Chapter 43: Starshine Competition Preliminary
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Yun Yingzhi took a deep breath, unable to bear it any longer, and lightly tapped the nurturing pod. The little white egg, spinning circles inside, immediately stopped. Whether it was just his imagination or not, Yun Yingzhi felt that the little egg seemed especially aggrieved at that moment. Aggrieved or not, there was still another delicate little one outside who needed comforting.
Yun Yingzhi carried the nurturing pod out. Sure enough, the moment the door opened, the little bunny’s crying softened considerably. The instant he picked him up from Yun Yinghui’s hands, the tiny creature stopped crying entirely.
But… Yun Yingzhi glanced at the pod and felt that if this continued, the little egg might become restless. After a moment’s thought, he gently tapped the pod again. The little white egg shivered, then settled quietly, as still as an ordinary egg.
Nangong Qing and the others wanted to stay at the hospital to help care for Yun Yingzhi. The hospital allowed only one caretaker. Reluctantly, when it was time to leave, Nangong Qing and the others looked longingly at the two little ones before departing. They hadn’t expected it—Yun Yingzhi, still single, already had two adorable little babies at home.
Inside the room, only Yun Yingzhi, Yun Yinghui, and the two little ones remained. The little egg was manageable, but caring for the little bunny was more difficult. He needed feeding, diaper changes, and—most importantly—he ate constantly. Yun Yingzhi suspected he might actually be a little piglet in disguise. Yun Yinghui changed the little bunny’s diaper again. Yun Yingzhi looked at him, uneasy. “Brother, these two babies are so clingy.”
Yun Yinghui paused his movements, tucked a blanket over the little bunny resting obediently in Yun Yingzhi’s hands, and softly said, “You used to be this clingy too, Zhizhi.”
Yun Yingzhi smiled, thinking of Madam Yun, pressing his lips together. He looked at the two babies. “Dad and Mom wouldn’t like these two babies.”
“I like them,” Yun Yinghui said. Yun Yingzhi sniffed. “Brother, I think I’ve been too dissatisfied. I’ve always known Dad and Mom didn’t like me, but I still wanted their love. I’ve worked so hard all these years, but it wasn’t meant for me. It never was.”
Yun Yinghui flicked his index finger lightly on Yun Yingzhi’s forehead. “Zhizhi, whatever you want, I’ll do my best to give it to you.”
“Mm, I’m fine as long as I have you, Brother!” Yun Yingzhi said. “I’ve accepted it—if Dad and Mom don’t like me, I don’t like them either!” Hmph!
“Good,” Yun Yinghui said, ruffling Yun Yingzhi’s hair. Yun Yingzhi snuggled closer, glancing at the little bunny in his hands. “Brother, the holiday is coming. I’m planning to rent a place near Fansa Academy.”
“I’ll move with you. We’ll get a villa nearby, okay?” Yun Yinghui said. Yun Yingzhi blinked, thinking silently about the price of real estate. He had heard that land on the Imperial Star was worth its weight in gold. He wondered if Yun Yinghui’s fortune would be enough. Still, more than the money, Yun Yingzhi was thrilled that Yun Yinghui would move out with him. He rotated his eyes, holding the little bunny, cradling the nurturing pod in his arms, and quietly edged closer to Yun Yinghui, pressing his shoulder against him.
Yun Yinghui patted the spoiled child. Yun Yingzhi leaned his head on Yun Yinghui’s shoulder, emphasizing his words: “If Mom doesn’t want me, I don’t want her either!”
“Mm.”
“And if Dad doesn’t want me, I don’t want him either!”
Yun Yinghui smiled. “You really are something, Zhizhi. You’re Stellar. When Master Alvin gave you that name, he must have thought you were the most beautiful Stellar in the galaxy.”
Yun Yingzhi’s perfectly shaped chin lifted slightly. “That’s what he said.”
“Then let’s work to become even better, so Dad and Mom can watch you grow up, okay?”
Yun Yingzhi glanced at the two little ones, his eyes bright, pressing against Yun Yinghui again, thinking a chaotic jumble of thoughts. He was Stellar. He was incredible. Even if Dad and Mom were biased against Source Weapons, they still needed them.
Yun Yingzhi thought: I’m mad. Dad and Mom don’t want me—I won’t give them Source Weapons. They wanted to use him to contact Elvis, but his two babies were Elvis’s children. If they ever found out, they’d regret not wanting him. Then he paused. If the royal family discovered the babies were Elvis’s, what would they do? Would they try to take them?
“Brother, no one can know about the two babies for now,” Yun Yingzhi said. Yun Yinghui narrowed his eyes slightly, asking calmly, “Because of their other father?”
Yun Yingzhi looked guilty and shifted his gaze. Yun Yinghui chuckled lightly. His laugh carried an inexplicable chill. Yun Yingzhi shivered. Yun Yinghui seemed frighteningly formidable.
That afternoon, the Starshine Competition auction began. The final item in the auction was the fourth-tier Source Weapon crafted by Yun Yingzhi himself. So far, it still didn’t have a name.
According to the organizers, for a weapon of such high quality, the maker hoped that its owner would give it the most fitting name. In truth, Yun Yingzhi was just too lazy. At the auction, this fourth-tier weapon sold for far above market price, earning Yun Yingzhi a hefty profit.
According to StarNet reports, some people claimed that this day’s auction had set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a fourth-tier Source Weapon in the Loos Empire. Meanwhile, participant A13167 from Fansa Academy—known as young master “Red Peony”—had passed the preliminaries and gained fame in a single blow.
Time passed quickly. Yun Yingzhi had been taking leave, unable to go to school. The two little ones had been born on December 15th. In the blink of an eye, it was already December 20th.
Over the past few days, the babies had grown increasingly mischievous. The little egg was exceptionally capable. Initially, they could only move objects directly connected to themselves, but now they could move other things as well.
One day, Yun Yingzhi was holding the little bunny without giving the little egg even a glance for an extended period. After all, compared to a hard little egg, the fuzzy little bunny looked even more fragile and in need of attention. The little egg seemed slightly upset. Their ability targeted the little bunny resting in Yun Yingzhi’s palm. To Yun Yingzhi’s astonishment, the little bunny floated in midair.
The little egg’s intention was obvious—they wanted to separate Yun Yingzhi from the little bunny. Yun Yingzhi quickly grabbed the bunny and lightly tapped the pod above. The little egg shivered, then resumed pretending to be as still as a normal egg.
What Yun Yingzhi didn’t realize was that the little bunny had opened his eyes, dark pupils fixed angrily on the little egg. He pouted and let out a low “awoo,” almost ready to scold the little egg.
Yun Yinghui observed everything, noting the subtle dynamics. Two newborns acting like this—what would they be like in the future?
That night, Yun Yingzhi and Yun Yinghui argued. The preliminaries of the Starshine Competition were set to begin on the 21st and last for seven days. Normally, Yun Yingzhi would have prepared to participate, but Yun Yinghui forbade it.
Yun Yingzhi was a little upset. The little bunny, sensing Yun Yingzhi’s anger, rubbed against his palm in comfort and licked it gently. Feeling the wet touch, Yun Yingzhi patted the little bunny. The little bunny squeaked softly, while the little egg in the pod bounced twice, asserting its presence.
Yun Yinghui sighed softly. “Zhizhi, look at the babies. Do you think you can leave them and compete?”
More than anything, he was worried about Yun Yingzhi’s health. No matter how tough-minded Yun Yingzhi was, it couldn’t change the fact that he was naturally fragile. Even seeing Yun Yingzhi display impressive physical ability in the preliminaries couldn’t alter Yun Yinghui’s perception: he was still fragile, especially when he held a tiny, seemingly delicate little bunny in his hands.
Yun Yingzhi shouted, “Brother, I’ve worked so hard to participate in the Starshine Competition! How can you do this?” He paused, then added, “Do you know how cheap the Source Materials are?”
Yun Yinghui frowned. “Zhizhi, you must understand that your body doesn’t allow this.”
Yun Yingzhi shook his head angrily. “I don’t care! I have to go!”
Yun Yinghui poked his cheek. Yun Yingzhi shifted slightly, creating a small distance between them, silently sulking.
After a short moment, Yun Yinghui sighed softly. “The preliminaries last seven days. You’ll need at least ten days in the hospital. On the 25th, you can have a medical checkup. If the doctors approve, I’ll let you compete.” He paused, then added, “The 26th and 27th should be enough for your matches, okay?”
Yun Yingzhi hesitated, reluctant to give up the chance to practice between the 21st and 25th. Still, if Yun Yinghui allowed him to compete, he’d secretly rejoice. He pressed his lips together, nodding slowly, still worrying—what if the checkup on the 25th showed his body was too weak?
Yun Yingzhi fretted over his own health. Amid his nervous thoughts, time flew. It was now December 21st.
The Starshine Competition preliminaries began. The number of participants had drastically decreased. According to official data, the preliminaries eliminated over ninety percent of contestants. Each remaining competitor was a highly skilled Source Weapon Maker. By registration number, Yun Yingzhi and other military academy students were slated to compete in the first arena.
Yun Yingzhi clicked into the livestream for the first arena. It was nine in the morning, theoretically a normal work hour, but the livestream was still crowded with viewers. Once again, Yun Yingzhi saw Master Tang.
Master Tang explained the preliminary rules. There were no requirements in the initial round, but the preliminaries required a purely defensive Source Weapon. Meanwhile, Yun Yingzhi saw messages scrolling across the chat.
—Where’s Red Peony?
—Why does the preliminary require a purely defensive Source Weapon? Is it because of Red Peony? Since he made such an impressive offensive weapon, did they deliberately request defense weapons?
—Are the organizers trying to eliminate our young master? He only took a few extra Source Materials, why are they making it so difficult?
Yun Yingzhi frowned at the chat. The organizers were so stingy! Through the livestream comments, Yun Yingzhi felt the organizers’ hostility firsthand. He thought: Not only can he craft offensive Source Weapons, he can craft defensive ones too. If he wants to maximize his advantage, he can definitely break through and make it to the finals.
Master Tang said, “Please don’t guess. The rules for the preliminaries were decided from the start. There is absolutely no targeting of any individual. The second round of preliminaries will last seven days. There are no strict regulations on rest periods. You may act freely, as long as you don’t disturb other participants. Now, the competition begins!”
With Master Tang’s words, the livestream split into nine regions. Clicking on one would enlarge the view to see the participants in that section. Yun Yingzhi saw that his competition area was empty.
In the chat, many still asked why Red Peony hadn’t arrived. The livestream also offered a tipping option. Viewers of the livestream could tip participants according to their preference, with the prize money split fifty-fifty with the organizers.
Yun Yingzhi noticed that nearly every participant had been carefully dressed up, and it was… very obvious: the more attractive someone looked, the more tips they could get. He touched his own face, thought about it, then shrugged. Forget it—he couldn’t afford to lose face.
After completely disappointing Madam Yun, he didn’t want to expose his identity. On one hand, he didn’t want Fansa Academy to know he had skipped school or that on the day of the preliminaries he had gone all out, berating everyone and everything in sight. He couldn’t bear for anyone to know that the so-called “Red Peony” was actually him.
Of course, the main reason was that he himself felt he had overdone it with the “sheep-stealing” antics, and he planned to continue doing so in the upcoming rounds. Being exposed in his own persona would be mortifying. Yet, one thing surprised him greatly. He wasn’t competing today, so theoretically no one should have tipped him. But scrolling through the livestream comments, he could see that he had received a lot of tips anyway.
Yun Yingzhi switched screens to watch other participants. By chance, he saw Master Tang. A participant had just collected a pile of materials from an automatic vending machine and happened to meet Master Tang. The participant lowered his voice. “Master Tang, why didn’t participant A13167 show up?”
He was wearing a Fansa Academy uniform. Compared to the others, Fansa students seemed especially concerned about Red Peony. Master Tang replied, “I heard his health isn’t good. He asked for a few days’ leave at the last minute.”
The viewers immediately understood why Yun Yingzhi hadn’t competed. The livestream filled with a flood of comments.
Yun Yingzhi’s spirits sank. Earlier, seeing the tips far exceeding the rest, he had thought it was people’s concern for him… But what he saw instead was…
—So Red Peony couldn’t compete because of poor health. I wonder how heartbroken such a sheep-stealing master must feel, unable to continue pilfering materials?
Then a string of “hahahaha”s followed. Yun Yingzhi’s face fell. He pressed his lips together and touched the little bunny. The little bunny licked his fingers, opening his eyes and casting a sly glance toward the little egg as if to challenge them.
The little egg, angry, bounced twice. The little bunny licked Yun Yingzhi’s fingers again, his expression lively and full of spirit. The little egg, even angrier, bounced several more times.
Yun Yinghui, who had been observing both, couldn’t say anything. Although, compared to the little egg, Yun Yinghui found the little bunny cuter—so lively at such a tiny age, he would surely grow up beautiful.
He didn’t even realize that when facing the little egg, his expression was stern, but when facing the little bunny, his features naturally softened, his eyebrows and eyes curving into a gentle smile. He also didn’t realize that the “lively” and “beautiful” he was thinking of had nothing to do with actual appearance.
Yun Yingzhi focused on the projected livestream. Just as he was about to turn off the comment feed, one flashed past:
—The preliminaries are harder than the initial round. This time, all rules require purely defensive Source Weapons. Will Red Peony, who took leave, be affected?
—Red Peony is a Fansa Academy student. Can we check which students have been absent due to poor health recently?
—Our school’s beauty hasn’t shown up to class yet!
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched, anxiety filling him. He worried that someone might expose his disguise.
—The one who rejected the prince’s confession, suspected second son of General Yun’s Mansion, good for nothing but looks?
—But, I must say, his mental level is too low, couldn’t be him.
Yun Yingzhi genuinely breathed a sigh of relief.
Time flew. In the blink of an eye, it was December 25th. Three days remained until the preliminaries ended. Since their birth, the two little ones finally had names, given by Yun Yinghui.
The little bunny was called Yun Qianxi, nicknamed Jiaojiao, a clingy, crying little darling. The little egg was Yun Qiancheng, nicknamed Taotao, mischievous from day one.
In just over ten days, both had changed considerably. The little bunny ate constantly, nearly every hour, growing from the size of two fingers to the size of a baby’s fist. His body was covered in soft, snowy white fur—the perfect little chubby darling. The little egg was also growing quickly. No one knew what species was inside the shell, but in just over ten days they had grown from thumb-sized to the size of a goose egg.
After taking the two for a checkup, Yun Yingzhi placed them in Yun Yinghui’s hands. Yun Yingzhi was tense, fearing his own body wouldn’t hold up for the preliminaries. For him, it wasn’t just losing the opportunity to pilfer materials—it also meant losing tips and affecting the Starshine Competition’s final prize. Thinking of this, his heart ached.
Only one person could enter the testing room at a time. Before going in, Yun Yingzhi patted the pod and poked the little bunny. “You two behave, or Daddy will have to punish you!” He clasped both hands together, producing a series of “crack” sounds.
Yun Yinghui scolded, “Zhizhi, you can’t threaten the little ones. They’re still young and don’t understand anything.”
Yun Yingzhi thought Yun Yinghui resembled a doting grandparent from StarNet watching the babies. He obediently responded, then looked at the two little ones. “You must behave, understand?”
The little egg in the pod wiggled. The little bunny looked at Yun Yingzhi and made a soft “da” sound. Yun Yingzhi nodded in satisfaction and entered the testing room.
After a thorough examination, he quickly received the results. He paused, momentarily stunned. The report showed that he… Didn’t seem at all like someone who had just given birth to two little ones. He was extremely healthy—healthy enough to run laps outside. He quietly sent the results to Yun Yinghui.
Yun Yinghui was slightly surprised. Yun Yingzhi’s constitution seemed… better than expected. Much like the little bunny just after birth, who turned out to be stronger than expected—or rather, extremely strong.
Yun Yingzhi left the testing room and returned to Yun Yinghui’s side. The little white fluff who had been obediently sitting in Yun Yinghui’s hand suddenly brightened his pitch-black eyes when he saw Yun Yingzhi and leapt straight toward him.
The little bunny had only been born a little over ten days ago and still couldn’t walk. This kind of jump was practically suicidal. Both Yun Yingzhi and Yun Yinghui were startled, hastily scooping up the fearless little bunny.
The little bunny licked Yun Yingzhi’s fingers. Yun Yingzhi’s mouth twitched as he poked the little bunny’s head with his index finger. The little bunny immediately toppled backward, looking incredibly fragile.
Yun Yingzhi’s heart ached as he straightened him up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the little white egg in the incubator bouncing around in protest.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched. He worried the little egg might accidentally break themself, so he immediately scooped up the incubator. Sure enough, the little egg stopped recklessly bouncing. However, they rolled over to the glass side, pressing their tiny white body against Yun Yingzhi’s chest through the glass, looking completely dependent.
Wait—did the little egg even have eyes? No matter how Yun Yingzhi looked, he couldn’t see any through the shell. With a puzzled expression, Yun Yingzhi carried both little ones back to the hospital room with Yun Yinghui.
Sitting on the bed, Yun Yingzhi’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Yun Yinghui. “Brother, I’m feeling great. Tomorrow I’m going to the preliminaries.”
Yun Yinghui frowned, still reluctant to let Yun Yingzhi compete. As the two of them talked back and forth, the little bunny glanced at the little white egg. Though the two were somewhat different, as twins they were exceptionally sensitive to each other’s moods.
The little bunny went, “Da.” The little white egg bounced once.
The little bunny’s gemstone-like eyes rolled around, and he awkwardly moved his tiny body, looking at Yun Yingzhi, then spun around in his palm and looked toward the little egg. “Da da!”
The little white egg bounced twice more.
The little bunny: “Ao!”
The little white egg spun around once.
Yun Yingzhi didn’t notice this little interaction, but Yun Yinghui observed the entire thing. His eyelid twitched. Somehow, he had the uneasy feeling that these two weren’t up to anything good.
After receiving Yun Yinghui’s permission, Yun Yingzhi happily kissed the little bunny.
The little bunny’s body immediately bloomed with happy little “flowers,” looking proudly at the little egg. The little egg bounced back and forth in the incubator, apparently protesting Yun Yingzhi’s favoritism. Only when Yun Yingzhi patted the incubator did the little egg stop.
That night, Yun Yinghui watched over the bed, while Yun Yingzhi slept with the two little ones. The little bunny usually liked to sleep on Yun Yingzhi’s chest or neck, but tonight he seemed to have moved somewhere else.
Half-asleep, Yun Yingzhi reached around to feel for the little bunny, but couldn’t find him. He sat up in a panic, anxiously looking for the little bunny. Then… out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little bunny somehow hanging onto the little white egg inside the incubator, licking it. Yun Yinghui got up as well and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?” The little bunny froze, then suddenly plopped off the egg shell.
Yun Yinghui: “…”
Yun Yingzhi: “…”
The room fell silent for a moment. The little bunny lay on its back, pretending to be asleep. Yun Yinghui said after a pause, “…Maybe the two of them get along pretty well.”
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched. He opened the incubator door and gently patted the little egg, who seemed radiantly offended, then scooped out the little bunny. He poked the little bunny’s head. “Jiaojiao, you can’t eat your little brother.”
Yun Yinghui: “…That harsh?”
He observed the little bunny with a careful gaze. “Zhizhi, don’t misunderstand Jiaojiao.”
The little bunny licked Yun Yingzhi’s finger, voice soft and obedient: “Da.”
Yun Yingzhi patted the little bunny and looked at Yun Yinghui. “Brother, how do you think Jiaojiao got into the incubator?”
Yun Yinghui: “….”
Logically, there was no way the little egg could have used their spatial ability to put the little bunny in there. The little bunny blinked his sparkling eyes at Yun Yingzhi. Yun Yingzhi covered his eyes and gave the command, “Sleep.”
The little one resisted at first, but eventually, pretending to sleep, he actually fell asleep. Around seven, Yun Yingzhi quietly got up to wash up, handed the two little ones to Yun Yinghui, and left the room. Only Yun Yinghui and the two little ones remained.
Ten minutes after Yun Yingzhi left, the little bunny sniffled and opened its eyes. Yun Yinghui’s eyelid twitched. He had a bad feeling.
The little bunny moved his tiny body, looking around as if searching for Yun Yingzhi. Not finding him, he turned to Yun Yinghui, tears welling up. “Da?”
Yun Yinghui picked up the little bunny and fed him, softly saying, “Jiaojiao, don’t cry. Daddy’s gone, he’ll be back soon.”
The little bunny: “Da da?” Tears fell down. Yun Yinghui felt something was off. Suddenly, he sensed a spatial disturbance. He immediately knew the little egg was about to cause trouble. But faster than Yun Yinghui, the little bunny reacted.
Almost the instant the spatial disturbance occurred, the tiny, not-yet-walking little bunny rolled and crawled toward the incubator, clinging tightly to the glass cover like a little bun.
Yun Yinghui: “….”
The little white egg bounced once inside the incubator. The little bunny: “Da!”
Yun Yinghui wondered what the two were communicating. No, that wasn’t the main point. The main point… Yun Yinghui’s gaze shifted subtly to the little bunny. It was clear—the little egg intended to use their spatial power, but before Yun Yinghui could stop it, the little bunny had already blocked it. A wave of energy emanated from the little bunny, enveloping the incubator, preventing the little egg from escaping.
The little bunny was still so small, but perhaps the pressure from the little egg’s spatial power awakened a suppressing ability in it, capable of countering and obstructing the little egg’s tricky spatial moves. The little egg seemed annoyed and bounced twice more. The little bunny: “Ao!”
Yun Yinghui: “….”
He wondered where the little bunny had learned that yell. The little egg bounced two more times. The little bunny let out a single, louder “Ao!” he seemed angrier, extending his tiny, tiny, tiny little paws… And smacked the glass hard, shattering it. The little egg shivered.
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