Chapter 173: A Breakdown and an Urgent Need for Soothing

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: A Breakdown and an Urgent Need for Soothing

Si Jin’s expression darkened.

"...I am."

His voice was sullen, tinged with a begrudging honesty.

Yun Sheng couldn’t help but laugh.

But soon, the smile faded from her face, and her expression grew serious.

"His condition is rather serious," she said softly. "Standard... soothing... isn’t having much of an effect anymore."

Si Jin’s brow furrowed slightly.

He, of all people, knew exactly what Yun Sheng meant.

Back when the induction agent had caused his spiritual power to spiral out of control, he had been like a monster that had lost all reason.

If Yun Sheng hadn’t soothed him time and again in his dreams, he feared he wouldn’t have been able to maintain even a moment of clarity.

The only reason his rampaging spiritual power and chaotic spiritual landscape had stabilized enough to prevent another short-term outburst was because in that cave... he and Yun Sheng...

As the images flashed through his mind, his brow furrowed even more deeply, his frown lines tightening.

"Then you..." he began, his voice strained. "Yun Sheng, didn’t you want to help him before?"

It was a difficult question for him to ask.

As Yun Sheng’s Sentinel, he naturally didn’t want her to have any entanglement with another Sentinel.

And yet... Bai Ye had assumed a different identity to accompany Yun Sheng to Zone 10. He had saved her multiple times and had even nearly fallen and become a Dark Sentinel while protecting her and her teammates.

Yun Sheng had even been willing to expose her own secret to help him.

If she really said she was going to help Bai Ye...

No matter how jealous or miserable Si Jin felt, he would choose to respect her decision.

Yun Sheng’s heart softened as she looked at him. He clearly cared so much, yet he was trying to act as if it didn’t bother him.

"Before, the situation was critical; I had no choice. But now... he can go back to the Capital Star and find other S-class Guides to soothe him.

"Besides, I already have a Sentinel, and he has his own fiancée. I would never do something like that with him, not even to help him."

’It’s true that I was the one who took advantage of Bai Ye when I first entered his dreams, but I didn’t have someone I loved back then. I was only doing it to steal his power for my own protection.’

’It was a choice born of desperation.’

’But things are different now.’

’I have Si Jin.’

Yun Sheng looked at Si Jin, reached out, and gently took his hand.

Her hand felt soft and warm, its grip gentle yet reassuringly firm.

It felt as if something had suddenly given Si Jin’s heart a gentle squeeze.

A little sore.

A little full.

And an indescribable warmth spread from where she held his hand, gradually soothing the jealousy and unease that had been churning inside him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but at that exact moment, his brow furrowed.

"Someone’s coming."

It was two Sentinels, likely sent by Luo Cheng to escort Yun Sheng, and they were approaching.

Si Jin’s eyes narrowed. In a flash, he vanished into the shadows of the trees.

Yun Sheng remained where she was, took a deep breath, and composed her expression.

A few seconds later, the figures of two Sentinels appeared, quickly catching up.

"Miss Yun, Deputy Luo sent us to escort you back to the camp."

Yun Sheng nodded, her expression unchanged. "Thank you."

The two Sentinels then began escorting her toward the temporary camp.

After taking a few steps, Yun Sheng stole a glance back at the shadows among the trees.

The spot was empty.

Only a gentle breeze rustled the leaves.

She looked away, but couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curving into a slight smile.

At that moment, a tall, slender silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows she had just been looking at.

Si Jin leaned against a tree trunk, watching Yun Sheng walk away.

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, tracing her form with a faint golden edge.

She walked on, followed by the two Sentinels, her pace steady and her back perfectly straight.

His eyes were glued to her, unwilling to look away, filled with a profound tenderness.

The warmth of her grip seemed to linger in his palm, the soft touch feeling as if it had been branded onto his skin, unforgettable.

Her clear, pleasant voice echoed in his mind.

"I already have a Sentinel."

"I would never do something like that with him, not even to help him."

Remembering how incredibly serious she looked when she’d said those words, Si Jin raised a hand and pressed it to his racing heart.

It felt so full it might just overflow.

It clearly wasn’t the first time he’d heard her say such things.

And yet, every time he heard it, it struck him all the same.

He clicked his tongue softly.

"Pathetic."

The word had barely left his lips before he pushed off on the balls of his feet, his form melting into a shadow as he silently gave chase.

’Pathetic or not...’

’He was her Sentinel.’

’Now that her feelings were clear, he would spend the rest of his life as her Sentinel. He would always stay with her, protect her, and stand by her side.’

...

Luo Cheng strode to the entrance of the main tent, his hand pausing on the flap.

Even through the thick canvas, he could clearly perceive the violent aura within. It was more frenzied, more chaotic than before.

He took a deep breath and flung the flap open.

He froze in place.

Inside the tent, Bai Ye stood in the dim light. A significant amount of blood had seeped through the bandages on his upper body, and a trickle of it, still wet, clung to the corner of his mouth. His face was ashen, but a terrifying crimson light churned in the depths of his eyes.

"General..."

Luo Cheng’s voice trembled. His feet felt as though they had taken root, and he couldn’t take a single step inside.

The aura was terrifying, like a ravenous abyss that made one’s very soul shudder.

Bai Ye heard his voice but didn’t react.

He just kept his head down, staring at the hand hanging at his side.

’That hand... just moments ago, it had held Yun Sheng’s wrist. Just moments ago, it had felt her warmth.’

’But now...’

’There was nothing!’

A chill ran down Luo Cheng’s spine as he looked at him.

The violent aura was growing more terrifying, more uncontrollable. If this continued, he would likely go into a full rampage—he might even fall and become a Dark Sentinel!

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to take a step forward.

"General, do you... want me to call for an S-class Guide to soothe you right away?"

He had expected his words to be met with the same silence.

But the moment he finished speaking, Bai Ye snapped his head up.

Those crimson eyes stared right at him, churning with terrifying violence and an overwhelming pressure.

Luo Cheng’s back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat.

Every instinct screamed at him to run, but he couldn’t leave.

"General," he said, forcing himself to speak against the terrifying pressure. "I know you don’t want to try again, but... your condition is really bad. What if... what if you fall and become a Dark Sentinel..."

He couldn’t bring himself to finish.

The general had only ever accepted simple soothing from guides. But a year ago, after a deadly battle with two SSS-level contaminants, he had overdrawn his spiritual power to its absolute limit, severely damaging his spiritual landscape.

Back then, Miss Yue Yao had already awakened as an S-class Guide. As the general’s fiancée in name, she had wanted to perform a deep soothing for him.

But for some unknown reason, the general had refused.

After that, the general never again accepted any form of soothing from her.

No matter how grave his injuries or how chaotic his spiritual power, he endured it all on his own, without the soothing of a guide.