Every Sentinel I Dreamed of Came Looking for Me

Yun Sheng and Si Jin faced off in silence, separated by the roses she held in her arms.

Her rational mind told her he was right. It was the fastest and most logical way to create a cover story, and it could even be used against Bai Ye.

But being stared at so intently and at such close range by Si Jin’s dark, all-consuming eyes, and hearing him speak such suggestive words in that deep, magnetic voice, her cheeks began to burn uncontrollably.

Her heart pounded against her ribs like a drum, its frantic pace making her feel flustered.

She knew he was doing it on purpose. She knew this was just a "performance" for their mutual benefit.

But her body’s instinctive reaction was completely beyond her control!

Just when Yun Sheng felt like she was about to suffocate from the overly intimate and oppressive atmosphere, when her heartbeat threatened to spiral out of control, Si Jin suddenly moved.

He moved a little closer, so close she could see the shadows cast by his eyelashes.

Then, he reached out his hand.

But not to touch her.

Instead, he very naturally took the cumbersome, heavy bouquet of roses from her arms.

Her arms were suddenly empty. The flowery-scented weight vanished, and Yun Sheng subconsciously let out a breath of relief. The tension in her shoulders and neck eased slightly.

Si Jin turned and casually placed the extravagant bouquet of red roses on a small tea table nearby.

As Yun Sheng came back to her senses, she looked at the flowers and a different question belatedly came to mind.

"These flowers, where did you get them? And where did you get the money? As far as I know, once a Sentinel is designated as a Dark Sentinel, all their assets are frozen or even confiscated by the Tower.

"You used to be the Star Alliance War God. I think Bai Ye is living in your house now, and your accounts should have been frozen long ago."

She had looked up the relevant regulations on the Star Network before. The Tower’s handling of Dark Sentinels was extremely harsh and thorough.

Hearing this, Si Jin turned to look at her. His face showed no particular expression, but a flicker of a sarcastic smile passed through his eyes.

"A private slush fund, you get it? Those bureaucrats at the Tower thought they could clean me out just by freezing my public accounts and seizing a few registered properties? They really underestimate me.

"The Star Alliance’s salary wasn’t low, but the truly valuable things... were never the ones out in the open."

Si Jin didn’t elaborate, but the information his words conveyed was more than enough.

He possessed unknown wealth and resource channels. Even while wanted by the Tower with his public assets frozen, he still had access to enough funds to buy exorbitantly priced roses.

This was both a display of power and a silent mockery and provocation of the Tower’s rules.

Yun Sheng looked at his calm, impassive face and understood.

’That makes sense. If Si Jin had really been so easily stripped of everything, he never would have been able to evade the dual pursuit of the Tower and the military as a Dark Sentinel for this long.’

’This man is far more unfathomable than he appears... and far more dangerous.’

’Working with him is like making a deal with a tiger. I have to be cautious with every step.’

Just as Yun Sheng was steeling herself inwardly, the look in Si Jin’s eyes suddenly changed.

"Alright, enough small talk. Now, let me see the state of your spiritual landscape. How has it recovered overnight? This will determine when we can begin the next phase of your training, and... the intensity of that training."

Yun Sheng’s heart sank.

’This is bad!’

’How could I have forgotten about this!’

Last night in her dream, she had been forcefully "fed" by Bai Ye, passively absorbing a massive amount of spiritual power that far exceeded her own capacity.

Right now, while her spiritual landscape wasn’t aching and swollen like it was when she first woke up, it was still in an abnormally saturated state.

Never mind voluntarily opening her spiritual landscape for Si Jin to inspect; she didn’t even dare have any remotely intimate physical contact with him right now.

She was terrified that with one careless move, the portion of spiritual power belonging to Bai Ye would leak out uncontrollably and be detected by him.

’The consequences of that... I can’t even bear to imagine them!’

Si Jin noticed that not only was Yun Sheng not cooperating, but she also had a troubled look on her face, as if she were unwilling. He raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What, you don’t want me to look?"

He took a step toward her, his voice tinged with a probing tone.

"You were the one who insisted on this as your reward. Has it only been one night and you’re already backing out? Or perhaps...

did something special happen last night? Did something else happen to your spiritual landscape, so... you don’t dare let me see it?"

"I... I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Yun Sheng forced herself to stay calm, turning her head to avoid Si Jin’s overly intense gaze, but her voice betrayed a hint of tension.

"I just... didn’t rest well last night. I haven’t recovered much, and my spiritual landscape is still unstable. Let me rest for two days, then you can check."

"Is that so?"

Si Jin repeated softly, the look in his eyes growing more amused, like a hunter who has discovered a flaw in his prey.

He didn’t back away because of her excuses. Instead, he pressed closer by half a step, his tall figure nearly engulfing her completely in his shadow.

"It’s precisely because it’s unstable that I need to check it immediately. You overexerted yourself so much yesterday. If there’s a latent problem, dragging it out for two days could turn a small issue into a big one."

Si Jin’s gaze felt tangible as it swept over Yun Sheng’s slightly trembling eyelashes and tightly pressed lips.

"Don’t you want to get stronger as quickly as possible? From what I know, the next step in the training the Tower has arranged for you new guides is field combat. A place like that isn’t as civilized as indoor training. Without enough power to protect yourself..."

He deliberately paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on her suddenly constricting pupils.

"...the outcome could be very ugly."

Yun Sheng’s heart clenched.

’Of course I want to get stronger!’

’I’ve heard the rumors about the field combat training. It’s fraught with danger, and without strength on my side... ’

’Not to mention I embarrassed Lin Yueyao in front of so many people, and now Su Wan is making a fuss about the shares. There’s no guarantee Lin Yueyao won’t use the field combat as an opportunity to have someone come after me!’

’But letting Si Jin inspect my spiritual landscape now?’

’Wouldn’t that just expose my biggest secret...?’

’This is killing me!’

’I’m caught between a rock and a hard place!’

Si Jin seemed quite satisfied to see the intense struggle and hesitation in Yun Sheng’s eyes. He waited leisurely, wanting to see if she would give in.

Amidst the suffocating stalemate, an idea suddenly flashed in Yun Sheng’s mind—a way that might temporarily divert his attention.

"Si Jin, before you look at my spiritual landscape, I... I have a request."

She looked up, trying her best to make her gaze seem less guilty, even deliberately adding a trace of shyness and... reliance.

"Your spiritual body... it seems to have a special calming effect on me. When I held it before, my spiritual landscape became much calmer. So I was thinking... could you let it out first?

"Let me... hold it for a while? I feel like I’d be more at ease, and my spiritual landscape might stabilize... That way, when you check it, you should be able to see things more clearly. What do you think?"