The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 25

When Gu Qingfeng rushed over, this was the scene he saw.

Xiao Lin—the Empire’s Marshal, always steady and immovable like a mountain—was striding out from the restricted archives’ private passage, carrying the unconscious Ning Ning in his arms.

The sharp, perfectly pressed military coat was nowhere to be seen. His black combat shirt was ripped in several places, stained with the dust of the ancient archives. None of that could conceal the nearly out-of-control S-class sentinel pheromones spilling from him—an aura mixed with bone-deep fear and destructive rage that thickened the very air around him, making it dangerous to breathe.

“Where did you take him?!”

For the first time, cracks appeared in Gu Qingfeng’s usual mask of gentle elegance. He strode forward quickly, trying to take Ning Ning from Xiao Lin’s arms, his voice trembling with suppressed fury.

Xiao Lin’s steps halted. With just a slight turn of his body, he shielded Ning Ning completely against the wall. Such a simple movement, yet it carried an absolute, unquestionable sense of possession.

He tightened his embrace around the fragile body, dark golden eyes like frozen steel fixed on Gu Qingfeng. His voice rasped like sandpaper scraping a throat.

“Get out of my way.”

“Get out of your way?” Gu Qingfeng laughed bitterly, eyes once always filled with warmth now storming with fury. “Xiao Lin, you know how special he is, and yet you took him to that place! If something had happened to him, could you shoulder the blame?!”

“My person—I take responsibility.” Xiao Lin’s voice was low and terrifying, every word squeezed through his teeth, dripping with blood and iron.

Thus, the two most powerful men of the Empire stood in silent opposition outside a small medical bay. Their tremendous spiritual power collided soundlessly in the air, sending out sizzling bursts of static, twisting even the light.

Only when the medical droid shrieked in alarm—reminding them that a patient required immediate treatment—did they reluctantly retract their world-rending auras.

Xiao Lin carefully laid Ning Ning onto the soft medical bed. His small, pale face was flushed with an unnatural heat, silver curls damp with sweat and scattered messily over the pillow, fragile as porcelain about to shatter.

The towering marshal hunched his back, his calloused, battlefield-hardened hands trembling slightly as they clasped Ning Ning’s thin wrist—gripping it like it was his only anchor in this world.

Gu Qingfeng stood at a distance, slender fingers clenched at his side until his knuckles turned white, staring at the scene before him.

After what felt like an eternity, the boy on the bed fluttered his lashes.

Ning Ning awoke.

Purple eyes hazy with sleep blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, then slowly shifted until they locked onto the handsome face beside him—bloodshot, worn, yet unbearably tense.

He had never seen Xiao Lin like this, hollowed out as if all his strength had been drained, leaving only a shell filled with raw panic.

“Xiao Lin…” His voice came out soft and hoarse, an instinctive murmur.

That one call was like a key, instantly unlocking the man’s frozen soul.

“I’m here.”

Xiao Lin’s voice broke, hoarse beyond recognition. He clasped Ning Ning’s cool fingers inside his own burning palm, nearly crushing them in his desperation—yet reined himself in at the last moment. The heat of his touch poured reassurance into Ning Ning’s body like a steady current.

Ning Ning felt something stirring in his spiritual sea—hollow one moment, then pressing against the surface as though ready to burst forth. Unconsciously, he summoned his spirit.

A soft glow gathered at the bedside. As it dispersed, everyone froze.

It was no longer the harmless little white bunny that only sat still with tiny paws tucked in, looking cute.

Before them stood a being still cloaked in pure white fur, but its coat shimmered with nacreous luster, as though crushed moonlight had been woven into every strand. Larger now, more graceful, its violet eyes swirled like galaxies, carrying an ancient, godlike detachment.

And behind it—

A crescent moon made of pure white light hovered silently, radiating a gentle yet inviolable glow. Star-like motes drifted down from its rim, orbiting the rabbit in quiet reverence.

The entire room was enveloped in a sacred, serene atmosphere.

This was no longer a pet—it was a deity descended into the mortal world.

The newly evolved Moon Rabbit tilted its head, gazed briefly at its bewildered master, then leapt gracefully from the bed, landing noiselessly by Xiao Lin’s boots.

It lifted its gaze to the tall man.

Xiao Lin’s body remained taut, his spiritual sea surging violently with fear and guilt. But under the rabbit’s gaze, those destructive tides melted away like snow in spring sunlight.

The Moon Rabbit nuzzled its pearl-shimmering head against his trouser leg, soft and trusting.

That small gesture loosened the death-grip fear had held around his heart.

Tentatively, stiff fingers trembling, Xiao Lin reached out.

The rabbit did not flinch. Instead, it lowered its head, allowing his rough, calloused palm to stroke its fur.

The instant he touched it, the crescent behind it flared brilliantly, casting them both in holy, intimate light.

The sight stabbed Gu Qingfeng’s eyes like a needle.

He quickly masked his expression with his usual mild smile, stepped forward, and spoke in a near whisper, as if afraid to disturb the sacred creature. “Ning Ning, your spirit… it’s awakened a formidable power.”

Bending gracefully, he extended a hand toward the shimmering fur, wanting to feel the divinity for himself.

But the rabbit’s ears twitched warily. In a blink, it hopped back, flawlessly avoiding him.

The crescent dimmed. Those galaxy-like eyes regarded him with unmistakable cold rejection.

Gu Qingfeng’s hand froze midair. His smile remained, but deep in his eyes flickered irrepressible loss and bitterness. Unwilling, he tried again—summoning his nine-tailed fox spirit to exude friendliness.

The rabbit merely flicked it a detached glance, then turned away. It bounded back onto Ning Ning’s bed, curling tightly against its master, wordlessly declaring its allegiance.

At that moment, the door rattled with knocks. Lin Yuan poked his head inside. “Ning Ning! We heard you fainted—are you okay? We came to see you!”

Several familiar classmates followed—students Ning Ning had once saved during training exercises.

The moment they entered, their eyes were immediately caught by Ning Ning’s breathtaking beauty and the divine Moon Rabbit at his side.

“W-wow… Ning Ning, are you alright?” A red-haired boy flushed scarlet, stumbling over his words.

“Goodness, is that your spirit? It’s gorgeous!” A short-haired girl gaped in awe. She dared the most, stepping closer for a better look.

But after only two steps, the Moon Rabbit raised its head.

A streak of chilling moonlight flashed across its crescent.

A wave of sacred pressure burst outward.

The B- and A-class students gasped as though invisible hands clutched their throats. Their faces went pale, breath seized, and they staggered back in terror.

“I-it…” The girl could barely speak, trembling in place.

Just then, the little fluffball of a Cloud Beast tumbled from under the blanket with a chirp. It rolled over to the Moon Rabbit’s feet, rubbing its furry body against the rabbit’s paw in a fawning plea.

The Moon Rabbit dipped its head. At once, the crescent’s glow softened, enfolding the Cloud Beast in gentle light until it wriggled happily, purring in content.

The favoritism could not have been clearer.

Watching, Ning Ning grew worried. Tugging lightly at Xiao Lin’s sleeve, he whispered, “Why… why did it become like this? So strange…”

Xiao Lin withdrew his hand, sat on the bed’s edge, and used his towering frame to shield Ning Ning from the prying gazes, enclosing him in a private world.

His fingers brushed Ning Ning’s furrowed brow, smoothing the crease with infinite tenderness. His voice was steady, a decree that brooked no doubt.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“No matter what it becomes. No matter what you become.”

His touch was restrained to the extreme, yet the dark gold of his eyes surged with an overwhelming possessiveness, as though he wished to swallow Ning Ning whole and imprison him within his very bones.

“I’ll always be here.”

From the side, Gu Qingfeng watched as Xiao Lin so naturally offered this intimacy, watched the Moon Rabbit show gentleness only to him, watched Ning Ning lean on him in utter dependence.

The fingers at his side curled slowly, joints paling from strain.

He had lost.

At least, in this moment—he had lost completely.

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