Chapter 127: Returning Home
Du Ying cautiously glanced at his superior before speaking. "Please ask whatever you'd like, sir. I'll tell you everything I know."
The officer said, "I heard you went over to that starship earlier. Why?"
The question was unexpectedly direct, catching Du Ying off guard for a moment. He quickly recovered.
"I knew Nan Ming was over there. We were classmates before graduation, but afterward we joined different legions and hardly had the chance to meet again. Since I saw him this time, I just wanted to catch up with an old friend."
"That's why I went over. I only wanted to see him and maybe have a drink together. I never intended to board the ship, sir. Please don't misunderstand."
Whether the officer believed him or not was impossible to tell. He merely nodded.
"I'll assume what you're saying is true. Fortunately, it didn't cause any misunderstanding. But don't do something like that again in the future. There's no written rule forbidding it, but it still wasn't appropriate. You should judge the situation before acting."
Du Ying immediately reflected on himself.
"Yes, sir!"
The officer continued, "By the way, the coordination with Marshal Yu's legion was assigned to you, wasn't it? The scheduled time is almost here. Have you finished communicating with them?"
Du Ying nodded.
"Everything has already been arranged. We'll meet at the agreed location in about four hours. At that point, we'll simply complete the transfer of the mission assignment."
"I see." The officer nodded. "I'm leaving this matter in your hands. I trust you. Don't let anything go wrong."
Du Ying froze for an instant before replying, "Yes, sir. I'll complete the assignment successfully."
The officer waved him away.
After leaving the office, Du Ying stood outside for a while. His expression remained calm, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Eventually, he turned around and returned to work.
Perhaps that conversation had actually worked.
From then on, no one felt that strange, eerie sensation from him anymore. The legion peacefully passed the next four hours without incident.
Even Yu Lanfeng, after successfully rendezvousing with his own legion, found the smooth journey almost unbelievable.
Everyone had expected at least one attack.
But no matter how many tricks the enemy possessed, there was simply no way they could use them here.
That was exactly what confused them.
As soon as Yu Lanfeng returned to his own legion, he immediately ordered everyone to depart for the Capital Star.
Even so, his expression remained uneasy.
Sometimes, excessive calm wasn't a good thing.
Nan Yu sat beside him.
He also found everything rather strange.
He had constantly felt as though something was about to happen.
Yet in the end...
Nothing happened at all.
Could it be that the real danger wasn't over there, but would only begin after they returned to Yu Lanfeng's own legion?
But this was their own territory.
Even if someone dared to make a move here, Yu Lanfeng could kill them without hesitation.
If they had still been in someone else's territory, he would have had to hold back.
Everything about the situation felt abnormal.
That thought lingered until they truly returned to the Capital Star.
Standing firmly on familiar ground while looking at the docking area for the starships, Nan Yu finally relaxed.
"It looks like there really wasn't any problem this time. I think they never even found out who took me away, so they had no idea where I was. Maybe they figured out my whereabouts while we were traveling, but by then they didn't have enough time to prepare anything."
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"I still don't think it's safe. During this period, other than going to school, you have to stay with me at all times."
"I can protect you."
Nan Yu glanced sideways at his father.
Sure enough, Nan Ming was staring at them with obvious unwillingness.
It almost looked like...
He was definitely jealous.
Nan Yu fell silent.
So...
A battle between his father and his lover really was unavoidable?
"I need to go home," Nan Yu said. "Big Brother, Second Brother, and Brother Fu are definitely still waiting for me. Just telling them I'm safe isn't enough. I need to go back and talk to them so they can truly stop worrying."
"I'll go with you."
Yu Lanfeng answered without hesitation.
"From now on, we have to remain vigilant every moment."
Even Ye Xing alone had managed to take Nan Yu away from the Capital Star without making a sound.
Not to mention that entire organization.
The mere thought that someone might secretly take Nan Yu away again while he wasn't nearby made his chest ache.
He absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen again.
Nan Yu naturally had no idea what he was thinking.
Still, he didn't object.
His relationship with Yu Lanfeng had already been revealed to his father.
After returning home this time...
It was probably time to tell his three older brothers as well.
Only...
He couldn't even imagine how they would react.
After all, Yu Lanfeng was both his father's superior and the future superior of his three brothers.
Yet after becoming Nan Yu's partner...
He had, in a sense, become a generation younger in front of them.
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
Actually...
He didn't think this would be a problem.
Yu Lanfeng had already called Nan Ming "Dad" several times without the slightest hesitation.
Not just once.
Several times.
That proved he had accepted his new identity quite naturally.
The only question was whether he would remain equally composed after meeting his brothers.
Nan Yu could only hope neither side would react too violently.
Nan Ming personally brought them back toward the Nan residence.
Before long, Nan Yun and Nan Zhen received news that Nan Yu had returned.
All three of them immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed home together.
Despite hurrying with all their might, they only barely managed to arrive before Yu Lanfeng's group.
They hurriedly cleaned themselves up in just over ten minutes.
The moment they entered the living room, they saw Nan Yu walking in.
Nan Yun, Nan Zhen, and Fu Yu'ang all walked straight over.
After carefully confirming that Nan Yu was completely unharmed, they all breathed sighs of relief.
Nan Yun placed both hands firmly on Nan Yu's shoulders.
"Come on, Little Brother. Tell Big Brother who kidnapped you."
Nan Yu instantly thought of Ye Xing and Zhang Wei, who had already been safely settled elsewhere.
He simply looked confused and shook his head.
"I don't know who it was. Whoever he was, he always concealed his identity whenever he contacted me."
Nan Yun became anxious.
"Do you remember anything at all? His appearance? His build? His voice? I..."
Before he could finish—
Smack!
Nan Ming slapped the back of his head.
"Enough. Xiao Yu just got home. Let him come inside and rest. What are you doing blocking the doorway?"
Only then did Nan Yun realize it.
He hurriedly led Nan Yu inside.
Soon everyone finally noticed Yu Lanfeng.
He had actually been standing just behind Nan Yu the entire time.
Somehow...
Everyone had unconsciously ignored his existence.
Until he deliberately stepped forward.
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"Well... um..."
He was desperately trying to think of a tactful way to explain their relationship.
He wanted to express everything gently enough for everyone to slowly accept it—
Before he could speak—
Nan Ming calmly announced,
"This is Xiao Yu's lover. They'll be together from now on. Come and get acquainted."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot."
"You all already know each other."
Nan Yu: "..."
Yu Lanfeng: "..."
Wonderful.
This was absolutely revenge.
Nan Yun, Nan Zhen, and Fu Yu'ang stared at Yu Lanfeng before looking back at Nan Yu.
Before today...
If someone had asked them whether Marshal Yu was worthy of Nan Yu...
They would have answered without hesitation.
Absolutely.
The best possible choice.
But now...
Now that it had actually happened...
Now that reality stood right in front of them...
They suddenly realized—
No.
There simply wasn't anyone in the entire world worthy of their adorable, perfect little brother.
All those previous thoughts were officially canceled.
Nan Yun stared fixedly at Nan Yu.
"Is it true... Little Brother?"
Nan Yu had never intended to hide it.
He nodded.
"It's true, Big Brother."
"I brought him home this time because I wanted everyone in our family to know."
"Of course, this can't be made public outside."
"But our family deserves to know."
"I can hide it from anyone else."
"But I can't hide it from you."
Looking at Nan Yu's smile...
Their hearts slowly calmed down.
Yes.
All they had ever wanted...
Was for their little brother to spend his entire life happily.
Perhaps...
This was finally the beginning of that wish coming true.
Nan Yun gradually regained his composure.
"Come inside first. Sit down and rest."
"I'll have the robots prepare a few guest rooms."
Yu Lanfeng immediately raised a hand.
"No need."
"Xiao Yu is coming back with me later."
"He'll be staying at my place."
The moment those words came out...
Everyone froze in shock.
Even Nan Yu.
Of course, the reason for his surprise was completely different.
Everyone else was thinking—
Can Marshal Yu really do that?
Nan Yu isn't even an adult yet!
Nan Yu, however, understood immediately.
Yu Lanfeng had deliberately said that.
His goal was to openly bring Nan Yu back to his own residence.
Which meant...
There was no way Nan Yun and Nan Zhen could possibly endure it.
The two of them immediately attacked.
Every punch carried real force.
Unfortunately...
It was completely useless.
Even though Yu Lanfeng never attacked back—
He merely dodged and blocked—
Neither of them could touch him.
Usually, they felt that they had grown much stronger.
But whenever they faced a true powerhouse...
They realized just how tiny their progress actually was.
Exactly like now.
The two brothers attacked with everything they had.
Yu Lanfeng effortlessly dodged every strike.
A few simple movements completely neutralized all of their attacks.
He didn't even look as though he were exerting himself.
Naturally...
Neither side had used their abilities.
Because both brothers knew perfectly well—
The instant abilities came into play...
They would lose even more miserably.
Even this hand-to-hand fight already counted as a crushing defeat.
About half an hour passed.
Starting around the ten-minute mark...
While continuing to dodge, Yu Lanfeng calmly pointed out every flaw and weakness in their attacks.
Although the brothers felt unhappy...
They listened very seriously.
In only thirty minutes...
They had gained insights that would probably take them one or two months to fully absorb.
Nan Yu watched his two brothers.
At last...
The dark, frantic expressions they had worn ever since his return had disappeared.
Now...
They finally looked much more like themselves.
He shot Yu Lanfeng a grateful look.
Receiving it, Yu Lanfeng strode directly toward him.
Then...
He took Nan Yu's hand and headed straight for the exit.
Eh?
Eh?
Eh?
They were just...
Leaving?
Just like that?
Was that really okay?
As expected...
Everyone present stared in complete shock.
By the time they recovered and tried to stop them—
Yu Lanfeng had already taken Nan Yu aboard the hovercraft.
Too late.
In the end...
All they could do was watch helplessly as it rapidly disappeared into the distance.
The Nan family did own hovercrafts.
But their performance couldn't possibly compare with the military's top-tier model that Yu Lanfeng had brought from the legion.
Nan Yun immediately looked toward his father.
"Dad, we're really just letting them leave? We can't catch them now, but we can still go to his headquarters..."
"No... to the legion."
They themselves couldn't enter.
But Nan Ming, as a Major General, certainly could.
Nan Ming let out a long sigh.
"Forget it."
"Xiao Yu really is safest over there."
Nan Yun frowned.
"Dad, even you're saying that?"
"But Xiao Yu is still so young."
"Even if he's the Marshal, he absolutely can't..."
Nan Ming interrupted him.
"I know."
"But Marshal Yu has principles."
"He won't do anything criminal."
"And Xiao Yu isn't the type to hide it from us if someone mistreated him."
"If Xiao Yu likes him..."
"Then the Marshal must be an upright man who wouldn't cross that line."
"If he really had those intentions..."
"Do you honestly think Xiao Yu would have fallen for someone like that?"
No.
Their little brother never would.
Their earlier worries really had been unnecessary.
Even so...
They couldn't help continuing to worry.
Meanwhile...
Nan Yu sat beside Yu Lanfeng, quietly watching the scenery race past outside the hovercraft.
After a long silence, he finally asked,
"Is this really okay?"
"Big Brother, Second Brother, Dad..."
"Even Brother Fu..."
"They're all definitely angry."
Yu Lanfeng smiled faintly.
"Don't worry."
"They all know what the correct choice is."
"They're intelligent people."
"They'll figure it out soon."
Nan Yu sighed helplessly.
It was precisely because they would understand so quickly...
That they would probably feel even worse.
His two older brothers had always wanted to protect him.
Yet until now...
They had never truly been able to.
Instead...
They were always left behind.
Nan Yu felt somewhat down.
Not because his brothers were weak.
But because he knew they would keep blaming themselves.
If that continued...
It might affect their future growth.
Yu Lanfeng spoke again.
"During this period, I'll allow them to visit us often."
"When I have time..."
"I'll personally guide their training."
Nan Yu immediately smiled.
"I knew you would..."
Yu Lanfeng looked at him with complete focus.
Under that gaze, Nan Yu gradually became embarrassed.
"What?"
Yu Lanfeng asked,
"Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Huh?"
Nan Yu blinked.
Then he stared at Yu Lanfeng in both embarrassment and disbelief.
How could someone be this shameless?
"I..."
"What?"
"You want thanks?"
"What kind of thanks?"
Yu Lanfeng smiled.
"That isn't something I should tell you."
"You should think of it yourself."
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
There was no way he could keep indulging him.
He simply turned over on the reclining seat with his back facing Yu Lanfeng.
This time...
Yu Lanfeng was the one left stunned.
Why was Nan Yu suddenly ignoring him?
Wasn't he supposed to say "I like you"...
Then kiss him on the cheek?
No...
Maybe it should be the other way around.
A kiss first.
Then "I like you."
So why...
Was he ignoring him now?
Did he not say enough?
Or had he not done enough?
After thinking for a moment...
Yu Lanfeng decided to collect his own reward.
He reached over, pulled Nan Yu into his arms—
And before Nan Yu could react—
He gently kissed his cheek.
Only then did he place him back on the reclining chair.
Nan Yu stared blankly at him.
Then he slowly reached up and touched the place where he had been kissed.
It felt...
Strangely warm.
"You..."
Yu Lanfeng smiled.
"It's nothing."
"I'm just collecting a little interest in advance."
"Once you've grown up..."
"I'll officially take over all of you."
Nan Yu blinked.
If he understood correctly...
Yu Lanfeng's words meant...
His entire face immediately turned bright red.
He hurriedly looked away.
Still...
From now on, they would be living together.
For safety's sake...
They would even share the same room.
Which meant...
They would constantly see each other.
Forget it.
He might as well get used to it sooner rather than later.
After all...
Yu Lanfeng had already seen his entire body while he was bathing before.
Compared to that...
A single kiss on the cheek really wasn't a big deal.
The hovercraft gradually approached Yu Lanfeng's headquarters on the Capital Star.
This was the headquarters established by his legion on the Capital Star.
Nan Yu had never been here before.
Normally...
Anyone who wasn't an official member of the legion wasn't permitted to enter.
Although Yu Lanfeng had personally approved Nan Yu's entry into the legion previously...
He still hadn't officially become a member.
Therefore...
He had never been qualified to enter headquarters.
So despite already being together with Yu Lanfeng...
This was his first visit.
But now...
Everything was different.
Nan Yu had officially become Yu Lanfeng's partner.
His status had been officially acknowledged.
On top of that...
Nan Yu's reputation had already spread everywhere.
Everyone knew he would eventually join this legion anyway.
Therefore, bringing him here now raised no objections.
Inside the legion...
No one would ever reject an exceptionally powerful Mental Power User.
Instead of thinking he had broken the rules...
They only wished they could keep him here permanently.
So after everyone learned that Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu had officially become a couple...
The entire headquarters was delighted.
Now Nan Yu had a perfectly legitimate reason to come here.
He wasn't violating regulations.
And they could keep him within their own legion.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
Everyone was happy.
Even Nan Yu himself.
"Oh, right."
"Am I still going to the hospital after this?"
Yu Lanfeng immediately remembered everything that had happened there.
The hospital still had countless matters requiring investigation.
More importantly...
Nan Yu had been kidnapped from that very hospital.
There was no way Yu Lanfeng would let him return.
"We have a small medical clinic here."
"If you get bored, you can spend time there."
"You can study more advanced medical knowledge."
"Learn how to operate medical equipment."
"As a Mental Power User, sooner or later you'll encounter severely injured Ability Users suffering from high levels of Mental Contamination."
"If you don't understand medicine..."
"You could easily cause serious consequences."
Nan Yu gradually became serious.
He knew every word Yu Lanfeng said was true.
No matter how powerful a Mental Power User was...
Sometimes they had to save a patient's life while simultaneously removing severe Mental Contamination.
Balancing both at once required extensive medical knowledge.
Of course...
He also knew those skills couldn't be learned overnight.
The doctors stationed at headquarters would undoubtedly be among the Empire's very best.
Perhaps...
He could learn many things he didn't yet know.
So Nan Yu happily agreed.
Meanwhile...
The hospital director wasn't nearly as fortunate.
Ever since learning that Nan Yu had been silently kidnapped from the hospital's own lounge...
The director had become a completely different person.
He was utterly dejected.
First...
He had worried whether Nan Yu would ever return safely.
If anything had happened to him...
It would have been a loss for the entire Empire.
But more importantly...
Would Nan Yu ever come back to the hospital again?
Now...
That seemed almost impossible.
Everyone already knew Nan Yu and Marshal Yu were together.
Everyone had also learned that the Marshal had brought Nan Yu to headquarters.
Some people even knew that Yu Lanfeng had arranged for Nan Yu to spend his remaining free time at the headquarters clinic, learning medical equipment and advanced emergency treatment from the doctors there.
Naturally...
Nan Yu couldn't memorize everything immediately.
But he could review it over time until every piece of essential knowledge was firmly engraved in his memory.
Time passed quickly.
After everything at headquarters had been arranged...
Nan Yu eagerly returned to school.
The moment he arrived...
Many classmates immediately surrounded him with concern, asking how he was feeling.
Only then did Nan Yu remember.
When he had been kidnapped...
Yu Lanfeng had apparently requested leave from the school under the excuse of a confidential mission.
If Nan Yu hadn't possessed such extraordinary mental power...
There was no way the school would have approved such a lengthy leave.
His classmates bombarded him with questions from every direction.
He didn't even know whom to answer first.
Fortunately...
Yang Zhou arrived in time to rescue him.
"Alright, alright."
"What are all of you crowding around here for?"
"You all know his mission was classified."
"Even if you wear your lips out asking questions, he still can't tell you anything."
Everyone immediately felt that made perfect sense.
"You're right."
"It was a classified mission."
"Sorry, Nan Yu."
"We were just curious."
"We weren't really trying to pry."
One after another, they apologized.
Nan Yu waved his hand.
"It's alright."
"Class is about to start."
"Everyone should get back to your seats."
"We shouldn't delay the lesson."
Seeing that Nan Yu truly wasn't angry, everyone finally relaxed and returned to their seats.
Yang Zhou sat down beside him with a helpless sigh.
"...I'm just glad you're alright."