OVPBM 27 Part 1

Chapter 27 – “I Have Done Many Wrong Things.”

Chu Xuanzhou did not tell anyone that his mental power had already awakened.

After returning to Planet Cangrui, the experiments continued.

As the machine’s output kept rising, a blinding deep-blue light engulfed the entire examination table. 

The shifting blue glow fell upon Chu Xuanzhou’s long hair, drifting across it like ripples dancing in the deep sea.

At this moment, he should have been in unbearable agony. Yet he opened his eyes with a calm expression.

His powerful mental core completely shielded him from the disruptor. In those beautiful violet eyes, there was not the slightest hint of pain.

Chu Xuanzhou paused for a moment, silently calculating the duration of the experiment in his heart.

After an unknown stretch of time, the young man closed his eyes again and began to release his mental power in a slow, controlled flow.

Hiding it for long was not a solution. Chu Xuanzhou was attempting to fabricate the illusion that his mental power was awakening gradually.

“Abnormality detected in test subject!”

“Scanning mental power…”

In that very instant, the cold mechanical announcement echoed throughout the laboratory.

“Mental power?” Sitting before the instrument, Song Feiyan froze for a second before abruptly rising to his feet and walking toward the examination table.

—He had just seen it clearly. The instrument had detected Chu Xuanzhou’s mental power!

Although it was only 4%, almost negligible, compared to the earlier state of stillness, like water without the slightest ripple, it was nothing short of a qualitative transformation.

Seeing this, the assistant sent by Lu Yunwan immediately transmitted the news to the Regent.

* * *

It was two o’clock in the middle of the night. Lu Yunwan had just lain down to sleep when he received the message from the staff.

Still groggy at first, he snapped fully awake the instant he saw the words “Chu Xuanzhou” and “mental power awakening.”

Without a second thought, Lu Yunwan threw on a black overcoat and hurried toward the laboratory.

The moment the hatch opened, he saw the experiment had already concluded. The blinding deep blue light was slowly fading, and the youth dressed in a white lab coat gradually opened his eyes.

Under the faint pale blue glow, Chu Xuanzhou’s complexion appeared especially poor.

Song Feiyan was looking down at the detailed experimental report.

After the brief surge of delight at the experiment’s phased success faded, he suddenly felt that something in the data seemed off…

However, lacking comparable data for reference, Song Feiyan could not yet pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

When Lu Yunwan entered the chamber, Song Feiyan merely cast him a casual glance before refocusing on the data.

On the other side of the laboratory, upon seeing Lu Yunwan approach, the already unfocused violet eyes of Chu Xuanzhou struggled to sharpen, finally settling on Lu Yunwan.

“Your Excellency…” the young man murmured unconsciously.

“Your Highness, how are you feeling?” Lu Yunwan quickly walked to the side of the experimental platform. Instead of looking at the data, he gently took Chu Xuanzhou’s hand.

Song Feiyan’s methods were, after all, somewhat intense. Lu Yunwan was deeply worried that something might happen to the protagonist.

Lu Yunwan slowly sat down beside the experimental platform and, just as he had during the very first experiment, placed a tender kiss upon the youth’s fingertips.

As he moved, the heavy overcoat slipped from his shoulders, tugging at his night robe and revealing a section of his pale, cool-toned neck. Yet Lu Yunwan paid it no mind.

In truth, Chu Xuanzhou did not feel any excess sensation at all. But upon hearing Lu Yunwan’s voice, he still recalled the sensations from previous experiments and forced a smile through clenched teeth.

Though his bloodline had already awakened during the days when Lu Yunwan had fallen into unconsciousness, he still, like a merman in the midst of awakening, instinctively leaned on the human before him.

“It hurts…” The youth squeezed the word out from between his teeth.

The pain seemed to strip him of consciousness. Drawn by impulse, Chu Xuanzhou moved closer to Lu Yunwan.

His silver-white curls, long enough to reach his waist, slipped from his shoulders with the motion. Before Lu Yunwan could react, the merman turned to the side and tightly embraced him.

Lu Yunwan could feel the youth’s body trembling slightly, as if from pain.

According to the persona he was meant to maintain, when the person he liked suddenly embraced him, Lu Yunwan should have returned the hug with even greater fervor.

But unfortunately, he was seated right at the edge of the examination table. The young man turned slightly and just happened to wrap his arms tightly around his waist.

Warm breath penetrated through the fabric of his clothing and brushed against his skin.

Lu Yunwan: !!!

Having been forced awake moments earlier, Lu Yunwan was now completely alert.

Compared to merfolk, humans were naturally slender in build, and Lu Yunwan was downright stick-thin.

Only a thin layer of muscle covered his waist, without the slightest bit of excess fat. It was so slender it was almost alarming.

Chu Xuanzhou felt as though, with just a little more force, he could snap that waist in two…

As they embraced, the human’s warm body heat seeped through to him. Along with it came a faint fragrance. Chu Xuanzhou could not help but secretly inhale.

A strange tranquility settled over Chu Xuanzhou’s heart.

In stark contrast, Lu Yunwan did not even dare breathe.

Chu Xuanzhou’s forehead brushed lightly against Lu Yunwan’s body, and the human in his arms trembled before he could stop himself.

This time, Lu Yunwan’s reaction was especially obvious, and Chu Xuanzhou, who was holding him tightly, noticed it as well.

Just moments ago, Lu Yunwan had made a discovery so despairing it nearly crushed him: the original host shared the same fatal weakness as himself, one utterly unbefitting the lofty status of “the Regent”!

—He was extremely ticklish.

And the place Chu Xuanzhou was holding just happened to be the ticklish spot at Lu Yunwan’s waist.

Lu Yunwan exhausted all his strength to fight the urge to push Chu Xuanzhou away the instant he had leaned in.

He drew in a deep breath and slowly patted Chu Xuanzhou’s shoulder. “Your Highness, let go of me.”

His voice was slightly hoarse. As he spoke, he finally could not help but press his hand firmly against Chu Xuanzhou’s shoulder, trying to remind the youth to release him.

But the merman who had seemingly lost consciousness in pain appeared to have shut out the entire outside world.

Not only did Chu Xuanzhou show no intention of loosening his hold, but he even tightened his grip on the fabric at Lu Yunwan’s lower back.

The raw strength of a merman was something humans could never rival.

In that instant, Lu Yunwan felt even more clearly that, with the awakening of his bloodline, Chu Xuanzhou’s arms had grown stronger than before.

Lu Yunwan pressed his fingers hard against Chu Xuanzhou’s forearm. A cold, firm, and finely textured sensation traveled up from his fingertips.

In just a few seconds, Lu Yunwan’s fingers went numb and began to ache, yet not the slightest mark was left on Chu Xuanzhou’s arm.

Seeing this, Lu Yunwan not only gained a more direct understanding of the difference in strength between humans and merfolk, he even developed a strange illusion. What he was pressing did not feel like the body of a living being at all, but like a cold stone statue.

Noticing Lu Yunwan’s movement, Chu Xuanzhou finally pretended to have just regained consciousness and slowly loosened his arms.

His gaze gradually cleared.

“Your Excellency?” the young man called.

At once, Lu Yunwan stood and stepped back half a pace, bending to pick up the overcoat that had fallen to the floor before straightening beside the examination table.

Finally!

“Congratulations, Your Highness.” Lu Yunwan let out a breath of relief.

While slowly regulating his breathing, he smiled at Chu Xuanzhou and said, “The machine has detected fluctuations in your mental power. From now on, you can pilot a mecha and learn to use your mental power to kill your enemies.”

One of Lu Yunwan’s hands hung at his side while the other rose unhurriedly to smooth his collar.

His movements were supremely elegant, as though the one who had just resisted that embrace had not been him at all.

The black overcoat settled once more over his slightly slender shoulders. Lu Yunwan concealed his weakness and resumed being the powerful and unfathomable Regent.

He slowly bent down to tidy Chu Xuanzhou’s slightly mussed hair, then leaned close to his ear and said softly, “Congratulations, Your Highness. You are one step closer to securing our deal.”

At his words, a faint trace of resistance appeared on Chu Xuanzhou’s face, and his long brows drew together slightly.

It seemed he was not particularly interested in what Lu Yunwan had said.

Seeing this, alarm bells immediately rang in the Regent’s heart.

In the original novel, Chu Xuanzhou had endured bullying and scorn. During his exile, he had been forced to learn how to use his mental power as quickly as possible.

But the young man before him was completely different. Having experienced none of that, this Chu Xuanzhou seemed to have little interest in learning how to wield mental power.

That would not do!

Lu Yunwan, who had originally planned to send Chu Xuanzhou to the Imperial Military Academy, immediately changed his mind.

He walked slowly to Chu Xuanzhou’s side and lightly lifted the youth’s chin with his index finger.

“Your Highness, stay by my side. I will teach you how to use your power… and how to complete our deal,” Lu Yunwan said near his ear, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Just as Lu Yunwan had once declared, ever since he learned to pilot a mecha, he had never lost a single match or war.

Many across the interstellar realm said that Lu Yunwan was a man without weakness.

Yet in the very next second, he smiled and asked Chu Xuanzhou, “Do you not wish to know my weakness?”

“I permit you to become the first in the entire interstellar realm to defeat me.” Lu Yunwan turned and pressed a light kiss to Chu Xuanzhou’s earlobe. Soft black hair brushed against the young man’s neck, bringing a faint tingling sensation. Then, as if murmuring a spell, he added, “I know you will not miss this opportunity.”

“Am I right?”

As though bewitched, Chu Xuanzhou gave a slight nod.

It was the most honest moment he had had all day.

Lu Yunwan smiled and walked unhurriedly to the experimental instruments to examine the data.

On the examination table, the young man closed his eyes once more.

Chu Xuanzhou still could not enjoy pain as Lu Yunwan had once claimed, but today he had discovered something new.

Pain, too, could be used as a bargaining chip.

A bargaining chip in exchange for Lu Yunwan’s concern, and for his lingering gaze.

* * *

By the time he returned to his room, the stars at the horizon had already dimmed, and a faint light was beginning to show in the distant sky.