Lan Yu's reaction wasn't without reason.
Let's rewind a few minutes.
When Lan Yu regained consciousness and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a small room—simple, but fully furnished. On the table was a small flower basket, and beside it, a set of chairs that looked quite old. Feeling confused for a moment, a strange stream of memories rushed into his mind. Although he didn't know exactly where he was, the memories were enough to tell him that he had succeeded. However, there was a trace of disappointment—he had hoped to escape from that genderless body.
"Well, this is fine too. At least I'm still alive," Lan Yu muttered to himself.
After examining this new body, he finally felt at ease and began absorbing the original host's memories. But just after a while, anger flared within him. The original host was named Tiểu Kha, a name given by the old woman who saved him. From the moment he became aware, he only knew that he had been abandoned by his parents due to a deformed body. Fortunately, the old woman happened to pass by and took him in. Before he turned two, however, his intersex identity was exposed.
The contemptuous gazes that treated him like a monster, and the lecherous looks from the surrounding men... The old woman had long anticipated such a day, and she was scared. But she still had a son working in village security. If it were discovered that she had taken the child in, her son would be affected too. So the old woman decided to drive the child away. With pitiful, pleading eyes, he watched her hurriedly stuff a few small food items into his bag in front of the villagers.
That not-yet-two-year-old child, with a bit of food in hand and no protection, was of course bullied. The more he was bullied, the tougher he became, learning to protect his belongings, growing stronger — but that didn't mean he could overcome big, burly men and stronger children. He was bullied, beaten, abandoned, and no one ever treated him like a human. Everyone said that with his identity, he was better off as a beast.
Until one day, unable to endure the abuse or the constant torrent of filthy words, the child decided to run away from that hell. He ran and ran — his small, skinny body never dared to stop, until exhaustion and hunger overwhelmed him. That night, he died — died of hunger, of helplessness, of injustice. And that was when Lan Dực opened the spatial gate and entered the child's small body — and was saved by Vũ Gia Hoàng.
"Intersex... huh, so what?" Lan Dực sneered coldly.
"This world is no different from the last," he thought bitterly, recalling the discrimination of his previous life. "Why not destroy it... yes, this world should disappear, just like that damn lab."
When he thought of the lab, coldness flickered in his eyes. He remembered everything those bastards did to his body. If he hadn't, by some strange luck, awakened the time ability at the last moment of sealing the dungeon, his consciousness would've been eroded over the years, and both his body and power would have been controlled by them.
He could somewhat guess why those maniacs had the guts to experiment on him — likely to control the monsters in the dungeon. But what truly drove him mad was that they had used his body to mate with those monsters, hoping to produce some kind of hybrid child. Thinking of this ignited a storm of rage. He couldn't hold it back and crushed the bed frame with a single grip. Though old, the bed was made of solid, fine wood — the fact that his small hand could destroy it showed his terrifying strength.
Suddenly, he heard extremely soft footsteps approaching. Even though this was the original host's body and he had lost his powers, the little bit of strength he retained was enough to push his physical limits.
Like lightning, he grabbed a small knife from the table, his movements graceful and light as he approached the door. And then it happened.
When Lan Dực saw that his first strike failed, he didn't hesitate. He dashed forward like the wind, using all his combat experience and skills to subdue the intruder. Partly because it ensured his safety, and partly to vent all his anger, grief, and unwillingness into the fight.
Vũ Gia Hoàng, meanwhile, was stunned as he blocked the attacks — moves that looked light, yet could cause serious injury if landed. He even felt a surge of emotion — a desire to adopt this kid. He never imagined such a small body could possess such overwhelming power. Before saving the child, he had examined his bones — they weren't even those of a two-year-old. He initially thought the boy had awakened a mutated nano-core, but it now seemed this strength was his own.
"Tsk… a true genius, but clearly not in the right mental state," he thought. At that moment, he decisively punched the boy in the stomach, sending him flying several meters.
"Treating your savior like that — you'll be considered a naughty child," Vũ Gia Hoàng said with what was probably his friendliest smile.
Lan Dực held his stomach and looked at the man, saying nothing, but deep in his eyes were surprise and seriousness. Just now, he knew exactly how much strength and how many moves he had used. Unexpectedly, the techniques that even dungeon beasts couldn't dodge were easily countered by the man in front of him.
Gia Hoàng stepped closer, intending to pat the boy's head, but was avoided. He could only say helplessly,
"Don't look at me like that. I know we're just strangers. At first, I saved you simply because I wanted to. Now, if you want to leave, just go. With your abilities, you can protect yourself, and of course, no one will know about your intersex identity."
Lan Dực looked at the smiling man in front of him, clenched his fists, and for the first time since coming to this world, spoke in a raspy, nasal voice like that of a child.
"How did you know?" He was a bit curious. If he remembered correctly, the original owner had run away from Xuong Mai village—the only place that knew his intersex identity—and he was certain he was in another village now.
"See this? It's called a nano energy core. To put it simply, it's like a light brain. Mine not only heals and checks remaining nano energy in the body but can also detect gender." Vũ Gia Hoàng spoke as he lifted the device on his wrist.
"So, do you want to leave now? But if possible, I hope you can be my companion for a while." After saying that, he couldn't resist and patted the boy's head again, and this time, the boy didn't avoid him.
"Can I go with you?" the boy asked nervously, looking down. It wasn't that he trusted the man easily, but because this was the first person who knew his intersex identity yet held no malicious or dark thoughts toward him. He could feel that clearly—it was a gift he was born with, the ability to sense good and evil, and it followed him into this world.
And more importantly, he wanted to take a gamble. He wanted to be cared for, to be loved—just once—so he would bet his life on it. If it turned out to be a lie, he swore he'd go mad and bury this world with him. His beautiful golden feline eyes shimmered with a hint of madness that Gia Hoàng failed to notice.
"You can. Do you have a name?" Vũ Gia Hoàng smiled.
"My name is Lan... I don't have a name." Lan Dực clenched the hem of his shirt. He wanted to change. He no longer wanted to bear the name "Lan Dực" that brought him so much pain.
"Then from now on, you'll take my surname. You'll be Vũ Kỳ. 'Vũ' as the family name, 'Kỳ' meaning strange or fateful—let's consider this our fateful meeting. If you want, you can even call me 'baba'," Gia Hoàng laughed as he looked at the dazed little boy, not even two years old, staring up at him.
"Don't look at me like that. I just... have a child who's probably been born by now, but I haven't had the chance to meet them yet. I miss them a little."
Lan Dực—now Vũ Kỳ—nodded. A fleeting look of disappointment crossed his eyes, but he said nothing. Suddenly, he felt a warm head pat—something he had never experienced before.
"Do you want to be my son?"
"Can I?" Vũ Kỳ asked softly, so quietly it seemed like no one could hear, but since he was right next to him, Gia Hoàng heard clearly and smiled.
"Of course."
Gia Hoàng suddenly stood up and opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.
"Welcome, Vũ Kỳ, to our little family. I'm Vũ Gia Hoàng, my spouse is Trần Mai Lan, and we have a child named Vũ Hữu Duyên—whose gender I haven't figured out yet—who will be your younger sibling. And now, you're the newest member of our family."
Vũ Kỳ stood there stunned. He couldn't believe that the familial love he had dreamed of, that he didn't even dare imagine in his dreams, was now unfolding before his eyes. He couldn't hold back his tears and muttered, "Papa... Papa..."
"Come here," Gia Hoàng said with a smile, still holding out his arms.
Vũ Kỳ rushed forward like a flash of lightning and dove into the man's arms, crying like a child who had been bullied far from home and was now releasing all the grievances buried deep in his heart. He thought, even if this was a trap or led to death, he wanted to etch this small bit of warmth into the depths of his soul.