Lu Zexuan arrived at the door of the memory palace, and Yu Ran's gentle voice rang in his ears: "Lu Zexuan, welcome to the world at the bottom of the lake."
"I sealed this part of my memory because I was worried that my identity would be exposed if it was discovered. I used up all my mental energy to set up a very thick mental barrier at the bottom of the lake - unless I allow it, no one can break in here."
"Since you can come in, it means you have my authorization. Our spiritual fusion should be successful."
"Go in and find the truth you've always wanted to know."
Yu Ran didn't want to reveal his scars in front of Lu Zexuan in person and then see Lu Zexuan's sympathetic eyes... That was a memory he didn't want to recall. If Lu Zexuan wanted to know his past, let Lu Zexuan find out for himself.
Before the spiritual connection, Yu Ran planted a hint in the lake. As long as Lu Zexuan found this place, the spiritual barrier would be automatically opened.
Since they had chosen a spiritual union, it meant that the two of them would be in tune with each other from now on, sharing everything in the spiritual landscape, and it would be difficult for them to have any secrets. Lu Zexuan would know this one day, so it would be better to let him know it earlier and be mentally prepared to avoid being exposed in the future.
The door in front slowly opened, and Lu Zexuan walked towards Yu Ran's memory palace step by step.
This is a huge palace at the bottom of the lake with many rooms, which contain all of Yu Ran's memories since childhood.
Because of his parents' excellent genes, he was awakened as a guide when he was born, and his spiritual companion pet is a red fox with a blazing body. His mother named him Xie Ran, which means burning.
General Xie Xi's spiritual body is a flame red wolf, and Professor Qin Luo's spiritual body is actually a deep-sea jellyfish. No wonder no one has ever seen his spiritual body, because deep-sea jellyfish have extremely strong invisibility.
When Lu Zexuan saw this, he was stunned—a deep-sea jellyfish, a spiritual body like Marshal Qin Xiao
In the memory bubble, three-year-old Xie Ran was celebrating his birthday. His grandfather, General Xie, had not passed away yet, his aunt Xie Chen was still studying, his mother was already working in the Star Legion, and his father went to the Central Academy of Sciences to do research.
Halfway through the birthday party, a mysterious old man appeared at the Xie family in a black hover car—it was Marshal Qin Xiao.
When Xie Ran saw him, he immediately smiled and stretched out his hand, saying, "Grandpa, hug..."
The marshal picked him up, patted his head and said, "Ranran, dear, this is your birthday present from grandpa."
It was a very cute fox doll, and Xie Ran happily held the doll in his arms.
General Xie stood up and said respectfully: "Marshal, please come here in person. In case the president finds out..."
Qin Xiao said: "Don't worry, I drove here by myself, no one knows my whereabouts."
Qin Luo stepped forward and whispered, "Dad, Ranran is very talented. He can communicate with spirit bodies at the age of three. His spirit body inherited my invisibility ability and Xiaoxi's attack power. It is an invisible flame fox. He is too young, and I am worried that he will not be able to control his mental power well and will hurt himself."
Qin Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Seal his spiritual power temporarily, and release it when he is 13 years old, and then let him go to the sanctuary to study."
Qin Luo nodded: "I think so too."
Most of the young high-level sentinels and guides are temporarily sealed by their elders because they are worried that they may suffer mental damage.
Three-year-old Xie Ran listened to the conversation between his elders and asked curiously: "What does the seal mean? Will my fox disappear?"
Qin Luo gently rubbed his head: "The fox is your spiritual body, it will always be with you, it will not disappear, it will just return to your spiritual world. If you close your eyes and sense it carefully, you can see it in your mind. The seal will temporarily prevent you from using your mental power to attack others. Don't be afraid, Ranran, this is a kind of protection for the young guide."
Xie Ran thought about it and nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll listen to grandpa and dad's arrangements!"
Xie Xi looked at his son's obedient and cute appearance, smiled slightly, and said: "Ranran, be good. If you want to play with foxes in the future, you can go to your own spiritual world to play. Also, remember not to call Marshal Grandpa in front of outsiders."
Xie Ran was puzzled: "Why?"
Qin Luo coaxed him softly: "Because Dad is the Marshal's son, this is a secret. Ranran has to help Dad keep the secret, right?"
Xie Ran nodded and said, "Okay, help dad keep the secret."
Qin Xiao and Qin Luo looked at each other, and several deep blue thought tentacles stretched out at the same time, gently sending the Fiery Red Fox back to Xie Ran's spiritual world, and reinforced a thick barrier in the spiritual world to ensure that Xie Ran would not be injured and could not use his mental power to attack others.
Children have no sense of propriety. This child's mental strength is so strong. If he accidentally kills someone while playing with other children, the consequences will be disastrous. Temporarily sealing him is the best solution.
Xie Ran had a happy childhood. His father Qin Luo was a very gentle man. The Academy of Sciences was not far from home. He would come back from get off work every day to make delicious food for Xie Ran, including various grilled skewers and stir-fried dishes, and raised his son to be plump and white. Although his mother was busy in the Xinghui Army, she would take time to go home every weekend. The family of three played at home. The parents were very loving and the family atmosphere was happy.
When he was 6 years old, he followed his parents to attend the military's annual meeting.
The annual meeting was huge and lively. Many generals from the legions came. His parents were chatting politely with others and ignored him for a while. Xie Ran seized the opportunity to slip away and ran to a corner of the buffet area, secretly eating a chicken leg by himself.
Young Lu Zexuan turned to go to the bathroom, and the rustling noise in the corner made Lu Zexuan stop in confusion. The sentry had a keen sense of hearing, so he walked over curiously and saw a child stealing a chicken leg.
Dinner hasn't even started yet, is this guy really hungry? Why is he sneaking in to eat
Just as Lu Zexuan was about to speak, he saw the little boy raise his head, stretch out his hand and make a "shush" gesture, and said in a baby voice: "Just pretend you didn't see me! If my mother finds out, I'll be scolded, please."
Lu Zexuan: “…”
The little guy in front of him had a very cute baby face and a hint of pleading in his big eyes.
Lu Zexuan felt inexplicably soft-hearted, so he said, "Okay, I didn't see you."
The little boy smiled and said, "Thank you."
Lu Zexuan turned and left, wondering which general's son was hiding to eat at the annual meeting
At this moment, looking at the clear images in the memory bubble, Lu Zexuan felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
—It turned out that they had met each other many years ago.
Lu Zexuan could never have imagined that the little boy he met at the annual meeting when he was 6 years old was Yu Ran, also Xie Ran.
When he was young, Ranran was so cute and lively... If he hadn't experienced so much pain and suffering later, he wouldn't have grown up to be so calm and sharp now. He had so many family members who loved him...
From the age of 6 to 13, it was a very simple time in Xie Ran's memory. He spent most of his time at home reading books. Professor Qin Luo had a study room with a very rich collection of books, ranging from astronomy and geography to history and folklore. Xie Ran read a lot of books and historical materials, and finally understood why his father didn't let anyone know that he was the son of a marshal.
Because of the Sentinel Rebellion 200 years ago, two legions colluded with each other, raided and surrounded the Presidential Palace on New Year's Eve, captured all government officials, and forced the president to abdicate. That war caused countless casualties, and finally the Lu family and the Xie family joined forces to suppress the rebellion.
After the incident subsided, the representatives of Congress, after a day and night of intense discussions, decided to redivide the military into four major corps - no marriage between corps, which was also an unspoken rule established after the rebellion.
The position of the marshal is quite special. All previous marshals are guides. They have no military power, but they can use their advantages as guides to manage and coordinate several generals. Of course, the descendants of the marshal cannot marry into the legion to avoid "private collusion".
Qin Luo and Xie Xi fell in love freely in college. They struggled after learning each other's identities. In the end, it was the marshal who made the final decision. The two could get married, but Qin Luo's identity would become a secret from then on, and the child born would also take the Xie family surname.
No one knew that the gentle Professor Qin Luo was actually the Marshal's biological son, and Xie Ran was the Marshal's biological grandson.
At the age of 13, Xie Ran went to study at the Guidance Academy of the Sanctuary and enrolled in the same year as Lu Zexuan.
He was so smart that after the seal on his mental power was released, he learned several times faster than his peers. Within three months, he had expanded his mental vision to an unimaginable extent. It only took him three months to graduate from the sanctuary.
Because his Fiery Red Fox was too aggressive and he was too young, the leaders of the Guide Association discussed with his father and decided to jointly seal Xie Ran. They also sent him to a church for a year of spiritual baptism so that he would learn to be kind.
In fact, during the year Xie Ran was in church, he did not follow the scriptures or listen to the stories obediently.
Instead, he secretly learned various combat skills from the instructors.
The so-called church was actually a place used by the Marshal to confuse people. He arranged a trusted instructor from the Starlight Corps to teach Xie Ran how to fight in danger every night, such as how to climb and jump on the walls of buildings with special gloves, how to use invisibility to protect himself from being discovered, how to quickly subdue a sentry, how to escape from danger in close combat, etc.
Marshal Qin Xiao's original intention was to teach him fighting skills so that he could protect himself when facing danger one day.
Xie Ran learned very quickly. In one year, the boy grew up quickly. On the day he left the church, he even knocked down his master in three moves. The sentinel instructor said with satisfaction: "The guide's physical strength is not as good as the sentinel. Only by mastering the skills can you have a chance to win. Ranran, you have graduated."
Xie Ran smiled and said: "Thank you for your teaching!"
At the age of 14, Xie Ran was admitted to the Guide and Command Department of the First Federal Military Academy. This major only recruits a dozen outstanding students each year and trains them in secret. The students do not know each other and each has individual classes. The content of the classes includes various mechanical operations, battlefield command, and psychological knowledge. Guides who graduate from this major usually serve as commanders in major legions.
Xie Ran graduated successfully at the age of 19 and attended the graduation dinner of Capital Star.
At that dinner, outstanding Sentinels and Guide graduates from various universities gathered together. It was called a dinner, but it was actually a blind date.
Many people are busy with schoolwork and don't have time to fall in love. The graduation dance is a great opportunity. If you meet someone you like, you can invite them to dance and leave contact information with each other.
Xie Ran had no interest in dating, and he was too lazy to join the crowd. He hid in a corner, eating alone, and the food made him happy. After Xie Ran finished the food on his plate, he stood up to get a piece of freshly fried steak and returned to his seat.
When cutting steak, the sharp knife accidentally cut my finger and a drop of blood flowed down the fingertips.
At that moment, Lu Zexuan, who was also feeling bored, walked to the corner of the banquet hall. The sentry's keen five senses captured the special smell of guide element. The fresh fragrance flashed across his nose. Lu Zexuan turned his head and looked, only to find that the nearby seats were empty.
Xie Ran was worried that the blood would reveal the scent of his guide element, so he wrapped his finger with a hemostatic patch and quickly left the scene.
They passed each other at the party and did not meet each other.
Lu Zexuan looked at this scene in his memory with extremely complicated feelings.
If the two could go back to the past, at the graduation party of that year, Lu Zexuan would definitely find Xie Ran, reach out to him, ask him to dance, and tell him: Don't let your parents go to the war together, it's a trap, don't go!
Unfortunately, time cannot be reversed, and Lu Zexuan could not prevent the tragedy from happening.
After attending the graduation dance, Xie Ran officially reported to the Starlight Corps. General Xie Xi was investigating the Dark Night Organization at the time and had made some progress. They found the largest experimental base of the Dark Night Organization.
General Xie decided to lead the team personally, and Qin Luo went with her as a scientific researcher. He was very familiar with the drugs targeting the sentinels, and he could get samples from the experimental base to see if he could make an antidote.
Xie Ran had just graduated and was full of curiosity about everything. He ran to General Xie Xi and asked, "I want to go with you, too."
Xie Xi frowned and said, "You are still young, and you may not be able to adapt to the battlefield environment."
Xie Ran assured him earnestly: "My Fiery Red Fox has an S-level attack power. Moreover, I have undergone a year of special training in the church, and I am not weak in close combat. Even if I encounter danger, I can protect myself... Mom, I have grown up. You want me to be the captain of the Starlight Special Forces. If I don't even dare to follow you into the battlefield, how can I convince others?"
Qin Luo looked at his wife with a smile and said, "Let our son follow us. He will learn a lot from us."
Xie Xi finally nodded: "Okay."
—They underestimated the horror of the Dark Night Organization.
In the year 494 of the Star Calendar, when the Dark Night Organization first surfaced, they thought that this organization was just a few small fish and shrimps, and a few crazy scientists were doing experiments on sentinels. Unexpectedly, the small fish and shrimps on the surface were just the tip of the iceberg, and hidden under the water was a behemoth that they could not imagine!
At that time, the Starlight Corps actually had an undercover agent of the Dark Night Organization, who knew their whereabouts clearly. Before the Starlight ship reached its destination, the traitor suddenly activated the self-destruction program and destroyed a large number of escape pods. At the last moment, Xie Xi held a sharp sword, cut off the traitor's neck with one knife, snatched an escape pod, and forced his son into it.
That was the darkest day in Xie Ran’s life.
He had just graduated from college and came to the Star Legion with great enthusiasm, but he witnessed with his own eyes the tragic scene of soldiers and parents being killed in the explosion.
That scene left a huge shadow in his mind.
For many years afterwards, he often had nightmares about the scene when his parents tried their best to save him. After falling to the Red Pearl Star alone, it was his father's last words, "Live well", that supported him, who was covered in wounds, to get up again and again.
The author has something to say:
Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran have already formed a spiritual union, which is equivalent to living together spiritually and sharing the same mind.
The sentinel could not enter the guide's spiritual world without authorization, so Ranran gave Lu Zexuan authorization, which meant that he could understand it himself.
We can’t let Ranran say with his own mouth “how did my parents die?” It would be too cruel to open up his own scars.
(End of this chapter)