CH 23

“The patient’s overall condition is alright, just overly weak. These days, he should focus on consuming easily digestible, nutrition-rich foods like chicken soup, fish broth, and such,” the doctor advised, “As for his mental strength, further observation is necessary during his stay.”

The matter of his mental strength had been discovered. Xiao Zhenyun immediately glanced at Xiao Nian, the latter’s expression unchanged, resembling a composed old monk. Just two days ago, the administrator had experienced the importance of the unexpected role ‘Xiao Zhenyun,’ which had left him quite unsettled. Now, trivial changes in supporting characters’ mental strength-related storylines hardly made a dent in his mood.

Speaking of which, Xiao Jingfeng’s eyes lit up immediately, “Zhenyun, you’ve regained your mental strength, you know? We’ll have to wait a while to determine the exact level, but regardless, it’s a great thing. Was it the result of the recent unexpected stimulation?”

“…,” Xiao Zhenyun had just woken up and was now subjected to this terrifying mental trial. He exchanged glances with Xiao Nian, rapidly fabricating a response. However, Xiao Jingfeng didn’t seem in a hurry for an answer. He continued, “I wonder when Si Di will wake up. If he doesn’t wake up in these two days, he’ll be in danger.”

“What happened?” Xiao Zhenyun frowned and asked.

“His external injuries aren’t severe—just three bullet wounds, two fractured ribs, and a second fracture of the left wrist,” Xiao Jingfeng replied.

“…,” And this isn’t considered severe?

“The main reason he can’t wake up is due to his mental strength. His consciousness is trapped in the spiritual domain. Neither an S-level guide doctor nor Ye Feiran, who has a compatibility rate close to 80% with him, can awaken him.” Xiao Jingfeng sighed, “It’s partly my fault. The situation was critical at the time, and he was severely injured. If I had let him struggle recklessly in his frenzied state, he would’ve bled dry. So, I had to use mental whips to knock him out… I didn’t anticipate his spiritual domain issue was this severe.”

Xiao Zhenyun looked puzzled, “Trapped in the spiritual domain?”

“It’s like a mental black hole,” Xiao Jingfeng explained.

Xiao Zhenyun had heard of this term before. Sentinels whose spiritual domain had collapsed completely would fall into a mental black hole, a state akin to being a vegetable. They would forever sleep within their own spiritual domain, never to wake again, with only some self-deceptive signs of life remaining.

“Perhaps only a permanent fusion with Ye Feiran can solve this,” Xiao Jingfeng pondered.

Xiao Nian’s fingers trembled slightly, and he suddenly interjected with a crisp tone, “Isn’t permanent fusion achieved when both the sentinel and the guide are in a fusion heat and then engage in mating? How can Si Di achieve that given his current condition?”

“You know quite a bit,” Xiao Jingfeng ruffled his hair, saying, “If he wants to do it, it’s achievable. Similar situations have occurred before. Give both of them some meds, take care of the one lying on the bed, and let the one on top handle things. Fusion primarily requires both parties to reach the peak of excitement. Although Ye Feiran is also a man, if Si Di were to be the receptive one, that inexperienced virgin certainly won’t have the skills to make them both comfortable. It’s better to be the one on the bottom than to be a rough corpse on the bed.”

Xiao Nian’s face turned red—it was purely out of anger. He was furious at Si Di’s stubbornness, his inability to make a choice between life and death, thus delaying the plot. Xiao Jingfeng mistakenly thought he was talking to an eight-year-old boy who couldn’t handle spicy topics and smiled, “My apologies, Uncle was careless. It’s a bit too early for you to hear about this.”

Xiao Zhenyun patted the administrator’s hand, indicating him to calm down. Then he asked, “Wasn’t there a deer guide before, with a very high compatibility rate with Si Di? If he could come, might the situation change?”

“If their compatibility could exceed 90, then it’s possible,” Xiao Jingfeng explained, “I’ve heard of a miraculous case where a guide with a 96% compatibility rate awakened a sentinel who had been sleeping in a mental black hole for three years. Besides, Si Di hasn’t fully entered that state yet. But let’s not even talk about that mysterious deer guide’s whereabouts. We’re not certain about the compatibility between those two either. Going beyond 90 isn’t that easy; relying on this seems unreliable.”

“The agreement between the Si and Ye families about Si Di and Ye Feiran’s union had been established long ago. Feiran also agreed, but the main reason it hadn’t happened before was Si Di’s strong opposition. Now that Si Di is in a deep sleep, I believe either tonight or tomorrow night, you’ll have one more niece-in-law.”

“…” Xiao Nian’s head spinned, his gaze piercingly fixed on Xiao Zhenyun, as if he could bore a hole right through him with his eyes.

Xiao Zhenyun endured the attack of the administrator’s stare with a quick glance to appease him. He then continued to gently inquire with Xiao Jingfeng, “Uncle, could you teach me how to establish a mental link and enter someone else’s spiritual domain?”

“Hmm? Oh, right, your mental strength has recovered. It’s time for you to learn common guide knowledge. But these things aren’t urgent for now. After you recover, I’ll arrange for you to enter the White Tower, starting from the basics…”

“Uncle,” Xiao Zhenyun chuckled, “Nothing else is urgent, just these two things.”

Xiao Jingfeng: “…?”

He detected a hint of unusual meaning and squinted as he asked, “What do you mean?”

Xiao Zhenyun smiled again, this time a smile that Xiao Jingfeng had never seen on his nephew before. It was still serene and graceful, with crescent-shaped eyes, yet beneath that familiar smile, he sensed a trace of cunning. It was like a mischievous intent wrapped in a sugary coating, giving him a lively and dynamic aura.

Xiao Jingfeng wasn’t quite accustomed to this side of his nephew, but he liked it. Special individuals averaged two to three hundred years old, while Xiao Zhenyun, in his thirties, was in his prime. There was no need for him to exude an overly old-fashioned air. Just as he was about to suggest that his nephew smile more often, Xiao Zhenyun quietly revealed a secret to him.

This unbelievable secret made Xiao Jingfeng wish he could tear the grin off Xiao Zhenyun’s face rather than encourage him to smile more.

“I would never have guessed that the deer guide turned out to be you.” After his emotions settled, Xiao Jingfeng looked at the stag resting on the balcony and downed a large bucket of warm water. Tian Lu’s injuries weren’t fully healed yet, and it wasn’t very happy when Xiao Zhenyun called it out for business. Xiao Jingfeng’s spiritual form, a tall and elegant horse with smooth fur, was standing beside it, swishing its tail. Its snowy-white fur gleamed in the sunlight, even its eyelashes were white, half-closed in a lazy manner.

After hesitating for a moment, Tian Lu couldn’t resist sticking its head out and taking a bite of the horse feed, and the white horse readily handed over half of the feed its owner had prepared for it.

For a while, the horse and the stag on the balcony got along harmoniously.

“Ninety percent compatibility, you actually have a ninety-percent match with Si Di. Not bad… With you, there’s hope for Si Di’s spiritual domain to recover.” Xiao Jingfeng clicked his tongue, “Once he’s cured, he’s a young and handsome S-grade sentinel with stunning looks and a sense of responsibility, his character so honest and straightforward…”

Honest and straightforward? Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t figure out which of these four words was related to the wild wolf Si Di who loved to bite people.

Xiao Jingfeng couldn’t help but sigh, “How did such a loyal and dependable little grass end up in the hands of an old bull like you?… But, you do have a familial relationship with him, uncle and nephew. Even though there’s no blood relation between you, on Si Qiaorong’s side… there might be some other ideas.”

Si Qiaorong was Si Di and Si Chu’s father’s name.

Xiao Zhenyun hadn’t even considered this aspect: “Actually, between me and Si Di…” It wasn’t a big deal at all. As he was speaking, the room door was suddenly knocked, interrupting his voice. A calm-looking nurse walked in holding a sealed folder. Xiao Jingfeng took it from the person on the sickbed – the test results for Xiao Zhenyun’s mental power level.

After getting permission, Xiao Jingfeng tore off the seal, took out the level report, and went straight to the last page, where a very prominent red letter was marked—

Grade C.

Xiao Jingfeng furrowed his brow, “Grade C?… How could it be Grade C?”

In theory, it wasn’t supported for sentinels and guides with a significant difference in levels to combine. The level span represented a gap in spiritual power, and the spiritual power of a Grade C guide would hardly meet the needs of an S-grade sentinel.

Just like on a deserted island, Xiao Zhenyun’s guide element would never be sufficient, and what Si Di needed was like a bottomless pit. No matter how hard Xiao Zhenyun tried, he couldn’t satisfy it.

A 90% compatibility indeed sounded extremely enticing, but compared to an 90% match with a Grade C guide and an 80% match with an Grade A guide, the former was like a rare delicacy, delicious but in limited quantity, while the latter was a substantial meal, slightly less exquisite in taste but much more filling.

Facing a normal sentinel with a smaller appetite, either option would do, depending on personal preference. And most people would certainly try the rare and exceptional delicacy. However, for a sentinel at the brink of starvation with an enormous appetite, an S-grade sentinel who suffered damage in the spiritual domain and required long-term stable treatment, the latter was definitely more suitable.

Xiao Jingfeng was still puzzled about how a 90% compatibility could appear between S-grade and Grade C. This in itself was very unreasonable. For special individuals, compatibility was an absolute paramount rule, and high compatibility values would only occur between suitable individuals. How could a Grade C guide be suitable for an S-grade sentinel?

Could there be a mistake somewhere?

As he pondered the reason, he absentmindedly continued with the previous topic, “What were you about to say just now? You and Si Di…?”

Xiao Zhenyun half reclined on the bed, expressionless, the crumpled report in his hand revealing his inner unrest. He didn’t answer immediately but lifted his head to look at Xiao Nian. The other party stared at him in shock, initially with disbelief in his eyes, then turning into a murderous impulse. He wanted to kill Si Di, then wanted to kill Xiao Zhenyun, and even considered ending his own life to avoid facing such a difficult and exceptional plot mission.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Zhenyun let out a sigh, a mournful yet helpless expression on his face. Rain seemed to fall in his smoky-blue eyes, embodying an indelible sorrow, “I… fell for him at first sight.”

Xiao Nian: “…”

“Uncle.” Xiao Zhenyun weakly lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling lightly, “I like him, my heart is drawn to him. I don’t want him to be marked by anyone else, but I’m just a Grade C guide… Uncle, what should I do?”

The author has something to say:

Xiao Jingfeng (rolls up sleeves): Damn it, forget about being an S-class sentinel. Today, if my nephew fancies that sentinel, this uncle is still gonna go and split that mountain!1The phrase is a metaphor that means to go to great lengths, to expend a great deal of effort, time and resources, to do everything possible to achieve some particular goal.

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ