Years passed, and many friends visited the insect planet. Luo Qi still kept rooms for them in the royal palace, though they rarely came to rest there.
These youths were similar to Luo Qi, yet different. Each carried a significant burden, but almost without exception, they had stood up earlier than Luo Qi.
They bore the hopes of their respective races and had to grow quickly to escape their weakness, even if that weakness was merely because they hadn't yet matured.
There was also the reason that they were still angry and guilty about what had happened back then.
Everyone had seen Luo Qi and Ye Mu covered in blood. Although no one knew exactly what had occurred, for a long time, everyone couldn't forget that scene.
They were angry that Luo Qi didn't trust them, keeping everything to himself, and guilty that they hadn't noticed sooner.
Although they never spoke of it, they all remembered the incident and subconsciously took care of these two. It was supposed to be two people.
Later, Ye Mu guarded Luo Qi like a mother hen protecting her chicks, preventing others from even seeing Luo Qi, so the one being cared for became just one.
Especially Mo Xuan, with his height of 1.87 meters and a stubborn streak of 1.8, the more Ye Mu tried to stop him, the closer he ran to Luo Qi.
He not only pestered Luo Qi with stories about the Mo tribe but also often pretended to be pitiful to soften Luo Qi's heart. For a while, he claimed to be afraid that something would happen to Luo Qi again and stayed on the insect planet to sleep.
Luo Qi also felt guilty, fearing that Mo Xuan would complain tearfully about his lack of trust. He insisted that Mo Xuan sleep in the same room with him at night.
Although, at Ye Mu's "strong suggestion," Mo Xuan only slept on the small sofa in Luo Qi's room, Ye Mu was still angry about it for half a month.
Luo Qi sat in the middle, discussing recent interstellar affairs with his friends. He had also begun learning about insect race affairs from Cecil, but compared to other races, the insect race had few matters.
Before Luo Qi was born, the insect race had a very strict hierarchy. All insectoids were trained as warriors from birth. Later, their dismal birth rate halted their expansion, but they merely entered a period of dormancy.
It wasn't until Luo Qi's birth that Cecil's heart, like ice encountering warm water, began to melt, and the entire insect race became increasingly gentle.
Rather than fighting, they now preferred to admire photos of the little prince on the star network during their training or pray for the Mother Tree to bless them with a cute cub.
More accurately, it was as if the entire insect race had become more vibrant. The birth of new cubs proved that hope had not been extinguished. Although the birth of cubs remained very difficult, these insectoids who longed for children at least had something to look forward to.
The insect race no longer engaged in random fighting, no longer harbored equal hatred for everyone in the entire galaxy, and no longer initiated new conflicts. The matters that fell into Luo Qi's hands to handle had significantly decreased.
More often, he needed to establish contact or trade relations with new races. Compared to other fierce insect generals, assigning such tasks to Luo Qi often yielded twice the result with half the effort.
Luo Qi handed a small cake from the table to Lei Wa, fresh fruit maps to He Ning and He Yuan, and took some snacks for himself, eating while listening to Mo Xuan and the others talk about external affairs.
He and Ye Mu had not yet graduated from senior school. However, senior school had nothing more to teach them, and students in higher grades were reaching the age for internships.
Mo Xuan took a sip of water and leaned back on the sofa, his arm casually resting on Luo Qi's shoulder. He smiled and said,
"Mo Jue is still the same. I heard Mo Li had his leg broken last week. He's probably not doing too well."
Luo Qi was startled. His days were full and happy, and he had almost forgotten about these people.
After Mo Xuan forcefully took over Mo Star, Mo Jue and Mo Li left Mo Star, taking their remaining forces to a small planet.
Whether it was because of himself or because of Luo Qi, Mo Xuan hated Mo Li and his son deeply. Therefore, even though he could easily find out where Mo Li and the others were, he didn't send anyone to kill them directly.
Rather than death, it was more agonizing for people who had lived their lives in arrogance to hide and flee like rats, scraping for food, and living in a state of disgrace.
The lessons Mo Jue had taught Mo Xuan were useful. He knew exactly how to tighten the leash, keeping Mo Jue barely alive but unable to truly die.
Mo Xuan even thought Mo Jue was unlucky. If his mind hadn't been broken then, he could have truly experienced this suffering. Only then would he truly understand what regret meant.
However, it was fine like this. Mo Li was already struggling to fend for himself, yet he still had to divert his attention to caring for this foolish child. The trivialities of each day piled up in his heart, and Mo Li had no time to think about returning to Mo Star.
Moreover, Mo Jue was his only child. No matter what, he still held onto the hope that one day he would recover, hoping that this long period of suffering would come to an end.
Unfortunately, all of this was orchestrated by Mo Xuan. This young lady, whom they had initially disregarded, could now easily control their life and death, though they were still unaware of it.
The people around them had either left or scattered, leaving only the father and son. It was common for them to compete and fight for a bite of food. Even Mo Li couldn't always escape unscathed, and this time was no exception, which is why he accidentally injured his legs.
Luo Qi lowered his gaze, unsure of what to say.
He knew he was naturally soft-hearted, but he wouldn't easily forgive those who had tried to kill him. So, he pretended not to know and stuffed his mouth with snacks, playing dumb.
Mo Xuan was just mentioning it casually. For years, every time he visited, he would tell Luo Qi about the situation of those two.
The worse Mo Jue fared, the more Mo Xuan felt he was slightly making up for it to Luo Qi.
Seeing that Luo Qi didn't seem to like these topics, Mo Xuan stopped talking and changed the subject.
The Mo tribe and the insect race had a close relationship, and much of what Mo Xuan discussed was related to what the insect race was currently doing. Luo Qi gradually began to cheer up.
The atmosphere in the room was pleasant. Few people noticed the sound of the door opening from the outside until a clear "Luoluo!" rang out, and a short-haired girl in a black combat uniform rushed over.
Luo Qi was sitting in the very center of the sofa. Nina wrapped her arms around Luo Qi's neck from behind, pressing her cheek against his, and said with a sweet, spoiled tone,
"Luoluo! I missed you so much!"
Luo Qi reached out and patted her hand, his brow slightly furrowed, but his eyes held an unmistakable doting smile. "How many times have I told you, you should call me brother."