The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 98

After that late-night secret meeting, the Marshal’s residence fell into an eerie quiet.

In the living room, the relationship among the three of them felt like a tightly stretched rubber band—appearing motionless, yet no one dared to relax even slightly.

Ning Ning curled up in the corner of the sofa, hugging a soft pillow, pretending to be fully engrossed in scrolling through the StarNet feed.

But the corner of his eye couldn’t escape the two gazes that seemed like they could burn holes into him.

On his left was Xiao Lin, the Empire’s Marshal. He sat there doing nothing, yet those black eyes—eyes that could terrify enemies to death—stared unblinking at him. The gaze was both scorching and weighty, as if Ning Ning were a priceless treasure that could shatter at a single touch; Xiao Lin needed to look several times just to feel at ease.

Across from him was Gu Qingfeng, the Second Prince. He held a cup of hot tea, sitting with an elegance as if in his own private garden. A warm smile played on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Those deep, bottomless eyes harbored the same unmasked possessiveness as Xiao Lin’s.

The air had lost the tension of imminent combat, replaced instead by a subtler, more spine-chilling current.

Ning Ning felt like a piece of bread being grilled from both sides, frozen stiff.

He could only lower his head further, fingers flying over the screen in a desperate attempt to block out those gazes.

But in the next second, a headline automatically pushed to the top of StarNet, bold and highlighted in red, made his hands freeze completely.

[Epic Miracle! The Empire’s “Sovereign, General, God” Trinity Creates an Unbeatable Legend in the Seventh Star Sector!]

Ning Ning: “?”

His brain short-circuited, and he instinctively clicked it.

A video “exploded” across the entire screen, with music that was both stirring and sacred, like something out of an epic film.

It opened with an overwhelming swarm of bugs—apocalyptic scenes so suffocating that just watching made your chest tighten.

Then the scene shifted.

Amid ruins and flames, a silver-haired youth in simple white robes tilted his head and sang. Moonlight bathed him softly, and his violet eyes radiated unending compassion and mercy.

The camera gave a breathtaking close-up of him. Behind him, a massive, translucent moon shadow flickered faintly, making him look both divine and fragile, as if a deity had descended to save humanity.

Ning Ning stared at this eight-hundred-times-beautified version of himself on screen, his cheeks involuntarily burning.

He remembered very clearly: at that time, he had been so scared his legs went weak, trembling as he sang, just wanting to finish quickly and hide in a hole… So how was it edited to look like the Madonna herself had descended? Was the editor some kind of god?

The video continued.

The scene shifted to the moment he was surrounded by the bug horde.

“Roar—!”

A dark-golden giant wolf fell from the sky, tearing a path of blood to save him. Xiao Lin, clad in blood-stained military armor, stood like an immovable mountain, shielding him firmly behind.

Then, several fluffy white fox tails appeared out of nowhere, elegantly clearing the danger around him. Robes fluttering, Gu Qingfeng used invisible mental barriers to gently shield him from all chaos.

The final frame captured a picture-perfect scene.

The silver-haired youth stood in the center, the Empire’s strongest war god Marshal and the wisest Prince on either side, like the most loyal knights guarding their one true deity.

Sovereign. General. God.

These three words, combined with the sacred music, burned into the hearts of everyone watching.

Ning Ning let out a startled “Ah!” and the pillow in his hands fell to the floor.

What—what was this!? This was insanely well done!

He scrambled to pick up the pillow, hurriedly scrolling down to check the comment section.

The comments were ten thousand times crazier than the video itself.

• “Ahhhhh! I can’t handle this! Is this real footage? I’m dying right here! What kind of myth just came to life?!”
• “I’m already petitioning the Second Prince! He must ascend the throne immediately! And Ning Ning should be crowned empress! I ship this so hard, anyone against it can fight me! Isn’t this way stronger than that useless Crown Prince?!”
• “‘God’s Companion’! This term is perfect! Only someone like Ning Ning deserves to stand beside our future sovereign and unbeatable war god. Lock it in! I’m swallowing the key!”
• “Sniff… As a die-hard fan of the Marshal, from today onwards I’m Ning Ning’s solo fan! Bless the Moon God, petition for the Second Prince, and lay my knees before the Marshal! Long live the Empire!”
• “+1! Already lit up the blessing icon on the homepage! May the Moon God protect the Empire, may Ning Ning be safe!”

“God’s Companion…”

Ning Ning stared at the four golden-hot characters pinned at the top, his mind buzzing.

He had only wanted to complete his mission quietly and go home alive. How did he accidentally become the focus of the entire Empire’s petition to crown him Empress?

This job was way too difficult.

He laughed and cried at the same time, as the tiny panicking voice inside him gave up completely, beginning a full-on mental rant.

Scrolling further, he saw a self-established prayer page lit up by countless IDs, forming a brilliant star river; words like “May the Moon God protect,” “May Ning Ning be safe and happy” scrolled endlessly.

The absurdity he had felt began to be replaced by a heavy, scorching feeling inside.

So… this was what “the people’s hearts” felt like.

To be truly loved, awaited, and protected by so many—this was the sensation.

Deep within his heart, it felt like something warm and soft was filling it gently. It was a sour, swelling heat that even made his eyes sting.

Lost in thought, a strong, veined hand covered his own.

Ning Ning looked up and met Xiao Lin’s terrifyingly focused eyes.

The man’s gaze no longer held cold vigilance; instead, it overflowed with intense pride and exhibitionism.

The eyes screamed: Look, this is my treasure, the whole world sees how wonderful he is.

Across from them, Gu Qingfeng also set down his tea. He watched the youth beloved by all, his usual warm smile on his face, but his deep eyes shone with the same pride and determination as Xiao Lin’s.

He spoke softly, laughter barely restrained in his voice:
“Seems the people’s eyes are even sharper than we imagined.”

He had orchestrated all this, yet didn’t anticipate the results would be this overwhelming.

Where the hearts of the people leaned, the tide followed.

With this “great righteousness” in hand, all obstacles on the path to the highest position would crumble easily.

And all of this, was because of the youth before them.

This treasure, simultaneously desired by the two most powerful men in the Empire, was unique and irreplaceable.

Xiao Lin and Gu Qingfeng, two men atop the Empire’s power hierarchy, were thinking the same thing at that moment:

Wonderful.

This was the version of him that belonged to them.

…

Meanwhile, in the Crown Prince’s palace:

“Bang—! Crash—!”

Precious antique vases and priceless artworks were smashed to pieces.

The entire palace looked like it had been swept by a storm.

The Crown Prince’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the perfect, adored face on the screen. His chest heaved violently, jealousy and malice almost burning him to ashes.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!” His aide Zhou Yulin rushed in, pale as paper, voice trembling, “It’s over… all over! Our support rate… has dropped below single digits! The entire Empire is petitioning for the Emperor to depose you and appoint the Second Prince as the new heir!”

“Get out!” The Crown Prince kicked over the nearby table, sending everything crashing to the floor.

He had lost.

In the battle for the people’s hearts, he had been utterly defeated, left with nothing.

Gu Qingfeng, Xiao Lin… and that damn Ning Ning! That wretched thing he should have crushed beneath his feet!

They turned him into a complete joke, the laughingstock of the Empire!

The Crown Prince panted violently, and the madness in his eyes began to override the fear rooted in his bones.

He slowly straightened up amidst the wreckage, a twisted, grimacing smile on his face.

Conventional methods no longer worked.

Since…

Since they liked that “God” so much…

Then he would personally—

Tear their god from the altar, drag them into hell, and shatter them to pieces.

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