Happy New Year!

Popping in to wish you all a Happy New Year ٩(๑•◡-๑)۶ⒽⓤⒼ❤


Here's a New Year's gift from the talented Judy Lin, a fanart of Shu Shu. Many thanks, Judy!（*＾3＾）/～♡

Shu Shu 

I also have a list of my favorite danmei in 2018. I've read lots of danmei this year, but these are my most favorite and memorable danmei. 

A Guide to - 49

Here's a new chapter very early on the 25th because I'm going to take a holiday break. So, next update will be on January 5th, 2019. See you next year, guys! And thank you for accompanying me during this translating journey! ◦°˚\(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Unedited chapter


49. Being Truthful and the Banquet


Ever since there was one more bead in his stomach, Shu Shu always felt uncomfortable from head to toe, and he also felt a little guilty when facing Edgar.   
 
Having a guilty conscience plus thinking about the people in the class who were smitten with Edgar and had been vilifying him all day long made Shu Shu quite depressed. All he wanted was to hide from Edgar.

It’s just that when he returned home after attending school for a whole day, he actually missed Edgar. Moreover, there were only he and Edgar at home. After hiding from Edgar, he was obviously left alone. Wouldn’t he get bored?
 
Shu Shu got caught up in a quandary.
 
Edgar naturally found out about Shu Shu’s tangled emotions, but because he himself was also a little slow and not overly expressive, he did not know what he should say to Shu Shu.
 
When eating dinner today, Edgar saw that Shu Shu looked uneasy. He recalled that it had been several days since Shu Shu last played the snake-killing game . . . . No, it’s trying-to-overcome-the-fear game. Edgar finally thought of a subject and asked, "Do you want to play the game?"

Shu Shu thought of those snakes and, trembling all over, quickly replied, "Don’t want!"
 
"Why not?" Edgar asked in puzzlement. Hadn’t Shu Shu been very determined to make himself become unafraid of snake?
 
"I’ve told you before. Snakes were really horrible, and I don't want to see them at all . . . . So, I’ll just continue being afraid of snakes, okay!" Shu Shu declared. Now that he had passed through the inner demon tribulation, he did not want to see those snakes any more!
 
Not only that, but after recalling the scenes he had seen during the inner demon tribulation, he seemed to be even more afraid of snake . . . . This was truly a sad fact.
 
Edgar also felt very sad. He had been a snake for so many years; how did he, of all people, end up falling for a partner who was afraid of snake?
 
"Do you want to play other games then?" Edgar asked again.
 
Shu Shu shook his head. Being engrossed in games was bad; he thought he was quite good for not wanting to play games all day long.
 
“How about I take you out for a stroll?” Edgar said. “Is there anything you want?”
 
"I don't lack anything . . ." Seeing Edgar keep being concerned about him, Shu Shu felt more and more guilty and more and more embarrassed. Finally, he couldn't help but said loudly, "Edgar! I’m sorry! I made a mistake! I lost the red bead you gave me!”
 
Edgar was shocked, and his face changed. He quickly asked, “Where did you lost it?” If his beast bead was picked up and ingested by another sub-beastman, that sub-beastman would be his legitimate wife . . . . Although sub-beastmen generally wouldn’t eat a beast bead of unidentified origin, but there was always an accident, wasn’t it?
 
"I didn't lose it somewhere. When I took it out of my food pouch, I accidentally swallowed it down into my stomach. Then it became gray right away." Shu Shu directly confessed. After he was done speaking, he felt much more relaxed.
 
"So it’s like that. Never mind. If you ate it, it’ll indeed become gray," Edgar said. A beastman’s beast bead would be damaged after being ingested by another beastman, which was pretty normal. "It’s already useless. You just throw it away, okay."

"Oh, okay." Shu Shu breathed a sigh of relief. Edgar was really great; he actually didn’t investigate the situation at all!
 
Since the bead was useless, Shu Shu didn't need to worry. As for having it stay in his stomach indefinitely . . . . He didn't feel any discomfort anyway, so if the bead wanted to stay, then just stay!
 
When the bead was willing to come out, then he would return it to Edgar.
 
Shu Shu finally loosened up. Edgar nevertheless remembered what 006 had said earlier, that when Shu Shu went to the toilet a few days ago, he stared at his excrement and watched it for quite a long time.
 
Edgar reckoned that his beast bead was already expelled . . . . He felt a slight sense of loss, but he didn't feel too distressed. His attention was quickly put on Shu Shu again.
 
Shu Shu was truly honest. Having done something wrong, he did not know how to lie to the other party.
 
Shu Shu solved the big trouble in his heart, and the whole person became cheerful. Edgar, on the other hand, began to unobtrusively enhance Shu Shu’s favorable impression of him.
 
It was at this time that the banquet in the Imperial palace was going to commence.
 
Synthia kept saying that it was all right as long as Shu Shu took him in, but it was impossible for Shu Shu to pick him up. Therefore, Shu Shu still gave him an invitation card that allowed him to bring along a partner to attend the banquet.
 
Holding the invitation card, Synthia was extremely excited. But after that, he kept muttering miserably for half of the day because he had no partner whom he could take along with him.

Shu Shu had a deep understanding of Synthia's sensitive nerves, but he did not feel like paying attention to Synthia. He went to find Jones and gave him an invitation card.
 
"Thank you." Jones accepted the invitation. He had never attended such a banquet, and the empress didn’t send him an invitation either. But now . . . going to the Imperial palace to take a look was not a bad idea.
 
"I’ve asked the empress. There’ll be a lot of delicious food there, so we can eat to our heart's content." Shu Shu told Jones.
 
Were there any people who came to the imperial banquet in order to eat? Jones somewhat didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
 
However, Shu Shu was exactly the person who went there to have a feast. He really looked forward to the banquet because both the empress and Edgar had said that there was a lot of food at the banquet.
 
On the day of the banquet, Shu Shu purposely ate a little less at noon, but it was not in order for him to look better while wearing a formal attire. Rather, it was so that he could eat more at night.
 
Khamun Studio had already delivered the banquet attire one day in advance. Shu Shu put it on after he had eaten lunch, and when he saw himself in the mirror, he couldn’t stop admiring himself.
 
The formal attire that Edgar gave him was a simple one. Khamun Studio then made some alterations according to Shu Shu’s characteristics. Now the attire was especially suitable for him.
 
Although it was the weekend, but there were many more things to do in the military department recently. Edgar went to work and didn't come back until the afternoon. When he came back, he saw Shu Shu in the middle of showing off in front of the mirror, and his mood inexplicably became better.
 
"This mirror can also show you the whole body image." Edgar said. Walking over, he pressed the surface of the mirror, and a three-dimensional small figurine promptly appeared on top of the mirror.
 
The small figurine was Shu Shu. It repeated Shu Shu’s previous movements in front of the mirror, turning left and right and showing a big smile towards Shu Shu—Shu Shu had smiled just like this towards the mirror.
 
This three-dimensional small figurine looked so cute! Shu Shu couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching it. Unfortunately, it was just a virtual image, and his stretched fingers passed through the small figurine’s body.
 
But he still thought it was such a novel thing and considered this small figurine as a toy.
 
Edgar silently pressed the save button and asked, "What do you think of the clothes?"
 
"Very good, ah! Exceptional!" Shu Shu was extremely satisfied with the clothes.
 
"Go with me then." Edgar extended his hand towards Shu Shu.
 
"Go where? Is the banquet about to begin now?" Shu Shu was a bit puzzled.

"No, you must have your face and hair done." Edgar said.
 
Have my face and hair done? A look of inquisitiveness appeared on Shu Shu’s face, followed by eagerness to give it a try. He had grown this old and yet never tried putting on makeup! As for a man putting on makeup was not right . . . . His owners certainly thought that men should also take care of themselves properly!
 
In the interstellar era, having your face and hair done was a simple work. As a daemon, Shu Shu's skin was flawless and didn't require too much polishing, so the stylist focused on the hair.
 
"This hair is really good. This is the first time I saw such a good hair. Every one of them has no flaws . . . . Such a good hair, and you don’t even take care of it properly. You truly waste natural resources recklessly!" The stylist looked at Shu Shu with a face full of accusations.

Was this necessary? Shu Shu was rather speechless. He thought his hair was already like this,  ah . . . . Moreover, this stylist obviously only changed his hairstyle a little bit . . . .
 
Shu Shu looked perplexed. However, after the stylist stopped his hand,  Shu Shu discovered that his whole person really looked much more vibrant, and his attractiveness index was promoted to another level all at once.

Truly good-looking; he even wanted to like himself!
 
Shu Shu stared at himself in the mirror, and the longer he stared, the more pleased he was with himself. But after seeing Edgar, he found that he seemed to be defeated straightaway.
 
Just like Shu Shu, Edgar had never spruced himself up. But now, after a makeover and changing into a military uniform-style attire . . . . Shu Shu somewhat couldn't take his eyes off Edgar.
 
This was clearly the model he had wanted to become, ah! So handsome! No wonder those sub-beastmen all liked Edgar!
 
Edgar soon discovered that Shu Shu was looking at him with an admiring gaze and subconsciously stuck out his own chest.
 
The banquet started at 7 pm, but at 6 o'clock, some people already came to the Imperial palace one after another.
 
These people were all minor nobility, or simply people who had no noble status—in the Beastman Empire nowadays, nobility was just a symbol of the bloodline, and the Empire had long since made no allowance for the nobility, so the nobility was actually not as respectable as one imagined.
 
Some people already arrived, and the food was already on the table, but it was still not Shu Shu’s turn to go on stage. He was the focus of this banquet; for his special introduction, of course he had to wait until everyone had entered the venue.
 
Sitting in the upstairs lounge of the banquet hall, Shu Shu was extremely bored.
 
“Would you like to take a look at the situation in the banquet hall?” Ian, seeing Shu Shu’s bored look, asked with a smile.
 
"Yeah!" Shu Shu nodded.
 
After Ian turned on a power switch on the side, the situation in the banquet hall downstairs was entirely displayed in front of them. If they wished, they could even hear some of what those people said.
 
"That’s Baron Dickenson and his family. The family has a hereditary baronial title. They also have a big hospital in the capital star . . ." Ian pointed to several people and introduced them to Shu Shu. After giving some introductions, he suddenly realized that Shu Shu was absent-minded, all his attention was unexpectedly on the food.
 
Seeing this scene, Ian felt a little funny and stopped talking, no longer carrying on with the introduction. Anyway, for now, it didn't matter even if Shu Shu did not recognize those people.
 
Shu Shu realized that Ian had suddenly stopped talking, so he turned his head towards Ian and said, "Uncle Ian, you continue speaking, okay. I’m listening."
 
"Can you remember?" Ian was a little curious.
 
"I can." Shu Shu nodded and thoroughly pointed out all the people Ian had just introduced. He was a daemon at the Golden Core stage; it was very easy for him to remember what he had heard!

Ian gave Shu Shu an astonished glance. He knew that Shu Shu was very clever, but he really didn't expect that Shu Shu was actually a genius. He only spoke one time, yet Shu Shu remembered everything.
 
Smiling, Ian continued the introduction.
 
Shu Shu knew that his behavior a moment ago was possibly a little discourteous, so he didn't look around absent-mindedly now. Instead, he conscientiously followed Ian and started to recognize people. However, acknowledging that he felt he was too idle, he couldn’t help but take out some food and sneak it into his mouth, and then he quietly began to eat.
 
Seeing Shu Shu's appearance, Ian didn't know why he suddenly felt his mood improving and that he was a little hungry.
 
Even before seeing each other, his impression of Shu Shu was already very good because this sub-beastman had saved his son. After meeting face to face, he liked this sub-beastman even more . . . . He always wanted to give birth to a sub-beastman. He imagined that if he really had a sub-beastman child, would the child be like this?
 
A few days ago, after knowing that Edgar had actually lost his beast bead, Ian felt even more partial to Shu Shu. Now, seeing Shu Shu stealthily eating, not only did he not reprimand him, he even had people sent some food up.
 
For a long time now, Shu Shu could drop his integrity in order to eat a mouthful . . . . Gazing at Ian, his two eyes shone like the full moon, and the smile on his face was particularly big. "Uncle, you’re so nice!"
 
It was really easy to provide for this child. And he was so delightful, too! Ian smiled and said, "Shu Shu, you’re the cutest."
 
While the two of them were praising each other, Edgar's face actually turned black. Shu Shu was a beastman, ah! A beastman!

Previous | Next

A Guide to - 48

Unedited chapter


48. The Beast Bead is Eaten


Edgar had never liked a sub-beastman before and most likely wouldn’t like any sub-beastman in the future either.   
 
He understood himself very well. Since he already liked Shu Shu, he would definitely not like any other again from now on.
 
As for Shu Shu's feelings towards him . . . . He had the confidence to achieve the best, making Shu Shu slowly like him.
 
Although a beastman loving another beastman and a sub-beastman loving another sub-beastman were considered illegal in ancient times, but people nowadays could already treat such relationships with tolerance.
 
In this case, it would be better to just give his beast bead to Shu Shu, which counted as showing his determination.
 
"Is it alright to give me such a precious thing?" Shu Shu asked, staring at the red bead on Edgar's hand. If it were him, he certainly wouldn’t be willing to give the red bead in his body to others.
 
"Only you who are the most precious." Edgar said.
 
Shu Shu didn't know why his heartbeat suddenly sped up, but he nevertheless refused, "No way, I can't accept it."

"Then you just help me keep it safe." Edgar said. "This thing’s very important. You absolutely mustn’t tell others that I gave it to you, and you can never give it to others as well."
 
"Why don't you keep it safe yourself?" Shu Shu asked.
 
"I’m afraid that others will know that it’s on me." Edgar said with a smile. "And I’m also afraid that others will come to grab it."
 
Shu Shu looked Edgar up and down and realized that the only place where Edgar could conceal some things on his body was apparently in his space button, which clearly could change owner. As for swallowing the beast bead down into the stomach . . . .
 
After he swallowed the red bead down into his stomach, he couldn’t spit it out again. But this red bead seemed to not take root in Edgar’s body?
 
If it was like this, Edgar indeed didn’t have a place to put this red bead.
 
"I’ll help you keep it safe then. I’ll just put it inside my food pouch. You can rest assured that my pouch’s very safe, and only I can open it. I’ll never let outsiders see the bead." Shu Shu said.
 
"That's good." Edgar said with a smile. He originally wanted to tell Shu Shu that if this bead fell into the hands of others, he would be subjected to a life worse than death. But he thought it was such a grave thing to say, and he was afraid that it would frighten Shu Shu badly, so he simply didn’t say it.
 
In any case, after the beast bead left a beastman's body, in just two or three days’ time, it would be ruined and no longer have any effect. At that time, it was not important anymore.
 
Shu Shu took Edgar's red bead and put it into his own food pouch.
 
Shu Shu’s current appearance was totally like a sub-beastman. Seeing this scene, Edgar had the feeling of his beast bead being eaten by Shu Shu and could not help but want to kiss him.
 
But unfortunately, he was clearly aware that Shu Shu was a beastman. Even if Shu Shu really ate his beast bead, his beast bead would only get damaged inside Shu Shu’s body.
   
"It’s late; go to sleep." Edgar said.
 
"Okay." Shu Shu nodded and returned to his own room.
 
After returning to his room, Shu Shu strangely couldn't fall asleep. He could not stop thinking about the bead that Edgar gave to him . . . . He struggled internally and finally couldn’t hold himself back from taking the red bead out of his food pouch.
 
It really had to be said that the red bead he had eaten at the beginning was simply not as pretty as the one Edgar gave him and didn’t look as tasty either . . . .

Having held and inspected the red bead for a while, Shu Shu then stuffed it back into his mouth, but he didn’t immediately put it back into the food pouch. Rather, he kept sucking on it.
 
This red bead tasted like Edgar, and he liked it very much.
 
Shu Shu played with the red bead in his mouth incessantly, using his tongue to roll it around. After a long time, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and suddenly discovered a problem.
 
The red bead was not in his mouth!
 
He didn't put the red bead into his food pouch and didn't open his mouth either. So . . . he actually ate the red bead?

What Edgar had him keep safe was accidentally eaten by him!
 
What should he do? Shu Shu was desperate. He quickly meditated and started to search his own body with the inner sight.
 
He finally passed through the heavenly tribulation and became a human. Now his body was full of spiritual power, and there was also a golden core in his dān tián, spinning round and round.
 
His golden core was different from Edgar's; it was smoother, rounder, and prettier. Well, maybe it was just his own impression.
 
Shu Shu carefully inspected the inside of his body, focusing his attention on the stomach area. However, his body only had the red bead that he had ingested long ago and absolutely didn’t have the red bead that he swallowed just a moment ago.
 
How could this red bead not be sensed? Shu Shu was somewhat confused. In addition, he felt that he had let Edgar down. And when he was fretful, he couldn’t help but want to eat something.
 
While gnawing on the snacks taken out of his food pouches, Shu Shu suddenly figured out that he should be able to draw that bead out after he ate a lot.
 
Thinking this way, Shu Shu did not sleep but began to eat continuously instead. And then, he used his spiritual power as digestion aid . . . .
 
Finally, Shu Shu had to go to the toilet! He went into the toilet, but after a while, he still did not find anything inside . . . . Maybe he had to wait for next time?
 
The food that Shu Shu hid in his food pouches was all small snacks. Many of them were from Gass planet, and the taste was absolutely not as good as the taste of the food in the capital star. Shu Shu was originally not hungry, so he was naturally very fed up with eating so much. He got up from the bed and finally went to the kitchen.
 
Unfortunately, the food he and Edgar ate was prepared by the chef and delivered by the robot, so the kitchen was completely clean and had nothing at all.
 
In the end, robot 006 found Shu Shu, "Excuse me, may I ask if you need any help?"

"I’m hungry. Can you give me something to eat?" Shu Shu asked.
 
“When do you want to eat? What do you want to eat?” 006 asked. “It’s already very late now. Having the chef prepare a meal may take quite a while. It’ll be faster to order takeout.”
 
“Takeout then.” Shu Shu said. So late at night, he also didn’t have the nerve to make the chef get up and cook for him. Therefore, he had better eat takeout.
 
006 nodded, and a three-dimensional menu that could be selected with a finger touch immediately appeared in front of Shu Shu. "Please choose."

Shu Shu had seen his owner order takeout before. With just a few taps on the mobile phone, someone then delivered the food and so on to the door. It was truly wonderful. Could he also try it now?
 
These takeouts were all very expensive, but they really look very tasty . . . . Thinking that his identity chip contained a lot of money from Edgar, Shu Shu was reckless and ordered thousands of takeouts.
 
Since he bought takeouts, he was waiting for them to be delivered at home. Naturally, he wouldn't know that all the restaurants he had ordered takeout from were getting excited right now.
 
Someone ordered takeout from their restaurant, and the address of the home delivery was the Imperial palace! The one where the crown prince lived!

The crown prince had grown so big, but this was the first time he ordered takeout, ah! Did this mean that their takeout was very delicious?
 
These takeout restaurants immediately typed out a slogan on the star network, "The Crown Prince Ordered Takeout from My Restaurant". Eventually, they saw each other’s slogan . . . . The crown prince actually ordered so many takeouts at the same time? Could he finish all those foods?

Shu Shu was certainly not aware of people’s misgivings on the star network. It didn't take long for 006 to bring the takeouts to him, and as soon as he got his hands on them, he started to eat without stopping.
 
When Edgar heard the sound of activities outside, he initially ignored them all, but the noise subsequently grew louder and louder. He eventually got up and then saw that Shu Shu was eating junk food, and there were already a few emptied takeout containers on the side.
 
"Are you hungry?" Edgar asked. "Do you want me to increase the quantity of each meal later?" Shu Shu was a beastman; considering that he was a growing beastman, it was normal for him to eat more.

"No need, no need. It’s enough already. Today’s a special situation." Shu Shu kept eating, and his belly ultimately bulged up. After lying down and resting on the sofa for a while, the food in his stomach and intestines that was being digested at the fastest speed with the help of his spiritual power finally reminded him that he should go to the toilet.
 
Shu Shu quickly ran to the toilet, but the red bead was still not drawn out in the end.
 
What should he do? Where the heck did Edgar’s red bead go? Shu Shu was at his wits' end. He searched the inside of his own body once again, and this time, he unexpectedly discovered that a certain part of his body was slightly different.
 
Was that a dot inside his tailbone? There was suddenly a gray ball in that place now . . . . It should be the red bead, shouldn’t it? How did it turn into a gray ball? Moreover, it seemed to be taking root in his stomach.

Shu Shu felt a little uneasy and came out of the toilet very slowly.
 
"Are you feeling ill?" Edgar was a bit worried.
 
"I’m fine . . ." Shu Shu said. He didn't know how he was going to tell Edgar about the red bead. He was actually careless enough to eat the thing that Edgar had him keep safe. This was really a disaster!
 
If Edgar knew, would he take him to the operating table? Shu Shu didn't want his belly to be split and his intestines opened. He had better rack his brains first. Maybe he could think of a way to take out the red bead?
 
Shu Shu yawned and kept using his spiritual power to pay attention to the gray ball inside his body.
 
The ball didn't move one bit. It seemed that when the red bead he had eaten was going to be discharged, it rolled into the intestines and then got stuck there.
 
Shu Shu was a little depressed, but he couldn't think of a way and could only set this matter aside for now. Afterwards, he was sent to school by Edgar.
 
"Here’re some invitation cards. The banquet will be held in the Imperial palace in a few days. If you have someone you want to invite, give them an invitation card. If there’s no one you want to invite, then not inviting anyone at all also doesn’t matter." Edgar took out a full fifty electronic invitation cards and put them into Shu Shu’s space button.
 
"I’m not very familiar with my classmates, so I don’t need that many." Shu Shu quickly said. So many beautiful electronic invitation cards would be wasted since he definitely wouldn’t use the whole lot.
 
"You just hold on to them. If you don’t use them this time, you can still use them for next time after changing the programmed content." Edgar said.
 
It could also be like this! Shu Shu felt relieved now. After he got off the aircraft, he waved goodbye to Edgar and then walked quickly to his classroom.
 
As before, Shu Shu was the first student to arrive in class. After he arrived, he began to prepare for the lesson by reading the material in the book. He even found an extracurricular book to read.
 
When Shu Shu had read more than half of the extracurricular book, his classmates arrived. Synthia also arrived in a rush and sat next to him.
 
In the past, before the class started, the students in the class would be fixing their makeups. Today was different though. Everyone was chatting, talking about one thing—a banquet would be held in the Imperial palace!
 
"The empress was born as a commoner. Since he became an empress, he has only organized less than ten banquets in total in the Imperial palace! Waiting for the next one to come isn’t easy, ah!"
 
"Finally, there’ll be a banquet again. My father said that he’d definitely find a way to get an invitation, and then he’d take me along."
 
"My boyfriend said that he could get an invitation and might take me along."
 
"Going to the Imperial palace to attend the banquet means I can see His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince at a close distance, which is really great!”

. . . . . .

These people discussed the banquet spiritedly. After that, they had discussions about wanting to have their formal attires custom made and started talking about which family’s jewelries looked good.
 
Shu Shu had passed through the inner demon tribulation yesterday, and now, his ears were clear and his eyes keen. He could hear the words these people said very clearly, even if they were only spoken in a whisper. And for a moment, he was somewhat unhappy.
 
Why were there so many people who kept thinking about Edgar?
 
"Right, I heard that the banquet this time is because the empress wants to introduce one of his relatives."
 
"The empress' relative? Who is it?"
 
"Maybe it’s the future crown princess!"
 
"No way, are you saying that Myer isn’t the given crown princess?”

. . . . . .

The sub-beastmen of the bridal class were all noble-born, but there wasn’t any who was born to the major nobility. At that time when the Beastman Empire was first established, everything was decided by military force. As a result, the nobility was all strong, and the major nobility with special bloodline was even stronger. However, such a strong person generally wasn’t able to procreate easily.

The major nobility’s life span was approximately two hundred years, and they often had two or three children. Needless to say, it was impossible for them to allow these children to be satisfied just to get through . . . . Sub-beastmen born to the major nobility received elite education from childhood; naturally, they would not come to the bridal class to study.
 
The students of the bridal class had heard of some vague information—for example, a relative of the empress went to live in the Imperial palace—but they did not know that said person was Shu Shu. After a while, they even started to discuss the looks of the empress’ relative.
 
Shu Shu felt bored after listening for a while. Then he saw that beside him, Synthia was staring at those people with hope and expectation across his whole face.
 
"You want to go too?" Shu Shu asked.
 
"I want to go, ah! I’ve never been to the Imperial palace!" Synthia answered and then continued with grieving red eyes, "Unfortunately, I definitely won’t be able to go. My father has an invitation, but he undoubtedly isn’t willing to take me along."

Shu Shu had never asked about Synthia's home situation. Now, seeing Synthia's pitiful appearance, it was even more unlikely for him to question Synthia closely. "You want to go too? I’ll send you an invitation card, OK?"

"You have an invitation card?" Synthia gazed at Shu Shu excitedly.
 
"I have!" Shu Shu replied, smiling proudly.
 
"You don't need to give me an invitation card; just take me along with you. Good gracious, I actually can go to the Imperial palace! I can see His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince! I’m really so happy!" Synthia was full of excitement. Covering his blushing cheeks, he looked like a love-struck fool.
 
Seeing Synthia like this, Shu Shu decisively threw his former idea of wanting to marry Synthia in the future to the back of his mind. Synthia was actually smitten with Edgar. How awful!
 
Anyway, the most important thing now was to think about how he was going to get the red bead out of his stomach.

Previous | Next

A Guide to - 47

Unedited chapter


47. The Crown Prince is Defective


Edgar turned his head, saw Ian’s odd expression, and felt helpless for a moment.   
It seemed that the way he and Shu Shu looked was a little inappropriate?
 
"I’ll wait for you outside." Ian said, drawing back and out of the room at lightning speed. After he got outside, he promptly slapped his right hand with his left hand.
 
Who let you to not knock on the door! And now you saw what you shouldn’t see!

Anyway, there was finally someone who wanted his son . . . .
 
Ian felt that his decision to not come over and disturb his son during the past few days was simply the most correct. As it happened, the relationship between the sub-beastman and his son was progressing rapidly.
 
Shu Shu was not aware of Ian's way of thinking. He wasn’t even aware that his and Edgar's postures were very questionable. In fact, if it were not for knowing that all humans had to wear clothes, he would’ve already run around naked inside the house with constant temperature!
 
"The empress is coming, ah! Let's go out quick!" Shu Shu climbed out of the virtual cabin and then remembered that he was not wearing any clothes. He immediately picked up his clothes and started to put them on, unfazed.
 
When he first lived together with Edgar, he didn't stop changing clothes in front of Edgar. Now, he would not feel embarrassed either.
 
Nevertheless, Edgar was stiff from head to foot and then left the study without saying a word.
 
Standing at the entrance of the study, Edgar took a few deep breaths, and only then did his whole person calm down. Following this, he couldn’t help but become gloomy again . . . . Shu Shu changed clothes without avoiding him at all. Was it because Shu Shu thought it was unnecessary to avoid him since they’re both beastmen?
 
Thinking of this, Edgar blinked and went downstairs.
 
"Mother, is there something that matters for you to come over?" Edgar asked.
 
"Nothing important. Actually, you and Shu Shu . . . . It’s better if your affair is settled earlier. Even if Shu Shu’s still too young, you can also hold an engagement feast first. Would you like me to prepare it?" Ian replied. He was very well maintained; although he was not young, but he did not look much older than Edgar.

"No need." Edgar refused.
 
"Why’re you so unconcerned? You’re not worried about being outrivalled by other beastmen?!" Ian took one look at his son, feeling resentful towards him for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement.
 
Edgar's face was expressionless. It was impossible for Shu Shu to be robbed by other beastmen. Sub-beastmen, on the contrary . . . . He had to pay more attention to them later!
 
"By the way, you’ve confessed, right?" Ian asked again.
 
Edgar nodded.
 
"That's good . . . . Shu Shu’s still young, so you more or less have to wait some more, OK." Ian said.
 
Just a moment ago, Edgar found out that the person he liked was a beastman. Now that he was being questioned closely like this, it was just like someone was sprinkling salt on his wounds . . . . Edgar decided to get the upper hand by taking the initiative to talk, "What made mother come over?"
 
"Shu Shu, of course." Ian smiled and continued, "You took him to the Imperial Plaza and also sent him to school. Everyone in the upper circles basically knows of his existence, and many people have asked me about him . . . . I’m thinking that it’d be better to hold a banquet to introduce him."
 
"It’s not necessary." Edgar refused.
 
"Who said it’s not necessary? Others will probably belittle him if we let him stay in our family without status." Ian said.
 
At first, Edgar worried about exposing Shu Shu’s particular details, which prompted him to hide Shu Shu away, not wanting to let too many people to take note of Shu Shu. But now, Shu Shu already had a normal identity. If he still didn’t introduce Shu Shu to others at this time, it would indeed make people think that Edgar and his family didn't care about Shu Shu, and then Shu Shu might get bullied at school. "What time?"

"This weekend, I guess." Ian answered. Then, seeing the fully dressed Shu Shu coming down from the upstairs, he gave Shu Shu a smile and said, "Shu Shu, I’m going to hold a banquet in the Imperial palace in a few days. I’ll take you to get some custom-made clothes."
 
"No need, no need. I have a lot of clothes." Shu Shu promptly replied.
 
"But you don’t have the clothes for attending the banquet." Ian said, stepping forward and grasping Shu Shu's hand.
 
Shu Shu was really not used to getting close to people. After his hand was held, he felt a little uncomfortable, and Edgar happened to notice this.
 
In the first place, holding hands did not mean anything, but Shu Shu was a beastman. Did he feel uncomfortable because he was holding the hand of a sub-beastman?
 
Edgar stepped forward and grasped Shu Shu's hand to pull Shu Shu away from his mother. "Mother, I’ll go too."

Seeing Shu Shu being pulled over by his son, Ian was rather dumbfounded. His son would even get jealous of him?
 
The clothes that Shu Shu bought before were all ready-to-wear. This time, since it was formal attire, it had to be tailor-made, and it also had to be made by the capital star’s most famous Khamun studio.
 
Science and technology were very good nowadays. So, taking someone’s measurements naturally didn’t need to be done by hand anymore. After Ian took Shu Shu to see Khamun to get their custom-made clothes, Shu Shu stood in a machine that could scan the whole body, and then, the data of his whole body was all recorded.
 
Edgar had been following closely behind Shu Shu with a wooden face all this time.
 
The makers of custom-made clothes were generally sub-beastmen, such as Khamun and his personal assistants. The beastmen usually wouldn’t get jealous in this situation. But unfortunately, Edgar now couldn’t bear to see any sub-beastman getting close to Shu Shu, so that when a sub-beastman assistant asked what clothes Shu Shu fancied, Edgar’s face was constantly dark. Edgar also urged Shu Shu to hurry up, and in the end, he even had them make clothes for Shu Shu according to the very ordinary and plain style he chose.
 
Once they left, an assistant beside Khamun immediately said, "Master, is that the relative whom the empress brought from a remote planet? It seems that he’s truly a country bumpkin, not understanding anything at all."

"Even if he doesn't understand anything at all, he’s still the empress’ relative." Khamun replied.
 
"Master, do you think that His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince will marry him? It should be unlikely, right? Just now, I saw the crown prince looking very unsightly, his face was all black." An assistant commented.

Another assistant also said, "Yeah, but maybe the empress will force the crown prince to marry him."
 
Khamun glanced at his assistant, slightly approving. The crown prince’s countenance had been perpetually bad today. It could be assumed that he indeed disliked that sub-beastman very much.
 
After Ian got onto the aircraft, he glared at Edgar very fiercely for a moment and then used his communication device to sent a message to Edgar. "Stinky boy, chasing after someone isn’t done this way, you know? If you mess around like this, be careful of Shu Shu thinking that you don't care about him!"

Why did both father and son have the same behavior? When he first came to the capital star with Chris, Chris’ behavior was exactly like this. It eventually made him think that Chris actually didn't like him and liked the sub-beastman adopted by Chris' parents instead . . . .
 
Although he later knew that this blunder was the venting of emotions—that guy completely felt that his sub-beastman was too irresistible and, wanting him to be plain and simple, refused to give him the best-looking formal attire—but for a time, it also made him feel very uneasy.
 
Thinking about it, Ian gave Shu Shu a worried glance and found that Shu Shu was gnawing on a dried meat and seemed to be totally unconcerned about the thing earlier. Ian breathed a sigh of relief.
 
Edgar deleted the message from his mother. It was already good if he could chase after Shu Shu . . . .
 
But even if he could not do it, he still liked Shu Shu and didn't want to give Shu Shu up.
 
Back in the Imperial palace, Edgar sent Shu Shu back first, letting Shu Shu continue to play the virtual game machine, and then he went to his father’s place together with Ian.
 
He had something he wanted to discuss with his father before, and now, there was one more thing he wanted to tell them.
 
What Edgar was going to discuss with his father was that someone wanted to do harm to himself from the beginning.
 
The murderer had finally been caught. He was a mech great master who once went through fire and water with his father and whom his father trusted very much.
 
This mech master was a beastman, but he was of the fox race and did not like to fight. He had also never been on the battlefield and had been producing mech instead. And before Edgar went to the battlefield, Edgar had asked him to service his mech.

Edgar had suspected him before while hoping that it was not him. As the truth came out, Edgar honestly didn't expect that it would really be him. His mood at that time was truly bad.

"We grew up together from childhood." Chris sighed with sorrow, his face full of exhaustion. Although the other party had never been on the front line, but his position was not low at all. Chris could not understand why this person would do something like this.
 
"One may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature." Edgar said. That person admitted to harming him and even admitted that he later looked for a snake beastman in the capital star whose beast form was the same as Edgar’s to harm people while posing as Edgar and then to discredit Edgar on the star network. But he firmly refused to speak out why the hell he would do such things and also refused to say what method he used to the extent that he chose to kill himself.
 
It was because of this that Edgar would come to find his father.
 
"When he died, the trail’s broken. We’ve caught the people below, but those people were contacted by someone through the star network and can't provide any clues." Chris said.
 
"What does Father plan to do?" Edgar asked. He supposed everything was that person’s personal move, yet he always felt that this matter was very likely not that simple.
 
"I’ll continue to pay attention to this matter." Chris said.
 
Edgar nodded.
 
"Well, we’re done talking. Let's go." Finished talking with his son, Chris went down and hinted at his son to leave—he also wanted to spend couple time with his own sub-beastman, OK!
 
Edgar and Chris went downstairs together and found Ian sitting on the sofa watching an adventure program. Although Ian was a sub-beastman, but he was always very curious about the outside world.
 
Edgar glanced at his father and then at his mother and suddenly said, "Father, Mother, I have one more thing to say."
 
"What?" Chris asked in puzzlement.
 
"My beast bead was lost. It should’ve broken down." Edgar said. After the beast bead left the beastman's body, if it was not ingested by the sub-beastman, it would break down after a while.
 
Chris and Ian’s expressions were all stiff. Edgar’s beast bead was lost?
 
If a beastman's beast bead was lost, it meant that said beastman could no longer have children. Generally, even if the beast core was shattered, the beast bead would not be lost. Moreover, only if the beastman himself was willing would the beast bead be expelled from within the body. Even a general examination could not detect the existence of the beast bead.
 
"I was dying then, and I already forgot what I’d lost. I only knew that when I woke up on Gass planet, not only the beast core was gone, but the beast bead was also gone. If it were not for Shu Shu, I’m afraid that I would die there." Edgar explained.

"Those bastards!" Ian cursed, gritting his teeth. Those people actually made his son childless!

If a beastman had no beast bead, he was equivalent to being "defective". At present, Edgar was on very good terms with Shu Shu, and Ian totally didn’t expect that Edgar would lie to them. Getting angry now was pointless.
 
"It's already very good now." Edgar said. Compared with turning into a fallen beast, merely having no children was pretty good.
 
The bloodline of the Imperial family was likely to be severed; this was quite a big blow to Chris and Ian. However, they thought Edgar was dead before, and compared to knowing that Edgar had become a fallen beast, this could be regarded as nothing . . . .
 
"It's already difficult for the Imperial family to produce an heir in the first place. Sooner or later, the bloodline will be severed . . . . Later on, you go and adopt a child or simply donate the property. It doesn’t matter." Chris said. These two routes were ones he had once considered.

"Thank you." Edgar said. He knew that saying this might probably make his father and mother angry and upset, but this thing had better be said as soon as possible.
 
Anyway, it’s better for him to have no beast bead than turning into a fallen beast. Now was the time when his parents would likely be most accepting towards such a thing.
 
"What did you thank us for?" Ian frowned. "Shu Shu, on the contrary, what’re you going to do with him?"
 
"I’ll tell Shu Shu." Edgar said.
 
"You definitely must make it clear that if Shu Shu isn’t willing, you won't lay a finger on him." Ian sighed and, thinking of Edgar's previous attitude, fought the urge to get angry again. "Also, you treat Shu Shu well in the future. Don't mess around! You’ve already let him down!" His own son was actually infertile. The more Ian thought about this, the more he felt sorry for Shu Shu.

"I know." Edgar replied. Then he bowed to his parents and left.
 
Chris and Ian glanced at each other, a little troubled . . . . Their son was actually "defective". This was truly a major bad luck.

When Edgar returned to his own residence, Shu Shu was reading and eating at the same time. He ate very quickly, and both his cheeks bulged up.

This boy who clearly looked like a sub-beastman was actually a beastman, but Edgar still liked him very much. Taking in Shu Shu’s appearance, Edgar took a deep breath and expelled the beast bead in his body one more time.

When he told his parents that his beast bead had been lost, he was already prepared . . . .
     
Handing over the red bead to Shu Shu, Edgar said, "This is for you."

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A Guide to - 46

Unedited chapter


46. The Wife is a Beastman


At first, Shu Shu was pleasantly surprised when discovering that he did not have hamster ears anymore, but then he felt a slight sense of loss . . . . Hold on, why would he feel a sense of loss? Was it possible that he had a deep affection for the ears that had stayed on his head for a long time? 
 
Shu Shu somewhat couldn't figure out what to do and only stared blankly. But because of this, he did not look as scared as before.
 
Edgar had been paying attention to Shu Shu’s physical data that was displayed by the virtual cabin. When he saw Shu Shu’s heartbeat become normal, he finally breathed a sigh of relief: “It’s good that you’re fine.”

Speaking so, Edgar suddenly felt that there seemed to be something different about Shu Shu.
 
"Don’t you see, I’ve no ears! I’m a beastman!" Shu Shu pointed at his own ears.
 
"You put your ears away? You can do that?" Only now did Edgar notice that Shu Shu's two furry ears were missing, and he immediately felt a slight sense of loss . . . . He always thought that those two ears were especially cute.
 
"No, I passed through the inner demon tribulation. Now I can switch between looking like a man or a beast just like you," Shu Shu said. "Watch me!"
 
Shu Shu’s voice barely fell when he mobilized the spiritual power in his body, which seemed to be abnormally abundant after passing through the inner demon tribulation, to turn into a small hamster.
 
The virtual cabin’s interior were scattered with Shu Shu’s clothes, and a small hamster that was no bigger than the palm of the hand crawled out of the clothes. The small hamster’s fur was mainly yellow with some white patches. Sitting on top of Shu Shu’s clothes and extending two front paws to wave at Edgar, it looked extremely cute.
 
Edgar, however, felt stupid.
 
The sub-beastman he liked actually turned into a hamster in front of his face . . . . Shu Shu was a beastman?
 
Edgar felt he should get angry or be unhappy, but in reality, the first thought that emerged from the bottom of his mind now had nothing to do with these. Unexpectedly, his only thought was . . . since Shu Shu was a beastman, did it mean that he was going to like a sub-beastman and dislike him who was a beastmen?
 
How did the wife he fancied turned into a beastman? Could this beastman still become his wife?

Edgar was dumbfounded and couldn’t come back to himself. Seeing him like this, Shu Shu felt all the more embarrassed. He changed back into the human form and knelt on the seat of the virtual cabin. Resting his upper body on the edge of the virtual cabin, he raised his head and said, "This time, you believe that I’m not a sub-beastman, right?"

"Believe." Edgar replied. It was difficult if he wanted to not believe since the fact was shown in front of him.
 
However, Shu Shu really didn't look like a beastman at all . . . . Edgar bowed his head to take a look and happened to see the contours of Shu Shu’s bare naked back and butt, and he immediately felt a little dizzy.
 
Shu Shu’s short and tiny tail was also gone, but he still looked so enticing . . . . Edgar found his own body shockingly unable to control the change yet again.
 
He . . . actually went into heat over a beastman!
 
Edgar felt like falling apart but also felt that his reaction was quite normal. After all, he really liked Shu Shu very much.
 
All kinds of emotions rolled in his heart, but Edgar’s face did not reveal them one bit. On the contrary, his face was even more cold and severe.
 
Shu Shu glanced at Edgar and was somewhat embarrassed. He didn't know why there was still a faint regret bubbling out of his heart.
 
This time, he really passed through the inner demon tribulation too quickly. He suddenly went through the tribulation when he was not truly ready, to the extent that he did not think properly about how he was going to explain his situation to Edgar . . . . By the way, according to the movies and TV series he had watched before, right now Edgar should feel that he had been deceived, and then he would hate Shu Shu very much and would abuse both his body and his heart . . . .
 
Having such a thought, Shu Shu suddenly became anxious. Would Edgar drive him out of the Imperial palace and make him fend for himself? Reflecting upon it, he immediately threw Edgar a cautious glance.
 
Edgar certainly wouldn't do anything like what Shu Shu thought. Right now, he only wanted to clear up so many things.
 
Before, he didn't understand why Shu Shu would say that as long as he cultivated properly, he could become the same as Shu Shu. Now he knew that it was because Shu Shu was also a beastman.
 
Before, he wondered why Shu Shu always said that he was a beastman, and now, he did understand . . . . Shu Shu was indeed a beastman just like him.
 
Shu Shu was a beastman, and when Shu Shu watched a movie with a bathing sub-beastman in it, he actually stopped Shu Shu!

Shu Shu was a beastman, and he actually told Shu Shu to find some sub-beastman friends!
 
Shu Shu was a beastman, and he actually sent Shu Shu into the all sub-beastmen bridal class!
 
Edgar felt that he was a completely bad person.
 
"Hey . . . I didn't mean to lie to you. That is, besides the setback in my cultivation, I also couldn't pass through the inner demon tribulation . . ." Shu Shu seriously and carefully explained to Edgar that he was originally a small hamster, but after cultivating and passing through the tribulation, he became a human. He finally added, "Everyone says that passing through the inner demon tribulation is quite easy. As long as you can see through the illusion, you’ll be able to pass through. But before passing through the inner demon tribulation, I’d be scared silly every time I saw a snake. I basically had no ability to see beyond the facade. This time, I considered the inner demon tribulation as being in a virtual game machine, and, by a freak combination of factors, I managed to see through the inner demon tribulation . . . . This virtual game machine is really a good thing. It’s very helpful for passing through the tribulation.”

Shu Shu was straying from the topic again, but the sequence of events he had described was very clear. He even admitted that his former self was not a human but a hamster.
 
Shu Shu was just a small hamster before? Not a beastman? A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Edgar’s heart.
 
Edgar immediately urged his beast bead to move and then took it out of his mouth.
 
The beast bead was a round and smooth red bead that looked very pretty, and such a bead, one for each beastman, would usually be given as a present for the sub-beastman on the wedding night. Of course, if the beastman and the sub-beastman had a very deep affection for each other, and their relationship had long been established, some beastmen would give their beast beads to their sub-beastmen ahead of time.
 
The beast bead was the beastman's love token and also the beastman's lifetime commitment to the sub-beastman since each beastman only had one beast bead, and if he wanted to have a child, he had to let the sub-beastman ingest his beast bead.
 
The beastman only had one beast bead, and the sub-beastman could only ingest one beast bead. Once the sub-beastman accepted the beastman's beast bead and ingested it, the two men then would get intimate, and that beast bead would form a womb inside the sub-beastman’s body, allowing the sub-beastman to give birth to the beastman's babies.
 
As it were, the beast bead was extremely important to the beastman and would not be given away easily. Nowadays, after entering the interstellar era, the beastmen and the sub-beastmen were more dissimilar than their ancestors who would establish a relationship quickly. The current beastmen and sub-beastmen would generally date for a while and would even date a few different people. Only on the wedding day would the beastman set his mind to give his beast bead to the sub-beastman to ingest. From then on, the beastman and the sub-beastman could no longer be separated, and they would inevitably feel more and more intimate with each other. The beastman would even have a bone-deep desire to treat his sub-beastman as his most important person.
 
In the future, even if one party died, the remaining one would no longer able to give away his beast bead or accept other’s beast bead.
 
Because of this characteristic, from ancient time until now, a beastman and a sub-beastman always paired up with each other.
 
In a way, this was all general knowledge for every beastman or sub-beastman. Moreover, the parents would explain the importance of the beast bead to their beastman children.
 
However, because the beastmen were only able to put the beast bead to use after they grew to adulthood, the formative education would not mention much about this aspect. At most, it would only say that mother had you once he got father’s beast bead. That kind of explanation, although Shu Shu had seen a lot of it, but he didn’t take it seriously and even thought that the beast bead was just like the wedding ring on Earth.
 
Seeing Edgar take out a red bead, Shu Shu simply didn't expect it to be the beast bead. The first thing that came to his mind was the red bead that he himself possessed.
 
The red bead was his biggest treasure. He loved the red bead deeply and cared about it very much and considered it a treasure . . . . Now that he saw Edgar come up with one as well, he was unconsciously happy for Edgar.
 
"Do you have it?" Edgar asked, holding the beast bead.
 
Shu Shu nodded repeatedly, "Yeah, I have it too."
 
Edgar glanced at the beast bead on his hand and silently stuffed it back into his mouth.
 
He had already decided to give his beast bead to Shu Shu but had held back from taking it out because he was afraid of progressing too fast and scaring Shu Shu off. As it turned out . . . Shu Shu also had a beast bead.
 
"Edgar, you see, I’m also a beastman. So you shouldn’t like me and must go and find a sub-beastman." Shu Shu said. Edgar was the crown prince, and he was the only prince in the Imperial family. He definitely had to find a sub-beastman to give birth to a little beastman.
 
Edgar didn't reply. The little sub-beastman . . . no, he already couldn’t call Shu Shu this way . . . . Shu Shu told him to go and find a sub-beastman; could it be that he was hated by the beastman he liked?

Edgar tried to imagine such a situation and found that if he was pursued by a beastman, he would certainly hate said beastman. In a way, Shu Shu’s approach was in fact understandable.
 
"Do you hate me?" Edgar suddenly asked.
 
Why did Edgar suddenly ask this? Although Shu Shu was afraid of snake, but he didn't hate Edgar one bit. "I don't hate you. Why did you ask this?"

Shu Shu replied very sincerely. His eyes were crystal clear; there wasn’t a bit of love in them, but there was a feeling of intimacy. Seeing Shu Shu like this, Edgar abruptly realized that maybe he had over-thinked.
 
Shu Shu didn't like him but also didn't hate him. He was still young and probably still didn't understand his own feelings . . . .
 
Didn't understand his own feelings . . . . Edgar suddenly felt a little uncomfortable but also a little pleased—since Shu Shu still didn't understand his own feelings, that meant he didn’t have any sub-beastman he liked yet.
 
Edgar could keep pursuing Shu Shu then. As for the fact that they both were beastmen . . . .
 
All beastmen repelled each other like polarities and simply could not become partner, but he did not repel Shu Shu at all. Why couldn’t they be together then? Speaking of it, he and Shu Shu could only be together at most, but they would not be able to have a child.

He had become a fallen beast before; not to mention a child, even his own life was ruined. Only by relying on Shu Shu was he able to have a completely new life. His problem now was merely being unable to have children in the future, which really counted for nothing.
 
When Edgar was thinking like this, Shu Shu turned round to grab his clothes from inside the virtual cabin. While straightening them out, he asked, "Edgar, I’m a beastman now. Can I stop going to the bridal class?"

Calling to mind his previous rejection of the skill class, Shu Shu suddenly felt a bit of regret . . . . Before, he did not like the skill class because he was worried that he would be pursued by the beastmen. In reality though, he always holed up in the classroom, did not go out, and did not get along well with the beastmen to exchange words with them. In fact, the beastmen would not come to pursue him at all.
 
Moreover, he really was quite fond of the course and the ease of the skill class, where he could learn whatever he wanted to learn.
 
"Of course." Edgar replied, but then his brows suddenly wrinkled.
 
The number of people who knew about Shu Shu’s existence was not very many, but he had taken Shu Shu to the Imperial Plaza and sent Shu Shu to the Imperial College, so there were still quite a lot of people who knew that Shu Shu existed, and they also knew that Shu Shu was a sub-beastman.
 
And then now, the good sub-beastman suddenly became a beastman . . . . How would you explain this?
 
Not only that, but Shu Shu was also a hamster beastman . . . . Their Beastman Empire did have some beast types that were rodents, but in no way would they be such small, weak, and harmless rodents . . . .
 
"You can't let others know that you’re a beastman." Edgar abruptly said.
 
"Why?" Shu Shu was somewhat puzzled.
 
Edgar immediately explained the reason thoroughly. "Shu Shu, you have a lot of secrets on your body. If they’re known by others, it’ll be bad for you."

The Imperial family was wealthy and also had an armed force, but they were not omnipotent. Otherwise, Edgar would not encounter that kind of incident before . . . . If Shu Shu’s particular details were discovered by others, it would definitely attract troubles.
 
"What do I do then?" Shu Shu frowned.
 
"First, you pretend to be a sub-beastman for a while. I’ll let you leave the capital star after some time, and then I’ll give you a change of identity to come back here." Edgar said.
 
"Is it okay to pretend to be a sub-beastman? I guess I’ll pretend then. You don't need to change my identity. The current one’s also very good." Shu Shu said. After that, he touched his ears, controlled his spiritual power, and right away, the ears changed back into their former shapes.
 
Hearing Shu Shu's words and touching Shu Shu’s ears, Edgar immediately felt happy.
 
Shu Shu would continue to pretend to be a sub-beastman . . . .
 
"Edgar." Just then, the door of Edgar's room was suddenly pushed open, and Ian walked in from the outside.
 
The empress came over to find Edgar to say a few things. Hearing that Edgar and Shu Shu were playing games in the study room, he came over directly. As a result . . . .

What freaking game were his son and Shu Shu playing?!
 
Shu Shu was leaning forward on the edge of the virtual cabin stark naked while holding a piece of clothing, head facing his son's groin. His son was reaching out to touch Shu Shu’s head . . . .
 
Ian instantly felt that he had misjudged his own son all along

Previous | Next

A Guide to - 45

Unedited chapter


45. Passing Through the Inner Demon Tribulation


Shu Shu followed Edgar back to the Imperial palace with practically a heavy load on his mind.   
 
Edgar actually liked him . . . . Inexplicably, he was a bit happy but also felt that it was not right. He was different from the sub-beastmen after all.
 
Edgar saw Shu Shu not talking and fell silent as well. He liked Shu Shu who twittered incessantly at his side. Now that Shu Shu didn't talk, he always felt weird. Alas, he also didn't know what to say to Shu Shu . . . .
 
For a moment, he kind of regretted confessing so hurriedly.
 
"What do you want to eat for dinner?" Edgar finally asked as they got down from the aircraft.
 
"Whatever." Shu Shu replied. The food in the Imperial palace was all very delicious. Undoubtedly, those spare ribs he had eaten before were the most interesting to gnaw on . . . . Attention diverted once again, Shu Shu added, "I want to eat those deep-fried spare ribs too. "

“I’ll let the chef cook them for you." Edgar said.
 
Shu Shu nodded happily, "Good." After that, he said: "I want a virtual game machine with virtual space."

"Alright." Edgar nodded and immediately ordered the latest model of luxurious game cabin from the star network, nonchalantly paying more to make people deliver it as soon as possible. "We’ll eat first. Let 006 install the game machine, and then you can play after you eat."

"So fast?" Shu Shu was both surprised and pleased. After he came to the dining table and found that the deep-fried spare ribs had already been put on the table, he was even more pleasantly surprised.

It was impossible that these spare ribs only took a few words from him to be done. He guessed Edgar had already ordered the chef to cook the dish for him in advance?
 
If truth be told, Edgar was really, really good to him. In the beginning, he sent him preys and then saved him. Afterwards, he took him out of the forest and even sent him to school . . . .
 
Therefore, he definitely couldn’t let Edgar misunderstand!
 
He absolutely had to let Edgar know beforehand that he was a beastman, not a sub-beastman!
 
Thinking this way, Shu Shu very fiercely chewed a mouthful of spare ribs in front of him. The meat used for these deep-fried spare ribs was very fragrant but also quite difficult to chew. This kind of meat was actually not suitable for sub-beastmen to chew, but Shu Shu’s teeth were good, and he liked to gnaw on tough food.
 
Grabbing a strip of spare rib, Shu Shu started to gnaw on it ferociously.
 
Everyone said that it was not good for the body if a sub-beastman ate too much, but so long as Edgar thought of how they had nothing to eat in the forest, he was very reluctant to stop Shu Shu and could only urge him to eat more vegetables. Fortunately, Shu Shu also liked to eat vegetables and fruits. He likewise ate them happily, and the two men would not get into a dispute.
 
After dinner, Shu Shu hurriedly went to see the game machine and discovered that it was actually a single person-sized egg-shaped object. It looked very beautiful and also gave the feeling of a very high-tech product.
 
"What game do you want to play? I’ll help you download it." Edgar asked. He usually did not play games, but he once used such a virtual device to learn to pilot aircrafts and mech, so he did know how it worked.
 
"Help me make a lot of snakes." Shu Shu replied. "I want to train myself to be unafraid of snake."
 
Edgar stared blankly, and then his eyes flashed with wonder as he looked at Shu Shu. He always knew that Shu Shu was afraid of snake, and now, after he had just confessed, Shu Shu was going to find a way to overcome his fear . . . .
 
Edgar’s heart suddenly jumped a little faster.
 
"This latest model of game machine has the function of helping people overcome their fears. I’ll help you to do it." Edgar said. Nowadays, there were quite many sub-beastmen who were afraid of all kinds of things. There were also sub-beastmen who were afraid of their own partners’ beast forms because they had been accidentally frightened by said beasts. As a result, some game companies developed computer programs that help people to overcome their fears.
 
It’s actually like this. Shu Shu was quite amazed. He trusted Edgar very much, so he let Edgar handle all the works of setting up the game machine. Afterwards, he entered the virtual cabin, lay down, and closed his eyes as per Edgar's bidding.
 
Not long after closing his eyes, Shu Shu sensed himself appear in a vast expanse of whiteness.
 
His body slowly took shape within the void, and then a voice spoke, "Hello, respected customer. Welcome to the self-experienced journey of overcoming your fears developed by our XXX company."

It had started? So fast! Shu Shu sighed ruefully and then heard the voice spoke once again, "Snake has been selected as the terror object. The terror level will be detected next. Please look at the picture."

That speaking voice barely fell when a picture instantly appeared in front of Shu Shu. What’s more, there was a snake on the picture.
 
Shu Shu really didn’t like snake and subconsciously turned his head, but the picture was still in front of him, and on top of said snake, there were still many more snakes.
 
Shu Shu's heartbeat sped up, but the fact was, it was unlikely for him to flee from the snakes since they were just a picture after all . . . . Right at this moment, the snakes on the picture actually raised their heads and emerged from the picture!
 
Shu Shu almost unconsciously wanted to run away, but then, the picture in front of him suddenly disappeared.
 
Shu Shu breathed a sigh of relief, and next, he heard the voice saying, "The user’s fear level towards snake is SS. Begin treatment."

Shu Shu did not know whether this SS level was high or low; he only knew that he switched to another place in no time. This place looked like the background of a Chinese-made animated film in the Nineties. The plants and animals around him all looked very, very fake, which made people know at a glance that this was not the real world. Shu Shu then saw a bunch of very cartoonish paper snakes move in front of him.
 
These cartoon snakes were quite cute. Even if Shu Shu was afraid of snake, these ones did not give rise to too much fear in him. Of course, he didn't like them either.
 
Looking for an opportunity, Shu Shu tore up a cartoon snake . . . .
 
One and then two; Shu Shu quickly tore up all the cartoonish paper snakes around him.
 
After the cartoon snakes went past, an animated film scene that was a little bit better appeared before Shu Shu. This time, the snakes were not like the previous ones but did not resemble real snakes too.
 
Shu Shu once again tore them up . . . .
 
The cartoonish paper snakes came round several times, and then, the toy snakes appeared . . . . Shu Shu honestly wasn’t afraid of these things and sometimes felt that they were a little peculiar. After the toy snakes were smashed by him, the loud voice that was either crying or singing disappeared.
 
Shu Shu still wanted to keep playing, but in the end, after having fun with a bunch of cartoon snakes, the voice reappeared: "The game has been saved. You can safely go offline."

The mechanical voice rang out, and Shu Shu sensed the scene before his eyes changed completely. He was back to the real world. Shortly, the virtual cabin was opened, and then Edgar's face showed up. "It’s enough for today."

Shu Shu nodded and climbed out of the virtual cabin.
 
“Do you feel uncomfortable? Do you want to adjust the pace?” Edgar asked.
 
"No need, it’s fine! If I keep this pace, I’ll surely be unafraid of snake in a few days. At that time, I’ll prove it to you that I’m really a beastman." Shu Shu said.
 
Looking at Shu Shu’s firmly clenched fists and face that was full of excitement, Edgar was actually a bit dazzled and couldn’t help but want to go over and kiss that mouth . . . .
 
In the following days, during the day, Shu Shu went to the bridal class every day and found the time to read the textbooks and the extracurricular books. At night, after he came home, he lay down in the virtual cabin and tried to overcome his fear.
 
He and Edgar were quite close before, but these days, he tried to avoid Edgar as much as possible, putting all his thoughts on studying. As it happened, this behavior of his was actually quite effective.

He already recognized the whole letters. When writing, he occasionally had to think about it because of his unfamiliarity with the letters, but there was no such obstacle when reading. More importantly, in the virtual cabin, he had gradually begun to touch the real snakes.
 
Tonight, after lying down in the virtual cabin, a vivid and realistic snake that was no different than a real snake appeared in front of Shu Shu.
 
Suddenly seeing a real snake, Shu Shu was a little scared. He didn’t expect the snake to be even more afraid of him. After seeing him, it turned round and ran away.
 
What a sham . . . Shu Shu inwardly remarked. Believe it or not, he actually wasn’t afraid of this snake, so he chased after it. And the more he chased, the more the snake ran with all its might. He ran into other snakes on the road, and they were the same as the first snake, running forwards with all their might. He ended up chasing after a group of fleeing snakes.
 
Seeing this scene, Shu Shu felt a little funny, and he was getting more and more happy giving chase to the snakes. Later on, he even stepped on them.
 
The snake that was stepped on by him immediately disappeared. From start to finish, their appearance did not engender the slightest amount of terror. Once Shu Shu got rid of all the snakes, he passed this round. At the same time, Shu Shu entered the next round.
 
A snake suddenly sprang from the underbrush on the side and bit into Shu Shu.
 
These days, Shu Shu saw snakes in the virtual reality every day. He had also seen all kinds of snakes covered by the popular science and watched a good deal of snake anatomy videos. Furthermore, he had caught a lot of snakes and would not be scared anymore . . . . When this snake sprang at him, he swiftly reached out, grabbed the nine-inch snake, smashed it onto the ground very savagely, and then stamped on it repeatedly until it died.

This time, the game took a really big step and actually made him confront the snake directly . . . . Shu Shu curled his lip, honestly a little disheartened. Then, a very, very big snake unexpectedly appeared in front of him, and it was Edgar or, to be more exact, Edgar in his former snake form.
 
That was a stolen design! This game actually used the crown prince’s prototype; weren’t they afraid of being investigated? Shu Shu became furious.

He was extremely angry; that big snake, however, advanced and snapped at him . . . . Its appearance was Edgar's, so Shu Shu wasn’t particularly afraid. Thinking that all of this was fake, he was even less afraid. Right at this moment, the snake unexpectedly swallowed his head whole and started to constrict the rest of him.

That tactile sensation was really too real, and he even felt the pain. Obviously, all of this was fake, so how could it be like this?
 
Shu Shu was somewhat dazed, and then, he abruptly went offline.
 
Opening his eyes, Shu Shu found himself lying in the virtual cabin, and this time, he finally got scared.
 
The scene just now was really very dreadful! All the air in his lungs was almost squeezed out after the snake tightened up its constriction. Also, his head already entered the snake’s stomach! That big snake was really going to eat him, ah!
 
Shu Shu was stiff all over and for a moment, practically breathless. That was to say, he suddenly realized one thing this time—he had passed through the inner demon tribulation.
 
The last scene in which he ran into two snakes was actually the inner demon tribulation!
 
The feeling of fear had still not receded, and truthfully, it made Shu Shu less joyful.
 
"What happened with you?" Edgar found Shu Shu abruptly and forcibly disconnecting from the game machine. Quite worried, after the game machine showed Shu Shu’s rapid heartbeat, he promptly opened the virtual cabin to check.
 
"I'm fine." Shu Shu said and then sat up and touched his ear in passing.
 
His hamster ears were finally gone.

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A Guide to - 44

Unedited chapter


44. Edgar Reveals His Feelings


If Shu Shu went through the inner demon tribulation, he would meet with many, many dreadful snakes and some certain dangers as well. Did he still want to pass through the tribulation? 
 
Of course he did!
 
He was a daemon who could live for a long time, and a male to boot. How could he endure being pursued by beastmen? Besides . . . he was unable to give birth to children, ah!
 
If the beastmen pursuing him later found out that he was also a beastman and unable to give birth to children, they would definitely fall apart! Maybe they would even want to kill him!
 
Shu Shu’s mind was in a jumble. After pondering for a long time, he finally made a decision—he had to pass through the inner demon tribulation as soon as possible and become a beastman, so when the moment came . . . .
 
Shu Shu originally wanted to say that when the moment came, he would look for a sub-beastman to have a relationship with, but after thinking carefully, he felt that it was improbable. If he married a sub-beastman, then he definitely had to work hard to support his family and take care of the sub-beastman well . . . . The latter was no problem, but the former . . . .
 
He simply had no ability to support a family now.
 
Moreover, many of the sub-beastmen here were taller than him, and they seemed to like beastmen whose beast types were very bold and powerful . . . . He was just a little hamster, so he was likely to be disdained, right?
 
No matter, if worst came to worst and he did not marry a sub-beastman, he would just let his disciple keep him.
 
Thinking so, Shu Shu suddenly considered why Edgar sent him to study here. Could it be that his disciple wanted to marry him off and get rid of him?
 
No, no, the tuition fee was so expensive; Edgar surely wouldn’t go so far as to spend so much money to get rid of him . . . . Then, why the heck did Edgar send him here? If it was to study, Shu Shu reckoned that attending classes here was not better than studying on his own at home.
 
The more Shu Shu thought, the more muddled he was. In Synthia’s worried vision, Shu Shu had been in a tangle since lunch break.
 
"Shu Shu, what's wrong with you?" Synthia stared at Shu Shu for a long time and finally couldn't help but poke Shu Shu's arm and ask.
 
"Nothing . . ." Shu Shu returned to himself and listlessly sighed. Then he suddenly thought of something. "Synthia, what are your future plans for yourself?"
 
Synthia glanced at Shu Shu with a playful pout, and a blush appeared on his face. “Of course, I’m looking for a tall and handsome beastman who likes me, and then I’m going to marry him!"
 
Tall and handsome, ah. Shu Shu was even more depressed . . . . He supposed that since even a short and small sub-beastman like Synthia did not take a fancy to him, there was no further need to speak about other sub-beastmen . . . . In addition, he actually didn’t like sub-beastmen. Let’s say Synthia, he thought Synthia was good-looking, and he didn't dislike Synthia, but so long as he thought about the fact that this was a man, he simply couldn’t think of Synthia as soft and appealing.

"I love beastmen like the crown prince who’s tall and big and also has abilities! Unfortunately, no beastman has ever chased me . . . ." Synthia was still entangled in his own feelings.
 
The crown prince? Shu Shu’s heart gave a "thud", and he didn't know why he felt a little uncomfortable.
   
The first lesson in the afternoon was about art appreciation.
     
As a mere daemon who completely lacked painting foundation and appreciating eyes, Shu Shu thought that abstract painting was just painting at random. He simply couldn’t understand this lesson, plus he had a load in his heart, so he was even more deaf to the lecture. He ultimately passed the whole lesson in a daze.
 
Fortunately, the sub-beastmen in the class were about the same, and the teacher also wouldn’t ask any questions, so there was totally no problem in just going through the motions like this.
 
The last lesson of the day was unexpectedly "Understanding the Beastmen" that Jones taught.
 
Shu Shu formerly thought that this class was to introduce beastman facts to them, but now he already knew that this class was solely to help the sub-beastmen to find a partner.

Jones was a new teacher. He was quite famous before, but most of the students in the class didn't know him, and they didn't care about changing teacher. Therefore, Jones simply introduced himself and started the class directly.
 
"We’re going to talk about snake-type beastmen in this lesson." Jones, smiling at the students, said.
 
In the background, the sub-beastmen were somewhat lackadaisical. They used their communication devices to send messages and began to discuss what they were going to do after school. At this moment, Jones spoke again, "As everyone knows, the Crown Prince Edgar is a snake beastman."
 
In a flash, the sub-beastmen attending the class pricked their ears up.
 
Jones smiled and began to talk about the snake beastmen's tastes and weak points. He told some stories about the snake beastmen and also mentioned Edgar several times, making the students focus their attention. Some sub-beastmen even laughed and spoke up, "Teacher, when you talk about His Imperial Highness, don't tell things that everyone already knows. It's best to tell us things we don't know, ah!"
 
"Do you think that I, as a teacher, can know things you don't know?" Jones replied with a laugh and continued to talk about some habits of the snake beastmen. For example, when the temperature around them was too low, they would not want to budge. In ancient times, there was a snake beastman who accidentally hibernated, and he was thought as dead by his sub-beastman.

All the students listened with keen interest, and some of them were also having a discussion in a low voice, guessing whether the crown prince hibernated or not . . . . Seeing this scene, Shu Shu was faintly depressed. How come his disciple was so popular?!
 
Anyway, Edgar was not an ordinary snake. He grew feet and was a jiāo, so he would not hibernate!
 
While lecturing, Jones searched and found some videos of snake beastmen. Then he used the imaging device to present a three-dimensional image for the sub-beastmen to watch.
 
Shu Shu had been inadvertently off in la-la land, and when he came back to himself, he happened to see a big snake coiled in front of the classroom.
 
Suddenly seeing a big snake, Shu Shu reflexively wanted to run. Fortunately, before he ran, he discovered that the snake was just an image . . . . He breathed a sigh of relief and rested his upper body on the desktop.
 
Finding out that Shu Shu had actually been absent-minded for the whole lesson, Jones looked briefly at him in surprise. He specialized in studying beastmen, and he did surgeries on beastmen in their beast forms. He understood beastmen very well, and when he lectured, he also interspersed it with numerous stories . . . . Shu Shu actually didn't like to listen to them? And he didn’t even lift his head now?
 
No, he didn't dislike listening to them. In fact, he seemed to be afraid of snake?
 
Jones suddenly had some sympathy for Edgar.
 
Shu Shu didn't pay attention to the lesson, but other sub-beastmen in the class were listening very seriously.
 
Actually, a big part of the reason why the sub-beastmen who went to the skill class didn’t concentrate on listening to the lectures was because what the teachers taught was not useful to them, or they had already understood it.
 
For example, the previous lesson of art appreciation. People who didn't like or have no skill in this field were unable to make sense of what they were hearing, while those who had talent in this field . . . they most likely had already learned the knowledge taught by the teacher.
 
In this second class of the afternoon, Jones told many fresh facts and also talked a lot about his own experiences, and he even found some videos of fighting beastmen. The students naturally listened to his lesson happily and still wished to continue listening even after the class ended. Shu Shu was listless, though.

Other sub-beastmen all went out, but Shu Shu was still sitting in his seat, checking the communication device on his hand in low spirits.
 
Edgar had sent him a message and had him wait on his own for a while, saying that he would pick him up after work. Shu Shu saw the message but was not in the mood to reply at all.
 
Synthia didn't live on campus, and there was a family member who came to pick him up. He reluctantly left after class ended, leaving Shu Shu to wait alone inside the classroom.
 
"Why are you so dispirited and downcast?" Jones came over and asked, smiling.
 
"I didn't know that this class is a bridal class!" Shu Shu gritted his teeth, somewhat resentful.
 
"What about that? Do you think you can’t learn anything in the bridal class?" Jones continued, "I didn't even attend university at the beginning, but I still learned a lot of knowledge, didn’t I?"
 
"But . . ." But I was not a sub-beastman! Shu Shu was about to start speaking but swallowed the words back. He was different from the beastmen and the sub-beastmen in this place. He dared to tell Edgar this one bit, but he did not dare to tell Jones.
 
“It’s very difficult to take an entrance exam for the Imperial College. If you wish to go to other classes, you have to pass the exam.” Jones said again.
 
Shu Shu stared blankly, and then the whole person immediately became discontented and unhappy. As a matter of fact, what Jones said made sense. If he went to class at other schools, he reckoned that he would not be able to understand anything at all. But here . . . he more or less learned some knowledge.
 
"If you have a mind to learn more things, you can go visit other places, and you can also go to the library. No one will stop you." Jones said.
 
So, it’s actually like this . . . . Who knew that being considered as a sub-beastman was nevertheless not that great . . . . Shu Shu raised his head and asked, "Teacher Jones, I’m very afraid of snake. What do you think I must do so I can overcome the fear in my heart?"

Fear and hate were different. For example, some people just hated caterpillars. When a caterpillar fell on their bodies, although they would screech in disgust, but they still dared to catch and throw it away. People who feared caterpillars though . . . . They most likely would have a blank mind and not dare to move.
 
Shu Shu’s fear of snake was both inherent and acquired.
 
Edgar had saved and helped him a lot, had grown claws and already didn’t resemble a snake much, and would definitely not harm him. Still, when he saw Edgar, he would feel afraid. There’s no further need to speak about other snakes.
 
"Do you fear that snakes will harm you? Actually, you don't need to worry about them at all. You can prevent ordinary snakes from harming you as long as you carry some weapons and don’t go to dangerous areas. As for snake beastmen, beastmen won’t harm sub-beastmen.” Jones explained. "On the subject of you wanting to overcome your fear . . . . You don’t think of going to virtual space?"
 
"Virtual space?" Shu Shu asked, a bit curious.
 
"There’re now special virtual game machines. They can be used to play games and also can simulate some spaces according to your preferences. You use the virtual game machine to simulate a space with snakes, and then you go in and kill those snakes. After that, you definitely won’t be afraid of snake." Jones said with a laugh.
 
"It also can be like this? But I absolutely don't dare to kill any snakes." Shu Shu replied.
 
"In that case, when you set up the world, it'd be better to set all the snakes to run away as soon as they see you. Or you can make them look outlandish. Whatever works for you." Jones said.
 
You could still play it this way? Shu Shu’s eyes lit up.
 
After chatting with Jones, Shu Shu’s mood was much better. He took out an extracurricular reading material, chose the text to speech reader, and began to learn to recognize words.
 
Edgar rushed to the school after work and happened to see this scene.
 
The sub-beastman was engrossed in his reading. The two furry ears standing up looked so cute they made Edgar can’t help but want to touch and stroke them . . . . Taking a deep breath, Edgar pressed down the thought in his mind and arrived in front of Shu Shu in a few quick steps. "Let’s go."
 
"OK." Shu Shu nodded and stood up.
 
Edgar stood there, looking very competent, mature, and steady. If the sub-beastmen in the class saw him, maybe they would throw themselves at him and climb him . . . . Shu Shu gave Edgar a quick glare.
 
"Are you unhappy?" Edgar asked. Before, Shu Shu didn't return his message, making his heart in a mess. Now, Shu Shu glared at him, making him choked with worries.

"You still ask me! You actually sent me to attend the bridal class!" Shu Shu yelled. In the end, after making a complaint against Edgar, he recalled the words Jones had said and suddenly felt that what Edgar did could not be considered as something wrong. He immediately switched to other thing to make another complaint against, "Also, why’re you so popular? All my classmates actually like you!"
 
Edgar felt a bit guilty when he heard Shu Shu’s preceding words. But when he heard the latter words, his heart actually began to palpitate—could it be that the little sub-beastman felt jealous?
 
"How can it be like this? The sub-beastmen all like you. As for me . . . Synthia actually said that I’d soon be pursued by the beastmen . . . " Both of them were daemons; why was there such a big difference between them?! Shu Shu imagined that there might be beastmen pursuing him just like those who waited outside the classroom with bouquets of flowers and got goosebumps from head to foot.

Shu Shu's face looked very gloomy, which made Edgar feel anxious and start to frown. He felt Shu Shu was still too young, so he had never thought about revealing his feelings and only thought to let Shu Shu go to school for two more years . . . . He actually forgot that there were also other beastmen in this world!
 
In the beginning, that Jeress had made an attempt at Shu Shu. Now, it was the so many beastman students at the Imperial College . . . .
 
"I don't like any other sub-beastman; I only like you." Edgar suddenly and seriously stated.
 
Shu Shu felt like being struck by lightning. He slowly recovered before asking, "What did you say?"
 
"Shu Shu, I like you. You’re still young, so you don't have to agree right away, but please give me a chance to pursue you." Edgar confessed. It was said that his father fell in love with his mother at first sight and went to confess right away, and then the two men got married on the spur of the moment. Granted, he still had to wait to get married, but he could not let other beastmen be the first to confess.

I treat you as a disciple, but you actually desire me! Shu Shu stared blankly and then exclaimed, "I’m a beastman!"
 
Edgar regarded Shu Shu for a while: "I still like you even if you’re a beastman." He grew up so big, and Shu Shu was the only one he had ever liked. Even if Shu Shu might be different from the sub-beastmen of the Beastman Empire, he still liked him.

Shu Shu, however, only gathered that Edgar hadn't believed his words from beginning to end. For a moment, he only felt that he had misjudged this guy.
 
Nonetheless, even if this was the case, he could not let this mistake to continue, ah!
 
If Edgar kept pursuing him and, as a result, found out that he was not a sub-beastman but a beastman and absolutely unable to give birth to children, what a bad luck it would be, ah!

TL's note:

Update will be every fifth day, so it'll be on December 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30.

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A Guide to - 43

I always give notice if the next chapter(s) will be delayed or updated IRREGULARLY. If I don't write the notice as TL's note at the end of the chapter, I write it on the Announcement post. So, I don't want to see another comment asking me where/when the next chapter is.



Unedited chapter


43. Shu Shu Wanted to Pass the Tribulation

 
Nowadays, the Imperial College required everyone who wanted to be enrolled in any of its divisions and departments to pass the entrance exam. This exam was very tough, and there would be no exam-fixing at all. If you failed the exam, you would not be able to be enrolled in the Imperial College, even if you were a prince.
 
Of course, taking into account that the children of the richer and more privileged families received better education since childhood, the majority of students in the Imperial College were either noble-born or very rich.
 
Consider this example. A nobleman who played with a toy mech when he was a child and had his own mech when he was a little older and a commoner who had never touched a mech went to take the entrance exam for the Imperial College's Mech Department together. You did not need to guess to know who would pass the exam in the end.
 
The richer you were, the more you could have your children receive the best education from childhood. As a result, the Imperial College was overflowing with the rich. Nevertheless, there were also many commoners in it, and they were all geniuses.
 
Those who were enrolled in the Imperial College were very, very outstanding people. After they graduated, every one of them was naturally an elite.
 
However, there was actually another category of people in the Imperial College. These people could play and play and play as they attended college; they basically didn’t have to do anything to graduate . . . . They were the sub-beastman students of the Imperial College’s “Bridal Class”.
 
At the beginning of the Imperial College’s establishment, there was a special division called the Skill Division. Only sub-beastmen could study this subject, and sub-beastman could only study this subject too.
 
At that time, there were very many sub-beastmen who went to study in the Skill Division. Almost all sub-beastmen who were born into major nobility would go there to study. Inevitably, sub-beastmen who were born into minor nobility didn’t get their turn, so they thought of using any means to force their way in . . . . Anyway, until now, the old Skill Division had only one class called the Skill Class, and the whole class only had twenty or thirty people.
 
After all, nowadays, there were not many sub-beastmen who were willing to stay at home and do nothing all day long . . . . Even if they could not become mech warriors, they could still learn mech maintenance. In the field of scientific research, literature, and design, sub-beastmen were more gifted than beastmen.

Just like that, the skill class declined . . . . However, there were always some sub-beastmen who were high-born but essentially had no ability and merely wished to marry an outstanding beastman in the future. Only by admitting them did the Imperial College manage to retain the skill class.
 
As long as the noble-born sub-beastmen could afford the expensive tuition fee, they could be enrolled in the Imperial College’s Skill Class.
 
As for whether the beastmen who were noble-born but had no ability could be enrolled in the Imperial College or not . . . . The Imperial College expressed that as beastmen, if they actually thought they could get ahead and enter the school without taking an exam, they might as well not go to school!
 
The skill class in the Imperial College in fact didn’t teach anything important, so that some of the high-status sub-beastmen would rather retake the exam next year or enroll in other schools if they couldn't pass the Imperial College’s entrance exam. They were not willing to enter the skill class because they felt that attending such a class was very shameful. But Shu Shu . . . .
 
Edgar cast a brief look at Shu Shu. He was aware of the little sub-beastman’s knowledge level. Although the little guy had learned to speak, but he hadn't learned to write. If he was really going to go to school according to his actual level, most probably he could only go to the kindergarten. But, could Edgar let his own sub-beastman go to kindergarten?
 
The skill class was actually quite good. It did not have an exam, and it would not give the sub-beastmen any pressure. As long as the sub-beastmen’s behaviors did not violate the school rules and regulations, they could do anything as they wished . . . . As a matter of fact, didn’t the class suit Shu Shu perfectly?
 
There, Shu Shu could also make some friends.
 
After obtaining Shu Shu’s approval, Edgar immediately helped Shu Shu register and paid the tuition fee. Tomorrow Shu Shu could go to school.
 
By the way, other classes in the Imperial College did not accept transfer students, but the skill classes was different. As long as you met the conditions, you could transfer class and join the skill class at any time.
 
The next day, the dawn sky was still dark when Shu Shu woke up. After waking up, he did not want to sleep any more.
 
He was going to go to school!
 
He had had many owners before. Among them, there were some junior high school students. Many of them didn't like to study. Even though their grades were quite good, they would also complain that they were too tired to study. Every day, they looked forward to have a holiday.
 
Shu Shu was quite envious of them though. After all, he couldn’t even change into a human form at that time. Going to school was simply impossible.
 
At that time, when he wanted to learn things, he could only self-study secretly. Using claws to practice writing characters on the bottom of the cage was certainly arduous. The most tragic thing was that all he had painstakingly learned was actually of no use now.
   
Shu Shu had always thought that he would not have another chance to go to school in his lifetime. He hadn’t expected that he could actually be enrolled in such a good school now . . . .
 
Compared with the Imperial College, Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford were nothing, ah! These universities were just ones of the best schools on one planet, but the Imperial College . . . . Its students came from more than a hundred different planets!
 
Shu Shu was very excited but also couldn't help feeling unsettled. He knew what his own level was. If he entered this kind of school, he probably wouldn’t be able to understand anything, would he?
 
Thinking about this, Shu Shu had no appetite when eating breakfast, and his food intake was surprisingly only twice as much as that of an ordinary sub-beastman.

"Why do you eat so little?" Edgar was a little worried.
 
"I’m afraid that I won’t be able to keep up with school work . . . . What’s to be done if the teachers want to call the parents?" Shu Shu sighed.
 
"They won’t." Edgar said. The teachers of the Imperial College would absolutely not call the parents, and it would not matter one bit to them if you couldn’t keep up with the skill class . . . . Anyway, he really should try to explain the situation to Shu Shu now. "You go to the skill class. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to attend the class. Just learning as much as you can is also fine.”

Such things could also be done? The management of this class was too relaxed, right? Shu Shu was somewhat puzzled by it. "What exactly do I study?"
 
"Painting, for example." Edgar answered, a little guiltily. The Imperial College had its own Fine Arts Division, and the painting skill learned in the skill class could not be compared with that in the Fine Arts Division.
 
"So it’s studying art!" Shu Shu actually knew about studying art and also had confidence in doing it. Although he didn't particularly understand art, so much so that he couldn’t make head nor tail of it, but his memory was good, ah! He surely would be able to learn it quick. Moreover, abstract painting and what-nots, weren’t they paintings he could paint according to his wishes?
 
Shu Shu finally set his heart at rest and was even more eager to go to school. "When will I go to school? How do I get there?"
 
"I’ll send you there." Edgar said. In the following days, he would send Shu Shu to school first, and then he would go to the military department. After he got off work from the military department, he would go back to the school to pick up Shu Shu. Once Shu Shu graduated, they could get married!
 
The Imperial Palace’s area was already very, very big, but the Imperial College’s area was even bigger.
 
The college was located on the coast; half of it was built on the land, and the other half was on the sea. Not to mention how beautiful the scenery here was, you could also see all kinds of different landscapes and the world at the bottom of the ocean. A hundred years ago, all the students even enjoyed a tsunami together, watching the seawater swallow up the entire school with their own eyes . . . .
 
Of course, because the college turned on the protective cover, there was no injured student from beginning to end.
 
"It's so beautiful here!" When Shu Shu looked down at the school from the sky, he thought the place was very beautiful. As per the instruction sign, Edgar parked the aircraft under a big tree. After they got off the vehicle, Shu Shu was further surprised by the surrounding scenery that was more beautiful than he could imagine.
 
"The skill class is in front. I’ll take you there." Edgar said. Showing Shu Shu the way, they soon arrived in front of a castle surrounded by green trees. "All students of the skill class go to class here. There’re lounge and game room for student use, and there’s also an independent dining hall. If you want to go out, you can use the navigation on the secondary communication device to give you directions."

"Okay." Shu Shu nodded. He now had an identity chip, and not only that, but Edgar also allocated him a latest model communication device.
 
The Beastman Empire's communication device had the same function as that of a mobile phone, but its main function was to inspect and verify a person’s identity. After all, a person’s identity chip was installed inside it. And so, the communication device was usually divided into two parts. One was the main communication device, which contained the identity chip and was bound to the bank account. It was small in size and generally designed to be carried on one’s person like a wrist watch, a necklace, a ring, or such an accessory. The other one was the secondary communication device, and its size depended on personal preference. It could be the size of a mobile phone on Earth, or it could also be the size of a tablet, and it could be used to communicate with people, to connect to the star network, and so on. In short, it had all the same functions as a mobile phone.
 
Shu Shu had a new model communication device. The main communication device was made into the shape of a wrist watch, and a space button was installed on it. Even though the space button’s space was not big, but it had several cubicles. When the secondary communication device was not in use, it could be put inside the space button, and so could some food and clothes.
 
Although the level of science and technology here was very high, but most of the household goods were easy to operate. In any case, Shu Shu was a hamster spirit who had seen his owners play with their mobile phones on Earth, so he could also use a mobile phone correctly.
 
He could even study in a magnificent castle . . . .
 
Glancing at that beautiful castle, Shu Shu was even more excited. Right at this moment, he saw someone coming out of the castle.
 
"Mr. Jones?" Shu Shu stared at Jones, a sub-beastman he was very familiar with.
 
"Shu Shu," Jones saw Shu Shu and smiled. "I’ll be one of your teachers in the future."
 
Seeing Jones appear here, Edgar was a little surprised but soon recovered. "I entrust Shu Shu to you."
 
"Rest assured, I’ll definitely take care of Shu Shu well." Jones smiled.
 
Edgar nodded and then left. Afterwards, Jones took Shu Shu into the office and registered Shu Shu. He gave Shu Shu the electronic textbook and the class schedule and also explained the details of the skill class.
 
For example, the skill class generally started at nine o'clock. Shu Shu was sent to school by Edgar before eight o'clock, which was an hour too early. Other details were how to have a meal, how to go to class, and so on.
 
"Teacher Jones, what do you teach? Medical skills?" Shu Shu asked. He remembered that Jones was a very brilliant doctor?
 
"No, I teach . . . how to understand and pacify beastmen." Jones said while regarding Shu Shu with a smile, the eyes behind the lenses narrowing.
 
To understand beastmen? This subject was very suitable for him to learn! Shu Shu nodded and immediately expressed that he would definitely study hard.
 
It was still early, so Shu Shu went back to the classroom and began to study his own schedule.
 
The arranged course was very light. There were only two classes in the morning and two classes in the afternoon, and each class was fifty minutes long. Among these classes, there were "understanding beastmen" taught by Jones, painting appreciation, history, humanities, cooking, gardening, and many others.
 
Although the course seemed very light, but there were so many things to learn! It was said that all university students had to rely on self-study. Apparently, it was real. Later on, he should go to school early in the morning every day to prepare for the lessons. He should make use of the long break time at noon and the intervals between classes as well.
 
The electronic textbook was a B5 paper-sized tablet. It contained all the textbooks and also had a notebook app and so on that could be called up and used at any time. After Shu Shu called up the notebook app, he realized that it was very much impossible for him to type, so he chose the voice input and decided to give himself a daily study plan.

After that, he opened a book and began to read.
 
He couldn't read many of the words, but he could use the text-to-speech beside the picture to read out all the words above. Shu Shu quickly read a textbook all the way through and memorized the words and their pronunciation.
 
These textbooks were quite short, and the information inside was really not much. However, the texts mentioned many reference books that could be looked upon as extended reading. Those books were also available in electronic format. If he had time, he had to check them out.
 
Shu Shu finished reading and was ready to study hard. Presently, it was finally close to the class time.
 
But . . . the class was about to start, how come nobody was coming?
 
Waiting until it was nine o'clock, Shu Shu finally saw ten sub-beastman coming in from the outside. These sub-beastmen were all very pretty/handsome and dressed in luxurious clothes, and their every movement was full of character.

A group of handsome guys! Although they were not the man of steel type that he liked, but every one of them was absolutely the white and tender teen idol type . . . . Shu Shu stared at them and then, after encouraging himself, stepped forward and greeted them: "Hello all."
 
These people looked briefly at Shu Shu, and the one in the lead asked: "Are you the new transfer student? The one called Susu?"
 
"Yeah." Shu Shu nodded, showing a big smile. He did not know what he should say now, but he really hoped that these people would talk to him.

However, these people did not talk to him at all. Instead, they all sat in their seats and took out their mirrors to inspect their own faces.
 
"I started late today. I didn’t do my eyebrows well.”
 
“Damn it, I have a pimple!”
 
“XX’s newly launched foundation is really good. Not only it’s breathable, but it’s also effective for keeping your skin in good repair. I’ve used it for several days, and my face is much whiter now."

. . . . . .

These people just chatted with each other, and then one of them turned his head and looked at Shu Shu. "Your skin looks really good, very natural . . . . What do you use?"

Listening to their words, Shu Shu was mystified. Among his successive owners, some would also put on makeup, but the way people putting on makeup on Earth was completely different from the way here. At least, he had not seen how these people put on makeup.
 
He didn't understand how to put on makeup, and he had never heard of those cosmetics. How could he join the current conversation?
 
Seeing that Shu Shu did not speak, the man thought that Shu Shu was keeping it a secret and not willing to talk about it. He snorted and turned his head.
 
Shu Shu sat back on his chosen seat, all along thinking that everything was so bizarre.

Although the sub-beastmen here assumed the responsibility of giving birth, but most of them were not womanish. Why did they even put on makeup?
 
Shu Shu was just thinking about this when several sub-beastmen came in. Some of them came alone, and some were sent by the beastmen. Nevertheless, after entering the classroom, every one of them looked very bored and idle. Even if those faces were not an eyesore, they also did not provide some entertainment for him.
 
Not only that, but . . . these people were not feminine at all. Shu Shu was just sighing with regret when he suddenly saw a very, very feminine sub-beastman walk in.
 
Even if the other sub-beastmen put on makeup, they still didn’t look feminine. In Shu Shu's eyes, they were about the same as some male celebrities on Earth. After all, didn’t male celebrities also put on makeup?
 
But the one who came in now . . . .
 
It was a sub-beastman who simply looked better than a woman!
 
He looked better than a woman, so delicate, and his build was also short and small. When he walked, he walked one step at a time, his hands making the orchid fingers . . . . To tell the truth, when Shu Shu just caught sight of this sub-beastman, he thought he was looking at a woman.
 
Even if the clothes worn by this sub-beastman were men's clothes and not skirt, he still looked like a woman . . . . Shu Shu’s mind came out with the word "pseudo-female".
 
Shu Shu was momentarily stunned before coming back to himself. Then he discovered that the sub-beastmen in the class seemed to be unfriendly to this pseudo-female classmate. Some of them even directly turned over to give him a supercilious look. This pseudo-female classmate unexpectedly didn’t care at all. He walked all the way to the back and sat alone in the corner.
 
"Hello!" Shu Shu turned his head and greeted this sub-beastman. He was initially very surprised seeing a pseudo-female all of a sudden, but soon, he felt that it was nothing. There were many transgender people on Earth; what was a pseudo-female?

Moreover, this sub-beastman was really good-looking! Of course, it was the kind of womanly good look.
 
"Hello." The man greeted Shu Shu back and glanced at Shu Shu shyly. Seriously, that was such a coy look.
 
Shu Shu felt that it was really difficult for him to consider this classmate as a man!
 
"My name is Shu Shu. What’s your name?" Shu Shu asked.
 
"My name is Synthia." The man replied and then asked in a low voice, "Are you a new student?"
 
"Yeah, today’s my first day of coming to school." Shu Shu answered.
 
"The teacher spoke of you yesterday." Synthia showed a shy expression.
 
Shu Shu could see that Synthia's every move was very natural and not feigned at all. He reckoned that it was a habit from childhood.
 
With this in mind, Shu Shu was more relaxed and unaffected when facing Synthia and no longer thought about the fact that a man should not be so feminine like this . . . . In fact, whether it was a sub-beastman or a beastman, they all were different from the men on Earth.
 
Shu Shu felt like having a conversation with his new friend, but the teacher came at this moment, so he immediately turned his head and began to attend the class.
     
Their first lesson was about cooking.
     
"Although beastmen eat so much, but we sub-beastmen don't need to personally prepare their entire meals. Just occasionally cooking them some food can also make the beastmen very happy . . . "
 
The above-mentioned was what the teacher lectured. Shu Shu had been listening properly but always felt that it was a little wrong.
 
Cooking was cooking, right? Why was it always linked with the beastmen?
 
Also, he had been worried that he would not be able to understand what the teacher said, but now . . . . Being unable to understand meant what, ah. Most of the students in this class were not listening to the lecture!
 
Looking at the classmates who were doing their own things, Shu Shu was a bit stupefied—totally not listening to the lecture like this was really fine?
 
The second class today was gardening lesson. The teacher’s words were about the same as those of the previous teacher. "Now we come to talk about it, for sub-beastmen, having life inclinations and interests is very important, and planting some plants at home will make sub-beastmen  look cultured. Although beastmen are generally carefree, but some small green objects at home will make them more relaxed . . .”
 
Once again, it was linked with the beastmen!
 
After finishing two classes, Shu Shu faintly felt that something was wrong. At this moment, quite a lot of beastmen gathered together outside their classroom.
 
"How come there’re so many beastmen suddenly?" Shu Shu was surprised.
 
"They’re all the lovers or pursuers of our classmates." A soft voice answered. Shu Shu turned his head and saw Synthia smile to him.
 
"Do you have a lover?" Shu Shu asked.
 
Synthia sighed and shook his head: "No."
 
"Then . . . let's go eat together?" Shu Shu said. He did not dare to eat on the sly when attending the class, so he was hungry to the max now.
 
"Okay." Synthia replied with a smile, revealing a row of tiny teeth; his face was flushed red from excitement.
 
There was a dedicated small dining hall in this castle, but there were not many sub-beastmen who ate here. After eating, they went to other places, while Shu Shu and Synthia returned to the classroom.
 
"Why don't you go out to play?" Shu Shu asked.
 
"They don't like me." Synthia said, forcing a smile. Both his hand were gripping and twisting the strap on his clothes. "They all said that I was weird."
 
It turned out that in the Beastman Empire, being too feminine was also weird? Indeed, the sub-beastmen he had seen before, even if they looked delicate, but their behavior and bearings were not completely feminine . . . .
 
Shu Shu had some sympathy for Synthia, so he immediately said: "You’re not weird at all. I think you’re very good."
 
Synthia looked at Shu Shu with sparkling eyes. "Thank you. You’re really nice."
 
Synthia was truly good-looking, and Shu Shu was blinded by him. At the same time, he suddenly thought that even if he passed through the inner demon tribulation and became a beastman, it was possible that he would not be strong enough. When the moment came, he really didn’t wish to look for a sub-beastman who were taller and more powerful than himself. But if it was Synthia . . . .
 
Shu Shu tried to remember and abruptly realized that Synthia was shorter and thinner than himself!
 
Although these points in a man were no good, but they might be able to cultivate some feelings . . . . Thinking so, Shu Shu asked: "Would you like to sit with me?"
 
Synthia was ecstatic, sitting directly beside Shu Shu. Because his behavior and bearing were considered weird, while the beastmen tolerated him, the sub-beastmen basically ignored him, and so he had never had friends. He was extremely happy that Shu Shu was willing to acknowledge him.

"Synthia, why does everyone not listen to what the teacher lectures?" Shu Shu suddenly recalled everything he had questioned before.
 
"It doesn't matter if they don't listen. We go out and attend school not to listen to the lectures but to find a beastman to marry, don’t we? They all have targets, so it doesn't matter if they don't listen . . . . Once they’ve confirmed their relationships with the beastmen, they’ll accept the beastmen's beast bead. I reckon they won’t come to class after that." Synthia explained, feeling a bit depressed afterwards. "Unfortunately, I’m unappealing and also can't talk. No beastman has ever chased after me. I don't know how long I must attend classes here."
 
"How could this be?!" Shu Shu was shocked. They attended school just to marry a beastman?
 
"Why not? Isn’t it the purpose of the bridal class?" Synthia blinked, looking at Shu Shu with confusion.
 
"Bridal class?" Shu Shu asked in reply.
 
"You didn’t know? Our skill class is also called the bridal class. You can look it up on the Internet." Synthia said.
 
Shu Shu took out his communication device and connected to the star network to check.
 
The circumstances of the skill class was easy to check. Shu Shu soon knew what exactly was going on. At the same time, he also saw some beastmen or sub-beastmen evaluating the skill class.

"Aren’t the sub-beastmen of the skill class just a group of leeches? If it’s me, even if I can't take the exam for attending the Imperial College, I won't go to this kind of class."
 
"If you’re looking for a sub-beastman, you’d better not look for him in the skill classes. They’re not worth mentioning."
 
"Previous poster, who are you sour with? You speak like that because you can't find a sub-beastman, right? I like the sub-beastmen of the skill class! Those sub-beastmen, they’re gentle and soft and good at taking care of the house. Some sub-beastmen are too busy working and not willing to give birth to children. The sub-beastmen of the skill class won’t be like this."

. . . . . . .

Shu Shu was dumbstruck.
 
Sub-beastmen who went to other colleges seemed to particularly look down on the skill class. For the most part, the beastmen had no bad impressions on the skill class, but sub-beastmen of the skill class were apparently just good wives and loving mothers in their eyes.
 
Moreover, the skill class had a specific name, which was called the bridal class.
 
He actually studied in the so-called bridal class!
 
He was absolutely not a sub-beastman; he was a beastman, ah! Edgar actually sent him to attend the bridal class!
 
“You can rest assured, Shu Shu, although many people don’t like our skill class, but we, the sub-beastmen of the skill class, all marry well. You’re so cute; I believe that you’ll definitely have many beastmen chasing after you!” Synthia, seeing how unpleasant Shu Shu look, comforted him.
 
Beastmen chasing after me? Shu Shu wanted to explode imagining such an event. Could it be that his disciple wanted to marry him off?
 
No way, he definitely wouldn’t marry!
 
Shu Shu urgently wished to become a beastman.
 
Regarding the matter of passing through the inner demon tribulation, Shu Shu was a little scared, so he had been deliberately ignoring it. His mouth said he wanted to pass through the tribulation, but in fact, he had been dragging it out and was satisfied just to get through . . . .
 
He did not want to face all kinds of vipers, so he was not willing to go through the inner demon tribulation. But at this moment, he suddenly wanted to pass through the tribulation.
 
He did not want to be a good wife and a loving mother, and he did not want to be pursued by men!
 
Thinking of this, Shu Shu poked the red bead within his body with the spiritual power: "When can I go through the inner demon tribulation?"
 
The red bead quickly sent back a simple information. Shu Shu faintly knew, so long as he was ready, he could go through the inner demon tribulation at any time.
 
Of course, if he did not pass . . . he might likely be beaten back to his original shape.
 


TL’s notes:
才艺 (cái yì) = talent
For the name of the class, I chose to translate it as skill because talent is “an inborn and the special ability of a person to do something” while skill is “an expertise, which is acquired by the person by learning”. Since the bridal class actually teaches skills like cooking, gardening, painting, etc., so it’s a skill class, not talent class.

伪娘 (wěi niáng) = false; fake; forged; bogus | mother; young lady; (coll.) effeminate
According to Chinese Wikipedia, the characters don’t mean a transexual or an intersex, and not really a cross-dresser too. In Japanese, it’s otokonoko, and their version is actually a male cross-dresser. Translating the characters as girly-boy or ladyboy is rather derogatory, so I just translated them as pseudo-female.

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