Ch 127: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Mu Xing hadn’t expected that to be the reason. He choked for a moment before saying, “Then, sorry?”

Fang Yu laughed. “What’s there to apologize for? I’m happy about it, everyone’s happy. The crash means your popularity is sky-high. Popularity like that only benefits us.”

The only ones not happy were probably the fans who had been squatting in his livestream earlier.

When StarNet went down, they could always find other ways to pass the time—but no other platform had the Iya livestream.

Right now, everyone was wailing: StarNet, when are you going to be fixed! Don’t delay me from seeing the lotuses!

Fang Yu chatted with Mu Xing for a bit longer, then brought up the earlier subject again. “Can I come visit?”

Mu Xing readily agreed. “Of course, but you know the rules here, don’t you?”

Fang Yu nodded quickly. “Of course. No damaging the environment, no damaging the plants, no loud noises… I understand all that.”

“Then… can I come now?”

Mu Xing blinked. “So soon?”

Fang Yu gave a wry laugh. “Do you really not understand what your livestream just did? I don’t believe there’s a single person who saw that scene and didn’t feel moved.”

Mu Xing thought of the crashed livestream and mused that this was only the beginning.

When the call ended, he saw the other three already at the lakeside, craning their necks to look inside. Intelligent robots stood watch beside them—one to keep them from touching the blossoms, another to prevent accidents.

He noticed a small Iya person peeking out from within a lotus, curiously eyeing the three. But there was more wariness and rejection in her gaze than curiosity.

Sensing Mu Xing’s eyes on her, he gave a gentle, reassuring smile. The little Iya girl hesitated, then smiled back at him before diving back into the flower—like she was a bit shy.

Moments like this always made Mu Xing think that perhaps his true form was a flower or something—born with full-level affinity with the Iya.

The Mu family lingered by the lake for over two hours, unwilling to move.

Later, Fang Yu joined them, just as mesmerized, his eyes never enough to take it all in.

Eventually, Mu Xing urged them to move on, and soon they came upon a vast sea of blooming evening primrose.

Only then did Fang Yu finally understand what Mu Xing meant by saying there would be more surprises.

“I…”

He stared dumbfounded at the floral sea, then after a long pause, suddenly turned to Mu Xing with a strange expression in his eyes.

“Mr. Mu, you must be the reincarnation of some ancient deity from legend, right? Otherwise, how could you…”

He gestured at everything before them, awestruck. “How could this be something mortals could achieve?”

Mu Xing thought to himself, it truly wasn’t something mortals could achieve—it was the little Iya people’s work.

But since they were unwilling to reveal themselves before humans, he was left to take the credit.

He shook his head. “I’m just an ordinary man with poor health.”

Then, half-joking, he added, “Maybe the dreams I had before were real, and little fairies really are secretly helping me raise the flowers.”

*

After StarNet’s emergency repair, tags like [Iya Livestream], [Red Moon Star], and [Mu Xing] once again dominated nearly every trending list.

On every StarNet poll about “the place you most want to visit,” “the most beautiful place in the galaxy,” or “the most beautiful scenery,” Red Moon Star sat firmly at number one.

And from that day forward, no one ever shook it from that position again.

Mu Xing, without a doubt, drew the curiosity of countless people.

They even gave him the dramatic title “God’s Hand” to express their awe and admiration.

Even the Federation Research Institute sent a message, intrigued by how Mu Xing managed to accomplish such wonders. They wanted to come to Red Moon Star to study whether the planet had some special qualities.

Mu Xing knew well this wasn’t something he could truly refuse.

Strictly speaking, he could decline. The Federation wouldn’t violate the will of the planet’s owner and force their way in, but they also wouldn’t give up.

That alone was enough to make Mu Xing’s head ache.

Not that he feared their research.

With his consent, the Federation dispatched an entire elite research team to Red Moon Star.

But…

Mu Xing looked at the arriving team. Wasn’t this a bit too many people for a “research team”?

For example, that lady—hadn’t he just seen news about her? Wasn’t she an animal conservation scholar? What were you doing here to study flowers?

And that elderly gentleman—if he remembered right, wasn’t he a retired medical master?

Once they settled in, though, they weren’t much trouble. They quickly built themselves temporary housing—modular, easily dismantled to take away when they left.

Everyone spoke softly, never loud, their manners impeccable. Clearly, they had read Mu Xing’s “Red Moon Star Visitor Guidelines” carefully.

The only thing that unsettled Mu Xing was the way they looked at him—their gazes full of a benevolence so intense it bordered on eerie.

Half the team were true researchers, collecting and analyzing samples all over Red Moon Star.

The other half were… professional loafers, using the excuse of “research” as a ticket to come sightsee.

That retired medical giant, Old Master Xing, even secretly brought a tent, attempting to spend the night camping on the stone bridge in Mai Mai Park—only to be discovered by patrolling robots and forcibly escorted out.

The old man was actually quite aggrieved.

But after being “gently yet firmly” escorted by the robot to face Mu Xing, who could have been his great-great-grandson’s age, and receiving the boy’s calm gaze, the old man couldn’t help but feel a trace of awkwardness.

To ease the tension, Old Master Xing’s eyes swept over Mu Xing. Inspiration struck, and he abruptly changed the subject. “Little Xingxing, may I call you that? Looking at your complexion, were you born with deficiencies?”

Mu Rongrong happened to walk in just as he said this.

Of course she recognized the old man. Hearing his words, she quickly responded, “Yes, Little Xingxing has been in poor health since birth. But when I was pregnant, every single checkup showed nothing wrong.”

This had always been a source of guilt for her.

Mu Rongrong often thought, if she had been more careful with her checkups, if she had paid more attention, perhaps her youngest son wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.

The old man mused, “I happen to be skilled in nurturing health. I wonder if Little Xingxing would be willing to let me take a look?”

Before Mu Xing could refuse, Mu Rongrong’s face lit up with joy. “Thank you, Elder Xing!”

Mu Xing: “…”

He knew full well what was going on with his body. If the old man wanted to look, then let him.

The old man requested all of Mu Xing’s medical records from childhood onward to study carefully. Before leaving, he happily helped himself to a cup of Mu Xing’s homemade rose tea.

On the third day, Mu Xing was summoned to the old man’s temporary residence and underwent a full round of examinations again.

Old Master Xing frowned deeply, locking himself away for several days of research before bringing a thick report to the Mu family.

“This may sound abrupt, but after carefully reviewing all of Little Xingxing’s test files and medical records since childhood, I don’t believe this is an ordinary congenital deficiency.”

Mu Rongrong was stunned. “What do you mean by that?”

The old man asked, “Do you remember, more than ten years ago, the Binglan System experienced an outbreak of the Turner Virus? At that time, I was one of the lead researchers on the team.”

Mu Rongrong nodded. “I remember. I had just given birth to Yueyue then. It caused quite a stir, but it was quickly contained.”

“Yes.” The old man nodded. “A vaccine and medications were developed quickly, and the virus was suppressed. But the drug had certain side effects—it negatively affected fetuses in pregnant women.”

His gaze fixed on Mu Rongrong. “In severe cases, children were born extremely frail, with progressive organ failure. By the time it was detected, even a full organ transplant couldn’t save them. In mild cases, children were born weak, but with enough money and care, they might live a full century.”

Mu Rongrong’s face turned pale. “You’re saying…”

The old man sighed. “Because of this aftereffect, once the virus was controlled, the drug was pulled under federal restriction, never released again. Over the years, people have all but forgotten it.”

“If I hadn’t been part of the development team, I might not have thought of it either.” He handed Mu Rongrong a report.

“These are other cases where mothers used the same drug. You can look for yourself.”

*

After the old man left, Mu Rongrong spent a long, long time reading through the thick stack of records.

She later took them to Old Master Mu, and a fierce quarrel erupted between father and daughter.

That very afternoon, Old Master Mu boarded a starship and left Red Moon.

When Mu Xing came inside, Mu Rongrong’s eyes were still red.

Mu Xing comforted her softly. “Don’t be sad. Elder Xing said it himself—I’m one of the lucky ones. I got the best care as a child, and in recent years my health has miraculously improved. If I keep looking after myself, it won’t shorten my lifespan.”

Tears burned down Mu Rongrong’s face as she held him. “I truly never expected this. I’ve always made it clear—I have no interest in family wealth, no ambition. I thought he simply despised me as a useless, spoiled sister. I never imagined he wouldn’t even spare my child!”

Mu Xing asked, “It was Uncle?”

Mu Rongrong clenched her teeth. “Who else could it be?”

“And what will you do, Mother?”

Mu Rongrong said, “I’ll confront him!”

Mu Xing fell silent. Mu Lin would never admit it.

And after so many years, all traces of what had been done were long erased. Even if Mu Rongrong questioned him, she would get nothing.

Mu Xing thought it over, but didn’t stop her.

As it happened, Mu Lin came seeking them himself—he was running for Chief Executive of Capital Star.

As one of the three great families of the ice blue system, Mu Lin naturally had the qualifications to run. But compared to the other candidates, he lacked advantages.

So he set his sights on Mu Xing, now the center of galactic attention.

Almost overnight, posts flooded StarNet explaining Mu Xing’s prestigious lineage. Even if he weren’t cultivating flowers, he was still a direct heir of one of the three great families of Capital Star, destined to live in wealth.

And naturally, these posts mentioned that the Mu family was competing in the executive election.

Even in the Iya live room, people kept bringing it up.

Audiences are always like this—when they adore someone, they want everything to go his way. What could be better than having a nephew beloved across the galaxy helping to pull in votes?

——In the election, Mu Lin’s votes surged, climbing by thousands with every update.

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