The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 48

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m telling you, if you keep going like this, my Dreambringer Gentleman’s Flute is going to run off.” With a sliver of clarity regained, Qin Xiao suddenly remembered her flute. “And Hunqiu too.”

The person on top of her paused briefly, then resumed their movements.

Qin Xiao watched as more of her clothing vanished. The situation was about to become dangerous. She immediately barked in warning. “Yan Ningjin! I dare you to touch me one more time!”

Her inner world was in complete chaos. One moment she saw Ah Qin’s wounded expression from their first dual cultivation. The next, it was Yan Ningjin’s alluring and abstinent face. The oscillation, tangled with the hallucinations, left her teetering on the brink of a breakdown.

Not only did Yan Ningjin touch her again, but she also leaned down and bit hard on Qin Xiao’s earlobe. Twice. Bl00d beaded up instantly and released a rich, intoxicating scent from the wound that carried Qin Xiao’s unique guide fragrance. To Yan Ningjin, that scent was more tempting than opium, impossible to resist.

Qin Xiao had already been marked temporarily twice. Being bitten no longer shocked her. But the anxiety tightening in her chest felt eerily familiar, like something she had experienced before. And then there was Tuan Tuan, rubbing up against her legs every so often, his fluffy fur brushing her skin, making her squirm. Her restraints only tightened the more she struggled.

Conflicting voices clashed in her head.

One voice coaxed, “Just pretend she’s Ah Qin. One more dual cultivation and you’ll soar to the heavens.”

The other warned, “This is a hallucination from the Harmony Flower. What you see might be what you most desire. Endure it. Hold on. It’ll pass.”

The mental tug-of-war created a pounding buzz in her ears. Her body was still misbehaving. Qin Xiao smirked faintly. “Yan Yan, come closer. I have something important to tell you.”

A faint red mist lingered in Yan Ningjin’s eyes, but she leaned down without hesitation.

In that instant, Qin Xiao’s smirk sharpened. She gathered every ounce of strength and slammed her forehead into Yan Ningjin’s. The impact was loud. Yan Ningjin staggered back a step.

“Yan Ningjin, snap out of it.”

“Ugh.”

Qin Xiao gasped. That woman’s forehead was hard as iron. The collision left her dazed and blinking at white spots. “That hurt.”

Yan Ningjin stared in a daze at her little guide. Qin Xiao was still strapped to the seat, most of her skin exposed, cheeks flushed, and eyes glistening with unshed tears. She looked like she was seducing her. Yan Ningjin shook her head rapidly, trying to clear her thoughts. Then she heard a soft voice.

“It hurts.”

“Xiao Xiao, where does it hurt?”

“Everywhere,” Qin Xiao complained with a pout. “How dare you tie me up like this?”

She had conveniently forgotten that she had started it all.

A flicker of guilt passed through Yan Ningjin’s eyes. That burning desire in her heart fizzled out like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.

“I… I… just now—”

Qin Xiao slumped in the seat, lazily glancing at her. “Well? Hurry up and untie me.”

She had not missed the trace of red mist still lingering in Yan Ningjin’s eyes, or the unfiltered desire she had shown just moments ago. That look was troubling.

Qin Xiao had only wanted to work together. She had not planned on offering herself as part of the deal.

Looking down, she eyed the dirty, torn trousers sticking to her legs, and the shirt that had been half-ripped by Yan Ningjin and now hung limply off one shoulder.

“This outfit’s ruined. Do you have any spare clothes?”

Yan Ningjin’s mood had been swinging wildly, but that one simple question reignited a tiny spark of delight and anticipation in her heart. “Yes, but… they might be a bit large.”

Qin Xiao’s petite frame was completely swallowed by Yan Ningjin’s military uniform. She rolled up the pants several times and secured them at the waist with one of Aiwei’er’s extra restraint straps. The oversized collar kept sliding down, exposing one smooth shoulder and the faint line of her collarbone.

Yan Ningjin’s eyes turned hungry. She reached over and yanked the collar back up. Her tone was firm. “You need another layer.”

“Denied,” Qin Xiao said flatly. Most of the spare clothes in the mech were Yan Ningjin’s, and the military uniform would give away her identity instantly. “We need to keep a low profile.”

She threw the ruined shirt over her shoulders, tied a rough knot in the front, and covered as much skin as she could. “See? That works. Aiwei’er, where are we now?”

The mech, who had been hoping for a live adult drama, sighed heavily. Her voice trembled with disappointment and a hint of despair. “I’ve lost my little master.”

Qin Xiao: ….

Yan Ningjin rubbed her forehead. “We’ve entered the deepest part of the forest.”

Qin Xiao noticed that Wu Yu and the Lang brothers, fully aware they were being pursued, were still racing deeper into the woods. The grayish flute sat quietly in Wu Yu’s hands, unusually obedient.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

“Hmm?”

Yan Ningjin raised an eyebrow. “Xiao Xiao, you know what that is.”

Qin Xiao crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks. “That flute is my weapon. I have to get it back.”

“A weapon?”

She nodded. “The Dreambringer Gentleman’s Flute is a high-damage spiritual weapon. I don’t know how these people found it in the swamp, but I can’t let them keep it.”

Yan Ningjin grew more curious. Her guide had too many secrets. “But this is your first time in the forest.”

The moment she said it, she realized how foolish it sounded. Qin Xiao had moved through the forest with a calm and control that surpassed any first-time sentinel.

Even Yan Ningjin’s first mission in the wild had left her constantly on edge.

Qin Xiao frowned in thought. She had arrived here via divine artifact. Somewhere along the way, her spatial pouch had scattered its contents. If the Dreambringer Flute had been found, then the rest of her treasures might have fallen somewhere nearby.

The realization made her heart race.

Pointing upward, she confessed openly. “I fell from up there. That’s how my gear got scattered.”

Yan Ningjin followed her gaze with a confused expression. “You fell… from above?”

Qin Xiao smiled. “That’s how my weapon ended up down there.”

Yan Ningjin remembered the first time she had seen her little guide. It had been on a public starship, or rather, on a desolate planet. Qin Xiao had appeared as if out of nowhere. This was the Jupiter system. There was no way the two events could be connected.

Still, after a moment’s hesitation, she let it go. There was no use doubting. With Qin Xiao, the impossible always seemed logical. Every strange event surrounding her had a certain inevitability.

“All right. We’ll take it back.”

“With the Dreambringer Flute, our chances against Wu Yu go up significantly.”

Yan Ningjin checked Aiwei’er’s energy reserves and the particle cannon. Everything was ready. She launched another wave of attacks toward the Lang brothers. One after another, the cannons fired.

Qin Xiao noticed something strange. Each time a particle cannon was about to hit the Lang brothers, the world seemed to freeze for a blink. Then, when the scene resumed, the brothers had shifted position, and the cannon missed, blowing apart a tree with a thunderous crash. Forest creatures scattered in panic.

“The particle cannon doesn’t work on them.”

Yan Ningjin had now witnessed Wu Yu’s time manipulation firsthand. Qin Xiao had mentioned a time domain before, but seeing it was far more shocking.

“If all Beast System natives can control time—”

Qin Xiao’s mouth twitched. “Don’t be ridiculous. If they could all manipulate time, they’d rule the entire galaxy, no, the universe.”

Yan Ningjin gave her a questioning look, waiting for more.

Qin Xiao wanted to say that if everyone had Wu Yu’s powers, there would be no need for people like Yu Jing to sneak into Capital Star. They could just storm in, seize territory, and take what they wanted.

“Anyway, mastering time requires talent, fortune, and extremely high comprehension. Wu Yu is going to be a problem.”

“Maybe not.”

“Hmm?”

As they spoke, Aiwei’er suddenly spiraled hard, nearly throwing Qin Xiao off. Thankfully, a strong arm caught her around the waist.

“These trees have gone crazy.”

“Oh my, we’re going to crash.”

They had barely steadied themselves when Aiwei’er rammed straight into a web of vines.

Qin Xiao braced for pain, but none came. Instead, a dense wave of sentinel pheromones hit her nose. Stronger than what clung to the clothes, it made her uncomfortable yet oddly reassured.

She found herself wrapped protectively in a soft embrace.

“We’re trapped.”

Qin Xiao pressed her hands against Yan Ningjin’s chest and accidentally brushed something soft. She recoiled like she’d been burned, shifted, and fell right back into her arms.

She grumbled, “Does your mech do anything besides yell all day?”

Aiwei’er burst into loud sobs.

Yan Ningjin quite enjoyed the full-body embrace of her little guide, but Aiwei’er’s wailing was starting to grate on her nerves. “I don’t know what Wu Yu did, but these vines are trying to strangle us.”

Qin Xiao spotted Wu Yu and the Lang brothers circling back. “Have Aiwei’er throw us out. We need to kill Wu Yu.”

Yan Ningjin hesitated for a second.

The next moment, the two of them were ejected into a prewoven net of vines. They dangled midair, swaying back and forth. Aiwei’er retreated into the chest cavity and pretended to be dead.

Face-to-face, legs entwined, Qin Xiao sat on Yan Ningjin’s lap. Any movement caused a certain heat to brush past her cheek.

“This damned thing.”

“Xiao Xiao.”

The heat of Yan Ningjin’s breath on her skin made Qin Xiao blush. That strange stirring in her chest returned. She inhaled deeply and whispered, “Yan Yan, let’s begin.”

Yan Ningjin gave in to the temptation of the moment. “Wu Yu, we took the parasite vine. You took the treasure. One for one. Why ambush us now?”

Wu Yu, still perched on the Lang brothers, wore a calm smile. “That’s what I should be asking. Why chase us down like this?”

Qin Xiao snorted. “Because of what you’re holding. If it made every adventurer out here desperate to fight for it, then it must be worth—”

Yan Ningjin coughed hard, cutting her off. “What if we trade half the parasite vine for the item in your hand?”

Wu Yu sneered. “Stalling won’t help, and I don’t trust you.”

Qin Xiao muttered darkly, “Dreambringer, keep playing, and I swear I’ll skin you.”

For a gray flute, “skinning” meant a full transformation.

Wu Yu flinched as the treasure suddenly slipped from his grasp. The once-docile item had changed personalities. It leapt to the ground and bounced wildly toward Qin Xiao.

“Catch it! Don’t let it escape!”

The Lang brothers scrambled after it and soon entered Qin Xiao’s field of view.

“Wu Yu.”

“Hmm?”

He instinctively responded and turned his head. His gaze met Qin Xiao’s black eyes, which churned like a storm and looked as if they might pull him in completely.