THIP Chapter 21

Let’s not even talk about how hopeless Mu Liuyin felt waking up the next morning still in Si Yibing’s arms.

Far away in the Imperial Capital, Prince Si Yan, upon receiving news that Si Yibing was dead, finally let out a sigh of relief. Though Si Yibing hadn’t been sold into a lab for experimentation, a dead person was far less of a threat than a living one.

A trace of malice flashed across his face, which bore a resemblance to Si Yibing. He plucked a flower still blooming in the royal garden and said coldly, “Sister, don’t blame me. You were in my way.”

What he didn’t know was that the Si Yibing he thought he had eliminated was alive and working on the distant planet of Udyalis—though currently suffering from memory loss.

Since Mu Liuyin and Si Yibing had arrived at Udyalis, the bar’s business had boomed. Sure, Mu Liuyin’s cocktails were excellent, but it was Si Yibing’s beauty that drew the crowds.

Unfortunately, the beauty in question was always icy cold—and no one had ever successfully flirted with her.

Ever since that night they were followed, Mu Liuyin had started openly using her mental power to heal Si Yibing’s nearly dried-up spiritual sea after every shift.

A year flew by in a flash. Si Yibing’s spiritual energy had mostly recovered. However, she still had no memory of her life before waking up on Dark Star.

Mu Liuyin wasn’t in any rush. According to the plot she remembered, Si Yibing spent two years stranded on Dark Star before returning to the capital. It had already been one year—at most, there was only a year left before her memories would return.

But Si Yibing herself wasn’t in any hurry to recover those memories. She suspected she was the long-lost imperial princess of the Galactic Empire—the one powerful enough to kill the Insect Queen. But beyond proving she was impressive, that title didn’t mean much to her. Maybe only she knew—she felt no sense of duty toward the so-called Empire or its people.

What Si Yibing truly cherished was her quiet life with Mu Liuyin—not reclaiming a position that would come with endless responsibilities and public admiration.

Mu Liuyin had gotten used to waking up in Si Yibing’s arms by now. She calmly got dressed, then pulled a sleepy Si Yibing out of bed to eat breakfast.

The two had worked at Udyalis for over a year and saved up a good amount of credits. Oddly enough, they never moved out of their place. Mu Liuyin had brought it up once, but Si Yibing smoothly changed the subject, and the matter was dropped.

When they arrived at Udyalis that day, Mu Liuyin immediately noticed a group of powerful-looking Alphas sitting at the bar. She recalled what Jigger had whispered to her earlier while she was changing into her uniform—it seemed these were high-ranking members of the Southern Cross Space Pirates.

Upon seeing Mu Liuyin and Si Yibing enter, a tall, ruggedly handsome male Alpha who had been talking with Deborah paused mid-sentence. He said, “These are the two newcomers you wanted to recommend?”

His voice was low and commanding. After getting a good look at their faces, the corners of his mouth lifted with a touch of amusement. “They’re not bad-looking, I’ll give you that.”

Deborah’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she smiled. “Don’t underestimate them, Boss.” She lifted her chin proudly. “Little Su Yu is an S-rank Alpha.”

Mu Liuyin was slightly surprised at how Deborah introduced her. She hadn’t expected Deborah was still be trying to get her and Si Yibing to join the Southern Cross Pirates. Mu Liuyin had revealed her S-rank strength only to ward off troublemakers, and though Deborah had asked before if she wanted to join, Mu Liuyin had always brushed it off.

Now, she reconsidered. Maybe temporarily joining wasn’t such a bad idea. After all, Dark Star was outside the Empire’s jurisdiction—no formal interstellar ships were coming or going. If they wanted to return to the capital, they’d need a pirate ship.

Besides, even though the Southern Cross Pirates were technically outlaws, after spending over a year on Udyalis, Mu Liuyin had a surprisingly good impression of them. Most of the crew were orphans wronged by the nobility, and they only targeted private ships owned by Galactic Empire nobles.

When Deborah mentioned Mu Liuyin was an S-rank, the man called “Boss” raised an eyebrow and turned to Si Yibing. “What about her?”

Deborah looked a little awkward. Mu Liuyin had told her from the start that Si Yibing had amnesia after being injured in a fight. Someone who got hurt that badly—bad enough to lose their memory—couldn’t possibly be that strong. But Si Yibing was always by Mu Liuyin’s side, so Deborah went along with it.

Si Yibing lifted her eyes slightly, glanced at the man, and calmly said, “You’re no match for me.”

Mu Liuyin: “……”

Deborah: “……”

The Boss and all the surrounding Southern Cross members: “……”

“Do you even know who our boss is? He’s a double-S-rank powerhouse!” one of the members finally snapped. No matter how pretty she was, the moment she disrespected their leader, they were ready to throw hands.

The guy lunged at her, but Mu Liuyin quickly stepped in front of Si Yibing and caught his arm before he could strike. Internally, she was absolutely losing it.

What the hell, Si Yibing?!

Yes, you’re strong! But did you really have to say it out loud?! You’re already strong enough to break the heavens!

And even if you are that strong—can you take on all of them by yourself?!

Feeling utterly drained, Mu Liuyin forced a smile. “Sorry about that—she has a bit of a… skewed perception of her strength.”

Si Yibing looked a little wronged. She hadn’t said anything untrue.

But the leader of Southern Cross simply said, “If you’re that strong, then let’s fight.”

He didn’t believe Si Yibing could beat him, but the way she said it—without a hint of fear—sparked his interest.

Si Yibing replied coolly, “Sure. But if I win, you’ll have to call me Boss from now on.”

Maybe it was her calm arrogance, or maybe just the sheer audacity, but instead of getting angry, the Southern Cross leader chuckled. “And if you lose?”

“I won’t,” Si Yibing said.

One hour later.

In the Southern Cross pirate ship’s training room.

Staring at their defeated boss, Mu Liuyin was speechless.

Did you just beat the leader of this whole pirate crew on his turf? Like it was nothing?

Then, the leader looked up from the ground and asked directly, “You’re Si Yibing, the Imperial Princess of the Galactic Empire, aren’t you?”

Si Yibing’s icy eyes narrowed slightly. She smiled. “So, you do know who I am.”

His voice was cold. “A psychic who could beat me… and a triple-S-rank spatial ability user, no less—there’s no one else it could be. I just didn’t expect the princess who supposedly perished with the Insect Queen to still be alive.”

And not only alive—but with her powers completely intact.

After a brief moment of thought, he figured she must’ve used her spatial ability to randomly teleport to Dark Star in a moment of desperation. But to come out of that with no loss in power? He glanced at Mu Liuyin—chances were, that kid had something to do with it.

“What do you want?” he asked, seeing that Si Yibing didn’t hide her identity without a purpose.

She answered plainly, “I want you to use one of your ships to get us off Dark Star.”

The pirate leader was taken aback. With her level of strength, he had assumed she had loyal subordinates hidden somewhere here. He hadn’t expected her to need his help to leave the planet.

Later, back at home, Mu Liuyin was still dazed. She never thought the leader of Southern Cross would agree to fly them off Dark Star.

She stared at Si Yibing, whose eyes were curved in amusement. “Did you get your memories back?” she asked.

Si Yibing shook her head. “Only a little.”

The fragments she remembered were all of brutal, bloody battles against the Insectoids on Hanhai Star.

Still, thinking about how Si Yibing had handled things today—even though it all worked out—Mu Liuyin couldn’t help but feel it was too risky. “How were you so sure he’d agree to take us?” she asked.

Si Yibing replied, “Letting me return to the Empire is better than keeping me here.”

The pirates might not want the Empire to grow stronger, but they also knew that without it, they didn’t stand a chance against another Insectoid invasion. And they respected strength—especially the kind of strength that could slay an Insect Queen.

Even though one Queen was already dead and the swarm had quieted down, who was to say there wouldn’t be another? As long as the Insectoids lived, there would always be a next queen. And who would fight it?

The leader of Southern Cross was no fool. He would never dare to kill Si Yibing. Her strength had misled him into thinking she still had subordinates here on Dark Star. He wasn’t about to risk it.

Even if he wanted to fight her, he probably couldn’t win—and even if they used guns and heavy artillery, it would likely end in mutual destruction.

Three days later.

As Mu Liuyin and Si Yibing boarded the pirate ship, Deborah stood watching them, her expression complicated.

“Boss… you’re just letting them go?” she asked.

The leader glanced at her. “Why keep them here?”

The political climate back at the Empire wasn’t exactly favorable for Si Yibing. After all, the princess had been “dead” for over a year. The old emperor was already grooming the second prince to take her place. Going back would be a mess, but for someone with her strength, he figured it wouldn’t be too big a deal.

He turned to leave but paused, glancing back at Deborah. “Next time you recruit new people… use your damn brain.”

Deborah: “…”