Every Sentinel I Dreamed of Came Looking for Me

Yun Sheng practically flew through the gates of Xinglan Garden.

Once inside the complex, walking along the quiet path toward home, she finally slowed her pace a little.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the strange, uncontrollable fluttering in her chest.

’It was all fake, just an act, an expedient to deal with Bai Ye’s surveillance... But in that moment, when Si Jin leaned in close, his gaze was so intensely focused that it made my heart skip a few beats.’

’I even felt a flash of panic when he asked that question.’

Yun Sheng squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish the image of his eyes from her mind—eyes that had looked unusually deep under the dim yellow glow.

"...So reckless," she muttered, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

It was unclear whether she was cursing Si Jin for his audacious provocation or scolding herself for her own uncontrollably racing heart.

The night breeze rustled through the treetops, its soft RUSTLING sound also cooling the heat from her face.

She composed herself, regulated her breathing and expression, and then quickened her pace toward the Lin Family estate.

Warm lights glowed in the living room. Surprisingly, Su Wan was still awake.

She was sitting on the sofa, giving quiet instructions to the butler, with obvious anxiety etched between her brows.

Hearing footsteps, she immediately turned her head. Upon seeing Yun Sheng, she shot to her feet and hurried over.

"Shengsheng!" Su Wan grabbed Yun Sheng’s hand. "Why are you back so late? You didn’t answer your phone. I was worried sick! Did something happen?"

Seeing the genuine concern and anxiety in Su Wan’s eyes, Yun Sheng felt a flicker of warmth, but it was overshadowed by an indescribable exhaustion and helplessness.

’I can’t tell her the truth. At least, not all of it.’

"Madam, I’m fine."

She forced the corners of her lips up into a faint, reassuring smile.

"I just went to the Seventh District to look at some training equipment, hoping to find something with good value. On the way back, there was a hover car accident that caused a long traffic jam. I saw some people were injured and needed help, so I got out to lend a hand, which is why I was delayed. I’m sorry for making you worry."

She tried to describe the events as plainly and reasonably as possible, omitting Si Jin’s presence and Bai Ye’s questioning.

"An accident? And you got out to help?"

Su Wan’s voice immediately rose in pitch as she nervously looked Yun Sheng up and down.

"You’re not hurt, are you? Did you get hit? Your forehead..." Her gaze landed on the small scrape on the corner of Yun Sheng’s forehead, and her brows knitted in distress. "How did you get this scrape? Does it hurt? No, this won’t do. I have to get Doctor Li to come over and take a look right away!"

"Madam, it’s really nothing!" Yun Sheng quickly stopped her. "I just grazed it by accident. It stopped hurting a long time ago. It’s just... after all that, I’m a bit tired. I’d like to go up, take a shower, and get some rest."

Su Wan studied her face carefully. Seeing that she was indeed pale with fatigue, with dark shadows under her eyes, she finally relented.

"Alright, alright, you should hurry up and rest. Run the water hot and have a good soak..."

She paused, as if she wanted to say more, but seeing that Yun Sheng was physically and mentally exhausted and in no mood to talk, she ultimately swallowed her words and just offered a few more worried reminders.

Yun Sheng nodded, said no more, and turned to quickly head upstairs.

Back in her room, she closed the door behind her, shutting out the rest of the world. Only then did Yun Sheng finally let go of her forced composure.

She leaned her back against the cool wood of the door and slowly exhaled a breath she felt had been held in her chest for ages.

The day’s events flashed through her mind like a film on fast-forward.

Every frame was steeped in surprises, tension, and an omnipresent game of careful schemes and counters.

Yun Sheng walked to the window. Without turning on the light, she gently pushed aside a corner of the heavy curtain.

Outside, the night was as thick as ink. ’But beneath this seemingly peaceful darkness,’ she knew, ’countless unseen eyes are hiding.’

’The watchers Bai Ye sent must not have left yet. And perhaps... there are other powers at play, too...’

’I need more power to deal with all of this!’

’I can only hope that after a couple of days of rest, Si Jin will keep his promise and teach me how to assimilate and use that external spiritual power soon.’

Yun Sheng took another deep breath, suppressed the myriad thoughts in her mind, and turned toward the bathroom.

She stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Warm water cascaded down, washing over her body and cleansing away her mental fatigue and tension.

Yun Sheng changed into a clean set of pajamas and buried herself in the soft, fluffy bedding, instantly enveloped in warmth and comfort.

Extreme physical and mental exhaustion washed over her like a tide, drowning her last sliver of conscious will.

Her heavy eyelids drooped shut uncontrollably. In almost no time at all, her breathing grew even and deep as she sank directly into sleep.

...

Yun Sheng once again found herself in that familiar, hazy void.

She looked up and saw Bai Ye not far away.

This time, he wasn’t sitting cross-legged and on guard like before. Instead, he was standing there, his gaze fixed in the direction from which she had appeared.

The moment their eyes met, Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat.

’This is bad!’

’Is he... waiting for me?’

The realization made her instinctively want to retreat, to escape from this dreamscape immediately.

’I stole too much power last time. In the real world, just brief physical contact with Si Jin almost caused my power to overflow and nearly exposed me.’

’I still have all that power. If I "recharge" again, I can’t imagine what will happen. The next time I touch Si Jin or anyone else, I might just expose myself completely.’

’The priority right now is to wake up and consolidate the power I already have, not bite off more than I can chew.’

Her mind made up, Yun Sheng unhesitatingly turned to "run," attempting to force herself awake.

But as fast as she was, Bai Ye was faster.

His figure blurred, and like a swift streak of light, he was suddenly in front of her.

Yun Sheng stopped dead in her tracks, coming face-to-face with Bai Ye, who was now just inches away.

His usually calm and impassive eyes now clearly reflected her figure, and deep within them churned a thick, complex emotion she couldn’t decipher.

"Trying to run again?"

Bai Ye reached out and seized Yun Sheng’s wrist, as if afraid she would vanish into thin air the very next second.

"This time, do you think I’ll let you leave so easily?"

His gaze felt tangible, locking her firmly in place.

After their last encounter in the dream, the stubborn cracks in his spiritual landscape had eased to an unprecedented degree.

For several days in a row, the periodic spiritual power rampages that had plagued him for years miraculously failed to appear. Even the tormenting headaches had lessened significantly.

That long-lost, almost luxurious sense of peace and clarity made him realize with perfect certainty what this woman in his dreams meant to him.

’He had finally, finally waited for her to appear, and the first thing she does is try to run away?’

’How could he allow that!’

The unconcealed dominance and craving in his eyes made Yun Sheng’s heart pound erratically, and she tried to struggle.

"Let me go! I..."

But instead of letting go, Bai Ye used the momentum of her struggle to pull her sharply into his arms.

His other arm immediately wrapped around her, circling her waist tightly and trapping her completely in his embrace.

"Let you go?" Bai Ye’s voice dropped even lower, laced with a vaguely dangerous tone. "Last time, you were the one who came looking for me."

"What? You think you can just use me and run? The world... isn’t that generous!"