Chapter 70

Chapter 70

When Lin Fu woke up, the sky was a faint light.

He propped himself up, staggering to his feet, his movements unsteady from the lingering pain.

Stripping off his clothes, soaked through with sweat and blood then dried stiff, he stepped into the bathroom for a long, soothing shower.

His skin felt dull, as if every sensation was muffled by a thick layer of cotton.

Lin Fu scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face, faintly feeling the warmth.

He was recovering.

His senses were slowly returning to his body.

This was a good sign.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair, he paused mid-stride.

He sensed the presence of another in his bedroom.

Snatching the towel from his head, Lin Fu looked up to see a man sitting on the sofa with his back to him, holding a corner of the clothing thrown there earlier.

It was stained with blood.

Hearing the movement, the man put down the clothes but didn't turn around. Instead, he said, "You received my call last night but didn't respond."

Clutching the towel in his hand, Lin Fu stood at the bathroom doorway for a moment before resuming drying his hair, his expression unchanged. "Ah, I must have connected accidentally."

He asked, "How did you get in here? My men didn't stop you?"

Cheng Jiu took off his gloves and tossed them onto the sofa, casually undoing the topmost button. "When I want to enter, no one knows."

Lin Fu had no retort.

Indeed, hadn't he himself been unaware?

Cheng Jiu returned to the initial question, "Accidentally connected... May I ask what Colonel Lin was doing at the time? You surely can't tell me the blood on this clothing isn't yours?"

Lin Fu lied without batting an eye, "Of course, I was tending to a wound. I accidentally cut myself, but now there's not even a scar left."

His hair half-dry, he threw the towel back into the bathroom and hung it up, cinched his bathrobe, and walked over to the sofa to pick up the clothes to throw into the storage.

Suddenly, Cheng Jiu acted out, looping an arm around Lin Fu's neck and dragging him off the sofa.

Lin Fu, with quick reflexes, caught Cheng Jiu's neck in return and flipped them both over onto the sofa.

In an instant, their positions changed—one half-kneeling in front of the sofa, intimately embracing the other's neck, while the latter lay atop the sofa, robe collar splayed open, damp hair in disarray, their faces mere inches apart.

Lin Fu released his hold, frowning as he attempted to rise from the sofa, but Cheng Jiu pressed him down, nearly pulling him into his embrace.

Cheng Jiu teased, “Colonel, is this the extent of your strength, or are you trying to throw yourself into my arms?”

Lin Fu had long been accustomed to Cheng Jiu's annoying banter.

He forced a smile, responding neither too lightly nor too harshly, “Is the General unhappy without a good hit, or what?”

Cheng Jiu was almost amused by his stubborn retort.

The anticipation that had hurried him here, only to be greeted with blood-stained clothes. It would be hard for anyone to grasp his feelings at that moment; even he couldn't articulate them clearly.

Lin Fu's competitiveness was well known to him, and he trusted Lin Fu to achieve whatever he sought.

Yet sometimes, Lin Fu's excessive determination left Cheng Jiu feeling utterly powerless.

Clutching Lin Fu's shoulder, he asked with a smirk barely concealing his disdain, “Does the Colonel know what happens when a Guide and his suitor are alone in a room?”

Lin Fu blinked, taken aback. “What?”

What… suitor?

In the sluggish second it took him to process this, Cheng Jiu had already leaned in for a kiss.

Lin Fu's momentary distraction was Cheng Jiu's opportunity to besiege the fortress. The fierce entanglement of lips and teeth was an utterly foreign sensation to Lin Fu.

He blinked, tilting his head back, feeling momentarily breathless, engulfed in a heady mix of scent and psychic energy.

A low purring filled the room, reminiscent of a wild beast, its agitation laced with pleasure.

A furry sensation brushed against his ankle, gently licking and teasing.

Lin Fu caught a glimpse of the creature—it was a leopard.

Jet-black, its sleek fur shone brilliantly, its form exuding a powerful aesthetic grace difficult for any man to resist.

It had a pair of amber eyes firmly fixed on Lin Fu, seemingly aware of the sliver of attention it had captured, its gaze brimming with eagerness to please.

Lin Fu squinted, gathering the little strength in his limp body to forcefully push away Cheng Jiu's face. His psychic energy surged out as if stimulated, immediately entangling with Cheng Jiu's.

The two psychic forces seemed inherently compatible, reacting violently upon contact.

A blush spread across Lin Fu's fair skin, from the tips of his ears down his cheeks and neck, as fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead and temples.

The black panther, agitated by this change while licking and playing with Lin Fu's ankle, flicked its tail and finally wrapped it around Lin Fu's calf.

Cheng Jiu caressed Lin Fu's damp temples, his husky voice accompanied by heavy breaths, sprinkling warmth over Lin Fu's ear:

"Do you know what it means for a guide to entwine psychically with a sentinel? Can I interpret your current actions as... you seducing me?"

Lin Fu didn't answer. His face was flushed, eyes squinting, breathing rapid.

His brows drew together in discomfort.

Cheng Jiu finally realized something was amiss.

He patted Lin Fu's cheek and saw a layer of mist in his pitch-black pupils, utterly vacant and unfocused.

Cheng Jiu almost immediately thought of how Lin Fu differed from ordinary guides.

Veins popped on his temple as he forcefully retracted his own psychic energy, already somewhat chaotic and desperately seeking the soothing touch of a guide.

His voice was almost squeezed out of his throat: "Lin Fu! Withdraw your psychic energy!"

The young man blinked slowly, his dark eyes more innocent and bewildered than ever.

The expression on his face grew increasingly pained; not only did his psychic energy not recede, but it also intensified, enveloping both Cheng Jiu and the beast at his feet, seeking the right way to alleviate his own pain.

The black panther squinted in delight, tightening its tail around the calf even more, only to receive a cold glare from its master: "Back off!"

The black panther's amber eyes showed a hint of grievance. It nuzzled its big head against Lin Fu's leg, reluctantly loosening its tail and returning to the psychic sea.

With one target gone, Lin Fu's psychic energy doubled down on Cheng Jiu, binding him, trying to coerce him into releasing his own psychic force.

Cheng Jiu, covered in cold sweat, propped Lin Fu's neck and lifted him onto the bed.

Something was taking shape behind him.

The psychic energy twisted wildly, compressing, solidifying, and finally, a blurry entity slowly emerged.

Cheng Jiu turned his head, catching the final moment as the entity solidified.

The turbulent, frenzied psychic energy seemed to be absorbed by this entity, and what remained was soothed, becoming tranquil.

A pitch-black leopard sprawled lazily on the sofa, its tail elegantly swishing and resting along the backrest.

It tilted its head gently, locking eyes with Cheng Jiu, and blinked.

It was a pair of pitch-black pupils, identical to Lin Fu's.

Cheng Jiu's throat bobbed as he turned to look at the young man on the bed, who had slipped into unconsciousness with his eyes closed.

Holding his forehead, he murmured, "Lin Fu, you're trying to be the death of me."

*

The system had witnessed the entire process.

It had been worried about when the host's psyche would recover, but now it realized it might have been mistaken.

Lin Fu's psychic sea from the interstellar era had perished along with its original owner, and the psychic energy stored in this body now belonged solely to Lin Fu himself.

The psychic toxin had invaded his psychic sea after his appearance, creating the illusion that the two individuals shared a single psychic force.

That's why Lin Fu's psyche hadn't naturally emerged following the clearing of the psychic toxin.

His psyche required his own effort to shape.

The recent complete integration with this body provided a final opportunity. Cheng Jiu's arrival had offered just the right stimulus, allowing everything to develop naturally.

In any case, everything was perfect now!

This host truly exceeded expectations!

……

The trio from Artemis Military Academy followed Gong Yuan.

They would have to wait for Principal Carl's return or for Gong Yuan to get in touch with Lin Fu.

The trio was acutely aware of the special nature of their identities during such times and the abundance of hidden enemies.

Their journey to the Imperial Star had been uneventful, necessitating even greater caution at this final stop.

Consequently, the three rarely ventured beyond the area Gong Yuan had designated for them.

Unexpectedly, they received a video call from Cheng Jiu before they could contact Lin Fu.

Their expressions instantly turned solemn as they stood together. With not a trace of a smile, Cheng Jiu looked at them and asked, “Give me a reason for your presence on the Imperial Capital Star.”

The trio immediately sensed that Lin Fu was likely with him.

Although they weren't fully aware of the nature of Lin Fu's relationship with Cheng Jiu, that wasn't important. What mattered was their knowledge of Lin Fu's trust in Cheng Jiu.