Chapter 337: Rage

Chapter 337: Fury

Qi Yi was handling official duties.

Since escaping from the White Tower, his spirit, the cheetah, had been in low spirits, utterly dejected, as if it had suffered a severe blow. This dragged Qi Yi's mood down as well, leaving him frequently spacing out for no reason.

He had a strong suspicion that the Guide had done something—likely planting a frightening mental suggestion in his Spirit Sea, harming his spirit. Qi Yi tried to communicate with the cheetah but to no avail. The cheetah simply stayed in the Spirit Sea, unwilling to come out.

This was troubling.

A lethargic spirit was often a precursor to the collapse of the Spirit Sea. But due to the White Tower’s interference, he still couldn’t inspect his Spirit Sea internally, only vaguely sensing the cheetah’s emotions.

With the fall of the White Tower, Qi Yi’s workload had increased daily, keeping him constantly occupied and neglecting the cheetah’s condition.

Qi Yi massaged his temples, headache brewing.

Just then, he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Qi Yi looked up in surprise. “Xiuyun? What’s the matter?”

Among the Dark Sentinels, there was no strict hierarchy. He and Ji Xiuyun were both superior and subordinate roles as well as close friends. In his early days, when Qi Yi couldn’t afford tuition and had to work tirelessly to pay off debts, it was Ji Xiuyun who covered it for him. With that debt of gratitude, Qi Yi had always respected Ji Xiuyun like an elder brother.

However, during work hours, Ji Xiuyun wouldn’t interrupt him without cause.

Ji Xiuyun grabbed Qi Yi’s arm and yanked him out of the room.

“...?”

Though Qi Yi was an SS-rank sentinel, Ji Xiuyun was also an S-rank. Caught off guard, Qi Yi was dragged straight out of the room.

“...Where are you taking me?”

Ji Xiuyun replied, “To see the hostages.”

“?”

Qi Yi took a second to remember before realizing he was referring to the Guides from the White Tower. He chuckled. “No need to deal with them yet. Let them rot in the cells for a while to humble them, then assign them to clean the ship decks. We’ll see their performance before deciding if they’re worth keeping.”

Ji Xiuyun didn’t respond, just dragged him around the corner. One more turn, and they’d reach where the hostages were lined up.

Ji Xiuyun suddenly halted. “Wait.”

Qi Yi: “?”

To his astonishment, his friend and strategist suddenly looked him up and down critically, then reached out and tugged at Qi Yi’s coat.

Ji Xiuyun said, “Don’t wear the coat. Take it off.”

Qi Yi: “?”

Confused but obliging, Qi Yi obediently removed his coat.

Underneath, he wore a fitted short jacket over a tight tank top. With the coat gone, only the tank remained. The sentinel’s toned physique was fully visible—his chest muscles creating a defined curve, pressing against the thin fabric, the deep contours of his torso clearly visible beneath the golden skin, like liquid honey.

Qi Yi glanced down at his own chest, then back up at his friend, his golden-brown eyes brimming with confusion.

Ji Xiuyun said, “Your hair’s too flat. Fix it quickly.”

Busy with work, Qi Yi rarely had time for haircuts, leaving his style messy and unkempt—yet it carried a rugged, untamed appeal.

Qi Yi gave him a questioning look.

He didn't raise his hand to touch his hair, only frowned. "What's this about?"

Ji Xiuyun sighed. "There are some things I promised someone else, so I can't tell you. But later, keep it polite."

Qi Yi: "?"

Polite to who?

But the next second, Ji Xiuyun had already pushed him, shoving him out of the shadows of the corner.

Qi Yi wore a pair of combat boots with metal heels—capable of snapping an enemy's ribs in one kick. As soon as he stepped onto the corridor, his heavy footsteps thudded.

The hostages immediately fell silent.

Still clueless, Qi Yi couldn't turn back now. He straightened his posture, adopting a slow, careless walk as he went forward.

—Though he didn’t understand Ji Xiuyun’s intentions, facing a group of helpless guides was nothing to worry about. Qi Yi didn’t even bother summoning his Spirit for defense.

Yet as he approached the hostages, his Spirit Sea suddenly stirred.

For days, it hadn’t acted up—until now—the cheetah showed signs of wanting to emerge.

Qi Yi thought, "Not bad."

The guides' Spirits were all delicate little things, easily intimidated by a predator like the cheetah. With his Spirit out, Qi Yi could easily intimidate them, preventing any tricks or funny business.

He released the cheetah.

The cheetah followed behind Qi Yi, its paws cushioned by soft pads, making no sound as it moved. Its back arched, ready to strike.

Within a few steps, Qi Yi stood before the guides.

They shook like scared rabbits, trembling uncontrollably.

Lu Liu was zoned out among the crowd.

Among the guides, he wasn’t particularly tall. After Ji Xiuyun left, he tried figuring out where things went sideways, eventually squeezing into the middle of the group, completely blocked from view by taller figures in front.

Hidden by the others, Lu Liu maintained his blank face while whining in the group chat.

"@Xie Shu, Host, help me out here! Host, help me out here! Something’s gone wrong here QAQ."

"My protagonist, for some reason, suddenly went off-script QAQ."

"Where’s my yelling? My disdain? My humiliation? And my plot QAQ?"

"Why hasn’t he come to torment me, harass me, or hold a gun to me yet?"

Xie Shu was busy. A born hustler, he had returned to the cultivation sects not long after secluding himself with Xiao Wu in Zhongnan Mountain. Later, Xiao Wu became the leader of two factions, while Xie Shu thrived as the man behind the scenes. In short, his life was vibrant, leaving little time to linger in group chats.

Xie Yu couldn’t stand it. "66, I beg you, learn some language. This sounds weird."

He @'d Xiao Shao: "Teach 66 some of your writing skills."

Lu Liu: "Xie Yu QAQ."

Xiao Shao remarked coolly, "Can’t teach that—it’s a gift."

Lu Liu had no mood to decipher Xiao Shao's underlying message, his mind entirely consumed by the derailed plot. Softly, he pleaded, "Xiao Shao QAQ."

Xiao Shao: "."

Defeated by the puppy-dog eyes, he relented: "Sorry, 66, keep pushing through the plot."

Jiang Xun jumped in to reassure: "66, don’t freak out yet. Maybe it’s just not the right time. Wait a bit—"

Before Lu Liu could finish reading the last line, the crowd suddenly stirred, all stepping back and pressing him against the wall.

Lu Liu: "?"

He looked up in confusion, locking eyes with a golden-brown gaze.

Lu Liu lit up: "He’s here!"

Deadpan on the outside, screaming on the inside, he tagged Jiang Xun in the group: "Thanks, Jiang Jiang! He’s here! Off to follow the plot now! Mwah!"

Jiang Xun: "Good luck out there!"

Of course, Qi Yi had no idea of the inner turmoil in the guide’s heart. From his perspective, the aloof and detached guide had kept his eyes downcast, quietly blending into the crowd—utterly unlike the arrogant figure from his memories. Yet upon seeing him, the guide abruptly lifted his gaze, eyes alight with unmistakable joy.

His clothes were slightly disheveled, his pure white hair loosely tied at the ends with a scrap of fabric, his sapphire eyes gleaming like jewels.

—Even in a White Tower brimming with beauties, Qi Yi had to admit: when Lu Liu wasn’t wearing those detestable expressions, he was the most striking of them all.

Too bad his personality sucked. No amount of beauty could salvage that.

Qi Yi took a step forward, his heel clicked against the floor with a resounding thud. He stopped mere inches from Lu Liu, glaring down at him: "We meet again, Lord Lu Liu...?"

He drawled "Lord" with mocking emphasis.

Back in the White Tower, he’d been forced to address Lu Liu as "Lord."

Meanwhile, the cheetah, annoyed at being overlooked by the guide, let out a low growl.

At once, the guides around Lu Liu scattered, leaving him stranded behind an invisible line.

Lu Liu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Good. Qi Yi was sticking to the script—mostly.

This confrontation with the Sentinel had two phases. Phase one: the guide dug in his heels, refusing to yield. Phase two: terrified, he’d crumble into a babbling mess.

This was phase one.

So Lu Liu gave a slight nod. "Sentinel. Long time no see?"

"Long time no see?" Qi Yi gave a dark laugh. "Indeed, Lord Lu Liu. I should thank you for your... hospitality in the White Tower."

With that, he suddenly seized Lu Liu’s shoulder and pinned him to the ship’s steel wall. Looming over the guide, he pressed a hand to Lu Liu’s throat, forcing him to meet his gaze. A slight squeeze, and he could snap the guide’s neck.

Qi Yi sneered. "Lord Lu Liu, reduced to this state, and still putting on airs? Can’t you see reality? Or do you still think you’re some high-and-mighty White Tower guide?"

His tone was icy, laced with scorn.

Lu Liu blinked up at him, then blinked again, inwardly urging: "Come on, body, shake already! Tremble!"

His script was crystal clear: at this moment, Lu Liu was supposed to freeze under the Sentinel’s gaze, quaking in fear.

But Lu Liu really couldn't feel afraid.

With the protagonist finally following the script, he let out a long sigh of relief, his body in an eerie state of relaxation, as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring. Even the protagonist's fierce golden eyes seemed pleasant now, leaving him completely devoid of fear.

So, he could only innocently widen his azure-blue eyes, maintaining his perpetually blank expression, and lock eyes with the Sentinel, attempting to convey the emotion of "I'm so scared."

Qi Yi: "..."

Dropping a threat only for it to have no effect was truly quite frustrating.

The corner of his mouth twitched, leaving him embarrassed. At that moment, the leopard, which had been ignored by the Guide all along, got annoyed. It let out a low meow and lashed its tail impatiently against its owner's leg.

Hearing the cat-like sound, Lu Liu lowered his gaze and met a pair of round, doe eyes.

"..."

The Guide instantly tensed, his lips quivering slightly. "Why are you here?"

In this part of the script, the Sentinel wasn't supposed to summon his Spirit.

What's gone wrong now?

Where'd I mess up now?

And with Qi Yi's hand still at the Guide's throat, Lu Liu's body stiffened—something the Sentinel immediately noticed.

...So, the Guide was afraid of his Spirit?

Qi Yi thought to himself, "Perfect."

At least there was a way to save face.

So, the Sentinel gently extended his hand. "Come here, leopard. Say hello to this Guide."

"..."

So, the leopard was really just called "leopard." Such a cute leopard, and Qi Yi hadn't even given it a name!

If not for the *Facial Paralysis System*, Lu Liu would have been unable to resist the urge to complain.

Lu Liu lowered his gaze, looking at the leopard with a hint of pity.

At the same time, Qi Yi also realized that despite calling for it repeatedly, the leopard hadn't approached. Instead, it was lying at his feet, up to who-knows-what.

The Sentinel lowered his eyes and saw... the leopard's butt.

At some point, the leopard had turned around, lying down with its backside facing the Guide. Its mood was noticeably down, tucking its paws in and burying its head deep between them, its face hidden in the center. The aura around it was intensely gloomy, like a mushroom sulking in a corner.

In short, its entire demeanor shouted: "I'm mad, and I won't be appeased."

Yet, its tail was held high, swaying back and forth behind it as if trying to catch the Guide's attention, while its rounded ears subtly tilted backward, as though listening for the Guide's voice.

All in all, it looked exactly like a jilted wife, waiting for her husband's explanation.

Qi Yi: "?"

What had happened to his nimble and alert leopard?

With the leopard acting so shamefully in front of the Guide, Qi Yi's smile faltered. He gave the leopard a light kick with the toe of his boot. "Get up."

But before his foot could make contact, Qi Yi suddenly felt someone glaring daggers at him.

He turned his head to find Lu Liu glaring coldly at him, blue eyes blazing with anger.

Qi Yi: "?"

Huh??

Author's Note:

Qi Yi: "What? It's *my* Spirit—I can't even kick it?"