I see
"What's wrong?" Song Qi raised his hand and waved it in front of Xu Youling's eyes. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No...no," Xu Youling lowered her eyes and looked at the lop-eared rabbit in Song Qi's hand. Its short white fur was soft and gentle, and its pink nose twitched as it sniffed. She looked alert and a little dazed. "Did you really feel better all of a sudden? Just now?"
"Yeah, it's really weird." Song Qi let the rabbit crawl around his arm and onto his shoulder, then he pulled out a chair and sat down.
Song Qi does clerical work in a marginal department of the White Pagoda. His mental strength is weaker than Xu Youling's, so after spending a lot of time at work, he often goes into his bedroom and falls asleep with his eyes closed. He is an incredibly homebody.
Xu Youling always heard him complain about the hard work, how he would feel dizzy if he concentrated for a long time, and how his back would ache from sitting for a long time, but he had to work and could only use the weekends to get back into shape.
To suddenly regain consciousness like this...it's so strange.
Xu Youling also sat down at the table and lifted the noodles with chopsticks to let them dissipate the heat: "Could it be because I gave your spirit body a bath?"
"It's not completely impossible. After all, I wasn't doing anything else just now." Song Qi lowered his head and took a bite of noodles, mumbling, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. How did your qualification exam go?"
Xu Youling put the noodles on the spoon and said, "I got the qualification certificate, although the method was a bit strange."
The orange cat sat upright on another armchair beside the dining table and meowed at the right time.
"That's great!" Song Qiteng gave a thumbs-up. "Won't you be working as a traffic guide in the White Tower in the future? Don't forget me when you become rich and powerful!"
"That's not the case, actually. I haven't even succeeded in counseling once," Xu Youling's voice was a little muffled. "If I counsel others like this, will they die if I'm not careful?"
Song Qi comforted her, "Don't think about it that way. At least you have a certificate now. If you don't want to be a counselor, you can always do something else."
Xu Youling nodded and focused on eating his noodles. He didn't know what to say. His goal in studying for the qualification wasn't to find a good job, but to complete his mission and return to the real world as quickly as possible. But ever since he realized that even with the qualification, he still wouldn't be able to help Pei Zhi, his enthusiasm had somewhat waned.
The two finished their meal quietly. After having his spiritual body cleansed, Song Qi felt refreshed and took the initiative to clear the table and wash the dishes. Xu Youling happened to be able to go back to the room to pack her luggage.
Halfway through packing, he remembered that when he entered the house just now, in order to free up his hands to unlock the door, he had casually placed a small card holder on the shoe cabinet in the entrance. There were many important documents in it, so it would be better to retrieve it quickly. So Xu Youling went back to the main door to look for the card holder.
"Hey! Xiao Xu is back so early today?"
A warm greeting rang out from behind, and Xu Youling turned around. It turned out to be Zhou Yinglan, who lived next door. She was a neighbor of Xu Youling and Song Qi, and also a guide. She cared deeply about the two young people and knew that Xu Youling had been working day and night preparing for the qualification exam.
"Yeah, I'm finally done with the exams." Xu Youling smiled and replied. Seeing Zhou Yinglan carrying a bag of vegetables and seafood, exuding a healthy and carefree atmosphere, he asked, "Auntie, did you just come back from buying groceries?"
Zhou Yinglan smiled: "It's been a while since I last saw you at this time. How was your exam? Did it go well?"
"It's OK," Xu Youling answered cautiously. He noticed that Zhou Yinglan frowned slightly and rubbed her knee with her free hand from time to time. He couldn't help but ask with concern, "Auntie, are your knees uncomfortable again?"
"Oh, it's the same old thing." Aunt Zhou waved her hand, "I'm not going to talk anymore. I'm going back to my room. Come to my house for dinner next time."
Zhou Yinglan's spirit body was a black, white and gray munia, which was currently lying on top of her head and using her hair to build a nest, looking listless.
"Wait a moment," Xu Youling called her, "Excuse me, Auntie, can I... um, touch your spirit body?"
Zhou Yinglan turned around curiously. "What's wrong? Is this a practical project for the exam? I remember you were the guide, right?"
"Not entirely, it's just..." Xu Youling hesitated for a moment. After all, this request was a bit rude. "Can I give your spirit a bath?"
"Giving the spirit a bath...why do we need to give the spirit a bath?" Zhou Yinglan was a little confused, but she still graciously took the little red-billed munia from her head. "Okay, I've never been involved in such matters before."
Xu Youling thanked him and returned to the room with the little bird.
He didn't quite know what he was doing, but he always wanted to verify the identity of the state between the spirit and its owner. If he could achieve similar results to ordinary grooming just by bathing, wiping and grooming the spirit, then he wouldn't need to... have any contact with Pei Zhi, and could just coax his German Shepherd?
"Let's give it a try." Xu Youling gently combed the bird's feathers, looking at its fluffy body lying in the palm of her hand. "If it can also relieve my fatigue... then it would be great!"
The little munia tilted its head and looked at Xu Youling putting it on the table, its round eyes rolling.
When she worked in a pet shop, Xu Youling rarely had to bathe or take care of birds, because birds actually like taking baths...unlike many cats and dogs, which require two people to barely lather them, dry them, and trim their loose hair.
He filled a small bowl with room-temperature water, placed it under a sunny windowsill, and asked the little munia to perch on his finger. But the bird didn't need him to guide it at all; with a flap of its wings, it fluttered down and landed on the edge of the bowl, its two pinkish feet gently paddling about.
"Will I catch a cold..." Xu Youling was still a little worried.
The little munia lowered its head and pecked at the water surface, as if testing the temperature. It tilted its head left and right, and when it was satisfied, it exerted force with its feet and jumped into the small bowl.
Xu Youling held the edge of the bowl with both hands, fearing that it would fall out accidentally, but the little munia was not polite at all. As soon as it fell into the water, it began to flap its wings vigorously, almost splashing Xu Youling in the face.
"It's so small, why did it make such a big splash?" Xu Youling was a little amused.
At first, the bird only washed its lower body, the water only wetting its pale gray belly. After a while, perhaps gradually adjusting to the water temperature and enjoying the fun of playing in the water, it began to dive in and flap its wings recklessly.
Xu Youling waited until the bird had finally had its fill before removing it from the bowl. Its feathers seemed slightly waterproof, making it appear damp, with a few water droplets clinging to its tail feathers. Xu Youling held it in the mild winter sun, patiently waiting for it to dry.
The bird preened its feathers, looking up at Xu Youling from time to time. When everything was done, the sound of Zhou Yinglan's range hood next door also stopped.
"Let me take you back to your owner." Xu Youling coaxed the bird softly, who was a little nervous after taking a bath.
He held the bird and knocked on the neighbor's door, only to find that Zhou Yinglan's husband Yu Jicheng had arrived home at some point and was setting the table.
"Xiao Xu!" Yu Jicheng greeted him, "Have you finished your exams?"
"The exam is over." Xu Youling responded politely, "Auntie, are you still in the kitchen? I'm here to return the little bird."
"What are you catching the munia for? She's going to use it for the exam." Yu Jicheng naturally understood that it was for the exam. "Yes, she said she was making soup."
Xu Youling pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen. The little bird approached its owner, spread its wings as if sensing something, and flew back to Zhou Yinglan's head again.
"Auntie," Xu Youling said carefully as she watched Zhou Yinglan reach out and touch the bird's head. "Well... I gave it a bath. Do you feel any better? On your knees, or somewhere else?"
"Knees?" Zhou Yinglan pondered, "It seems like there's a little bit..."
"Really?" Xu Youling was a little bit incredulous. "It's not a psychological effect. Do you really feel comfortable?"
"I can't say for sure. After all, the human body is a very complex structure. Perhaps psychological factors can directly affect the body's physical sensations, just like our guides providing guidance to the sentries." Zhou Yinglan placed the soup on the table and smiled back. "But thanks for reminding me. I really haven't paid attention to its condition for a long time... I always treated it as something that was part of me."
"What are you two talking about?" Yu Jicheng interrupted. "Giving a spirit a bath can change its owner's state? If it were really that convenient, why would we need guidance?"
"I think it really has some effect. If you don't believe me, let Xiao Xu wash one for your sea eagle and try it out." Zhou Yinglan said with a smile.
Yu Jicheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's wrong?" Xu Youling was a little uneasy. "Is it not possible?"
"Really? You're a little too confident in me!" Yu Jicheng had finished laughing and reached out to stroke the fur on the sea eagle's neck. "It's really not a big deal for guides to come into contact with each other's spirits, but for a guide and a sentinel... the spirit is still one with the master, so it's very likely that it will come into contact with fragments of consciousness, which will affect its emotional state."
Zhou Yinglan laughed and scolded: "Nonsense, I don't think your stupid bird can react to these things at all."
Listening to the two of them laughing and playing, Xu Youling stood there, his face slowly turning red.
So... the Sentinels' spirits are as perceptive as their masters? They can sense the intentions of the guides who touch them, detect fragments of consciousness, and even influence emotions...
Then, then the German Shepherd he had given Pei Zhi before...
"Hey, Xiao Xu, why is your face so red?" Zhou Yinglan asked.
Xu Youling stammered, "I...I feel a little hot. Uncle and aunt, take your time eating. I'll go back first!"
He pushed open the door and fled, returning to the house across the street. The orange cat was sitting on the coffee table with a look of disgust on its face, as if questioning him for discovering such an obvious thing only now.
"Ahh... I'm done..." Xu Youling half-knelt on the floor, burying her face in the soft white fur on the big orange belly. "Pei Zhi must have felt it, right? He's so high level... Ahhhh... What should I do? What should I do? He definitely won't let me touch him again in the future!"
"Meow." The orange cat called out very reservedly, as if to say that it was not very willing to play with the silly dog who liked to take a bath.
"You're back? Where were you just now?"
Xu Youling turned around and saw Song Qi, wearing an apron, walking out of the kitchen with an excited look on his face: "I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"What are you looking for me for?" Xu Youling pointed at himself.
"I saw the latest recruitment notice from the White Tower," Song Qi showed him the page on his phone. "They're looking for qualified guides to help the recuperating expeditionary forces!"
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