ASFTB 48: You Beastmen Have Such Good Physiques 1

Jian Chengxi felt like he wanted to shrink himself completely and find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

And not far from him, Li Lingfeng stepped forward and walked over. He seemed to have just come from the military headquarters, still wearing a silver-white armor. The midday sunlight fell on him, and the man’s cold and stern face looked so icy. His steps were steady and powerful, and his clean, stable military boots finally stopped right in front of Jian Chengxi.

The afternoon sunlight was still somewhat intense.

Jian Chengxi lifted his head and looked at him.

Li Lingfeng lowered his head and looked at him. His voice was deep and powerful. “Why didn’t you let the driver take you?”

He didn’t even ask him why he was here arguing with this woman.

Jian Chengxi hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth to answer, “Because I was on the way with the doctor, so I just decided to go together.”

Li Lingfeng slightly nodded, signaling that he understood, but still spoke, reminding him, “Next time, don’t casually get off when encountering random people.”

Jian Chengxi felt like laughing when he heard him describe Gu Jinman like that. He curled his lips, but in the end, he still covered up his smile. He wanted to laugh, not just because of this, but also because Li Lingfeng cared about his safety.

This was much more useful than any comforting words.

Gu Jinman leaned in. The woman looked a bit anxious and said, “What did you say? Am I just a random person?!”

Li Lingfeng heard her voice and glanced at her from the side.

Gu Jinman originally had a strong presence, but after meeting Li Lingfeng’s gaze, she instantly weakened a little.

Li Lingfeng’s body was tall and straight, and behind him stood a row of iron-armored soldiers who looked imposing, with a strong presence. He glanced at her from the side, his sharp, dark, and deep eyes carrying an invisible sense of pressure.

The words of insult that Gu Jinman was about to say were unconsciously caught in her throat.

Li Lingfeng looked at her. “What are you here for?”

It has been a long time, and this was Gu Jinman’s first time seeing her eldest son. She had watched Li Lingfeng grow up when he was little. A long time ago, she had been full of expectations for this eldest son. After all, he was her first son, how could she not love him!

Yet later, this son she had high hopes for gradually began to make her feel a little afraid.

Li Lingfeng’s overly indifferent personality even allowed him to personally strangle the beast that had once bitten him and always tried to bark at him. That afternoon, she stood outside the yard and saw her three-year-old son, expressionless, strangle the beast to death.

Fresh blood stained the child’s fair hand.

Those eyes showed no fear, nor any emotional fluctuations.

When Li Lingfeng looked at her, he seemed to have a look that wanted to be praised, and at that moment, she just wanted to run away.

That fear was planted in her heart.

Of course, she was unwilling to admit that this was her child.

Now, when she was looked at by Li Lingfeng again, she once again recalled her past feelings.

Gu Jinman’s voice was somewhat dull, the arrogance from before was no longer there. She stammered, “I heard you triumphed, your mother wants to come see you.”

Li Lingfeng’s voice was cold, “Is that so?”

Gu Jinman gently nodded. “Of course, you’re my son. How could I not worry about you…”

Li Lingfeng’s lips seemed to curl slightly—it was a cold smile. “Worried I didn’t die?”

Gu Jinman looked at him in shock, but when facing Li Lingfeng’s eyes, she became somewhat flustered and stammered, “Y–you, how could you think that? Of course not.”

Li Lingfeng looked down at her, as if he were looking at a stranger. “When you drove me out of the house all those years ago, didn’t you say that you regretted not strangling me to death when I was just born?”

Gu Jinman was choked up. She didn’t expect Li Lingfeng to have such a good memory.

From a long time ago, she had discovered that this child held grudges deeply and would repay even the smallest wrongs.

Li Lingfeng raised an eyebrow. “How come you’ve forgotten now?”

Gu Jinman said awkwardly, “That was just something I said in a moment of anger. How come you’re still so serious about it and taking it to heart? Actually, over the years, your mother has regretted abandoning you. So isn’t this why I came to find you immediately…”

Jian Chengxi couldn’t listen any longer.

“If you regret it, Madam, how come you only came now?” Jian Chengxi really wanted to laugh. “My general was almost at the age of thirty before he joined the army. After all these ten, twenty years, Madam, you were able to find your way here, but you can’t find someone in the Underground City?”

Gu Jinman was afraid when facing her son, but this didn’t mean she would also be afraid of Jian Chengxi.

Women who had lived comfortably in Sky City for years looked down the most on the so-called “defective products” of the Underground City, and this made her even more irritated. “Do you have any manners or upbringing? When did it become your place to meddle in matters between me and my child?”

Jian Chengxi seemed about to speak, but before he could say anything—

Li Lingfeng stepped forward, blocking his path. The man’s expression was cold and stern. “When did my wife ever need you to lecture him?”

Jian Chengxi looked at him, and for some reason, the natural way he said “my wife” made him feel something unusual in his heart.

Gu Jinman was taken aback and looked at Li Lingfeng in disbelief. “You’re speaking to me like this for the sake of an outsider?”

At this moment—

A figure suddenly ran over from a distance. A young man hurriedly approached, and supported Gu Jinman’s body. “Mom, mom, what’s wrong?”

Gu Jinman angrily held her forehead and covered her chest to calm her heartbeat.

The young man, somewhat urgently, patted her back. “Are you alright?”

Gu Jinman’s tears fell as she leaned on her younger son. “Wenchang, your brother no longer acknowledges me as his mother. I went through so much hardship to give birth to him back then!”

Li Wenchang raised his head and looked at Li Lingfeng.

This was also after so many years, the first time the two brothers met.

Jian Chengxi looked over from the side, and he realized that these two brothers didn’t look alike at all. Li Lingfeng had a more heroic appearance—the man had been battling outside for years and his skin was a healthy wheat color, while Li Wenchang was quite the opposite. He was pale and thin with a strong scholarly aura, looking especially like a frail scholar.

When Li Wenchang looked at Li Lingfeng, it was clear that he was also surprised.

He stood there for a long time without saying a word.

Li Lingfeng, listening to the woman’s somewhat harsh wailing, clearly grew tired of it. He spoke softly, almost like a command, “Take her away.”

Gu Jinman cried out even louder, “You heartless one, have you forgotten who gave birth to you…”

Li Wenchang, supporting his mother, also looked at Li Lingfeng with some disapproval and said, “Dage, after all these years, mother has had a very hard time. I know you’ve been troubled by the past, but if it weren’t for your disability, how could mother have been willing to abandon you all these years? Now that our whole family is reunited in Sky City, why must you care about those things!”

Li Lingfeng quietly listened to these words without showing the slightest change in expression.

Jian Chengxi, getting angrier from behind, moved forward. “Such unreasonable words—weren’t we not a family in the Underground City, but now we’re a family here?”

Li Wenchang said to him, “How can Sky City and Underground City be compared?”

“Why can’t it?” Jian Chengxi had had enough of these people. “Do the people living in Sky City have two more legs than us? Is so-called physical disability your excuse for abandoning a child?”

Gu Jinman straightened her back. She could be considered a noblewoman, but at this moment, she couldn’t hold back any longer and said, “The rules of Sky City and Underground City are set by the Emperor. Throughout history, children with disabilities have always been sent there. Why are you shouting here? Go take a look for yourself, aren’t they all like this? And I haven’t seen you speak up for justice one by one!”

Jian Chengxi listened to her confident words, and he couldn’t even imagine what expression Li Lingfeng would have behind him.

Even though he wasn’t Li Lingfeng himself, hearing such words made him feel a chill down his spine.

However—

Li Lingfeng looked at his young wife standing in front of him, his whole body trembling slightly, almost inaudibly. In his impression, Jian Chengxi was a very timid person. He never expected that at this moment, he would stand up and shield him in front.

Just as Li Lingfeng was about to speak—

“Just because everyone is like this, does that mean it’s right?” Jian Chengxi’s voice rang out clearly as he looked at Li Wenchang. “And you, the reason you can generously advise my general to not mind is because the one abandoned isn’t you. The knife didn’t fall on you, so of course, you don’t feel the pain!”

Gu Jinman protected her son. “What are you saying? My Wenchang is so outstanding, why would I abandon him?”

Jian Chengxi wasn’t afraid of her at all and immediately retorted, “Since Li Wenchang is so good, why aren’t you staying with your precious son? Why come looking for my general now?”

Gu Jinman was choked up, unable to respond. Her motives were exposed, making her even more furious. She was so angry that she stood up, about to strike. “How dare you speak to me like this?”

The hand she swung up was grabbed in mid-air.

Li Lingfeng easily restrained her, his gaze towards her was somewhat indifferent.

Gu Jinman only felt intense pain in her arm. At that moment, she felt as if her bones were about to break.

Li Wenchang immediately rushed forward and rescued her. “Mom!”

Gu Jinman’s tear marks were all over her face.

Li Wenchang supported his mother. He looked at his mother’s slightly swollen wrist, and was about to walk over to reason with Li Lingfeng, when soldiers from behind stepped forward with several gun barrels aimed at him.

Li Wenchang, frightened, took a half-step back.

Gu Jinman cried out behind, “Heavens, this is unreasonable, my own son doesn’t recognize me…”

Li Wenchang took half a step back but was tripped by a stone behind him.

A hint of embarrassment and anger appeared on his gentle face. He glared at Li Lingfeng and said, “You!”

A sharp knife cut through the air and the blade sliced across Li Wenchang’s face, striking dead center, embedding itself in the ground right in front of him with only an inch between it and his thigh.

All of Li Wenchang’s words were stuck in his throat.

Li Lingfeng’s face was cold and stern. He looked at the two people on the ground, his voice extremely cold and eerie as he spoke, “Go back immediately. I can pretend today’s incident never happened, if you come again next time…”

The air around them seemed to drop a few degrees because of this.

Li Lingfeng’s face was expressionless, but his words were not taken as a joke. “This knife will fall somewhere else.”

Thin streams of crimson blood fell down from his face.

All of Gu Jinman’s words were stuck in her throat. She lovingly cupped her son’s face in her hands, crying out, “How could you be so heartless. After all these years you haven’t changed at all, you could even lay your hands on your own younger brother. I was right all along, you are a heartless monster!”

Li Lingfeng’s expression grew colder, and he took a step forward.

Jian Chengxi, however, grabbed his hand.

Li Lingfeng glanced back at him, somewhat surprised.

Jian Chengxi gently shook his head and softly said, “Forget it…”

He didn’t want to let Li Lingfeng and his own mother have a falling-out, severing the bone and tendon. He understood that Li Lingfeng was the one who would suffer the most.

Who would have thought—

Li Wenchang blurted out without thinking, “Stop pretending to be the good person here, don’t think we didn’t investigate before we came. When my dage wasn’t home, weren’t you being fickle with men in the Underground City, unclear about your relationships? Didn’t you even abandon your child and run away in the end? If it weren’t for wanting to take advantage of my dage’s current power and influence, could you even be here?”

Jian Chengxi: “I…”

He was so angry that his whole body trembled.

Unfortunately, these things were indeed done by the original owner and he couldn’t refute it at all.

In the past, he thought there was no need to explain such things because he didn’t care at all.

Li Wenchang probably also thought that saying these words might cause a big problem, and after saying it, he became scared. He immediately supported his mother, not even bothering with the wound on his face, and limped away in a hurry.

The deputy general came over and said, “General, do you need me to send someone to watch them?”

Li Lingfeng gave a low command, “Watch them, deploy personnel here, and don’t let them appear in front of me again.”

The deputy general immediately replied, “Yes!”

This farce, at last, was finally over.

The people around watching the commotion gradually dispersed, leaving only the young couple still standing in place.

Jian Chengxi was still immersed in Li Wenchang’s words, unable to snap out of it.

Li Lingfeng’s voice suddenly came from above him, “What are you dazed for? Come over, I’ll take you to the Underground City.”

Jian Chengxi paused for a moment, then walked over to his side and said, “Aren’t you busy?”

Li Lingfeng walked beside him and spoke softly, “I’ve finished with the work.”

Jian Chengxi nodded.

He wanted to ask how he managed to come back so promptly, but in the end, he swallowed all his words.

The two of them boarded the warship, one after the other.

The warship was very large, and at this time, there were hardly any people around. Most of the soldiers had been assigned to watch over Li Wenchang and the other two.

Jian Chengxi sat beside Li Lingfeng.

Inside the warship, there was a brief moment of silence and peace.

Jian Chengxi wanted to turn around to pour a glass of water, but because he was distracted, he almost bumped into the cabinet behind him.

Li Lingfeng stood up and said, “What do you want?”

Jian Chengxi stammered, “Water…”

Li Lingfeng stood up and went to get him water. Jian Chengxi watched his back, somewhat lost in thought. After all, having a war god serve tea and pour water for him sounded indeed a little surreal.

Yet Li Lingfeng seemed not to mind any of this at all.

Jian Chengxi took the cup of water. His voice soft and light, “Thank you…”

Li Lingfeng walked to the side and sat down. “No need to thank me.”

Jian Chengxi looked at him in confusion.

Li Lingfeng sat in the main cabin’s seat and the man sat with a somewhat lazy posture. A cold light from inside the cabin fell on his face, and the man’s voice was low, “I should be thanking you.”

Jian Chengxi spoke up, “Thank me?”

“Mm.” Li Lingfeng glanced at him sideways and said slowly, “I’ve always seen you being polite to everyone, but when facing them today, you weren’t polite at all.”

When he spoke, his words were well-structured and coherent. Even he was somewhat surprised.

Jian Chengxi was momentarily taken aback. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he said softly, “That’s different.”

Li Lingfeng asked, “How is it different?”

Jian Chengxi replied, “Because they treated you badly. Of course, I wasn’t polite.”

…

The air in the cabin fell silent for a moment.

Li Lingfeng’s eyes grew dark and deep for a long while. The man looked at him deeply for a moment.

Jian Chengxi only realized after speaking that what he said sounded somewhat ambiguous, and he secretly glanced at Li Lingfeng.

Li Lingfeng said slowly, “Gu Jinman is someone with a very strong sense of revenge. Aren’t you afraid she’ll come to bother you?”

Jian Chengxi snorted lightly with a bit of pride. “What’s there to be afraid of? Aren’t you here? You’ll protect me.”

Li Lingfeng paused for a moment. The man’s lips seemed to curl slightly, and he said slowly, “Mm, after all, I love you so much.”

Jian Chengxi was choked up.

Suddenly, he remembered what he had said not long ago to anger Gu Jinman, but those words were overheard by the very person they were meant for.

His sense of shame wasn’t thick enough to remain indifferent, and at this moment, his face was red from his earlobes to his cheeks. His entire aura weakened significantly, and after holding back for a long time, he couldn’t utter a single word.

He was choked up for a long time, and when he finally looked up, he met Li Lingfeng’s eyes, which were filled with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Jian Chengxi: “…”

Ahhh!

I don’t want to live anymore!!

After the warship landed in the center of the Underground City, Jian Chengxi prepared to disembark.

Li Lingfeng spoke up, “I’ll have someone come to pick you up later.”

Jian Chengxi nodded, but then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he turned around to look at Li Lingfeng, wanting to say something but stopped himself.

Li Lingfeng asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jian Chengxi didn’t know where the courage came from, but he asked, “Didn’t you say you’ve finished with your work? Where are you going?”

Li Lingfeng’s movements paused for a moment, and the man’s gaze fell on him. He spoke in a low voice, “Do you want me to go with you?”

Jian Chengxi felt strangely exposed, as if his thoughts had been revealed. He stammered, “I, I was just asking.”

Li Lingfeng closed the document in his hand and stood up, saying, “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to stay with me any longer?”

The implication was—

You’ve always been the one wanting to stay away from me, and now you’re blaming me.

Jian Chengxi immediately rebutted, “I haven’t!”

Li Lingfeng quietly looked at him.

“Alright, maybe there was a bit before,” Jian Chengxi was quite honest, and quickly said, “Well, you also mentioned that Gu Jinman has a strong sense of revenge. What if she comes chasing after us later?”

After saying it, he himself thought the excuse sounded pretty weak.

After all, Gu Jinman was such a proud and arrogant person. How could she possibly be willing to come to a place like the Underground City?

However, Li Lingfeng just paused for a moment and didn’t expose him. The man spoke and said, “Let’s go.”

Jian Chengxi was stunned for a moment.

Li Lingfeng walked past him and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Jian Chengxi watched him walk past him. The wind outside was a bit strong today, and the man walked ahead of him, as if he were shielding him from most of the wind and rain, making him feel at ease.

Jian Chengxi’s eyelashes fluttered, and he followed.

The two of them disembarked from the warship together.

It had been several months since they last saw it, and the Underground City seemed to have hardly changed, except that the streets had become much cleaner and tidier.

Li Lingfeng asked him, “Where to?”

Jian Chengxi immediately replied, “I want to go check on my fruit.”

Li Lingfeng didn’t hesitate and walked towards the village.

The two of them arrived at the vegetable garden, one after the other. The fruit trees in the garden were growing quite well, but because the weather had been cold recently, they looked a bit wilted.

Standing under the fruit trees, the chilly wind blew by, and Jian Chengxi shivered.

Before he had a chance to rub his arms, a warm coat fell over his head. It carried Li Lingfeng’s body warmth and scent, and blocked all the cold from the outside—it was very warm.

Jian Chengxi turned back unexpectedly to look at him and softly asked, “Aren’t you cold, General?”

He gave him his own outer robe.

Li Lingfeng spoke softly, “The temperature difference in the Black Hole of the Zerg Nest is huge day and night. It’s much colder than this.”

Jian Chengxi warmed up himself, then lowered his head and took Li Lingfeng’s hand, rubbing it gently and blowing on it softly. He spoke in a soft voice, “How can it be the same? The hardships we faced before were unavoidable, but those are long gone. If we can avoid suffering, we’ll do so.”

His warm little hand had some trouble holding the large palm.

Li Lingfeng, however, seemed somewhat lost in thought for no apparent reason.

He was someone used to hardship and it seemed that enduring hardship had become a normal part of his life.

In fact, he had long since gotten used to this kind of life.

Ever since he was young and was driven out of his home, his life had been destined to be lonely and bitter after all.

This was the first time someone had said to him, “Enduring hardship was unavoidable before, but it will be different from now on.”

Even his mother said—

From the past until now, it has always been like this, so why be upset about it?

Only his little wife said, “Just because it has always been this way, does that mean it’s right?”

Li Lingfeng’s thoughts were complex and gentle. He lowered his head and looked at Jian Chengxi, who appeared slightly afraid of the cold. He raised his hand to gently tuck Jian Chengxi’s slightly messy hair behind his ear, and whispered, “I’m not cold.”

Jian Chengxi felt somewhat envious of his tall frame. “Really? You beastmen have such good physiques.”

Elves are different.

This broken body hurts just from bumping or touching.

Li Lingfeng spoke, “The winters in the empire are very cold. I’ll find a planet with spring-like weather all year round for you to live on in the future.”

He was talking about finding a planet for them.

Jian Chengxi didn’t notice this detail and simply looked up and asked, “Are there really planets like that?”

Li Lingfeng said, “The universe is vast, there will be such planets.”

“That’s great!” Jian Chengxi said, somewhat excited, but he quickly calmed down. “But that won’t work. Our child is still in school and we can’t just move randomly. The general also has so many soldiers to take care of. If we go to that planet, wouldn’t everything get messed up?”

Li Lingfeng said in a low voice, “I’ll take care of it.”

Jian Chengxi nodded and said, “Alright then. Actually, I’m fine going anywhere.”

As long as there are family members by his side, he doesn’t care about anything.

He, being an orphan since childhood, was separated from his family early on. He later lived with his grandmother, relying on each other, but his grandmother passed away after only a few years.

Jian Chengxi had always lived a life of depending on others, moving from one relative’s home to another.