“Mum…”
Wen Xiu saw his foster mother crying, standing at the door of their home for who knows how long, constantly looking towards the direction of the warehouse as if waiting for him to return. His foster father gently rested his hand on her shoulder; despite showing a worried expression, he didn’t forget to comfort his foster mother. Wen Xiu walked up to them, intending to tell them he was fine and they shouldn’t worry, but he found that they seemed to be unable to see him. He was like a ghost, unable to touch them, and they didn’t seem to notice him. So he could only repeatedly cry out, “Don’t cry, Mum… I’m here…”
Wen Xiu was suddenly awakened and brought back to reality by the clear and crisp sound of fingers snapping. He abruptly opened his eyes to find himself not standing at the door of his home but lying in the pitch-black warehouse. His mind was still foggy. Before he could recall what had happened before he fell asleep, he saw Jin Long’s head approach him. He was startled and scrambled to the corner of the wall and stared blankly at Jin Long. At the same time, he noticed Bai Chen behind it, shirtless and bandaging his wounds.
The bed was occupied by Wen Xiu, so Bai Chen could only sit on a nearby wooden crate. He glanced lightly at Wen Xiu, then used his teeth to tear off the bandage, skillfully tying knots around the wound.
Wen Xiu instantly calmed down as he remembered what happened before he passed out. The injuries on the demon’s body… it seemed he had caused them?
But why? How could… he’s just an ordinary person…
Wen Xiu had countless questions swirling in his mind, but he dared not ask. He stared straight at Bai Chen, completely unsure of what to say. Jin Long, who was beside the bed, still loomed over him, leaving him unsure of what to do. “I…”
“It means no harm.” Bai Chen finally spoke, “You should be able to sense that, right?”
Indeed, Wen Xiu was merely startled but wasn’t all that frightened. After all, no one would be able to remain calm if they were suddenly able to see unknown creatures. He took the opportunity to ask his questions, “How did this happen? What am I…?”
“You’re a Guide,” Bai Chen paused for a moment as if carefully choosing his words, then continued, “We are… of the same kind.”
He didn’t mind himself being labelled as a demon, but he didn’t want to use that term on Wen Xiu.
“Same kind?” Wen Xiu didn’t know how to interpret this definition, he still felt bewildered and found it surreal.
“Simply put, Guides possess powerful spiritual power and can sense and influence the emotions of others, but at the same time, they’re also prone to being influenced by others’ emotions. Their empathic abilities far exceed those of ordinary people.” Bai Chen remained reserved; although he knew more about the ability of the Guide, he carefully chose his words, as he believed, at this moment Wen Xiu didn’t need to know about the more complex matters. Bai Chen added, “When you were asleep just now, your consciousness drifted away, didn’t it? That’s dangerous. You need to learn to control your power to avoid entering chaos [1].”
[1] 混沌 “chaos”: When a Guide is overwhelmed by a large amount of complex emotions or when shields are forcibly shattered, the situation that may occur is usually not as dangerous as the wandering state, but it can result in unconsciousness or emotional turmoil (an explanation provided by the author).
Wen Xiu suddenly remembered the clear, snapping sound that had awoken him. It was Bai Chen. He had a strange feeling that such a conversation had somehow brought them closer. Wen Xiu was no longer as afraid of him as before. “So, you’re one too?”
Bai Chen explained, “I’m a Sentinel, different from you. My senses are sharper than those of ordinary people. You’ve just awakened and must learn to create spiritual shields [2] to protect yourself.”
[2] 屏障 “shield”: Sentinels and Guides use spiritual barriers to protect themselves from external sensory or emotional intrusions. Guides are much better at this than sentinels; they can freely open or close the gates of their senses, while Sentinels must rely on assistance. A powerful Guide can also selectively use shields to weaken or isolate the Sentinel’s perception of the outside world, thus protecting them (an explanation provided by the author).
“Why are you telling me this? Why do you want me to know…”
Guides and Sentinels were always closely related; even if they weren’t romantic partners, they could be comrades in arms. But Bai Chen didn’t intend to explain in such an indirect way. He simply said, “Because I need you.”
Wen Xiu is able to clearly identify his spiritual familiar, so his compatibility with Bai Chen is definitely not low. Bai Chen believed in this, even if it was just a sixth sense intuition. In this world, there are too few awakened humans, Sentinels are scarce, and Guides are even rarer. Bai Chen had encountered other Guides before, but no one could see Jin Long. In the circumstances where there are so few of the same kind, finding a partner with high compatibility seemed like a type of luxury. Nevertheless, Bai Chen wasn’t willing to give in, and after searching for three years, he finally found Wen Xiu.
Wen Xiu couldn’t understand what kind of relationship Bai Chen meant by “need”. He had grown up in the mountains, and with a simple mind, he believed that Bai Chen only needed help, and he never thought of that kind of relationship. He looked at Bai Chen, and for a moment, he was unsure how to reply. While Wen Xiu’s gaze swept over the other person’s figure, he noticed it was already dark outside. No wonder the room was so dim. How long had he been asleep?
He remembered the scenes he had just seen in his dreams, his adoptive mother standing at the door of their home crying. If what he saw wasn’t a dream…
He immediately got out of bed, eager to rush back, but feared that Bai Chen wouldn’t let him go. He asked, “Can I go? I should go back now. My parents must be worried…”
Bai Chen lightly responded with “en” [3] and didn’t stop him. While Wen Xiu was asleep, he had already learned about their family situation from the village chief. With Wen Xiu’s gentle and obedient nature, he wasn’t worried that Wen Xiu would run away. Before Wen Xiu left, he reminded him, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened today, including your parents. If anyone asks about the explosion this afternoon, just say I did it.”
“Why?”
“There’s no need to ask why; just do as I say.” Bai Chen stared at him, warning him coldly.
Wen Xiu was so startled that he nodded quickly, “Okay…”
“Also, starting tomorrow, come to me at midnight. If you don’t want to lose control of your abilities and harm the people in the village, then listen to me.”
After thinking for a moment, Wen Xiu agreed, “Okay…”
For now, Wen Xiu didn’t want to think about what a Guide really is. He just wanted to reassure his adoptive parents. He ran all the way home and, indeed, saw his adoptive parents standing at the door waiting for him.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His adoptive mother touched Wen Xiu’s face and then had him turn around to inspect him all over.
Wen Xiu said several times that he was fine before his adoptive mother finally calmed down. When asked about what happened at the warehouse that afternoon, Wen Xiu repeated the words as Bai Chen had instructed him.
His adoptive mother hugged Wen Xiu, murmuring to herself, “As long as you’re okay, it’s fine. We’ll stay away from the warehouse from now on and stay away from that demon. As long as we stay away from him, everything will be fine…”
Wen Xiu’s smile gradually faded from his face. He suddenly seemed to have understood why Bai Chen wanted him to say that. Does Bai Chen wish for him not to be treated in this way by the villagers and be regarded as a demon?
Just like how Bai Chen had undoubtedly saved their village from the falling boulder but hadn’t explained anything. Was it because explanations are of no use? Because no one would believe the words of a demon, so he had to use threats and cold words to express himself.
Wen Xiu felt a little sad inside, but he had already promised Bai Chen.
It doesn’t matter, he thought. He knows Bai Chen is a good person, and he could treat him well.
Author’s Notes
An explanation for this book: only Sentinel Guides with a high degree of compatibility can see each other’s spiritual familiar.
Translator Notes
[4] “嗯了一声” – this phrase means to make a “m” sound, sometimes accompanied with a light nod. It’s similar to “mhm” but only the first syllable without the “h” sound—a common way to lightly express agreement. “嗯” is the sound, and the pinyin is “en”, this is used in the text above. There are many adorable Chinese gifs to represent this, like this one: https://tenor.com/view/peachcat-love-peach-cat-gif-22219513