Chapter 3: Instinct
“Mmph…”
Thud.
Creak—
The three sounds were not loud, but in the silent, almost deathly still room, they were particularly noticeable.
Or perhaps, particularly noticeable to a wolf.
Only it was startled enough to look over, its amber eyes flashing in the warm light, while the two people involved remained completely unruffled.
At least, “unruffled” as the snow wolf understood it.
In its human dictionary, “unruffled” meant no big movements, something close to being still. It had only heard a few muffled sounds, after which the world returned to peace. The only two people in the room hadn’t started a fight; it was as if time had frozen.
[Phew, everything went smoothly! My friend, did you touch him? How does it feel?]
Xu Xunyue’s grip on the Sentinel’s wrist faltered for a fraction of a second.
[Do you like him? Hello? Hellooo? Can you hear me? Why aren’t you answering me? Wait, I know, your heart is beating faster… so is his.]
Xu Xunyue’s hand, which had been about to push Zhu Hui away, froze.
[My most, most important comrade-in-arms, do you finally understand how great Guides are? You even wanted to be a Dark Sentinel before, without any regard for your own body? Besides, it’s very painful for me, too. It’s so much better to have a Guide. With a Guide, you can be with him every day and…]
[Shut up.]
The light in the small room was a dim yellow, and the looping white noise made the silence even more profound, the sound of breathing even more distinct.
This was the first time Zhu Hui had let any emotion show.
It was laced with ferocity, with shame and annoyance, and with a layer of indescribable unwillingness. A thousand emotions, all converging into two ice-cold words.
Before Xu Xunyue could get a closer look, the Sentinel had already reined the scattered emotions back in, and they were no longer perceptible.
He was still on guard, perhaps subconsciously.
Still so vigilant, even when he’s clearly not in a normal state?
But the other man’s breath tickled his jaw—hot, hurried, and carrying a faint itch that reminded him of the lips that had just brushed his cheek.
The same temperature, but in addition to the softness, there was now a slightly rough dryness, like the feel of a cold morning wind against the skin.
At first, Xu Xunyue had only intended to grab Zhu Hui’s wrist.
Any activity related to the spiritual domain had very strict conditions. The closer a Guide and Sentinel were, and the more physical contact they had, the higher the success rate.
It wasn’t that physical contact was absolutely necessary. Even if Zhu Hui was guarding against him, he could still use a mental attack to break through the spiritual barrier, enter his spiritual world, and dig out his emotions, thoughts, and memories… but that would be an act of destruction.
An Offensive Guide had too many ways to harm a Sentinel. Correspondingly, as a Guide himself, he knew just how painful it was for a Sentinel to have their spiritual landscape damaged.
He wouldn’t do it unless it was absolutely necessary.
As for the standard of “absolutely necessary”…
That would depend on Zhu Hui’s performance.
In short, at that moment, Xu Xunyue had indeed only touched Zhu Hui’s wrist.
The series of reactions that followed was like a row of falling dominoes, escalating from troublesome and inefficient small-scale physical contact to thought-disrupting large-scale physical contact.
From the moment his fingertips touched Zhu Hui’s skin, the other man’s blush deepened by another degree, as if he’d been cooked through. And Zhu Hui’s gaze was very strange.
One moment it was direct, the next it was wandering, as if he were trying to confirm something, or perhaps scrutinize something.
Do I look that much like someone Zhu Hui knows?
At the same time, Xu Xunyue faintly smelled an extremely cool and crisp scent.
Although using “cool and crisp” to describe a scent wasn’t entirely accurate, he felt the words were perfectly fitting.
The scent was like the snow he had eaten when he was fourteen. He had clearly chosen the cleanest, fluffiest part, and it looked as soft as cotton, but only upon tasting it did he realize how sharp the tiny ice shards were. Once the snow finally melted on his tongue and began to slide down his esophagus into his stomach, the feeling of his organs spasming would travel from his abdomen back to his brain, striking him right in the temples.
It was so cold, yet it quenched his thirst. His burning throat found relief, and the feeling of being alive was numb yet fortunate, so much so that when he recalled it years later, it didn’t seem quite so cold anymore.
But memories were just memories. Xu Xunyue knew his own residence; it was impossible for another scent to suddenly appear here.
The only variable was Zhu Hui.
At this very moment, Zhu Hui’s breathing was trembling violently, and the hand being held was tensed, as if he were at some critical tipping point.
Xu Xunyue used his spiritual power to probe his spiritual barrier.
Unexpectedly, yet reasonably, it was still tightly sealed.
Just as the situation could be described as a stalemate, Zhu Hui suddenly stumbled half a step toward Xu Xunyue, and the already small distance between them vanished in an instant.
What was even more surprising was that he seemed to lose all his strength in that moment, looking as if he were about to collapse to his knees.
If Xu Xunyue didn’t let go, he would either be pulled down with him or have to pull the man up.
He should have let go.
Pulling the man up could lead to intimate contact. Even if he was confident he could control the situation, even if his body, trained for years, was far superior to that of an ordinary Guide, he shouldn’t let a high-level Sentinel of unknown background get this close to him.
If Zhu Hui managed to hurt him, even a single strand of hair, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Yet, a strange and natural throb flashed through his mind, as faint as that cool scent, indistinctly roaring:
[Touch him, possess him, control him.]
[He is yours. He belongs to you.]
“…”
A single moment’s lapse in judgment.
The distance shrank, and the scent of snow grew stronger.
After all the sounds had ceased, he had already pulled Zhu Hui up. The man’s long legs were kneeling on either side of the wheelchair seat.
He was far too cooperative. His upper body was pressed extremely close to Xu Xunyue’s, and he didn’t struggle against the hand gripping his wrist. He even wrapped his other arm around Xu Xunyue’s neck, his head lowered, his breath making one feel very uncomfortable.
But even in such an intimate position, he remained half-kneeling, not putting any weight on Xu Xunyue’s legs.
Satisfaction.
Revulsion.
The two emotions flashed through him at the same time, so much so that Xu Xunyue didn’t immediately push the man away—although the strength of a Guide and a Sentinel were not on the same scale, Zhu Hui’s arm around his neck was merely a close embrace, with no force behind it. It wouldn’t have been hard to pull away.
Then, he heard the snow wolf’s rambling thoughts.
And then, he caught sight of Zhu Hui’s somewhat distorted shadow on the carpet.
Xu Xunyue: “…” He knew.
Just now, it was his own spiritual body, playing with the snow wolf, that had snuck over and nudged Zhu Hui.
It might have even tangled around Zhu Hui’s boots, making it difficult for him to stand firm.
The Sentinel in his arms was quiet, but the shadows on the floor were still dancing wildly.
As if sensing Xu Xunyue’s gaze, the shadows also stopped moving after a second.
[You can directly attack if you detect bad guys or malicious intent. But for someone like this who hasn’t done anything, no pranks.] Xu Xunyue rarely had to lecture his spiritual body.
The shadows let out a series of strange whimpers and whines in the spiritual domain before slipping into the floor and making a grand escape.
…It was learning new languages rather quickly.
After waiting a few more seconds, Xu Xunyue placed his free hand on the Sentinel’s shoulder.
“Aren’t you going to get up?”
The cool scent suddenly thickened, as if crushed snow had been swept up by the wind.
Only then did Xu Xunyue confirm that the scent was coming from Zhu Hui.
The earth covering his memories was loosened. He thought he knew what he had overlooked before.
…A bonding heat.
A bonding heat was a physiological trait shared by all Guides and Sentinels. It would affect one’s ability to think and stir up the deepest desires and impulses within.
Both Sentinels and Guides would emit a strong scented signal during a bonding heat, known as pheromones. Pheromones didn’t have a specific smell; they were more like an invisible but tangible energy fluctuation that helped Guides and Sentinels establish a connection. The more compatible the partners, the greater the effect.
The scent of snow belonged to Zhu Hui.
It had no real smell; it was just that Xu Xunyue’s memories had given it a unique meaning.
The warm white noise played on a loop. After a moment, as if he had only just heard Xu Xunyue’s words, Zhu Hui slowly straightened up and looked up. His eyes were moist and somewhat unfocused.
Xu Xunyue stared for a long moment before realizing why he had thought of a wolf’s eyes when he’d looked at Zhu Hui through the screen.
His pupils were set high, a classic case of sanpaku eyes, so of course they looked similar. It was just that now, they didn’t look fierce, but rather a little pitiful.
Zhu Hui’s state was still not right, even worse than before. Even his ears had turned a damp red. The moisture on them was proof that the Sentinel’s body heat was melting the tiny snowflakes that had landed there.
His lips, however, were dry, with a bit of chapping at the corners. Perhaps he hadn’t had any water on his way here…
Stop.
Xu Xunyue realized the direction of his observations had strayed, and a storm brewed in his mind. He recalled what Zhu Hui had looked like just moments before.
He hadn’t deliberately looked, hadn’t deliberately thought, yet his attention had lingered far too long.
It was now 11:30 PM, Imperial Capital time. The day was almost over, and this was his and Zhu Hui’s first official meeting.
At the conference at the beginning of the year, although they were in the same place, there were pheromone blockers there. This was his home.
In his home, in the room he frequented, plus the close proximity…
Was all of this enough to trigger a bonding heat in a Sentinel with a compatibility of only 60.01%?
And to such a severe degree.
The measures for dealing with a bonding heat were divided into three categories: Level One Bonding, Level Two Bonding, and Level Three Bonding. Level One covered all surface contact, from touching fingertips to hugging and caressing; Level Two included kissing and other intimate acts; Level Three was a physical relationship.
They had already touched and hugged, were still holding hands and had an arm around his neck, yet Zhu Hui’s face was only getting redder.
Level One Bonding was clearly not enough.
And yet, despite it not being enough, he was forcing himself to stay calm, struggling against his instincts, trying to maintain a distance from the dangerous Guide.
If his spiritual body hadn’t been playing tricks, he might not have ended up in such an embarrassing predicament.
In the past, Xu Xunyue wouldn’t have bothered with a Sentinel in a bonding heat. But things were different now.
Having no expectations for his legal partner didn’t mean he had no interest in Zhu Hui, the only one with a qualifying compatibility rating.
That momentary throb of his heart was too intriguing.
[He belongs to you.]
In this day and age, how could that be possible?
And yet, it seemed to have a ring of truth to it.
This young, cold, and decorated Sentinel was now flushed red, his thoughts sluggish, completely under his control.
A Sentinel belonging to him.
Completely, and only, his?
He could do so much to a Sentinel he had thrown into a bonding heat—explore, coax, induce… and once he discovered something—
He hoped Zhu Hui was not on the opposing side.
Xu Xunyue’s lips curled into a smile. He turned over Zhu Hui’s hand, which was clad in a black, half-fingered combat glove. His fingertips gently slid into the gap between the rubber and the palm, slowly caressing the burning skin.
He was also wearing gloves, ivory-white ones, the classic style for a Guide, completely encasing his long, slender fingers.
The muscles in Zhu Hui’s entire arm tensed, but he didn’t pull away. He only lowered his eyes to look at their touching hands.
His face turned a little redder.
The heating in the room was on full blast, and the crackling firewood of the white noise made it feel even warmer. The scent of snow lingered within it, which should have felt out of place, but for some reason, it dispelled the drowsiness brought on by the warmth and enclosed space.
Zhu Hui couldn’t look at their hands for long, because Xu Xunyue quickly let go of the combat glove.
The rubber snapped back, once again binding the smooth lines of the Sentinel’s hand, making a crisp sound.
And the Sentinel himself was suddenly grabbed by the chin by Xu Xunyue, who pulled him down, bit by bit. The movement forced his lips to part slightly, and their upper bodies were almost pressed together again.
The closer Xu Xunyue got, the harder it was for Zhu Hui to think. He could no longer think at all. But in the chaos, he felt as if he were being watched, enveloped by something.
Danger, danger, danger.
He subconsciously wanted to attack.
“Close your eyes,” the Guide commanded in a low voice.
He froze.
His instincts began to speak.
Don’t move. Guides are fragile. Your Guide is even injured, his legs crippled.
You can’t attack your Guide. You can’t struggle.
Besides…
Zhu Hui closed his eyes.
In the haze of blurred and stimulating senses, he heard a soft laugh, but he didn’t see that the color of those ice-blue eyes had deepened.
Like the deep sea in a cataclysm zone, where vortexes could form at any moment, dragging humans in to be swallowed, chewed up, and turned into the foam on the morning sea.
Or perhaps, turned into an ice sculpture in an underwater city, to remain there forever and ever.
