Chapter 22: The First Purification

Gently stroking the leopard’s abdomen with tenderness, the black panther’s body suddenly shrank to the size of a toddler. Wen Li carefully cradled it, then placed Little Flash atop her head to search for a way out.

Suddenly, while hovering midair, Wen Li was locked onto by a powerful mental force that enveloped her dominantly. The black panther howled fiercely toward the familiar spiritual presence.

“Master, wake up quickly!”

In a sudden mental upheaval, Lin Zheng heard the long-lost call. Stunned for a moment, his spiritual energy dissipated along with it. As fate would have it, during the mental enveloping, Wen Li was forced to absorb some of this energy due to their vast difference in levels.

In an instant, Wen Li’s white eyes gradually deepened into a mysterious, dangerous purple. Dragged out of Lin Zheng’s spiritual sea, she returned to the real world to see Bone Tail eagerly poised at the frame of her right eye.

“Damn it!”

She mustered all her strength to push off the man pressing down on her.

“Lin Zheng, are you crazy?”

The sentinel who had fallen to the ground was still pondering the origin of the voice in the spiritual sea. Chara was his mental entity, having fallen unconscious ever since his distortion index reached 90%. It had been a year since he last heard its call.

They had fought side by side through countless contaminated zones, each narrow escape making Lin Zheng cherish Chara even more. Although the black panther seemed rebellious and contrary to him, it remained his most precious family.

Lin Zheng whispered softly, “Chara…”

A meow of complaint echoed from his spiritual sea. He was certain—Chara had truly awakened.

Wen Li looked at the suddenly dazed Lin Zheng, wondering if her excessive purification had somehow scrambled his mind. Nervously, she asked, “Lin Zheng, are you alright?”

The sentinel quickly rose, excitedly embracing Wen Li. “Chara is back!”

Joy shone on his face—joy Wen Li had never seen before. Guessing that Chara must be the black panther, she felt happy too, gently patting Lin Zheng’s back.

“Yes, I’ve cleansed all the contaminants from him,” Lin Zheng said, then pinched his ear hard. The sentinel’s regained joy was cut short by sudden pain as he shouted, “Wen Li, you’re really bold!”

Wen Li’s purple eyes widened, radiating a livelier, more vibrant aura than before.

“Bold? Who told you to dig out my eye?”

Lin Zheng knew he was at fault. The earlier mental upheaval was indeed his problem.

Who could blame him? Wen Li’s spiritual power was so alluring that after years without purification, it was understandable he lost control for a moment.

The black-haired sentinel obediently let Wen Li pinch his ear, kneeling on the bed with a pitiful look.

When the monitoring room staff burst in, they saw a fierce young girl with golden hair and purple eyes tugging on the ear of the federation’s only SSS+ level sentinel.

“Is this… disciplining the dog?”

Ban hurriedly pulled Wen Li away, but Bone Tail grabbed her leg, refusing to let go.

Ban didn’t know if Wen Li was hurt but noticed her eye color was different from usual and anxiously went to check her.

“Let go!” Lin Zheng lowered his head, silent.

Wen Li inexplicably felt he looked a little pitiful—like a puppy who’d just gotten a toy snatched away.

A soft voice sounded.

“Ban, you can place me on the stool in the monitoring area. I have something to say to him.”

Surrounded by a group of sentinels, Ban carefully set her down.

Steady footsteps approached. Lin Zheng pushed past the sentinels and, disregarding others’ gazes, held Wen Li’s hand tightly without letting go.

Ban had never seen a sentinel so shameless—almost harming the guide one moment, then following like a dog the next.

Wen Li’s spiritual sea was currently very active; it was clear this was caused by Lin Zheng’s spiritual power.

It was indeed useful—if only the price wasn’t losing an eye.

Wen Li said, “Chara is awake now. Let’s not rush to summon it for the next few days. Wait until it recovers a bit before releasing it.”

Lin Zheng said nothing, only gripping the guide’s hand tightly.

His unusually abnormal behavior frightened even himself.

What was happening to him?

His mental state had shifted many times in a short span, all rooted in the young girl before him.

Wen Li continued, “I still can’t purge the contaminants in your spiritual sea, but I can isolate them.”

“I’ve left some spiritual energy with you, so you don’t need to worry about your current behaviors.”

But was that truly the case?

The sentinel holding her hand seemed suddenly mute, then shook it off and gripped tighter.

“Did you hear that? Our deal can take place in a couple of days.”

“Tomorrow,” the sentinel finally raised his head to look at Wen Li and repeated his words.

Exhausted, Wen Li nodded slightly and, forcing her body, chose to leave.

The sentinel did not stop her. Standing tall and straight, he watched the young girl depart.

Back in the purification room, Wen Li could no longer hold on.

The spiritual power of an SSS+ level sentinel was far beyond what an A-level guide like her could digest.

Ban held her tenderly as they moved to the sofa.

“Miss, you need not be like this.”

Wen Li found a comfortable position in his arms and closed her eyes.

“Ban, he’s very strong. I need him.”

It had been so long since she felt this relaxed lying down.

In a daze, Wen Li seemed to return to the time before her transmigration—after a day of drudgery, dragging her body onto the sofa, with the obedient border collie at home silently keeping her company.

Wen Li nestled closer to Ban’s strong frame, feeling as though something was missing in her hand. She rubbed her small head against the sentinel’s chest.

“Ban, I want to touch your tail.”

Ban indulgently placed his tail in her hand.

The girl gently stroked it. The soft, smooth fur made Wen Li reluctant to let go.

After a few strokes, her grip gradually weakened and finally stopped.

Ban hugged her soft form tightly, gazing down with tender eyes at her fair profile.

Nestled in Ban’s embrace, Wen Li breathed slowly, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Ban’s expression darkened as he stared at her luscious lips.

Like a bud about to bloom in spring, they radiated a captivating pink hue.

His breathing grew heavier; the sentinel removed his monocle, averting his gaze.

But the more he tried to escape, the fiercer the nameless desire burned within him.

“Miss…”

Wen Li slept soundly, her grip on his clothes loosening.

Ban caught her slipping hand and carefully placed it back in his embrace.

The sentinel’s genetic possession instinct stirred, his mind filled with images of Wen Li’s radiant smile.

When they first met, she was so small and fearful of everything unfamiliar; he introduced himself as her life assistant.

Ban sensed her happiness.

It seemed she no longer rejected his deathly face.

The meticulous her, the mischievous her, the gentle her…

So utterly intoxicating.

Ban was a man of restraint, taught by his family never to lose dignity under a guide’s control.

But when Wen Li said she needed him,

Ban thought, being a dog wouldn’t be so bad.

Carefully, he leaned closer to that face that haunted his dreams.

The sentinel restrained himself, wanting to kiss her.

Moonlight bathed the two.

Whether that kiss truly happened, only Ban of that night would ever know.