Chapter 20: Part (1): Rhapsody of the New Moon

There were many great men in history who, after experiencing all the essential trials of life, almost unanimously said one particular thing:

“A place where a woman is present becomes the safest haven for a man.”

Although saying this might infuriate some men to no end, in the past, it was indeed true.

Take Yao Bingling, for example—he had long forgotten when he last had a proper dinner.

Of course, that didn’t stop him from sarcastically criticizing his own cooking skills. After eleven years of living alone, any meal he prepared that wouldn’t kill someone and was somewhat edible could already be considered “good enough.”

Similarly, Liu Yuyun’s cooking skills were quite impressive. She had fully absorbed about eighty percent of her grandmother’s techniques, enough to work as a chef in almost any restaurant.

Yet, compared to the dinner in front of him now, both of their efforts seemed a little lacking.

What Yao Bingling made was food to fill the stomach. What Liu Yuyun made was food you could genuinely enjoy eating. But what Mei prepared… that had a taste that evoked nostalgia.

The taste of home.

Although Yao Bingling didn’t fully understand why, as a pure Chinese man, he felt this way eating Japanese cuisine, he could figure it out if he thought carefully.

His eldest sister, the “God of Dark Cuisine,” his second brother who treated junk food as a nutritious lunch, his third brother who only ate compressed food and canned goods, and their father, who only stayed in the cafeteria…

By all standards, this meal truly tasted like home.

Suddenly, Yao Bingling felt like crying.

“Is it to your taste?” Mei noticed his brief silence and how he was staring at his plate, which had almost no leftovers, and worried her cooking might have left a bad impression. She said earnestly, “If it’s not to your liking, please feel free to say so. I’m currently learning Chinese cuisine—within a few weeks, I should be able to cook decent dishes.”

Kiana raised her eyebrows at that and shot Yao Bingling a sharp look, as if to say: “Say no, and I’ll smash your head!”

“No, it’s a wonderful dinner.”

Kiana’s implied threat didn’t work, but Yao Bingling’s words were genuine.

It was warm… warm enough to make him feel like a lonely old man.

“Really? That’s great,” Mei said, lightly patting her chest.

“Of course. I’ll also look forward to it if you make Chinese food.”

That statement made Himeko’s eyebrows twitch. Mei had just said it would take her weeks to make proper Chinese cuisine, yet they wouldn’t be staying that long… which meant…

“You mean, Instructor?!”

“Yes. I’ve thought it through while eating.”

Although Yao Bingling had some past grudges with certain veterans of Tianming, the fact that they had come to him personally showed the situation was serious enough that they were willing to swallow their pride to summon him and the old soldiers.

As previously mentioned, Yao Bingling was a straightforward man. He knew when to act and when to let things go.

“You can stay here for one night. I’ll—”

Suddenly, Yao Bingling’s words and movements froze, as if injected with a massive dose of spinal paralyzing toxin, completely stiffening his body!

“Instructor, are you okay?”

“Lieutenant Colonel?”

“Eh, eh, eh, sir, are you having a cramp!?”

The sudden change startled the three of them, yet they only saw Yao Bingling breathe slowly and, in a barely restrained voice, say:

“Sorry, stomachache… excuse me.”

Then he dashed toward the bathroom.

“Ah… I made the Lieutenant Colonel have diarrhea,” Mei said, her head drooping, black lines visibly streaming down from her head.

“No, no, Mei, don’t be upset! That’s his problem. See, nothing happened to us,” Kiana panicked, trying to cheer her up, but it wasn’t going very well.

“…Can someone’s stomach get that messed up from food? I thought it was his old injury acting up,” Himeko grumbled, finishing her beer. She then eyed Yao Bingling’s cup, a silver-white teacup filled with a half-glass of amber liquid before the meal.

She wanted to try it but was politely refused.

As revenge for Yao Bingling’s stinginess, Himeko emptied the rest of the beer and some wine from his fridge. Slightly tipsy, she considered taking a sip from his remaining drink.

“One sip, he won’t notice, right?”

Himeko picked up the cup, sniffed it—there was no strong alcohol smell, just a faint scent, slightly stronger than beer.

Could he have dulled his tolerance?

She took a small sip.

Mei and Kiana instantly noticed, and for girls their age, sharing a cup with a man was shocking.

“…This wine… so weak.”

But the effect hit Himeko immediately. Her stomach felt like an explosion, fire shooting from her stomach up to her throat. She instinctively opened her mouth, and a visible white alcohol vapor spewed out. Her body started to flush a vivid crimson.

“This wine… powerful!”

Just saying that, Himeko collapsed on the table. Her eyes spun in spirals. A semi-transparent miniature Himeko floated out of her mouth, smiling cheerfully.

“Whoa, Himeko! Your soul… go back, quickly!”

Outside, chaos reigned as usual—the daily life, pranks, scolding, and mishaps.

Even Yao Bingling, usually so serious, had joined them. It was like a scene from a daily-life manga: the male protagonist eats a dish made with heartfelt care by the heroine, then experiences poisoning, diarrhea, dizziness…

A comedic scene, popular in manga—but this wasn’t a comedy.

The bathroom was a private space. No one would check on him there.

But if Kiana and the others got curious, they’d see something terrifying.

“Not now, not now! Don’t start now!”

Inside, Yao Bingling muttered to himself, trying to prevent something from happening—but he couldn’t stop it.

A violent convulsion spread through his body. He began to numb, unable to control his limbs, collapsing to the floor.

His mind was his only asset. He controlled his voice, remaining silent.

Suddenly, he ripped off the bandage on his right hand. A disturbing scene revealed his wounded hand: torn flesh, exposed white bone.

Beneath his skin, his muscles and meridians writhed, crawling and repairing themselves at impossible speeds.

The pain was unbearable, deep into his bones and marrow, making him want to cut off his wrist.

His wounds healed unnaturally fast. Cracks in his bones closed, organic material strengthened them, and damaged skin repaired within three breaths. The energy spread up his arm, attempting to assimilate him.

“Not a chance!”

Yao Bingling drew a dagger from a hidden compartment and stabbed his own arm.

Blood spurted. Purple energy flashed, then vanished.

Pain and his cold gaze showed his determination: if this continued, he’d sever his hand without hesitation.

The sensation slowed but didn’t stop.

Without repeating a word, Yao Bingling stabilized his hand, pushing it down and striking his bones with the dagger.

The energy finally ceased, receding rapidly. Only when his pain was sharp and clear did he remove the dagger. The white bathroom tiles were now stained red.

“How long can you resist?”

He still heard the voice in his mind.

“You’ve resisted me for eleven years.”

A black shadow, burning with golden light, appeared in his eyes. Wings unfolded, and golden eyes glared at him.

“Impressive willpower, but I sense you’re weakening in the past two years.”

Yao Bingling seemed to ignore the voice and shadow, cleaning the bloodied floor. His hand continued to heal rapidly.

“Stimulating your will and survival instinct with pain… not bad. How many times can you do this? Twice? Let’s say three times.”

The voice shifted from anger to a fox-like predatory calm, whispering around him.

“But ultimately, you will fail. The next new moon is tomorrow. Are you ready to face my peak power? Oh, and your three children outside to help you, yes? Looks like I still won’t claim your body this year.”

“Shut up.”

Yao Bingling turned his cold gaze to the projection of the heart, as if looking at a beggar.

Silence fell. The shadow chuckled faintly.

“You can’t ignore me anymore, can you? Good… my friend, my host, my puppet~”

“Get lost.”

“Fine, see you at the new moon tomorrow, the 23rd Contest. Let’s see how long you last this time.”

The voice and shadow vanished. Yao Bingling stared at his reflection in the mirror: pale, haggard, veins glowing golden like circuits, right eye black transformed into blazing gold.

He raised his hand to shield his face. His trembling right hand and tightening left hand showed his anger and frustration.

“Try me again. Just a broken beast core—you think you can dominate my body?”