Early the next morning, Wen Xiu was summoned by the village chief and asked what had happened in the warehouse the previous afternoon. Ever since the demon arrived at their village, he seemed unwilling to leave without disclosing a reason. He had been behaving mysteriously, especially as he singled out Wen Xiu. No matter what, this is suspicious.
Wen Xiu responded with the same words, but the village chief seemed to have reservations about his words. His gaze fixed on Wen Xiu without looking away.
Feeling uneasy under the village chief’s gaze, Wen Xiu couldn’t help but ask, “Village chief, is something wrong?”
“Good child, let me ask you, do you like this village?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Would you sacrifice yourself for this village or your parents?”
Wen Xiu didn’t dwell on what sacrifices he might have to make, but if it were for his foster parents, he would do anything, “Of course.”
“Very good, very good.” The village chief nodded approvingly and added, “Right, I’ll let you get on.”
Wen Xiu found it odd, but he didn’t pay much attention. Their village chief, despite his old age, was indeed a responsible, good village chief. Last night, he had been contemplating what Bai Chen had told him, along with his foster parents’ warnings. He didn’t want to worry them, but he also remembered Bai Chen’s instructions. Despite still feeling somewhat afraid of him, he still got out of bed in the middle of the night, went out without telling his parents, and sneaked over to the warehouse.
When he quietly left the house, he did not forget to bring along some medicine and bandages, remembering that Bai Chen had been injured, possibly by him. He had left in a hurry yesterday that he didn’t even offer an apology.
Today, the village chief had people repair the damaged parts of the warehouse. The new and old wooden boards were patched together, creating different markings, yet both are from the forest, making them seem unusually harmonious.
Wen Xiu had barely reached the warehouse’s door when he heard a voice from inside, “Come in.”
After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Wen Xiu opened the door and entered the room. The warehouse was not lit, but the windows were not covered, and there was even moonlight shining on the window sill, so it didn’t feel too dark. However, since Wen Xiu had just entered from outside, his eyes needed a moment to adjust before he could see the situation inside clearly.
Bai Chen and his golden dragon were looking at him.
Wen Xiu had intended to ask Bai Chen why he didn’t turn on the lights, but his attention was drawn to Jin Long. What should have been an adult-sized golden dragon had shrunk to half its size. Unable to resist, Wen Xiu asked, “How come it’s smaller?”
“Because it is afraid you’ll be startled again.”
“Can it freely change its size?” Wen Xiu didn’t catch that Bai Chen was teasing him and curiously moved a bit closer to Jin Long. Jin Long also approached him, circling around Wen Xiu. With its smaller size, it no longer felt as imposing, and its small horns even looked somewhat cute.
Bai Chen glanced at his own spiritual familiar and said lightly, “Its original form is twice as big as what you saw yesterday. Changing its form is just for convenience.”
Wen Xiu seemed quite interested in Jin Long, as encountering such legendary creatures wasn’t something everyone experienced, “Can I touch it?”
Bai Chen hesitated for a moment. Wen Xiu didn’t know that touching someone’s spiritual familiar was an intimate act. The spiritual familiar was like one’s incarnation, reflecting the truest thoughts and personality of its owner. When in combat, it would be reflected in their combat abilities. But Bai Chen didn’t explain all this; he simply said, “You can.”
With permission granted, Wen Xiu boldly reached out his hand, attempting to touch Xiao Jin Long’s [1] head, though he seemed a bit nervous. The dragon noticed Wen Xiu’s gesture and even lowered its head to allow him to stroke it.
[1] 小金龙 “Xiao Jin Long—little golden dragon”: similar to the 金龙, 小金龙 is used as both a proper noun and a noun. 小 “xiao” means small/little in Chinese, so 小金龙 means little golden dragon. This is often used when Jin Long is using its small body form.
Wen Xiu proceeded to touch it, feeling the cold and smooth scales. He wondered if it was because Jin Long had shrunk in size, but the dragon’s scales felt soft and tough, not sharp to the touch. It felt pretty surreal to him that a spiritual familiar that ordinary people can’t see could feel so real and physical, like a pet.
Bai Chen could sense Wen Xiu’s movements, but his expression remained unchanged and expressionless.
Wen Xiu didn’t overstep any boundaries with his touch, but he expressed his envy, “Do I not have a spiritual familiar?”
“You do. It will naturally appear after the awakening of a Guide or Sentinel.”
Wen Xiu looked around him but still couldn’t see it, “Then where is mine?”
Bai Chen said, “I awakened very early, so I’ve already forgotten the situation at the time. It wasn’t until one day that I noticed this golden dragon following me that I understood what was happening. Just wait; it will appear sooner or later.”
Wen Xiu couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. After seeing Bai Chen’s golden dragon, he also wanted a cool spiritual familiar. However, Wen Xiu quickly recovered and didn’t forget the purpose of bringing the medicine and bandages. “I’m sorry about yesterday. Can I…I help you with the bandages?”
Bai Chen didn’t refuse. He took off his shirt and sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Wen Xiu to unwrap the old bandages and reapply the medicine.
Wen Xiu tore open the gauze and saw that Bai Chen’s wound covered a large area, from his forearm to his shoulder, both new and old injuries. It could not only have been caused by him but also by Bai Chen himself when he blocked the boulder. Wen Xiu didn’t ask, but he didn’t ignore it either. He also noticed a thin iron chain wrapped around Xiao Jin Long.
Bai Chen didn’t show any signs of pain. Instead, it was Wen Xiu who frowned, and his hands trembled a little. Bai Chen didn’t know if Wen Xiu was too nervous or afraid, so he tried to break the silence, “You’re adapting really quickly.”
“Hmm?”
“Usually, when people realise they’re different from others, they aren’t as calm as you.” Bai Chen even prepared mentally in case Wen Xiu rejected his Guide identity; he would find a way to force him to face reality. In an era where abilities were not common, they were often rejected by society, just like Bai Chen was called a demon. He had seen Sentinels or Guides who couldn’t accept themselves, eventually losing themselves and falling into a deep sleep within their own spiritual realm [2]. But Wen Xiu didn’t. His adaptability and tolerance were unexpectedly strong.
*[2] 精神图景 “*spiritual realm”: The manifested spiritual world of Sentinels or Guides, which also reflects their true mental state (an explanation from the author).
When a Sentinel enters the wandering state, the Guide can use spiritual guidance to enter the other’s spiritual plane and bring them back, re-establishing their connection with the outside world.
“Probably… because I was abandoned as a baby. So I’m more optimistic, and there’s nothing I can’t accept. Although I was scared at first… but what good does not believing do? I can even see Jin Long…” Wen Xiu smiled, his tone devoid of negativity. Perhaps because he was raised by parents who had no blood relation to him, he could feel the warmth of the world even more.
What a good kid, Bai Chen can’t help but think that Wen Xiu is completely opposite to himself.
That night, Bai Chen didn’t teach him anything; he just wanted Wen Xiu to get used to the darkness. A Guide’s perceptual ability should not be limited by sight. He also warned Wen Xiu that he could only unleash his Guide’s power when he was by his side.
Wen Xiu didn’t know how to control his abilities yet, but he still agreed to everything.
Two days later, Wen Xiu crawled out of bed in the middle of the night and, as usual, was about to go find Bai Chen. Suddenly, he noticed something wriggling in the blankets, small and slender. Initially, he thought it was a bug, but when he lifted the blanket to look, he found a little blue snake. Xiao Lan She [3] is tiny, only about the size of a palm, slightly transparent, clear like the blue-green water of a lake, with round black eyes, very adorable. It wriggled its small body, trying hard to crawl towards its owner.
[3] 小蓝蛇 “xiǎo lán shé—little blue snake”: exactly the same as Jin Long. This term is used as a proper noun and a noun.
At first, Wen Xiu was puzzled; how could there be a newborn snake? After thinking for a while, he realised this little creature was his spiritual familiar.
Wen Xiu’s spiritual familiar was completely different from what he had imagined—not tall and mighty, but he was still delighted. Holding the little snake in his hands, he showed it off to Bai Chen like offering a treasure, “Look, this is my spiritual familiar.”
Xiao Lan She’s round and cute eyes stared at Bai Chen, sticking its tongue towards him. Even though Xiao Jin Long was smaller, it was still dozens of times larger than the little blue snake, and whenever it approached, the little blue snake would tremble with fear.
“It’s very adorable,” Bai Chen couldn’t help but feel that the eyes of this little snake were a bit like Wen Xiu’s—black and round, with a temperament as gentle as its owner’s. But what was even cuter was Wen Xiu’s gesture; he actually wanted Bai Chen to touch his spiritual familiar.
Bai Chen didn’t refuse either. He extended his left hand, letting Xiao Lan She crawl onto his palm, gently stroking its cold body with his fingers.
Wen Xiu was initially very happy but suddenly felt something was off. Why was it that when Bai Chen touched the little snake, he could feel a sensation as if his own body was being touched?
“Dem… Bai Chen.” He almost blurted out “demon.” In a moment of panic and desperation, he couldn’t not call out his name: “Don’t… don’t touch.”
Bai Chen couldn’t help but laugh; he finally realised it.
Only then did Wen Xiu realise that when a spiritual familiar is touched, the owner would also feel it. So when he touched the head of the Xiao Jin Long, Bai Chen also felt…
Wen Xiu’s face flushed red, “Why… why didn’t you say so earlier?”