Annihilation\u2019s\ntransformation was not an ordinary transformation, but a complete internal and\nexternal change. For some people, there was no retreat route, and the road\nahead was not necessarily bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fruit pie was not\ntasty anymore, the juice not sweet, and even the sea breeze became irritating.\nA deep furrow appeared between Shi Jin\u2019s brows. He said, \u201cJun-shao,\nhistorically, do you know the most common outcome for bands of brigands recruited\nby the imperial court in times of need? After the emergency has passed,\nordinary members might be forgiven and allowed to return to their villages to\nplow the fields and live their lives, but bandit leaders are usually beheaded.\nIt\u2019s just that some of them fall early and some late. Has that thought crossed\nyour mind?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The direction of Shi Jin\u2019s\nthoughts surprised Lian Jun\u2014the teenager didn\u2019t care he haplessly boarded a\npirate ship but worried about the safety of the \u201cbandit leader\u201d instead. His\ngaze warmed. He picked up a straw and poked Shi Jin\u2019s frown, answering, \u201cYes. And\ndon\u2019t you remember not only the leaders won\u2019t have a good end, but their\ncronies too? A moment ago, I told you that you have the right to choose. Well\nthen, this is your last chance: would you rather be an upright citizen or a\nlapdog of a bandit boss, likely to be put to death?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that Lian Jun was in light\nenough a mood to joke with him, Shi Jin grabbed the straw poking him and stuck\nit in his glass. Scowling, he drained most of the juice in one big gulp, then\nsaid fiercely, \u201cMy bandit boss is smart, he must\u2019ve thought of a way out. If I\ncan be his lapdog, I\u2019ll be happy! At least following you, I can eat delicious\nspicy food!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lian Jun\u2019s lips curled,\nhis mood quite good. He leaned back in the wheelchair and supported his chin on\nhis hand. \u201cNo, you can only eat with me, and I can\u2019t eat spicy things. Only\nlow-ranked minions are allowed to enjoy spicy food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shi Jin dared to roll his\neyes at him and pointed at the porridge. \u201cThen hurry up and get better. I love\nspicy food, you can\u2019t deprive me of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lian Jun couldn\u2019t help but\nchuckle. His heart, which had always drifted full of uncertainty, slowly settled\nin his chest. He took a look at Shi Jin, eyed the seafood porridge, then pushed\nit aside and reached for the teenager\u2019s half-eaten fruit pie. \u201cI\u2019m tired of\nporridge, I want that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shi Jin was dazed by his\nlaughter, and it took him a moment to come back to his senses. Wearing a \u201cwhat\nam I going to do with you\u201d expression, he surrendered his fruit pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
After that breakfast\nconversation, the distance between the two narrowed a lot. Shi Jin became\nbolder and more casual in front of Lian Jun, and Lian Jun tacitly consented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That afternoon, everyone\ngathered to discuss the R&R leave. Gua One and the others noticed the\nsubtle change but said nothing. After the meeting, Gua Two grabbed the\nastonished Gua Six and dragged him aside for a long talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, when Shi Jin went to Gua\nSix for his pass card, he found the way his new colleague watched him was a bit\nodd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gua Six was gentle and\nhonest-looking. He was a little older than Gua One, and pretty much watched\nLian Jun grow up\u2014he doted on him like a family elder would on a junior he was\nvery fond of. Now that this cherished junior suddenly found someone special,\nall sorts of feelings welled in the elder\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cXiao\nJin, right? You\u2026 how old are you?\u201d Gua Six asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shi Jin thought the man\u2019s\nstrange expression was because he looked too young, and lied shamelessly:\n\u201cAlmost twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twenty? The age difference is not so big to be unacceptable.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Six nodded and took\nout a blank pass card. He extended his hand toward Shi Jin: \u201cPlease give me\nyour ID card, I need to enter the information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin obediently handed it over. After it left his hand, he remembered his date of birth was on it, and his expression stiffened. Damn it, the cat\u2019s out of the bag.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Six already noticed the date of birth on the ID card. He paused then looked at Shi Jin, taken aback. \u201cDidn\u2019t you round it up a bit too much?\u201d You became an adult just a few months ago.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s my mental age.\u201d Shi Jin refused to admit defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Six entered the\nrelevant information and asked, heart shaking a bit, \u201cAbout Jun-shao\u2026 Do you\nthink he\u2019s old?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin was confused.\n\u201cOld? Jun-shao will be twenty-six this month, that\u2019s not old.\u201d He was the same\nage when he died in his previous life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Six\u2019s eyes brightened,\nand he spoke faster. \u201cYou remember Jun-shao\u2019s birthday?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do.\nWhy are you looking at me like that, is it hard to remember?\u201d His reaction\nspooked Shi Jin a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Six got a grip on\nhimself, smiled, and waved to show it\u2019s nothing. He said cheerfully, \u201cIt\u2019s not\nhard to remember but to want to remember. Oh, right, right, this is your pass\ncard, I gave you the highest level of privilege. Go play and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin walked away,\nbemused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gua Six smiled with\nsatisfaction. \u201cHe remembered Jun-shao\u2019s birthday offhand\u2014it seems he really has\nJun-shao in his heart. Very good, very good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun didn\u2019t want to go\nto the dining hall for dinner, and Shi Jin was also disinclined to move. So,\nthe teenager called the kitchen and asked them to send food up and set the\ntable on the terrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun had no objections\nto his choice and was happy to take his seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They ate in pleasant harmony.\nAfterward, Shi Jin saw Lian Jun didn\u2019t immediately leave to deal with\ndocuments, and his mind moved. He took the opportunity to say, \u201cJun-shao, we\u2019re\non the island already. That massage\u2026 Would you like to give it a try?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun glanced at him\nand didn\u2019t answer, but his expression was still tranquil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome\non, try it. I gambled and lost, you shouldn\u2019t just let me off, or I\u2019ll never\nlearn.\u201d Shi Jin\u2019s words of self-reflection were high-sounding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun\u2019s eyebrows\nwandered up. He propped his chin on his hand and asked in a voice lazy as if\nintoxicated by the sea breeze: \u201cWhy are you so dead set on that massage, Shi\nJin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The morning conversation\nchanged things between them a little. This time, Shi Jin didn\u2019t evade but\nreplied honestly, \u201cI want to take a look at your legs. Muscles that aren\u2019t used\nwill atrophy. Uncle Long said you refuse to take care of your legs, so I\u2019m a\nbit worried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun\u2019s expression\nchanged a little. He looked away and said, \u201cWorrying about it is useless. I\nalways keep in mind the condition of my body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\ndon\u2019t call this \u2018keeping in mind\u2019 but \u2018resigning yourself to it,’\u201d Shi Jin\nrebuked, a rare serious expression on his face. \u201cYour legs aren\u2019t disabled.\nAfter conditioning your body, the nerves won\u2019t be as sensitive, and the\naftereffects will disappear. If you rebuild your leg muscles, you\u2019ll be able to\nwalk like a normal person. You can\u2019t just decide to give up at the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was\nborn like this\u2014it was what God decided, not I,\u201d Lian Jun answered, as if he had\naccepted his fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLian\nJun, you can\u2019t think like that.\u201d Shi Jin frowned, feeling an oncoming headache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As expected, Lian Jun was\nthe epitome of a bad patient\u2014Uncle Long\u2019s occasional grumbles hinted as much\nalready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He didn\u2019t eat well, and\nbefore Shi Jin came, he even drank despite knowing his stomach couldn\u2019t stand\nit. He also hated medicine. Trying to cure someone like that was downright\nfrustrating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After their earlier conversation, however, Shi Jin thought he could guess why Lian Jun had this kind of attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Annihilation\u2019s\ntransformation was rapid and dangerous like mountain rafting: not even the\nslightest mistake was allowed. There was no time for Lian Jun to care about his\nphysical condition, he was also probably disgusted with his current, useless\nbody. It was likely he intended to wait until his brothers were safe, then\noffer his head to the officials to make a thorough conclusion. Why would the\nman who\u2019d already planned for his own death take care of his body?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun saw Shi Jin\u2019s\nexpression troubled as if the young man wanted to say something but wasn\u2019t sure\nwhat. Unexpectedly, he smiled. \u201cYou care more about my health than I do, Shi\nJin. Can you tell me why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This smile looked very nice,\nbut it frustrated Shi Jin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\ndo you mean, \u2018why\u2019?\u201d Shi Jin frowned. He glanced at the progress bars in his\nmind then took another look at Lian Jun\u2019s seemingly indifferent appearance, and\nsaid, \u201cI want you to be healthy and live a long life. In my current position\nand identity, isn\u2019t this an obvious wish to have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun eyed him\nsilently, digesting his answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin also didn\u2019t speak.\nHe was thinking about ways to improve Lian Jun\u2019s outlook and spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll\nright.\u201d Suddenly, Lian Jun lowered the hand that supported his chin, the rare\nrelaxed appearance replaced by his usual reserved look. He moved his wheelchair\ntoward the small lounge room connected to the terrace and asked, turning his\nhead, \u201cDidn\u2019t you want to massage my legs? You have all the tools with you,\nright?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin started, and his\neyes lit up. He rushed to push the wheelchair and enthused, \u201cNow we\u2019re talking!\nWhere there\u2019s life, there\u2019s hope. Rest assured, I have everything with me, and\nI\u2019ll do everything to make the massage comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tools Shi Jin\nmentioned consisted of three things: massage gadgets brought only for\nappearance, medical massage oil provided by Uncle Long, and a small wireless\nspeaker for music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The massage venue was set up\nin Lian Jun\u2019s room. Shi Jin first prepared a hot bath for Lian Jun to soak in.\nThen, following information he\u2019d collected, he asked for a softer than usual\nmassage table to be brought over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When everything was ready,\nhe connected the speaker with his phone, found the playlist with the soothing\ninstrumental music he\u2019d downloaded earlier, and tapped play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next second, soft and\nethereal music filled the room. Combined with the distant waves, it subsided\npeople\u2019s emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin was quite pleased.\nHe nudged Xiao Si in his mind. \u201cGua Two got me this speaker. With how good the\nsound quality is, it must\u2019ve been expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bit uneasy, the teenager\nstopped fiddling with the speaker. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Xiao Si? The success of\nthis massage depends on you, you can\u2019t get cold feet at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiao Si: <Ah\u2014 Hiccup<\/em>.><\/p>\n\n\n\n What was this strange sound?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin frowned and asked anxiously, \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with you? Is there really a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <No.> Xiao Si\u2019s\nvoice suddenly calmed and became a bit serious. Then it blurted at twice the\nusual speed: <JinJinturnaroundrightnow.><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin reflexively\nlistened and slammed right into a slightly damp chest. The mild scent of bath\nmilk filled his nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis music is nice.\u201d Lian Jun took the speaker from Shi Jin\u2019s hand, examined it briefly, and set it on a cabinet. Then he leaned forward to look at the massage table behind the younger man, nearly embracing him, and asked with a sideways glance, \u201cShould I lie down directly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin held his breath,\nhis eyes shifting from Lian Jun\u2019s collarbone still beaded with water to his\nAdam\u2019s apple, then down to his chest, wrapped in a black silk bathrobe. They\nshifted further down to the man\u2019s feet on the luxurious carpet. Finally, he\nlooked back up at Lian Jun\u2019s face, taking in his damp, tousled hair, and took a\ndeep breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damn, was this really Lian Jun? He simply took a bath and messed up his hair, so how come he felt like another person? Did standing or sitting, and a hairstyle, make such a difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thwack<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A flick on his forehead\nwoke Shi Jin and made him look at the only other person in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun lowered his hand\nand bypassed Shi Jin to lie down on the massage table. The loose hem of the\nbathrobe spread out, exposing a pair of long, slender legs. \u201cLet\u2019s get\nstarted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both his expression and\nvoice were calm and natural, light years away from his actions a moment ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin\u2019s eyes were glued to him as he moved. The impact of his appearance was too great because even though it was the first time Lian Jun let him see his legs, the teenager didn\u2019t pay any attention to them. Instead, he stared at the hem of Lian Jun\u2019s bathrobe and asked, \u201cYou\u2026 aren\u2019t going commando, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lian Jun glanced at him and said lightly, \u201cShi Jin, I’m truly in awe at the way your brain works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Jin was sheepish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n << Chapter 40<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Table of Contents<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Chapter 42 >><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Translator: Eques<\/em> Eques:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[66,35,67,39,69,37],"class_list":["post-7384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dpb","tag-betrayal","tag-bl","tag-comedy","tag-modern","tag-system","tag-transmigration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7384"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11553,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7384\/revisions\/11553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\n\n\n\nTranslator’s Notes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Editor: Bet<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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