Chapter 10: The Admiral Sends a Guardian Star

Chapter 10: The General Bestows the Guardian Star

Silence.

Xiyou dared not speak; the duke held his breath, waiting. In the meeting room, just a door away at the end of the corridor, He Yunyan was nearly fainting, while a silent man in military uniform stood nearby.

At the center of everyone’s attention, Qin Shu pressed down the brim of his cap, his expression shifting from vigilance to indifference.

“Oh,” he said.

Look at this mess—turns out it was just a villain here to sow discord. He’d thought he was being hit on by another guy again.

The duke was momentarily taken aback.

“Colonel, I mean, isn’t your relationship too unequal? General Li shouldn’t be treating you so casually…”

Qin Shu couldn’t even be bothered to lift an eyelid. “None of your business.”

The duke tried to sound more serious. “If Li Wuya weren’t malicious, why did he become a general after the war while your rank was demoted instead of promoted?”

Qin Shu yawned.

Might as well go back and play games. How much of his life had he wasted at the White Tower today?

“He transferred you to the Star Union Agency precisely to cut off your channels to the upper echelons and limit your social circle. He—”

Qin Shu suddenly looked up.

The duke’s heart leaped with joy, but then he noticed the terror in Xiyou’s gaze, fixed on something behind him.

…Behind him, was there something?

The moment he realized this, a faint sound of tides reached his ears.

Sticky, silent, malevolent, black—what?

When had it happened? The door to the meeting room had silently opened.

No footsteps, no approach—just a dim void, a cold, living thing coiled around his neck.

His mental domain screamed, but his body lost all ability to move. That icy, viscous thing had already crawled along his nerves, slowly burrowing into his brain.

—Shut up.

A “voice,” icy cold, dripped into his mind.

He couldn’t even tremble. He had been away from the battlefield too long; the arena of power had corrupted him into an empty shell. The sentinel held his life and death in his hands.

How had he dared to provoke that mad sentinel who crawled out of a pile of corpses?

Suffocating darkness, despair where even the right to scream was taken away—until someone spoke.

“Wuya, you’re finally here?”

The black tide receded, and Qin Shu’s approach turned out to be salvation.

-

The duke gasped for air; Xiyou collapsed to the floor, her face full of fear. But Li Wuya looked completely harmless and docile.

The man in military uniform simply opened the meeting room door, walked straight over, glanced lightly at the duke as he passed, then stopped before Qin Shu, straightening his collar.

Li Wuya said, “Sorry, I had some work to do this morning.”

Qin Shu asked about something else. “You didn’t take the elevator. Where did you come from?”

“The meeting room has a back door.”

Qin Shu: …

Damn, that was a thing? Why didn’t He Yunyan tell him?

He was definitely waiting to watch the show of him getting swarmed by guides!

As soon as Li Wuya arrived, all the bitterness and frustration Qin Shu had felt along the way surged up, but there was another important matter.

He asked quietly, “This so-called duke, isn’t he on bad terms with you?”

“A little.”

“Did you hear what he just said about you?”

“No, I just got here,” Li Wuya said calmly. “What did he say?”

Qin Shu thought for a moment. “He said you’re sinister and vicious, cunning and vile, and that you and I shouldn’t be friends.”

“Then he’s going to be disappointed.”

As he spoke, Li Wuya stopped Qin Shu from pulling the young guide to his feet.

He did it himself, hooking the young guide by the collar.

Suspended in the air, their calm eyes met.

A few seconds later, He Yunyan scrambled over and led the duke and his son away.

—

Li Wuya had been busy since early morning.

Too many political affairs; after handling them for a while, the clock struck exactly nine in the morning. That was the time A Shu woke up and went to work.

A Shu could never put up with this kind of life, so A Shu would never enter politics… even though power was a nice thing.

Someone as upright as A Shu relied on his strength to control the battlefield and the stars; someone like Li Wuya relied on power to control all the unspeakable things.

Complementary, a perfect match, wasn’t it?

On the other hand, he always had to clear out a clean space in the capital so Qin Shu could live comfortably.

When he was daydreaming, Li Wuya would think of Qin Shu. After the war, his biggest regret was not refusing A Shu’s request to live separately.

Back then, he thought distance wasn’t a problem. Now he realized how foolish that was—distance was the biggest problem.

“…General, are you listening to me?”

Li Wuya: “I’m listening.”

In his earpiece, his adjutant was reporting; before him, Her Majesty the Empress was speaking.

Two voices: one saying Qin Shu had gone to the White Tower, the other saying the general should settle down and start a family.

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Majesty. I am considering it," Li Wuya replied coldly.

A Shu had only one reason to go to the White Tower: his bonded guide was retiring.

So why didn't he tell him? In such a dangerous place.

At the court session, the Empress was calling Li Wuya over for a lecture.

Li Wuya stood upright, his epaulets reflecting a strange sheen under the cold light.

In an instant, he thought of countless reasons: A Shu thought it was a trivial matter not worth bothering him with, A Shu was used to going it alone and hadn't gotten into the habit of discussing things with him, A Shu had seen the news and knew he was in a meeting, being considerate of his busy schedule...

Considerate—building a home and career.

He wasn't quite sure what kind of family Qin Shu liked; Qin Shu's ideas about this were ever-changing, but Li Wuya had long been preparing for it.

After forming a family with Qin Shu, he would resign and devote himself entirely to taking care of the home.

As for his role in the family: if Qin Shu liked a wife, then he would be "Qin Shu's wife"; if Qin Shu liked a husband, then he would be "Qin Shu's husband."

Li Wuya felt that "Qin Shu's something" was the title most fitting for him, but unfortunately, Qin Shu wasn't willing to give it to him yet.

Qin Shu wasn't even willing to tell him about his trip to the White Tower.

The Empress chuckled: "When will you bring your good friend over? Everyone is quite interested in his romantic situation too."

Li Wuya looked up.

His cold, dark gaze swept over the Marshal, the Secretary of State, the Grand Duke, the new Minister of Finance, and a large group of other courtiers.

"Marshal, please stay after the meeting," he said.

-

The Marshal was a very traditional sentinel.

He believed sentinel-guide bonding was a natural law, and his urging of Qin Shu to marry wasn't malicious—he genuinely admired Qin Shu.

That's where the trouble lay: goodwill was harder to eliminate than malice, and Qin Shu was even more unable to refuse goodwill.

With his mind on Qin Shu's affairs, he exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries and then got to the point.

The Marshal narrowed his eyes: "General. Is this Qin Shu's idea, or yours, that he doesn't need romance or a guide?"

"It's his idea, and it's mine."

"Then you should take it up with the White Tower, not with me."

"The White Tower has been overreaching lately, and you seem to be enjoying that, don't you?"

Li Wuya lowered his gaze: "You arranged blind dates for him with those noble scions, and then hinted that the White Tower should contact Qin Shu on its own. Marshal, Qin Shu is not a bargaining chip for your alliances."

A pointless argument followed.

The Marshal furrowed his brow: "General Li, you can say I handled it poorly, but don't misinterpret my good intentions. An S-class sentinel, with no guide, and not participating in any political activities—he's just wasting his time at the Star Union Agency. You can stand it, but I can't!"

"He is the empire's hero; he deserves a better future!"

"..."

Qin Shu's future could never be in the mire of the capital.

They just wanted to keep his name on their lips, to claim a share of his glory, to tie him down with a marriage contract...

Everyone wanted to steal a part of Qin Shu from him.

His adjutant whispered in his ear: "People on the White Tower's internal network are already saying they've spotted the Colonel."

No time for more nonsense.

Li Wuya stood up, coldly looking down at the white-haired old general: "Marshal, I'm telling you, not asking. Any attempt to encroach on his interests is an offense against me. Qin Shu and I have an unbreakable alliance; any attempt to go around me to contact him is a personal affront to me."

"...Does Qin Shu know you act so shamelessly out here?"

"I'm just taking responsibility for him."

-

A special notification sound—Qin Shu had finally sent a message.

"Kongtong Unmatched 7432: I'm being harassed again!

Kongtong Unmatched 7432: Feels like a million gay dudes are trying to hit on me today

Kongtong Unmatched 7432: So scary"

Familiar complaints. Had Qin Shu finally thought of him?

Li Wuya had just set off for the White Tower.

His adjutant reported again: "Duke Shangguan has entered the White Tower with his kid. I think... they're going to see Colonel Qin."

Duke Shangguan, a pillar of the noble faction, had recently been foolish enough to think he could bring him down.

The anonymous forum on the White Tower's internal network was updating.

"[hothot] My #hot#tag has a double meaning"

"[Li Tao] What's the difference between my brother dressing like this and wearing nothing at all?"

"Ahhhh who touched my Shu bro's waist??!! [Image][Image]"

Li Wuya scrolled through without expression.

Qin Shu didn't seem to need him, because Qin Shu thought going to the White Tower was no big deal, and of course, having his waist touched was no big deal either—he didn't mind, he could handle it himself.

And he could indeed handle it; how could a few guides ever trip up Qin Shu?

When it came down to it, Li Wuya could only blame himself.

His recent methods for cleaning up the White Tower had been too lenient, leaving many there with ulterior motives.

They were smart but foolish, thinking that if they could win Qin Shu over, Li Wuya would stop all actions against them, never realizing that Qin Shu didn't belong to anyone else.

But that wasn't the point.

The point is, Qin Shu, do you not need me? Why didn't you tell me?

"Sun Yi, have the network department shut down the White Tower's internal network for a while."

The scenery outside the window blurred by; the White Tower was very close now.

Li Wuya leaned back in his seat, slowly telling himself to stay calm. Qin Shu can't be wrong; Qin Shu has his reasons for everything. Any denial is unacceptable. Of course, Qin Shu must care about him.

Qin Shu sent him three messages. From a friend's perspective, Qin Shu cares about him, and Qin Shu cares about his emotional comfort.

But he is indeed not the one who can solve problems for Qin Shu.

On the battlefield, he is always the one being saved, weak and incompetent; with attacks imminent, he could only hope that Qin Shu would block them with one hand. The only thing Li Wuya can do is wipe away the blood for Qin Shu.

A mere touch on the waist—Qin Shu doesn't care and doesn't need Li Wuya to care. If Li Wuya says he wants to cut off that person's hand, Qin Shu would only think he's joking and say, "Don't be so exaggerated."

But it's not exaggerated at all. Because Li Wuya cares.

So why not look at the problem from a different angle?

Qin Shu doesn't care, but he does. Qin Shu doesn't need it, but he needs it... That's how it is with everything.

For things Qin Shu doesn't proactively tell him, he finds out on his own. For things Qin Shu isn't used to relying on him for, he keeps solving them for him. One day, Qin Shu will get used to turning to him.

In the capital, Li Wuya has this ability. On the battlefield, methods leave traces, but methods of power can be used without a single drop of blood.

One day, everything in the world, important or not, will pass through him first, then flow to Qin Shu.

Confirming that Qin Shu had left, Li Wuya silently walked into the meeting room.

-

To be honest, everything was still under Li Wuya's control.

He Yunyan had long been his man. Two hundred and thirty-seven matching applications arrived on his terminal even before He Yunyan himself did. Although the topic of "marriage match" was suggested by the White Tower's high echelons, it also served Li Wuya's purpose in a sense.

Recently, the White Tower has been too ostentatious and reckless; it needs a reasonable clean cut. Offending Colonel Qin is the best pretext.

The news that Qin Shu needed a new guide made the aristocratic faction take the bait. Just as the aristocratic faction has been too greedy and overreaching lately, making an example of Duke Shangguan is the best way to deter others...

If this goes smoothly, Li Wuya's power will reach a new peak.

Then Li Wuya will have complete control and authority to do "that thing."

Everything is the best possible outcome, except for the tiny flaw that "Qin Shu came to the White Tower without telling him."

But it's okay; it's not too late to know now.

-

The screen in the meeting room was playing the surveillance footage from the elevator entrance.

Li Wuya waited quietly.

He Yunyan had just been frightened into unconsciousness by Li Wuya's entrance. The adjutant looked around, took out smelling salts from his travel bag, but they didn't work. He then gave He Yunyan an injection of a neurostimulant, and the guide slowly regained consciousness.

His first reaction upon waking was to protect his neck and shrink back in terror: "The colonel really only grabbed my neck! That's all we did!"

"..."

The adjutant felt sympathy: If there had been anything more, do you think you'd still be breathing here?

Li Wuya pretended not to hear, only stared solemnly as Qin Shu was pulled by Duke Shangguan's offspring, and Duke Shangguan spoke: "—"

"—"

"... — Li Wuya, does he give you equal love?"

How foolish.

Qin Shu won't answer you. If five years of day-and-night companionship could be so easily swayed by you, Li Wuya should have died long ago.

Don’t let that disgusting voice reach Qin Shu’s ears. Don’t take up Qin Shu’s time. Even though Li Wuya desperately wants to know the answer to that question—

“Oh.” Qin Shu pulled the brim of his cap down.

...

What was he expecting?

Li Wuya’s emotions are always pointless. Qin Shu has his own orbit—outside that orbit, obsession, deep love, jealousy, and scheming are all invisible and irrelevant to him.

Inside that orbit is only Qin Shu’s trust, clear and radiant.

Li Wuya pushed open the meeting room door.

The Black Sea surged ahead of his steps, spreading outward.

Faster than sense and sound, this person still had something to say?

“Unequal,” “sinister ulterior motives”… nothing worth hearing anymore.

Then something icy burst deep within the Duke Shangguan’s consciousness.

The Black Sea arrived first, then came that hand.

Humans are weaker than Star Beasts, but also more perceptive—and the more perceptive they are, the more clearly they recognize what they’re facing.

Li Wuya stared indifferently at the two piles of filth on the floor.

How should he deal with this person when he gets back? And his offspring?

Sure enough, they aren’t blood-related—because this was a story of a mistress climbing the social ladder, killing the wife and her lover.

...If it were his and A Shu’s family, there would never be such a thing as a third party.

“Wuya, you’re finally here?”

That look of grievance.

But A Shu, if you had told me earlier, I would have cleared out the entire White Tower for you today and welcomed you with open arms.