Chapter 19: Guides Are Way Too OP!

Yu Yan, of course, agreed.

He merely asked, “Then how long do you need to think about it?”

You Fuzhou hesitated. “.”

“A year…?”

Yu Yan smiled faintly. “A month? Sure.”

You Fuzhou: “…”

He had the feeling that if he insisted on a full year, Yu Yan would probably bargain it down to a week.

So You Fuzhou nodded instead.

“Does that mean I can pursue you during this month?” Yu Yan asked.

You Fuzhou blinked. “? But you said I needed time to consider…”

“You can consider all you want,” Yu Yan replied. “I’ll pursue you regardless.”

He gazed at You Fuzhou with gentle eyes. “Those things don’t conflict, do they?”

You Fuzhou: “…”

It seemed they really didn’t.

You Fuzhou fell silent, and Yu Yan smoothly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“I’ve come up with a way,” he said, “that might let me wake Rong Yao using your spiritual power—without us having to bond.”

You Fuzhou’s eyes widened slightly. “!”

He looked at Yu Yan with delight. “What method?”

Yu Yan’s eyes curved in a smile. “I’ve been thinking about it. Last time, I only helped you with shallow guidance and carried a bit of your aura inside. Rong Yao reacted to that, which means her spiritual world is just sealed off, not collapsed. She trusts you so much that even sensing you makes her feel safe enough to respond.”

“So,” he continued, “what if I could simulate your spiritual power? Wouldn’t that make her open her own spiritual world voluntarily?”

You Fuzhou paused, stunned.

He didn’t quite understand—spiritual power wasn’t a sentinel’s domain, after all. “Simulate spiritual power… Is that even possible?”

“I haven’t tried it before, so we’ll have to test it,” Yu Yan admitted. “It doesn’t even need to be identical—just similar enough for Rong Yao to sense it. No two people in the world have truly identical spiritual power.”

You Fuzhou gathered that it would be incredibly difficult. “Will it be hard on you?”

Yu Yan nodded candidly. “I’ve been experimenting these past few days without any success. Forcing my own spiritual power to take on someone else’s ‘shape’ is pretty exhausting. But with enough samples, it might just work.”

He chuckled lightly as he spoke to You Fuzhou. “So, does that earn me some points?”

You Fuzhou blinked, not following. “Points for what?”

“Pursuing you, of course.”

You Fuzhou: “.”

He truly didn’t understand how Yu Yan could say these things so casually, but after a light cough, he nodded.

“But I’ll need your cooperation too.”

Yu Yan was quick to seize the moment. Seeing him nod, he steered the conversation back to treating Rong Yao. “Remote, non-contact shallow guidance isn’t precise enough. I can’t fully grasp your spiritual power that way.”

He extended his hand to You Fuzhou. “We’ll need some physical contact. Is that okay?”

You Fuzhou had no objections. He didn’t even suspect Yu Yan of any ulterior motives—not a shred of doubt crossed his mind.

He lifted his hand and grasped Yu Yan’s.

Perhaps because of his half-mermaid bloodline, Yu Yan’s body temperature was usually cool to the touch. For someone as warm-blooded as You Fuzhou, it stood out sharply. Every time they made contact, he wanted to warm Yu Yan up, worried that his guide might be cold.

You Fuzhou couldn’t sense Yu Yan’s spiritual power, but he could feel the soothing comfort of the shallow guidance.

His habitually tense body relaxed. The white lion crouched at Yu Yan’s side swished its tail and leaned against him, purring contentedly from its throat.

Yu Yan chuckled softly. As he looked at You Fuzhou, a itch stirred in his heart—he was tempted to intensify the guidance, just to see You Fuzhou melt like a contented cat and make some unconscious gestures of bliss…

But not now.

You Fuzhou would be too embarrassed and avoid him for days afterward.

His sentinel was a bit too pure-hearted.

“…Your spiritual world has improved a lot compared to before.”

To distract himself, Yu Yan commented on something else. “But these past days, we’ve only been treating the symptoms, not the cause. If we stop the guidance, it’ll come roaring back—probably worse than ever.”

He frowned. “And I’m clearly your guide.”

There was a hint of reproach in his final words, because You Fuzhou never sought him out for guidance on his own.

They had already established their guardian bond, yet You Fuzhou always kept a polite distance…

Yu Yan squeezed You Fuzhou’s fingertips with a bit more force.

You Fuzhou, who had been enjoying it with his eyes closed, startled and opened them to look at him.

“Why haven’t you come to me for guidance?” Yu Yan asked.

You Fuzhou couldn’t quite explain. Yu Yan softened his tone and coaxed patiently, “You’ve never had properly compatible guidance before. You know your condition is poor, so why not come to me? I’m your guide.”

He emphasized it again.

Finally, You Fuzhou spoke, his voice low. “I’m afraid… of getting dependent.”

Sentinels did develop dependencies on their guides’ guidance—the higher the compatibility, the stronger the dependency.

You Fuzhou had never encountered a guide whose non-contact shallow guidance worked this well on him. He knew his compatibility with Yu Yan was exceptionally high, especially since Yu Yan was an S-Class guide who matched him perfectly in every way.

Not to mention, after that one full-contact session last time, You Fuzhou kept involuntarily recalling how it felt.

He wasn’t some saint. He could hold back once or twice, but if it happened more often… He didn’t want to hurt Yu Yan.

Yu Yan hadn’t expected that answer. He paused, then sighed helplessly. “You Fuzhou.”

You Fuzhou lifted his gaze and saw the older guide regarding him with uncharacteristic aggression. Yu Yan smiled warmly, but his tone had cooled. “Do I need to force a kiss on you before you’ll believe I really like you?”

You Fuzhou: “…”

You Fuzhou: “?”

His ears flushed red in an instant. But before his embarrassment could fully take hold, Yu Yan’s smile vanished. He stared intently at You Fuzhou, his beautiful eyes sharp with scrutiny. “Or is it because I’m a compatible guide? Do you think I match with every sentinel—like some heat-struck dog who’ll go for any decent one?”

You Fuzhou realized he’d truly upset Yu Yan.

Panic flickered through him, especially as Yu Yan seemed about to pull his hand away.

Instinctively, You Fuzhou gripped tighter. His spiritual body hurriedly blocked Yu Yan’s retreat, trapping him with You Fuzhou in front and the white lion behind—no escape.

Yu Yan noticed immediately and mentally raised an eyebrow. Oh wow.

He loved when You Fuzhou acted like this.

—Someone as twisted as him would see equal possessiveness from his beloved as proof of matching affection.

“I’m sorry.”

You Fuzhou apologized at once. “That’s not what I meant.”

Yu Yan kept his cool expression. “Then what did you mean?”

He cut straight through. “You’re just worried I’m only confused by gratitude right now, and that I’ll eventually find another sentinel I like and leave, aren’t you?”

You Fuzhou: “…”

Yes.

Seeing You Fuzhou at a loss for words, Yu Yan considered easing up.

But… You Fuzhou was like a turtle when it came to emotions.

Poke him once, and he’d react. Leave him alone, and he’d retreat into his shell.

It was because he was so pure and inexperienced—and because he constantly second-guessed himself, convinced he wasn’t good enough. You Fuzhou was too kind.

Yu Yan knew he sometimes had dark thoughts himself. That’s why You Fuzhou feared starting anything—he didn’t want to hurt him.

So Yu Yan decided on a harsher approach.

Gazing at You Fuzhou, he said bluntly, “You Fuzhou, I think you’re insulting my feelings.”

You Fuzhou startled, gripping Yu Yan’s hand harder. “I’m sorry… I really didn’t mean to.”

He looked at Yu Yan helplessly. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”

Yu Yan had already suffered so much.

The higher a sentinel’s rank, the greater the shadow side brought by their powerful genes.

“Why would you hurt me?” Yu Yan asked.

You Fuzhou murmured, “Because I’m a sentinel. You know the kind of awful things sentinels do.”

Yu Yan paused again, stunned once more by You Fuzhou.

He tilted his head slightly. “Wanting to possess someone you like—isn’t that normal? I get jealous when you’re too close to Ye Songhua and the others… Don’t you ever tease me like that?”

You Fuzhou froze.

“I thought you only saw me as a duty,” Yu Yan continued. “That you think of me as dead weight, and you only agreed to be my guardian because you had no choice…”

“No.” You Fuzhou cut him off firmly as he started up again. “It wasn’t that I had no choice.”

Yu Yan’s lips curved. “Then stop overthinking everything and pushing me away on your own, okay?”

You Fuzhou replied slowly, “Okay…”

“You never look at me,” Yu Yan said. “I thought you hated me.”

You Fuzhou: “? No, I’ve told you I don’t hate you.”

Many times, in fact.

“Then look at me more.”

You Fuzhou had just nodded when Yu Yan fixed on the whirl of his hair, his tone cooling again. “Nodding without lifting your head?”

You Fuzhou obediently raised his gaze and met Yu Yan’s smiling eyes.

His heart skipped a beat. Realizing he’d gripped too tightly, he loosened his hold slightly—only for Yu Yan to apparently think he was pulling away. The guide grabbed back harder and said, “I’m guiding you right now. Where do you think you’re going?”

Those words made it sound like punishment was coming the very next second.

You Fuzhou fell silent for a moment and obediently stayed put.

He wasn’t sure whether it was the lingering effect of the guidance or something else, but his head felt fuzzy. No matter what Yu Yan said, You Fuzhou couldn’t think it through clearly—he just nodded along.

Yu Yan asked, “Then do you understand now that I get jealous when you’re close to Ye Songhua and the others? Can you keep some distance from them in the future?”

You Fuzhou: “…”

Yu Yan gently pinched the webbing between You Fuzhou’s thumb and forefinger. “Hm?”

You Fuzhou had a distinct feeling.

If they actually ended up together, the house rules would end up being a mile long.

“…Okay.”

But You Fuzhou had no choice.

Yu Yan smiled. “I can tell just by looking—your mental fluctuations go wild around me.”

His eyes curved in amusement. “Your heart must be pounding too.”

He left the rest unsaid, but You Fuzhou could read the meaning plain as day in his gaze—

“You like me.”

You Fuzhou: “…”

Guides were seriously way too OP! Couldn’t they play without a ban?!

~~~