Xin Hexue could tell that besides superficial wounds, Yan Ji’s mental body also showed signs of instability.
It showed in the gray wolf circling around him. Its tail wasn’t wagging as fast as before, its brown-gray fur lacked luster, and its green eyes seemed clouded with a layer of grey.
Because Xin Hexue had observed for a little longer, Yan Ji uneasily forced the mental body back.
Before retreating into the mental landscape, the gray wolf bared its sharp teeth at Yan Ji, showing signs of threat and aggression.
Clearly, there was conflict between man and wolf.
Xin Hexue asked casually, “Did you two have a fight?”
Yan Ji immediately said, “No, we didn’t.”
Yan Ji found it a bit strange. “How could a sentinel fight with their own mental body?”
Xin Hexue tilted his head, returning the question to Yan Ji. “Hmm… You think not?”
The curve at his lips was slight, but Yan Ji, who paid close attention to Xin Hexue’s every expression, didn’t miss a thing.
Why did he look so good when he smiled?
Maybe because his health wasn’t good, his lips had only a faint pink, looking soft.
Yan Ji didn’t know how to describe it. The only thing that came to his mind was something he had seen online before; lips like Xin Hexue’s were said to be especially suitable for kissing.
Yan Ji stammered, “What you said makes sense.”
[Yan Ji Love value +1]
Xin Hexue: ?
He hadn’t said anything yet.
Xin Hexue spoke gently, “Have you been communicating with your mental body less recently?”
Yan Ji: “Do I need to communicate with it? But it’s just… a wolf.”
He thought the gray wolf was only capable of responding to simple commands like a dog.
Could it really understand what he was saying?
Perhaps guessing the question Yan Ji hadn’t voiced, Xin Hexue answered, “Of course.”
“A mental body is your animalistic side. Though it takes the form of a wild animal, there’s no barrier to communication with the main body.”
“In battle, the empathic connection between the main body and mental body is extremely important.”
Xin Hexue seemed to remember something. “Sorry, you haven’t studied “Spiritual Empathic Connection”, have you?”
Yan Ji hadn’t even heard of that term. “I don’t understand.”
Yan Ji thought about how these past days, even outside combat class, he spent every free moment in the training hall. He hid his deeper desire to grow stronger and simply told Xin Hexue his current situation.
“Could it be because I’ve been doing this too often and it’s exhausted?”
Yan Ji had only recently reached adulthood. His mental body had awakened late, only on his eighteenth birthday.
Compared to most sentinels who manifested combat ability at fourteen, his experience with his mental body was much more lacking.
He and the gray wolf were neither like family, nor partners. As for comrades-in-arms, there was no tacit understanding.
Most of the time, Yan Ji couldn’t make sense of the gray wolf’s behavior, and clearly his mental body didn’t always obey his commands.
Xin Hexue looked out the glass window at the large flowerbed outside. A bird flew past the treetop, and then he turned his head back to face Yan Ji.
Light shone behind him, casting a soft glow around his figure. Outside was a snowy field and green flowers.
Yan Ji heard the young guide invite, “Would you like to come to my place?”
……
Did guides have to take electives in some kind of seduction skills outside their required courses?
Yan Ji felt he must’ve been bewitched by the guide.
Otherwise, how else to explain how, when he came to his senses, he was already standing at Xin Hexue’s doorstep.
Outside the villa’s white courtyard walls grew dense clusters of purple bamboo. The fallen leaves used to cover the path and crunch underfoot with the crisp sound unique to winter.
Now, the villa district’s cleaning staff had swept them clean.
The withered vines of climbing ivy, after shedding their leaves, clung to the walls like dried blood vessels. When spring came, they would revive again.
This villa area was home to sentinels and guides with higher military ranks from the Central Military District. It wasn’t far from headquarters, and the Joint Military Academy itself was located in the northeastern corner of the Central Military District.
From the villa, whether to teach at the academy or work shifts at the headquarters’ hospital treatment room, the commute was convenient t Xin Hexue.
Yan Ji changed into a pair of shoes at the entrance.
Above was a sensor light strip. Warm yellow light spilled down, and Yan Ji noticed the neatly partitioned red oak shoe cabinet. The difference in shoe sizes on both sides was obvious at a glance.
All the shoes were sorted layer by layer into flats, mid-tops, high-tops, and boots. Even the ones on the left, which would never be worn again by their original owner, remained perfectly stored in the cabinet…neither burned nor thrown away. They sat there, orderly and spotless.
Yan Ji’s gaze darkened slightly.
Xin Hexue saw him standing there and took in Yan Ji’s reaction, but pretended not to notice as he explained, “The slippers I gave you are clean, and no one has worn them before. Are they the wrong size?”
Yan Ji looked up and gave a thin smile. “No, they fit perfectly.”
It seemed He Botian’s shoe size was about the same as his. Their builds probably didn’t differ much either.
Xin Hexue: “That’s good. Please come in.”
Yan Ji: “Mm.”
He adjusted his steps, walked to Xin Hexue’s side, and tilted his head slightly. He could tell at a glance that he was a whole head taller than Xin Hexue.
Yan Ji’s shoulders and back tensed silently, as if suppressing something.
Then He Botian must have been able to effortlessly pull Xin Hexue into his arms, encircling him like a treasure.
Yan Ji felt his teeth ache… he was almost grinding them from jealousy.
The young man’s gaze was hot and undisguised, filled with the sentinel’s instinctive aggression and possessiveness toward a guide, clinging to him like a shadow.
Xin Hexue naturally couldn’t ignore it.
Until he entered the bedroom, and Yan Ji politely waited in the living room.
Only then did the young sentinel’s burning gaze leave Xin Hexue’s back.
In the closet, he found some clothes that He Botian had bought but had not had the chance to wear.
He Botian had liked buying him clothes. Ninety percent of their closet was picked by He Botian, as if he treated Xin Hexue like a privately kept BJD doll, dressing him up in different styles and for different seasons.
Most of He Botian’s salary went toward this hobby, and he never tired of it.
Of course, whenever he bought clothes for Xin Hexue, he would buy a matching set for himself under the pretense of couple outfits.
Because they had too many clothes, last year’s outfits would be moved to the walk-in closet after the season changed, leaving only current and frequently worn clothes in the master bedroom’s closet.
Xin Hexue handed a clean change of clothes to Yan Ji.
While drying his damp hair with a towel, he said, “Since you just got caught in the rain, to avoid catching a cold, take a hot shower first.”
Yan Ji was stunned, but still accepted the clothes.
They had returned from school in Xin Hexue’s car. It had started raining on the way to the parking lot, and neither of them had brought umbrellas. Now, their hair and shoulders were damp.
In fact, with a sentinel’s physique, this bit of rain was nothing.
But… didn’t this mean Xin Hexue cared about him?
Yan Ji’s brows lifted with joy as he pressed down the corners of his lips.
Xin Hexue pointed to the guest bedroom’s en suite bathroom. “After you’re done, I’ll talk to you about the mental body issue.”
……
When Yan Ji came out of the bathroom, Xin Hexue had already finished his own shower and was sitting on the sofa playing a fetch game with the gray wolf.
It was a very warm and harmonious scene.
Outside the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows was the courtyard’s sparse snow. The young man had a soft blanket draped over his shoulders. When he heard footsteps and turned to look at Yan Ji, a corner of the blanket slipped off, revealing the half-high collar wool sweater beneath.
The gray wolf held a dog-bone-shaped rubber toy in its mouth, shook its head, and placed it on Xin Hexue’s knee.
Panting, its red tongue lolled out.
It completely looked like a dog.
Yan Ji saw that Xin Hexue showed no impatience, even reaching out to pet the gray wolf’s head.
Yan Ji roughly towel-dried his hair, glanced over, and noticed not only the rubber toy but also a collar peeking from a nearby gift box.
It even seemed to be a custom designer brand; otherwise, the gift box wouldn’t be so exquisite.
Yan Ji raised an eyebrow. “Did you used to keep a dog?”
Xin Hexue glanced at him, as if recalling something. “…Mm.”
Yan Ji looked around. The villa had two floors, and since entering, he hadn’t seen any canine animals. He asked suspiciously, “Then where’s the dog?”
Xin Hexue paused for a moment, and answered, “I sent it away.”
He glanced again at the collar beside him. On the custom-made silver tag hung a carving of a polar bear. Xin Hexue calmly placed the collar back into the gift box and sealed it up again.
The gray wolf whined anxiously as Xin Hexue only talked to Yan Ji.
It backed up to a distance and lowered its body to the ground.
Xin Hexue had no choice but to throw the bone toy again.
The gray wolf immediately leapt into the air, accurately catching the bone. It wagged its tail wildly and trotted back to Xin Hexue.
Yan Ji sneered coldly, feeling ashamed of how flattering his mental body looked.
‘So useless.’
Water still dripped from his hair.
Xin Hexue looked up and asked, “Do you need a hair dryer?”
Yan Ji: “No need. A sentinel isn’t that fragile. I won’t catch a cold.”
The gray wolf kept nudging its head under Xin Hexue’s hand.
Yan Ji thought it was embarrassing and changed the subject. “What was that spiritual empathic connection you mentioned earlier?”
Xin Hexue explained in a gentle voice, “That’s essentially a communication bridge between a sentinel and their mental body that doesn’t require words. Through the spiritual connection, a sentinel can completely empathize with their mental body, and fully understand each other. This is the key to achieving high synchronization in battle and cooperating effectively.”
Hearing this, Yan Ji immediately became excited. No wonder he always felt powerless during simulated battles in the training hall.
He and the gray wolf fought completely on their own, and it was already good enough not to accidentally injure each other.
It was still manageable in C-level Folded Zones, but when facing mutated monsters in B-level Folded Zones, it became difficult. After entering A-level Folded Zones, he couldn’t even last an hour before getting fatally wounded and forced out of the simulation pod.
Yan Ji asked eagerly, “Then how can I establish a spiritual connection with it?”
Xin Hexue spoke clearly, revealing the key point. “Understanding.”
Seeing the guide ignoring it, the gray wolf anxiously tried to climb onto Xin Hexue’s lap.
Its size matched that of a fully grown wolf in nature. In order not to hurt the young man, it could only nudge anxiously but carefully.
Xin Hexue frowned. “Sit.”
As the gray wolf whimpered and sat down with reluctant obedience, the sofa beside Xin Hexue also visibly sank in sync.
Xin Hexue turned his head in surprise and saw Yan Ji obediently sitting down.
Yan Ji: “…”
It was a completely subconscious reaction.
Xin Hexue curved his lips, laughter spilling from his eyes. Perhaps he was teasing him.
His slender, white fingers gently stroked the gray wolf’s head, and the gray wolf whimpered softly from its throat.
Xin Hexue soothed it warmly, “Alright, alright… good little dog.”
Although he was praising the mental body, his eyes as clear as the lake and moon glanced at Yan Ji, not too light nor too heavy, rippling with waves. “Good little dog.”
Xin Hexue didn’t speak, but Yan Ji read this meaning clearly from his gaze.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, pounding so hard even his ears burned red.
At this moment, he suddenly empathized with his mental body and also wanted to call Xin Hexue “Master.”
……
Yan Ji received a private tutoring session from the Empire’s only guide Major General.
Xin Hexue had scored full marks in the “Spiritual Empathic Connection” course. Of course, it wasn’t surprising, since he had graduated from the Joint Military Academy with nearly perfect grades.
The leftover wounds from combat class also received proper treatment.
The Joint Military Academy didn’t have dorm inspections, and the administration gave students a lot of freedom regarding their living spaces, no different from comprehensive universities for ordinary citizens outside.
Since it was already evening, Yan Ji naturally accepted the invitation to stay for dinner and spend the night.
When he woke up early the next morning, Yan Ji stretched from the guest bedroom. There were still dark circles under his eyes, he hadn’t slept well.
After all, this was his first time staying over at his sweetheart’s house!
Yan Ji saw Xin Hexue standing in front of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window, looking outside, seemingly on the phone with someone.
Sentinels have sharp hearing, and he tried his best to avoid eavesdropping on the conversation. Even so, Yan Ji still caught the man’s voice from the other end of the communicator saying: “A substitute? Hahaha, did I really say it that harshly? …Alright, I did say that. Have you thought it over? If you want to control your condition, you’d better find…”
At this point, Xin Hexue abruptly hung up and turned to look at Yan Ji.
He must have realized there was a sentinel eavesdropping.
Caught red-handed, Yan Ji felt awkward standing there. “I really didn’t mean to overhear.”
Xin Hexue shook his head. “It’s fine.”
Yan Ji: “But you hung up so suddenly just now. Is it alright? Was the person you were talking to very important?”
What he really wanted to ask was the latter question, so after asking, he sharpened his ears to catch Xin Hexue’s answer.
“It’s fine. I’ll explain to him later.”
“He’s my… attending doctor.”
Xin Hexue lowered his eyes as he spoke softly, then tucked the communicator into the side pocket of his clothes. The dim screen showed a playback interface for a call recording, not an ongoing call.
But since the communicator had been out of Yan Ji’s line of sight from the start, he hadn’t noticed.
Yan Ji noticed the medicine placed on the coffee table.
Was he looking for a better substitute medication?
……
Because Xin Hexue clearly didn’t want to explain too much and changed the subject at the time, Yan Ji didn’t press further about his condition.
When the car entered the parking lot and finally stopped under the trees, Yan Ji cautiously probed, “Though it might be a bit presumptuous… will you still bond with another sentinel?”
Afraid his attitude would scare the guide, Yan Ji added, “I’m just curious, nothing more.”
It would have been better if he hadn’t said that, but the extra explanation only made it more obvious.
Xin Hexue’s hand still rested on the steering wheel.
His long eyelashes drooped, blurring the emotions in his eyes.
Xin Hexue’s voice was very light. “I don’t know.”
There was no direct answer.
But also no flat denial.
Which meant it wasn’t entirely impossible. From this angle, Yan Ji’s heartbeat instantly sped up.
After saying goodbye to Xin Hexue, he got out from the passenger side and walked a good distance toward the teaching building before suddenly remembering something. He turned around and ran back along the asphalt road scattered with leftover snow.
Under his combat jacket, Yan Ji wore a dark blue hoodie, his whole person brimming with youthful impulsiveness.
He charged back in a hurry, knocking on Xin Hexue’s car window in urgency.
The window slowly rolled down. The cold winter air rushed in at once, and the tip of Xin Hexue’s nose showed a faint flush from the chill.
Outside in the freezing cold, the sentinel radiating heat exhaled white breath as he asked eagerly, “Can I see you again tomorrow?”
Xin Hexue had no classes tomorrow.
So he didn’t answer immediately.
Of course Yan Ji knew that. He had already memorized Xin Hexue’s class schedule like the back of his hand.
He asked hopefully, “Can I have dinner with you tomorrow?”
Xin Hexue looked at him.
The unruly temperament Yan Ji once carried had been worn down a bit at military school, or maybe it was just that first love had softened his attitude. At this moment, he deliberately showed this side of himself.
Like a little gray dog with separation anxiety.
For a moment, Yan Ji’s appearance indeed overlapped with He Botian’s from long ago.
Xin Hexue’s eyes flickered. The fingers resting on the steering wheel curled slightly and rubbed twice.
“…Alright.”
Yan Ji’s unruly eyebrows couldn’t hide his joy. If he had a tail, Xin Hexue felt he’d be wagging it nonstop.
“Okay.”
The sentinel took a few steps back with a wide grin, raising his communicator. “Then I’ll pick a restaurant and send you the address. See you tomorrow night.”
As Yan Ji continued walking toward the teaching building, Xin Hexue closed the car window.
Not far away, hidden behind a few cypress trees in the parking lot, cameras flashed in succession, capturing the whole scene.
……
Xin Hexue didn’t stay long in the car. He decided to go home and rest for the day. Tomorrow, he had to be on duty at the military district’s general hospital treatment room.
He had coordinated with the head of the medical department. With his work efficiency, he could easily double the monthly quota of one hundred mental guidance sessions to two hundred.
Finishing work quickly during the day meant having dinner with Yan Ji wouldn’t conflict with his schedule.
As he thought this, Xin Hexue suddenly received a call from Wei Zhuo.
After connecting, there was a long silence, with only the sound of the sentinel’s steady breathing.
Xin Hexue rarely received calls from Wei Zhuo, and the other party seemed unsure how to begin.
Xin Hexue broke the silence. “Wei Zhuo?”
Wei Zhuo: “Mm.”
Xin Hexue: “Is something the matter?”
Wei Zhuo: “…I have a mission in two days. Kuike said… I’d better ask you for a mental guidance session.”
Xin Hexue said in a relaxed tone, “Sure, can you come to the treatment room to find me tomorrow during the day? I’ll set aside some time just for you.”
There was another brief silence on Wei Zhuo’s side.
After a while, the sentinel on the other end spoke with a hoarse voice and an even lower voice, “…Tomorrow night.”
Wei Zhuo rarely used such a tone with Xin Hexue. He lowered his head and asked, “Tomorrow night, is that okay?”
