MHOMASB Chapter 10

TL: Hua

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“Reputation?”

Ji Xuan used a silk napkin from the dining table to nonchalantly wipe the skin where he had just been held. He let out a light, airy laugh.

“I don’t know what reputation is.”

His tone lacked any fluctuation, as if he were stating an objective fact. However, if any of the demon cultivators who had followed him for years in the Demon Realm had heard him speak in this manner, they would have known instantly that Ji Xuan’s mood had reached the edge of displeasure.

Whether it was the dream from last night or the situation of being summoned back on short notice today, both gave Ji Xuan a sense of being disrupted and controlled. He loathed that feeling.

He scrutinized Ji Jingche’s expression. After hearing this pointed rebuttal, Ji Jingche did not show the expected rage. He didn’t slam the table in anger, nor did he shout coldly; even the emotional fluctuations between his brows were extremely restrained.

Only in a nearly imperceptible gap did he reveal a trace of disappointment and disdain.

A malicious thought suddenly sprouted in Ji Xuan’s heart.

“But Big Brother,” he said slowly, his voice softening, the end of his sentence trailing into a faint, almost coquettish tremble, “no one ever taught me what to do to make you feel like I’m not an embarrassment.”

Ji Xuan seemed to know exactly how to maximize the utility of his face. Although he usually presented a coldness and detachment that seemed removed from the world, when he wore such a pitiful expression, it had a unique charm.

“All I know is that on the garbage planet, the sun is never seen. Resources are pitifully scarce. To survive, I had to fight against Alphas and Betas who were several times larger than me, but more often than not, I couldn’t even beat the hyenas. Do you know what PagPag[1] tastes like? Even that was a luxury to me.”

“I imagined countless times what the relatives who abandoned me looked like—whether they threw me there because I did something wrong, or if I was simply an orphan with no parents. It wasn’t until I followed the origins of my jade pendant and finally reached the capital planet that I realized I hadn’t been abandoned. My mother loved me until her death, but my father and brother already had someone who could replace me.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have come back.” Ji Xuan pressed against the corner of his eye, then looked up, his reddened eyes staring directly at Ji Jingche. “Dying on the garbage planet wouldn’t have been bad. Without seeing the sky outside the well, I wouldn’t have developed extravagant hopes that don’t belong to me.”

Ji Jingche had never heard him speak of these things.

Fortress affairs were busy; every time he returned to the capital planet, he would only stay for a few days. In his few interactions with Ji Xuan, the news he heard was rarely pleasant.

When Ji Xuan was first recognized by the Ji family, it wasn’t that he hadn’t investigated his whereabouts after the crash, but too much time had passed, and combined with the information blockade of the garbage planet, he hadn’t obtained any substantial news.

Moreover, coming from Ji Xuan’s own mouth previously, those days hadn’t sounded quite so unbearable.

“You…”

“I’m sorry,” Ji Xuan suppressed the tears that had already welled up in his eyes. As if afraid of being discovered, he raised his hand and hurriedly wiped his face, then said, “I’m full. There’s training tomorrow morning, so I’m going back to school tonight.”

Without waiting for Ji Jingche’s reaction, he stood up unsteadily and walked quickly out of the dining room.

Ji Yan watched his silhouette, opening his mouth as if to speak: “Big Brother, Second Brother…”

Ji Jingche couldn’t recover his composure for a moment. It wasn’t until Ji Yan called him again that he said, “The things he said… Did you know about them?”

Ji Yan shook his head. “Second Brother only said that there were many things on the garbage planet that the capital planet doesn’t have, though those were things discarded by the major galaxies systems long ago…”

Ji Jingche waved his hand, his mind involuntarily recalling the pair of red eyes Ji Xuan had when he left. He propped up his head in silence.

—

In the hovercar, Ji Xuan leaned lazily against the seat.

The closed window reflected his shimmering eyes, which at first glance looked very much as if he had just cried.

[Host, what you just said… did you mean it?] the system asked while sobbing.

—I lied to him.

Ji Xuan replied coldly.

Ji Jingche’s attitude of clearly looking down on his brother while struggling to restrain himself annoyed him, so he deliberately put on this performance.

Anyway, he seemed to like this kind of pitiful, acting-spoiled drama; at least Ji Yan used it with unfailing success, so Ji Xuan gave it a try. The results seemed quite good.

However, in the many years since the Old Demon Venerable died, he hadn’t had occasion to show weakness or act spoiled. He felt a bit nostalgic.

[So, it was just fake.] The system’s voice sounded a bit disappointed.

Not entirely.

Ji Xuan thought for a moment, then added a denial.

Some things, if you don’t say them, no one will ever know.

The original owner had never told them about the terrible experiences on the garbage planet, but Ji Xuan insisted on proclaiming to Ji Jingche how much hardship and suffering he had endured. You all better start feeling guilty right now.

After all, the crying child gets the candy.

[And what if Ji Jingche doesn’t feel guilty?]

Then let him kick me out of the Ji family. It would be a peaceful riddance, saving me from getting tangled in the love-hate drama of those two brothers.

But you…

Forget it.

The system was confused: [What is it?]

Ji Xuan didn’t answer. He was merely wondering if the dream he had last night and the strange emotions just now were tricks played by the system.

A short while later, the butler prepared to take him back to the military academy and got into the car, followed closely by Ji Yan, who sat on the other side.

Sensing Ji Xuan’s gaze, the latter gave him a soft, warm smile and explained, “I have an experiment tonight and need to head back to the academy too. Let’s go together, Second Brother.”

Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze.

“Big Brother’s anger has already cooled. Actually, he was just worried, because we never know what you want to do,” Ji Yan said softly. “When the warning letter reached Big Brother, it was the first time I saw him look like that. Originally, he didn’t plan to intervene because your assessment results were truly beyond saving… but in the end, he still thought of many methods for you.”

Ji Xuan arched an eyebrow. “For example?”

“Transferring to a more relaxed department. After all, you’ve differentiated into an Omega, and the combat department’s assessment is too difficult,” Ji Yan said gently.

“Is this your idea, or Ji Jingche’s idea?”

Ji Yan hesitated for a moment and said, “…We both think so.”

Ji Xuan looked at him with a half-smile but didn’t speak.

“Or,” Ji Yan paused, “Second Brother, you could team up with me!”

He seemed to have suddenly thought of a brilliant plan, his eyes lighting up.

“I’ll have friends help out with the first two competitions. When it comes to the full-domain simulation, if you don’t mind, team up with me and Brother Que. As long as we protect you, the result definitely won’t be bad.”

The annual assessment at Mars Military Academy included basic combat, mecha piloting, and full-domain simulation combat. Among them, the Full-domain Simulation was a team project, requiring participation not only from the Combat Department but also from the Mecha and Medical Departments.

Generally, four people per team—two from Combat, one from Mecha, and one from Medical—was the optimal configuration.

Perhaps for a trash low-grade Omega, teaming up with Ji Yan and Shen Que was undoubtedly the best outcome, as the latter, as one of the dual chiefs, would surely attract many excellent Alphas from the Combat Department to join them.

However, the original plot seemed to mention that Ji Yan already had the best candidates in mind at this time. He was ambitious and determined to take first place in the Full-domain Simulation; Ji Xuan did not believe his invitation was sincere.

“Who do you plan to kick out?” Ji Xuan asked calmly.

Ji Yan froze for a moment, as if he didn’t understand, and responded with a confused “Huh?”

“Haven’t you already decided on your candidates? You, Shen Que, Shaikh, and… Pei Yingye?” He paused for half a second and said playfully, “If I join, who do you intend to replace?”

At the mention of the last name, Ji Yan’s eyes flickered, and he said, “Pei Yingye hasn’t agreed yet.”

Ji Xuan wasn’t surprised by this.

Ji Yan fidgeted with his fingers and bit his lip. “Pei Yingye is indeed very strong, so everyone advised me to pull him into the team. I’m very conflicted, but I can’t just watch my own brother get kicked out of the academy…”

“No need,” Ji Xuan interrupted him. “I already have someone in mind for my team.”

Ji Yan looked at him with some surprise. In his impression, Ji Xuan didn’t know anyone else at the military academy besides them. Who could he find to team up with?

Or was he planning to wait for the Full-domain Simulation’s automated system assignment?

—

After Ji Xuan returned to the dormitory, he dug out the assessment instruction manual buried at the very bottom of a pile of books.

Close-quarters combat and the full-domain simulation weren’t problems. Although he didn’t understand specifically what the prerequisite pheromone resistance tested, it didn’t seem like a threat. Only the second item, mecha piloting—recalling the communications course that sounded like a foreign language this morning—made him feel that this was the only thing he should worry about.

Ji Xuan was able to sit firmly in the Demon Realm for nearly a hundred years not only because of his natural talent and bone structure but also because of his extreme diligence in cultivation. After all, the Demon Realm was a place where the strong preyed on the weak; several protectors and city lords were coveting his position, and countless people were waiting for Ji Xuan to fall from the clouds so they could bite off a piece of his sweet, fresh flesh.

Therefore, Ji Xuan spent most of his day cultivating. To use the terms of this world, he was a bit of a grinding maniac.

He intended to learn to pilot a mecha in a short amount of time.

However, the mecha training center for the Combat Department was only open by course reservation, and the schedule was delayed indefinitely. After searching the terminal for a long time, he finally set his sights on the Mecha Department’s private warehouse.

Some completed mechas were stored in the warehouse, and occasionally Combat Department students were invited to perform simulated controls to verify that various performance metrics met actual usage standards.

Ji Xuan weighed his Combat Department name tag. Early the next morning, he changed his clothes and headed straight for the entrance of the Mecha Department warehouse.

Then, his path was blocked by a figure.

The Alpha’s cold and stern face was clearly defined under the light, and his sharp gaze fell on Ji Xuan as he spoke indifferently:

“Why are you here?”

It was none other than Shen Que.

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[1] PagPag is a Tagalog term for leftover food scavenged from garbage sites and dumps, then cleaned and recooked.

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