Useless, Had He Still Not Caught That Woman's Attention?

Having never seen anyone treat the administrator so rudely, Cang Leng's smoky purple eyes lit up in surprise. Yun Jin frowned as well, staring coldly at Xin Lan's retreating figure.

But Chi Ming followed Xin Lan inside without looking aside, showing no intention of explaining anything to them.

The administrator himself, however, did not mind at all.

Without hesitation, Mo Xiao lowered his hand and walked straight to Xin Lan's side, politely explaining the benefits of staying in K9 District.

Left with no choice, Cang Leng turned to Wu Xi, who had been listless just moments ago but was suddenly beaming. "What's going on? Does this guide have a bad temper?"

"Not at all. She has a great temper. She just doesn't like contact with strangers. She probably doesn't dislike the administrator."

That's right. She must dislike all strangers. She isn't singling him out!

She doesn't even care about the administrator! How cool is that!

Come to think of it, I'm still the only one who's kissed the back of her hand without getting hit! Even Chi Ming hasn't kissed her hand!

At that thought, the gloom in Wu Xi's heart vanished, leaving him positively bubbling with delight.

Cang Leng followed Xin Lan and the others into the soothing room, deep in thought. When he saw what was happening inside, he blinked his purple eyes and suddenly understood.

"I see. Is she holding Chi Ming's hand because she likes him?"

The grin vanished from Wu Xi's face: *?!*

Following his gaze, the others saw Xin Lan sit down on the sofa in the soothing room and openly take Chi Ming's hand.

With a gentle tug, she brought the tall Chi Ming obediently down beside her, letting her hold his fingers and play with them.

The administrator sat across from them.

The sight was inexplicably irritating.

Yun Jin's brow twitched, and a sudden, nameless anger rose in his chest.

Wu Xi's face instantly twisted with jealousy.

Argh! Why him?!

Wasn't she supposed to dislike everyone? Why was Chi Ming the only one getting special treatment?!

Xin Lan now knew that the five people here were all guardian sentinels the Star Brain had matched to her, and that they had earned her enormous fortune. But that did not mean she was obliged to treat them all kindly.

On the contrary, they ought to thank her for giving them this chance to pay for their lives and prove themselves.

After all, they would die without her. Without them, she still had countless sentinels eagerly waiting in line with numbered tickets to court her.

"I understand the benefits. What about the work? How many sentinels do I need to soothe each day?"

Purifying an SS-rank sentinel was as easy as splashing water for her, but K9 District had sentinels beyond counting. If this man with long silver hair dared to assign her dozens a day and work her to the bone, she would turn around and leave at once.

I can make my fortune anywhere, can't I?

Maybe if I go to the central city in District K1, I can get closer to the center of power sooner.

Mo Xiao saw the vines on her wrist quietly creep onto Chi Ming's hand and slip into his sleeve as though no one else were present. His eyes flickered slightly, but his tone remained gentle and polite.

"There are many high-ranking sentinels in K9 District, so once the points-based application channel for guide soothing opens, countless sentinels will apply every day. For your safety, Lina will screen the applications first and reject those from sentinels whose Rampage Levels are too high."

"You may choose five to eight of the remaining sentinels to purify and soothe. The choice is yours."

"Also, if you expend too much mental power or feel unwell, you may close the application channel and take time off whenever you wish. K9 District will place no mandatory demands on you. You can rest assured living at the sanctuary. Whether you are working or resting, we will do everything in our power to keep you safe."

"Live here?" Xin Lan frowned and looked at Chi Ming in confusion. "Can't I stay at your place?"

She liked the way Chi Ming's floor was decorated.

She liked Chi Ming's Spirit Body even more.

They had already agreed that she would sleep holding the anaconda at night. She had not expected the administrator to arrange for her to stay at the sanctuary.

"Although I'd love to have you stay with me, the sanctuary is the safest place in K9 District."

Chi Ming struggled to bear the tickling as the vines climbed to his chest and spread their tendrils. He paused, then added in a low voice,

"Lanlan, if you really like the way my place is decorated, I can decorate your quarters the same way."

"I don't have any particular requirements for where I live. What I like is you-"

"Your Spirit Body."

Xin Lan deliberately paused for several seconds before finishing her sentence.

Sure enough, the others' expressions had been a sight to behold when they heard the first half, each looking displeased in his own way.

Wu Xi in particular was so jealous that bear ears popped out of the poor white-haired little bear's head. When he realized it was a misunderstanding, he quickly retracted them, his face red.

The handsome purple-haired man looked a little bewildered, but he was visibly envious of Chi Ming, his smoky purple eyes fixed on their joined hands.

The irritable redhead, who was always frowning, looked ready to breathe fire. Tricked by her words, he was so angry that his chest kept heaving. What a temper!

Only the administrator, Mo Xiao, remained relatively calm.

But his polite, distant smile did not look quite as natural as before...

Xin Lan took in all their reactions and continued,

"So, can you think of a way? I want to hold it while I sleep at night."

She knew sentinels could share their Spirit Bodies' sensations just as she could. Chi Ming would certainly feel it when she held the anaconda, and it might even be agonizing for him.

But other people's thoughts had never factored into her considerations.

"Then I'll come over every night."

Chi Ming's face grew hot, and his left hand gripped his trousers in barely contained excitement.

His innocent, bashful young-man act thoroughly disgusted the others. Even Mo Xiao could not help frowning slightly.

"Chi Ming, you look much better than usual. Have you checked your Rampage Level?"

"Not yet, but it should already be below the acceptable threshold. Lanlan purified my mental landscape just before we came to the sanctuary."

Chi Ming answered him, but his gaze remained on Xin Lan, his eyes tender and full of affection.

For once, Mo Xiao fell silent.

The warmly decorated soothing room suddenly went deathly quiet.

An SSS-rank sentinel from K9 District had had his mental landscape purified by a guide. What an unusual thing to say.

Even expensive high-grade Guide Pheromones could barely suppress their Rampage Levels, yet Xin Lan had brought Chi Ming's below the acceptable threshold as soon as she arrived.

She was only S-rank. With such a large gap between their ranks, purifying him to that extent could only have been done through a deep link, and quite possibly a physical link!

But had Wu Xi not been with them too?

Why was Chi Ming the only one she had formed a deep link with?

Had Wu Xi just stood there and watched?

Cang Leng and Yun Jin both turned to look at Wu Xi, one with his eyes full of questions, the other with his face full of contempt.

Useless!

The opportunity was right in front of him, and he didn't even know to seize it. What a waste of that fair complexion and such a cute Spirit Body. He actually let a filthy pitch-black snake beat him to it!

Faced with their completely undisguised stares, Wu Xi's scalp prickled, and he nearly bristled.

"No! What do you mean, looking at me like that? The guide is free to form a deep link with whoever she wants. Even if my Rampage Level were at ninety-five percent and I was about to mutate, I could never force her, all right?!"

"And don't get the wrong idea. The guide only formed a deep mental link with Chi Ming. They didn't do anything else."

Yun Jin rolled his eyes at him, finding him even more useless. "Who asked you?"

Wu Xi craned his neck and glared back. "I'm saying it even if nobody asked! I can't let you misunderstand the guide!"

Yun Jin folded his arms and turned away, ignoring him, though his expression relaxed considerably after hearing his explanation.

Chi Ming's Rampage Level was indeed high, but which of the five had a Rampage Level below ninety percent?

The brothers had endured this torment together for years, watching out for one another. How could Chi Ming secretly pull ahead on his own?

If they were going to pull ahead, they had to do it together.

But this esteemed high-grade guide's origins were unknown, and there were too many suspicious things about her.

Even if he was to become her exclusive sentinel, he felt they should at least investigate her identity first. They could not rush into it.