She tried to calm herself and rea.n.a.lyze the situation. As she did so, she discovered a suspicious point.
“That’s not right! According to what you said, isn’t the total number of bloodlings fixed?” She clearly recalled Yan Xuan mentioning that there were currently millions of bloodlings, with around three thousand in each generation. “If the cubs all end up with their guide, what about the cubs of the cub?”
For instance, if the first generation ended up with the second generation, then what about the third generation? Did the second generation end up with the third generation or with the first?
“Eh? Your Highness, don’t you know?” Bai Yi asked with curiosity as he glanced her up and down, his mouth cramping as though suppressing the urge to break into a displeased expression. “That’s because cubs are divided into initial holders and those that are inherited. Both me and Shucheng are both part of the latter.”
“What does that mean?”
Bai Yi coughed twice, before explaining a kindergarten level common knowledge that she seemed to have completely missed out on.
There was a special bond between bloodlings and their cubs; thus, the loyalty between couples was extremely high. This meant that in a bloodling’s life, the would only develop feelings for one they had converted or the person that had converted them. Bloodlings that were already attached to someone were not allowed to posses another earthling as it was considered a form of betrayal to their partner. The only exception was when a partner had pa.s.sed on due to an incident.
This was the reason why bloodlings stationed on Earth in the past were not willing to expose their ident.i.ties. It was only during the doomsday period when the situation had changed.
However, ever since they entered the Galactic age, many of the bloodlings were already attached and were not willing to convert new cubs without the threat of the virus. The bloodling population then became so little that it reached a state of negative growth.
This was until the exchange inheritance method appeared.
If a bloodling was not willing to be tied down by a cub, they could choose the exchange inheritance method for conversion. The bloodling would have to transfuse half of their blood into an earthling’s body.
The converted earthling would then not be reliant on the one that converted them and the both of them would not have any bloodline bond. This method allowed the convertee to keep a portion of the convertor’s memory. Bai Yi added that this memory was different from genetic memory, since it would be permanent. This memory was the reason the convertee would not experience a young cub’s period, automatically becoming an adult bloodling who possessed all the common knowledge. However, this adult bloodling would still have to train their abilities.
The converted Earthling would not have much interaction with the older generation of bloodlings, both parties treating each other as friends. Strictly speaking, a converted Earthling would not have a guider. The convertor would just briefly provide guidance to the convertee, until the convertee properly adapted to the society. This was the reason Gu Shucheng and Luo Ying were inseparable while Bai Yi forever alone.
Both Gu Shucheng and Bai Yi belonged to the same generation and were both converted Earthlings, while Luo Ying belonged to the generation right after them. She was a cub that had been converted by Gu Shucheng.
Basically… ever since Yao Si had awakened, no wait! Ever since the day she was converted, she had mistaken the following terms:
First, ‘single dogs’, which actually referred to singles that were not attached.
Second, ‘father’, which wasn’t a term for a fatherly figure, but a senior, someone older…
Mu Xuan was apparently her…
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Who exactly came up with such a misleading term? One could easily be confused!
She could feel the world in front of her start to crumble into pieces; she wasn’t feeling well!
Where was the promised pure father-daughter relations.h.i.+p?
Mu Xuan had amazing credentials: he was rich, had high status and social standing as well as horrifyingly strong abilities, was considered a male G.o.d of the Galaxy, treated her well to the point that he would pluck the stars if she wanted them, looked good with clothes and without… Erm, even though she hadn’t seen it before, but it would definitely nourish her eyes. She was sure she’d be blessed in the future…
Pees.h.!.+ Stop! Stop! What rubbish image is running around in my mind? Regardless of the bloodling tradition, she had always considered and respected him as her father.
As a respectable young girl she was pure. So stop such impure thoughts!
F**k, why is my face burning.
And why is my heart racing?
I just want my peace!
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“Why are you sitting here?”
She felt the weight of a hand fall onto her head.
Yao Si was caught off guard and jolted upwards onto the back of the sofa. “Mu-Mu-Mu-Mu Xuan.” F*ck, when did you come back, why didn’t I notice anything?
“What’s wrong?” His face fell from her reaction. Extending his hand, he pulled her toward him with a worried expression. “What happened?”
“No-nothing. Wh-What’s wrong?” She scrambled backwards instinctively.
“Come over.” His expression grew increasingly more worried, and his brows furrowed as he grabbed her.
“W-w-wait, no—!
Before she could finish her protest, her body was pulled forward, and her head smashed into his embrace. His arms circled tightly around her waist. She tried to pull back instinctively, but he leaned over abruptly, trapping her between the sofa and himself.
“Stop moving,” he instructed before leaning down toward her face.
As the familiar face magnified, Yao Si started to feel increasingly more troubled and perplexed. Her mind exploded into bits, a buzzing engulfing her.
Mu Xuan gently placed his forehead onto hers, their faces so close she could feel his breath. At that moment, they seemed like one ent.i.ty.
Yao Si’s racing heart sped up even more.
“You’re fine?” Mu Xuan felt her temperature for a little longer before raising a suspicious gaze toward her. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“Eh?”
Yao Si stilled, and as he distanced himself, her energy left her. For a moment, she was in a daze, but her racing heart soon snapped back to normal – he had been just trying to check on her health.
In the past, Mu Xuan had done this often, checking her health in this manner, but she had always found it normal, similar to how doctors stuck a thermometer at her. Only now did she sense something from the action.
It seemed… too close.
“Did someone come by today?” Mu Xuan asked when he saw her still in a daze. His cub seemed a little weird. She was too… obedient.
“Yea…Yes!” Yao Si straightened up, pus.h.i.+ng the person in front of her away and pa.s.sing the red wedding invitation over to him before stumbling back anxiously. “Luo-Luo Ying came.” Yao Si had to control herself! She could do this!
The sudden distance placed a frown on Mu Xuan’s face, and he seemed displeased, but he reached over to open the wedding invitation, giving it a quick once over.
“Next weekend?” He glanced at the calender. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
Yao Si glanced up at his expression gingerly, but he was calm, a stark contrast to her initial shock. It was as though he had expected this. She couldn’t help asking, “You… Aren’t you shocked?”
He had a strange look when he looked over at her, before replying honestly, “Those two… It’s about time.”
He had scrutinized the data of all the bloodlings in the academy long before she had entered. Compared to the other bloodlings, those two were considered slow. It was probably due to the recent incident? The fear of losing a cub must have been too much for that youth, since it wasn’t an experience that anyone could handle.
Mu Xuan pinched the wedding invitation, and rare amus.e.m.e.nt brightened in his eyes. “Wedding invitations are all made from the prehistoric paper from Earth. I’m sure it’ll be a boisterous occasion.”
Due to the small population, a blessing was given to the union of every couple. Except from… single dogs! In the past, he hated attending such events, but times had changed and he had finally left the ‘single dog’ t.i.tle behind.
He glanced down at his cub who was in a daze, and a familiar tenderness washed over him. This was an emotion that he only started experiencing in the past two years. Reaching down, he caressed her head lovingly. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you an even grander affair.”
Mu Xuan’s words were tender and soft, causing Yao Si’s heart to race once more, and her mind exploded into fireworks. Even though those words weren’t really special, her mind blanked out, her sanity leaving for a vacation.
If Mu Xuan had said it before, she would have a.s.sumed it was a blessing from a father to his daughter, with the emphasis on a grand occasion. But after Bai Yi’s quick lesson, she realized that the emphasis was on – ‘I’ll give you’.
He… was serious.
Miraculously, her heart started to calm.
“Mu Xuan…”
“Mmh.”
“Am I really the cub you converted?”
“Of course.”
“Are you sure you didn’t get the wrong person?” she couldn’t help asking. For conversion, blood exchange was necessary, but she was certain that she had never met Mu Xuan before she went into hibernation. “Didn’t you say you forgot how you converted me? I can’t remember it either. Is it possible that it wasn’t a conversion but an exchange of inheritance. Is it possible that…” I’m not the one you’re looking for…
“Of course not!” he replied adamantly. “We are connect by the bloodline, you’re definitely my sole heir.”