Chapter 123: The Return Journey
Yu Lanfeng couldn't accept Nan Yu's explanation.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"If that's all you're going to say, then I can't accept that reason."
"Ye Xing took away the person most important to me from right under my nose."
"For nearly a month, I had no idea whether you were alive or dead."
"I was terrified."
"I was worried every single day..."
Nan Yu blinked, looking at Yu Lanfeng in surprise.
He seemed astonished that Yu Lanfeng could say something so touching...
Yet so heartbreaking at the same time.
To be honest...
If their positions had been reversed, Nan Yu knew he wouldn't have been able to accept such an explanation either.
So...
"I remember..."
"When we were playing the game before..."
"You mentioned Ye Xing once."
"I told you that I knew him."
"Do you remember?"
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly before nodding.
"I remember."
Nan Yu continued,
"I really had met him once before that."
"I can't tell you the exact circumstances."
"But I can tell you one thing."
"I owed him."
"This time..."
"I'll consider that debt repaid."
"It was an enormous favor."
"If anything happens after today..."
"I won't interfere anymore."
"Is that alright?"
As he spoke, Nan Yu reached out and took both of Yu Lanfeng's hands.
Looking directly into his eyes with unwavering determination, he waited.
Yu Lanfeng remained silent for several minutes before finally letting out a long sigh.
He looked utterly helpless.
"...Fine."
"But only this once."
"From now on..."
"You don't owe him anything anymore."
A smile appeared on Nan Yu's lips.
"Alright."
"I really hope I can graduate soon."
"That way I can officially join your legion."
"And this time..."
"I used that thing..."
"Several times."
A bad feeling immediately rose in Yu Lanfeng's heart.
"You couldn't have..."
Nan Yu nodded.
"That's right."
"I think my aptitude and potential are even better than we imagined."
"I originally thought using it twice wouldn't matter."
"But I underestimated myself."
"At this rate..."
"I probably won't have to wait until three years from now to graduate."
"In another year or two..."
"I'll probably reach that level."
Naturally...
He meant becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User.
If he broke through while still attending the academy...
There would be no hiding it.
Forget joining Yu Lanfeng's legion.
He might even lose his most basic freedom.
Nan Yu wasn't ignoring the Empire's protection of High-Tier Mental Power Users.
He was simply...
Too young.
He was only fourteen or fifteen.
He hadn't even truly experienced the outside world yet.
If he were forced into permanent protection now...
He would never be able to accept it.
After a moment of silence, Nan Yu suddenly asked,
"Brother..."
"Is there any way I could graduate early?"
"I'd need to graduate at least two years ahead of schedule to stay free."
Yu Lanfeng frowned deeply.
After thinking for quite some time...
He actually came up with a solution.
The method wasn't easy.
Then again...
It would only be difficult for ordinary Mental Power Users.
For Nan Yu...
It should be surprisingly simple.
"There is a way."
"But now isn't the time to discuss it."
"Once we return to the Capital Star..."
"I'll tell you."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Alright."
"Oh, right."
"Zhang Wei mentioned earlier that in a few more hours, the storm here will weaken considerably."
"Once that happens, we'll be able to leave."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
Then he thought about Zhang Wei...
And Ye Xing, who was hiding somewhere nearby.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Although he had promised Nan Yu to spare Ye Xing's life...
He wasn't some charitable saint.
Nor was he kindhearted.
Sparing Ye Xing's life...
Was all he intended to do.
Nothing more.
Yu Lanfeng immediately threw away everything on the bed.
Then he took out a brand-new mattress, sheets, blanket, and pillow from his storage button.
Nan Yu stared in disbelief as item after item appeared.
"Brother..."
"Why are you keeping all this inside your storage button?"
"It takes up so much space."
"You'd be better off carrying stronger weap—"
Halfway through speaking...
Nan Yu suddenly remembered.
Yu Lanfeng himself was the strongest weapon.
Yu Lanfeng smiled faintly.
"It's fine."
"Come lie down."
"You definitely haven't had a proper night's sleep."
Nan Yu paused.
Thinking back...
That really was true.
The house had only one bedroom.
The only bed belonged to Zhang Wei.
Nan Yu had spent the entire month sleeping on the sofa.
Although Ye Xing had never mistreated him when it came to food...
He definitely hadn't rested well.
Compared with the life he used to live...
Conditions here were obviously much worse.
He couldn't examine his own mental state.
So...
Yu Lanfeng had noticed?
He had seen how exhausted Nan Yu had become?
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Nan Yu looked at him.
"Don't just talk about me."
"You definitely haven't rested either."
Neither of them had realized how tired they themselves were.
Yet each could immediately see the exhaustion in the other.
Nan Yu patted the bed.
"Come on."
"Let's sleep together."
"The storm won't weaken for several more hours."
"When it finally does..."
"We'll leave."
"Perfect timing."
Yu Lanfeng actually wanted to go speak with Zhang Wei first.
But Nan Yu was sitting there...
Patting the bed and asking him to sleep beside him.
That made the choice rather difficult.
In the end...
Yu Lanfeng chose...
To stay.
He was, after all, an honest man.
He simply followed his own heart.
As for when the people outside would get the chance to talk...
They could wait until he woke up.
Nan Yu naturally lay down before curling into Yu Lanfeng's embrace.
Yu Lanfeng had finally found the person he had been longing for.
Now that Nan Yu was safely beside him...
His entire body relaxed.
Before either of them realized it...
They had already fallen asleep holding each other.
Neither seemed remotely concerned that they weren't completely safe yet.
After all...
One of their enemies was still sitting in the living room outside.
Meanwhile...
Zhang Wei quietly waited outside.
Hours passed.
Not a single sound came from the bedroom.
He never acted rashly.
When enough time had passed, Zhang Wei stood and looked out the window.
The storm outside had already begun weakening.
It would probably continue weakening for another one or two hours.
After that...
The two inside should come out soon.
Sure enough...
About an hour later, Nan Yu and Yu Lanfeng emerged from the bedroom together.
Both looked refreshed.
They had even changed into clean clothes.
Zhang Wei blinked.
Only now did he realize something.
Ever since Ye Xing had kidnapped Nan Yu...
They had never prepared any spare clothes for him.
...
Embarrassing.
He had actually forgotten something so important.
Suppressing the awkwardness, Zhang Wei stepped forward.
"Marshal Yu."
"Nan Yu."
Nan Yu stood slightly behind Yu Lanfeng.
He merely glanced at Zhang Wei once before looking away again.
His lover was here now.
Negotiations naturally belonged to Yu Lanfeng.
He only needed to stand quietly at his side.
Yu Lanfeng spoke coldly.
"If you have something to say, say it."
"I'd like to speak with you."
"Go ahead."
"There are no outsiders here."
Zhang Wei glanced at Nan Yu.
Come to think of it...
He was right.
There really weren't any outsiders.
"I want..."
"To bring Ye Xing with us."
Yu Lanfeng snorted coldly.
"After everything that's happened..."
"You still want to bring Ye Xing with me?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll simply find an excuse to kill him?"
"After all..."
"He'll be right under my control."
Hearing that, Zhang Wei quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Those words alone proved...
Ye Xing's life would be spared.
Although he didn't know why...
He couldn't shake the feeling that Nan Yu had something to do with it.
Regardless...
As long as Yu Lanfeng wasn't planning to kill Ye Xing...
That was already the best possible outcome.
Once they reached the Empire and joined Yu Lanfeng's legion...
He was certain Yu Lanfeng would squeeze every ounce of value out of them.
But he wouldn't actually kill them.
Since Nan Yu's group was preparing to leave, Zhang Wei quickly went to fetch Ye Xing.
Ye Xing timidly hid behind him.
He looked genuinely frightened of Yu Lanfeng.
Yu Lanfeng merely cast him a cold glance from afar before looking away again.
He truly didn't seem interested in taking Ye Xing's life anymore.
Even so...
Ye Xing couldn't shake a strange feeling.
That single glance seemed to say—
Once you're on my territory... I'll make your life miserable.
Naturally...
He didn't dare say that aloud.
Complaining about Yu Lanfeng while standing right in front of him?
That would be asking for death.
Instead, he glanced worriedly at Zhang Wei.
Fortunately...
Zhang Wei gently patted his shoulder.
Everything would be alright.
Only then did Ye Xing relax.
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"Shall we go?"
He couldn't wait to leave this place.
The moment he regained signal...
He wanted to contact his family and friends immediately.
He couldn't let them keep worrying.
He had disappeared for so long.
He also wondered what had happened at school.
Hopefully...
His disappearance hadn't been exposed.
Yu Lanfeng had probably taken care of that.
And...
He still wanted to know what method Yu Lanfeng had mentioned for allowing him to graduate early.
Still...
That could wait until they returned to the Capital Star.
Yu Lanfeng led Nan Yu toward the place where his shuttle had crash-landed.
Behind them...
Zhang Wei and Ye Xing followed.
Since Zhang Wei hadn't fully recovered yet...
Ye Xing carefully supported him.
Although conditions outside had improved considerably...
That was only compared with before.
The winds were still incredibly fierce.
Nan Yu was completely protected inside Yu Lanfeng's embrace.
The other two, however...
Looked rather awkward.
Zhang Wei was tall and broad.
Ye Xing was considerably smaller.
The injured one happened to be Zhang Wei.
To support him properly...
Ye Xing practically had to stand on tiptoe.
The sight...
Was painful to look at.
Nan Yu glanced at them twice before immediately covering his eyes.
It was simply too much.
Better to hurry back to the shuttle.
Although he had spared Ye Xing's life...
Once they reached the legion...
He had no idea how Yu Lanfeng planned to deal with those two.
Yes.
Both of them.
For some reason...
Nan Yu had a strong feeling they would both suffer together.
Since they loved each other...
And were already together...
Sharing Yu Lanfeng's wrath seemed perfectly reasonable.
Perhaps...
They might even enjoy it.
That was honestly what Nan Yu thought.
Meanwhile...
He buried himself deeper inside Yu Lanfeng's embrace.
The storm outside really wasn't friendly at all.
Yu Lanfeng remembered exactly where the shuttle had landed.
Their direction was correct.
It simply took about twice as long as when he had come.
After all...
He had blasted his way here with flames.
Now...
He was carrying Nan Yu while moving at a much gentler pace.
Fortunately...
The two behind them had basically become a couple themselves.
No one had to suffer from watching someone else's romance.
When Nan Yu finally saw the shuttle sitting crookedly on the ground, he stared in surprise.
"...It's already broken?"
"Can it still fly?"
Yu Lanfeng looked slightly guilty before answering,
"I checked it before leaving."
"Only a small part was damaged."
"The repair robots just need some time."
"How long?"
"About two or three days."
"Can't we contact the flagship outside?"
"They should have other shuttles."
Yu Lanfeng shook his head.
"It seems we can't establish communication."
"And I instructed them..."
"If they don't hear from me within three days..."
"Only then should they send another team."
"So..."
"We'll be staying inside the shuttle for now."
Nan Yu had no objections.
As long as Yu Lanfeng was with him...
He didn't care where they stayed.
The problem was...
Yu Lanfeng had arrived in a very small shuttle.
There were only a handful of rooms.
Only one bedroom.
That naturally belonged to Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu.
The remaining compartments consisted of a storage room, dining area, kitchen...
Then the control room...
The armory...
A small warehouse...
And finally the cockpit.
That meant...
Zhang Wei and Ye Xing could only stay in the storage room.
Surely they couldn't sleep in the dining room, kitchen, armory, warehouse, or cockpit.
Those areas obviously couldn't be left open for them to wander through.
Very quickly...
Nan Yu realized Yu Lanfeng's little scheme.
He was fairly certain this shuttle actually had two bedrooms.
Perhaps other models didn't...
But Yu Lanfeng's definitely did.
Still...
Nan Yu understood exactly what Yu Lanfeng intended.
So he kept quiet.
This was simply something those two would have to accept.
And...
There would be plenty more to come.
Hopefully they'd get used to it soon.
Once everyone entered the shuttle, several repair robots could already be seen working on the damaged sections.
Fortunately...
None of the damaged components were critical.
Even pre-programmed repair robots could slowly restore everything.
Suddenly, Nan Yu remembered something.
"Oh right."
"Ye Xing."
"Aren't you good at modifying spacecraft?"
"What happened to the shuttle you used to bring us here?"
The moment he asked...
Both Zhang Wei and Yu Lanfeng turned toward Ye Xing.
Ye Xing twitched awkwardly.
"...It broke."
Nan Yu blinked.
"How?"
"It was working perfectly before."
Ye Xing explained,
"I wanted to reach this planet as quickly as possible."
"So I activated the ultimate acceleration system."
"Not long after arriving..."
"The shuttle was finished."
"Besides..."
"I'd also installed a signal-blocking device that I built myself."
"Normally the shuttle would've lasted longer."
"But using both systems together..."
"Made it wear out much faster."
In other words...
Apart from Yu Lanfeng's shuttle...
The only remaining spacecraft were aboard the flagship outside the atmosphere.
Either they waited for the repairs to finish...
Or they waited until the flagship eventually sent another shuttle.
Ye Xing continued,
"As long as a shuttle enters this planet's atmosphere..."
"And the magnetic storm still exists..."
"It can't contact anyone."
Nan Yu frowned.
"But earlier..."
"I managed to contact them."
He was referring to the temporary communicator that had successfully transmitted his exact coordinates.
Ye Xing nodded.
"Days like that..."
"Only happen a handful of times each year."
"And completely at random."
"You were just incredibly lucky."
"But now..."
"That luck is gone."
Meaning...
Even if another shuttle entered the atmosphere now...
It would lose communication as well.
If they later managed to leave...
The rescue shuttle might become lost inside the storm and fail to find its way back.
That would waste even more time.
And be even more dangerous.
The first person Yu Lanfeng thought of...
Was Nan Ming.
Nan Yu's father.
If Yu Lanfeng failed to return within the promised time...
Nan Ming would absolutely charge into this planet to rescue his beloved son.
Excellent.
He hadn't expected to find a use for Ye Xing so quickly.
Yu Lanfeng's piercing gaze made Ye Xing's scalp tingle.
Even Zhang Wei instinctively stepped forward, shielding him.
Yu Lanfeng merely laughed coldly.
"Since you're coming with me..."
"Show me your value."
"I'll give you the materials."
"I'll give you the time."
"I expect you to make this shuttle fly again."
"It only needs to leave the planet."
"Reaching the flagship will be enough."
Ye Xing muttered quietly,
"...Even if it completely falls apart afterward?"
A spacecraft was extremely valuable.
But to someone like Yu Lanfeng...
It wasn't worth mentioning.
"Do it."
"Even if it's completely destroyed afterward..."
"It doesn't matter."
All Yu Lanfeng cared about now...
Was speed.
Hopefully...
Ye Xing truly was as talented as the rumors claimed.
Without even looking for a place to sleep, Ye Xing immediately began wandering around the damaged shuttle.
He inspected one section after another.
No one knew exactly what he was doing.
Eventually...
He really assembled a device.
As long as it was connected to the shuttle's main control system...
It would force the shuttle to fly normally.
For at least two hours.
After two hours...
The device could fail at any moment.
And once it failed...
Even Ye Xing had no idea what would happen.
The shuttle might simply shut down.
It might become completely unusable.
It might even explode.
Anything was possible.
After all...
He was forcing a half-repaired shuttle to operate.
Unexpected results were hardly surprising.
Although Nan Yu was amazed...
Leaving this planet early was undoubtedly much safer.
Yu Lanfeng checked the time.
Only a day and a half remained until the deadline he had given.
He needed to hurry.
Fortunately...
After launch...
The shuttle maintained excellent speed.
Apparently...
Ye Xing had always prioritized speed whenever he modified spacecraft.
Although the ascent was still affected somewhat by the remaining storm...
The interference wasn't particularly serious.
Yu Lanfeng guided the shuttle steadily upward.
Eventually...
They burst free of the atmosphere.
The instant they emerged into space...
Nan Yu's communicator immediately regained signal.
Opening the communication interface...
He discovered hundreds of missed calls.
Most of them...
Were from the man sitting beside him.
The rest came from his family.
His two older brothers.
Uncle Nan.
And...
His father?!
A smaller number came from classmates...
As well as Yang Zhou.
However...
Nan Yu's attention was entirely fixed on Nan Ming's calls.
"My dad came too?"
Only then did Yu Lanfeng remember to mention it.
"Yes."
"He came."
"He's aboard the flagship."
"You'll see him soon."
Ye Xing and Zhang Wei also became tense.
They had escaped Yu Lanfeng.
Were they about to fall into Nan Ming's hands instead?
Although Nan Ming might not actually defeat Ye Xing...
Ye Xing definitely didn't dare fight him seriously.
Zhang Wei's expression also became rather strange.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Yu Lanfeng had "accidentally" forgotten to mention this earlier.
Nan Yu's reaction was even stronger than theirs.
"What?!"
"My dad came too?"
"Wasn't he on a mission?"
"Why is he here?"
"And he came with you?"
"How could you let him come?!"
Yu Lanfeng answered calmly,
"He wanted to come."
"He wanted to confirm your safety himself."
Nan Yu instantly wilted.
"I'm such an unfilial son."
"My dad's already that old..."
"And I'm still making him worry."
In truth...
Nan Yu wasn't old at all.
He was only fifteen or sixteen.
He wasn't even an adult yet.
It was perfectly natural for his family to worry.
Other families worried because their children caused trouble.
In Nan Yu's case...
Trouble constantly came looking for him.
Nan Ming barely had enough time to worry before something happened again.
After everyone boarded the flagship...
Yu Lanfeng abandoned the damaged shuttle.
Before leaving, he activated its self-destruct countdown.
Since it was going to be scrapped anyway...
Destroying it completely ensured no one else could salvage anything useful.
When it exploded...
Countless fragments scattered across the planet below.
Pieces of wreckage rained down everywhere.
Now...
Nan Yu sat obediently in front of Nan Ming.
His face was full of grievance.
"Dad..."
"I know..."
"But this really wasn't my fault..."
"...Alright."
"It was my fault."
"I wasn't vigilant enough..."
At the time, he had been staying in a military hospital belonging to Yu Lanfeng's legion.
If Nan Ming concluded that Nan Yu had been kidnapped because of Yu Lanfeng's negligence...
Then the road ahead for Nan Yu and Yu Lanfeng's relationship would likely become much more difficult.