Chapter 130: Beat them at their own game
Zhou Yishu sat dazedly in his private training arena. He had initially planned to vent his pent-up frustration by striking the wooden stakes.
However, he discovered that he could no longer condense a psychic weapon.
It was fine, he told himself—it was simply because his mind was too cluttered right now. It was normal to struggle with forming a psychic weapon under such circumstances. Gripping his trembling right hand, Zhou Yishu took deep breaths.
After a while, he finally calmed down a little.
Closing his eyes, Zhou Yishu directed his inner gaze toward his Qi Sea and saw that his reserves of thought energy remained plentiful. He had to admit, his father's recent efforts to stir up public opinion online had borne some fruit. Although not as good as it had been before the finals, thanks to the enhancement of his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, his absorption rate of thought power was still significantly faster than that of an ordinary Martial Artist.
Gradually, a long spear began to form in mid-air. Zhou Yishu opened his eyes, gazing at this companion that had been with him for so long. He reached out, wanting to grasp his psychic weapon.
The moment his fingers touched the shaft of the spear, the almost-formed spear exploded in the air and dissolved into specks of starlight that scattered and disappeared.
Zhou Yishu froze. He had only ever read about this phenomenon in books. Such a thing could happen only when a Martial Artist was rejected by their own psychic weapon—when the mere act of touching it caused the psychic weapon to dissipate.
Back then, Zhou Yishu had scoffed at the idea, silently mocking those who found themselves in such a predicament. Rejected by your own psychic weapon? What kind of trash are these Martial Artists? They'd be better off living as an ordinary person.
He never imagined that he would one day fall to such a state himself.
Do I really have to do as Father said? Bow my head and curry favor with that guy? Zhou Yishu slammed his fist onto the ground in frustration, his unwillingness burning fiercely.
"Do you want to know why this is happening?"
Startled, Zhou Yishu whipped around. Standing at the entrance of the training arena was a bespectacled middle-aged man. His figure was thin, and his face was so unremarkable that he could easily blend into any crowd.
Yet, to Zhou Yishu, this man was like a knight in shining armor. His eyes shone with hope as he exclaimed, "Teacher!"
"You look really unsightly right now, like a stray dog," the middle-aged man said as he walked in, "But it's not your fault. After all..."
Hearing his teacher's words seem to trail off with deliberate intent, Zhou Yishu hurried forward and asked, "Teacher, what do you know?"
The man's tone remained calm and deliberate: "Naturally, it's about the reason why you can't condense your psychic weapon anymore. Do you know why you lost to EternalMoon?"
Zhou Yishu's fists clenched tightly. He had a hunch that whatever his teacher was about to reveal next would be an earth-shattering secret.
***
Zhou Residence.
"In a couple of days, call Xiao Heng and ask him to come home for dinner," Father Zhou said.
"What about Xiao Shu? I don't think he's come to terms with everything yet. If we call Xiao Heng back now, will Xiao Shu be able to handle it?" Mother Zhou asked anxiously.
"Don't worry about him. This isn't the time to indulge his willfulness," Father Zhou replied sternly. "Xiao Heng has been secretly practicing martial arts without telling the family—it's clear he's become disheartened with us. We need to persuade him to come back while he's not yet completely estranged from the family."
"But Xiao Shu…" Mother Zhou still frowned deeply, worry etched on her face.
"Xiao Shu, Xiao Shu! He's the way he is because you spoil him!" Father Zhou's anger, already provoked by Zhou Yishu's recent actions, flared up at Mother Zhou's hesitation. "He's narrow-minded and short-sighted, unable to withstand even a little setback!"
Mother Zhou was also annoyed by Father Zhou's ruthless attitude: "If it weren't for me, Xiao Shu wouldn't have been born frail in the first place! So what if I dote on him a little more!"
When Zhou Yishu was born, his health was poor due to a prolonged and difficult delivery. Mother Zhou had always blamed herself, convinced that her failure to persist had caused her youngest son to suffer such hardship. Out of guilt and a desire to atone, she had always favored Zhou Yishu. Even when it came to the matter of the heart transplant back then, she had agreed after only brief consideration.
After all, in her eyes, the elder son had already benefited from the advantage of being born first. Offering some compensation to his younger brother seemed only fair. Besides, it was also for the sake of safeguarding her elder son's life.
At that moment, the front door of the house swung open and Zhou Yishu walked in sullenly.
Mother Zhou stepped forward hurriedly: "Xiao Shu, you're back."
But Zhou Yishu ignored her, walking straight to the sofa and sitting down. Turning to Father Zhou, he said, "I know everything now. About all of it."
Father Zhou and Mother Zhou exchanged uneasy glances, a heavy sense of dread settling over them.
Seeing their expressions, Zhou Yishu smirked: "No need to be so nervous. I just want to reclaim what should have been mine all along."
Father Zhou hesitated: "What do you mean by that?"
"Of course, I mean my heart, my talent." Noticing the drastic change in their expressions, Zhou Yishu added with a mocking smile, "My dear gege has been holding onto them for so long. Isn't it about time he gave them back?"
Father Zhou's hand slipped, sending his teacup crashing to the floor. The revelation struck home—Zhou Yishu had indeed learned the truth of what had happened all those years ago. But he forced himself to steady his voice and said, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Zhou Yishu scoffed but didn't bother arguing further. With a flick of his hand, a psychic weapon began to form in the air. Yet just as in the training arena earlier, the long spear shattered into starlight and disappeared.
Father Zhou stared at the dissipating psychic weapon, murmuring in disbelief, "How could this happen..."
Being rejected by one's own psychic weapon meant only one thing for a Martial Artist: their path of Martial Cultivation had reached a dead end.
Zhou Yishu: "How could this happen? Isn't it obvious? This heart doesn't belong to me. What's so surprising about being rejected by a psychic weapon that does not belong to me?"
Father Zhou slumped onto the sofa, his face pale. He had never imagined things would come to this. After all, Zhou Yiheng and Zhou Yishu were identical twins. When their hearts had been swapped, no issues had arisen. Zhou Yishu had also progressed smoothly on his Martial Path for years. Why was he suddenly being rejected by his psychic weapon now?
Gradually, Father Zhou recovered from his shock, and his thoughts became clearer. Having immersed himself in Martial Cultivation for decades, he quickly grasped the crux of the issue. Zhou Yishu wasn't being rejected by the psychic weapon because of his heart; the real problem lay within himself—his martial heart had faltered.
Xiao Shu is already a waste, Father Zhou thought grimly. I can't risk losing my other son as well. A resolution formed in his mind.
Zhou Yishu, oblivious to his father's thoughts, continued. "I'm taking back the talent that belongs to me."
"Impossible," Father Zhou refused categorically. "This isn't a game. Both of you are adults now, and undergoing another heart transplant could have unforeseeable consequences. Xiao Shu, don't act recklessly."
"Reckless?" Zhou Yishu sneered. "Don't make it sound so noble. You're just shifting your focus because Zhou Yiheng has value to you now. But don't take everyone as a fool."
Father Zhou opened his mouth to argue, but Zhou Yishu cut him off sharply. "With Zhou Yiheng's current talent and speed of advancement, reaching the Heaven-tier is just a matter of time. When he becomes a Heaven-tier Martial Artist and learns about the heart transplant from years ago, what do you think he'll do?"
"He won't find out!"
"As a good younger brother, how could I bear to keep my dear gege in the dark?" Zhou Yishu shrugged with mock innocence. "Think carefully. What's truly in the Zhou family's best interest?"
"You're insane! Absolutely insane!" Father Zhou's face flushed deep red with rage, his words tumbling out in stammers.
Mother Zhou, on the other hand, had been sitting pale and frozen on the sofa ever since Zhou Yishu revealed the shocking secret with tears streaming down her face.
"You are the crazy ones! Today's mess is the direct result of your lunacy." Zhou Yishu hurled the words at them before slumping back onto the sofa, his gaze cold and unfeeling as he watched his parents.
==========
What a great show.
Lu Heng thought as the audio from the phone gradually faded. He leaned back, collapsing onto Gu Lingjun's lap.
After the two had agreed to closely monitor the Zhou[1] family's movements, Gu Lingjun had sneaked into the Zhou Residence and planted listening devices in key locations. With his skills, no one in the Zhou family had noticed.
Sure enough, within a few days, they overheard this dramatic upheaval in the Zhou household, along with the conspiracy that followed.
The Zhou couple, true to their grain as people willing to commit unspeakable acts for profit, didn't take long to be persuaded by Zhou Yishu. The three then began discussing how to conduct another heart transplant.
"What do you plan to do?" Gu Lingjun asked, his brows furrowed tightly. He had never thought such cruel parents existed in the world. They would sacrifice their own child's well-being so readily for their own interests.
"Of course, beat them at their own game."
"No!" Gu Lingjun rejected the idea without hesitation.
Lu Heng understood the stakes involved—it was his safety on the line—so Gu Lingjun's strong opposition was entirely expected. Straddling Gu Lingjun's thighs, Lu Heng locked eyes with him and began explaining patiently: "Even if I'm prepared and thwart the Zhou family's plans, they'll definitely use morality to pressure me later. After all, on the surface, they've treated me well for nearly twenty years."
"If I keep getting entangled with them over this, you know how difficult my martial arts journey will become." Lu Heng gently stroked Gu Lingjun's face, noticing his tense jaw slowly beginning to relax. "After stepping into the Heaven-tier, life expectancy increases by decades. I want to spend all of those years with you."
"That's why the Zhou family's matter must be resolved once and for all. The hospital where the surgery was performed back then is bound to have kept the records. This is the perfect chance for us to locate them. With evidence in hand, this issue will never stand in the way of my martial path again. Besides, aren't you here to ensure my safety?"
Lu Heng's reasoning finally persuaded Gu Lingjun. The two of them then meticulously devised a comprehensive plan based on the Zhou family's plot they had just overheard through the planted bug.
[1] Raws say Gu family, but it should be a typo.
circus family 🤡
ReplyDeletety for the chapter!