HOLM : Chapter 50

As Ji Mian spoke softly, he leaned against Chu Shiye, his eyes closing as he lost consciousness.  

Chu Shiye: “…”  

Ji Mian rested his head on Chu Shiye’s shoulder, his dark hair spilling gently over his neck, tickling it slightly.  

Chu Shiye stayed perfectly still, not daring to move. After a few seconds, he lowered his head, pressing his face into Ji Mian’s soft hair.  

Holding Ji Mian in his arms, Chu Shiye resembled a dragon hoarding its precious treasure deep within its lair.  

Fu Zeren rushed to the shelter and froze when he saw the guards lying unconscious at the entrance. His eyes flicked to Black Snake, who lay barely breathing near the doorway, his eye pierced by a dagger. Amid the blood pooling around him lay a tiny, rice-grain-sized control device.  

“Take him away and treat him,” Fu Zeren commanded coldly. “We’ll need to pry some answers out of him.”  

Two guards hauled Black Snake away while others helped their fallen comrades.  

As Fu Zeren stepped over the bloodstained floor, Chu Shiye emerged from the doorway, carrying Ji Mian in his arms.  

“Mr. Chu, is Mr. Su—” Fu Zeren began but stopped mid-sentence when Chu Shiye walked past him without so much as a glance.  

Fu Zeren quickly added, “We can treat Mr. Su!”  

Chu Shiye’s voice was cold and emotionless. “You’re useless.”  

The chill in Chu Shiye’s gaze made Fu Zeren shudder, and he dared not say another word.  

Kane followed a short distance behind Chu Shiye. As they left the shelter and turned a corner, Kane quickly slipped away, knowing that Chu Shiye didn’t need anyone else around right now.  

—

Click.  

The door of a small house outside the city swung open as Chu Shiye carried Ji Mian inside.  

He strode quickly to the bed but hesitated to set Ji Mian down. After a moment, he sat on the edge of the bed, still holding him close.  

Eventually, Chu Shiye carefully supported Ji Mian’s back, laying him down gently. He changed Ji Mian into soft sleepwear, moving with meticulous care, as if afraid of causing him the slightest discomfort.  

Finally, he tucked Ji Mian in snugly, making sure he wouldn’t catch a chill.  

The room fell quiet, and Ji Mian’s face was serene as he slept.  

Chu Shiye sat by the bed, lowering his head to watch him intently.  

After a moment, he slowly slipped his hand under the blanket, wrapping Ji Mian’s cool, slender fingers in his own.  

The faint touch of Ji Mian’s fingers seemed to ease the shadows in his heart.  

—

When Ji Mian awoke, he immediately felt a gaze fixed on him. Without needing to think, he knew who it was.  

He moved his fingers slightly, intending to touch the Alpha, only to find his hand already held in Chu Shiye’s.  

Ji Mian: Hmm, sneaky little moves while I’m asleep.  

Turning his head, he met a pair of deeply focused eyes.  

After a few seconds, Ji Mian said, “Come closer.”  

Chu Shiye obediently leaned in.  

Ji Mian propped himself up on one arm, cupping Chu Shiye’s face with both hands.  

Chu Shiye froze, stunned.  

Ji Mian studied his face carefully for a moment before remarking, “Your eye color seems to have changed.”  

Chu Shiye blinked, still a little dazed.  

Ji Mian poked him lightly.  

Finally snapping out of it, Chu Shiye asked, “What?”  

“Your eyes,” Ji Mian repeated. “They’re a little brighter now.”  

Chu Shiye’s eyes had always been a dark brown, almost murky.  

But now, they seemed lighter—closer to a dusky gold.  

It reminded Ji Mian of the radiant golden eyes he had seen in Chu Shiye’s mental world.  

Though there was still some distance between the two, the resemblance was growing stronger.  

Chu Shiye’s response was a simple, “Oh.”  

He didn’t seem to care much about it. Instead, he pressed the back of his hand to Ji Mian’s forehead. “Do you still feel unwell?”  

Ji Mian smiled. “Not at all.”  

He leaned closer to Chu Shiye, his voice soft. “Your eyes really have changed.”  

Caught off guard by the sudden closeness, Chu Shiye froze again. After a few seconds, he murmured, “Does it look… bad?”  

Ji Mian shook his head.  

Without saying more, Chu Shiye stood up to fetch a glass of water.  

When he handed it to Ji Mian, the latter sipped thoughtfully before asking, “What about the people who lost control…?”  

“They’re still at the shelter. None of them have escaped,” Chu Shiye replied firmly, pressing the edge of the blanket. “You need to rest.”  

Ji Mian noticed how tense Chu Shiye was and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I won’t go out right now.”  

His spiritual energy hadn’t fully recovered, and forcing himself to perform more mental guidance would only reduce his efficiency.  

Satisfied with Ji Mian’s response, Chu Shiye nodded. He silently shifted closer to the bed, once again taking Ji Mian’s hand in his own.  

This time, he even snuck his hand over the blanket edge, making sure Ji Mian stayed covered.  

Ji Mian glanced at his hand, held snugly in Chu Shiye’s, and said nothing.  

After a while, he asked, his tone casual, “What’s the situation outside?”  

“It’s under control now,” Chu Shiye replied.  

Black Snake, as it turned out, had been an undercover agent for the Relief Society since their arrival on the planet.  

But in the end, even he was treated as a disposable pawn, abandoned when the Relief Society left.  

Through Black Snake, they had confirmed Ji Mian’s suspicions: the Relief Society had used the planet as an experiment site. They had mixed a special drug into ordinary treatment medicines to test its effects.  

However, Black Snake didn’t know the name of the drug or the true identity of the forces behind the Relief Society.  

Desperate to cling to the organization, he knew little about it. The only thing he did know was that the experiment’s results had disappointed them, prompting their departure and his abandonment.  

Black Snake was subsequently imprisoned, while Tansen remained in a state of “confusion.” Fu Zeren swiftly took over control of the city, publicly exposing the truth about the Relief Society. 

As Ji Mian listened to Chu Shiye’s report about the situation outside, he fell into deep thought.

An organization capable of easily unleashing A-level beasts and developing such unique drugs was anything but simple. It could very well be a vast and secretive dark organization.

This planet, with its limited resources and power, had no means to defend itself against such a force. Fortunately, it seemed that the organization had already left, with no immediate plans to return.

“How many people are still out of control now?” Ji Mian asked.

Chu Shiye reported the number.

Ji Mian did some quick mental calculations. “At the rate I was going before, I could probably treat…”

“No,” Chu Shiye interrupted firmly.

His voice was cold. “You’re not allowed to harm yourself for others.”

Ji Mian met his gaze. “You’re being mean to me.”

Chu Shiye immediately softened, lowering his head. “I’m sorry.”

His voice became gentle. “The ones who’ve lost control aren’t going anywhere. There’s no rush. I don’t want you exhausting your spiritual energy. I just want you to be well.”

Ji Mian’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Alright, then I’ll treat a few people each day and take it slow.”

Chu Shiye nodded but emphasized again, “You’re not allowed to go out today.”

Ji Mian looked at him.

Chu Shiye softened even further. “Please, just rest a little longer, alright?”

Ji Mian chuckled softly. “Alright.”

Chu Shiye carefully adjusted the blanket over Ji Mian.

He needed to coax Su Lan into staying put and not running around recklessly for the sake of others, depleting his spiritual energy.

Patting Ji Mian’s pillow gently, Chu Shiye got up to wash some fruit and fetch Ji Mian’s favorite candy.

As Ji Mian sucked on a piece of candy, he said, “Let’s see your spiritual entity.”

Chu Shiye, who was peeling fruit, released his small white snake.

The little snake cheerfully slithered along Chu Shiye’s arm and made its way toward Ji Mian.

Ji Mian caught it, and the snake wriggled around in his palm.

Ji Mian glanced at Chu Shiye, who continued peeling fruit with an unchanged expression.

Lowering his gaze, Ji Mian carefully observed the little snake.

The snake’s eye color, like its owner’s, had changed—it was now closer to a dark gold.

Ji Mian poked the snake. “Can it still grow bigger?”

He recalled how Chu Shiye’s spiritual entity had transformed during the fight with Black Snake.

With its four legs, armored scales, and imposing size, it wasn’t quite a snake, nor was it a lizard.

But it was incredibly powerful.

And huge.

Chu Shiye hesitated. “I’ll try.”

He stared intently at the small white snake.

The snake coiled lazily around Ji Mian’s fingers, resting its tiny head on one of them as it stared back at Chu Shiye.

A few seconds passed, and nothing happened.

Chu Shiye sighed. “…I can’t.”

Back then, when Su Lan was in danger, his mind had gone blank except for one clear thought: He had to protect Su Lan.

Now, with Su Lan safe and sound beside him, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make the snake grow.

At most, it sprouted four tiny legs and turned into a small white lizard.

The little white lizard began scampering around Ji Mian’s hand.

Ji Mian chuckled. “Alright, maybe it’s better to turn back for now.”

Chu Shiye said nothing.

The little lizard transformed back into the small white snake, continuing to crawl over Ji Mian’s palm.

Ji Mian pinched the snake lightly, then looked at the Alpha, who seemed a bit dejected. Smiling, he said, “It’s okay.”

“You’ve already done it once. With more practice, I’m sure you’ll manage it again.”

“Really?” Chu Shiye asked, his tone cautious.

“Of course,” Ji Mian replied. “Or, if you want, I can give you some mental guid—”

Before he could finish, Chu Shiye quickly grabbed Ji Mian’s hand. “No.”

After a moment of thought, he added, “I’ll practice summoning it more over the next few days and figure it out myself.”

Ji Mian nodded. “Alright.”

The fact that Chu Shiye’s spiritual entity had easily defeated Black Snake’s anaconda proved that he was no longer at E-level. He was at least B-level, if not higher.

The jump from E-level to above B-level was an enormous leap.

Ji Mian had always known this Alpha was exceptional.

Smiling, he reached out his hand.

Chu Shiye instinctively leaned down, expecting Ji Mian to pat his head.

But Ji Mian only pinched the small white snake again.

Chu Shiye: “…”

Why didn’t he pat my head?

He thought back to how Su Lan used to pat him all the time.

Chu Shiye stared at the little snake, which remained oblivious, happily coiling around Ji Mian’s fingers.

Chu Shiye: Tch.

He reached out—

But just then, Ji Mian released his own spiritual entity, the Light Goddess Butterfly.

The butterfly was sluggish, its movements weak from Ji Mian’s depleted spiritual energy. It fluttered slowly before landing in Ji Mian’s palm, its silvery antennae drooping.

The small white snake immediately turned its head, its dark gold eyes fixating on the butterfly.

It cautiously slithered over, lifting its head to nudge the butterfly’s wing.

The butterfly remained still, neither flying away nor acknowledging the snake.

The little white snake seemed overjoyed. It began circling the butterfly, coiling itself around Ji Mian’s palm.

Eventually, it rested its head on the tip of its tail, enclosing the butterfly in a tiny loop.

Flipping onto its back, the snake radiated pure contentment.

Chu Shiye: “…”

R : See you next week !! Take care guys ♥