Everyone Is Non-Human Except Me [Rebirth] Chapter 126

Yang Ling had been in a great mood lately, and even her temper had improved quite a bit—not for any particular reason, but mostly because the eldest miss’s birthday was coming up. Everything just looked more pleasing to the eye.

Her mother had asked her a while ago how she wanted to celebrate. “Should I throw you a big party?” But Yang Ling had uncharacteristically refused flat-out. “No. Mom, don’t do anything.”

Her mother found it strange, but Yang Ling wouldn’t explain—she just kept refusing. She couldn’t exactly tell her mom that she knew someone would be planning a surprise for her. But that was how she felt deep down. Lately, everyone had mysteriously disappeared: her brother was away on a work trip, Sister Shanyue had unexpectedly taken leave, and when she pressed Shanyue for answers, she just stammered evasively. Instructor Yun was still teaching class like usual, but vanished the moment work ended. Even Brother Huanhuan, who used to drop by Yansui every day to see her, hadn’t come by at all.

If it were just one person acting strange, Yang Ling wouldn’t think much of it. But when everyone goes MIA, how could she not be suspicious?

It has to be a surprise! I’m too smart—they can’t hide this from me.

That idea kept circling in her head, and her good mood lasted a whole week. Even when she had a mission early on her birthday morning, she didn’t get upset. She thought to herself, It’s my birthday today, I can’t lose my temper. This little mission won’t take long—won’t delay my celebration at all.

“Isn’t Little Bifang acting too calm today…?”

“Yeah, she’s been smiling all day and hasn’t cursed once. It’s honestly a bit creepy.”

Yang Ling put her hands on her hips. “What are you two whispering about? Don’t you see how much still needs clearing? Get to work, no more chatting!”

With Shanyue on leave these past couple of days, a new student had joined the mission. Yang Ling flew over to Jing Yun and nudged him. “Can you believe it? The newbie happens to be from the same hometown as the guy who covered for Brother Huanhuan earlier. They’re just chattering away.”

Jing Yun was sitting with his eyes closed, sensing the flow of demonic energy. Her nudge broke his concentration and scattered the spirit energy he was controlling. Even his glasses slipped off. He quickly fixed them and muttered, “Oh, they’re from the same place?”

“You look like such a dope.” As she spoke, Yang Ling suddenly remembered it was her birthday today. Jing Yun was basically part of the Bifang clan—he had to remember, right? She cleared her throat.

“Little Chongming, do you have any plans later?”

Jing Yun blinked. “Plans? You mean after this?”

“What else? Don’t tell me you’re just going back to school.” Yang Ling eyed him suspiciously, trying to drop a hint but not be too obvious. She glanced around at the sky. “Look how nice the weather is—blue skies, fluffy clouds—and you… you’re just going back to nap in the dorm?”

“But I’m really tired…” Jing Yun yawned softly. “We got called out so early this morning. Do you want me to go shopping for cute dresses with you? Can I take a nap first?”

Yang Ling squinted at him closely.

He’s acting. He’s totally pretending. Definitely hiding something from me.

“Pfft, who wants to go shopping anyway?” She flipped her twin tails and strutted off. “Go take your nap then.”

Still, she couldn’t resist her curiosity. The moment the mission ended, she video-called her brother. “Brother! Where are you right now?”

“I’m still at Buzhou. Why? What’s wrong?”

Yang Sheng looked swamped, his assistant handing him documents and reporting nonstop. Yang Ling was a little intimidated. “Nothing major. You’re busy, I’ll hang up.”

“Make sure you tell me if anything comes up,” Yang Sheng said gently. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Got you lots of pretty souvenirs.”

“Tomorrow?!” Yang Ling blurted out in shock.

Yang Sheng blinked. “Why? Is something happening tomorrow?”

Yang Ling quickly shook her head. “N-No, I just remembered I haven’t finished my homework—it’s due tomorrow. You go do your work. Bye, I’m hanging up now!”

She ended the call in a hurry, then slumped against a fig tree, bumping her head repeatedly on the trunk.

How could my brother forget my birthday…

Liars. They’re all liars.

With a thunk, a fig dropped from above. Yang Ling reacted before she thought: a fire lotus shot out and blasted it mid-air, spraying fruit juice all over her face.

“Stupid rotten fruit! Disgusting!” she grumbled, then tried to calm herself. 

If other people are mad, I won’t be. It’s my birthday—I should be happy…

So the poor birthday girl went to wash her face. When she came out, she happened to spot someone she hadn’t seen in a while—Wei Huan, holding a small, beautifully wrapped box. Her heart jumped.

Calm down, calm down, do NOT get your hopes up…

“Brother Huanhuan!”

Too late. She called him from far away.

Wei Huan paused, surprised to see her. “Huh? Little Ling, what are you doing wandering around here by yourself?” Yang Ling dashed over like a little rocket, still damp-faced. Wei Huan asked, “Did you just wash your face?”

“Yup.” Her eyes flicked to the box in his hand. “Brother Huanhuan, where are you going? What’s that?”

Wei Huan lifted the box. “Oh, this? It’s a little cake I got for your Older brother Yongzhou. The young master said yesterday he was craving mille crepe from that shop on Changchun Street in Kunlun Void. I queued up all morning—it was exhausting.” He opened the box. “Mocha hazelnut flavor. Want me to cut you a slice? It’s really good.”

Yang Ling instinctively pursed her lips. She hated anything with coffee flavor.

So it really wasn’t for me. And Brother Huanhuan doesn’t even remember that I hate this flavor…

She felt even more upset but kept trying to convince herself.

If other people are mad, I won’t be. It’s my birthday—I should be happy…

“No thanks. You go ahead.” Then she couldn’t help adding, “Oh, right. Do you… have any other plans later?”

Wei Huan thought for a moment. “Later… I’m taking Yongzhou back to the Nine Phoenix house. We’ll be staying there tonight, not coming back to Shanhai. Why?”

He bent down with a grin. “Is the little rich lady planning to treat me to dinner?”

That was the last straw.

“Hmph.” She turned and ran, her twin tails smacking him in the face. 

Wei Huan called after her, “Hey? Why are you mad? I was just joking! Want me to treat you instead?”

“No need!” she shouted, storming back to her dorm. She grabbed a stuffed toy and started yanking its ears.

Stupid Brother Huanhuan! Love-obsessed, only cares about his boyfriend.

No one remembered her birthday. She had reminded them a month ago!

Still, Yang Ling held on to a shred of hope. Even if no one else remembered, surely Sister Shanyue wouldn’t forget. She might’ve been on sick leave, but she had to come back today. Thinking that, her mood improved. She opened her closet and pulled out all the cute dresses she’d bought, holding each one up.

If they actually throw me some lame surprise, I can’t look bad… Blue? Or yellow?

Suddenly, her student ring lit up with a dark red signal—the emergency comms from Yansui. She answered it and heard her classmate, Little Tengu Zhao Xingjian.

“Yang Ling! Are you at school? I ran into trouble on a mission—are you free?”

“No. And I’m not there.” Hearing it was him, Yang Ling couldn’t even be bothered to listen.

“I’m really in trouble! Firepower’s not enough—my communicator’s busted, only the class channel still works, and you’re the only one with enough power!” His voice crackled, sounding legitimately urgent. Yang Ling hesitated. She never got along with Zhao Xingjian. He was rude, arrogant, bad-tempered, always challenging her. And now he needs my help?

But then again—if even a bragger like him came to her for help, maybe it really was serious…

“Yang Ling? Can you hear me? I’m sending you my coordinates. Hold on—Yang—”

The signal cut off, leaving behind only a location pin.

No way…

She tried reconnecting, but the system kept saying it couldn’t establish a link. She checked the location—an obscure city in the demon realm. When she searched online, she found tons of local posts showing videos of massive swarms of demon insects, jet-black and as large as schoolbags, scuttling terrifyingly fast.

What the h*ll are those things…

Yang Ling tried to convince herself: It’s my birthday. I should be pretty and happy. Bugs and tengus have nothing to do with me.

She turned back to her closet and pulled out more dresses.

“Seriously…”

Meanwhile, Zhao Xingjian grit his teeth. The bugs weren’t individually strong, but there were so many of them. In just minutes, the streets were crawling. He blasted them with tengu fire, but they swarmed from behind—

Only to explode mid-air.

He turned. Yang Ling really showed up—floating in midair, surrounded by rings of blazing fire lotuses.

“Where’s your team?” she asked from above, looking down at his miserable state.

“They’re useless against fire. I told them to hide.” Even now, he was putting up a front. “Wouldn’t help anyway.”

“I figured.” She launched her lotus fire, wiping out the massive bugs with perfect precision. As the smoke cleared, more classmates from Yansui appeared through the sky’s magic circles.

“Xingjian? Are you okay?”

“We’re here to help!”

“Wow, so many bugs! Creepy…”

Zhao Xingjian hovered midair, staring at all these classmates he’d never really spoken to. His expression was complicated. Then he glanced at Yang Ling—the bratty, short-tempered princess—now grinning proudly.

His pride was stabbed.

“I only called you! Who said you could bring all these people? I don’t need teammates!”

“Well I do.” Yang Ling floated closer. “In honor of this very special day, I’ll pass on the most important thing I’ve learned this year. Listen up, Dog-boy.”

She cleared her throat. Though she still wore her usual smug expression, her words came out differently.

“No matter how strong we are, we still need friends. We need teamwork. Fighting alone is always the weakest strategy.” She gave him a side glance. “Got it?”

Just then, a giant bug lunged at them, ready to spit venom. Yang Ling turned, launched another lotus, blasting it to bits—but the gooey spray splattered all over them.

“AHHH! Disgusting bug! You had to fly over while I was talking! I’m gonna kill you all!” she screeched, furious. “Gross! Slimy!”

Zhao Xingjian stared at her. A moment ago, he’d felt ashamed and hurt. But now… seeing her in such a mess, he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha!”

“What’re you laughing at?! You’re covered in it too! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be like this!”

“Haha! You’re my teammate, what can I say!”

While they fought off the bug outbreak, Wei Huan and Yun Yongzhou were frantically searching all over Shanhai for their little birthday girl.

“Where’d she go…” Wei Huan gave up trying to call, standing outside her dorm. He glanced up—Yun Yongzhou immediately knew what he was about to do and covered his mouth.

“Mmph…” Wei Huan glared at him.

“You think your forum presence isn’t high enough already?” Yun Yongzhou asked calmly.

Wei Huan sighed, gave his hand a playful bite, and muttered, “Fine, I won’t shout.” Just then, a familiar face appeared—it was one of their old classmates from when Wei Huan had still been human.

“Instructor Wei, Instructor Yun? What are you doing at the girls’ dorm? Looking for Yang Ling?”

“Yes, yes,” Wei Huan laughed. “Is she here? We’ve got something for her to do.”

“She’s been super busy today. Just led a mission with her classmates!”

“A mission?” Wei Huan was stunned. He looked at Yun Yongzhou. “You arranged that?”

Yun Yongzhou gave him a look. “What do you think?”

The birthday plan group chat—everyone but Yang Ling—exploded.

[Jing Yun]: Little Ling went on a mission by herself?? Why didn’t she tell me? It’s because I’m too weak, isn’t it…

[Yang Sheng]: Not at all. You could punch ten Fuyao deans at once.

[Wei Huan]: She only brought Yansui students. At first I thought it was Yongzhou’s doing. I overestimated him.

[Yun Yongzhou]: ……

 [Wei Huan]: Fox-face, it wasn’t your idea?

 [Jing Yun]: Yan’s been quiet. Suspicious. She’s been gone for days.

 [Wei Huan]: So her sick leave was real? I thought it was a cover for the surprise.

 [Qing He]: I just wanna know when I can eat cake. PS: your plan totally flopped.

 [Xie Tianfa]: Qing He, don’t say that.

 [Wei Huan]: Look at that. Got scolded by your guardian. And we haven’t even started yet.

 [Qing He]: Shut it, you jinx.

 [Wei Huan]: Keep going and I’ll have my hubby revoke your access. 

[Jing Yun]: cool it.jpg

[Yang Sheng: Enough chatter—everyone get over here. I’ve just about finished setting up. I checked, and Yansui has already received Yang Ling’s task reply, so she should be back soon.]

Yang Ling and Zhao Xingjian stepped out of the barrier circle, returning to Shanhai exhausted.

“Hey, I’ll treat you to a meal,” Zhao Xingjian said.

Yang Ling looked at him. “Why would I want to eat with you? I don’t want anything you’re buying.”

“Isn’t it your birthday?”

“You knew?” Yang Ling was a little surprised.

Zhao Xingjian rolled his eyes. “You’ve been dropping hints all day—what, like twenty times? I’m not stupid. I’ll take you out for longevity noodles, all right? You looked kinda pitiful, so I’ll keep you company on your birthday.”

“Who wants your company!” Yang Ling snapped, only for her ring to buzz again, giving her an automatic stress response.

“Who is it?”

“No idea—just a work ID.” She answered the call, and a voice came through: “Student Yang Ling from Combat Team Seven? There’s been a serious explosion at the Rossi Valley Sky Baseball Field. All combat teams from One to Ten have already been deployed. Please proceed immediately.”

“What…” Yang Ling’s brain stopped for a second, but she forced herself to stay calm. “Wait, the sky baseball field—do you need aerial rescue? Send me the coordinates, I’ll—”

“No need, we’ve already opened a barrier portal for you. Please hurry!”

As soon as the voice fell, a white portal appeared in front of Yang Ling.

Zhao Xingjian saw that she was still covered in injuries and about to rush into another mission. “Hey, you’re not gonna eat the noodles?”

“I’ll eat them when I get back!”

Without hesitation, Yang Ling rushed into the portal—but instead of an explosion scene or cries for help, what greeted her was an endless sea of blue flowers.

She froze on the spot. A gentle breeze lifted the shimmering petals around her—flowers made of wind.

Disheveled and bruised, Yang Ling walked through the flower field. Suddenly, a glowing yellow light appeared before her. She reached out and touched it. It transformed into a huge gift box, almost too heavy for her to hold.

“This heavy… must be from Jing Yun…”

Sure enough, when she opened it, it was full of dresses and dolls—all the kinds Yang Ling loved. Her eyes lit up. Another glowing dot appeared, this time purple.

“Brother?” she reached for it. It also transformed into a box—one that moved!

She hurriedly lifted the lid. Inside was a snow-white spirit cat.

“So cute…” As she hugged the kitten, two more lights appeared—one red, one blue—each transforming into new gift boxes. The red one held a metal cube, sugar-cube sized, with a purplish sheen. When Yang Ling picked it up, it transformed rapidly, extending and locking onto her arm, forming a sleek cannon.

“Amazing!” Yang Ling swung her arm. It was practically weightless. She activated it, and her signature lotus fire concentrated inside the barrel. When it fired, it startled even her.

A voice came from nearby. “Holy cr*p, that almost blew me up…”

Yang Ling looked up. All the people who’d been hiding sprang out from their cover thanks to her cannon blast.

Wei Huan flew over, exasperated. “You haven’t opened mine yet, little princess.” He pushed his gift box over to her. Yang Ling opened it to find a stunningly ornate little box encrusted with gems and carved with her name.

“What is it?” Click. She opened it, and in an instant, the entire sea of flowers was sucked into the box. The lid snapped shut. Yang Ling jerked her head up, staring at Wei Huan.

“Try channeling your spirit energy—let them out.”

Still doubtful, Yang Ling did as told, and the flower field poured back out from the box.

“This is a Xiaoyao Box? From you, older brother huanhuan?”

“Yup. Took me two months to find a master craftsman who still knows how to make them.” Wei Huan ruffled her hair and looked up—spotting Yan Shanyue in the distance, finally reappearing. She wore a black dress, her face pale.

“Sister Shanyue!” Yang Ling ran to her, but stopped halfway, a little self-conscious. “I got a bit messy today… I’ll go change into a clean dress in a bit…”

But Yan Shanyue walked right up and pulled her into a hug.

“Why didn’t you tell me to come with you?”

Yang Ling’s heart started pounding. She stammered, “I-I thought you were sick, so I didn’t want to bother… and I—I could handle it myself.” But as she spoke, she suddenly felt a lump rise in her throat. She didn’t know why, but the moment she saw Yan Shanyue, she felt overwhelmed.

“Today was so hard…” Yang Ling’s lips quivered as she held back tears. “It was exhausting, there was so much going on.”

Yan Shanyue gently patted her back. “You’ve done so well. You’re amazing—you’re a little hero, even without us.”

“But I still wanted you all there.” Yang Ling looked up at her through misty eyes. “Sister Shanyue, where did you go? Were you really sick?”

Seeing her like that, Yan Shanyue smiled gently and wiped the corner of her eye. “That doesn’t matter. Today is your birthday. I’ve been thinking for so long, trying to figure out what kind of gift would truly show how much I care—but nothing seemed precious enough.”

Usually as silent as Yun Yongzhou, Yan Shanyue was now unusually tender and honest.

“I… I don’t need anything…” Yang Ling’s ears turned red under the evening sun, and her eyes shied away.

“You don’t need anything,” Yan Shanyue said, taking Yang Ling’s wounded hand, “because you are the most precious thing to me.”

Yang Ling’s heart clenched so tight she could barely breathe.

“So I had to find the second most precious thing—and give it to you.” As she spoke, the cold-blue iris flower mark on the back of her hand began to glow. The light floated free and formed into a glowing sphere.

Yan Shanyue plucked it from the air and placed it in Yang Ling’s hands.

The cold-blue light faded away bit by bit, revealing a snow-white fox tail lying in Yang Ling’s palms.

Far away, Wei Huan, who had been spying with binoculars, nearly dropped them. “Holy cr*p, the little fox actually gave Yang Ling her fox tail!”

Qing He had just arrived and was confused. “Fox tails are rare or something?”

Li Lingkong, dragged over by him, explained, “More than rare. A nine-tailed fox’s tail is basically their life. Losing one is about as painful as dying.”

“Everyone in Shanhai’s top ranks is such a love-sick idiot,” Yang Sheng muttered. “Giving away your life as a gift…” Before he could finish, Wei Huan elbowed him hard.

“Shut it.”

“Oh, now you care what people hear?”

“I don’t! It’s just that my husband is shy, okay?”

Yun Yongzhou: “…Wei Huan.”

Yang Ling stared at the fox tail in her hands, speechless. “Sister Shanyue….”

“We face danger every day,” Yan Shanyue said.

“Sometimes I look at Instructor Yun and wonder… will I end up like him one day? Constantly facing separation and death. Honestly, I’m scared.” Her eyes were a little red, but she still smiled softly. “I used to never care about life or death—as long as I could fight for my fate, it didn’t matter. But then you appeared. And I realized… I can face self-destruction, but I can’t bear the thought of you disappearing from this world. So I want to share my life with you. I hope that day never comes—but if it does, I want this fox tail to protect you from all misfortune.”

As she finished speaking, the fox tail dissolved in Yang Ling’s palms, absorbed into her body. The nine-tailed fox’s spirit energy surged into her core, surrounding her with a cold-blue glow. Eight white tails flared behind Yan Shanyue, while a ninth tail shimmered faintly, now attached to Yang Ling’s back.

“Thank you,” Yang Ling whispered, holding back tears. She never imagined that someone would literally give her a piece of their life—or that she could be loved this much.

Yan Shanyue embraced her again. “I’m sure everyone’s already given you all their best wishes—because you’re the most lovable girl in the world.”

“But I… only hope you stay safe.”