FT DR Chapter 32: Best Friends Forever

Chapter 32: Best Friends Forever

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Taking advantage of Jin Xuan’s momentarily loosened pressure, Wu Chenghe exerted all his strength to flip him off and scrambled to his feet, bolting away. The Barbary lion, connected with Jin Xuan’s thoughts, immediately rushed forward to block his path, its shoulders hunched high, emitting a threatening growl.

“Get out of the way!” Wu Chenghe shouted sternly, disregarding its gleaming sharp teeth, a fierce suggestion hitting it directly. The Barbary lion instantly flinched, trotting away with its tail tucked between its legs.

Wu Chenghe ran forward desperately for a couple of steps when a sharp pain erupted in his chest—those oxygen-producing mushrooms were only about a meter tall, and though he hadn’t felt it while lying down, standing up made him feel breathless.

But he hadn’t paid attention to the relationship between altitude and oxygen levels. He had been scared out of his wits by Jin Xuan’s licking, preferring suffocation over staying within his attack range. However, intense physical activity consumed a lot of oxygen, and he soon found himself suffocating and panicking, stars even swirling before his eyes.

No, he had to go back and get his helmet… Wu Chenghe felt like he would suffocate if he continued like this. So, he reluctantly turned back, approaching Jin Xuan with a pounding heart while keeping an eye on his frozen body, praying that his recent attack had immobilized him long enough, hoping he wouldn’t wake up so soon.

Just as he reached a distance of two meters from Jin Xuan, Wu Chenghe was already gasping for air. He stretched out his arm, trying to pull the helmet closer by hooking his fingers onto the strap. The helmet scraped against the ground, making a distinct sound in the quiet night. 

Jin Xuan was instantly alarmed, his towering figure trembling violently, and he suddenly let out a loud shout, “Aaah!”

The cry was extremely tragic, as if even his chest had been shattered. Even in the thin atmosphere, it sounded very distant. Wu Chenghe’s heart trembled, his legs almost giving way, hastily putting on the helmet and turning to run.

After Jin Xuan shouted, he tried to get up and chase after him, but due to the previous mental assault, his movements were uncoordinated. He stumbled and fell to the ground with a muffled sound.

As Wu Chenghe ran a distance, he heard Jin Xuan’s painful gasps behind him, occasionally accompanied by the sorrowful wails of the Barbary lion. Unable to resist, he looked back, only to see Jin Xuan lying on the ground, curled up, limbs twitching as if enduring intense pain. His lion was the same, lying by his feet, whimpering and rubbing its head against his legs, seeking its owner’s comfort, but receiving no response.

Their eyes were filled with a haze, slightly tinged with purple. Wu Chenghe knew it was a sign of worsening mania syndrome. His recent mental attack had intensified Jin Xuan’s madness. He was currently using his subconscious rationality to suppress the mania. But such suppression was bound to be ineffective. Without the help of a guide, he would completely lose his mind in a few minutes, attacking any possible living thing around him, and in severe cases, even strangling his own quantum beast, thereby ending himself.

“I can’t let this happen…” Wu Chenghe’s footsteps came to a halt as he muttered to himself, “Without a stabilizer, he will die.”

The innate healing desire of a guide gradually rose within him as he watched Jin Xuan’s twitching body. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Jin Xuan self-destruct. Jin Xuan loved him, willing to sacrifice his life to save him. Falling onto the asteroid was because of him, and the severity of the mania was also due to his attack. If he had come a little later, Jin Xuan might have been able to hold on by himself, but now… it was impossible.

“I can’t watch him die; I have to save him,” Wu Chenghe told himself, approaching Jin Xuan, struggling to control his trembling legs as he knelt beside him and took off his helmet.

The half-mad Jin Xuan lifted his head, his blood-red eyes immediately capturing him. Like steel hoops, his large hands grabbed his upper arms and forcefully pushed him down.

Wu Chenghe could feel Jin Xuan’s struggles. In the pitch-black night, he vaguely saw the red mist in Jin Xuan’s eyes fluctuating, a battle between reason and instinct. At such times, Jin Xuan still remembered his oath, remembered promising not to touch him until he caught up with him.

That was enough. He wasn’t willing anyway; everything was fate… Wu Chenghe freed one hand, tore open his collar, exposed his neck, and presented his throat before him.

“Mark me,” he grasped the back of Jin Xuan’s head, pressing it against his neck, “Only this way can I save you.”

Guides could attack the consciousness cloud of sentinels with mental tendrils, manipulate them, and even kill them. But if they wanted to penetrate deep into their consciousness, smoothing out their mania syndrome, they had to establish a marking relationship with them.

There were several parts of a guide’s body that could be marked, the tip of the nose, the throat, the chest… Sentinels could leave their saliva, sweat on these parts by touching them, infiltrating the guide’s body, to establish a temporary mark. The duration of the temporary mark varied depending on the location and depth of penetration.

To establish a lifelong mark, however, the sentinel had to mate with the guide under the condition of triggering bonding heat. The mark established in this way would be unbreakable, lasting a lifetime. Once a sentinel marked a guide for life, their lives would be bound together. If the guide died, the sentinel would also die. Conversely, it was the same for the guide.

This is also why sentinels would sacrifice their lives to protect guides, even confining them to their side—it’s partly out of love, and partly for each other’s safety.

Eight days ago, at the Grasshopper Space Station, Jin Xuan couldn’t resist kissing Wu Chenghe’s nose, and a small amount of saliva entered his pores, effectively establishing a weak temporary mark. This is why Wu Chenghe later felt inexplicably fond of him, and also why Wu Chenghe would dream of the location where he got into trouble after Jin Xuan encountered danger.

However, this mark was too weak and would naturally expire within a few days. At this moment, if Wu Chenghe wanted to use his consciousness to soothe Jin Xuan’s mania, he had to allow Jin Xuan to establish a deeper mark on him.

“Come.” He stroked Jin Xuan’s hair and whispered softly in his ear, “Mark me.”

An underage guide wouldn’t emit pheromones except during estrus, but that wonderful scent had already been imprinted in Jin Xuan’s brain. Whenever he saw Wu Chenghe, touched him, or smelled his scent, that aroma would reflexively appear in his mind. At this moment, when Wu Chenghe presented his snowy white neck before him, Jin Xuan seemed to smell the pheromones that had made his blood boil on a rainy night, immediately biting him.

It was a flawless throat, untouched by anyone before, emitting a captivating warmth, with delicate and smooth skin. Jin Xuan greedily kissed his Adam’s apple, rubbing with his lips and licking with his tongue, letting his saliva seep into his pores. Wu Chenghe’s body trembled nervously, occasionally swallowing saliva due to nervousness. His Adam’s apple moved slightly as if trying to escape a mouse.

Jin Xuan bit into his Adam’s apple, teasing and playing with it with his teeth. Too excited to control himself, he accidentally broke his skin. Tiny droplets of blood seeped from the wound, sucked into his mouth, bringing a sweet, tangy taste that made him even more excited, wishing to devour him whole, to possess him forever, not letting anyone else see.

Wu Chenghe felt a surge of heat spreading from his neck, striking his heart directly, causing his whole body to tingle and his lower abdomen to convulse. He unexpectedly felt a sensation akin to self-indulgence, both shameful and pleasurable. He guessed the mark had been established and didn’t want to delve any deeper, so he grabbed Jin Xuan’s hair and pushed him away, gasping for air while wiping away the residual blood and saliva on his neck with the back of his hand.

The thin air was filled with the smell of blood, ambiguous and dangerous. Wu Chenghe wasn’t sure if the mark would take effect in such a short time, but he was out of time. Before Jin Xuan could regain his senses, he gently approached Jin Xuan’s consciousness cloud with his mental tendrils and prodded inside.

Unlike the last time, Jin Xuan was unusually calm this time, without any signs of pain, just staring at him affectionately. His tall figure loomed over him, his slender fingers caressing his forehead, his eyes, lingering on his lips, gently rubbing.

When Jin Xuan kissed him again, an extremely soft emotion suddenly spread in his heart. Wu Chenghe wanted to turn away, but it was just a thought; he couldn’t control his body at all, only passively enduring his kiss, opening his mouth to let his tongue in, licking his own teeth, palate, and most sensitive tongue.

Saliva involuntarily spilled from the corners of his mouth as Wu Chenghe’s jaw went numb, completely unaware. He closed his eyes, enduring Jin Xuan’s fierce wet kiss, unable to refuse, unable to resist. He knew it was the temporary mark taking effect, him indulging in the mark of his sentinel, submitting to him.

The sensation wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, but it wasn’t particularly pleasant either, especially for a man. Wu Chenghe found himself immersed in the pleasure of being taken, while warning himself that it was just treatment, just a duty a healer should fulfill, just repayment.

He forced himself to calm down, invading Jin Xuan’s consciousness cloud, merging with him, feeling his hot brain, his emotions, his inner shadows, his hidden little secrets.

In the state of the mark, the sentinel was completely exposed before the guide, unable to hide even the most intimate memories. Jin Xuan’s entire brain became transparent, and Wu Chenghe’s tendrils roamed in his consciousness cloud, precisely extinguishing those restless sparks, while also glimpsing into his thoughts: his admiration for his brother, his respect for his teacher, his love for himself, his dislike for Hannibal… and his inexplicable beliefs in democracy, cosmic peace, federal unity…

Wu Chenghe eventually came to admire him, never imagining his noble character. Those strange performances before unexpectedly contained such profound thoughts. Of course, those thoughts about mushroom farming, hunting, and establishing a political regime by giving birth need not be mentioned.

In the end, Wu Chenghe could only sigh helplessly: “God, what on earth is going on in this guy’s head?!”

Jin Xuan’s mania was easing, but he didn’t fully regain consciousness; instead, he plunged from mania into a frenzy of desire. He kissed for a while, finally reluctantly releasing Wu Chenghe’s lips, then decided to proceed to the next step of aggression. He began to strip Wu Chenghe’s clothes, unbuttoning his shirt, caressing his slender chest, fondling his nipples, and attempting to take them into his mouth once they stood erect.

“That’s enough!” Despite being young, Wu Chenghe was quite healthy. Being touched and kissed like this made him a bit aroused. He retracted his mental tendrils and tried to push away Jin Xuan’s dirty hands. “Go to sleep, you’re better now!”

The red mist in Jin Xuan’s eyes gradually faded, leaving only a thin layer. His sanity was returning, but not completely awake. Interrupted by Wu Chenghe, he raised his head in confusion, hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to kiss him again.

With a “slap!” Wu Chenghe couldn’t help but slap him, pushing him off and straightening his clothes, panting, “Go to sleep!” while sending a mental suggestion.

Jin Xuan was a bit dazed, torn between “lifetime mark” and “listen to the wife,” and chose the latter.

“Awoo!” The Barbary lion cub let out a frustrated howl.

The mania disappeared completely, and the exhausted Jin Xuan lay quietly under a large mushroom, drifting off to sleep. Wu Chenghe washed his face by the river, scrubbing his neck with clear water, but still felt Jin Xuan’s saliva residue.

The marked area felt warm and slightly numb to the touch. Wu Chenghe felt a small bump in the middle of his clavicle, itching like a mosquito bite. He sighed, drying his neck, buttoning up his shirt. He didn’t know how Jin Xuan would react when he woke up, whether he would exploit the power of the temporary mark to make unreasonable demands. If things went that way, it would be troublesome — his thoughts were already somewhat subservient to Jin Xuan.

At this point, he could only take it one step at a time. Wu Chenghe returned to the mushroom with a worried expression. Jin Xuan was still asleep, with fine sweat on his forehead. Wu Chenghe wiped his face and checked his chest — he had felt it when they were close, Jin Xuan had cracked ribs and possibly bruised lungs.

Jin Xuan’s skin was a beautiful wheat color, tightly stretched over his muscles, not smooth but with small grains when touched. Wu Chenghe applied some bone growth spray to him and some ointment to the bruises, then dressed him and adjusted his body.

As he did all this, the Barbary lion looked at him admiringly, as if lucky to have such a capable guide. Or perhaps it was worried that its master might one day be beaten by opponents and now someone could take care of him.

“Come here,” Wu Chenghe finished with Jin Xuan, beckoning to the lion. The lion, surprised by the attention, foolishly glanced behind him to ensure no one else could be summoned before awkwardly approaching.

“Do you want to see it?” Wu Chenghe asked.

The lion understood instantly, nodding eagerly. Wu Chenghe took the little Light Bulb from his ear and handed it over.

The lion, “…”

The gentle breeze blew, emitting a faint whistle. The Barbary lion froze in petrified state in front of Wu Chenghe, its eyeballs even solidified. The little Light Bulb shifted uncomfortably, suspecting it was being rejected. It immediately turned its head in displeasure and crawled back along Wu Chenghe’s finger.

“Hey.” Wu Chenghe bent his finger and offered it to the lion’s side. It immediately grabbed his finger with all its legs, then turned semi-transparent, revealing a row of candles on its body.

It even lit candles for itself… Wu Chenghe didn’t know whether to laugh and cry. He knew his quantum beast was too quirky for ordinary people to accept, so he sighed and retracted it.

“Roar!” The lion cub realized its caterpillar had been confiscated, jumping up as if its mane had been singed. It crouched on its front paws, vigorously wagging its tail at Wu Chenghe.

“You like it?” Wu Chenghe was slightly surprised. The lion quickly nodded, almost kneeling down to him.

“Alright.” Wu Chenghe presented the little Light Bulb to it again. “Meet each other. It’s called Little Light Bulb, my quantum beast.”

“Roar!” The lion raised its left front paw and carefully touched the caterpillar, but its paw was too large. The tiny caterpillar looked like a strand of meat floss in front of it, impossible to lift.

“Let it touch you.” Wu Chenghe placed his finger on its paw, indicating for the Light Bulb to climb by itself.

Now the Light Bulb trembled, clinging tightly to his finger and ignoring the dumbfounded lion. A barrage scrolled across its back, “Shoo, shoo, shoo…”

“It can’t read!” Wu Chenghe rolled his eyes. The Light Bulb thought for a moment and changed the barrage to a long string of excrement.

Frustrated, Wu Chenghe told the lion, “It’s angry and doesn’t want to talk to you.”

The lion was dumbfounded, wrinkling its nose and approaching his hand, making a pleasing sound in its throat.

In response, the Light Bulb gripped his finger even tighter.

“Let’s play together another day. It’s a bit temperamental, and I can’t do anything about it.” Just as Wu Chenghe was about to retract his finger, the Light Bulb angrily bit him, then jumped onto the lion’s fur with a flick.

“… ” Wu Chenghe was completely defeated by his own inscrutable caterpillar.

The Barbary lion was also defeated by the soft and cute little Light Bulb. It had never encountered such a tiny quantum beast. It held Light Bulb on its paw, half-raised, not daring to move — what if it accidentally stepped on it?!

Light Bulb, feeling a bit annoyed at its tiny size compared to its new friend, crawled along the lion’s fur and climbed up to its face.

The Barbary lion froze entirely, only its eyeballs moving, watching the caterpillar crawl from its left cheek to its forehead, then down its nose, finally stopping on the tip… turning into a pimple.

Watching the two cute pets (well, the caterpillar barely qualified) play happily, Wu Chenghe felt a sense of loss like marrying off a daughter, but also a bit of joy. He sighed, turned around, and sat next to Jin Xuan.

Under the large mushroom, the air was rich with oxygen. After a long journey of over ten hours, Wu Chenghe was exhausted. Now that he relaxed, he couldn’t help but feel sleepy. Just as he closed his eyes, his body slid down and he fell asleep beside Jin Xuan.

In his sleep, Jin Xuan lifted his arm, pulling him into his embrace as if afraid he would run away, then rested his chin on his forehead, emitting satisfied snores.

Author’s note: 

[Jin Xuan: Just a kiss? Nothing more? We can’t do anything?]

[Author: Minors can’t do the deed! Serious face!]

[Jin Xuan: Then how do you explain our grandfathers? At 18, kids have already had children, you know?]

[Author: The wind is too strong, I can’t hear clearly…]

[Jin Xuan: I can’t play happily with an author like this!]

 

 

 

 

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