Ni Ji stood in the dim alley, looking at the pointed roof that appeared in the depths of the courtyard.

At the beginning, he would rack his brains to find excuses for himself.

For example, he just wanted to see if Lin Yuan's injury was serious, and to see if the golden tree they secretly brought back would cause her trouble.

Later, it happened more often and slowly became a habit.

After a whole day of busy running around, when he was tired, whenever he had some free time, he would always unconsciously come here to stay for a while.

After returning to Kyoto, Ni Ji actually prepared some plans to deal with the accountability, after all, he did not wait for his teammates and returned on his own. But these plans were ultimately useless.

Ji Xuan, the adjutant of the Royal Guard, did not express much objection to his voluntary return to Beijing and even helped him cover up.

After the contaminated area collapsed, many people entered to search, but they only saw a dead and fallen tree. The broken branches on the ground turned into ashes with the slightest touch, and there was no way to bring them back, not even a single golden leaf.

The mission to bring back the trunk of a golden tree, which was a bounty for the queen, was a complete failure.

"It was not easy for you to open the door and save your life in such a chaotic time." Ji Xuan said after he came back.

"Although I am very sorry that I failed to complete your Majesty's mission, the collapse of the Golden Tree contaminated area has restored a large amount of land, and the town from four hundred years ago has reappeared in the world. It has brought a large amount of materials and wealth to the empire and the people. You have made the greatest contribution among them. Chief Luther and I will commend you in front of your Majesty."

Because of Ji Xuan's characterization, Ni Ji has become very busy these days. He officially became a non-commissioned officer of the Royal Guards.

It is said that Her Majesty the Queen personally praised him in front of Luther, the chief of the Royal Guard.

He was praised for his bravery and courage, for opening the door for others and taking risks himself, and he was a role model for the young sentinels.

Ni Ji's teacher Cao Junmin was dismissed from his post and completely withdrew from the power center of the empire. However, Ni Ji's position was promoted instead of being demoted. The newly appointed Minister of War even awarded him a battle medal with the Queen's portrait printed on it.

Those classmates and colleagues who had been cold and distant to him in the past suddenly became enthusiastic, as if the indifference and isolation when he just returned here had never existed, and they were still the brothers who were close to each other on campus back then.

The number of invitations he received also increased significantly. He went to various banquets and parties every day, holding a glass of wine, dressed neatly, and meeting all kinds of people who wanted to make friends with him and who he wanted to make friends with.

In this small circle of the world around the White Pagoda, there are banquets and singing every night, fragrant clothes and cloud-like hair, and there is endless delicious food to eat and endless fine wine to drink.

It seems that the years were peaceful, the people were prosperous, and the most important things in life were making friends and feasting. There have never been soldiers in the world who risked their lives for two imperial coins, and there have never been children who had to go to the battlefield at the age of ten.

The soldiers had no need to risk their flesh and blood to fight for a few scraps of debris in the ruins, and there were no countless hungry civilians around the sentry post.

It seems that there are no polluted areas or ferocious deformed creatures in the wilderness, and humans are still the masters of the world as before, enjoying a comfortable, prosperous and abundant life.

Sometimes Ni Ji felt like he was in a ridiculous dream. His feet were stepping on a sticky swamp, and he was stumbling all over the place, but he couldn't get out of it or touch the ground.

Every day, when the false noise and glitz ended and he calmed down, he would only feel that his heart was even emptier.

Kyoto? Although it started snowing quite late, it seemed to be a city even colder than the icy north.

Here, he had no place he really wanted to stay, no home that would make him feel a little warmer.

He would always think of the guide out of habit, of the hug she gave him, of the warmth of her skin as she pressed her hands against his brows, and of the peaceful sleep he had beside her.

Every time I have a chance, my feet will unconsciously turn here.

Sometimes he also knows that this is not so good, a little pathetic and ridiculous, and such behavior is totally unworthy of being told to outsiders.

Fortunately, he is a powerful sentinel with strong perception ability, and can leave before anyone gets close to him.

There shouldn't be a chance that anyone would discover my private and weird behavior.

He came here, not wanting to do anything, nor wanting to get anything more, he just wanted to look from afar occasionally.

He saw many visitors coming, and once he saw a sentry kneeling on one knee outside the door and gently kissing Lin Yuan's hand.

I felt a little sad at that time.

She certainly deserves to be surrounded by countless sentinels.

She is the best guide in the world.

Maybe in the future I would see her walking in and out in pairs, arm in arm with other sentries, while I would still be like this, just standing here occasionally.

…

"I thought you would be able to find it." The gardener in the courtyard with a silver mask said, "I have seen the strength of your mental power. It is very strong, stronger than mine. It even shocked me at one point."

Lin Yuan held the hot teacup and swallowed the dessert in his mouth. His tentacles swam out and indeed found the little fish. He didn't know why, but he was standing alone in a dark alley not far away.

"But it's impolite to explore the world at will and sense other people's emotions. Isn't it?" Lin Yuan curled up her legs and sat on the sofa by the window. "Since I was a child, the teachers in the college and the people around us have always said so."

Lin Yuan told Xunhua what he knew, "Everyone says that. It's very impolite to sense the surroundings at will. It's not what a proper guide should do. So I always try to restrain them. Unless it's time to fight, I try not to let them run around."

After Lin Yuan finished speaking, several soft tentacles rested on the windowsill and tapped the tips of their tentacles, expressing their approval and dissatisfaction with Lin Yuan's words.

[Yes, it's annoying. They never let us go out to play.]

【Say we are not polite all day long】

[It is our nature to play, but we are locked in a cage]

[That’s right, even touching a fish will get you criticized]

Xunhua stopped planting flowers and asked, "How could this be? Four hundred years later, the Guide has been constrained to this extent?"

Lin Yuan and the tentacles clung to the windowsill together, "Wasn't it like this before?"

"Perception is the nature of a guide. In the past, guides were proud of their strong perception." Xunhua stood in the moonlight, and spoke under the silver mask. "Sentinels have sharp hearing, and guides have strong perception. Only by cooperating with each other can they capture the enemy coming from afar. If the guide's perception is restricted on a daily basis, won't it be troublesome in battle?"

"Wouldn't it be considered impolite at that time?"

"This is the guide's instinct and fighting talent, so why should he be impolite? The sentinels can also hear very far and subtle sounds. Who would blame the eagle for flying too high or the hunting dog for having a keen sense of smell?" Xunhua said.

"If the Sentinels want to avoid being discovered by the Guides, they should train their own barriers, and the Guides will not deliberately pry into other people's lives when they perceive the world."

This was the first time Lin Yuan had heard such a statement. When she heard it, she felt as if she had been freed from all restraints and felt relaxed physically and mentally. Unfortunately, in her era, this kind of consciousness had been extinguished and was no longer recognized by the general public.

Xunhua stretched out his hand and pointed his finger at the rose that he had just planted in the soil. The branch swayed gently against his white-gloved fingers, and the leaves rustled, as if a joyful emotion was emanating from within the tree.

A few drops of rain fell on the leaves of the rose.

"Is it raining?" Lin Yuan raised his head and looked at the sky where the bright moon was obscured by dark clouds.

…

It's raining?

Ni Ji raised his head. The moon in the sky was somehow covered by dark clouds. A few drops of cold rain hit his face.

It's time to go back, he said to himself. It's really cold tonight, and the ground in the alley seems to be frozen with a thin layer of frost.

As soon as he lifted his black military boots, he saw a tiny tentacle protruding from the cold floor tiles at his feet.

The sentry's pupils shrank and his whole body froze.

The tentacle expertly wrapped itself around his leg and climbed up, hooking the tip of it around his little finger and pulling it.

Ni Ji felt that the tentacle was not wrapped around his fingers, but around his heart.

It wrapped around the fragile insides and tugged at them.

In the dark and deserted alley, the sentry's face turned red.

He was a little grateful that Lin Yuan didn't come over by himself, but just let his familiar touch come over quietly and pull him.

If Lin Yuan walked out of the yard at this moment, opened the door, and came to this alley in person, he would probably have to flee in shame.

The tentacles pulled hard and hooked the back of his hand soothingly.

The sentry had no choice but to follow it with difficulty, out of the dark alley and to the locked door.

He pulled his fingertips, pinched his palm, and slipped into the crack of the door.

The sentry, who was very comfortable in the banquets of princes and nobles, stood in front of the gate for a long time. It was not until the rain got heavy and his hair was wet that he finally gritted his teeth and reached out to ring the doorbell.

A gardener wearing half a silver mask opened the door holding an umbrella.

The gardener glanced at the sentry outside the door, tilted his umbrella forward, and said only one sentence, "Come in if you are here."

The sentry's ears felt slightly hot. After all, it was the first time he stepped into this courtyard that he had been to many times but had never entered before.

Lin Yuan sat by the window in the living room waiting for him and waved at him. She didn't seem particularly enthusiastic, but she didn't seem strange either.

It was as if they had just got off the car and hadn't seen each other for a long time.

The maid in the room brought a cup of hot tea with a smile.

Ni Ji took out a small box of chocolates from his backpack and placed it on the coffee table by the window as a gift.

The box is very delicate, with some wear on the edges, as if it has been carried around for a long time.

Lin Yuan was very interested and reached out to open the box. Pagoda-shaped chocolates were wrapped in beautiful tin foil and packed tightly in the entire box.

Break one open and put it in your mouth. The sweet shell melts and a hint of wine aroma permeates the tip of your tongue.

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. The silky sweetness paired with the mellow aroma of fine wine was like a chocolate with a liquor-filled texture.

How come it is so to her liking?

She quickly ate a second one.

"Do you have the habit of carrying candy with you?" Lin Yuan asked the sentry sitting opposite him.

This is really a good habit and deserves praise.

The sentry sitting on the sofa had a slight smile on his face.

He seemed a little embarrassed when he first entered the house, but now that awkward feeling was gone.

Lin Yuan ate her chocolate with the hot tea made by Guo Suo. She quickly finished half of the box and held the remaining half in her hand, with no intention of sharing it at all.

"Are you hungry? Hungry?" Fortunately, she remembered to ask her guests.

Ni Ji wanted to say that he was fine and not to bother.

But he was sitting here, with the cold raindrops hitting the grass outside the window and a cup of hot tea in his hands.

The girl opposite was sinking into the soft sofa, eating half a box of candy with gusto.

Ni Ji suddenly felt that he was indeed hungry.

He had been busy all day and had hardly eaten anything. He only drank a little wine on an empty stomach at dinner.

Fortunately, in this place he didn't even have to say anything, the guide sitting opposite him always knew his status.

"Xiaosuo, cook a bowl of noodles for the guest. I want beef flavor, with a fried egg and some mushrooms." Lin Yuan asked the maid at home, "Do we have mushrooms at home?"

She even knew her own taste. She had entered her own mental images and seen many of the memories she had buried deep in her heart.

The hot noodles were served quickly. Ni Ji stood up and thanked him.

"Oh, you're welcome." The little maid was very happy and walked away sideways with the plate in her hand.

The rain outside was getting heavier. The cold raindrops formed into lines, rustling and gathering on the ground. A few wild animals came out from the ground and hid under the big tree and in the shelter built by the gardener with wooden boards.

Ni Ji sat by the window, holding a bowl, and lowered his head to eat the bowl of mellow and delicious soup noodles. The rich beef soup and the fried egg that oozes out the yolk when you bite it lightly. It was his favorite food in the North.

The hot noodle soup went into my stomach and warmed up my cold and tired body.

Ni Ji lowered his head and ate without even lifting his head.

Ever since he was wrongly escorted to Kyoto, he has had a poor appetite.

It seems like it has been a long time since I felt so hungry, and since I longed for warm food so much.

The sound of boiling water could be heard in the kitchen.

Lin Yuan sat on the sofa opposite him, eating chocolate and reading a book casually. She was even too lazy to move her fingers, and from time to time she let her tentacles come out to turn a page for her.

"This chocolate is delicious," Lin Yuan said, staring at the pages of the book while peeling off the tin foil with his fingers. "Next time you come, buy me another box."

"Next time?" The sentry on the opposite side raised his head, and the steaming mist covered his brows and made him look a little dazed.

"Well, buy it for me next time." Lin Yuan moved his eyes from the book page, "Will you come again next time?"

A matter-of-fact tone.

Lin Yuan saw the sentry's eyelashes drooping, and there was an emotion gently swaying in his eyes.

This time, even without the help of the tentacles, Lin Yuan could feel his happiness.

He was so happy because of my invitation.

If I had known this would happen, I should have invited him to my house earlier.

So many friends have come, how come I forgot about him?

Obviously, every time I am with him, I feel very happy. I have experienced a lot with him and I have experienced more emotions than at any other time.

Even in dreams at night, the face of this sentinel often appears.

Why did you avoid him?

Ni Ji finished his dinner.

It was raining outside. They sat by the window and talked for a while about Contaminated Area 77, Contaminated Area 5 that they had experienced together before, and the unnamed contaminated area on the airship.

The two men had known each other for only a short time, but if you count the battlefields they had experienced together, it was already quite a few.

Lin Yuan asked Ni Ji if there were any contaminated areas marked by eyes.

"There are many contaminated areas marked by eye totems." Ni Ji thought for a moment and said, "Last time, the airship you were on accidentally entered a contaminated area, and the key to open the door was the eye of the pillar."

"But speaking of invisible eyes, it reminds me of a place. Next time..." He repeated the word, as if it was a beautiful word, "Next time I come to visit, I'll bring you the relevant information to have a look."

When Ni Ji said goodbye and left, Lin Yuan saw him off to the door.

The two of them, each holding an umbrella, walked through the rain-flowing courtyard.

"See you next time." Lin Yuan said to him standing at the door.

The sentry stood in the rain, holding the handle of his umbrella and keeping a polite distance, and said goodbye to her softly, "See you next time."

【Xiaoyu seems to be very happy today】

[I tasted it, it was sweet and delicious]

[Big fish too? Very happy]

【Everyone is singing】

[She kept crying all the way, and I can still hear it now]

【Come and play more often, if you like it so much】

[He probably likes being rubbed by me. I’ll hook his hand next time.]

After Ni Ji left, Xun Hua asked Lin Yuan, "I thought you two were close comrades. I never thought he would be too embarrassed to even enter the door."

"Isn't it possible that the sentinel and the guide are very close?" Lin Yuan asked curiously, "I don't want to get engaged again."

Xunhua was holding an umbrella in the rain. She stopped and looked at her with a look of disbelief on her face.

"I'm talking about comrades, colleagues. Partners who fight and work together. Who says that guides and sentinels can only be husband and wife?" Xunhua's tone was very unexpected. "Guides are warriors as strong as sentinels, and they are not just tools for reproduction."

Lin Yuan blinked, No? Really?

In her world, everyone thinks that the guide is gentle and considerate, able to take care of the family and soothe the emotions of the sentinels. She should stay in the rear, live in the white tower, linger at banquets, be content with her family, and play the role of a vase to embellish the prosperity.

This is the consensus of the world. Everyone says it over and over again, and everyone thinks it is the right thing to do.