CH 48

when si di came back with the meal tray, the monkey sentinel had already left, just like when he arrived. in his pocket was a bottle of coconut milk, a friendly gift from xiao zhenyun.

the sentinel, of course, heard the commotion over here and knew that xiao zhenyun had handled things smoothly. he smiled, handing over the bowl of noodles that the guide had pointed out, and added two crabs.

“it’s the breeding season for these blue-footed sea crabs lately,” si di said. “the restaurant owner sent these crabs, and they’re really juicy.”

“sure it’s not stolen?” xiao zhenyun took a bite of the noodles, cracked open a crab shell, and sure enough, it was filled with crab roe. like everyone who likes crab but hates to peel them, he devoured the roe and couldn’t be bothered with the crab legs. wiping his hands, he looked up and coincidentally locked eyes with tai ji, sitting diagonally across. those blue-gold yin-yang eyes, focused on the crabs a second ago, now lifted alongside xiao zhenyun’s gaze.

the usually fierce and narrow wolf eyes unexpectedly softened, conveying a message yet unspoken.

xiao zhenyun, as if enlightened, picked up a crab leg. tai ji perked up, sitting straight.

placing the crab leg in front of tai ji, xiao zhenyun threw him a question, “you sure you didn’t snatch this?” tai ji sniffed it habitually, then used his pointed snout and wolf tongue to pick it up and lick it. finally, he placed it at the right sharp-toothed area, took two bites, and swallowed it down.

xiao zhenyun gave him another leg, not handing it over but tossing it this time. tai ji was quite adept at catching things, grabbing it with his mouth full of sharp teeth. after two bites, it was all gone.

who could resist a handsome black wolf that not only played with you but also took care of your leftovers?

si di watched as xiao zhenyun and tai ji enjoyed themselves. after tossing his own eight crab legs, xiao zhenyun found it wasn’t enough. he grabbed the legs si di hadn’t eaten yet and threw them as well.

tian lu curiously jumped out of the spiritual domain, snatching a crab leg before xiao zhenyun finished throwing. it dropped it on the ground, sniffed around to confirm it wasn’t something good, disdainfully picked it back up, and nudged it towards xiao zhenyun.

xiao zhenyun threw another one to tai ji.

as dinner was nearing its end, si di suddenly looked behind xiao zhenyun with a playful look in his eyes, lightly smiling, “ah… met an acquaintance.”

xiao zhenyun’s immediate thought was, ‘it couldn’t be that team si di pranked last night, the one that ranked first in points, right?’ according to the original plot, this group should be in the mountains playing hide and seek with si chu. he quickly turned around, only to see several faces that even he found familiar.

it was duan fei’s team, the one with only ordinary people. if si di hadn’t arrived in time, xiao zhenyun would probably be mingling with them now.

at the same time, duan fei also noticed xiao zhenyun and si di. the candidate praised by several military school leaders for his excellent mentality, after spotting them, walked straight towards them, standing beside the dining table and slightly bowing to the two, “meeting again, examiners.”

si di lowered his head and put on his alloy mouthguard.

xiao zhenyun smiled in response, “yeah, captain duan.”

“we haven’t given up on this task.” duan fei said seriously, “even if, in the examiner’s heart, there is a bias, we will continue to compete.”

“bias?” xiao zhenyun was puzzled for a moment, then realized what duan fei was talking about, “you mean the sentinel with eagle spiritual form? i do know him, and i do hope he gets a high score. but during the exam, i won’t favor him.”

after saying this, he paused for a few seconds, then smiled and pointed with his index finger across from him, “so your real opponent is only him.”

si di crossed his hands under his chin, and his long green eyes showed a threatening smile, “wish you good luck.”

duan fei showed no intention of backing down due to si di’s unfriendly attitude. instead, he put down his guard when xiao zhenyun assured there was no bias. he bowed expressionlessly again, “okay, thank you, examiner.”

after the so-called military genius left, xiao zhenyun suddenly remembered something, “by the way, did you see it? xiao jiali’s spiritual form was shot by a sniper from duan fei’s team.”

“kill?” as si di cleared the dinner plates, xiao zhenyun recalled, “it wasn’t a kill, but it was a serious injury.”

“is this guy really an s-class sentinel? spiritual injuries are a big taboo for sentinels,” si di frowned, “in theory, he shouldn’t have been shot by the test gun. both his and his spiritual form’s reactions are too slow. a subsonic bullet might be possible… does his team have a guide?”

xiao zhenyun shook his head, “i don’t know.”

si di thought for a moment, then chuckled, “if it’s a kill, he’s in for a rough time.”

having eaten their fill, with si di’s help, xiao zhenyun mounted the back of tian lu. as the majestic deer proudly carried its master into the crowd, xiao zhenyun instantly became the center of attention.

the proud deer, the handsome man with long hair, and a touch of frailty. special individuals might find it somewhat ordinary, but to ordinary folks, it was a scene straight out of mythology. their impressions of spiritual forms were limited, recalling a humanoid creature with animal ears controlling a rat to steal oil. suddenly confronted with this mythical scene, they couldn’t take their eyes off it.

walking beside him was a tall, black-clad cool guy, hands casually in his coat pockets, wearing a mask, neck collar, and restraint ring – like a beast restrained by chains, emitting a dangerous aura. the black wolf walked at the rear, tail hanging down, casually glancing and then slowly following his master.

duan fei leisurely ate a piece of bread, sitting across from him, while lily excitedly tore her toast in half. “i want to ride a deer too! i want to have a wolf as a pet! i can’t take it anymore; i want to make friends with a group of special individuals and play with animals in their homes!”

“too noisy,” duan fei, unaffected, took a sip of warm water and swallowed the bread. another teammate chuckled, “okay, lily, tomorrow let’s grab that long-haired instructor. he seems quite approachable; we’ll ask him to let you ride his spiritual form. he seems easy to talk to.”

“i can’t wait!” lily, eyes sparkling, stuffed the remaining food into her mouth and rolled away.

si di swiped his card to open the door to the room he shared with xiao zhenyun, gently placing the guide down from the deer and settling him on the bed by the window. “looks like tonight won’t be peaceful.”

“scared?” xiao zhenyun glanced at him.

“scared? what do i have to be scared of…” si di squinted, “at worst, i’ll just shoot you when i can’t control you completely. can’t let other teams get you if i can’t have you.”

xiao zhenyun locked eyes with him, shaking his head, “maybe you should still pretend a bit in front of me? that upright and innocent loyal-dog look you had before was much better.”

“i’ve rarely disguised myself in front of you,” si di sat down, “before, you were just asking for a beating. now, you…”

he mouthed the last two words slowly.

xiao zhenyun, of course, understood, his gaze instantly turning dangerous. he spoke in a cold tone, “who’s going to do what to whom is still uncertain.”

“you still want to compete with me?” si di asked disbelievingly, finding the question making xiao zhenyun’s expression even colder. he quickly explained, “i didn’t mean anything else… can your condition be cured?”

“it can,” xiao zhenyun closed his eyes, “it takes time.”

si di raised an eyebrow, “that’s good. otherwise, i’d feel a bit psychologically pressured. if i enjoy myself, but you can’t, it would be awkward, singing a solo with my wound in the future.”

“your worries are unnecessary.” xiao zhenyun felt the conversation becoming strange. it was clear that the relationship between him and si di did not even have a serious status. it was just a mutually acquiescent contact and development. yet, the recent discussions had taken an intimate turn, a back-and-forth of closeness.

he finally felt the belated awkwardness.

fortunately, a knocking on the door quickly interrupted the awkward situation. si di, puzzled, got up and went to the door. after listening for a while, his confusion deepened. he turned to xiao zhenyun and said, “it’s xiao jiali and his teammate, two of them.”

xiao zhenyun was equally puzzled, “them?”

the door was knocked again, accompanied by the voice of the leopard sentinel, “teacher xiao, open the door.”

si di and xiao zhenyun exchanged a glance, then opened the door. the leopard sentinel wasn’t surprised to find another silver-haired sentinel inside. he took a few steps forward and said, “teacher xiao, jiali says he has a terrible headache. what should we do?”

si di raised his hand to stop him and gave a brutally honest answer, “if he can’t endure it, he can forfeit. if he can, then continue the match.”

“i can endure…” xiao jiali’s face was covered in cold sweat, and his expression was twisted in pain. coupled with camouflage, he looked like a ghost. if si di hadn’t recognized his scent, xiao zhenyun wouldn’t have dared to easily identify him. he looked at the young sentinel and frowned, “don’t force yourself. is there a medical officer on the ship?”

xiao jiali glanced at xiao zhenyun, and the leopard sentinel quickly answered, “yes! but the fees are too high, we can’t afford it.”

“…,” si di wondered, “those who board the ship all have more points and items. they came to prevent night attacks. why did you two, who can’t even afford the medical room, come up? aren’t you sharing the boat tickets?”

“…jiali is in unbearable pain, and we’re afraid of being eliminated by night attacks. so, we didn’t pay for the tickets; we sneaked on board…” the leopard sentinel’s voice grew lower and lower. “we only have these.”

impressive. xiao zhenyun couldn’t help but admire. even in such circumstances, they managed to sneak aboard.

si di, seeing that xiao jiali was genuinely unwell, sighed, “during the exam, examiners are not allowed to provide any form of assistance to candidates free of charge. unfortunately, teacher xiao cannot provide you with mental grooming.”

and teacher xiao’s spiritual power level is c. unless you have a compatibility of 90 with him, it’s like a drop in the bucket.

thinking about this, si di felt a strange sense of superiority, as if having a compatibility of 97 with a spiritual power level of c was something to be proud of.

the leopard sentinel caught the undertones and quickly pulled out everything he had—two silver coins, “this is all we have.”

so poor… xiao zhenyun and si di both thought, a s-level sentinel and an a-level sentinel, how did they end up like this?

in the end, si di led xiao jiali and the leopard sentinel to the medical room, where they signed a promissory note for five gold coins. the two silver coins were like buying si di’s ‘favor.’ after all, without si di’s favor, they wouldn’t even have the opportunity to go on credit.

xiao zhenyun also followed, sitting on the side, watching the diagnosis by the guide doctor. for some reason, he had a strange premonition.

at first, the medical room’s door was deserted. after all, which sentinel examinee would spend five gold coins to see a doctor? most sentinels with minor problems in the spiritual domain had guide teammates for treatment.

but after sitting here for about five minutes, the area outside the medical room gradually filled with people, many of whom were familiar faces. there was the team that tried to rob them, and many from the duan fei team. everyone was silent, making the place crowded yet strangely quiet.

it was a bit difficult for the guide doctor to enter xiao jiali’s spiritual domain, but he didn’t take it too seriously; after all, there was a level difference here.

after xiao jiali had a saliva test strip pasted on his neck, he accepted the diagnosis while restlessly using his eyes to signal xiao zhenyun about the situation outside. si di glared at him, telling him to behave. they were well aware of the situation and didn’t need him to worry.

xiao zhenyun had already sensed that something was wrong. he began to wonder if his strange premonition was related to this unexpected turn of events.

this confusion persisted until the guide doctor exclaimed, “what’s going on? our compatibility is 0?”

hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). i hope you enjoyed the story! if you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ