The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 62

“Don’t, Yan Yan!”

Inside the treatment room, a single bound Sentinel lay restrained on the medical bed, unable to move. Nearby, Yu Jing stood frozen by Yan Ningjin’s overwhelming presence.

Yu Jing had never in her life witnessed such an intense scene. Swallowing nervously, she tried to shrink into the corner and cover her burning cheeks, but curiosity soon had her peeking through her fingers.

“Yan Ning… Ningjin!”

Qin Xiao tilted her head up, overwhelmed by the forceful aura closing in around her. Yan Ningjin’s dominating presence was seeping into every inch of her skin, unstoppable and invasive. Although she had long since grown familiar with Yan Ningjin’s Sentinel aura, it now felt overwhelmingly amplified. Compared to this, everything before had been a mere whisper. Their consciousnesses brushed lightly against each other, yet it felt as though they had shared a thousand lifetimes in that instant.

Yan Ningjin’s spiritual force charged into the deepest layer of Qin Xiao’s mindscape. It felt like a cruel confirmation of what Qin Xiao had just confessed.

She regretted it.

Qin Xiao struggled, but their ten fingers were tightly interlocked. The pressure around her fingers became painful, as though the woman meant to crush her bones. Waves of fear rose inside her. Her body felt split open, exposed in a posture that humiliated her to the core. Every secret she had was on the verge of being laid bare.

It was unbearable.

“Yan Yan, I was wrong. Please, stop.”

That single word, please, was enough to break through to Yan Ningjin. Her last thread of sanity snapped taut. She looked down to see the little Guide beneath her, motionless, eyes full of wounded pride and defiance.

The sight stabbed at something deep inside Yan Ningjin. She stumbled two steps back. Words came to her lips but refused to leave.

What was there to say?

Nothing felt right anymore.

She had almost lost control.

Yan Ningjin picked up the torn remnants of Qin Xiao’s clothes and gently covered her again. She smoothed her disheveled hair, their eyes meeting for a lingering second. No words passed between them. Yan Ningjin turned and walked away.

Qin Xiao squeezed her eyes shut. After a long pause, she opened them again. Tilting her head, her sharp gaze landed squarely on Yu Jing, who had been sneaking glances.

“What did you see?”

Yu Jing quickly turned her head away, then rubbed her eyes hard. “Ah, I think I accidentally fell asleep.”

Qin Xiao snorted, unimpressed. She slumped to the ground and buried her head between her knees. She stayed motionless.

Thirty minutes passed. Hunqiu squeaked several times from the medical bed, trying to get Qin Xiao’s attention. It was no use.

Finally, Yu Jing shuffled closer and tried to offer some comfort.

“Qin Xiao, don’t be like this. I really don’t know what to do when you act this way.”

Qin Xiao had finally, and fully, felt the crushing power gap between a Sentinel and a Guide. Just now, under Yan Ningjin’s full control, she hadn’t even had a sliver of hope to resist.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. If she had chosen to unleash her spiritual force, she could have broken free. But…

She hadn’t wanted to.

Yu Jing noticed how shaken she seemed and mumbled quietly, “I told you this would end badly. You kept chasing after Her Highness Yuzhu while also getting all tangled up with the General. It was bound to blow up. Look, today it finally did—”

Qin Xiao abruptly lifted her head. Her cold gaze shut Yu Jing up in an instant.

With her patience fully drained, Qin Xiao handed Hunqiu over to Yu Jing and stood up. Her eyes drifted toward Yuzhu’s face, which Hunqiu had thoroughly chewed on earlier. Not a trace of Ah Qin’s shadow remained.

Her mood grew worse.

Once Hunqiu managed to suppress the internal flames, Qin Xiao gave a quick instruction to Yu Jing.

“Have them send in two more next.”

Yu Jing blinked in confusion, pointing to herself. “Me?”

Qin Xiao pushed her toward the door.

“Yes. Go give the message.”

Glancing outside, Qin Xiao saw no sign of Yan Ningjin. Instead, Bai Xuan and Feng Ming stood like two sentinels outside the door. When they saw her, they immediately straightened their backs.

Bai Xuan caught the disappointment on Qin Xiao’s face and quickly spoke up.

“Madam, Her Majesty called the General away for an important discussion. She will be back soon.”

Qin Xiao couldn’t help curling her lip.

“You talk too much.”

She closed the door with a thud, leaving Yu Jing and the other two staring at each other.

Bai Xuan looked at Feng Ming in disbelief and pointed toward the door.

“Did I hear that right? Did Madam just say someone talks too much? Who was she talking about?”

Yu Jing, already annoyed by Bai Xuan’s presence, wasted no time firing back with her trademark sarcasm.

“Who else would it be? You, obviously. Qin Xiao gave instructions to bring in two Sentinels who needed healing and to move Her Highness Yuzhu out of the way.”

Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door in their faces.

Bai Xuan stood baffled. She turned to Feng Ming, eyes wide.

“You go. I’ll stay here. The General said one of us must stay nearby, no matter what.”

Qin Xiao and the others had taken up residence in the palace for convenience during treatment. It had been four or five days.

In that time, a thick sheet of ice had settled between Qin Xiao and Yan Ningjin. The chilly silence between the two had become noticeable even to those around them. Except for Yu Jing, everyone else was distressed and confused, unsure what had caused such tension between the two.

His Majesty had thoughtfully arranged a shared room for the couple with intimate amenities, yet ever since that day in the treatment room, they had not exchanged a single word. Qin Xiao even found excuses to avoid the room altogether, choosing to squeeze in with Yu Jing instead. The Emperor’s efforts were utterly wasted.

Yu Jing had been enduring the General’s wounded glances every day. On this particular day, she lay splashing in the bathtub, her deep blue tail flicking water everywhere until it flooded the floor. Feeling cheerful, she tried to offer advice.

“Qin Xiao, by refusing to stay with the General, you are causing the palace staff to talk. It might affect your trial marriage.”

Qin Xiao looked over at her.

“Probably.”

Her voice was weak, lacking her usual fire.

Yu Jing didn’t want to be skewered alive by Yan Ningjin’s dagger eyes again.

“Didn’t you say the trial marriage meant a lot to you? That if it failed, you’d have to return to the Guide Academy? Then why are you acting like this?”

Qin Xiao honestly didn’t know. Her old self would have prioritized the big picture. A simple argument was nothing. Even if she fought with Yan Ningjin, she could be laughing beside her the next minute.

But now…

She replied sullenly.

“I don’t know either.”

Yu Jing mulled it over, still convinced the root of the issue was that explosive fight, although it had happened so fast she never understood what had triggered Yan Ningjin’s terrifying outburst.

“Qin Xiao, why are you so obsessed with finding Her Highness Yuzhu? The General treats you so well. Why not just marry her? I think you two are a great match.”

One was willing to give, and one was willing to take.

Qin Xiao’s emotions tangled up even more, but she had no desire to explain.

“You wouldn’t understand. Ah Qin, to me, was like—”

She searched her mind for the right words to describe Ah Qin. Aside from cauldron or little slave, nothing else came to mind. Ah Qin had simply become a part of her. Before her, she was always alone. After her, her life had grown more interesting.

Yu Jing tilted her head in confusion.

“Ah Qin? What does she have to do with Her Highness Yuzhu?”

But Qin Xiao gave no answer. Yu Jing was left gliding back and forth in the tub.

“You tried balancing two relationships and still capsized. If you try three…”

It would sink even faster.

Qin Xiao couldn’t bear another minute under the same roof as that fish. She might actually end up steaming her.

She stepped out. Not sure where to go, she wandered off, hoping to find a quiet place.

As she turned a corner, her footsteps halted.

Yan Ningjin, towering and imposing, was squatting by the wall like a pitiful statue. Tuan Tuan lay curled up beside her. The two had clearly been there for a while.

They both froze when they saw Qin Xiao.

Tuan Tuan immediately perked up and bounced to her feet, rushing over with excitement. He rubbed his head against Qin Xiao’s pant leg as if they hadn’t seen each other in days. Standing on two paws, he licked her face enthusiastically.

Yan Ningjin also stood up. For someone so tall and dignified, she looked awkward, unsure where to place her hands. Her face was stiff with the shame of being caught.

Qin Xiao gently petted Tuan Tuan’s golden fur.

“What are you doing here?”

Tuan Tuan nosed Yan Ningjin’s legs, pushing her forward step by step until she stood face to face with Qin Xiao.

“I came to take you back.”

Qin Xiao gave a noncommittal response. Her mood dipped and rose erratically. She had expected Yan Ningjin to say something apologetic. Anything would have sufficed.

“What made you decide to come today?”

By tomorrow, most of the Sentinels needing treatment would be healed. This was the last day.

Yan Ningjin silently reached for her hand. As soon as she touched it, Qin Xiao slapped her hand away. Again and again, Yan Ningjin reached out, and again and again, Qin Xiao smacked her hand aside.

It turned into a childish game. Finally, Qin Xiao couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yan Ningjin, you are such a child.”

But Yan Ningjin managed to catch her hand. Holding it tight, she started walking.

“As long as it’s with you, even counting ants isn’t childish.”

Qin Xiao froze.

When Bai Xuan and Feng Ming saw the General and Madam returning together, they both sighed in relief.

Bai Xuan couldn’t resist speaking up.

“Madam, the General finally brought you back. You know, while you refused to return to your room, she stayed outside Miss Yu’s door the whole time. Everyone in the palace was watching her make a fool of herself.”

Yan Ningjin gave a quiet warning.

“Bai Xuan.”