Aside from alien races, there were also alien beasts and some ancient creatures hidden within the universe.
Thus, humanity faced an immense crisis. In order to survive, humans on their home planet split into two factions.
One faction focused on preserving pure bloodlines. They refused to intermarry with other races or undergo genetic modification, choosing instead to live in seclusion for generations.
The rest chose genetic modification and intermarriage with interstellar human races, fully embracing life as star-dwellers.
However, they hadn't foreseen that while this fusion did enhance the majority's talents, it also brought significant drawbacks.
To mitigate the risks, the Empire expelled a large number of humans with mixed and unstable bloodlines, retaining only those with stronger beast gene lineages.
Those expelled forged their own path—pioneering new territories, clearing planets, and eventually forming the Federation.
Since then, the two major human powers have stood in a tense balance.
They would cooperate when facing alien beasts or ancient cosmic entities, but in times of peace, disputes never ceased.
The Empire's beast-blooded population had superior physical prowess, but their development of mental power was relatively weaker.
Federation citizens, while capable of beast transformation to some degree, could never fully unleash that potential—the energy within their flesh and blood had yet to be fully awakened.
However, their mental power had reached incredible heights. The current Marshal of the Federation was a young male with SSS-level mental strength.
Both sides looked down on each other.
The Empire viewed Federation people as mutts—yes, they used that exact derogatory term.
After all, the most primitive beast gene races all resided within the Empire.
Conversely, Federation citizens had no respect for the Empire's monarchy and bloodline-centric society, believing it to be indulgent, complacent, and devoid of vitality.
In short, the conflict was deep-rooted.
In this song, Lan Yuyan saw a peaceful and prosperous world—a scene where the older generation protected the young, and the young looked up to their elders with admiration.
Thinking of his own parents, Lan Yuyan, who hadn't felt the urge to cry in many years, suddenly found his nose tingling with emotion.
He activated his neural communicator and made a call.
A young voice came through, "Brother Lan, what can I do for you?"
"Find me the contact information of Miss Jiang Qin, ranked 73rd on the new song chart."
"On it!"
After ending the call, Lan Yuyan listened to the song several more times. He had a feeling—this little female was going to be famous.
If he had the time, he'd buy a spaceship ticket right now and fly to Azure Star just to hear her sing live.
At that moment, Jiang Qin stepped onto the stage.
She was surprised to see nearly all the lounge booths in the bar filled.
What was going on?
Did the bar launch some kind of promotion? It couldn't be because of the song she uploaded just a few hours ago, could it?
But she quickly adjusted. After all, back on Earth, many internet-famous locations would get completely packed once they went viral.
Maybe their bar had just become one of the newest interstellar hot spots.
Composing herself, she lifted her delicate hands and let her fingers glide over the black and white keys. Her red lips parted gently.
"In the peaceful summer
The sky is dotted with stars
In my heart, there's longing
Longing for your face..."
Tonight, An Zeyu had also come and, at his fans' request, started a livestream.
He sat at the booth closest to the high platform, eyes half-closed, lazily swirling his drink.
[This atmosphere makes even the cheap bar suppressants feel upscale. You'd think this was some luxury club.]
[Exactly. Only our Brother Yu could pull this off.]
[What's a 'cicada'?]
[Oh come on, let me educate you. A cicada is an ancient insect species, part of the Cicadidae family. That's right—it's the ancestor of today's Zerg, those big-winged bugs that attack using sonic waves.]
[…Ugh. Cicadas? Disturbing.]
[I was halfway into summer, and now I feel like I've been thrown into the dead of winter.]
[Cicadas weren't like that in ancient times. Haven't you watched any documentaries? Red brick houses, white walls, two tall trees in front, cicadas chirping on a summer afternoon, a bamboo rocking chair swaying inside as a radio tells a story...]
"The sky is dotted with stars
In my heart, there's longing
Longing for your face
I can pretend not to see
Or secretly miss you…"
As Jiang Qin got into the performance, her spiritual energy began to radiate. The males around her instantly felt a kind of mental clarity and focus.
They felt like they were experiencing first love.
It was youthful, romantic, and innocent...
On a summer night, under a sky filled with twinkling stars, with cicadas singing in the background, a young girl just beginning to experience love lay in bed, sweetly thinking of her beloved.
All was silent—except the heart that stirred.
Looking at Jiang Qin on stage, dressed in a floral dress with her braided hair falling to one side, the crowd felt as if they could hear their own heartbeats.
Thump, thump, thump... One beat after another—
Bittersweet. Painful, yet tinged with joy and sweetness.
You Wei clutched his chest with a conflicted expression.
He knew clearly—he wasn't falling in love with Jiang Qin. He had once loved someone deeply, and in this lifetime, his heart would beat only for that one person.
But now, he was tasting the flavor of love once again.
Because Jiang Qin's singing had drawn their spiritual seas into her own emotional world.
Everyone was resonating with her feelings.
It was a joyful song. Jiang Qin's voice was sweet, and the lyrics were pure, untouched by sorrow.
The reason they felt bitterness and pain—was because of themselves.
For most interstellar people, hearing such pure emotion triggered feelings of sadness and longing. Because they had never experienced it.
From birth, they were categorized. After awakening at age three, their roles were defined. Love—true, uncalculated love—was a foreign concept to most males.
More often, it was about benefit and duty.
As the final note faded, Jiang Qin smiled and said, "This song is called Ningxia."
"I love you, little female!!!" a heart-wrenching shout came from one of the booths.
His companion quickly covered his mouth and pinned him down, apologizing profusely: "Sorry! He's probably drunk on suppressants. I'll get him out of here right away."
Flirting with a female in public? The friend panicked—was this guy trying to get himself killed?
Jiang Qin didn't get angry.
After all, she had been a celebrity in her first life. She'd heard fans scream their love countless times.
Though, back then, she was younger, and her fans usually shouted things like, "Mommy loves you," or "Daddy loves you," or "Brother" and "Sister" kind of affection.
So she could tell this male meant no harm—it felt more like a fan overwhelmed with emotion.
Seeing his nervous face, she smiled and said, "It's fine. I know you didn't mean any harm. But next time, could you use my name? I'm not too fond of being called 'little female.'"
"Oh, and my name is Jiang Qin."
Even though she was a female beastkin, it still felt a little odd.