Chapter 40: Forty spirits, Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you.

The sickly Ranwu was clingy, whining like a wounded kitten.

This was actually quite illogical.

Ranwu had been frail and often ill since childhood, but she grew up surrounded by her family’s love.

Both her parents and her older brother loved her deeply.

Yet now, Ranwu felt utterly insecure, as if she could be abandoned at any moment.

Yin Que brushed the back of his hand against her forehead; it was still burning hot.

“Who are you?”

Ranwu would never normally be this insecure, because she knew her family would never abandon her.

But in her sick state, it seemed she had completely forgotten that.

No matter what, she was his sister.

“Brother?”

Ning Li’s mind was hazy and feverish.

She didn’t know whether to pity herself or Ranwu, or maybe both.

If Ning Ke were here, he would’ve abandoned her, his clingy little sister, without looking back.

Perhaps even mock her before doing so.

Ning Ke was such a selfish and cold person.

Unfortunately, he was the brother she had in her past life.

Yin Que seemed to sense Ning’s unease and wiped her face with a damp towel.

“Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you.”

He decided to take her to find a guide immediately.

Outside, the rain was still pouring heavily, raindrops pattering down and forming mist on the ground.

This was the chaotic Zone 61, just two zones away from the war-torn Zone 63.

Many sentinel guides came from here for different purposes.

As soon as they stepped out of the Temporary Stopover Point, the wind swept in, carrying raindrops fiercely.

But just as the wind was about to hit Ning, it abruptly changed direction.

The wind and rain were blocked outside, leaving only the sounds of wind and rain, making it feel as safe and stable as being inside a house.

Ning Li groggily opened her eyes.

She saw wind swirling with rain around her, hitting the ground but never a single drop falling on her.

Even the wind deliberately avoided her.

Ranwu had once again activated a new ability of the Storm Lord.

The spiritual entity “Storm Lord” was roughly two meters tall, with short sea-blue curls, light blue eyelashes and pupils.

It wore a white robe, its figure mostly hidden beneath, hovering mid-air.

For some reason, Ning Li felt a strange familiarity and intimacy with the Storm Lord, as if she had encountered a robed spirit before—but that one hadn’t worn a white robe.

She had this persistent illusion that she was actually incredibly powerful.

But in reality, she was just an ordinary person.

The “Storm Lord” said nothing, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied at being underutilized.

It controlled storms, capable of conjuring a hurricane at sea in an instant or letting fierce winds engulf an entire small town.

But now, for the first time, it was being used merely to shield someone from wind and rain.

[Excessive.]

[You are truly excessive.]

This was the Storm Lord’s first time actively communicating with Yin Que in the spiritual sea.

“She’s too weak to be exposed to wind.”

[Hmph.]

Though displeased, the Storm Lord diligently blew away raindrops from Ning Li.

Meanwhile, Ranwu herself was fully exposed to the heavy rain, not making much use of her spiritual entity’s power.

It studied its new master.

He and Ranwu had completely different combat styles.

Even with the same kind of spiritual entity, different masters would unlock different skills and use their entities’ abilities in unique ways.

Ranwu’s style was grand and bold.

The new Ranwu’s style—

Was hard to define precisely.

His tactical style was extremely flexible, adjusting to the time and place with terrifying precision in controlling his spiritual entity.

But the most frightening thing was his learning ability.

From initially being unfamiliar with spiritual entities to commanding them effortlessly, it only took him minutes.

It was as if he was born for battle, adept at any terrain, handling various skills with ease, and instantly forming battle plans in his mind.

In the previous two waves of pursuers, he could have disabled their mobility with less effort and damage.

But maybe he thought wasting time was pointless, wanting a swift victory, or simply wanted to spare their lives.

He was really strong.

Comparing the strengths of two masters was the rudest thing to do, and the Storm Lord didn’t want to.

Regardless of who the master was, they were all good, but it was truly satisfied with the current one.

Ning Li felt warmth in Ranwu’s embrace, a deep sense of security.

When she opened her eyes again, she realized they had already gone far from the Temporary Stopover Point.

The sound of Ranwu’s combat boots squelching through the mud mixed with water splashing in puddles.

The rain outside was still heavy, the sky dark, visibility poor.

Seeing her eyes open, Yin Que simply explained, “I’m taking you to see a guide.”

Ning Li murmured, “Actually… it’ll be better in a few days.”

In her memory, Ranwu’s illnesses usually lasted three to five days, during which it was tough but recoverable with medicine.

Ranwu had also been to see guides several times before, but it didn’t help much.

Still, Yin Que insisted on taking her to see one.

He had a map of Zone 61 in his mind.

Though it was from three hundred years later, the layout hadn’t changed much.

He quickly found a gathering place of sentinel guides.

There were many such gathering spots in Zone 61.

Sentinels were among the most restless groups, loving adventure and appearing in various zones.

Different zones housed different peoples, with distinct architectural styles and cultural charms.

As Yin Que and Ning Li arrived, a sentinel who was singing and drinking in the pouring midnight rain whistled lazily.

“Yo, who do we have here?”

Yin Que was drenched but not disheveled; his posture straight and commanding, holding Ning Li’s arm steadily.

His eyes were sharp and deep in the darkness.

As he approached, his figure gradually became clearer.

Several sentinels subconsciously lowered their beers, their gazes locking on them.

They sensed Yin Que was no ordinary person.

Wasting no time, Yin Que asked directly, “Is there a healing guide here?”

One sentinel glanced at the sickly Ning Li in his arms and whistled again.

“We have some, but I wonder what you’re willing to pay?”

“Let me see the guide first.”

The sentinel clicked his tongue and stood up, “Wait here, I’ll call someone.”

The guide who came out looked somewhat aged, expression cold.

“Healing—1,000 Universal Credits per session. No bargaining.”

Yin Que talked with him briefly.

At first, the guide was indifferent but gradually his expression grew serious.

“Finally someone who knows their stuff.”

The guide couldn’t help asking, “Are you really a sentinel?”

How else would he know the skills they might have?

Yin Que didn’t answer the obvious question.

“Are there any other guides?”

This one couldn’t solve Ning Li’s current problem.

A sentinel listening nearby scoffed, “Brother, please. We’re just mid-level sentinels and guides. Judging by your style, only a high-level or top-level guide can meet your needs. But how likely are they to appear here?”

Yin Que’s voice remained calm, “Skills like mid-level guide Ming Guang would be enough.”

From the time spent together, Yin Que had realized that Ranwu’s frailty might be related to a malformed breed.

Perhaps her mother had been exposed to some secret attack by such a creature during pregnancy.

Ming Guang could remove part of the negative effects brought by malformed breeds.

The sentinel, seeing how knowledgeable Yin Que was, stopped joking and looked at him deeply, then signaled someone to fetch a guide.

Soon, a young guide appeared from the house.

“3,000 Universal Credits per session for Microglow. The effect is slightly weaker than Ming Guang. Take it or leave it.”

“Treat her.”

Ning Li was about to say they didn’t have that much money when the light of Microglow enveloped her, a warm beam dispelling the chill and slightly reducing her persistent fever.

Yin Que paid.

Ning Li’s eyes widened, as if recalling something.

The guide had fiery red hair tied into two braids on either side.

After examining Ning Li in Yin Que’s arms, she concluded,

“She’s near death.”

“Half a month? Or a month?”

Her tone was teasing.

Life and death were common topics among guides and sentinels.

Ordinary people wouldn’t avoid them—after all, their heads were not screwed on tight, and death was always discussed.

Yin Que was used to talk of life and death too.

But that didn’t mean he liked others casually discussing Ranwu’s condition.

“Sorry, that’s none of your concern.”

How interesting.

The guide detected displeasure in his tone, but his politeness and gentlemanly demeanor kept it submerged like the ocean.

Even his dissatisfaction was so gentle and elegant.

She had never met a sentinel like him before.

He didn’t seem like someone who should be in Zone 61.

He had a noble air about him, unknowingly dignified, but without the usual condescending attitude of nobles—calm and composed.

The guide boldly batted her eyelashes at him.

“May I ask your name? Tell me, and I’ll refund your treatment fee.”

Her words dripped with innuendo and flirtation.

It was common for guides and sentinels to develop brief friendships if they hit it off.

Yin Que turned and left with Ning Li.

“I’m Zhu Gao. Come back if you need anything!”

The other sentinels were used to her enthusiasm.

These freelance guides, not affiliated with any Bingtuan, were often fiery and passionate.

Ning Li’s condition improved significantly, finally shedding her sickly appearance.

The new Ranwu seemed to know much more than before, handling everyone with ease and easily winning their favor.

Yet—

“Brother, I don’t want to die.”

Yin Que gently ruffled her hair.

His voice sounded tender in the darkness.

“We’re going to Zone 63.”

He didn’t promise she wouldn’t die, but still managed to comfort her deeply.

“Brother, where did the money come from?”

Yin Que said nothing.

So it was taken from those pursuers, right?

Ning Li suddenly remembered the diary that had been publicly read aloud.

“The diary…”

“It’s with me.”

He was truly thoughtful.

Ning Li had almost forgotten about the diary herself, but he remembered to keep it safe, preventing her youthful secrets from spilling out.

As they stepped into Zone 63, Ning and Yin Que encountered that group of sentinels and guides once again.

They were battling a giant malformed breed nearly five meters tall.

It was Ning’s first direct encounter with the cruelty of war.

Fire and blood glowed everywhere.

The Bingtuan of Zone 63 tightly controlled the battle within their zone, preventing it from spreading outward.

But the entire zone was engulfed in flames, the raging fire casting a blood-red glow over the whole area, distorting the world around them.

When a sentinel was about to be killed by the malformed breed, a gust of wind swept him to safety.

The sentinel lay on the ground, gasping for breath as if escaping death.

The crowd instinctively looked his way.

Zhu Gao’s face was smeared with blood but still full of enthusiasm.

These low-level guides were always so full of life and passion.

She waved high at Yin Que.

“Hey, what a coincidence, we meet again!”

Suddenly, a fierce wind rose from the flat ground.

The gust avoided all unrelated personnel, swift and sharp, and struck directly at the malformed breed.

The wind cut through the creature like the sharpest blade in the world, opening a gaping, bloodied wound and piercing through the massive monster.

With a thunderous crack, the malformed breed split in two, crashing heavily to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

The battle was over in an instant.

An eerie silence fell over the scene.

No one spoke; all were still stunned by the overwhelming power of the strike.

The Storm Lord appeared from the void, floating behind Yin Que, its white robe billowing fiercely in the wind. This image captured countless eyes.

It was increasingly satisfied with its new master.

Ultimate control, powerful execution, not wasting an ounce of energy, every force balanced to the finest degree.

Was this a battle?

No, it was clearly a display of skill.

This strike not only caught the attention of the previously encountered sentinels but also drew the gaze of the Zone 63 Bingtuan commander.

Even the frontline commander fighting face-to-face with malformed breeds noticed.

Yin Que and Ning Li were brought before the current commander.

It was the first meeting between the 1313th and the 1336th commanders.

One a senior,

One a junior.

Separated by over three hundred years of time.

But a special experience allowed them to meet in a narrow fold of time.