They had lived together for so long, after all. Seeing Feng Chi like this softened Feng Zhi’s heart.
But she knew her own nature all too well. She liked good-looking things and fell for one after another. If she spent too long with the same thing, no matter how beautiful it was, she would eventually grow tired of it—until she didn’t even want to touch it.
If she were an Ordinary Person, bound by law and morality, she might well have been able to stick with it.
But as it happened, she was now recognized as a Guide. The law even allowed Guides to bond with multiple Sentinels. Without the constraints of law and morality, she didn’t think she was any good, and she wouldn’t be able to stay committed. Some things, then, needed to be made clear in advance.
Besides…
She wasn’t sure what she was now. She might very well be an Ordinary Person, and Ordinary People only lived to 120, while Feng Chi could live to 500. They weren’t suited to bonding.
And if she wasn’t a Guide, she wouldn’t have a Spirit Body. How could she bond with him without one?
But she wouldn’t tell anyone about this—not even Feng Chi, who had grown up with her.
She ruffled Feng Chi’s hair and spoke gently. “Look, people change. We see everything around us through the lens of our current status and position.”
“You’re going to be an SSS-rank Sentinel. You could become one of the strongest people in the world. Your world will be full of color and endless possibilities.”
“The only reason you want to bond with me now is that your world hasn’t opened up to you yet. You haven’t met all the other outstanding people out there. Once you do, your thinking will change. I don’t want that to be what turns us into a miserable couple someday.”
“So we don’t have to bond.”
“But… if you want me to Purify you, we can try that.”
“Once you have a Bonded Guide of your own, we can end things between us.”
“No.” Feng Chi suddenly spoke. His eyes were unfocused as he stared at Feng Zhi, but his voice was firm. “I won’t bond with another Guide. I only want to bond with you.”
Feng Zhi nodded. “I believe that’s what you truly feel right now.”
But people could change in an instant. Especially when an Ordinary Person climbed higher and higher—how many could hold on to their original intentions?
“How about this? Let’s make a deal. The Sentinel-Guide Academy is a two-year program, and we’ll be going there soon. There are lots of outstanding Sentinels and Guides there. If you still feel the same way when you graduate in two years, we can talk about it again then. How does that sound?”
“And can you accept me Purifying other Sentinels?”
At her last question, Feng Chi’s face drained of color again.
A dull, relentless ache filled Feng Chi’s heart. He had never imagined a third person entering their life. And once there was a third, there could be a fourth, a fifth…
He hadn’t even truly been with the person he loved, yet he was being told he would have to accept other people in their future. It was unbearably cruel to him, and he couldn’t accept it just then.
“I… I’m going to wash up.” Feng Chi sprang to his feet and fled to the bathroom, as if trying to escape.
Feng Zhi must have just used the bathroom; a trace of damp warmth still lingered in the air.
His gaze shifted slightly, landing on the pale-yellow towel hanging nearby—Feng Zhi’s face towel.
He stared at it for a while, then took it down and pressed it to his face.
Its soft touch reminded him of how Feng Zhi’s hand had felt against his face just moments ago. But its cool dampness chilled him inside, as if he were sinking into an endless abyss.
He stayed in the bathroom, unwilling to go out. He didn’t know how to face Feng Zhi.
He didn’t have a room of his own and could only sleep in the living room, where Feng Zhi was.
But he didn’t want to go outside, either, because Feng Zhi wasn’t there.
He didn’t know how long passed before someone knocked on the bathroom door. Feng Zhi’s voice came from outside. “The barbecue’s here. Let’s eat.”
Feng Chi’s stiff body stirred. He pushed the door open and walked out, feeling weighed down.
Feng Zhi was unpacking the containers, arranging rows of food on the table. She was setting out the food and pouring juice. When she saw him, she waved him over with a cheerful voice. “Come on! The barbecue’s delicious. Since you’ve only just awakened as a Sentinel, make sure you eat plenty while you can. You might not get to taste barbecue like this again.”
Feng Chi felt as if something were lodged in his throat, but seeing Feng Zhi’s bright smile gradually softened his heart.
Steadying himself, he strode over.
They ate and talked together as usual, as if nothing had happened.
Feng Chi chewed his food. It was delicious, but he couldn’t bring himself to swallow.
His gaze lingered greedily on Feng Zhi’s every move.
When Feng Zhi tasted something delicious, her face lit up.
When Feng Zhi ate something too spicy, she frowned and stuck out her tongue, quickly taking a sip of juice.
Feng Zhi took a bite of meat and seemed to like it; she closed her eyes in contentment.
Feng Chi rubbed his water glass between his hands. He couldn’t imagine a future in which he never saw this again.
Would there be other Sentinels in the future?
If those Sentinels never got the chance to come near her, would that solve everything?
If he were strong enough to drive the other Sentinels away, would Feng Zhi never have to see them?
As long as he stayed by Feng Zhi’s side, he could chase away anyone who coveted her.
With his current S-rank strength—and the SSS-rank strength he would have someday—what could those Sentinels possibly have to compete with him?
Once he thought it through, Feng Chi felt clear-headed again.
He couldn’t leave Feng Zhi, and there was no telling when what she’d said would come to pass. Why agonize over it?
As long as he was strong enough and kept a close watch, he could have Feng Zhi all to himself, with no Sentinel by her side but him.
“Feng Zhi,” Feng Chi said, looking at her. “You said I had two years to think it over. I agree.”
“But you said you wouldn’t refuse to Purify me, right?”
Feng Chi’s fingers tightened slightly around his glass. His mouth had gone dry.
Thinking about how they might hold hands, hug, kiss, and do even more intimate things in the future made his heart race.
Feng Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”
She had only said they wouldn’t bond, not that she couldn’t Purify him. With such a handsome man right in front of her, how could she possibly go without?
“Now that you’ve thought it through, let’s try my Guide Pheromone in a bit. See how it feels.”
“You only awakened today, but you’re S-rank, so you should be able to sense my Guide Pheromone.”
Feng Chi stared at her in surprise. “Guide Pheromone? You already have it?”
Feng Zhi nodded. “I do. And not only that—I’ve awakened an Ability, too. A Healing Ability.”