Nosebleed

"All right, that's enough, Little White. You can't eat anymore!" Yuqing's body was already struggling to take it, but Bai Ze simply couldn't stop.

"Damn..." Yuqing grunted. With no other choice, she forcibly summoned Bai Ze back to her Mindscape. Bai Ze had eaten until his belly was round, and when he was forcibly transported back into Yuqing's Mindscape, he let out a satisfied little milky burp.

But the residual mental power that had erupted in an instant during the extraction hadn't been contained. It burst outward in all directions like an invisible blast wave.

With a crash, the bedroom window facing the street shattered!

In the hallway, Shang Yu was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, resting, his fingertips on the grip of his service pistol.

A little fiery-red fox was curled up at his feet, the tip of its tail twitching from time to time. Its head was turned toward Yuqing's door, its nose twitching as it tried to catch the guide's scent. Its black eyes darted around, and its paws had already hooked into the gap under the door as it tried to sneak inside when no one was looking and rub against the guide.

Ers had left Yuqing's place at two in the morning to take care of some outstanding military business related to border patrols. Before leaving, he had specifically told Shang Yu to keep a close watch and not let any unauthorized people approach. Shang Yu had thought nothing would happen in the latter half of the night and had been dozing when he heard a sharp crash from the guide's bedroom.

The little fox yelped, its fur bristling and its tail shooting straight up.

Shang Yu's eyes flew open, every muscle in his body tensing as his hand pressed down on his gun grip. "This is bad! Something's happened to the guide!" he said coldly.

"Protect the guide!"

Before he finished speaking, he was already charging forward. The sentinels on night watch snapped to attention and rushed to the door behind him. The solid wood door was thick, but Shang Yu didn't think twice. He turned sideways and slammed his shoulder into it, knocking it open as the metal hinges gave an ear-piercing squeal.

The moment the door opened, a mixture of scents hit them.

A fox's nose was already more sensitive than an ordinary sentinel's. Besides the repulsive sentinel pheromones and the jasmine-scented Guide Pheromones, there was also a faint smell of blood.

Shang Yu's face went pale, and his heart felt as if a hand had seized it in a vicious grip. Could the guide have been hurt?

He strode into the inner room and saw the scene by the bed at a glance. He froze on the spot.

The warm yellow bedside lamp was still on, its light falling across the rumpled bed and casting long, suggestive shadows.

Yuqing sat against the headboard, both hands clamped over her nose. Bright red blood kept seeping between her fingers and dripping down her chin, spreading into glaring spots on her pale silk pajamas.

Her eyes were a little red, whether from holding it in or from distress. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide as she stared at the people who had rushed in, full of bewilderment at being caught off guard and the despair of utter mortification.

In front of her, the red-haired man was half kneeling and half sprawled against her legs. His arms were clamped around her waist like iron bands, and his face was buried in the crook of her neck. He refused to let go, as though clinging to his last lifeline.

His upper body was bare, his shoulders and back taut, their lines hard and sharp. Besides a sheen of sweat, there were a few faint scratches on his skin. Most striking of all was the black leather bite guard on his face. Its metal buckles glinted coldly in the lamplight, making the flush at the corners of his eyes all the more suggestive.

His gaze was hazy, his breath hot, and his posture clingy. Add the shattered glass all over the floor and the half-open window, and it looked every bit like an unfinished, messy tryst.

The scene... was terrifyingly familiar.

Yuqing looked at the roomful of wide-eyed sentinels, felt the arms clamped tightly around her waist, and then touched the blood that wouldn't stop flowing from her nose. She wailed inwardly.

Her reputation! She hadn't been at the military district long, and this was already the second time she'd been caught in a situation she couldn't explain!

"Liechuan!" Shang Yu didn't know Yuqing had a nosebleed. He thought Liechuan had forced himself on the guide and hurt her.

At that moment, he was so angry he had lost all reason. Did this bastard have a death wish?!

Bang!

Shang Yu dragged Liechuan out of the guide's arms and smashed a merciless fist into his face. Liechuan's head snapped to the side, and he came fully to his senses.

As the captain of one of the seven task forces, Liechuan's strength was naturally not to be underestimated. Shang Yu was certainly no match for him, but Liechuan stood there without fighting back and took several more punches.

"That's enough, Shang Yu. Take the guide to the infirmary first." Liechuan raised a hand and caught Shang Yu's fist. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the guide, who had both hands over her face, and felt a sharp pang in his heart. He must have accidentally hurt her when he lost his mind just now... He raised his hands of his own accord, and the other sentinels put him in shackles.

Shang Yu came back to his senses and glared viciously at Liechuan. "Just wait until the marshal deals with you!"

Liechuan was taken away under guard. Shang Yu took a deep breath and finally suppressed his anger. He walked over to the guide, his voice apologetic. "Miss Guide, we failed in our duty. We didn't notice you were in danger. We've already sent someone to notify the infirmary. Please come with us and have yourself examined."

"No... mmph..." Yuqing tilted her head back, her face smeared with blood. She could barely speak, so she simply nodded and said nothing more.

Twenty-four hours later, Yuqing lay on a bed in the infirmary once again, feeling utterly hopeless.

She felt even more hopeless because the one examining her was that shameless fish, Han Yu.

"Miss Guide, I can play some exciting games with you too. That bald bird has an explosive temper. He definitely isn't as much fun as I am." Han Yu looked at the readings on the medical pod, then suddenly chuckled and began teasing Yuqing.

Yuqing was rendered speechless with anger. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at him.

The sound of the ward's metal door sliding open rang out.

Huosuosi had just finished handling military business when he received the news. His dark gray military greatcoat still carried the chill of the late night, and the air around him was frighteningly oppressive as he strode in. "Miss Guide? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Yuqing opened her eyes. There were dark shadows under Huosuosi's eyes, and his usually immaculate uniform was a little disheveled today. It was obvious he hadn't rested well and had rushed over in the middle of the night. Yuqing felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to blame yourself. This wasn't your fault. Liechuan has already been locked up in the Dark Prison. I'll make sure you get an explanation." Huosuosi had just learned the rough sequence of events. No matter why Liechuan had suddenly gone mad, harming a guide was a serious crime anywhere, and he would punish him severely.

"Don't! He was about to enter a Level Eight Berserk State and lose his mind completely. I barely managed to pull him back from death's door. He needs rest now; he can't be hurt again!" Yuqing sucked in a sharp breath in alarm. In Red Hair's condition, he really wouldn't be able to take any more injuries.

If something really happened to him, wouldn't she have saved him for nothing?

"Level Eight Berserk State?!"