Chapter 43: Serious nonsense

In truth, not all of Wip’s words were false—he was indeed more patient than most. Since the accident aboard the Yong An Warship, he had ordered searches for Moore and the others while simultaneously investigating the situation on Lungu Star, focusing especially on the black wolf Moore had mentioned before the incident.

Yet, like everyone else, Wip failed to find the black wolf, a mystery that left him puzzled. Unlike the others, however, he never gave up.

This persistence was something Ji Feng had not anticipated. On the very day he returned to Lopa with Moore, Ji Feng already carried a plan in his heart, and that night he deliberately sought out Wip.

He had long been confused about what kind of scheme could compel a man of Wip’s stature to marry his beloved son to someone as disreputable as Ji Feng. The question gnawed at him.

It was only when Lungu Star Cave revealed the handwriting left behind by a powerful cultivator in the tribulation stage that Ji Feng suddenly realized the truth: perhaps the world was not ignorant of cultivation after all. Remembering Wip’s inexplicable behavior and strange expressions, Ji Feng became almost certain that Wip knew something about him.

That night, Ji Feng approached Wip with a hint of temptation. His suspicions proved correct, though Wip was far too cunning, choosing instead to go along tacitly, steering the situation to his advantage.

Beyond the mastermind behind the conspiracy, the true reason the five planets clung to the matter was their desire for the secrets discovered within the cave. Their excuse for leverage was the issue of memory loss, which immediately made Ji Feng think of the black wolves capable of interfering with signals.

With his unique spiritual power, Ji Feng realized he could manipulate this situation without being detected. He therefore asked Wip to capture a black wolf so that he could present it to the others himself.

Yet the black wolf was nowhere to be found on Lungu Star, a fact that caught Ji Feng off guard.

After his initial surprise, Ji Feng quickly recalled that the once-glorious Lungu Star had been destroyed a thousand years ago. Since then, it had become a forbidden and mysterious existence. Even in a world of advanced technology, little was truly known about Lungu Star.

The black wolves they encountered had never been discovered by any planet in the past thousand years, so why had so many appeared after their arrival?

Recalling the black wolves rushing from the cave, Ji Feng frowned. Why had such a large number never been detected before? It seemed unreasonable—unless they had never appeared until now.

What, then, had caused their sudden emergence?

Ji Feng reviewed the details of the moment they reached Lungu and the attack began. With his mental power and sharp awareness, he should have sensed the wolves long.

He had never understood this before, until he reconsidered the nature of the black wolves. Their bodies resembled hard crystals, devoid of any soul. What if they were not separate creatures at all, but rather an extension of Lungu itself?

The black wolves were part of Lungu Star itself, much like the rocks that formed Shishan Mountain. If that were true, their absence for more than a thousand years suddenly made sense.

Ji Feng’s failure to notice their approach also had a reasonable explanation. The wolves that emerged from the cave suggested they had been within it all along, hidden until that moment.

After piecing these thoughts together, Ji Feng’s mind grew clear. There had to be a reason for their sudden appearance, and the most direct cause seemed to be the group’s arrival. Yet if human presence alone had triggered them, then later investigators should have been able to draw them out as well. Clearly, that was not the case.

Before the wolves appeared, they had remained in the cave for at least twenty minutes. During that time, nothing unusual occurred except for the discovery of the ancient Earth Star writings. If the wolves had been provoked by instruments or equipment, they would not have waited so long.

After careful reflection, Ji Feng arrived at only one possibility: someone had accidentally touched something that was never meant to be disturbed.

The cave had once been the dwelling of a powerful cultivator during the Tribulation Period thousands of years ago. Ji Feng could think of no explanation other than the spiritual power released by a magical artifact.

After reflecting on this, Ji Feng poured a vast amount of spiritual energy into a spiritual power orb and handed it to Wip, carefully sealing it.

As expected, Wip used the orb to summon the black wolf, confirming Ji Feng’s suspicions.

Someone must have unintentionally encountered an object belonging to that ancient cultivator. The spiritual power it released had drawn the black wolf, and when Ji Feng revealed his own strength, his energy unconsciously attracted even more of them.

From this, Ji Feng realized that he might still need to return to Lungu Star.

Of course, this was a plan for the future. Ji Feng had not expected Wip to be so cooperative. Not only had he captured the black wolf, but he had also worked with Ji Feng calmly, seamlessly, and even managed to involve Rad along the way.

It was brilliantly executed.

Perhaps because they had spent so much time together, or perhaps because Ji Feng had begun paying more attention to him without realizing it, Moore noticed the look on Ji Feng’s face. He was certain Ji Feng knew something.

Moreover, no one understood the true cause of the others’ amnesia better than Moore. Could Rad’s sudden suffering have been because of Ji Feng?

Moore’s suspicious gaze made Ji Feng tilt his head toward him and blink innocently, as though silently asking what was wrong.

Ji Feng stood half a step behind Moore. Moore turned his head slightly, lowering his voice as he began, “Did Rad just now…”

His eyes remained fixed forward as he spoke, but Ji Feng leaned closer from behind, pressing his lips near Moore’s ear and whispering a soft “hush” before he could finish.

Ji Feng’s breath brushed against the roots of Moore’s ear and drifted into his nose, sending a faint shiver through him. Moore instinctively tilted his head back, locking eyes with Ji Feng.

At that moment, Ji Feng was already watching him, a trace of amusement in his gaze. His eyes seemed to say that Moore’s suspicions were correct. The unspoken intimacy struck Moore unexpectedly, leaving him unsettled.

“I’ll explain it to you when we get home,” Ji Feng murmured, his voice low and intimate. A smile lingered at the corners of his mouth—the kind of smile visible only from Moore’s angle.

Moore instinctively wanted to shrink back, but he restrained himself. Instead, he quickly turned his head forward again, humming softly. A faint blush may have crossed his cheeks, though Ji Feng did not notice, his attention already shifting back to Wip.

Wip, however, was far from pleased. By chance, his eyes fell on Moore just as Ji Feng leaned close to whisper in his ear.

For any ordinary couple, the scene would have been natural. But when one of them was his son—renowned for his icy demeanor—the sight became strange and almost unbelievable.

Wip’s emotions churned, a mix of flavors he could not untangle. He quickly averted his gaze, pretending he had seen nothing.

“I believe I need not say more,” Wip declared coldly. “You should be able to imagine the consequences if such a thing were to appear on the planet we inhabit. And if this matter were ever exploited by someone with ill intent, it would become a disaster the entire universe would face.”

Wip’s words rang out, firm and commanding. For a moment, the representatives of the five planets were left speechless, their scalps tingling as they recalled the scene that had just unfolded.

Yet not everyone was willing to concede. After all, they had plotted for so long, and the man standing before them was none other than one of Lopa’s own.

Xu Yaohui, relieved after confirming that Rad was unharmed, finally spoke once the five planets had been shaken. “Major General Moore is the finest SSS-level soldier in Lopa. I believe he possesses a will far beyond that of ordinary men. But what about him?”

Xu Yaohui pointed toward Ji Feng, who stood behind Moore. “How strong can an ordinary man without any training be? He cannot possibly be stronger than Lieutenant General McGee of Moser. Marshal Wip, why don’t you explain this?”

The representatives of the other five planets immediately found the argument convincing. “Yes, isn’t the major general’s husband just a weak scholar?”

“No matter how strong his will may be, he cannot surpass a lieutenant general. That makes no sense.”

To them, so-called experts and scholars who spent their days buried in research were nothing more than useless academics. In their eyes, eight or nine out of ten were weaklings, inferior even to ordinary soldiers. To imagine one stronger than a lieutenant general—or even a major general—was unthinkable.

Moore’s face darkened. He wondered why some people never understood the meaning of restraint. It was absurd: the five planets had long accused Lopa of hiding a secret, and now that the secret had been revealed, Lopa’s own people refused to accept it. The irony was bitter.

Wip sneered openly, preparing to respond, but before he could speak, Ji Feng stepped forward.

“This question,” Ji Feng said calmly, “I may be able to explain.”

Dozens of eyes turned toward him, including Moore’s and Wip’s. For a brief moment, Wip’s gaze flickered with surprise.

Clearly, none of this had been planned.

“Oh? And how do you explain it?” Xu Yaohui asked with a condescending tone, as though Ji Feng were too insignificant to speak on such an occasion.

Ji Feng ignored him. Instead, he slowly drew a crystal-clear, emerald-green bead from his pocket.

At that moment, aside from Moore—who had seen the object before—everyone’s eyes widened in confusion. They had no idea what it was or how it related to Ji Feng’s lack of memory. Some even suspected that the major general’s husband had lost his mind.

“What are you doing?” Xu Yaohui demanded, frowning.

“Admiral, don’t worry. Please hear me out,” Ji Feng replied calmly, holding the bead he had crafted himself. “I found this in the cave.”

The others remained bewildered, while Moore twitched the corners of his mouth, fighting the urge to turn away from Ji Feng’s serious nonsense.

Truly, Ji Feng was dangerous when serious—and even more dangerous when not—because he looked most serious when he was not.

“You found it?”

“Yes, I found it.”

“Do you even recognize this thing? What use does it have?”

“I don’t recognize it,” Ji Feng admitted. “But I suspect it may be the reason my memory was preserved.”

“Nonsense! That’s absurd. It looks like a child’s toy. You claim it can resist the brain attacks of the terrifying black wolf? Why didn’t you say this before?”

“I hadn’t thought of it,” Ji Feng answered earnestly, even with a hint of irritation. “It was only when I saw His Highness Rad’s pained expression that I suddenly remembered.”

…

The answer was, in its own way, impeccable.

Ji Feng went on to explain that when the incident struck, many had been devoured until nothing remained. Moore had been beside him, and together they had escaped the cave unharmed. They had no idea why the signal had been restored, nor that the survivors had lost their memories. They had simply rushed out—and in doing so, discovered others still alive, whom they carried out with them.

“So you saved them?” Moser asked on behalf of Tedan, his voice heavy with emotion, for Ji Feng’s account clearly implied this.

“If my guess is correct,” Ji Feng continued seriously, “then it was this bead that saved them—along with Moore and myself.”

Moore: …Forget it. Let him say what he wants.

Wip: …I don’t understand. What is he trying to do?

Everyone: …He seems to be playing us all for fools.

The author has something to say:

Moore: What are you doing again!

Old season: Be good, go home, and I will tell you