When Elada arrived, You Fuzhou brought Yu Yan along to meet him.
He was overjoyed to see Rong Yao. He wanted to pull her into an embrace, but he restrained the impulse. Instead, he simply gazed at her steadily.
This was the second time You Fuzhou had seen tears streaming from his reddened eyes.
The first time had also been because of Rong Yao. It was You Fuzhou who had informed Elada that something had happened to her. Elada had been young back then too—after all, he and You Fuzhou had been born the same year.
Elada had been so furious at the time that You Fuzhou had to talk him down, or he would have charged straight to the Empire Military Academy for a fight to the death with those mermaids.
So at that moment, You Fuzhou had been certain that Elada truly cared for Rong Yao.
But after all these years, who knew how much that affection had worn away? At least on Rong Yao’s side, there was only a faint pang of wistfulness for a person and place forever changed.
“Long time no see,” Rong Yao said to Elada. “I never imagined you’d become one of the leaders of the Freedom Alliance.”
Elada wiped away his tears. “Yeah… long time no see.”
Yu Yan gripped You Fuzhou’s hand tightly, a chill lurking in the depths of his gaze as he looked at Elada.
But he said nothing. When Elada greeted them, Yu Yan offered a faint smile and a polite response.
You Fuzhou sensed something off, though. He turned his head to glance at Yu Yan but held back from asking just yet.
Rong Yao took charge of receiving Elada. Some matters were easier to discuss with fewer people around—ideally, just the two of them.
She had recovered quite a bit over the past few days, though she still couldn’t walk. She’d also picked up a few techniques from Yu Yan and Ye Songhua on how to shape mental energy into weapons. Elada was merely an A-Class Sentinel, and while Rong Yao hadn’t been re-evaluated since her incomplete recovery, Yu Yan had told You Fuzhou that he suspected she might be S-Class. So You Fuzhou felt reasonably at ease leaving them alone.
And even if the worst came to pass, if they were to spark this revolution, they would have to take some risks and make sacrifices anyway.
After Rong Yao and Elada left, You Fuzhou lowered his voice and asked Yu Yan, “Do you two have some history?”
Yu Yan nodded. “Mm. Though he might not realize I know about it.”
It was a simple enough story. Last year, Yu Yan had reached out to Elada through an intermediary, hoping the Freedom Alliance could lend a hand.
They had rescued a group of slaves, but with their nomadic lifestyle, they had no secure base to house them.
That batch of slaves had been intended for imperial trade deals, tied to the Royal Family no less, so the Freedom Alliance refused their request.
Later, when Yu Yan’s group ran into trouble, it was the Empire hunting them down after tracing the matter.
“I’m certain there were no traitors in my ranks leaking information,” Yu Yan said softly. “We handled everything cleanly enough.”
That left only one possibility: Elada had been the leak.
You Fuzhou didn’t defend Elada—not out of blind trust in Yu Yan, but because this wasn’t the first time Elada had pulled something like that.
You Fuzhou had discovered it early on. When confronted, Elada had explained it away as a necessary trade-off, one that would make the Freedom Alliance stronger.
“Sacrificing that small group means safety for everyone else in the Alliance,” he’d said.
You Fuzhou understood the concept of sacrifice, but Elada’s version was little more than appeasement.
It was like the ancient practice of marriage alliances for peace—something done either by foolish rulers or out of sheer desperation. As a leader of the Freedom Alliance, though, what Elada pursued clashed fundamentally with what he actually did.
He had become a politician.
What baffled You Fuzhou most was not knowing when Elada had changed like this.
In his memory, Elada should still have been the hot-headed young man ready to storm the Empire Military Academy that day.
“Even though I knew the Freedom Alliance might not be what people imagined,” Yu Yan said, “I didn’t expect him to go so far as to leak our intel.”
In the end, Yu Yan’s group had escaped with the slaves unscathed but only after great trouble—trouble caused by Elada’s betrayal, which left Yu Yan utterly drained and nearly captured.
You Fuzhou mused over it. “So that’s why you put on that act with me when we first met.”
Yu Yan wasn’t entirely sure what You Fuzhou was thinking.
He smiled without a trace of guilt. “I did have my doubts back then—wondering if Elada had sent you to get close to me, not realizing it was me from that incident.”
It was true. Otherwise, Yu Yan wouldn’t have adopted that stance toward You Fuzhou at the start. Back then, he’d thought that a Sentinel like You Fuzhou was one he had to claim by any means necessary—even if it meant snatching him from the Freedom Alliance.
Yu Yan paused briefly. “…Truth be told, him reaching this position at such a young age, becoming a leader of the Freedom Alliance—it’s because of you.”
You Fuzhou was the one Elada had brought into the Freedom Alliance. In his first year, You Fuzhou had openly sided with Elada, propelling the man to rapid prominence.
In the Freedom Alliance, a branch leader position wasn’t absolute power. Major decisions went to votes, and leaders mainly facilitated meetings and set the broad direction—no veto authority. To “utilize” You Fuzhou, Elada, with his close ties to the Sentinel, had climbed to such a high seat.
You Fuzhou nodded. “I suspected as much when they elected him leader.”
He had been through something similar once before, so he knew the signs.
He’d even talked it over with Elada back then, advising him against taking the role.
But Elada had been thrilled, telling him that from that position, he could do so much more—find ways to cure Rong Yao and contribute even greater strides toward “freedom.”
You Fuzhou could hardly recall now whether Elada had still been unchanged at that point or if the shift had already begun.
His own state had been poor then too—the year he’d rejected Guides most fiercely. For a Sentinel without Spiritual Guidance, it was like a flower bud withering before it could bloom, starved of proper care.
You Fuzhou dwelled on those memories for a few seconds before deliberately changing the subject. “Enough about him. Rong Yao can handle it.”
He looked at Yu Yan with a touch of concern. “How are you feeling today?”
Yu Yan knew exactly what he meant. His eyes curved into a smile. “I’m fine.”
.
After two hours of conversation with Rong Yao, Elada left without even saying goodbye to You Fuzhou.
You Fuzhou learned of it while sparring with Yu Yan—or rather, while training him.
He sent Rong Yao a quick acknowledgment. Yu Yan rolled his shoulders nearby, eyeing his tall, straight-backed Sentinel like a sturdy pine. A sudden thought struck him. “How about a real spar this time?”
You Fuzhou paused.
Yu Yan pressed. “I trust you can hold back your strength.”
You Fuzhou didn’t refuse. He only said, “Then don’t hold back either. Hit me with everything you’ve got.”
Yu Yan arched a brow. You Fuzhou didn’t realize how his words could be misconstrued. “I’m a Sentinel. I can take it.”
Yu Yan’s eyes crinkled with amusement, but he didn’t point it out.
Sentinels in their innocence often let slip remarks that invited all sorts of misinterpretation—especially since Yu Yan knew full well just how resilient his was.
During their first deep Spiritual Guidance session, even Yu Yan had felt he’d gone too far, leaving the man in such a state. Yet by the next morning, You Fuzhou had recovered about seventy or eighty percent, the marks on his body fading to nothing by afternoon.
Not like Yu Yan.
As a Guide, those two bite marks from You Fuzhou lingered for seven or eight days, faint scars still visible.
Yu Yan quite liked it, though he regretted his inability to leave lasting marks on You Fuzhou.
That regret tended to make him lose control during later sessions, kissing and biting harder… Sentinels were so hypersensitive; their reactions were always intense.
It would stir up all the pent-up urges in Yu Yan’s heart, leading him overboard more than once.
And yet You Fuzhou never once said no. Yu Yan couldn’t fathom why an S-Class Sentinel like him was so compliant.
—If Yu Yan asked, You Fuzhou would blush furiously yet whisper that it actually felt pretty good…
.
With everything piling up in a frenzy and Rong Yao there to take charge, You Fuzhou could finally step back and delegate. Leadership had never been his forte anyway; he preferred following a trustworthy “sovereign” and simply executing the orders.
He hadn’t forgotten his promise to Yu Yan, though—to head to the Yashe Empire, lop off the emperor’s head, and hang it from the palace gates. So when Rong Yao was making arrangements, he mentioned it offhand.
Rong Yao fell silent for a moment.
Having reviewed their operations over the past three years, she could only think: Not surprising, coming from her brother.
Muttering some nonsense she didn’t quite follow—better to just charge in and deal with it.
That was You Fuzhou’s style in a nutshell.
The only high-level Guide around him capable of cool analysis was Ye Songhua, but even she was split about eighty-twenty between hot-blooded impulse and reason.
Tell her they could win, and Ye Songhua would bristle like an agitated beast, slam the table, and bellow louder than any Sentinel: “Then let’s fuck ’em up!”
Rong Yao felt like she’d woken up in a den of bandits.
She flashed You Fuzhou a small smile. “I’ll talk to you about it later.”
After the meeting broke up, You Fuzhou glanced at Yu Yan, who had barely spoken, intending to ask what was wrong. But Yu Yan gave him a gentle push. “It’s nothing. I’ll wait for you in the room—go handle your business first.”
You Fuzhou hesitated for a few seconds, brow furrowing as if to protest, but Yu Yan coaxed him in a low voice. “Baby, don’t forget what you promised me.”
He could dictate Yu Yan’s every move, but when Yu Yan said no, You Fuzhou had to listen.
You Fuzhou pressed his lips together.
He knew Yu Yan wouldn’t push himself just to prove a point, but You Fuzhou was still a little worried. “Are you really okay?”
Yu Yan nodded, his eyes curving into a smile. “I’ll give you a surprise later.”
You Fuzhou unconsciously gave his hand a squeeze before following Rong Yao.
Yu Yan paused for a moment, letting out a soft chuckle.
Some of You Fuzhou’s habits had rubbed off on him now.
He never would have done something like that before… It was adorable.
Rong Yao glanced back as You Fuzhou approached. “Bro, your eyes have been glued to Mr. Yu all day long. Give your Guide a little space, will you?”
You Fuzhou: “.”
Who exactly wasn’t giving whom any space?
It wasn’t as if You Fuzhou could tell her that Yu Yan had already naturally taken up residence in his room—even going so far as to use deep guidance sessions every night as an excuse to share a bath with him, wrapping his tail around You Fuzhou to keep him from leaving…
Never mind.
He was his Guide, after all. What could he do?
You Fuzhou could only silently take the blame.
Rong Yao advised holding off on making any moves against the Yashe Empire for the time being, then launched into a lengthy analysis. It all sounded reasonable enough, and while You Fuzhou felt like he grasped the gist of it, some parts still went over his head. He knew it all tied into one thing or another.
Mm.
That “one thing or another” being the bits he hadn’t quite followed.
“…Just wait for the right moment.”
Rong Yao looked helplessly at You Fuzhou, who was frowning in mild frustration, and sighed. “Fine. If you two want to charge in and hack them to bits—even mince them into a pulp—be my guest, all right?”
Satisfied, You Fuzhou nodded. “Not really my thing.”
Rong Yao: “…Who’s the one always obsessing over other people’s heads around here?”
Pretending not to hear, You Fuzhou said, “Let’s go.”
Right now, though, You Fuzhou’s mind was even more preoccupied with Yu Yan’s condition.
He pushed open the door to his bedroom and found that Yu Yan had lit only a single warm lamp.
The room was dimly lit, but not so dark that he couldn’t see. Rounding the corner, You Fuzhou spotted Yu Yan on his bed.
The man wore sheer clothing that clung to his powerfully corded muscles—beautiful ones that You Fuzhou had explored more than once amid the chaos. He truly loved them… You Fuzhou had always been drawn to strength.
Yet Yu Yan’s eyes were lowered demurely, giving him an air of utter docility.
The sight hit You Fuzhou like a punch to the head followed by a bomb blast—his mind went completely blank, thoughts obliterated.
Yu Yan tilted his head up to meet his gaze. He didn’t employ any mental power, but even so, You Fuzhou felt utterly bewitched. Blushing furiously, he couldn’t stop himself from drawing closer.
It was like something from before, only this time Yu Yan delivered the words with a smile. They sounded humble on the surface, but his tone dripped with seduction and enticement—like a sea monster murmuring softly to him: “You took me away. You bought me. I’m your possession now. Use me however you please.”
Yu Yan propped himself up and hooked his arms around You Fuzhou’s neck. His fingertips trailed over the other man’s burning ear as he chuckled lowly. “Baby, are you ready?”
His heat period had arrived.
~~~
