ISWTDB Ch96

Chapter 96: Interstellar ABO (9, 10)

Abner glanced at Ying Zhao’s slender neck once more. He noticed how the other’s skin was so pale it was almost transparent, and he couldn’t help but swallow hard.

He had always known that Ying Yan was incredibly talented, especially in medicine, which drew a lot of attention. But only upon closer inspection did he realize that Ying Yan also had such an outstanding appearance hidden beneath the surface.

Moreover, Ying Yan was very gentle toward him. To be able to make such delicious food, Ying Yan must have put in a lot of effort—completely different from those spoiled noble Omegas.

At that moment, Abner’s heart softened, and he found himself staring blankly at Ying Zhao in front of him.

Ying Zhao noticed Abner’s dazed expression and tilted his head slightly, pretending to be puzzled. He picked up some food from the plate and placed it on Abner’s plate, smiling as he said, “Instructor Abner, try this dish. I think it might suit your taste.”

Abner snapped back to reality upon hearing Ying Zhao’s words. Feeling a bit annoyed at himself for staring, he quickly smiled and took a bite. He was then shocked by the burst of flavors on his taste buds.

Ying Zhao noticed Abner’s noticeably faster eating pace and narrowed his eyes slightly. He had experienced countless worlds, so he naturally knew how to fully display his charm.

In the original world, although Abner chose Bella for his career, it was clear that he preferred gentle and considerate Omegas.

What’s more, Ying Yan had done so much for him that the male protagonist’s heart was unconsciously moved by Ying Yan, developing feelings for him. It was no surprise that he later had the idea of marking Ying Yan.

However, Abner was inherently too selfish. For the sake of false benefits, he hurt someone who genuinely loved him.

The meal was thoroughly enjoyed by both parties. Ying Zhao didn’t eat much; most of the dishes ended up in Abner’s stomach.

When Abner finally realized this, his face turned slightly red. He smiled at Ying Zhao and said, “Xiao Yan, your cooking is truly delicious!”

Upon hearing Abner’s praise, Ying Zhao blinked and revealed a slightly cute smile. He responded joyfully, “Really? Instructor Abner, I’m glad you like it! I’ll cook for you again next time!”

Looking into Ying Zhao’s pure eyes, Abner’s expression became even more gentle. He nodded and, just as he was about to leave, turned back at the door. He reached out and patted Ying Zhao’s hair, smiling as he said, “From now on, when we’re alone, just call me Abner. No need to always address me as Instructor.”

Feeling the stiffness in the person beneath his hand, Abner cheerfully withdrew his hand and left Ying Zhao’s dormitory.

It wasn’t until Abner’s figure disappeared from sight that Ying Zhao finally unclenched his fists. He hated being touched by anyone other than his lover, especially when Abner had such sinister intentions toward him.

He hadn’t expected that even as Abner was leaving, he would suddenly turn around and reach out, leaving Ying Zhao no time to dodge. He couldn’t show any reluctance to Abner’s closeness, so he had to endure and let Abner touch his hair.

However, what truly made Ying Zhao stiffen was the sharp gaze coming from the window. Even without turning his head, Ying Zhao knew that eagle-like gaze spelled trouble for him.

He might as well finish what he needed to do before confirming his relationship with his lover. Otherwise, his dear one would surely give him a hard time.

Xiao Bai in Ying Zhao’s consciousness sensed his tension, and with a swish of its tail, it worriedly said, “Host, host! You talked so much with Abner today and even cooked for him. Given the target’s personality, if he finds out, he might hold you accountable for every word you said to Abner!”

Ying Zhao twitched his lips at Xiao Bai’s words. In his mind, he thought that given his jealous lover’s nature, accounting for every word would be a good outcome; that guy would probably hold him accountable for every single letter!

But at the moment, Ying Zhao was very eager to save his image. He turned around and went back inside, where he saw the eagle by the window and immediately put on a surprised expression.

He quickly opened the window and let the eagle inside. Seeing the eagle flap its wings and chirp at him with evident displeasure, Ying Zhao immediately walked over with a grin and kissed the eagle on the head. As expected, the eagle stiffened slightly.

However, the eagle seemed to snap out of it soon after, flapping its wings again to express its displeasure. Ying Zhao looked at the eagle and could already imagine how furious Onest must be right now.

But Ying Zhao pretended not to understand, cheerfully saying to the eagle, “Mr. Eagle, you’re so energetic tonight! I didn’t expect you’d come to see me again so soon. I’m so happy to see you!”

After Ying Zhao finished speaking, the eagle did calm down a bit. Although it still turned its head away with an air of displeasure, its attitude had softened significantly.

Ying Zhao fawned over the eagle, gently stroking the feathers on its wings as he gratefully said, “Mr. Eagle, you’re so considerate. Did you come to keep me company because you’re worried I’d be lonely?”

Onest heard Ying Zhao’s flattering words and snorted in displeasure. He thought to himself that this little rascal had just shared a meal with another man, yet here he was talking about being lonely!

Ying Zhao ignored Onest’s internal complaints and continued talking to the eagle as if he had finally found a listener. He chattered away about what happened at school today.

At first, the Marshal in the villa was still frowning in displeasure, sulking about Ying Zhao. But as he listened to Ying Zhao talking to the eagle, his melodious voice like a flowing stream, Onest found himself getting lost in it.

He became so absorbed in listening to Ying Zhao that he felt as if they were very close, and he even forgot his anger for a while.

He listened as the young man talked about today’s lessons, what interesting things the teacher had said, and how he was praised for his potion and got the top score in the class.

Ernest and the eagle both nodded repeatedly as they listened to Ying Zhao. They knew, they had seen it all—his young man was the best, and they were proud of him.

Ying Zhao then talked about how Bella had tried to bully him today and how, in the past, Bella had even gathered a group of people to corner him in the bathroom, trying to steal his medicine.

Upon hearing this, the Marshal immediately flew into a rage. He couldn’t believe that his precious sweetheart had been bullied like this.

As for that Bella, he seemed to recall hearing about her. She was some sort of niece of the Empress, a young lady from the Auston family, which explained why she could act so arrogantly at the Imperial Academy.

But so what if she was the Empress’s niece? Compared to his sweetheart, she was worthless. It seemed that the Auston family needed a bit of a warning to properly discipline their offspring.

Xiao Bai in Ying Zhao’s consciousness couldn’t help but admire this move. If it had hands, it would be clapping loudly for its host.

This move was truly a complaint in disguise, and Xiao Bai silently lit a row of candles for Bella and the Auston family.

Ying Zhao continued, “I’m really grateful to Instructor Abner today. If it weren’t for him passing by at that moment, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Ernest, hearing Ying Zhao say this, pouted in dissatisfaction. He thought to himself that he had already sent so many people to protect the boy; even without that so-called Abner, his sweetheart would have been perfectly safe.

But Ying Zhao just smiled softly and said, “Instructor Abner is such a good person, like an older brother. Although I have many relatives, none of them, except my mother, treat me as family. Instructor Abner is the kindest person to me after my mother. I think if I had a brother, he would be like him, don’t you think, Mr. Eagle?”

Ernest snapped back to attention when he heard Ying Zhao calling him. The eagle shook its head vigorously, and the Marshal thought with displeasure that Abner was nothing, not even fit to be his sweetheart’s brother.

Don’t think he didn’t notice—Abner clearly had ulterior motives towards the boy. Only someone as pure as his sweetheart would believe that Abner had his best interests at heart.

His spirit beast had seen it all when protecting the boy; Abner initially wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen anything and escape.

But since his sweetheart only saw Abner as a brother, he’d let him off for now. After all, he didn’t want to make his sweetheart sad.

However, if Abner ever made a move or had any improper thoughts, he wouldn’t show any mercy.

Ernest watched as Ying Zhao continued talking to his spirit beast about everything happening around him, thinking that perhaps the boy was truly lonely.

With no one to accompany him or confide in, he had come to treat a eagle as a close friend. This realization filled the Marshal with heartache.

But then the boy suddenly stood up and said mysteriously to the eagle, “Mr. Eagle, you’re so wonderful! You’ve listened to me talk so much without getting bored. From now on, I’ve decided—you’re my best friend! So, I’m going to tell you a secret!”

Ernest immediately perked up with curiosity upon hearing this. He didn’t even stop to think about how unreasonable it was for a boy to tell a secret to a eagle.

Ying Zhao walked to the door, made sure it was closed, then opened his light-brain device and pulled up a picture of Ernest.

Staring at the three-dimensional image projected by the light-brain, Ernest widened his eyes, unsure of what Ying Zhao was about to say.

Then he saw the boy looking at his image with an expression of deep admiration, excitedly saying to the eagle, “Mr. Eagle, look! This is my idol, Marshal Ernest of the Empire. Isn’t he incredibly handsome? He’s not only good-looking, but his mental strength and physique are both at 4S level. Can you believe it? That’s unprecedented in the history of the Empire! Marshal Ernest is simply amazing!”

Listening to the boy’s praise, Ernest blushed slightly, his ears turning red as he subconsciously straightened his back, clearly pleased with Ying Zhao’s flattery.

Ying Zhao’s gaze then grew distant as if he were recalling something. He said to the eagle, “And Marshal Ernest is also the one who saved my mother and me. When the small planet we lived on was invaded by Zerg, Marshal Ernest arrived just in time and defeated them. If it weren’t for him, my mother and I would have been killed by those Zerg. Over the years, what has motivated me to study medicine so diligently is both my mother’s expectations and my gratitude to Marshal Ernest. I hope to create the best medicine and present it to Marshal Ernest to express my thanks!”

“My current grades in the pharmacy department are already the best. I believe that before graduation, I’ll be able to create the most outstanding medicine. Mr. Eagle, do you think Marshal Ernest will be happy when he receives my gift?” Ying Zhao looked intently at the eagle, as if genuinely seeking its opinion, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

Ernest was overwhelmed with emotion when he heard that he was the boy’s savior. He felt as if fate had destined them to be together.

For the first time, the Marshal was grateful to his past self, who had followed the royal family’s orders and fought wars across the galaxy without caring about anything.

It turned out that all of this had led him to rescue the boy he would come to love deeply. As the boy’s savior, shouldn’t this debt of life be repaid with lifelong devotion?

As Ernest thought this, his gaze towards Ying Zhao grew passionate, especially when Ying Zhao said that his motivation for making medicine was influenced by him. And when Ying Zhao asked the eagle whether he’d be happy to receive the best medicine as a gift, Ernest couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.

Ernest wished he could be by the boy’s side right now, holding him and loudly telling him that he would indeed be extremely happy and would cherish any gift the boy gave him.

He hadn’t realized just how important he was in the boy’s heart until he heard those words, which sounded almost like a confession. The jealousy that had been overflowing in Ernest’s heart finally eased a little.

He gazed tenderly at the boy, who was looking at his three-dimensional image with a face full of admiration, through the eagle’s eyes, and kept thinking to himself. Very soon, very soon, I will find a way to meet my darling properly.

When that time comes, how will the boy react? Will he be too shy to speak to me, or will he be so excited that he’ll throw himself into my arms? No matter which it is, it will definitely be so adorable that it will make my heart tremble.

Unaware of the Marshal’s thoughts, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. Seeing the eagle’s face with a surprisingly lovesick expression, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. After working so hard to bare his heart like this, he should have passed the test, right?

Xiao Bai in his consciousness blinked, watching its host’s secretly excited demeanor, unsure whether it should remind him of what happened in that world where he was the Rakshasa General.

Back then, the host had already made it clear to the target that he had no interest in that minor character and was only stringing him along for the bigger picture.

However, even after saying that, it didn’t stop the target from getting jealous. The host, completely unaware, had unintentionally provoked him to the point of madness, leading the target to abduct him and forcefully make him his own.

But seeing how pleased its host was now, Xiao Bai considerately decided to let Ying Zhao enjoy his happiness for a few more days.

Feeling that he had done a good job of comforting his lover, Ying Zhao decided to start making medicine. After all, in a few days, he would need to submit the medicine to the Ying family. And now was not the time to openly break ties with Ying Guohao.

Moreover, after attending a few pharmacy classes, Ying Zhao had developed some interest in making these things. He thought that since he had come to this world, he hadn’t yet made any medicine by hand. And in the future, he would definitely create the most suitable medicine for his partner, so that his lover could be even more effective on the battlefield.

Since Ying Guohao had sent Ying Zhao to the Imperial Academy to further his studies, mainly to improve his pharmacy skills, the dormitory area where Ying Zhao lived had a specially arranged, rather luxurious laboratory in the basement.

Deciding to get to work, Ying Zhao apologized to the eagle, “Mr. Eagle, I’m sorry, but I have work to do. The deadline to submit the medicine to my father is approaching, and if I don’t hurry up and make it, I won’t have enough time. So, I can’t keep you company. I won’t close the window, so if you want to leave, you can fly out through it.”

After saying this, Ying Zhao opened the door and was about to leave the room. The look of reluctance in the boy’s eyes made Ernest feel a bit delighted. He quickly had his spirit beast flap its wings and follow Ying Zhao, perching on his shoulder.

Seeing that the eagle had decided to follow him, Ying Zhao immediately put on a surprised and flattered expression, then led the eagle to the basement laboratory.

Looking at the fully equipped laboratory, Ernest’s eyes flickered as he understood what Ying Zhao had just meant.

The boy was supposedly just a student at the Imperial Academy, but seeing the long row of semi-finished products already on the shelves made Ernest feel indignant.

The amount of medicine that needed to be made would require a significant amount of mental energy. Moreover, the little guy was producing B+ grade medicines, which, while not rare for him, would fetch a high price on the market.

The Ying family was completely exploiting the boy, making a large profit off of him. However, since Ying Guohao was still the boy’s guardian, Ying Zhao had no choice but to obey him.

Thinking about this, Ernest narrowed his eyes. Such a predatory family was entirely unsuitable for his boy. He needed to come up with a plan to protect the boy under his wings as soon as possible.

Using the original owner’s memories, Ying Zhao skillfully added various materials to the medicine, then concentrated his mental power into threads to purify it.

Purifying a high-quality medicine required a great deal of mental energy, so Ying Zhao always found the process very exhAustong.

However, for Ying Zhao, whose mental power was exceptionally strong, creating a B+ grade medicine was a piece of cake.

So, through the eagle’s eyes, the Marshal was astonished to discover that the little guy was separating and purifying the materials for the medicine at an extremely fast pace.

As the Marshal of the Empire, Ernest was naturally very familiar with pharmacy, as it was a critical aspect of the military. He even had his own personal pharmacist.

He had observed the process of making medicine many times before, so Ernest was sure that even the top pharmacists in the Empire couldn’t purify B+ grade medicine this quickly.

This could only mean one thing—his little guy’s mental power was extremely high, at least higher than the A grade listed in his files. Considering the speed, it might even be 2S or higher.

Thinking of this, Ernest felt a surge of excitement. Didn’t this mean that the boy’s mental power level was close to his own and might even be able to withstand merging with his spirit?

The thought of being with the boy, not only fully marking him but also completely imprinting his mental power with his own, made Ernest even more impatient.

As for why the boy was hiding his mental power, in a predatory family like that, keeping his true abilities hidden was undoubtedly a way to protect himself.

Ernest was both shocked and impressed by his sweetheart’s extraordinary abilities. At the same time, he felt sorry that the boy couldn’t truly showcase his talents freely and without restraint.

Thus, he secretly made up his mind that from now on, he would be the little one’s support, ensuring that he no longer feared anything and could confidently showcase his brilliance in front of others.

Very soon, the batch of medicines on the table was finished. Ying Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave the eagle a smile.

Then he took out a key hanging around his neck and opened a locked cabinet in the corner. From inside, he retrieved two unfinished potions and some rare materials.

Ernest knew that these two potions were definitely different from the batch Ying Zhao had just made for the Ying family. Although there were only two potions, the Marshal could already sense the pure energy emanating from them through his spirit beast.

So, who exactly were these potions intended for? Could it be for that Abner from earlier?

At this thought, Ernest’s jealousy surged again. He watched as Ying Zhao began to carefully separate and purify the materials, far more meticulously than he had with the batch for the Ying family.

Even the tiniest impurities were meticulously removed by Ying Zhao using his mental power. Afterward, a faint white glow appeared on the potion.

Seeing this, Ernest’s pupils contracted sharply. An S-grade potion—this was the most difficult kind to make! Just how many surprises was this little one going to give him? The boy’s ability in pharmacy was beyond mere talent.

However, after finally merging the materials with the potion, the boy still appeared dissatisfied. Ying Zhao picked up the bottle, shook it in front of him, and frowned in frustration.