The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 33

After Qin Xiao boarded the maglev train, the man followed her. Although he tried to keep a low profile, there were not many people on board, and she recognized him immediately. He was a young man nearly two meters tall, much like Mi Lin. Both belonged to the group of very young Sentinels.

He had been trailing her all the way from Aige Street to the area where Yan Ningjin lived. That neighborhood had been arranged by the military for high-ranking officers. Apart from surveillance bots at the gate, scanners were also installed to identify any approaching individuals by scanning their data against the Empire’s central database. Anyone unrecognized would likely be invited by a Sentinel patrol unit for a very serious chat about their life decisions.

On the first day she moved in, Qin Xiao had been brought by Yan Ningjin to register her fingerprints and iris patterns. As a result…

The fake identity Yu Jing had paid a good number of credits for was instantly exposed. If not for Yan Ningjin, the Empire’s General, backing her, she would have already been hauled off by that patrol team for questioning.

The moment she stepped into the secured zone, her little tail disappeared.

Qin Xiao glanced behind her and gave a pat to the small round ball that had been upright in her pocket. “Looks like this guy’s a bit of a coward.”

The small ball rolled around in her pocket and then stopped. Even after they returned, Tuan Tuan excitedly tried to toss it up with his head, but the ball showed no interest.

Yan Ningjin gave her a curious look. “Did something interesting happen today?”

Qin Xiao shook her head. Only two customers had visited the shop, and they were regulars. This kind of humiliating experience was nothing she could bring herself to share with Yan Ningjin. “Hunqiu was playing with the toys I made for Guides earlier and got tired. It might need some rest.”

Tuan Tuan, upon hearing this, lay down on the carpet with the small ball. He stared at it without blinking, sniffed it thoroughly, and perhaps caught a whiff of Xiang Tian. Without any hesitation, he swept the ball over with his paw and started licking it repeatedly. The little ball was left gleaming and shiny from all the licking.

It was unclear whether the small round ball had simply grown used to Tuan Tuan’s domineering personality, or if it was genuinely exhausted. It didn’t move even as Tuan Tuan licked it again and again.

Qin Xiao assumed that after a good licking, Tuan Tuan would stop. Who could have known that the golden beast would still not be satisfied? He opened his mouth and swallowed the ball whole, then spat it out, then did it again.

Qin Xiao: …

She turned her head silently to look at Yan Ningjin, who had her eyes closed as if browsing the Star Network. She showed no intention of managing her Quantum beast, leaving it to do as it pleased.

Just as Tuan Tuan prepared to swallow the small round ball once more, the ball suddenly shot up and slammed into the face of the golden beast. The move was so fast that even Qin Xiao did not react in time. Her small dumpling of a ball had flattened itself right onto Tuan Tuan’s face, fitting perfectly in every curve and crevice.

Tuan Tuan: …

His eyes crossed once more, and his large head stayed perfectly still.

Plop.

The dumpling-shaped ball that had molded itself to Tuan Tuan’s face dropped to the floor, still holding its perfect impression. Tuan Tuan was too scared to move a muscle. He wanted to bat at it with his paw, but hesitated, afraid to provoke the little round ball. He stretched his paw several times and retracted it each time, eventually just lying down, letting out low, pitiful whimpers. His eyes stared mournfully at the round shape on the floor.

Qin Xiao couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead.

The next day, Qin Xiao expected to run into the same sneaky Sentinel who had tailed her the day before. However, her short journey passed uneventfully. It was only upon reaching the storefront that she saw the corpse of a large, bloody animal lying across the entrance. The bl00d had not yet clotted. It was clearly a fresh kill.

The little round ball peeked its head out of her pocket, squeaked once toward a nearby wall, and gave a warning sound.

Qin Xiao turned her head and caught sight of a swiftly retreating figure. Judging by the movements, it was probably the same Sentinel who had followed her the day before. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, wondering if this was an extremely broke Sentinel who couldn’t afford treatment for his mania and had decided to pay in meat.

She circled the massive beast and found no external injuries. It seemed to have been beaten to death. If the killer was indeed a Sentinel, the strength certainly matched.

By the time Yu Jing arrived, the creature’s bl00d had already pooled considerably. She was visibly frightened by the sight and trembled as she stammered, “What… what happened here?”

Before she could ramble on further, Qin Xiao cut in. “A Sentinel left it at the door. I’m wondering how best to prepare it for consumption.”

Yu Jing: !!!

Qin Xiao’s shop was called Cloud Pavilion. The name came from a small sect she had once joined during her days of cultivation. Although she later left for various reasons, the name had remained dear to her. When it came time to name her shop, she simply used it.

With such a massive beast lying outside the entrance of Cloud Pavilion, pedestrians who had initially come looking for food froze. Some were frightened. Others, particularly a few Sentinels, noticed that the two women standing by the carcass included a Guide. A few stepped forward and asked, “Do you need help?”

Qin Xiao really had been stumped by the beast. Her shop had healing pods and sleep chambers, but no cutting tools. She looked at the three men and asked, “Can I borrow your laser sword?”

One of them had one strapped to his waist. He hesitated before carefully handing it over. “Please be cautious. When it activates, there’s a recoil effect—”

Before he could finish, Qin Xiao flicked her wrist. The laser sword flashed through the air. With a few swipes, she dismembered the massive beast, which was several times her size.

Yu Jing gulped in horror and took a step back.

Even the three Sentinels instinctively swallowed and looked at Qin Xiao with wide-eyed fear and disbelief.

The Sentinel hiding in the distance was equally stunned.

Qin Xiao picked up a chunk of the rear leg and gave the three Sentinels a share of the beast meat. She sold the rest to the roast meat shop’s machine steward and received over a thousand credits. Her card, previously at zero, now had a thousand. That alone put her in a great mood.

Around noon, she spent ten credits to have the meat processed by the machine steward at the roast shop, then returned to her place with her lunch in hand.

“Yu Jing, come eat.”

Yu Jing was dazed. Her mind was filled with dreadful thoughts. Would this terrifying woman someday dismember her as well and sell her to the machine steward of the roast shop a few blocks down? Would she be worth a thousand credits?

Qin Xiao found the roasted rear leg meat quite delicious and decided to save some to take home and share with Yan Ningjin. Maybe it could improve the woman’s taste buds.

That afternoon, Cloud Pavilion finally welcomed a real customer. It was the shop’s first official visitor, who lingered outside for a long while. Although Yu Jing had already washed away the bloodstains at the door, the person still seemed hesitant. He paced back and forth, clearly torn between entering and leaving. At last, something must have triggered his courage, because he pushed open the door. But the moment he saw Qin Xiao, he deflated.

“I… I’ll just go—”

Qin Xiao said, “I can help you with your mania. Since you’re technically my hundredth customer, I’ll give you a discount. One thousand credits. How does that sound?”

The man paused mid-step, turned back slowly, and muttered, “Then… I’ll trouble you.”

Qin Xiao had encountered too many oddball Sentinels. This one, soft and hesitant, was within the acceptable range. She glanced at the listless Quantum beast behind him. It was a strange-looking creature, somewhat like a rabbit, but with exceptionally long ears and a body twice the size of a normal white rabbit.

“Come in and lie down over there.”

The man complied, while his Quantum beast paced nervously around him.

Qin Xiao put on gloves for formality’s sake, then walked to the man and stared into his eyes. In silence, she implanted a mental suggestion. The restless Quantum beast immediately calmed and looked at her with trust.

She extended one mental tentacle to touch the man’s conscious cloud. Seeing no resistance, she slowly entered, targeting the red specks. With precision, she eliminated each one. This was the shallowest level of a Sentinel’s mind, and she exited quickly. The entire procedure took only a few minutes.

“All done.”

“Thank you.”

The man looked noticeably relieved. The fear in his eyes toward Qin Xiao faded slightly. As he transferred the credits, he mumbled, “You don’t seem as ferocious as they say.”

“Hmm?”

The man, seeing her puzzled expression, gathered some courage and said, “On the Star Network, there’s…”

He did not finish. Instead, he bolted out the door, running faster than a rabbit. He barely looked like a Sentinel at all.

Qin Xiao was left in a daze. She turned to Yu Jing, who had been peeking in and was now trying to withdraw her head again. “What did he mean by that just now?”

Yu Jing swallowed hard and offered a reminder as a friend. “Someone recorded you when you dismembered that beast. Now the entire Star Network knows about it.”

Qin Xiao immediately logged on to the network and saw a headline: [Savage Guide Dismembers a Flame-Spitting Beast at Cloud Pavilion].

It came with full footage, showing her in all her supposed savagery.

She scrolled through the ridiculous comments. Most criticized her for lacking gentleness, beauty, grace, and traditional virtue. After all, Guides were expected to be delicate flowers. They were not supposed to lift heavy objects, let alone fight. A light bump should bring tears to their eyes. A gentle scolding should ruin their whole day…

Qin Xiao, aside from her outward appearance, matched none of that.

She quickly closed the page and let out a laugh.

Yu Jing thought she was about to explode. She was already preparing to flee before the storm hit. Then she heard… laughter. She cautiously peeked her head back in.

Qin Xiao patted her shoulder. “I don’t know which bastard was so kind as to advertise for me. I was just worrying that no one knew about this place.”

Yu Jing hesitated. “But… will anyone actually come to you for treatment now?”

Qin Xiao expected it would take a bit more time, especially until Mi Lin reached a breakthrough. “No rush. More and more people are learning about Cloud Pavilion.”

She did not mind the bad reputation. Every year, plenty of Sentinels died from mania without any relief. She refused to believe none would come to her. Unless they were all cowards too scared of a Guide.

Yu Jing wasn’t sure if Qin Xiao was being confident or just delusional. “So now we just sit and wait?”

Qin Xiao glanced at her with suspicion. Then she remembered Yu Jing had come to Capital Star to find someone. “Didn’t you say you were looking for someone? I’ll be meeting more Sentinels now. Is your person a Sentinel or a Guide? If it’s a Guide, it might be harder.”

The Guide Academy was not easy to access.

Just mentioning it made Yu Jing visibly deflate. “Do Sentinels have to pair with a Guide for a perfect marriage?”

Qin Xiao wrinkled her nose. “Not necessarily. But finding a Guide is every Sentinel’s dream. Their mania can be fatal. Having a Guide ensures survival.”

She imagined herself as a Sentinel. Honestly, she might resort to robbing a small Guide. What was more important than staying alive?

Yu Jing sighed in despair. Her expression screamed heartbreak.

Qin Xiao chuckled. “Let me guess. The person you like is a Sentinel, but he prefers soft, delicate Guides and doesn’t like you?”

Yu Jing glared at her in grievance, then looked away with sorrow.

Qin Xiao was shocked. “Seriously?”

She read Yu Jing’s face and tried to comfort her. “Don’t make excuses for him. I heard from Yan Yan that because Guides are rare, many in the military pair with same-gender or opposite-gender Sentinels. Life is short. Seizing the moment is what matters. The guy who rejected you is just a jerk. It’s not because you’re not a Guide. It’s because he doesn’t like you.”

That last sentence struck deep.

Yu Jing teetered, glared at Qin Xiao, and went to squat at the doorway. Her back looked heartbreakingly lonely.

Qin Xiao did not realize she had said anything wrong. She suddenly thought of Ah Qin. If Ah Qin were a Guide and she was one too, then hehe, she would have run away with Ah Qin to a far-off place by now, never looking back.

Two Guides could live together, too.

The whole day passed with only that one customer. Seeing Yu Jing in low spirits, Qin Xiao kindly let her go home early. The shop wasn’t exactly busy.

Inside the Guide rest room, she played with Hunqiu for a while. To call it playing was a stretch. She had designed activities like jumping through hoops, tossing balls, and puzzle walks, each one highly challenging. Unprepared Quantum beasts would fail immediately. Xiang Tian had fallen victim to the hoop the other day.

After spending over half an hour together, she picked up the now-exhausted little ball and tucked it into her pocket. She gave it a reassuring pat.

“Well done. Your speed and reflexes were even better than yesterday—”

Just as she pushed open the door, a figure lunged at her. Her reflexes kicked in. She dodged. “Who’s there?”

Heavy breathing filled the dark.

The sound immediately reminded her of agitated Sentinels. Their eyes turned red, breath came in disorder, reason vanished, and attacks followed. These were classic signs of a complete meltdown.

“Hey, I can clear your mania, but it’ll cost five thousand credits.”

“Roar—”

She did not get a chance to explain the price hike. Sentinels in this state were usually on the verge of death. Clearing their condition was taxing and risky. All things considered, five thousand was a bargain.

She was cornered, movement restricted.

“Ha. You’re such a hypocrite. A flirtatious woman.”

“What the hell? So you were faking your meltdown?”

Without hesitation, she kicked him hard. He flew back several paces, completely unprepared.

Qin Xiao seized the opportunity and stepped into the light. She saw her attacker’s face clearly.

She sneered. “I thought you, cowardly turtle, would hide for a few more days. Who knew you couldn’t even wait a single day?”

He stared back, bluffing with forced confidence. “What are you talking about?”

She listed off his deeds. “You secretly followed me. You uploaded my footage to the Star Network to give Cloud Pavilion some free promotion. Also, thanks for the beast. The meat was tasty. Too bad you’re late. I already shared it out. Nothing left for you.”

The man who had just been thanked silently swallowed a mouthful of bl00d.