Chapter 57: This Time, Can You Be More Proactive?
Yun Sheng returned to her room, walked over to the sofa, and sat down, rubbing her throbbing temples.
The earlier confrontation with Bai Ye had nearly drained her of all mental energy. On top of that, she had just dealt with Mr. Chen and Zhou Lin. She was utterly exhausted.
Just then, the wrist terminal on her arm suddenly vibrated, displaying a new friend request.
Yun Sheng instinctively opened it. When she saw who sent the request, she froze.
Sender: Bai Ye.
’Bai Ye? Why would he send a friend request now of all times?’
Yun Sheng stared at the pitch-black profile picture, her brow furrowing bit by bit.
The last person she wanted to get involved with right now was Bai Ye. Every time he got close, the risk of her secrets being exposed multiplied.
’Accept his friend request? Isn’t that just walking right into a trap, putting a shackle around my own neck?!’
With almost no hesitation, Yun Sheng swiped her finger, ignoring the request and letting it lie silently in her pending list—just like the one before it.
Meanwhile, inside a black military hovercar that had just departed from Xinglan Garden...
Bai Ye leaned back in the rear seat, his gaze lowered to the screen of the terminal on his wrist.
On the screen, the friend request he had just sent himself still read "awaiting confirmation," sitting there quietly, without any response.
He held that pose for a few seconds before closing the screen, his expression unreadable.
’She added Zhou Lin, but once again... she ignored me.’
To be ignored twice in a row by the same person was an experience both unfamiliar and... unpleasant for him.
Just then, the space inside the car suddenly rippled with a blurry distortion of light and shadow.
In the next moment, the shrunken form of the Holy Light White Tiger materialized from thin air, its massive body nearly filling the spacious rear of the hovercar.
It lowered its head, bringing its enormous skull close to the terminal on Bai Ye’s wrist and glancing at the inactive screen.
Then, with a hint of disdain, it huffed a small puff of warm air from its nostrils, tilted its head, and looked at its master.
Its gaze seemed to say, ’Ignored twice in a row? You’re really useless.’
Bai Ye: "..."
His cold, stern face remained expressionless, but his gaze seemed to darken a fraction.
He reached out, his long fingers sinking into the thick fur of its neck, giving it a firm squeeze.
"Go back."
The Holy Light White Tiger let out a low, disgruntled growl. Its massive body shimmered, dissolving into motes of light and merging back into Bai Ye’s spiritual landscape.
The car fell silent again.
Bai Ye leaned back against the seat once more and closed his eyes, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on his knee.
’Yun Sheng...’
’The more you hide, the more you run, the more you prove that the secret you’re carrying is no small thing.’
’I’ve already given you an ultimatum. I won’t give you another chance to escape!’
...
In a remote and quiet villa deep within Xinglan Garden.
Si Jin stood in the heavy shadows by a second-floor window, having suppressed all his aura and spiritual power fluctuations.
His deep blue eyes were locked on the black military hovercar as it gradually pulled away from Xinglan Garden.
Not until it had completely vanished into the distant flow of traffic did the space beside Si Jin suddenly twist slightly.
The next second, the Abyssal Giant Wolf, shrunk to the size of a medium dog, appeared out of thin air at his feet.
It nudged Si Jin’s dangling hand forcefully with its furry head.
Si Jin looked down, curled his fingers, and flicked his own spiritual body on the forehead.
"Don’t be impatient. I know you want to go back to her side as soon as possible. But that guy, Bai Ye, is very cunning. He might just circle back for a surprise check. We’ll wait a little longer. I’ll let you go over once we’re sure it’s safe."
The Abyssal Giant Wolf let out a dissatisfied rumble from its throat, the deep blue flames in its eye sockets flickering as if protesting its master’s excessive caution.
Si Jin’s eyes darkened, a complex and shadowy light flashing within them.
Ever since his power had spiraled out of control and he had fallen, becoming a Dark Sentinel, his spiritual landscape had been on the constant verge of violent chaos. This, in turn, affected his spiritual body, causing it to frequently go berserk.
But when it returned from Yun Sheng’s side just now, the ferocious aura clinging to it had lessened considerably.
’Yun Sheng’s ability is far more special than I ever imagined!’
For him, in his current state, this "special" quality was like a piece of driftwood to a drowning man—his only hope in the darkness.
But it was also, without a doubt, a double-edged sword!
Once Bai Ye, or the higher-ups at the Tower, discovered it...
Si Jin’s gaze suddenly turned sharp and ice-cold, like an unsheathed blade.
’I absolutely cannot let Bai Ye discover Yun Sheng’s true secret. I cannot let her fall into the hands of the Tower or any other power!’
"It seems... I must speed up my plans," Si Jin murmured to the Abyssal Giant Wolf at his feet. "Before she’s completely targeted, I have to figure out the full truth of her ability, and I must... make her dependent enough on us."
’So dependent that no matter what happens, she won’t—and can’t—leave my side!’
...
「In the blink of an eye, it was dinnertime.」
Yun Sheng couldn’t muster the energy to go downstairs, so she had a servant bring dinner directly to her room.
The food on the tray was sumptuous and exquisite, but she picked up her utensils and took a few bites without really tasting anything.
Perhaps the endless troubles of the day and her frayed nerves had completely ruined her appetite.
She forced herself to eat, but her stomach only felt heavy while her heart felt empty.
Yun Sheng put down her utensils and began to pace restlessly around the room. Suddenly, something soft and furry gently brushed against her ankle.
She instinctively looked down and saw the familiar little dog.
A delighted smile instantly spread across her face. She immediately crouched down and scooped it up.
Its fur was cool and as smooth as the finest silk to the touch. Yun Sheng adored it, unable to resist nuzzling her cheek against the top of its furry head.
She gently combed her fingers through the thick fur on the back of its neck, feeling its cool, silky texture. An indescribable sense of peace and joy washed over her.
This little one seemed to possess a magical power that could soothe her frayed nerves.
The more she played with it, the happier she became. She leaned down, about to plant a kiss on the tip of its furry ear.
"Ahem."
The abrupt cough came from near the window.
Yun Sheng froze, slowly turning her head toward the sound.
There, in the shadows by the room’s curtains, stood a person who had appeared at some unknown moment.
It was Si Jin, who had removed his disguise.
Yun Sheng’s cheeks instantly burned red, and her arms, still holding the small dog, felt awkward.
’She had just... in front of its master, hugged it, nuzzled it, and was even about to kiss it!’
’Even though the little thing in her arms was criminally cute, it wasn’t a real pet dog. Her actions had been a bit... overly familiar and rude.’
"S-Si Jin..." Yun Sheng began awkwardly, instinctively wanting to put down the small dog in her arms.
The small dog instantly let out an unwilling whimper, even stretching out its tongue to lick the back of her hand and nuzzling its furry head deeper into her embrace.
Si Jin’s gaze swept over the intimate interaction between the human and the spiritual body. His expression remained unchanged, as if he were turning a blind eye to both Yun Sheng’s embarrassment and her "indecent" liberties with his spiritual body.
He stared straight at her and got right to the point.
"Yun Sheng, it’s time for you to demonstrate your ability again."
Si Jin took a step forward, emerging from the shadows. The light in the room seemed to dim slightly at his approach.
"This time, can you be a little more proactive?"