Every Sentinel I Dreamed of Came Looking for Me

Zhou Meng and his two cronies supported one another, practically scrambling and crawling out of the secluded alley. Only after they were far away from the little shop did they dare to stop and catch their breath.

"Brother Meng, are we... are we just going to let this go?"

One of the cronies clutched his chest, which was still faintly aching, and asked with lingering fear.

"Let it go?!"

Zhou Meng spat fiercely, which tugged at his injuries, making him grimace in pain. His eyes, however, grew even more venomous.

"He humiliated me, Zhou Meng, in public, making me lose face completely in front of all those people. How could I possibly let this debt slide! And what he said... He doesn’t even have any respect for my cousin, Zhou Lin. If I don’t get my revenge for this, how am I supposed to keep my footing around here!"

The other crony hesitated. "But that guy... his moves were just uncanny. The three of us didn’t even see how he attacked... Could he be a High-level Sentinel? Deliberately suppressing his aura?!"

His words struck at the heart of Zhou Meng’s greatest doubt and fear.

"Hard to say... But I’ve been at the Tower for so many years, and I’ve never seen anyone like him. He didn’t release any spiritual power just now, either, so we can’t go at him head-on."

He lowered his voice, his eyes growing even more sinister.

"You two, go investigate! Find out the identities of those two, especially the man. What’s his name, where does he live, does he work for the Tower, who is he connected to... The more detailed, the better!"

"Yes, Brother Meng!"

Zhou Meng clutched his wound, his eyes glinting with calculation.

Although he often used Zhou Lin’s name to get his way, he knew perfectly well that if his cousin—who despised people who threw their weight around—found out about the crap he’d been pulling, he would be the first one to be punished.

’I can’t go to my cousin... but I have other ways.’

A cold smirk tugged at his lips. "As for me... I’ll go find Zhou Ying."

His younger cousin, Zhou Ying, wasn’t in a high position like Zhou Lin, but she had been spoiled by the family since childhood, making her arrogant, willful, and full of tricks.

Most importantly, she was fiercely protective of her own, and sometimes, she was even more reckless than he was.

’If I embellish today’s events, especially emphasizing how that guy disrespected the Zhou Family and even dared to insult Zhou Lin, there’s no way she won’t step in.’

"Let’s go!" Zhou Meng endured the pain, a calculating glint flashing in his eyes. "This isn’t over!"

...

By the time they finished their meal, the sky outside had already darkened.

The customers in the small shop left one after another. Si Jin placed a stack of Star Coins under a bowl and then led Yun Sheng out.

The owner thanked them profusely as he saw them to the door, his eyes filled with not only gratitude but also deep worry.

The street outside the alley was much quieter than the Tower’s main district. The streetlights were far apart, casting a dim, yellow glow.

A cool night breeze swept by, and Yun Sheng subconsciously pulled her jacket tighter.

A jacket, carrying his body heat and a faint, crisp scent, was silently draped over her shoulders.

Yun Sheng froze, turning her head to look at Si Jin.

He was only wearing a thin shirt. His figure appeared even taller and leaner in the darkness, and he seemed completely unaffected by the cold.

"You don’t have to..." she began to refuse.

"Wear it."

Si Jin’s voice wasn’t loud. His fingertips brushed against her shoulder as if by accident, the warmth passing clearly through the fabric.

Yun Sheng pressed her lips together and swallowed the words of refusal.

The jacket enveloped her in Si Jin’s scent. Warmth spread from her shoulders, chasing away the chill of the night wind and making the strange flutter in her heart all the more distinct.

The two of them walked side by side down the quiet street.

The streetlights stretched their shadows long, sometimes overlapping, sometimes separating.

Neither spoke first. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the silence.

The silence wasn’t awkward; on the contrary, it had a strange sort of tranquility.

Yun Sheng secretly peeked at the man beside her from the corner of her eye.

The dim yellow light softened his sharp features. His eyes were slightly lowered, and the lines of his profile looked calm and focused in the interplay of light and shadow, as if he were deep in thought, or perhaps simply enjoying this moment of peace.

’This feels so strange.’

’Standing beside me is the SSS-level Dark Sentinel, rumored to be violent and dangerous, wanted by the Star Alliance.’

’But right now, he’s just walking quietly beside me. This feeling of walking side by side makes me feel so peaceful, so comfortable.’

"What are you thinking about?"

Si Jin suddenly spoke, his voice sounding especially deep in the night.

Yun Sheng snapped back to reality, only then realizing she had been staring at him for a long time.

Her cheeks grew warm, and she looked ahead toward the faintly visible gates of Xinglan Garden to hide her embarrassment.

"Nothing... I was just thinking that tonight’s food was delicious." She paused, her voice softening slightly. "Thank you."

That "thank you" wasn’t just for the meal.

Si Jin’s steps faltered slightly as he glanced sideways at her.

In the darkness, his eyes were like the deepest, coldest pools, yet they reflected the faint, distant light, making them startlingly bright.

"What for?" He looked away, his tone sounding flat, but Yun Sheng thought she could detect an unusual gentleness. "It was just a meal. In the future... we can come again when there’s a chance."

Yun Sheng’s heart, betraying her, beat a few beats faster.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance to Xinglan Garden.

Si Jin stopped and let go of her hand.

Only then did Yun Sheng realize that he had been holding her hand ever since they left the little shop, and she had actually... gotten used to it.

"We’re here." He looked at her. "Go on in."

Yun Sheng nodded, took the jacket off her shoulders, and handed it back to him.

"Thank you for walking me back... and for the jacket."

Si Jin took the jacket and casually draped it over his arm, not putting it on right away.

"Be careful." His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if confirming something. "If you have any more trouble from Zhou Meng, contact me. Don’t go to the Tower for the next couple of days. Rest well and recover as soon as you can."

"Got it."

Yun Sheng acknowledged, turned, and started to walk away. After a few steps, she couldn’t help but look back.

Si Jin was still standing there, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree, watching her quietly.

The night shrouded him in a hazy outline, making his expression impossible to see, but Yun Sheng could feel his gaze—focused and... warm.

She gave him a small wave and then quickly walked into the complex.

Only when Yun Sheng’s figure had completely disappeared from sight did Si Jin slowly withdraw his gaze.

He looked down at the jacket on his arm, which seemed to retain the faint, sweet scent from her body.

His eyes darkened slightly. He put the jacket back on and turned to walk toward the residential complex across the street.

After walking for a while, just as he stepped onto a relatively secluded side road, a sharp, searing pain, like countless thin needles simultaneously piercing his spiritual landscape, exploded without warning!

"Ugh!"

Si Jin let out a muffled grunt and stopped abruptly.

The aura around him instantly surged and contorted. The crystalline lenses he wore as a disguise began to crack and dissolve, revealing his signature pair of deep blue eyes.

The terrifying pressure belonging to a Dark Sentinel swept out like an out-of-control hurricane. The surrounding rubble and dust lifted and floated into the air, stirred by a nonexistent wind.

’Is my spiritual power running rampant?’

’No!’

’These past few days with Yun Sheng, my spiritual landscape has been unprecedentedly stable. This kind of sudden spiritual power eruption could only be caused by an external force.’

Si Jin snapped his head up, his deep blue eyes locking onto a dense patch of architectural shadow diagonally ahead.

"Using such underhanded tricks..." His voice was hoarse and deep, like gravel grinding together, every word steeped in cold killing intent. "Who is it? Get the hell out here!"