IEMOJ 44

Chapter 44

Allen couldn’t understand why he couldn’t find the cub in Jian Ning and Terry’s dormitory despite having stationed someone outside the exit and conducting a surprise inspection with the teachers.

Hearing that they hadn’t found anything, Fang Tian quickly defended himself, saying, “I really saw them; I’m not lying. Could it be that they hid them?”

The dorm room wasn’t that big, and they had already searched it thoroughly last night. Where else could they have hidden them? Unless… they had turned invisible.

Allen thought of this possibility and cursed himself for not bringing scanning equipment with him earlier.

Fang Tian suggested, “Should we take the teachers back to search again?”

Allen, irritated, replied, “It’s useless. They’re alert now, and they definitely won’t keep the young animal in the dormitory again. Even if we take the teachers back, we won’t find anything.”

Carter walked in and heard Allen’s frustrated voice. He asked with a smile, “Who’s upset our little Allen?”

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Gzzld oyp ryavknwzyazu qsde sq vbkp szela nswpkd. Tl zlyrle wr qasx vbl psqy okvb lmnkvlxldv. “Uswpkd, bso eke usw qkde vbl vkxl vs nsxl blal?”

Uyavla bye clld cwpu okvb vypjp yv vbl pkel sq vbl Uasod Vakdnl yde byed’v plld Gzzld pkdnl vbl Cwlld’p ckavbeyu cydiwlv.

“R’x sd y eyu sqq vseyu,” Uyavla lmrzykdle yp bl pyv esod sd vbl psqy dlmv vs bkx, tzydnkdt yv Wydt Mkyd. “Ebs’p vbkp?”

“Gzzld, xu xsx fwpv bkale y nssj. Mbkp kp bla psd, obs’p alprsdpkczl qsa tyaeld xykdvldydnl yde svbla see fscp. Uswpkd zkjlp nsqqll,” Gzzld lmrzykdle, pktdyzkdt qsa Wydt Mkyd vs ts vs vbl jkvnbld yde xyjl psxl nsqqll.

Uyavla pbkqvle bkp tygl qasx Wydt Mkyd yde ypjle Gzzld, “Ebs wrplv usw fwpv dso?”

Gzzld tawxczle kd qawpvayvksd, “Rv’p vbyv Kkyd Lkdt ytykd. Wydt Mkyd pyke bl pyo y qzukdt est ldvla bkp esaxkvsau, cwv zypv dktbv, R caswtbv vbl vlynblap qsa y plyanb, yde ol nswzed’v qkde y vaynl sq vbl uswdt ydkxyzp. Mblu xwpv byhl clld bkeeld cu bkx.”

“G qzukdt est?” Uyavla pllxle ellr kd vbswtbv. Tl srldle bkp nsxxwdknyvsa yde pbsole vblx y rknvwal. “Rp vbkp vbl sdl?”

Gzzld zlydle kd vs vyjl y zssj. Rd vbl rbsvs, y tayu est oyp nbypkdt yqvla y cwvvlaqzu sd y tayppu qklze.

Carter admitted, without concealing anything, “This was taken at Marshal Zong Ye’s residence.”

Security around Marshal Zong Ye’s home was tight, and they had lost several operatives and a secret outpost to obtain this picture.

Fang Tian set the coffee aside and examined the photo closely. He hesitated as he said, “It looks like it, but I’m not sure.”

The night had been dark, the lighting dim, and he had only seen a furry silhouette. It was challenging to confirm whether the dog he saw was the one in the photo.

“Marshal Zong Ye?” Allen was shocked. “You mean my cousin thinks that Jian Ning is secretly raising a young cub from Marshal Zong Ye’s house?”

Fang Tian, standing nearby, was also astonished. Marshal Zong Ye was the Empire’s War God. What was Jian Ning, just an ordinary student, doing with Marshal Zong Ye?

“It’s impossible,” Allen firmly denied. “Marshal Zong Ye’s status is on par with Shelley. What could Jian Ning possibly have to offer? How could Marshal Zong Ye be interested in him?”

“That Jian Ning is not so simple,” Carter said cryptically. He showed them another picture from his communicator, taken at the academy’s entrance. In the image, Jian Ning was stepping out of a hovercar. Through the half-open car window, the person in the driver’s seat was unmistakably Marshal Zong Ye.

Seeing the picture, Allen couldn’t deny it anymore. He found it hard to believe and unimaginable that Jian Ning had somehow gotten involved with Marshal Zong Ye.

Amid the shock, Fang Tian hesitated before saying, “I think I’ve seen him before.”

“Maybe, he’s been on the interstellar news, and that’s why you’ve seen him before,” Allen shrugged, not particularly surprised. Although Marshal Zong Ye kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public, he had made a few appearances in the news, so it wasn’t strange to have seen him.

“No,” Fang Tian shook his head, “I saw him on Blue Star.”

“Blue Star?” Allen and Carter exchanged puzzled glances. “Marshal Zong Ye has been to Blue Star?”

Blue Star was a remote and resource-poor planet, with no insectoid infestations. It seemed highly unlikely that Marshal Zong Ye would have any reason to visit.

“I don’t know if he’s been to Blue Star,” Fang Tian replied, “but when I saw him, he wasn’t a marshal. He was with my brother.”

“Maybe it’s just someone who looks like him,” he added, somewhat uncertain.

Carter showed interest and asked, “Can you tell us more about it?”

Fang Tian didn’t see any reason not to share the information. He nodded and began, “I’ve only met him twice, but both times were in the presence of my brother. The first time was when I saw them buying furniture on the street, and the second time was when I accidentally stumbled upon them in an alley, and Marshal Zong Ye was confronting an officer named Weiss, seemingly to protect my brother. The way he spoke and the aggressiveness of his actions not only left Weiss battered and frightened but also scared him away, warning him never to bother my brother again.”

Fang Tian also mentioned that their appearances were quite similar, except for differences in their spiritual powers. Carter couldn’t help but ask, “Can you tell us more about your brother and the man who looked like Marshal Zong Ye?”

Fang Tian cleared his throat and began, “I don’t know much about it either.”

He and Fang Ning were technically brothers, but they didn’t have much of a bond. From a young age, Fang Tian knew that he, along with his parents, were a family, and Fang Ning was the child of his father with someone else, an outsider. After kicking Fang Ning out of their home, they had little contact until Fang Tian’s mother returned one day, saying that Fang Ning was living with an unknown man.

Several months later, she returned with the news that Fang Ning’s mysterious companion had left him, and Fang Ning had given birth to a gray, mixed-breed dog puppy. Subsequently, Fang Ning had disappeared, and their lives took a drastic turn. Their family was persecuted, and Fang Tian couldn’t enter Saint Academy. Their family was pushed to the brink of ruin, and Fang Tian’s father was imprisoned, forcing Fang Tian to come to the Emperor Star to earn money.

As Fang Tian recounted this, he clenched his teeth with anger. His family raised Fang Ning to adulthood, and he not only failed to repay that kindness but also brought disaster to their family. It was Fang Ning’s fault that they ended up in such dire circumstances. Later, Fang Tian also mentioned how Officer Weiss was found, burned alive in Fang Ning’s house.

As he finished, Fang Tian’s voice was filled with resentment, especially toward Fang Ning, the person who his family raised and then betrayed them. He vowed that if he ever found Fang Ning, he wouldn’t let him escape justice.

Listening to Fang Tian’s account, Carter pieced the puzzle together. Given the timeline of Fang Ning’s presence with the man who looked like Marshal Zong Ye and his subsequent disappearance, it became increasingly clear that Jian Ning was indeed Fang Tian’s long-lost brother Fang Ning.

Fang Tian remained skeptical. “It’s impossible. Even if appearances can be disguised, what about their spiritual powers? My brother was just a D-ranker, without even the qualification to enter the Holy Star Academy.”

Allen chimed in, sharing the doubt. “Jian Ning’s spiritual power was a C-ranker when he first entered the academy, and it later rose to B-rank. If he’s truly Fang Tian’s brother, that would mean his spiritual power improved by two ranks. There’s no historical precedent for such a thing happening in the Empire.”

Carter, however, remained intrigued. “Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the future. Why don’t we find an opportunity to test this?”

Back in the guest room, the butler, Abel, noticed that today, Fei Yu seemed particularly cheerful, flying around the room and even humming a tune. He couldn’t help but ask, “What’s gotten you so happy today?”

“Hehehe,” Fei Yu happily replied as it settled on his shoulder, proudly stating, “Jian Ning kissed me!”

Abel was puzzled. “Why did Young Master Jian kiss you?”

Fei Yu flapped its wings proudly. “Because I helped Jian Ning out, and now, besides the young master, he likes me the most.”

“I should inform the master,” Fei Yu said, unable to contain his urge to share the news.

With that, Fei Yu flew energetically into Zong Ye’s room. Zong Ye had just returned from the military base and was preparing to get dressed. He didn’t even glance at Fei Yu and asked, “Is there something you need?”

“Somebody took the teachers to Jian Ning’s dormitory last night to look for the young master,” Fei Yu excitedly reported. “Thanks to my quick thinking, I spotted them in advance and helped the young master hide. They couldn’t find him.”

Zong Ye, who was putting on his clothes, didn’t lift his eyelids but replied, “Well done.”

Fei Yu was slightly annoyed by his casual praise and huffed, “Your attitude isn’t as good as Jian Ning’s.”

Zong Ye continued dressing and casually inquired, “How did Jian Ning praise you?”

Fei Yu, eager to show off, chimed, “Jian Ning kissed me. Twice!”

Zong Ye’s movements halted for a moment as he processed this information. He paused his movements.

Fei Yu continued, asking, “Has Jian Ning ever kissed you?” With a triumphant tone, Fei Yu added, “No, he hasn’t, right? Now, besides the young master, I’m his favorite.”

Fei Yu chatted excitedly, “I also like the young master and Ning Ning the most, of course, I also like the master and the steward. But you have to come after the young master and Ning Ning, and the master comes after the steward.”

Zong Ye watched it quietly for a moment and asked with a tone that didn’t reveal any emotion, “Where did Jian Ning kiss you?”

“Here and here.” Fei Yu shyly pointed to its round body, “She kissed me last night, and there’s still Ning Ning’s scent on top.”

Zong Ye pursed his thin lips, dressed methodically, reached out to grab Fei Yu, and headed to the bathroom.

“Hey, Master, why are you grabbing me?” Fei Yu couldn’t break free from Zong Ye’s palm. He saw Zong Ye walking to the sink, turning on the tap, and plunging it under the water.

Fei Yu screamed, “Ah, Ning Ning’s scent is gone!”

Zong Ye remained expressionless, increased the water flow, and used his slender fingers to vigorously wash the two places Fei Yu had just pointed to.