Chapter Six: Nangong Kexin

"Did I hear that right? We humans are the rulers of this world?"

A commotion instantly erupted among the students below. This was the first time they had ever heard such a tale, the first time they had heard the words "Earth."

Especially that sentence—"We humans are the rulers of this world!" It made their once-calm hearts pound fiercely, burning with excitement.

"Quiet! I want everyone silent!" Liu Wen tapped the desk, signaling for quiet. This time, however, he wasn't angry. Watching the restless students below, he remembered his own childhood, the first time he had heard such a lesson—his reaction had been exactly the same.

It was a long while before the classroom finally settled into silence. Then Liu Wen continued, his voice ringing out:

"Back then, our cities knew no boundaries. We humans could roam freely across this beautiful land, passing at will between bustling metropolises, doing whatever we loved most!"

"For it was an era without monstrous beasts, without war or slaughter, an age of peace—a paradise of our dreams!"

"In that time, the rule of law was strict and meticulous..."

On the podium, Liu Wen adjusted his glasses, his voice vibrant with emotion as he recounted history. Though this wasn't his first time teaching this lesson, he could never quite rein in his excitement.

Meanwhile, the students below, at some point, had closed their eyes, listening intently. Their expressions brimmed with longing and yearning—a deep-seated desire for the world Liu Wen described.

After more than half an hour, Liu Wen's tone suddenly shifted, heavy with pain: "Yet all of it was lost. Humanity’s civilization reached its zenith, and internal wars erupted without warning, shattering the vast continent known as Earth into seven pieces, which became seven colossal floating islands. The world was transformed, and the monstrous beasts came into being!"

At these words, Liu Wen’s passionate expression faded, giving way to sorrow.

"So it was this that turned the age of Earth into what we have now?"

"If only we could have lived on Earth as well!"

As the students murmured their regret, Liu Wen’s face returned to normal. "Our present home is one of the Seven Islands, in the northwest region of the Asian Floating Megaisle."

"That’s all for today’s history lesson. Next week, we’ll begin the second part: Our Era—the Age of the Seven Islands!"

With that, he gathered his books and left the classroom.

As Liu Wen departed, the dismissal bell rang, and the classroom instantly burst into noisy chatter.

Naturally, everyone was buzzing about that day’s history lesson.

Among them, Nangong Yuchen and Le Han sat at their desks, equally astonished.

Unconsciously, the morning slipped by. Because of the history lesson, the afternoon classes felt dull and flavorless.

With the clock ticking closer and closer to six, when school would end, anticipation steadily grew in Nangong Yuchen’s heart.

At that moment, Le Han leaned in and whispered, "Nangong, are you going to work tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing..." Le Han’s round face hesitated, as if something else weighed on his mind. At last, unable to hold back, he said, "Nangong, after tonight, we’ll have our fourth freshman test tomorrow. Aren’t you... worried?"

At those words, Nangong Yuchen felt a pang. How could he not be worried? The ridicule from classmates and teachers during the past three tests stung him most of all. But what good was worrying?

"Nangong... Look, why don’t you stop working from now on? I have a little money saved up. Tonight, let’s buy some nutrient supplements, so you can at least get your physical fitness up to passing..."

As his friend of two years, Le Han knew Nangong Yuchen’s situation inside out. If not for the looming test, he would never have said such a thing, for he understood Nangong’s stubborn pride all too well.

As expected, Nangong Yuchen shook his head at once. "Forget it, Le Han. You know my situation—taking supplements tonight won’t help me in time. Besides, I’ve already failed three times. I’m... used to it."

He wanted to train after school every day, but how could he live if he stopped working? After all, it wasn’t just himself—he had a sister to worry about.

Seeing the forced smile on Nangong Yuchen’s face, Le Han felt a dull ache in his own chest.

Just as the air between them thickened with gloom, the final bell rang.

In an instant, Nangong Yuchen shot to his feet. Seeing that the teacher had left, he hurriedly said goodbye to Le Han and dashed out.

"I’m about to see my sister!" That was the only thought in his mind.

Star Academy’s freshman year had twelve classes. When school let out, the entire academic block bustled with life.

It took him several minutes to squeeze through the crowd, finally reaching the small lane opposite Class 3’s corridor, where he waited patiently.

One minute, ten minutes, twenty minutes passed. Students streamed out of the campus, but the familiar figure in his mind did not appear.

Another ten minutes went by. The sky was beginning to darken, and disappointment crept into Nangong Yuchen’s heart. Just as he was about to lose hope of seeing her, a cold female voice called from behind.

"Hand over your living expenses."

The words, tinged with chill and resentment, made Nangong Yuchen shiver. He spun around to see who had spoken.

There stood a strikingly beautiful girl. Average height for a girl, dressed in a white-and-blue short-sleeved top and a neat skirt. Her silky black hair fell straight to her curved hips, her face pure and delicate yet, under the gentle sunlight, a little wan. Her eyes, limpid as spring water, shone bright but full of exhaustion as she looked coldly at him.

"Kexin, you’re here!" Nangong Yuchen didn’t care about the coldness in her gaze. Instead, he walked over, face alight with joy.

For the figure before him was none other than his sister—Nangong Kexin.

"I’ve told you many times: don’t call me that. Use my full name," she replied, her tone as indifferent as if speaking to a stranger.

"Kexin, why do you say such things?" Nangong Yuchen’s smile stiffened, but he still asked with concern, "How have you been this past month? I... I’ve missed you." As he spoke, he scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.

Yet behind that foolish grin, the sincerity of his longing was clear.

But Nangong Kexin remained unmoved, getting straight to the point. "I don’t want to hear your nonsense. Give me the money."

"Oh, okay!" Facing his sister’s indifference, Nangong Yuchen forced down the stabbing pain in his chest and, still smiling, took out the two thousand he’d prepared and handed it over.

Without another word, Nangong Kexin took the money, turned, and walked away as if everything was perfectly natural.

"Kexin!" Seeing her leave, Nangong Yuchen hurried after her, grabbing her arm. His voice was tinged with sadness: "You’ve lost weight!"

"Let go!"

Still, Nangong Yuchen held tight, refusing to release her.

"Let go of me!" Nangong Kexin, unable to break free, suddenly spun around and raised her hand to slap him.

Nangong Yuchen, seeing her hand coming, didn’t move. He closed his eyes, as if resigned to his fate.

Yet, as second after second passed, no pain struck his face. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see her hand trembling in midair.

"Kexin, please forgive me. I promise, I’ll rescue Mom and Dad as soon as I can!"

"Forgive you? Ha!" Nangong Kexin suddenly let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh—a sound so frail it was almost pitiful. Then, her emotion swelled, and she shouted: "Because of you, misfortune has hounded our family! Because of you, we were driven out of Sunny Lake Town! Because of you, even Mom and Dad are in prison!"

"Forgive you? Then tell me, who will forgive me? Who?"

With a sharp crack, Nangong Kexin’s palm came down—not on Nangong Yuchen’s face, but on his hand, breaking free and running off.

"Kexin..." Nangong Yuchen called after her, desolate, but this time he didn’t give chase. He simply couldn’t find any words to defend himself.

His sister’s words echoed in his heart, making him doubt himself. "Am I truly the harbinger of disaster, just as they say?"

The more he thought, the deeper his pain. From childhood to now, if not for him, would his family have ended up like this? Would Kexin hate him? Would his loving parents have...

All he ever wanted was to live happily with his family, but in his world, that simple wish had become an unattainable, distant dream.

He hated himself—the root of all their misfortune.

"Nangong..." Le Han, watching quietly from the corridor, understood everything. His own heart ached just as much.