Chapter 92: 800 Years Ago, Planet Bu Ming—Gicchin and Jiren
"Planet Bu Ming!" Before Belmod could speak, Jiren had already flown to Lin Qi's time machine.
"Why are you asking about this?"
"I want to find your master... Heh, do you want to meet him?" Lin Qi revealed a mischievous smile, extending his hand teasingly toward Jiren.
"Yes!" Jiren didn't question whether he believed it or not; he placed his hand firmly on Lin Qi's palm and squeezed into the time machine.
He had been waiting for this opportunity for 800 long years—was that not enough? Even if Lin Qi was joking, he still had to try!
Lin Qi's lips twitched slightly again. He had only asked out of politeness, after all. Did Jiren not understand the concept of small talk?
But since the words were already out and Jiren was inside the time machine, Lin Qi couldn't bring himself to ask him to leave.
With a whoosh, the time machine vanished.
Cognac and Quitela exchanged glances, while Toppo exclaimed in shock, "Was that... the flow of time just now?"
"You're talking about meeting Gicchin and all..." Belmod, hands on his hips, shouted discontentedly at Quitela.
"Are you seriously messing with the flow of time in my universe? Damn it... aren't you afraid of getting caught by the Grand Priest or Zeno?!"
"The worst part is, you're going to meet Gicchin and didn't even bring me along!"
"Huh?" Quitela was completely confused. What was going on?
"Gicchin..." Belmod sighed, looking up at the endless darkness. "That great villain..."
"Hmm?" Belmod's eyes widened in realization as he quickly turned to look at Marcarita. "No way..."
As the time machine departed, Lin Qi and Jiren didn't notice that Belmod seemed to have suddenly thought of something.
---
With a whoosh, the time machine reappeared in the timeline of 800 years ago.
Universe 11, Planet Bu Ming.
The planet was a desolate wasteland, with howling cold winds. In the distance, the faint outlines of buildings suggested a village.
"Over there..." Jiren's eyes reddened with emotion. "That's where my master and I, along with some others who swore to defeat the great villain, once lived!!"
"Is that so?" Lin Qi was a little surprised by Jiren's sentiment. He himself felt nothing. If anything, he was curious—curious about Gicchin's death and about who this great villain truly was.
Lin Qi had a hypothesis, but he wasn't entirely certain.
"Ha... ha-ya..."
Before they could approach the village, Lin Qi and Jiren heard the sound of a child practicing martial arts. Looking in that direction, they saw a small figure wrapped in coarse cloth, diligently practicing punches and kicks.
The little figure, bald and adorable, had large, bright eyes and snow-white skin.
"Ha-ya!" The small child swung his arms and legs with determination, training with impressive effort.
"That..." Jiren swallowed hard, his hands trembling.
"It's you..." Lin Qi glanced at the little one, then at Jiren. "Mini-you!"
Damn, if a woman were here, wouldn't she want to rub that smooth, round little head?
"Jiren, it's time to eat! Hurry back!"
From the doorway of a distant house, a tall figure called out.
As the tiny version of Jiren ran off toward the house, Lin Qi noticed that the present Jiren's entire body was trembling.
"Master... That's my master's voice..."
"Don't get too emotional, okay?" Lin Qi muttered uneasily, patting Jiren on the shoulder. "Do you want to go meet him?!"
"...No, I better not!" Jiren hesitated, stepping back slightly, as though afraid.
Was this... homesickness?
"When you see them, don't reveal our identities or disrupt the events of the past! Just stick to the basics!"
After all, Lin Qi wasn't some time-controlling Chronoa, nor was he a Supreme Kai who refused to interfere!
Ignoring Jiren's hesitation, Lin Qi decided to take the lead. Grabbing Jiren, he walked up to the house and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Hmm?" The door opened, revealing the tiny version of Jiren, who looked up at Lin Qi and Jiren timidly.
"You..."
When the little Jiren saw his older counterpart, he was momentarily surprised, but his expression quickly returned to neutrality. "You're one of my people..."
"What?" The sound of clattering dishes came from inside, followed by Gicchin rushing to the door.
Rough in appearance, with weathered eyes, Gicchin was tall and muscular, his long hair tied in a single ponytail. He wore animal pelts around his waist.
"You..." Gicchin's expression grew strange as he glanced between Jiren and the little Jiren.
"Come in."
"Sorry to intrude!" Lin Qi replied casually, pushing Jiren forward into the house.
The four of them sat around a square table, each taking a side. They exchanged glances, the atmosphere somewhat awkward. The meal was modest, consisting of items Lin Qi couldn't recognize, some of which appeared to wiggle slightly.
"Are you one of Jiren's relatives?" Gicchin finally broke the silence.
Lin Qi nearly spat out his water at this question, but Jiren answered without hesitation, his smile looking more like a grimace. "Something like that!"
"Did you come to take him away?" Gicchin looked at the little Jiren, who was quietly wiping his wet face with a piece of cloth.
"Do you want to live with your people?"
"No!"
"Not at all!"
The two Jirens, big and small, spoke simultaneously.
Lin Qi set down his teacup, maintaining a calm façade as he lied. "We're just travelers passing through. We were hoping to stay for a couple of nights to rest."
"Hmm..." Jiren mumbled an agreement, nodding heavily.
"I see... This child, ever since witnessing his parents' death, has become very withdrawn." Gicchin's gaze softened as he looked at the little Jiren.
"I thought his people might take him back. Their kind has an extremely long childhood and maturity period... This child... sigh!"
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the fact that Jiren's race was even more extraordinary than Saiyans.
"He'll be able to stand on his own!" Jiren cast a glance at the little Jiren before quickly shifting his focus back to Gicchin.
"Haha... Is that so?" Gicchin shrugged. "Who knows what the future holds!"
As Jiren and Gicchin exchanged casual conversation, Lin Qi watched the little Jiren leave the table, clean up the dishes, and head back outside to resume his training.
"Gicchin, how does your strength compare to Belmod's?" Lin Qi asked bluntly, disrupting the awkward atmosphere between Gicchin and Jiren.
"My strength?" Gicchin pondered briefly. "We're probably evenly matched. It's hard to say who would win in a real fight!"
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