The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 23

Early the next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, gilding Ning Ning’s silver curls with a soft golden halo.

He sat at the dining table, still a little drowsy, hugging his equally fluffy cloud beast while sipping warm milk in small gulps.

Across the table, Xiao Lin sat in silence.

The Imperial Marshal, feared across the battlefield and said to silence crying children with his mere presence, was at this moment focused on cutting a perfectly seared piece of beast meat into neat, identical cubes with knife and fork.

His movements were fluid, practiced—as if he had done it countless times before.

When he finished, he pushed the plate toward Ning Ning, his eyes never once leaving the boy’s face.

Ning Ning had drunk too quickly, leaving a trace of white milk at the corner of his lips. His already pink mouth looked even more tempting.

Xiao Lin’s throat bobbed ever so slightly.

He reached out.

The calloused pads of his soldier’s fingers brushed away the mark before Ning Ning could react—restrained, natural, and fleeting.

The brief touch carried a faint electric spark that made Ning Ning’s lashes tremble. He instinctively lifted his gaze to meet Xiao Lin’s.

“Too hot.”

Xiao Lin’s voice was low and steady, devoid of emotion. He replaced the hot milk at Ning Ning’s side with a glass of juice at just the right temperature, his tone brooking no refusal.

Ning Ning obediently let out a soft “oh.”

He was already used to this almost obsessive care, and rather than feeling suffocated, it made him feel safe.

Just then, a familiar chime sounded in his mind—System 89’s cheerful voice.

【Ding! Host, a new mission has been issued!】

【Mission: Infiltrate the Imperial Forbidden Archives and find a secret file concerning the Ning family’s ancestors.】

Ning Ning froze, fork halfway to his mouth.

The Imperial Forbidden Archives?

Even the name sounded ominous.

He hesitated, instinctively resistant to such a clearly dangerous task.

【Don’t be afraid, Host,】 System 89 coaxed in its soft voice. 【I’ll let you in on a secret. This file may hold the reason why you possess the “Song of God.” It’s the truth about your origins!】

The truth about his origins…

Those words fell like a pebble into the calm lake of Ning Ning’s heart, sending ripples through his purple eyes.

He set down his fork and looked up at the man across from him, the one cutting his food with such care. He made up his mind.

“Xiao Lin.”

“Hm?” Xiao Lin’s gaze remained locked on him, though his hands continued their task.

“I want to go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“The Imperial Forbidden Archives.”

The words had barely left his mouth when—

Clang—

A sharp screech of metal on porcelain rang out.

The dining knife in Xiao Lin’s hand had gouged a deep line across the plate.

He froze, the warm morning atmosphere instantly vanishing, the air plummeting to ice.

“No.”

Just two words—cold, hard, and final. No room for negotiation.

Xiao Lin’s eyes bore into him, dark-gold depths filled with unmasked refusal—and a trace of fear he himself didn’t realize had slipped through.

“Why?” Ning Ning blinked, puzzled.

“It’s forbidden.” Xiao Lin’s voice was flat, as if stating a fact, yet his knuckles had gone white from gripping the knife too tightly.

Ning Ning only felt that he was making excuses.

He rose from his chair, his small slippers pattering softly against the polished floor.

Circling the long table, he came up behind Xiao Lin.

Then, under the man’s stunned gaze, Ning Ning wrapped his arms around him from behind.

The boy’s body was soft and slight, pressed tightly to the man’s broad back through the crisp fabric of his uniform.

He buried his face into the crook of Xiao Lin’s neck, silver hair brushing against sensitive skin, his breath warm and faintly sweet with milk.

Xiao Lin’s body turned to steel.

His mind screamed: Refuse! You must refuse!

The Archives weren’t just lined with top-tier physical defenses, but traps designed to tear apart spirit forms, filled with corrupted data that could shred even an S-class guide’s mind to pieces. How could he let Ning Ning go there?

But then…

That warmth against his back, that faint milky scent, and the boy’s soft, pleading voice—like a honey-dipped hammer tapping again and again against his strongest walls.

“Take me with you…”

Ning Ning’s tone was gentle, nasal, almost coquettish.

“I really want to know this secret. It’s important to me.”

He lifted his face over Xiao Lin’s shoulder, purple eyes shimmering with misty light. It made Xiao Lin’s chest tighten.

He could smell Ning Ning’s sweetness, feel his breath, see the unguarded reliance in those eyes.

The veins on his hand bulged as he fought the desperate urge to pull the boy into his arms and kiss him senseless.

At that moment, a massive dark-gold shadow silently took form beside the table.

Xiao Lin’s spirit beast, the colossal wolf, appeared.

Its piercing gaze shifted from its master’s taut, murderous profile to the small, fragile figure clinging to him.

Then, with almost reverent care, it lowered its head and nudged Ning Ning’s arm, rumbling out a low, coaxing whine—

As if to say: If my master won’t agree, then I will.

Xiao Lin: “…”

The cloud beast in Ning Ning’s arms also leapt down and climbed up Xiao Lin’s shoulder, rubbing its fluffy head against his face with insistent chirps—pleading on Ning Ning’s behalf.

Even his spirit forms had betrayed him.

Xiao Lin closed his eyes, throat working.

When he spoke again, the hard edge of his voice had softened, tinged with a husky helplessness even he hadn’t noticed.

“…We’ll discuss it after breakfast.”

It was as good as surrender.

The marshal’s vaunted wall of “principles” was crumbling, inch by inch.

Just as he was about to break entirely, a cool voice cut through the air from the doorway like a bucket of ice water.

“Marshal, storming the Archives isn’t the only way in.”

Gu Qingfeng stood there without anyone noticing when he’d arrived.

Dressed in a finely tailored instructor’s uniform, black hair and dark eyes, elegant and poised. His face wore its usual gentle smile.

But the moment his gaze fell on Ning Ning clinging koala-like to Xiao Lin, a shadow flickered across his eyes before he masked it again.

“The Forbidden Archives are heavily guarded, but they’re still an Imperial institution.”

Gu Qingfeng stepped forward, each pace straining Xiao Lin’s nerves tighter.

His eyes lingered on Ning Ning with a soothing smile, his voice warm enough to melt glass.

“Ning Ning, if you want to go, I can use royal authority to apply for a temporary top-level clearance for you. It will be troublesome, but safe. You wouldn’t have to take any risks.”

Every word was reasonable, logical—yet each implied Xiao Lin’s way was reckless and dangerous.

Xiao Lin’s arms tightened around Ning Ning, fury sparking.

The thought of his territory being invaded ignited a savage rage.

His cold glare cut into Gu Qingfeng like a blade, his voice a suppressed growl: “No need for your concern.”

Gu Qingfeng didn’t back down. A faint, mocking curve touched his lips.

Looking at Xiao Lin, he spoke to Ning Ning: “Anything that concerns you, Ning Ning, could never be called ‘concern’—only duty.”

The air froze.

Two of the Empire’s most formidable men—one domineering as a mountain, the other elegant with hidden daggers—
now stood opposed, like rival lions vying for their mate.

Ning Ning, caught between them, felt Xiao Lin’s body tighten to stone beneath his arms and blinked in confusion.

He only wanted to complete a mission. Why had the atmosphere turned so strange?

In the end, it was Xiao Lin who broke first.

He couldn’t stand it.

Couldn’t stand Ning Ning looking at another man with those trusting eyes.

Couldn’t stand Ning Ning owing Gu Qingfeng a favor.

The thought hurt more than death.

Lowering his head, he met those clear, innocent purple eyes—and the last barrier in his heart collapsed.

Principles, danger—damn them all.

He lifted a large hand and ruffled Ning Ning’s soft curls, the gesture filled with reassurance and possessive dominance.

“Don’t listen to him.”

Xiao Lin’s voice was low, rough, and laced with a tenderness he didn’t even realize had slipped out.

“I’ll take you.”

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