Chapter 181

Chapter 181

Yan Bubu had never seen such a mental domain, not even when Feng Chen was in a trance state.

He turned his head to look for the few precious strands of mental silk he treasured, but how could he find them now?

Floating in the air were various-sized fragments, resembling grey-white meteorites. Yan Bubu grabbed a fragment floating before his eyes, noticing a thin layer of ice and snow covering one side.

His mental tendrils brushed the ice, which immediately turned into several shimmering water droplets, trembling in the air. Then, as if unable to withstand the heat of the magma, they evaporated into the void.

Yan Bubu realized what these fragments were.

They were the mental nuclei of Feng Chen's mental domain, from a place he had never visited, the core and pillar supporting the entire mental domain.

He often peered into it through that frosted-glass-like nucleus wall, wondering what the white space inside truly was.

It used to be a world of pure white snow.

Looking at the floating ice and snow fragments, Yan Bubu suddenly recalled a sentence he had copied into his notebook.

“When a Sentinel's mental domain completely collapses, the Sentinel's chaotic perceptions will manifest in the mental domain in a tangible form.”

Before his exam, under Feng Chen's urging, Yan Bubu had memorized the contents of his notebook verbatim. Although he didn’t understand this sentence at the time, he firmly remembered it through mechanical repetition.

He finally understood now. Feng Chen's mental domain was collapsing, and its core had disintegrated into fragments, slowly vanishing. When this process ended, Feng Chen would fall into an eternal slumber, never to wake again.

Realizing this, Yan Bubu was immediately gripped by intense panic. He frantically looked at the floating nucleus fragments, thinking only one thing: to catch them all, to prevent them from disappearing...

He extended his mental tendrils, trying to reach the nearest fragment, but as he lunged forward, he felt a searing wave of heat rising from below.

Although this was just a tangible manifestation of Feng Chen's chaotic perceptions, Yan Bubu, immersed in it with his mental power, could feel the real sensation it brought.

He could feel the scorching heat from below, the rolling magma occasionally splashing up, burning his mental tendrils with a pain that pierced to the core. He couldn’t even imagine what Feng Chen was feeling, what agony he was enduring.

Yan Bubu grabbed the nearest fragment and then dashed towards another. Holding both, he tried to fit them together. However, the two fragments turned into droplets in his sight, evaporating instantly into vapor, disappearing completely.

Yan Bubu repeatedly tried to grab and join the fragments, only to watch helplessly as they gradually vanished.

He looked around, noticing the fragments floating in the air were also gradually vaporizing, turning into dissipating wisps of white smoke.

He felt an unprecedented sense of despair, but as a mere mental force, he couldn't even shed tears.

"What should I do, what should I do..."

Yan Bubu forced himself to calm down and began to think of a strategy, deciding to first find those dozen or so mental strands.

He didn't think about whether the mental strands were still there, nor what use they would be even if found. Those strands were his only lifeline, and he had to cling to them firmly.

Yan Bubu's mental power split into several parts, each one moving through the floating fragments, enduring the searing pain of the high temperature.

He scoured Feng Chen's mental domain at top speed but couldn’t find a single mental strand.

"Where are you... Where have you hidden, please come out..."

Just as Yan Bubu was about to search again, the billowing flames below suddenly vanished. The entire mental domain's light and shadow shifted, turning from a dense red to an inky blue. The scorching heat that seemed to ignite him also disappeared, and the temperature around him plummeted, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

Yan Bubu found himself in a world of water, as if submerged in a boundless sea. The floating nucleus fragments were now bobbing in the water, with smaller pieces continuing to disappear, turning into strings of bubbles that wavered upwards.

His mental power still swam through the water, searching for Feng Chen's mental strands. Despite not needing to breathe, he felt the heaviness of the water pressure and a suffocating tightness.

As more bubbles formed and the floating nucleus fragments diminished, Yan Bubu became increasingly frantic. He didn’t know whether the complete disappearance of the fragments would signify the total destruction of Feng Chen's mental domain.

"Where are you... Please come out... Please come out..."

Yan Bubu deployed all his mental power, frantically searching in this watery realm. He even checked the folds of the domain's outer walls, hoping to find the mental strands as he had done before, but to no avail.

Watching the ever-forming new bubbles, he felt an unprecedented helplessness and suddenly lost all strength. Pressed down heavily by the water, he couldn't move even an inch forward, slowly succumbing to despair and suffocation.

"Please come out, please..."

"Please, please..."

Just then, he saw a shining fragment drift past him. He watched it float away in the water, dully wondering why there were stars in the water...

After two seconds, he suddenly snapped to attention and chased after it swiftly.

This was Feng Chen's mental domain. Whatever it was, it was extraordinary and must be vital to the mental domain.

The star moved quickly, and he had to exert all his effort to keep up. The number of nucleus fragments in the water was diminishing, and the space was beginning to contract. Huge waves churned at the bottom, forming tornado-like water columns.

Yan Bubu knew Feng Chen's mental domain was in the final stages of collapse. He now had to choose between continuing to chase this bright light or searching for the mental strands, possibly still in time to find them.

Hearing the thunderous water sound, he quickly made a decision in his mind, choosing to continue chasing this unknown star.

The star was fast, so he split his mental strands into several bundles to intercept it from both sides. With the space constricting and the walls moving, the seabed too churned with giant waves. The tornado-like water columns grew thicker, and Yan Bubu’s mental strands were repeatedly caught in them, struggling to break free.

Fortunately, the giant waves also hindered the star's speed, causing it to move in fits and starts. Yan Bubu kept his eyes fixed on it and saw his chance when it was caught in a water column. He surged forward with all his might.

The star, spinning rapidly in the water column, had formed a ring of light. Without hesitation, Yan Bubu plunged into the column, then began to spin uncontrollably, like a top, carried by the current.

He saw the star on the other side of the water column, directly opposite him, and struggled to reach out to grab it.

But the suction force of the spinning current was too strong. Not only was he disoriented, but he also found it hard to extend his reach.

Fortunately, as he and the star spiraled downward, the water column narrowed, and the suction force began to weaken. Seeing the star just a few meters away, he strained forward and finally grasped it in his mental tendrils.

The moment he firmly held the star, the sensation was so familiar, so intimate. It was like a connection of consciousness, an instinct. Without anyone telling him, without recalling what he learned in guide classes, he knew clearly that this was the core of Feng Chen's mental domain.

This was the origin of Feng Chen's mental domain, the cradle where Sasa grew.

He was swept to the bottom of the water column, then violently thrust to the left by a giant wave, crashing into the outer wall of the mental domain.

Uncontrollably carried by the current, he was thrown about, but he clung tightly to Feng Chen’s mental domain core, instinctively pouring his own mental energy into it.

In this moment, he finally understood what it means to be a Sentinel, and what it means to be a Guide.

It seemed they were always meant to be this way, an instinct engraved in their genes at the time of differentiation. They exist for each other, as each other’s flesh and spirit.

As Yan Bubu infused his mental energy, the star shone even more brightly. The surrounding giant waves gradually calmed, and the spinning water column slowly disappeared.

The outer wall of the mental domain stopped shrinking, the space ceased to contract, and the mental domain core escaped from Yan Bubu’s mental tendrils, floating in front of him, expanding and gently enveloping him.

Continuing to infuse mental energy, Yan Bubu saw the water beneath him turn into ground, rapidly unfolding like a scroll. He looked up to see a sky, with snowflakes gently drifting down.

He caught a snowflake in his hand, feeling no coldness.

The snowflakes were warm, tender, light, carrying an air of treasuring and cautiousness, as if fearing even their insignificant weight might hurt him.

The ground quickly covered in white, Yan Bubu walked through this vast snowfield, looking around, feeling something was missing.

With a thought, a building suddenly sprouted from the left side of the snowfield.

Its dull, unassuming gray exterior was partially buried in the snow, with only four floors visible above the snowline.

Yan Bubu walked toward the building, entering through a ground-floor window. As he entered, an empty building quickly formed a corridor, with rooms on both sides and a staircase to the right materializing.

As Yan Bubu’s fingers brushed the corridor walls, the gray turned into light-colored, patterned wallpaper. He walked down the long corridor, passing through an empty hall which then filled with furniture like sofas and tables.

The wooden armrest of the sofa was bitten into rough, uneven shapes, and a projector remote lay on the small table.

He hurried upstairs, pausing in a daze as he reached the top step.

It was a spacious hall with a shiny, polished wooden floor. Hand-knitted blankets were stacked on the sofa, a half-knitted sweater hung on the back of the lounge chair by the bay window, and a steaming cup of water sat on the windowsill.

"Xiaoqi welcomes you home." The emotionless mechanical voice of the robot Xiaoqi filled his ears.

Yan Bubu slowly walked into the hall, approached the sofa, and reached underneath it.

After a rustling sound, he pulled out several scrolls from under the sofa, smiling at the bright red 100% marks on them.

He put down the scrolls and walked through every room and floor, observing the workshop, training room, vegetable room, bedroom, and all other rooms, all restored to their original state.

He had rebuilt Feng Chen's mental domain and recreated the home they shared.

Finally, Yan Bubu went to the window and sat in the rocking chair, gently swaying and looking at the snow outside through the opened curtains.

Moments later, as he descended the stairs, he saw a huge cocoon on the carpet in front of the fifth-floor hall sofa, which hadn't been there before.

That was Sasa's favorite spot, where Bubu used to lie on the nearby sofa, stroking its mane with its little paws.

He hadn't seen the cocoon when he went upstairs, but now it had grown larger with cracks on the shell, indicating Sasa was rapidly growing and recuperating inside.

Yan Bubu walked up to the cocoon and kissed its shell, "Sasa, hurry up, Bubu is waiting for you outside."

There was a rustling sound from inside the cocoon, as if Sasa was responding.

Yan Bubu stepped outside, walking in the snow.

Looking into the distance, he saw the majestic Haiyun Mountain rising into the clouds. Closer by, buildings resembling ice sculptures were taking shape.

He stood still, turning around to take in his surroundings.

This was the Haiyun City he built, a desolate ghost town that felt like a white tomb to any visitor.

Yet, he found no place more beautiful and moving than here. This was his home, where his heart lay, filled with his warmest and most beautiful memories.

The only difference was that the air was no longer bitterly cold. It was filled with his and Feng Chen's scents, bringing him a sense of safety and tranquility.

Yan Bubu had shaped this place to his satisfaction, moving beyond the mental domain core. As he entered the outer realm, he briefly wondered if he had entered the universe, amidst a multitude of stars.

It was a vast sea of stars, with golden light twinkling everywhere. Upon closer inspection, these were strands of mental silk emitting light.

Yan Bubu moved swiftly through this cosmic space, his mental tendrils dividing into countless filaments, like innumerable hands touching the mental silks, letting them softly slide through his fingers.

He could feel the changes in these mental silks. Not only had their number increased dramatically, but each strand was also softer than before, each containing a strong mental force.

Feng Chen's mental strands responded to him, chasing and playing with him, gently enveloping him, every touch like a kiss.

Yan Bubu exited Feng Chen's mental domain and slowly opened his eyes, only to meet a pair of deep, ocean-like eyes.

He gazed into those eyes, reaching out to gently touch Feng Chen's eyebrows, nose, and lips.

Feng Chen allowed him to explore his face, only kissing his fingertips when they touched his lips.

Yan Bubu responded with a silly smile.

Moments later, Yan Bubu realized he was lying in Feng Chen's arms. Fearing for Feng Chen's leg injury, he almost jumped up, but Feng Chen's strong arms held him tightly.

"Your injury..."

Seeing that the arm holding him was the one previously fractured, Yan Bubu raised his hand in surprise, cautiously touched it, and looked at Feng Chen.

Feng Chen nodded at him.

"Ha!" Yan Bubu laughed shortly, then sat up straight in Feng Chen's embrace to inspect his previously injured body.

He saw that all the wounds had healed, leaving only new skin with a faint pink hue.

He then looked down at Feng Chen's thigh, nervous and afraid to move, wondering if the broken bone had healed.

"It's fine, it's healed too," Feng Chen, knowing his thoughts, said while moving his leg up and down.

"Ah, ah, ah... don't move, don't move, what if it's not fully healed yet? Don’t move..." Yan Bubu shouted, his body stiff with worry.

Feng Chen laughed and suddenly stood up, tossing Yan Bubu into the air.

"Ah..." Yan Bubu screamed as he rapidly approached and then receded from the cave ceiling.

Feng Chen caught him and, without a word, tossed him again.

After being thrown up and down several times, Yan Bubu finally believed Feng Chen's injury was completely healed and began to laugh heartily: "Throw me higher, throw me even higher."

"Any higher and you'll hit the cave ceiling," Feng Chen said.

Bubu paced impatiently nearby, finally letting out a low growl in exasperation.

Feng Chen put Yan Bubu down on the grass heap and walked over to Bubu, pretending to pick it up: "Come on, let me throw you."

"Roar!" Bubu quickly swatted his hand away.

Feng Chen chuckled, "I just told you about Sasa's condition, and you're already anxious?"

"Roar!"

Feng Chen thought for a moment, "Alright, I'll perform a magic trick now so you can see Sasa."

Yan Bubu, sitting on the grass heap, knew Feng Chen's so-called magic trick was to make Sasa appear and watched silently with a grin.

Bubu looked tense, especially when Feng Chen started to mimic grabbing at the air, its little paws opening and closing at its sides.

"Sasa, come out!"

With Feng Chen's shout, the air beside him rippled, gradually revealing the outline of the black lion.

As Sasa fully materialized in the cave, Bubu leapt up and hugged its neck tightly. Sasa turned its head to touch Bubu's head, then licked its cheeks a couple of times.

"Click, click, click." Yan Bubu sat on the grass heap, pretending to take photos with his hands.

Feng Chen watched them with a smile in his eyes, then sat back down next to Yan Bubu, stretching his legs out leisurely.

Yan Bubu pressed his hand on Feng Chen's thigh to confirm it had truly healed, then asked incredulously, "How did it heal so suddenly? It healed too fast, can you really do magic?"

Feng Chen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lay back in that position and patted his shoulder. Yan Bubu then lay beside him, resting his head on Feng Chen’s shoulder.

"It's not that I healed too quickly, but rather you performed magic," Feng Chen spoke.

"I performed magic? What did I do?"

"When you rebuilt the core of my mental domain, my body also began to heal rapidly."

Yan Bubu asked, "Do you know what I did in your mental domain?"

"I know."

Feng Chen lay with his hands behind his head, lightly biting on a blade of grass, "I saw you when I was in the magma. I just couldn’t speak, or else I would have greeted you."

Feng Chen's tone was light, even somewhat joking, but Yan Bubu keenly caught the words "in the magma."

He still remembered the searing sensation of being scorched by the hot waves, especially when splashed by the magma, which made his heart tremble in pain. If Feng Chen felt like he was constantly immersed in magma, what kind of pain would that be?

Yan Bubu fell silent. Feng Chen glanced at him and subtly changed the subject, "Since we're building a house in my mental domain, why not make the outside look nice? Like creating a garden, planting some flowers and grass, for instance."

Yan Bubu immediately replied, "That would be too fake. I wanted it to be exactly like our home. Our house doesn't have a garden, let alone flowers and grass."

"Exactly the same? Are you sure it’s identical to our home?" Feng Chen looked at him with a half-smile.

Yan Bubu lifted his head and said, "How is it not the same? It's a complete replication, not a single difference."

Feng Chen asked, "Can you score a hundred percent? When have you ever scored a hundred percent?"