Chapter 29: What Sets Him Apart?

The pearls were not all perfectly round, and some visible imperfections remained; it was precisely these flaws that confirmed they were natural pearls, not man-made.

"A single pearl like this, even unset, could buy an apartment in the Imperial Star! And if you were to actually put those blood pearls up for auction, the starting bid would easily be over a billion..."

"They're that expensive? Then, Sister, wasn't I completely ripped off back in the fringe galaxies?"

Ye Moxi thought more deeply about it. She figured that besides killing and looting, those people might have also been trying to trade a favor for a night of passion with a girl from a prosperous planet... It was just as she feared: once life started going smoothly, she had begun to let her guard down! She had actually forgotten the golden rule of keeping one's wealth hidden. But in truth, she had no idea pearls were worth so much! In her mind, diamonds and various colored gemstones were the truly expensive jewels. Besides, how could a loose pearl compare to the work of a professional jewelry designer?

"Moxi, who did you sell them to? We’ll blacklist them!" It was easy to imagine that Ye Moxi must have sold them for a shockingly low price.

"I was trading under the identity I used in the safe zone, but that 'Yuan Xi' light-brain was stolen." Fortunately, that light-brain was only used for her transactions and contained nothing related to "Ye Moxi."

*Yuan Xi?* Ye Tianjiao and Feng Yanting exchanged a glance. Ye Ximo was still a student and lacked the high-level clearance of a Sentinel, so he was unaware of the message released by Xiong Sheng, Commander of the Third Legion, offering a massive reward for a girl named "Yuan Xi." Ye Moxi had mentioned once hitting someone on Desert Star... or rather, hitting a Jiaolong beast-form. And wasn't Xiong Sheng’s beast-form exactly that—a Jiaolong?

Ye Tianjiao patted Feng Yanting on the shoulder. Feng Yanting’s expression remained unchanged. Luck was an intangible thing, yet it left one deeply moved. He had met Ye Moxi later than the others, but it was he who had awakened his beast soul and been marked by Ye Moxi’s spiritual brand. However, Ye Moxi had said she liked "clean" men, and on that front, Xiong Sheng failed miserably! That man wasn't clean in the slightest.

He recalled last night, when, unable to restrain himself, he had done things more intimate than kissing. Ye Moxi had suspected him of having been with other women. It had been such a struggle to explain that he had only watched educational clips while she was in the shower. He had no experience, yet he didn't want Ye Moxi to feel any discomfort, and had even projected them onto the wall to prove his innocence.

*"If you aren't clean, I don't want you! You are mine, and you can only have me!"*

Because of this, Feng Yanting was absolutely certain that even if Xiong Sheng managed to find the "Yuan Xi" he was looking for—which was Ye Moxi—she would never accept him!

Commander Xiong of the Third Legion was famous for his philandering; he was never without a woman by his side. However, Feng Yanting would never proactively mention other men in front of Ye Moxi. His mother had already confirmed that Ye Moxi was an offensive-type Guide—a group excluded from the ranks of Guides yet not accepted by Sentinels. At that moment, he felt that Ye Moxi’s decision not to act as a Guide was the best choice she could have made. He knew that with her personality, the young girl would never stand for being wronged, but he also didn't want any more people noticing how special she was. As long as she stayed in the Planting Department, he and his uncle could hold up the sky for her, no matter what happened.

...

"Feng Xi, get out here!"

Feng Huohuo was a whirlwind of a woman—hot-bodied and hot-tempered—yet she was the premier jewelry designer in the Moyun Galaxy. Her ancestors had intricate ties to the Imperial family. Zhuge Fengluo would normally have called her "Cousin," but now that he was "Feng Yanting," he could only address her as "Madam Feng."

"Oh? What’s the big happy occasion today?" Feng Huohuo noticed the room was filled with various precious items.

"An engagement ceremony for my 'nephew' and Ye Tianjiao's adopted daughter." In reality, those close to them knew who Feng Yanting was, but since he refused to acknowledge it, there was nothing others could do. It wasn't as if people hadn't tried to investigate the truth of his recovery, but he had no beast form, remained in human shape even after berserking, and possessed dual-element abilities. His previous berserking had been caused by those two powers suppressing each other. The Feng family claimed his powers had balanced out, leading to his recovery. No one could argue with that.

"Adopted daughter?" The matter of having children depended on the woman’s fertility rating and sheer luck. Some women had high ratings but simply couldn't conceive, while others with low ratings ended up with several children. Feng Xi’s fertility was neither high nor low; she had already given birth to Feng Yanting, but after being with Ye Tianjiao, she was already over fifty. Twenty years had passed, and she still couldn't conceive. "Are you sure it's an adopted daughter?"

Many Sentinels, because their Guides refused to have children or were unable to, would have children with other women and bring them home, calling them "adopted sons" or "adopted daughters."

Madam Feng smiled and said, "They were children from the Rhode family who had been cast out to the fringe galaxies."

Feng Huohuo understood. That Rhode family, who gave birth but never raised their children, was notorious throughout the Imperial Star and the entire Moyun Galaxy. She didn't want to dwell on irrelevant matters. "Wait, did I hear that right? Which one of you wants to drill holes in these pearls? Isn't that a total waste of natural beauty? Who does that? Where are the pearls? Hand them over..."

"It’s for the engagement ceremony today—a return gift from Moxi to Yanting. They wanted to wear a pearl necklace when they announce the good news; it would be more meaningful."

"Listen to me! You’ve already got two happy events in one day! Give me three days—no, two! Even if I don't eat or sleep, I'll design a simple, beautiful necklace to set them in!" Feng Huohuo said urgently.

Ye Moxi looked at Feng Yanting, unsure of what to do. The gift was for him, so she felt she should ask the owner first.

"That works," Feng Yanting said. "Two days from now, you’ll make your official announcement. The start of a new life deserves the best arrangements."

Feng Huohuo tugged at Feng Xi’s clothing on the side. "Is this really my big nephew? Has he been replaced by an impostor?" The man who was usually a cold block of ice had suddenly had a change of heart? She couldn't help but look at Ye Moxi with new eyes. She was quite pretty, but other Guides with better looks and stronger family backgrounds had tried to form a spiritual link with Feng Yanting, and he had rejected them all. What was it about this little girl that was so extraordinary?

"Moxi is Level Five in the Planting Department, and she has a spiritual brand with Yanting." Feng Xi didn't plan to say anything more. Although she and Feng Huohuo were close, they weren't at the point where she could share Ye Moxi’s secrets.

*So that’s why!* Feng Huohuo suddenly understood. The higher a Sentinel's level, the more they preferred a partner with high spiritual compatibility. Even if they weren't official Guides, they could help relieve the Sentinel’s spiritual pressure through the union of spirit and flesh. Much like the Third Legion’s Commander, Xiong Sheng—he was a philanderer who was never without women, but in reality, he was simply using those intimate encounters to alleviate his own spiritual pressure.