Chapter 68: Sixty-eight spirits, Shared memories.

Ning Li’s Spiritual Companion passed over the surface grassland, the pastures, and delved deeper into the Spirit Landscape.

After crossing the grass, the world before her changed in an instant.

It was as if she had entered the depths of the universe, surrounded by swirling galaxies.

This vast cosmos stretched beyond the horizon, a double universe formed by the merging of their Spirit Landscapes.

Yin Que’s spiritual power was omnipresent.

Here, it was his and her Spiritual World; once they established a Deep Link, their Spiritual Companions blended together as if they were inseparable.

Ning Li had never considered this a big deal.

In her view, Deep Link had many benefits; it was a connection unique to a Guide and Sentinel, so why not embrace it?

But at this moment, Yin Que’s emotions came flooding to her.

Helplessness, joy, excitement………

Their heartbeats became one and the same.

Thump, thump, thump………….

Although it was a single sound, it was the heartbeat of two people.

It seemed no different, yet felt entirely distinct.

Ning Li’s own emotions were swayed; her heart beat too quickly, and she felt a little dizzy for a moment.

The universe began to turn upside down.

Stars spun and swirled all around.

She could feel Yin Que.

It was a truly wondrous experience.

She was like a drop of water entering the sea, surrounded in all directions by the ocean.

What kind of feeling would water have upon entering the sea?

Ning Li didn’t know.

She only knew she felt free, relaxed, happy—like all her troubles had been thrown away, leaving only ease and joy.

Was Yin Que feeling the same right now?

“What are you thinking about?”

Yin Que’s voice sounded at just the right moment.

It was different from his usual tone.

Now, they could communicate directly.

Even these four short words, delivered in an instant, needed less than a second—the voice was everywhere, surrounding her from all directions.

Ning Li said, “I’m wondering how long it will take with a Deep Link for your injuries to fully heal.”

Yin Que didn’t answer.

Instead, he asked in return, “How long do you hope it will take?”

In the Spirit Landscape, one’s true self was revealed—no disguise, no lies.

Here, everything shown was genuine, with no chance to deceive.

Ning Li replied, “What about you?”

She tossed the question right back to him.

Yin Que gave a low laugh, no longer tossing the question back and forth like a ball.

He answered, “I hope it lasts a very, very long time.”

Long enough for the universe to fall silent, for the world to end.

Ning Li didn’t say anything more, but after hearing those words, her emotions were conveyed to the other side, to be shared between them.

Within the small galaxies nearby were all sorts of Yin Que’s memories.

Ning Li didn’t examine them closely, but sometimes she caught fleeting glimpses.

Even though she’d never been part of his past, she could now probe his memories from a first-person view, as if she’d accompanied him through those moments.

She saw the first time he listened to a lesson in class, and experienced what it was like to have a pretty female Guide pass him a love letter.

This was the aspect of Deep Link that Guides and Sentinels loved and hated in equal measure.

The whole person was exposed to the sunlight, with no secrets to speak of.

But she didn’t need to ask Yin Que what happened next.

Because the memories in the landscape had already given her the answer.

He had rejected that female Guide.

His tone was gentle throughout—a kind of Yin Que–style tenderness—but his refusal was clear and decisive, leaving no room for imagination.

She could even feel what he felt at that time.

Actually, there wasn’t any special emotion.

No secret delight like other boys might have when a pretty girl confessed, no impatience, and certainly no pride.

There was only calm and composure.

The only thought that flashed through his mind at the time was that the lesson about the Abnormal Species’ weaknesses that day needed another review, because the exam was tomorrow.

He wanted to score first place.

Scoring first meant praise from his mother.

Even if it was just a casual, offhand compliment.

But at that time, he was only a sixteen-year-old boy wanting his mother’s approval.

Most of the praise he’d ever received from his mother came from his excellent grades.

Scenes like this were numerous; Yin Que had been well-liked by everyone, young and old, from childhood.

All his memories were open to her.

Actually, Ning Li hadn’t wanted to pry at first, but gradually, she grew intensely curious about Yin Que’s past.

It was a time she hadn’t been a part of.

How did he spend his days when she wasn’t there?

She grabbed a Memory Cluster and began to savor it carefully.

To prove she was fair, Ning Li also generously opened most of her own memories to Yin Que.

These memories, he could see too.

In truth, compared to Yin Que’s vivid and eventful youth, her own girlhood was far too pale and boring.

She became an Experiment Subject at twelve, escaped successfully at sixteen, and from sixteen to eighteen, she’d been on the run with K, stirring up trouble now and then.

After eighteen, she became powerful—there was nothing that could ever threaten her life again.

As long as she willed it, she’d never again be in crisis.

She had never been a good person.

She’d never pretended otherwise in front of Yin Que.

But after seeing her memories, he would understand this even more directly.

The days on the run were dull—a stretch of time she didn’t even want to revisit, something she’d done her best to forget.

Unfortunately, a top Guide’s Spirit Landscape was so vast it could conceal even the slightest memory.

Even if she desperately wanted to forget, the truth was, she hadn’t lost a single second—everything was right there in her landscape.

Among those memories, was there really anything she couldn’t show Yin Que?

In Yin Que’s memories, Ning Li would occasionally see Qi Si Gui, and Qi Dian and Xi Yan, the sibling pair, would also appear from time to time.

His world was simple.

There were many people coming and going, but most were Sentinels who fought at his side.

He had many classmates, many subordinates, plenty of distant relatives, but not many real friends, and few close family members.

Even his mother seemed somewhat reserved when facing him.

She saw his mother throw herself again and again into Si Gui’s father’s arms, her eyes shining.

And Yin Que simply stood not far away.

She also saw more memories related to war.

At the Frontline, when ordinary Guides/Sentinels and regular people died at the hands of Abnormal Species, he felt—grief, regret, hatred, compassion and more, so complex that Ning Li couldn’t even fully distinguish what those feelings were.

After a few seconds, she withdrew from that memory.

It was too frightening.

That moment of empathy.

All the regret and pity passed through her heart.

“Yin Que, don’t! Don’t look at my memories!”

Realizing this, Ning Li stopped Yin Que at once.

But she was too late.

Yin Que had already gone through many of her memories.

Ning Li was rarely so flustered.

After taking in so many of her negative emotions, how would Yin Que react?

Would he sink together with her?

But there was another legend about Deep Link: if one side’s emotions were strong and tolerant enough, they could purify the negative emotions, turning them into brighter ones.

It’s just—a legend is called a legend because so very few have ever managed it.

Across thousands of years of Guide and Sentinel history, those who’ve done it could be counted on less than two hands.