The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 69

The words “I’ll go with you” were soft, barely above a whisper, yet they struck like an invisible thunderbolt, detonating in the dead silence.

In front of the Marshal’s mansion, the tension that could freeze steel seemed to hit a pause button.

In the sky, hundreds—no, thousands—of fierce warships hung like a frozen forest of metal.

On the ground, the royal guards trembling in unison forgot to breathe.

Everything else became a blurred backdrop.

The center of the world boiled down to three people and a silent storm.

Gu Qingfeng’s face, always smooth and flawless like jade, showed the first crack.

A subtle stiffness, almost imperceptible, spread from the corner of his mouth.

He had anticipated that Ning Ning might be afraid, might hesitate, might choose the “sunlit path” for safety. He even had his victorious lines ready.

But he never counted on this seemingly fragile, glass-like boy to speak with such calm finality.

And Xiao Lin—his tall, upright body had stiffened like iron.

He stood there, completely still, like a statue struck by lightning, staring at Ning Ning at the door.

Those dark golden eyes, moments ago burning with the madness to destroy everything, now overflowed with wild joy and a fragile humility that pierced to his bones—afraid this was just an illusion.

He didn’t dare to blink.

He feared it was merely the luxury of a dream conjured by a mind pushed to its limits, and that upon waking, it would all vanish.

Ning Ning didn’t move.

He stood at the doorway, under the weight of everyone’s gaze—especially Xiao Lin’s, which seemed ready to burn him through.

He could feel the man’s devastating aura, once capable of leveling everything, crumbling with a single sentence.

His heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm lemonade—tart and swollen, with an uncontrollable hint of sweetness.

He thought to himself that he was a fool.

All he had wanted was a normal life, to clock out early, to stay away from these madmen.

Yet now, seeing the man standing against the entire empire for him, all those thoughts of “missions,” “clocking out,” “going home”—suddenly seemed meaningless.

A corner of his heart collapsed.

Something uncontrollable, raw, and wild began to grow from the ruins.

So Ning Ning moved.

Barefoot, he took step after step toward the man who had drawn his sword for him, betrayed his country for him, and stood against the world for him.

The cold, hard floor tiles pressed painfully into his feet, yet he didn’t feel it.

He passed Gu Qingfeng.

The prince, always wearing a gentle, warm smile, now showed none of it. His deep, bottomless eyes were dark, filled with an unprecedented gloom and disbelief.

Ning Ning didn’t spare him even a glance.

His eyes, his heart—from start to finish—were fixed only on the man who stood there like an idiot, forgetting even to breathe.

He walked slowly, each step pressing on everyone’s heartbeat.

Finally, he reached Xiao Lin.

The air still carried the scent of metal scorched from clashing spiritual energies, mingled with the man’s cold, pure aura.

Ning Ning lifted his head and looked at him.

Xiao Lin’s jaw was clenched tight, lips pale from tension. His eyes had lost the madness and rage, replaced by the awkwardness of a child who didn’t know where to place his hands or feet.

He should have been the Marshal commanding a million troops, feared by the entire empire.

And yet… now, he looked foolish.

Ning Ning’s heart softened completely.

He reached out his hand.

It trembled slightly from weakness.

Under the stunned, speechless gazes of everyone, Ning Ning didn’t take Xiao Lin’s empty hand.

Carefully, as if handling a rare treasure, he hooked the corner of the man’s uniform with his fingertips.

The military fabric was stiff and crisp, carrying the metallic chill of a weapon.

He said nothing.

He simply pulled lightly, and lifted his head, looking at the man with clear, untouched purple eyes.

His gaze said one thing:

Don’t be afraid. I choose you.

A movement so light, almost without force, yet it was enough.

“Boom—”

An irresistible warmth, carrying the power to melt everything, shattered every defense Xiao Lin had built with coldness, madness, and obsession.

The murderous aura that had suffocated the empire, that had made everyone hold their breath, dissipated in the instant Ning Ning touched his uniform.

It was as if a gentle hand had erased it all.

The last vestiges of violence in the man’s eyes vanished, replaced by molten-gold tenderness, deep enough to drown in.

He turned his empty hand carefully, treasuring it, and enveloped Ning Ning’s small hand that clung to his uniform.

Ning Ning’s hand was cold, fragile in his palm.

Xiao Lin held it tightly, as if he wanted to fuse it into his own bones, never to let go.

He greedily felt that softness, that chill, sensing his long-empty heart finally filled.

Only then did he lift his head and turn.

His gaze swept across the stunned attendant who had collapsed, across the frozen guards, and finally rested on Gu Qingfeng.

His voice was soft, yet every word burned into everyone’s heart like a branding iron:

“You all saw it.”

Xiao Lin lowered his head slightly, glancing at the boy safely at his side, looking up at him. His tone was unprecedentedly calm, yet carried a declaration none could challenge:

“This is his choice.”

Gu Qingfeng’s face, always polite and elegant, finally lost all composure.

The meticulously crafted smile shattered, piece by piece, disappearing entirely.

He stared at Xiao Lin and Ning Ning’s clasped hands, stared at the boy standing firmly in Xiao Lin’s camp, giving his most fragile support to the wild beast.

His chessboard, his calculations, the web he had woven with imperial power and human hearts…

All of it was shattered by one simple, silent choice from a boy.

He lost.

Utterly.

At that moment, Ning Ning moved again.

He stepped forward slightly, coming fully alongside Xiao Lin.

Facing Gu Qingfeng’s dark gaze, which seemed ready to devour him, he also glanced at the armed guards.

Then, he lifted his head, looked at Xiao Lin, and lightly shook the uniform corner he was holding.

Imitating the man’s earlier declaration, he spoke slowly, forcing every ounce of strength from his body so that his voice echoed clearly through the dead silence:

“I’m not leaving.”

His clear purple eyes reflected the shock and wild joy on the man’s face.

“I’m staying right here.”

“With you.”

At those words, Xiao Lin tightened his grip on his hand.

Gu Qingfeng, utterly ignored, could only watch his shock and defeat slowly settle into a deeper, colder madness.

He had lost this game.

But in his hand remained a final ace, hidden from everyone’s knowledge.

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