Stroking the Thorn
If not for the concealment of fur, the Siberian tiger would blush like He Ruge. If not for He Ruge bringing up the matter, Xi Guican wouldn’t have paid any attention to it at all.
Because he didn’t have many points of reference, there were only himself and He Ruge. In the third layer of the dual cultivation technique “Honesty and Intimacy,” Xi Guican had seen the delicate and lovely parts of He Ruge, possibly due to the koi carp’s influence. In that spot on He Ruge, there were no hairs, exceptionally smooth.
At that time, he stared for a while, his gaze focused and intense. Under such scrutiny, He Ruge turned around, revealing deep red markings on his waist. The red lines flowed along his graceful curves like flower stamens entering a deep valley…
The Siberian tiger lifted his hind leg, lowered his head to look at the sharp, menacing thorn-like shape, realizing that his and He Ruge’s styles indeed differed quite a bit. His appearance seemed quite menacing, easily capable of causing harm.
“Maybe it just looks hard,” Xi Guican said with some uncertainty.
“Do you want to try pinching it?”
He Ruge: “…”
Could he really pinch it to test its feel?
He pulled down the curtains and reached out to touch it. Before it could swell, he recoiled as if shocked, saying firmly to Xi Guican, “It’s hard and prickly. Changing positions might be safer for me.”
He still remembered when he was browsing the forum, seeing a post from an author seeking advice on “#What to do if you start to go off topic#,” actually a typo for “go off the rails.” But if he were to engage in deep discussion with Xi Guican, He Ruge might really make such a post.
The Siberian tiger whimpered softly.
“Qiong Qi seemed to be like this,” Xi Guican finally identified the culprit, sounding innocent.
“I didn’t intend to end up like this either.”
Ancient fierce beasts truly were immensely fierce, exceptional in their ferocity.
“But the dual cultivation technique should be able to resolve this issue. I’ve seen the fourth layer of the dual cultivation technique; spiritual energy envelops that area, softening those thorns.”
Xi Guican proposed a solution and eagerly suggested, “Why don’t we give it a try? I’m curious about the reward of the fourth layer of the dual cultivation technique.”
With a flick of He Ruge’s hand, he plucked a long hair from the Siberian tiger.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he stuffed the hair back and said firmly, “Let’s wait for Doctor Mao to come and check before deciding.”
“Mao Zixie’s research mainly focuses on the spiritual sea.” The Siberian tiger gazed hopefully at He Ruge.
“And I only want to show you and have you check it.”
His gaze moved from He Ruge’s slightly reddened earlobe to his hesitant black pupils. Xi Guican didn’t want to embarrass He Ruge, so he used his tiger tail to encircle his waist, saying, “I’ll make an appointment with Dr. He first. When Dr. He is free, call me in for an examination.”
Dr. He blushed like he had a fever, nodding in agreement.
Dr. Mao was estimated to arrive around seven in the evening. In order to wait for Dr. Mao, Xi Guican’s amusement park plan was ruined. The Siberian tiger languished into a flat cat pancake. Even the delicious food from the Eternal Tower couldn’t lift Xi Guican’s spirits.
He Ruge didn’t mind much; he was satisfied with his meal, especially rubbing the Siberian tiger’s belly afterward, which provided him with spiritual satisfaction.
Full and satisfied, He Ruge started his livestream, greeting the eagerly awaiting audience, “Good evening, everyone.”
The camera started off very close, showing a young man sitting on a soft, snowy-white blanket. Under the light, each white hair on the blanket seemed to emit a faint glow.
The barrage of comments marveled at He Ruge’s beauty and the quality of the blanket:
“He Ruge sitting on such a large blanket is like a beautiful jade on white velvet, pleasing to the eye.”
“This blanket looks so expensive, like the kind only wealthy women would use.”
“I want to buy a blanket just like the one my male god is using! Please tell me the price so I can give up!”
“This blanket is so big… I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I feel like the blanket is moving.”
“The patterns on the blanket look familiar, like I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
When the camera zoomed out to reveal the panoramic view, the gigantic Siberian tiger appeared in the livestream room. The sapphire-like eyes of the tiger glanced disdainfully at the barrage:
“Ah ah ah ah ah, it’s Marshal under the Stars!!”
“Oh my god, did I just think about peeling off Marshal’s skin? I must be itching.”
“Anyone else! Anyone else wants to criticize our Marshal for being bald?! Look at this amazing amount of fur! This excellent hair quality! Shiny and smooth! It’s hair so dense that bald girls can never have it! Where is the baldness?!”
“…or maybe he got a hair transplant (whispering softly).”
“Marshal really spoils He Ruge, willing to let He Ruge sit on his back. I’m envious. Truly, godlike boyfriends are from other people’s homes.”
“Hey, this room is so gorgeous, like crystal.”
The view from the top floor of the Eternal Tower was displayed on the barrage. Star People had seen the exterior design of the Eternal Tower on the internet, a crystal tower surrounded by clouds floating in midair. However, few had ever seen the interior of the Eternal Tower, let alone the top floor.
So initially, the barrage was just astonished by the exquisite and luxurious room. The room was spacious, perhaps due to its crystal-clear transparency, making it exceptionally bright and open. Delicate and translucent decorations added a sense of artistry.
Until one barrage hesitantly remarked, “Doesn’t this room look like the top floor of the Eternal Tower…?”
Seeing the continuous questioning and discussion in the barrage, which dominated the entire livestream room, He Ruge had to speak up, “I’m at the top floor of the Eternal Tower with Guican.”
The barrage burst into tears:
“Oh my god, it really is the top floor of the Eternal Tower! And at the top floor of the Eternal Tower! Mom, I’ve also seen the scenery from the top of the Eternal Tower QAQ.”
“Is this the life of the rich? I eat lemons at the top of the Lemon Tower!”
“Ah ah ah ah, I wish I could be reincarnated as Xi Guican! I also want my feet to be fragrant under the feet of the male god, and I also want to see the scenery at the top of the Eternal Tower with the male god! Jealousy has disfigured me!”
“Is it beautiful? This tower is built with star coins.”
“Male god, when will you update?”
Caught off guard by the barrage urging for updates, He Ruge: “…”
His update today seemed to have only drafted a beginning before being distracted by Xi Guican. He Ruge cast a condemning gaze at the Siberian tiger, pulling on the tiger’s ear and whispering softly, “It’s all because of you.”
Xi Guican: “???”
To avoid the topic of updating, He Ruge decided to tell everyone a fairy tale story.
Which one should he choose?
“Today, I want to share a fairy tale story with everyone called ‘The Happy Prince’. The statue of the Happy Prince stands tall on a lofty pillar above the city. It’s covered all over with golden leaves, and bright sapphire eyes are made into its double eyes…”
It was a sad fairy tale story, and after hearing the story, the barrage once again turned melancholic, too melancholic to remember to urge for updates.
—
When Mao Zixie traveled all the way to arrive, he found himself with no role other than delivering the notebook. Nevertheless, setting foot on the Eternal Tower was absolutely worthwhile. Mao Zixie also discussed with He Ruge about “new sound therapy”.
The songs He Ruge sang, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and that war anthem, had been tested and proven beneficial for the mental health of autistic and depressive patients.
Using a special apparatus, Mao Zixie played the songs to the patients. This medical device was modified from the Mental Sea Stimulation Device of the past years, more stable and gentle compared to its predecessor.
If strictly followed according to the manual, it would never lead to tragedies like stimulating a cub to death.
And that thick manual explicitly stated, “For infants aged 1 to 2 years, the stimulation setting must not exceed 1.85.”
The data was precise to two decimal places, integrated from the information Mao Zhengyong handed over to the Institute.
Mao Zhengyong had provided detailed data on the Mental Sea Stimulation Device, where each simple number concealed a bloody human life.
Yet those benefiting from these advantages would never know how many human experiments had been endured to derive these intricate operational steps.
To give He Ruge a more intuitive understanding of the song therapy, Mao Zixie showed him a treatment video.
In the video, patients wore a white helmet on their heads. This helmet was smaller and simpler than the metallic helmets in games, but He Ruge recognized its predecessor in an instant.
He instinctively glanced at the large white tiger beside him. The blue eyes of the white tiger showed no emotional fluctuations, coldly staring at the video. He Ruge couldn’t help but reach out to touch the “王” character on its fur. The white tiger’s snowy ears twitched lightly, and it actively rubbed He Ruge’s palm.
With such a large white tiger, one hand could not entirely cover it, just as the metallic helmet from back then couldn’t fit over this large head.
Xie Guican was no longer just number 20 but the powerful and respected Marshal. Understanding this, He Ruge’s inner anxiety vanished. He continued watching the video while holding the white tiger.
In the video, some autistic children responded to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” by showing reactions to the outside world.
When parents saw children drawing star patterns on paper or heard them asking to see the stars, they cried tears of joy, too excited to speak. At this point, whether the children wanted to see stars or even pluck them, the parents were willing to comply.
Regarding the war anthem, Mao Zixie originally intended it for soldiers, but now that the Star Wars had ended, he repurposed it. He found that the war anthem had a strong motivating effect on depressive patients, filling them with energy. Therefore, he used this war anthem as a therapeutic song.
Mao Zixie hoped He Ruge would sing these two songs again, so he could apply them to medicine as soon as possible.
“These two songs won’t be used for profit, but I’ve prepared a reward for you.”
Mao Zixie said, taking out his private funds. He Ruge wasn’t originally planning to take the money, but under the watchful eyes of the large white tiger, he silently accepted it.
“Oh, by the way, you and I have been nominated for the Anlarhos Medical Award, but we may not win because my uncle is also participating in this year’s Anlarhos Hoss Medical Award.” Mao Zixie scratched his head.
The Anlarhos Medical Award was equivalent to the Nobel Prize in this world. He Ruge hadn’t expected Mao Zixie to nominate him without saying a word, and even if he didn’t win, being nominated was a great honor.
However…
“Your uncle? Is he Mao Zhengqi?” Mao Zhengqi and Mao Zhengyong were only one letter apart, making it easy to think they were relatives.
Mao Zixie nodded, “Yes, but Uncle is from the main family line, and we are from a side branch. We’ve had minimal contact over the years, and Uncle only came for Grandpa’s funeral.”
Words spoken without intention can hold meaning for listeners. After Mao Zixie left, Xie Guican said to He Ruge, “I think I know who has the second half of the notebook.”
Mao Zixie found the notebook among Mao Zhengyong’s relics, and Mao Zhengqi happened to attend the funeral, and Mao Zhengqi was also on the kill list.
Now that the whereabouts of the second half of the notebook were known, choosing the decryption mode obviously provided more security.
He Ruge flipped through the half of the notebook, slowly exhaling. This was an evil notebook recording data from human experiments, yet now the data was making a contribution to medicine.
【Choose decryption mode?】
【Yes】
【No】
【Decryption mode successfully activated!】
Suddenly, the notebook in He Ruge’s hand emitted a radiant light, and the words peeled off the paper, floating in the air. They rearranged themselves into a new story:
“My name is Mao Zhengyong, and I have a younger brother named Mao Zhengqi.”
