The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 17

It was said that the Empire’s star system categorized its people into three distinct types which were ordinary humans, sentinels and guides.

Qin Xiao, very likely to become a guide, tossed and turned restlessly, unable to sleep. Every time she imagined herself transforming into a beast again in a few years, with a cute and obedient companion beast by her side… Two beasts together would be completely useless, what could they possibly accomplish anyway?

In despair, Qin Xiao got up and paced around her room, fussing and fretting. According to the survival rules on the last planet, someone as weak as she was stood little chance in such a brutal world. More troubling still, she had seen something unsettling in Eva’s hesitant expression. Even if she awakened as a guide, she might still be a weak guide.

“If they use Quantum beasts to determine whether someone is a sentinel or a guide, then why can’t I be a sentinel?” Qin Xiao looked at her hand as though she could see the little monster’s claws through it. The little creature had quite a strong attack and Eva’s theory claimed that sentinels possessed immense strength and heightened senses so a guide should not have this level of power. So, there was no certainty she was a guide!

Reassured by her own logic, Qin Xiao’s confidence returned instantly.

She figured Eva and Lady Luo must have been mistaken. Both sentinels and guides had Quantum beasts. She simply had not seen hers yet. Maybe her Quantum beast would turn out to be a mighty creature like Tuan Tuan, shining with golden brilliance.

She flopped back onto the bed with her hands behind her head and one leg lazily resting across the other as she settled in. In a good mood, she began rocking slightly, making the bed creak beneath her. She pictured herself awakening as a sentinel (wishful thinking), with a fluffy, golden tiger like Tuan Tuan. Standing tall and fierce, it would roar once and command the attention of all surrounding beasts. Just imagining it gave her a sense of unmatched glory.

With these lovely dreams in mind, Qin Xiao drifted off to sleep. Just before losing consciousness, she had a fleeting moment of struggle. Wait… what was it I forgot?

Her multicolored crystal stone!!!

Qin Xiao did not know how long she had been asleep, but the moment she remembered the precious multicolored crystal she had worked so hard to reclaim, she sprang up from bed. After searching her room thoroughly, she decided to go ask Eva. After all, Eva had been by her side during the beast transformation.

Outside, the sky was just beginning to lighten. A single ray of sunlight was trying to break through the dull grey clouds on the horizon. Qin Xiao knocked on Eva’s door but found no one inside. She searched the place and finally spotted Eva’s thin figure in the dispensary, just as she was about to push the door open.

“Eva, your stabilizers work much better than anything on the market. It’s a good thing you’re here.” Lady Luo rotated her shoulders as she spoke and returned to her usual roguish smile which she always seemed to wear around Eva.

“As long as you like them.” Eva, dressed in her white coat, was busy preparing a potion. Only after finishing did she turn around. “Right, I haven’t had a chance to thank you. Thank you for bringing Aya back.”

Lady Luo’s smile stayed fixed, though her seductive eyes blinked twice at Eva. “Eva, do you really want to thank me?”

She took a step closer. Eva had to step back. The distance between them remained no more than the length of an arm, until Eva’s back hit the lab table. With nowhere else to retreat, Lady Luo closed the gap. The two stood intimately close, their breath mingling like lovers.

“Eva, you look upset. Are you angry about what I said to Aya yesterday?”

When Eva did not move and her lips pressed into a tight line, Lady Luo knew she had guessed correctly.

“If it’s about yesterday, I apologize. I did lie to Aya. But you know, over the years I’ve treated her like my own daughter. I couldn’t bear to disappoint her, especially when she’s just made it back to us safe and sound.”

“You still shouldn’t have lied to her!” Eva raised her head and accidentally brushed her nose against something soft. She froze, leaning back as much as she could to increase the distance between them. Her tone softened, “You… you lied to her now, but when she finds out, she’ll be even more disappointed.”

Lady Luo’s eyes locked onto the crimson hue before her. “You once said Aya missed her best chance to awaken as a guide. But look, she’s almost twenty now and still managed to touch Medusa. That means anything is possible for her. Eva, you need to have more faith in yourself, in Aya, and in me.”

Qin Xiao blinked, watching the two of them growing ever closer. She was just about to sneak off to enjoy the show from the shadows when that wretched blue-flowered snake, Medusa, appeared again, slithering toward her.

You win.

Under Medusa’s stare, Qin Xiao tiptoed her way backward. She had not seen anything too scandalous and she realized with delight that same-gender relationships between women were openly accepted here. This made her feel just as excited as she had back in the cultivation world. Wonderful.

After Qin Xiao left, Eva raised her hand to block the incoming kiss. Warm lips landed on her palm, the heat searing through to her very core. Her hand trembled slightly, and she looked apologetic.

“Sorry. I… I’m not ready yet. You know I—”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Lady Luo’s eyes. She gently pulled Eva into a hug, then released her and stepped back with a trace of regret.

“It’s all right, Eva. I’ve waited this long. I’ll keep waiting until you’re ready.”

As she reached the doorway, she added, “Yan Ningjin’s purge of military personnel is causing a huge stir. We can’t go to Capital Star for now. Pack your things. We leave tomorrow.”

Eva had registered her identity as a medical assistant, so she could disappear at any time. As for Aya, she had always been off the books.

Back in her room, Qin Xiao finally remembered why she had gone to find Eva in the first place. Before she could dwell on it, Eva returned.

“Aya, check if there’s anything you need to pack. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Qin Xiao stared at her. “We’re leaving?”

Eva sat beside her patiently. “Back when Lady Luo rescued you, she took someone very important from the royal ship. Even though we returned them, the royal family of Capital Star will surely pursue this matter. So, little Aya, we have to return to Mercury Star for now.”

Qin Xiao: !!!

Mercury Star was a very small planet. Aside from a few natives, most inhabitants belonged to their organization. They had named the group the Adventurers.

Qin Xiao was horrified for a moment. Then she suddenly grabbed Eva’s arm.

“Mom, have you seen that multicolored stone I brought back?”

Eva asked uncertainly, “The one you kept in your mouth?”

Qin Xiao nodded vigorously.

Eva looked helpless. “You never let anyone touch it. Did you lose it somewhere? Want me to help you look?”

Qin Xiao saw that Eva didn’t seem to be lying. She recalled that when she lay in the stasis pod, the stone had still been there. But when she woke up, it was gone. Then she remembered her lip getting bitten. Instinctively, she swallowed hard and covered her neck, her face tight with worry.

Eva noticed her reaction. “What’s wrong?”

Qin Xiao suspected she had swallowed the stone during her transformation from beast to human. Her voice caught in her throat. “Cough, nothing. Mom, didn’t you say we have to pack? I can do it myself.”

Eva still looked doubtful. “You really don’t want me to help?”

Qin Xiao shook her head like a rattle drum.

Eva affectionately patted her on the head. “Once we return to Mercury Star, we can stay there for a few years. As long as your health improves, we’ll never have to return to Capital Star.”

Qin Xiao: …

Then how was she supposed to find her cauldron?

She made a swift decision in the next few minutes. She could not go back with Eva and Lady Luo. Besides, she had nothing worth packing. As for the missing crystal, she finally found it inside her dantian, nestled lovingly next to the little glowing orb.

How in the world did it travel all the way from my mouth to my stomach?!

Qin Xiao tried everything to get it out and she attempted handstands and gagging while coming up with all sorts of weird tactics. But after a whole day of trying, the multicolored crystal stayed firmly lodged in her dantian, completely unmoved.

Late at night, once everyone was asleep, Qin Xiao sneaked out of the house. Alone in the quiet world, she tried to figure out how to get to Capital Star. It was the most prosperous planet in the star system. Her chances of finding her cauldron would greatly increase there.

She also had to find that person, to fulfill the promise they had once made.

Qin Xiao had not walked far when she heard a familiar hissing behind her. She spun around. Medusa was slithering not far behind, her pace unhurried, tongue flicking now and then. When she saw Qin Xiao stop, she curled herself around her affectionately, leaving only a small space between them.

Had she been discovered the moment she left the house? Or had Medusa simply followed her from the start?

Qin Xiao shook her fist. Medusa instinctively slithered away, as though trying to dodge.

Medusa’s presence meant only one thing. Lady Luo was close.

“Lady Luo.”

“Aya, you’re being very naughty.”