The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 41

The atmosphere in the Seventh Star Domain was still taut.

The scent of gunpowder from the battle hadn’t yet been completely filtered out by the circulation system. It mixed with the icy tang of metal and disinfectant, drilling into people’s noses.

Inside the command room, a massive three-dimensional star map rotated slowly in the air.

The blue glow reflected off the faces of two men—one cold and hard as ice, the other gentle as jade. Yet the atmosphere was so tense it felt like ice shards could fall from it.

“Use Military Command’s Secret Route Seven.”
Xiao Lin’s voice was low and firm as his finger traced a straight red line across the map. Surrounding the line were three A-class fortress icons, guarding it heavily.
“My personal guard fleet will escort the whole way. It’s the safest.”

There was no room for negotiation in his tone. Each word landed like steel striking an anvil.

Gu Qingfeng stood opposite, in a pristine white ceremonial uniform that looked utterly out of place in this sharp, military setting.

After listening, he only shook his head slightly and sighed with faint regret.

“Marshal, is this your idea of ‘protecting’ Ning Ning? Escorting him like a high-risk criminal?”

He lifted a slender silver stylus and drew a winding dotted line on the star map, weaving cleverly around military zones, mingling with trade routes and the edges of asteroid belts.

“Your route is like lighting three giant lanterns in space, telling everyone: ‘The national treasure is right here, come rob him.’ The strongest fortress, once people know what it’s guarding, becomes the biggest target.”

Xiao Lin’s brows tightened instantly. A cold glint flashed in his golden wolf eyes.
“Civilian routes? Pirates, mercenaries, and Ross’s spies. I won’t gamble with him.”

“But Ning Ning is not your soldier, Marshal.”
Gu Qingfeng closed the stylus. His gaze met Xiao Lin’s in the air—warm in tone, but every word pricked like a needle.
“He just went through a mental power breakdown. What he needs is absolute quiet and comfort, not to sit in a moving armory, listening to engines roar, bracing for the next explosion. Your protection is too noisy—it’ll frighten him.”

“You—”

The air pressure around Xiao Lin plummeted. The S-class sentinel’s spiritual power warped the air; the metal cup on the table began to hum under the strain.

And then—

A muffled, kitten-like whimper came from the rest area, cutting through the nearly materialized clash.

“Mm…”

The two most powerful men in the Empire immediately pulled back all hostility, spinning around and rushing toward the resting room almost in unison.

Xiao Lin’s long legs carried him in first, blocking the doorway.

Gu Qingfeng followed a step behind—still graceful, but refusing to yield.

Ning Ning was awake.

He half-sat on the sofa, wrapped in Xiao Lin’s military blanket that carried the heavy scent of cedar pheromones. His face was pale, silver curls tousled, violet eyes hazy with sleep, shimmering like a startled fawn’s.

【Help… opening my eyes to double S-class low pressure systems. What kind of “blessing” is this? Even breathing feels hard with this much power in the air!】

“I… I’m thirsty.” His voice was small and hoarse.

Before the words finished, a cup of perfectly warmed water was already pressed to his lips.

It was Gu Qingfeng.

At some point, he had taken a thermostatic cup from storage. Kneeling gracefully by the sofa, his movements were as tender as if handling a priceless relic. His fingers supported the base of the cup, carrying a guide’s natural calming coolness.

Xiao Lin could only watch as Ning Ning’s lips touched the rim of Gu Qingfeng’s cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.

He didn’t snatch the cup away.

Instead, he bent down and gently pulled the blanket up over Ning Ning’s shoulders, tucking it all the way under his chin, wrapping him snugly.

As his fingers adjusted the blanket, they brushed across the back of Ning Ning’s pale neck.

That spot had been faintly tinged by Gu Qingfeng’s tea-like scent. Xiao Lin’s touch lingered a moment—then his own aura of blazing steel and sun completely smothered it.

【Never try guessing a bigshot’s thoughts… One offers water, the other tucks in the blanket like staking territory. What is this, “Frontline Good Deeds Showcase”? Compete! Compete till you drop!】

Ning Ning obediently drank a few sips, soothing his dry throat.

“Hungry?” Xiao Lin’s voice was low, as if speaking too loudly might break something fragile. He pulled out a tube of gray-green military nutrient paste and unscrewed the cap.
“Kitchen’s stocked—easy to digest.”

“Don’t eat that.”

Gu Qingfeng set down the cup, his tone soft yet firm, brows gently knitted with just the right touch of disapproval.

“Military rations taste awful, and the formula’s crude. For Ning Ning’s fragile mental sea right now, it’s a burden.” He looked at Ning Ning with tender helplessness.
“Marshal, how could you feed him this?”

Then, like performing magic, he produced a small white porcelain food jar.

When he opened the lid, a delicate, soothing fragrance spread instantly, washing away the lingering gunpowder smell—and making Xiao Lin’s drab nutrient paste look like some cheap industrial waste.

“I had this delivered all the way from Capital Star’s ‘Yuexin Teahouse.’ Lotus seed soup, simmered gently with calming flowers and moon-grass extract—it’s good for mental recovery.”

Xiao Lin glanced down at the steaming, beautiful dish, then at the tube of dull gray paste in his hand. His grip tightened unconsciously.

His knuckles went white from the pressure.

The oppressive aura around him thickened again, like a silent volcano about to erupt.

【Expert move! Absolute expert! That green-tea fragrance—fresh, subtle, irresistible! Poor Xiao Lin—straight KO. How do you compete? He brings a lovingly simmered tonic soup, and you bring… toothpaste in a tube. No contest!】

Caught between them, Ning Ning looked left, then right, his headache worsening.

Truthfully, he wanted neither. He only wanted to sleep a little longer, far from this smoke-free battlefield.

He was about to say he wasn’t hungry, ready to play the role of mediator—

But Gu Qingfeng had already scooped up a spoonful of clear, glistening lotus soup and held it tenderly to his lips. His voice was so soft it nearly melted:
“Here, Ning Ning, try a bite. I watched over it for three whole hours while it simmered—worried it might cool on the way.”

Invisible currents of spiritual power clashed fiercely before Ning Ning’s eyes.

Xiao Lin’s was like a silent volcano—suppressed, searing, brimming with possessive dominance.

Gu Qingfeng’s was like an invisible net—gentle, subtle, but inexorably invasive.

They collided and tangled, fighting over the same small, sacred territory.

Ning Ning’s heart jolted painfully, like pierced by countless needles—aching, swelling.

“Mm…”

His brows knit tightly. Hugging his head, he curled up in agony.

A sharp, ripping pain burst from the depths of his mental sea, as though something inside was being forced open, breaking free!

“Ning Ning!”

“What’s happening?!”

Both men’s faces changed drastically—their masks of composure and rivalry shattering into pure panic and fear.

Xiao Lin lunged forward, scooping the trembling Ning Ning into his arms, wrapping him in both body and power. His voice shook, though he didn’t notice:
“Don’t be afraid—I’m here!”

Gu Qingfeng pressed his fingers to Ning Ning’s temple, trying to channel calming energy into him. His voice lost its usual poise, urgent and raw:
“Ning Ning, relax—listen to me…”

But it was too late.

Their efforts were like trying to stop a flood with bare hands—useless.

Ning Ning shook violently, sweat beading instantly across his pale forehead. His beautiful violet eyes lost focus, full of pain and confusion. Broken moans slipped from his lips.

The command room’s lights flickered wildly. Medical monitors connected to his body shrieked with piercing alarms.

On the table, the water cup, the porcelain jar, even the rejected nutrient paste—all exploded into powder at once!

A vast, chaotic surge of spiritual power erupted from Ning Ning, sweeping outward unstoppably!

This time it was far stronger than when he had soothed the insect swarm—more violent, more primal, carrying a sacred might that even S-class sentinels found terrifying.

It wasn’t soothing—it was declaring. Rejecting.

Rejecting all who tried to approach, to fight over, to claim him!

“His spiritual sea is rioting!”
Gu Qingfeng’s face went deathly pale, his voice trembling with true horror.
“No… this power… the seal inside him… it’s loosening!”

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