Chapter 24: I Once Saved You, Too

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Zhao Zhanlei looked up and saw Fu Shuxing, appearing somewhat surprised. "Brother Hang, why are you here?"

Fu Shuxing had his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit trousers, standing in a relaxed posture. He said, "My father and the others have moved to the next venue; they asked me to take this one home first."

When he said "this one," he tilted his chin toward Ji Xun.

Zhao Zhanlei was puzzled. "Eh? But Auntie Ji just asked me to find Ji Xun and bring him over."

Fu Shuxing replied, "My father just called Uncle Ji and the others to leave together, and Auntie Ji is with them."

"Is that so?" Although Zhao Zhanlei felt it was strange, he didn't believe Fu Shuxing would lie about such a thing, so he said, "Alright then, I'll head back with you guys."

"No, your parents are looking for you."

"Ah...?" Zhao Zhanlei’s face immediately crumpled. "Still? Fine, I'll go over there then. Xunxun, you and Brother Hang head back first."

Ji Xun: "Mm."

Zhao Zhanlei left.

Fu Shuxing stood in front of Ji Xun and looked toward the direction the two had just come from. The blue-eyed young sentinel had already departed.

"Let's go," Fu Shuxing said.

Ji Xun followed behind Fu Shuxing, feeling a bit annoyed when he recalled the attitude Fu Shuxing had shown when offering to "take him home." He said, "Actually, I could have gone back by myself."

Fu Shuxing stopped in his tracks instantly. "Then go back by yourself."

Ji Xun: "..."

Ji Xun: "I was joking!!"

Ji Xun hurriedly grabbed Fu Shuxing’s arm, terrified that he would actually turn and walk away. In his heart, he cursed himself for being such a chatterbox, knowing full well what kind of jerk Fu Shuxing was being right now.

Ji Xun put on a flattering smile and said, "Better have Brother Hang take me home; I’m afraid of the dark."

Fu Shuxing glanced at Ji Xun but didn't say anything further.

Fu Shuxing piloted the aircraft himself that night.

Ji Xun lay against the window, watching the pitch-black sky outside. He suddenly said, "Brother Hang, I heard that to enter the Intermediate Sanctuary, one has to undergo a mental power assessment, and classes are assigned based on those levels."

"Isn't it like that now?"

"It's fine for now, it feels quite fair," Ji Xun turned his head. "Brother Hang, what if you test as an S-rank sentinel and I test as an E-rank guide when the time comes?"

"What are you trying to ask?"

"I mean... will you still protect me, Brother Hang?"

"If you drop the 'Brother' part, I’ll keep protecting you."

Ji Xun: "..."

Ji Xun secretly grumbled to himself before speaking again. "I heard the Intermediate Sanctuary is huge. The students, all Awakeners, are merged from several districts, and the distance is far. It definitely won't be as convenient to commute as it is now. What will we do then? Do we have to live inside the Sanctuary?"

"Not 'we,' just you."

Ji Xun: "?? Why?"

Fu Shuxing said, "Stone and I are going to the military academy; we won't be entering the Sanctuary."

Ji Xun: "Ah??"

Then what about my grand plan for revenge?!!

Without thinking, Ji Xun immediately said, "Then I’m going to the military academy too!"

Fu Shuxing mocked him ruthlessly: "You? Why would you go to the military academy? To perform a show on how to vomit the second you see a bug?"

Ji Xun: "..."

"Can you even carry an ion gun? Your mental power is so low that some Zerg emit radiation waves; you don't even have basic self-protection abilities." It was rare for Fu Shuxing to say so much at once: "Why go? To be cannon fodder?"

Ji Xun was angry. "You just look down on me!"

Fu Shuxing: "Yes."

Fu Shuxing continued, "So just be obedient and enter the Sanctuary. Graduate, find a job, and find yourself a sentinel."

"No!!" Ji Xun shouted. "I am going to the military academy!!!"

Fu Shuxing turned to look at him. "Why?"

Ji Xun spoke with selfless, grand, and impassioned fervor—"I want to be like Uncle Gao! Defend the Empire! Protect the people! Safeguard the security of our star sector! And make a contribution to the permanent peace of the Federal Government!!"

Fu Shuxing: "..."

Fu Shuxing said, "Go wash up and sleep; your mother is already scouting for suitable sentinels for you."

Ji Xun was horrified. "What? How is that possible?!"

Fu Shuxing didn't answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he said, "She asked Zhao Zhanlei to find you earlier precisely to introduce you to sentinels your age. I was afraid you’d cause a scene and ruin my father’s event, so I pulled you out early."

Ji Xun said, "That’s too much!"

Fu Shuxing’s hand, gripping the steering yoke, tightened involuntarily.

He had been planning to say that if he wanted to, he could take him back now, as the guests probably hadn't left yet.

But before he could, he heard Ji Xun say—"How could some ordinary little sentinel be worthy of me? Once I awaken! I’m going to be the strongest guide everyone looks up to! The strong are destined to be solitary! I don't want to find a partner!"

Fu Shuxing’s grip loosened, his expression softening as he chuckled. "The strongest guide? Why don't you cure your middle-school syndrome first."

Ji Xun was unconvinced. "Not everyone is a natural talent like you, being amazing from the moment you're born."

Fu Shuxing: "And what kind are you? The 'hard work' type? I haven't seen you working hard at all."

Ji Xun said, "I’m the 'awakening' type! I just need an opportunity!!"

Fu Shuxing was amused by his childish, dead-serious tone.

Seeing him laugh, Ji Xun felt his ears burning. He propped his chin on his hand and turned back to look out the window.

He muttered to himself in a low voice, "I really am a very powerful guide; I’ve even saved you before."

The smile on Fu Shuxing’s face froze. "What did you say?"

Ji Xun immediately glossed over it: "Nothing."

Fu Shuxing said in a deep voice, "You said something."

"No, I didn't." Ji Xun knew that if he told him, Fu Shuxing would definitely mock him, so he refused to admit it even if he died. "I said stop looking down on me! Once I become strong in the future, you might even need me to save you!!"

Seeing that Ji Xun had no intention of telling the truth, Fu Shuxing pressed his thin lips together.

He flipped a switch and accelerated the aircraft.

Ten minutes later.

The aircraft stopped in front of the residential compound.

Ji Xun got out. Seeing that Fu Shuxing hadn't moved to exit the vehicle, he asked, "Do you have something else to do, Brother Hang?"

"You go in first."

"Alright."

The government residential area was brightly lit, and there were sentinels guarding the gate; it was very safe.

Ji Xun walked in, and when he turned back, he saw the shadow of the aircraft speeding away.

It seemed Fu Shuxing had something urgent to attend to.

Well, he had something urgent too!

Ji Xun was not the type to sit still and wait for his fate.

If one method didn't work, there were others.

He would continue with the metaphysical approach, but he couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

Time was like flowing water, never to return. He had to have a backup plan.

Whether he went to the Intermediate Sanctuary or the military academy in two years wasn't the immediate worry; the urgency was that there were only two months left until the final exams. In two months, Fu Shuxing would be heading to the front lines with Uncle Gao and Uncle Fu to fight!

Once they returned from battle, they would have undergone a qualitative change.

The gap between him and Fu Shuxing would only continue to widen.

Forget about whether he could beat him—if Fu Shuxing died on the battlefield, wouldn't he lose his chance for revenge?

Ji Xun thought as he walked quickly to his front door, only to realize when he went to push it open that he was in his formal wear and hadn't brought his keys.

Ji Xun: "..."

Fu Shuxing had flown for nearly twenty minutes to get back, but it only took him eight minutes to return to the hotel.

Seeing him, Gao Mingyuan asked, "Shuxing, did you see little Xun?"

"I saw he was a bit tired, so I took him home first," Fu Shuxing said dismissively, then added in a low voice, "Dad, there’s something I want to ask you."

Gao Mingyuan had never seen his son like this. He dismissed the surrounding sentinels, took him into the lounge, casually erected a barrier, and then looked at him. "What is it?"

Fu Shuxing went straight to the point: "Ji Xun’s mental power is low; he shouldn't be able to enter my mental domain, right?"

Gao Mingyuan thought Fu Shuxing was dwelling on what he had said at the hotel entrance, so he replied, "Dad knows the gap between little Xun and you; what I said tonight was just a joke. Everyone knows that."

But that wasn't what Fu Shuxing was asking. He said, "But he has entered my mental domain."

Gao Mingyuan was stunned, then immediately denied it: "Impossible."

"I thought it was impossible too," Fu Shuxing said. "But previously, when the General was trapped in my mental domain, Ji Xun once heard the General's cries. And just a while ago... a similar situation occurred."

Gao Mingyuan said, "Little Xun doesn't even have the mental power to materialize his spirit beast yet; how could he enter your mental domain? His mental tentacles would be scattered by your mental power before they even touched you."

"Then..." Fu Shuxing frowned, "what if it wasn't through mental tentacles?"

If it wasn't mental tentacles, it would have to be physical contact. But Gao Mingyuan knew his son had discretion, and he knew that wasn't what he meant. "For example?"

Although Fu Shuxing felt it was impossible, he was seeking verification. "For example, dreaming."

Ji Xun was asleep.

He was leaning against his front door, draped in a deep blue coat, drifting into a dream amid the cool breeze.

In the dream, it was alternately hot and cold.

The ambient temperature seemed very unstable.

After walking for a while in the endless space, Ji Xun suddenly realized what this was. He immediately checked himself from head to toe and confirmed—this definitely wasn't a dream!

He had entered his mental domain again?

What was the trigger this time?

Nearly half a month had passed since he had last successfully entered his mental domain by chanting the incantation.

He hadn't succeeded again despite all his efforts.

Yet tonight, he had entered without doing anything at all.

Did such randomness mean there was actually no connection between the two?

Ji Xun walked as he pondered. Suddenly, he seemed to hear the sound of water. He looked around but saw nothing, only misty white fog. Finally, he looked down, and upon doing so, he discovered that beneath his feet was a water surface—or rather, it was more like a mirror.

It reflected another version of himself.

Ji Xun immediately crouched down to look in curiosity.

On the other side of the mirror was indeed another version of himself, but he looked much older, as if he were an adult.

That adult Ji Xun was eating fruit. Looking at his surroundings, the decor and furnishings were very familiar; it must be his bedroom in reality.

There was no sound in the world within the mirror.

Ji Xun saw someone push the door open from the outside.

He focused his eyes, squinting to see.

He wanted to see clearly who had come in.

But the mirror surface suddenly rippled like water. Ji Xun couldn't see clearly; he only knew it was a very tall person. The face was blurry, but it seemed very familiar.

The adult Ji Xun smiled at the person who had entered and said something, and then the person wrapped an arm around the adult Ji Xun’s waist and leaned down to kiss him.

He kissed him?!

My god! Ji Xun hurriedly covered his eyes.