Everyone Is Non-Human Except Me [Rebirth] Chapter 44

Seven years, and the No Speak Building still hasn’t come up with a new punishment spot.

Wei Huan was tossed by the mural’s giant beast into the storage room behind the stairs. Looking at his old doodles on the wall, he didn’t know what to feel.

With nothing else to do during punishment, he thought about Yan Shanyue’s expression earlier. That look clearly showed she recognized the demon mark. And back in the last mock battle, there really was someone with the same demon mark as Qing He’s facial imprint when Yan Shanyue got knocked out.

But demon marks usually belong to entire clans. Unless it’s someone like Yun Yongzhou, who has his own unique mark as a chosen one, a single pattern alone isn’t enough to pinpoint the true culprit. But one thing was certain—it was definitely connected to the Nine-Tailed Fox clan.

According to Qing He, if he wanted to find the person who sold him, did that mean the true demon master wasn’t his final target? Was Qing He actually trying to uncover the mastermind behind this entire black market chain?

Wei Huan couldn’t understand. Qing He was just an ordinary human—why did he have to chase this down so stubbornly? Realistically, he would never be able to go up against a demon with an entire clan behind them. Taking revenge on the demon master from back then was basically impossible. But even if he took down someone in the chain, would that really count as revenge? Weren’t they all just hired hands trading for profit?

Although he wasn’t that close to Qing He, Wei Huan didn’t believe his logic for revenge was so simple and crude. After all, Qing He was a smart person. Doing something so pointless and exhausting made no sense. If that were really the case, Qing He wouldn’t have needed to join the so-called Dark Zone organization or do so much investigation and research.

Since he did all that, and even hid it from Ah Zu and the others, he must have his own plans.

He must know far more than Wei Huan imagined, and must be investigating much deeper inside stories than what he admitted.

Wei Huan sank into deep thought. The more he thought, the more questions piled up in his mind. He was like a cat trapped in a ball of yarn—unable to sort it out, and instead tying himself up even tighter.

He didn’t know how long he had been thinking until his stomach gave a loud growl, finally pulling him out of it.

So hungry. He glanced at the time—still another hour to go.

His gaze fell back to the wall. Wei Huan stared at the words he had carved into the wall with wind blades years ago, feeling both annoyed and amused.

How could Yun Yongzhou have been so cold and heartless back then? No matter what he said or did, he completely ignored him. Sure, maybe Yun Yongzhou was too embarrassed to mess around in front of others, but at that time, it was just the two of them, brothers-in-hardship, and he still wouldn’t even acknowledge him.

Seems like he really was quite annoying back then.

Silently reciting the words on the wall, Wei Huan felt like he had traveled back to ten years ago. This illusion made him feel like this tiny storage room wasn’t just occupied by himself—Yun Yongzhou was right there with him.

Even though he wouldn’t talk, even though he wouldn’t look at him, at least he wasn’t alone.

Maybe the impression he gave Yun Yongzhou back then was just too terrible. If they had been a bit closer—not to the level of him and Yang Sheng—but maybe like him and Buyu, perhaps even this wall would’ve borne the mark of a light cone.

When he snapped out of it, Wei Huan was startled to find he had unknowingly summoned a light blade, about the length of his palm, gently resting against the wall, like a well-behaved child waiting for his command.

Seriously, was his lingering resentment already this strong?

Wei Huan retracted the light blade, closed his eyes, and tried to refocus his thoughts. But not long after he did, he faintly sensed something.

He opened his eyes, turned his head—it wasn’t an illusion. The one who got dragged down with him all those years ago really appeared.

Wei Huan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He reached out and tugged on Yun Yongzhou’s instructor uniform belt. Yun Yongzhou, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the wall, turned his face toward the hand gripping his belt.

Holy cr*p, it’s really him!

Wei Huan immediately let go, awkwardly tucking his hand behind his back and giving Yun Yongzhou a silly grin.

Was this his superior coming to inspect his punishment? He stared at the wall, not daring to make a sound.

But the next second, Yun Yongzhou extended a hand toward him, holding a bagged bun—cream filling, with a tiny Zhu Yu fruit on top.

Wei Huan’s eyes widened. It was his favorite bun from back in the day, but since his return, he found that the little bakery in Shanhai that used to sell them had long closed down. He hadn’t eaten one since. He pointed to himself.

For me?

Yun Yongzhou immediately started to pull his hand back, like he was teasing him on purpose—but his expression remained cold, not at all playful.

Wei Huan quickly grabbed the bun with a grin. He was starving. As he devoured it in big bites, he used his thoughts to summon a light blade and started to carve words crookedly on the wall.

[Vacation over? Why would you come…]

He hadn’t even finished the second sentence when he realized he was falling into the same trap again. Yun Yongzhou would never answer him.

But the paused light blade only hesitated for a few seconds before moving again.

[Came to see you.]

Wei Huan froze, completely forgetting to chew, his cheeks puffed up like a hamster as he looked at Yun Yongzhou. Yun Yongzhou had his head tilted, still staring at the wall. The storage room in the silent No Speak Building was filled only with the faint sound of the light blade scratching the wall.

He really had changed.

Wei Huan didn’t know why, but looking at his own message from years ago, he suddenly felt a tiny bit wronged. He quickly reclaimed control of the light blade and scratched a few more words beside his own writing from ten years ago.

[Do you know who wrote this?]

He turned to look at Yun Yongzhou and saw him immediately lower his gaze.

What does that mean?

[Did you really dislike him?]

The moment he finished writing it, Wei Huan regretted it. He quickly crossed out the words with the light blade.

[Just curious, just asking casually.]

He had no idea what he was doing. Ever since he died and came back to life, ever since he met Yun Yongzhou again, he kept getting overwhelmed by sudden emotions, doing things he himself couldn’t even understand.

But he just felt wronged.

It was all him. But as time passed, his former self seemed like a child left behind, with nothing at all. Wei Huan slowly chewed the food in his mouth, but his eyes stayed fixed on the fading words he had carved so long ago, now nearly worn away by time.

He knew this kind of emotion was unreasonable. He was just burdened by too much misunderstanding and slander, which was why he wanted to find answers in the people who had spent time with him in the past—to know what kind of person the Nine Phoenix was in their eyes. Even though he understood the positions and motivations involved, Wei Huan still couldn’t control his feelings.

It was strange.

He had never felt that being misunderstood was such a grievous thing in front of anyone—not even in front of Yang Sheng. He could accept Yang Sheng’s resentment and complaints—those were all things he could understand.

But it was only in front of Yun Yongzhou that Wei Huan felt wronged.

He had completely become a child who didn’t care about social rules or reasoning—he just wanted to be seen, to not be disliked, and just to get an answer.

As he painfully swallowed the bun, Wei Huan began to wonder why. He had never been the type to overthink, but he couldn’t understand why Yun Yongzhou was the one exception. Clearly, even in his memories, their relationship in their previous life wasn’t even that close.

Staring at it for too long made his eyes ache.

Just as he was struggling to come up with a reason, a small light blade appeared beneath the lonely words in his field of vision—right under what he had once written as his “last words.”

[Star Calendar, Year 28, 3:45:17 PM, Beiji Tiangui, sole heir of the Nine Phoenix Clan, Wei Huan, died in the No Speak Building of Shanhai. Cause of death: The youngest son of the Golden Crow Clan from Penglai Sea, Yun Yongzhou, refused to talk to him and suffocated him to death. Final wish: To punish Yun Yongzhou to grow old alone in solitude, with no one to speak to ever again, and to offer his most precious belongings as sacrifices to the little Nine Phoenix every day, living in endless guilt forever.]

The light blade hovered there, as if hesitating.

In the end, Wei Huan watched him carve out each stroke, carefully and deliberately.

[I feel very guilty.]

Wei Huan’s breath stopped for a moment.

He tried his best to hide his shock, his eyelashes trembling uncontrollably, and for some reason, his tears threatened to fall. He quickly blinked several times, shoved the remaining bread into his mouth, pretending that eating could cover up his turbulent emotions.

Yes, he had hoped to get an answer from Yun Yongzhou, but he had never expected this answer.

So Yun Yongzhou actually felt guilty toward the Wei Huan from back then.

Why? He didn’t understand.

When Wei Huan finally felt he had hidden his feelings well enough, he suddenly remembered that he could use heart-linking now. He silently recited the incantation three times and tried calling his name in his mind.

A response came—just a single “mm.”

Wei Huan pretended to sound casual, as if it had nothing to do with him.

[Who’s this person? Why do you feel guilty?]

He even deliberately stared straight at Yun Yongzhou’s face, smiling as he asked. Yun Yongzhou also looked at him.

Suddenly, a soft, light veil as thin as cicada wings drifted down in the dim storeroom. It gently brushed against the corner of Wei Huan’s mouth, tenderly wiping away a bit of cream.

Instinctively, Wei Huan used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth again.

The light veil vanished. And he heard the answer.

[I owe him a promise.]

A promise?

Something seemed to flash through his mind, but it slipped away before he could catch it. Asking directly seemed a little impolite. Maybe if he thought about it carefully, he’d remember. He wasn’t usually forgetful, but ever since his rebirth, it felt like there were many things he had lost—like he wasn’t fully himself.

Thinking about yesterday, Wei Huan couldn’t help but confess to him in his mind.

[Yesterday I made a reverse pact. Maybe you think I can’t be of much help, but I don’t want to be a parasite. When you’re in danger, I want to be there too. Since the pact can’t be broken, at least it should be fair.]

After a pause, he added: [Though I don’t know if it actually worked.]

While he was lowering his head and focused on speaking, Yun Yongzhou’s lips subtly curved. The smile quickly vanished as he returned to his usual cold expression, extending his left hand and opening his palm.

In the center of his palm was a tiny black mark.

Wei Huan was too embarrassed to grab it directly, so he leaned in to look for a while. He thought, thank goodness, he was worried it would leave some kind of blue mark.

Raising his head, he touched his own brow.

[It’s the same as the one on my forehead, right? So it worked?]

[Didn’t expect a human could form a reverse pact. So impressive.]

Yun Yongzhou said nothing, quietly standing beside him.

After confirming the success of the two-way pact, Wei Huan inexplicably felt happy.

But would he really keep hiding this forever?

From Wei Huan’s perspective, his relationship with Yun Yongzhou was too subtle to define with a simple label. This made him hesitate.

Once again, he heard the sound of the light blade carving into the wall. Snapping out of his thoughts, Wei Huan watched Yun Yongzhou focused intently on writing on the wall. His handwriting, like him, was elegant, sharp, and decisive.

[Looks like the punishment is over.]

Wei Huan couldn’t help but smile and used the heart-link to speak.

[You know you can use the heart-link, right? Why bother spending so much effort carving? Don’t you get tired?]

Unexpectedly, Yun Yongzhou answered with a rare bit of stubbornness in his tone.

[I want to carve it.]

The mythical beasts in the mural appeared again, stationed on either side of the tiny storeroom door like two fierce guardian deities. Wei Huan quickly clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly.

I’ll leave by myself, no need to trouble you big brothers.

Stretching lazily, he got ready to leave. Yun Yongzhou walked ahead of him, and just before stepping out of the small room, he glanced back one last time.

The sunset light shone through the tiny window near the ceiling, illuminating the wall—lighting up the words he had carved ten years ago, and the response Yun Yongzhou had written today.

Suddenly, he no longer felt alone.

It was like receiving an expired, long-overdue letter. Even though so much time had passed, the joy and satisfaction of opening it still felt as fresh as ever.

Or maybe it wasn’t about opening it.

Maybe it was simply because the sender’s name had finally reached that small mailbox.

When they came out, they unexpectedly saw Yang Ling and Jing Yun. The two were sitting on a bench in front of the moving No Speak Building. Yang Ling’s hair had come loose, and she was tying the left side with a rubber band herself while Jing Yun nervously held up the right side.

Wei Huan found it amusing. He jumped down from the No Speak Building and jogged over to the two little ones, tugging on the braid Yang Ling had just finished tying.

“You!” Yang Ling fumed, sending a fire lotus straight at him. Wei Huan quickly ducked, and the fire lotus flew right past him, landing in front of Yun Yongzhou. Wei Huan was startled, but instead of exploding, the fire lotus simply fizzled out.

“Instructor Yun!” Jing Yun spotted Yun Yongzhou and immediately stood up like a frightened little rabbit. The hair he had been holding carefully came loose, leaving Yang Ling speechless with frustration as she had to start braiding it all over again.

Wei Huan, tired from standing so long, quickly squeezed onto the bench to sit and stretched out his long legs. “Were you waiting for me? You really are my good friends.” He reached out his arm, ready to sling it over Yang Ling’s shoulders, but the fiery little princess instantly stood up.

“Who’s your friend…”

Wei Huan finished the second half of her sentence for her, “Stop flattering yourself~” He leaned back. “Can’t you think of some new phrase?”

Jing Yun looked at Yun Yongzhou with admiration written all over his face, completely baffled as to how Yun Yongzhou had managed to extinguish Yang Ling’s lotus fire. Yang Ling, on the other hand, yanked Wei Huan up. “Let’s go, Sister Yan Shanyue has already picked a place to eat.”

“Wow, no wonder she’s a chaebol heiress. Is this her way of compensating me because she felt guilty for getting me punished in class? Then I’m definitely going to eat till she’s broke.” Wei Huan stood up and, seeing Yun Yongzhou about to walk away, quickly grabbed his arm. “Instructor, you’re not allowed to leave~ You have to eat with me!”

Yang Ling gave him a disdainful glance. “Sister Yan Shanyue doesn’t even know the instructor is coming.”

“That’s fine,” Wei Huan shamelessly said, “The instructor can eat my share, and I’ll eat yours. A little bird like you can’t eat much anyway, such a waste of food.”

“I have things to do,” Yun Yongzhou suddenly said. “You all go ahead.”

This time, Yang Ling finally found the chance to mock him. “See? Instructor doesn’t want to eat with you at all!”

Watching Yun Yongzhou walk away, Wei Huan rolled his eyes at Yang Ling. “He does want to eat with me, he just doesn’t want to eat with clueless juniors like you.”

“But, Ah Heng, aren’t we the same age?” Jing Yun blinked innocently.

“I just look young,” Wei Huan lifted his chin, “You all should call me ‘big brother.’”

The group noisily made their way to the restaurant Yan Shanyue had arranged, noisily finished their meal, and when they parted ways, Yan Shanyue made a point of sending Yang Ling and Jing Yun back first. Once it was just the two of them, she created an illusion barrier to isolate them and got straight to the point. “The photo in your phone—where did you get it?”

Wei Huan explained the general story but deliberately skipped over many details about his origins and the research institute. Qing He was also simplified as just a friend.

“I could tell right away you recognized that demon mark! Come on, big shot, just tell me. My friend really wants to know.”

Yan Shanyue looked slightly hesitant. “How do I know what your friend’s intentions are?”

Wei Huan finally put on a slightly more serious expression. “He’s just a human—what could he possibly do? The fact that you were willing to meet me about this clearly shows there’s room to talk. Let’s stop beating around the bush.”

Yan Shanyue carefully studied Wei Huan. She had thought from the start that this human was unusual, but the more she got to know him, the more she realized he was even more remarkable than she expected. She’d seen plenty of smart people before—the truly clever ones always knew how to hide their talents, which wasn’t surprising.

But he was different—far more sophisticated. When he needed to hide, he hid flawlessly; when he needed to reveal, he was completely open, bright, and unapologetic. By species, he was the only “weakling” in Shanhai. In daily life, he would retreat without hesitation, but if you spent enough time with him, you’d realize there was an unshakable stubbornness in his bones.

“You’ve said everything there is to say.” Yan Shanyue gave up the game. “The crest on your friend’s face belongs to a branch family of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. My uncle’s family carries that demon mark.”

Wei Huan thought to himself: So the person who came to watch the mock competition last time was her uncle?

Why would the biological father not show up and instead send an uncle?

“So,” Yan Shanyue looked at him, “Was your friend once kept in captivity by the Nine-Tailed Fox clan?”

Before Wei Huan could think of how to answer, Yan Shanyue chuckled to herself. “Actually, yeah, pretty much every Nine-Tails has kept a human at some point.”

There was always an untouchable nobility and coldness about her—that part of her was indeed very similar to Yun Yongzhou. Wei Huan knew full well that her true nature was far less gentle than she pretended to be.

“Actually, if you do the math, the year your friend was kept in captivity, you would have been pretty young. I don’t know if you even remember.” Wei Huan quickly did the calculation in his head. “It was probably twelve or thirteen years ago. He was very young then too. Do you remember a beautiful boy who was branded with the demon mark after being kept in captivity, tortured by the demon master, and then thrown out?”

Yan Shanyue’s gaze drifted off into the distance. “If I remember correctly, it should’ve been my cousin Yan Shanmo, my uncle’s eldest son. I never personally saw him drive anyone out, but I heard some things when I grew up.” She paused and added, “And he really had a thing for pretty boys. Even though it had already been strictly forbidden, he still kept a whole bunch in secret. Later…”

“Later?” Wei Huan pressed.

Yan Shanyue’s lips curved slightly. “Later, a certain young general of the Nine Phoenix clan brought the issue back to the federal government, and the humans he kept were finally rescued and returned to the mortal realm. He was furious about it, which is why the Nine Phoenix clan…”

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, paused for a few seconds, and then continued, “He gloated about it for a long time, but karma always comes around. That playboy is now in hiding for smuggling weapons and is waiting for his court summons.”

When Yan Shanyue mentioned the Nine Phoenix clan and his father, Wei Huan’s heart clenched tightly. He quietly listened without saying anything.

But Yan Shanyue’s eyes landed on him. “You’re really quite strange.”

“Huh?” Wei Huan broke out in a cold sweat. “Strange how…”

“Twelve or thirteen years ago—how old were you?” she asked. Wei Huan’s mind worked quickly. “I was pretty young too—it’s all just what my friend told me. I’m just the messenger.”

Yan Shanyue slowly nodded, then added, “And you, weren’t you also kept by demons?” She smiled, her eyes full of heroic spirit, but the two beauty marks at the inner corners of her eyes added a hint of seductiveness. “Actually, you don’t look like someone who was kept in captivity. If you told me you two were married, I’d believe you.”

Wei Huan choked on his own saliva. “No, wait—how come even you—cough, cough, cough…”

“You’re flustered,” Yan Shanyue calmly observed him.

“I’m not.” Wei Huan patted his chest. “I’m just asking you for information here—why are you dragging me into it again?”

“I know what you want me to do,” Yan Shanyue stared at the foxfire circling her fingertips. “You said your friend was driven out by him. There’s really only one thing left to do—revenge.”

Wei Huan thought this was way too easy—there was no need to actually talk when chatting with Yan Shanyue. She could guess everything spot-on.

“You’re giving me too much credit saying it’s for revenge. I don’t have that kind of ability. Honestly, he just wanted me to look into who sold him to your cousin back then, since I’m in the demon domain now. That’s all I’m doing—I don’t have the guts to take revenge for him.”

“I can help you,” Yan Shanyue said. Her long black hair lifted in the night breeze, her gaze locked on Wei Huan like she wanted to see straight through him. “But you have to promise me one thing. As long as you agree, I, Yan Shanyue, will help with anything from now on.”

Wei Huan thumped his chest. “Deal, I promise! As long as you help me figure this out, I’ll agree to anything.”

Yan Shanyue raised a brow lightly. “Deal.”

So straightforward? Wei Huan suddenly realized, “Hey, wait—you haven’t even told me what you want me to promise you yet!”

“I’ll tell you once it’s done.”

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