Special treatment
When did I realize that I could no longer live without Pei Zhi?
For the natives of this world, this emotional shift could be understood as a natural magnetic attraction between Sentinels and Guides. The former needed the latter's assistance to alleviate their mental pollution, while the latter's abilities could only be fully unleashed when the former's combat power was present. In combat, Sentinels and Guides were natural partners, inseparable.
Then close interactions bring about unnecessary desires, and limited communication leads to overflowing curiosity.
After this comes the realm of emotion, and although it often has the dangerous possibility of sliding into mind control, pathological dependence, and loss of self for both parties, its glass-ball-like beauty still makes people unable to help but reach out.
But it doesn't work.
Xu Youling wouldn't stay here for long. He was a wandering spirit from another place, occupying another body with the same name and surname as his own, and even the appearance was exactly the same. This was enough to make him tremble with fear.
What's more, talking about getting a love from Pei Zhi, no matter how sincere it is, in this world where he doesn't know whether it is a dream or not, Xu Youling is not such a confused person. Faced with an ending that is destined to be separation, he does not have much courage to do it even though he knows it is impossible.
But it was still very painful to survive with a broken tail. When he sat in the wide armchair, he looked thin and pale, and his mind kept involuntarily pulling at the mental force left by Pei Zhi.
However, he never received a response. It turned out that it was something that could be controlled subjectively. Without the other party's initiative and temptation, it was nothing.
Xu Youling refocused his attention on looking through Shen Jiayi's medical records on his lap. Even though he knew nothing about physiology and medicine, he could see the difficulties and crises involved.
The man lying on the hospital bed was declining day by day, from bones to skin, the vitality was constantly being drained from his body, taking away his decisiveness, nobleness, and a little bit of selfishness towards his lover.
Xu Youling closed the medical record with a wooden face. It was pointless to look at it again because those were areas he could not get involved in. He could only pin his hopes on Fang Suiming's agreement and his own subsequent luck.
"What do you think?" His voice was a little hoarse after a few days.
Fang Suiming stood up irritably and walked around the room: "Is there no other way?"
"Given the current situation, I still recommend conservative treatment for Commander Shen," the doctor added gravely. "The complexity of the human brain dictates that we absolutely cannot intervene rashly. With continued nutrition, there may be a chance of spontaneous recovery."
Fang Suiming closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "You are just leaving him to die."
The doctor shook his head: "We are prolonging his life."
Xu Youling looked up at Fang Suiming and said sincerely, "But Commander Shen is ignorant and unconscious in this extended period of his life. He cannot sense the existence of external objects, let alone the flow of emotions. Such a life is meaningless to him."
"Do you think I don't want him to wake up immediately?" Fang Suiming said coldly.
There was silence in the room for a moment, and Fang Linshui spoke in his usual gentle voice: "Okay, don't say such things."
Fang Suiming lowered his head and remained silent.
"Lieutenant Colonel Fang." Xu Youling called him softly, "Commander Shen may have a lot more to say to you."
"Of course I know." Fang Suiming didn't even raise his head.
Xu Youling continued calmly, "But if he's kept like this, like a vegetable, until he dies, you'll never hear it again."
Fang Suiming suddenly raised his head, his eyes gloomy: "What do you mean?"
"My point is that Pei Zhi is innocent and should be let go. Everything else is superfluous." Xu Youling's expression turned a bit colder. "If the only way to achieve this goal is for me to enter Commander Shen's spiritual realm, then I will do it. Even if I fail, I will try my best to convey your message. That's all."
"Take the message." Fang Suiming repeated, frowning, "He won't fail. He won't die."
Xu Youling shook his head: "Then do you want to gamble? Bet that he will suddenly wake up one day, bet that a miracle will happen to him?"
Yue Changji, who had been silent the whole time, raised his eyebrows sarcastically: "Stop talking nonsense. It's more likely that Commander Shen will die at your hands."
"Shut up." Fang Suiming said.
Yue Changji wanted to lash out, but Fang Linshui held his wrist, and he remained silent in anger. Xu Youling looked at Fang Suiming's empty eyes and pursed his lips.
As if he had gone through an extremely difficult psychological struggle, Fang Suiming lowered his head and looked at Xu Youling again after a long time: "You will convey every word he said to me."
"I swear." Xu Youling nodded.
-
Xu Youling was lying on the operating table, but there was no shadowless light above his head. Only a tangled, chaotic yet somewhat orderly network of nerve connections passed through the instruments above his head, connecting to his temples, the back of his head, and his forehead.
The doctor adjusted the patch and asked, "Are you feeling uncomfortable now?"
"Let's start quickly." Xu Youling whispered tiredly.
If he had known earlier that the illness he thought was caused by excessive fatigue was actually the sequelae of the guiding ability stimulated by frequent spiritual counseling for Pei Zhi, he probably would not have realized until now that he could save Shen Jiayi in this way.
He would not realize that he could deceive Pei Zhi and save Pei Zhi.
A subtle electric current passed through his body and mind, and his soul and consciousness turned into tiny fragments.
Xu Youling felt like he was walking on air, unable to land on solid ground. He floated around for a few times before finally landing firmly on the ground.
The vision gradually became clear.
In front of me is a huge waterfall. The sound of the water is roaring. The bottom has been impacted by the water, leaving obvious depressions and stalactite marks, splashing water.
Xu Youling was standing on the slippery rocks on the shore, feeling dizzy from the loud noise.
The orange cat popped out of the air and lay down firmly in Xu Youling's arms without any hesitation, with its paws on his shoulders, and meowed twice.
"Sorry, sorry." Xu Youling quickly touched its ears.
I have been very busy these days, so I could only let the orange cat entertain itself in the spiritual realm for a while. When I let it out, I found that the cat was wilted and its fur was tangled, looking so pitiful.
However, I no longer need my spiritual body to lead the way, so I don't think it will consume too much energy just for a short while.
What's more, when a person and a cat are together, they can always feel braver.
Xu Youling calmed himself down, steadied his cat's body, and walked forward.
Shen Jiayi's mental landscape was like him: calm beneath a turbulent surface. Xu Youling struggled over the stones as he crossed the narrowest part of the river flowing downstream from the waterfall, reaching the other side, where his spiritual power was more concentrated.
Not dying here is a victory.
The source of the waterfall is on a high cliff, and it seems that the place where the spiritual power is most concentrated is there. From a distance, you can see a small area of vigorous boreal trees.
The closer they got, the more palpable the uneasy energy became. It was like the chinchilla bear that had strayed from its owner when Xu Youling first mustered the courage to solicit customers downstairs in the community—anxious and confused.
"Meow." The orange cat cried out unhappily. It probably didn't like such a tense atmosphere, so it stretched out its claws and scratched Xu Youling's back.
Xu Youling could only comfort it while continuing to walk deeper into the woods. The rumbling sound of water and the light and shadows filtered through the lush branches and leaves, casting a real light on the ground, made him feel slightly relieved.
The mental picture of a sentinel or guide probably also reflects where their hearts belong. Shen Jiayi's mental picture seems to be full of crises, but in fact it is surprisingly safe and stable.
Only the occasional dead branches and leaves, a cloud suddenly passing overhead that was large enough to block out the sun, and the rustling noise coming from deep within the dense forest would remind Xu Youling that this was the spiritual realm of a guide who was deeply ill.
At the end of the waterfall, the concentration of spiritual power was even more pronounced. Xu Youling was a little tired, but didn't want to stop, so he simply ran a few more steps to get there.
A deer was lying under the dead branches.
"This is it." Xu Youling whispered to the orange cat.
Before entering Shen Jiayi's spiritual realm, he had confirmed Shen Jiayi's spiritual body with Fang Suiming, and the answer he got was a deer.
But the deer in front of him seemed to be different from the deer Fang Suiming mentioned. The deer Fang Suiming mentioned had beautiful horns, was proud and powerful, and was not at all intimidating.
So he reminded Xu Youling with a dark face to be careful.
But the deer in front of him was obviously a young deer. It was curled up under the dead branches. It had no horns on its head, only two small ears, and the stripes on its body seemed to have not yet shed.
What is even more troublesome is that the land within a few meters around it is covered with ice and snow, with no grass growing.
Even its body was covered with frozen ice, including its hooves, back and even eyelashes. It was shivering but unable to stand up and leave that area.
The part covered by ice and snow has slowly begun to affect the water flow at the source of the waterfall. Ice floes are floating on it, but it is not far from being completely solidified.
Xu Youling put the orange cat down and wanted it to hide aside. The cat followed him in small steps, as if it didn't intend to let its stupid owner face the deer alone.
"I'm not as weak as before." Xu Youling smiled helplessly.
He tentatively stepped into the icy land, and the coldness immediately rushed up through the tips of his shoes, making his limbs cold.
But he took another careful step, making sure he wouldn't slip. Beneath the ice was solid ground, so at least there was no risk of falling.
The deer sensed someone approaching and raised its head warily.
"Can you come over here?" Xu Youling asked it loudly, "Can you stand up?"
The fawn stretched its front legs from the ground and cried out in pain.
Xu Youling didn't understand why, so he could only move closer. The cold air seeped through the cracks in his down jacket, chilling his teeth with every step. Only when he got closer did he understand why the deer couldn't stand up. Its legs below the knees were frozen to the ground.
When the deer saw Xu Youling getting so close, it raised its neck in panic and cried out, its tender voice echoing in the dense forest.
"Don't scream, don't scream, I really am here to help you." Xu Youling tried his best to comfort her.
He moved closer and tentatively touched the deer's ear. The deer shook its head violently a few times, then stopped and looked at Xu Youling with its dark eyes.
Xu Youling then gently removed the icicles from its eyelashes to prevent them from falling so hard that it would have difficulty opening its eyes.
"I have to get you out of this place first." He looked down at the ice that had formed on the fawn's legs.
When you touch it with your hand, it is so cold that it even hurts your skin.
"Very hard." Xu Youling commented.
Then the next second, he clenched his fist and hit the thick ice with the protruding joints on the back of his hand.
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