In an instant it felt as if he had crossed to the edge of ti and space — everything around him broke into points of light and rushed away, then little by little light began to gather around, forming stars. It was like standing inside the Milky Way: star-clusters were born and then vanished before Zhao Le’s eyes.
If soone had told him words like that before, Zhao Le’s first reaction would have been to think they were crazy — but now he had no such doubt.
He had co, he appeared, and Zhao Le already believed it… There truly were people who could break the perceptual barriers of ordinary beings.
Zhao Le felt both ecstatic and sorrowful; as the starry river glittered he gradually cald.
Luo Qiu did not hide the admiration in his eyes. Hands folded behind him, he stood in that glittering world — not to show off, but because taking the altar ant stepping onto a higher-dinsional plane above billions of stars. What one saw and thought there gradually detached from mortal concerns and naturally ford this aura.
Boss Luo was by nature approachable and only showed this side when necessary. Only beings like the True Dragon of Divine Land or Nan Xiaonan — whose essence no sub-world could constrain — could, with increasing contact, perceive this true extraordinariness.
Zhao Le hadn’t reached a level to fully grasp it; at best he was an ordinary mortal whose sight, knowledge, and wisdom were limited by his body, though his mind wasn’t constrained by those limits.
As idealists say: a great mind can contain everything — imagination is infinite.
Unfortunately imagination, though infinite, is trapped in the human body. Human bodily developnt is only a tiny slice of the world’s existence; such a shell can’t truly bear boundless thought, which is why limits exist — the first shackles of humanity.
At this mont Zhao Le vaguely touched that human limit and encountered the first shackle holding human developnt back.
It wasn’t that Zhao Le had suddenly gained supernatural power or that his body changed — not even his thoughts differed from a mont before. What changed was the innermost kernel of humanity, that final portion after 99.999% of the genetic map — the core of another sub-world soul-engineering.
A simple display of power could transform a soul to this degree… Before Luo Qiu arrived he already knew Zhao Le’s soul quality was relatively high, but that a single contact would trigger such a transformation was surprising.
Yet this unpredictability is part of the joy of soul-change, and one reason Boss Luo was addicted to it: in a black-and-white worldview, the instant gray shatters and produces a brilliant glassy light, even a fraction of a mont is enough to illuminate everything.
What is this feeling like?
Roughly: when you’re lancholy and despairing, thinking everything is aningless, dull and silent, unable to see the way forward — like a lone boat on a bitter sea — then you look up and suddenly see the starry river blazing. That mont rekindles the fire in your heart.
These sparks are what Luo Qiu needs.
…
“W…why ?”
Having passed through confusion and excitent, vaguely aware that he had undergone an incredible change but trapped by the limit he could not fully interpret, Zhao Le felt so loss — yet he had not forgotten the other person’s presence… the man was still waiting for his answer.
Zhao Le was cautious by nature; he weighed consequences and reasons before acting. So might call him timid, hesitant, overly prudent. But that was how he should live: it’s worse to have great ambitions but lack talent, to be lost in self-woven dreams singing of reckless forward charge, not realizing that a sharp sword can wound both others and oneself.
Seeing Zhao Le, Luo Qiu’s joy rolled like tides. In a satisfied voice he said slowly, “That day when Dong Shaofeng and the others humiliated you, you held the silver gun and felt murderous intent, but you didn’t truly kill. When Dong Shaofeng was in danger, you saved him — proving you keep benevolence in your heart. Later, when Dong Shaofeng invited you, you rejected stepping into the transcendent world without hesitation, willingly remaining ordinary just to protect family. You love your sister, not with twisted possessiveness but with true filial love. When the police found you, you could have used prearranged ans to save yourself, but you still harbored the wish to help ‘Mr. Blank.’ You ignored scorn and ridicule for what you believed in… though young, you experienced family break-up early and didn’t give up; you cherished family more. Born ordinary, you worked hard and got into a prestigious university. You are kind and resolute, self-disciplined, never straying. Your life saw great ups and downs, yet you never abandoned hope for the future. Fate closed many doors for you, but you walked forward, swallowing sorrow and never losing yourself…”
Hearing Luo Qiu’s gentle words, Zhao Le felt grief well up; his eyes blurred with tears.
He, too, had wanted to cry out loud, to find support when helpless. He had been prematurely mature — if life hadn’t forced him, who would so quickly abandon youthful recklessness and freedom?
Luo Qiu finally said softly, “Since fate closed windows for you, then I… will open one.”
Luo Qiu smiled and reached out.
In the cell, Zhao Le knelt and cried, releasing years of sorrow.
People are born to cry a few tis; it’s not affectation. Like great joy when you look to the sky, or great sorrow where even without words the tears fall.
Luo Qiu stayed with him until the sobbing subsided.
“My sister…” Zhao Le slowly lifted his head, still worried.
Luo Qiu smiled, “I promised — I’ll give her a lifeti of peace and happiness.”
Zhao Le breathed deeply, nodded, eyes firm: “I agree.”
Like a golden scale fish not ant for the pond, eting a storm it becos a dragon. There are many golden scales in the world; when the next storm will blow is unknown.
…
The police began tracking a man nad Zhu Jianqiang. On the day in the factory they surrounded ‘Mr. Blank,’ but he escaped and no one was killed.
Everything returned to its previous track.
Zhou Yusheng, who had tried to forget the pain of losing his son, after a day’s exhaustion suddenly rembered sothing important. He drove in a hurry to the airport.
Zhou Yusheng’s ex-wife and Chen Mingming were waiting at security. Seeing Zhou Yusheng rush in, pale and exhausted, his ex-wife’s expression was complex — though a successful, independent woman, soft spots remained. Knowing this might be the last ti they saw each other, they exchanged a look.
“I heard you had an operation this afternoon. Pretty dangerous… are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Didn’t I co?” Zhou Yusheng managed a faint smile.
She sighed. “From now on, take care of yourself. Don’t forget to eat.”
Zhou Yusheng fell silent a mont, then suddenly lunged forward and held his ex-wife tightly. “I’ll eat — you cook for . Don’t leave.”
She was startled, but recent days had left dreams of ordinary shared life with this man — small dostic scenes — trembling inside her. She tried to push him away, but couldn’t. Anger rose: “Let go!!”
“Marry again!” Zhou Yusheng pressed, both domineering and earnest. “Or I’ll take you back and charge you with abandoning your husband!”
“Zhou Yusheng, you bastard!!!”
In front of the security checkpoint, the woman hit, cursed, and kicked the man again and again until he was covered in bruises. Then, biting her lip and steeling herself, she turned around and walked straight into the security gate.
Chen Mingming, who had been silently watching all along, suddenly walked up to his mother, snatched the plane ticket from her hand, and tore it to shreds.
“Mingming, you—”
“Go. Wait for to co back.”
Chen Mingming firmly pushed his mother toward Zhou Yusheng, then quickly walked into the security checkpoint.
Zhou Yusheng still didn’t understand what his son ant, but instinctively wrapped his arms around his ex-wife.
The ex-wife let out a heavy sigh, looked at Zhou Yusheng, and said through gritted teeth, “You’ve ruined my whole life!”
…
After passing through security, Chen Mingming saw Miss Maid from the club waiting to receive him.
Miss Maid spoke in her usual businesslike tone. “You’re only a probationary candidate for a Black Soul Envoy. You haven’t completed a single transaction yet—no achievents. This counts as an advance paynt, which will later be deducted from your earnings.”
Chen Mingming nodded. Though he couldn’t match that person’s calm composure, his nature was always rather indifferent. “Can achievents buy a chance to co back?”
“Achievents can buy many things,” Miss Maid said with a faint smile. “They can even buy an entirely new life.”
“Then let’s go.” Chen Mingming took a deep breath. Once he made a decision, he never regretted it.
…
Zhang Xiaoqin ca to see Zhao Le.
He hadn’t been released—she had co to the place where he was detained.
Zhang Xiaoqin already knew what had happened. Through the glass divider, holding the phone receiver in her trembling hand, she pressed her palm against the glass, as if trying to touch her brother’s face.
“How could you be so foolish…”
“Sis, wait for to co out, okay?” Zhao Le pressed his hand against the glass as well and said softly, “Take good care of yourself, or I’ll feel bitter inside.”
Zhang Xiaoqin had attempted suicide once. When she finally pulled herself together, she learned to be strong. Now, though grief filled her heart, seeing the hopeful look in Zhao Le’s eyes, she forced herself to smile through tears and nodded.
Visiting ti wasn’t long—it was the rule.
Reluctantly, Zhang Xiaoqin was escorted away. Her movents were still slow, and when she almost stumbled on the stairs, a police officer reached out to steady her.
“Officer Lin?”
“Miss Zhang.”
It wasn’t just helping—he had practically caught her in his arms. Once she regained her balance, Zhang Xiaoqin subtly pulled away from Lin Feng’s hold.
Lin Feng scratched his head and suddenly said, “Miss Zhang, I know a few prosecutors. Maybe they could help Zhao Le. Want to introduce them?”
“Really?” Zhang Xiaoqin’s face lit up with joy.
Seeing her smile for the first ti since she arrived, Lin Feng felt his heart stir—like seeing a single red bloom among thousands of purples. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Let take you ho.”
…
From the hallway, Zhao Le frowned slightly at the scene unfolding below, almost wanting to shout. But he knew neither Zhang Xiaoqin nor Lin Feng could see him. He sighed deeply.
Turning to the man beside him—his current boss, Luo Qiu—he couldn’t help asking, “Is this the happiness you promised my sister?”
Luo Qiu smiled faintly. “It’s just a seed. Sothing she nurtures herself will feel more real than what’s simply given. Your sister would’ve lived to sixty-eight, but her later years would have been spent bedridden. I added twenty more healthy years for her. If you wish, you can buy her more in the future.”
Watching Lin Feng carefully support Zhang Xiaoqin down the stairs, Zhao Le suddenly felt as though the man beside her was himself.
He thought about all the monts they’d shared—the despair, her attempt at suicide, and how she eventually beca strong again. She was no weaker than he was. Now, with his boss’s promise, her future would be smoother. His heart felt at peace.
He said nothing more, only watched as the two figures disappeared from sight.
“When can I officially start work?” Zhao Le asked seriously.
Luo Qiu smiled. “Impatient already?”
Zhao Le nodded, already planning ahead. “Once I enter your shop, I’m no longer free. But my sister will probably visit often. If I don’t work hard to earn achievents, how will I afford the ti to see her?”
“No rush,” Luo Qiu replied with a smile. “The first few visits are free.”
Zhao Le looked at him, then suddenly bowed deeply.
(End of Chapter)
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