Chapter 115 – Sentinel & Guide: Becoming Your Exclusive Guide – The Newly-Minted Little Wife (05)
Simona was furious, but there was nothing she could do. Still, the trip hadn’t been entirely in vain. At the very least, judging from Herslet’s reaction, he clearly didn’t know the breakup letter had been forged by her. And at least Bai Tang hadn’t told him she was the one who gave him the letter.
Not surprising, really—Bai Tang liked Herslet so much that even with the breakup letter in hand, he probably wouldn’t give up. And sure enough, who knows what tricks he used, but he managed to escape and even latched onto Herslet again.
But wasn’t that actually a good thing for her?
With that thought, Simona formed a perfect plan in her mind. The gloom vanished, and she hummed cheerfully in her hotel room.
Night fell quickly. Dark clouds rolled in along the edge of the heavens, and the air grew heavy with moisture—a storm was clearly brewing.
The backyard of the Tang Tang Dessert Shop was where they lived. Bai Tang sat angrily on the bed, letting Herslet knock on the door outside.
“Tang Tang, please open the door. Let’s talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Bai Tang’s refusal to cooperate left Herslet deeply frustrated.
He couldn’t guess what the boy was thinking, but one thing was certain—it had something to do with Simona, and he was very angry.
Outside, all fell silent. Rain pelted the window in a steady, drumming rhythm.
Amid the heavy rain, there was a faint click from the door. A pair of wet eyes peeked out cautiously.
No one was there—just the rain. Herslet had left.
A strange emptiness settled in Bai Tang’s chest, a feeling he couldn’t describe.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed overhead. Herslet seized the moment, slipping his hand through the door crack to wedge it open just enough for a person to enter. He quickly slipped inside, blocking the slanting rain at the threshold.
“Tang Tang…” Herslet was soaked through, and even the white wolf at his feet drooped its head, wet and miserable, looking as if it were sick.
The spiritual squirrel trotted up to the white wolf and gave it a little push. Then, in a sudden change from its pitiful demeanor, it pounced on the wolf and began rubbing its fluffy white belly with the wolf’s enormous head.
Herslet & Bai Tang: “…”
Spiritual bodies reflected their owners—clearly, Herslet’s pitiful act had been exposed. He was still pretending to be a big, wounded wolf to gain sympathy.
“Tang Tang, did you hear about me…” Herslet began, leaning into the typical sentry trait of stubbornly chasing after a guide even when rejected.
“Go ahead, I’m listening.” Tang Tang crossed his arms and plopped back onto the bed, pouting, ignoring the two spiritual bodies playing nearby.
Herslet crouched down in front of Bai Tang, bringing them eye to eye. “There’s nothing going on between me and her.”
The boy let out a faint hum, offering no comment.
Herslet continued, “Tang Tang, were you jealous?”
Bai Tang stubbornly denied it. “Of course not. I don’t like you at all.”
With his cheeks puffed and face turned away, Bai Tang kept sneaking glances, and the sight was so adorable that Herslet didn’t believe his denial for a second. He reached out and patted the boy’s head, which immediately made Bai Tang bristle like a startled cat.
“A man’s head isn’t something you can just pat—he won’t grow tall!” Bai Tang said fiercely.
“Then I’ll let you pat mine back,” Herslet replied, amusement flickering in his eyes.
Because he was squatting, Herslet’s head was now lower than Bai Tang’s. Bai Tang remembered how the male lead always loved to pat his head, and how he’d always wanted to return the gesture but couldn’t quite reach.
Now, the perfect opportunity was right in front of him, and Bai Tang’s fingers began to itch with temptation.
At last, he reached out and gave him a pat.
The feeling? Kind of prickly.
Herslet climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around Bai Tang, stating a simple fact: “Tang Tang really doesn’t like Simona.”
Bai Tang pressed his lips together and stayed silent.
Then he heard the person behind him say, “Coincidentally, I don’t like her either.”
Herslet wasn’t the type to lie. As a powerful sentinel and the heir to the prestigious Shelley family, he had no shortage of people throwing themselves at him. Even toward the old Bai Tang, if he hadn’t liked him, he would’ve stayed cold and indifferent.
“The breakup letter—she was the one who gave it to you.” Herslet was sharp.
Bai Tang, while a bit spoiled, wasn’t the type to target someone for no reason. If he disliked someone, there had to be a cause. Considering how Simona always used the excuse of “repaying a life-saving debt” to linger around his house, loudly declaring she wanted to repay him, it wasn’t hard to piece things together.
“Mhm. She said… you didn’t like me, and told her to give me the breakup letter.” Bai Tang tattled, every word on target.
The tightening of Herslet’s muscles revealed his anger, but Bai Tang, wrapped in his arms, didn’t notice. What he said next would become the final straw that crushed Simona’s future.
“She told me not to cling to you. She even hit me. She said if I didn’t leave… I might get beaten to death…”
Beaten to death…
To death…
That phrase echoed endlessly in Herslet’s mind. The image of the soft, sweet boy lying breathless in a cold coffin gripped his heart like an iron claw, the pain so sharp it was nearly unbearable.
“I won’t let that happen. Never. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Herslet hugged Bai Tang tightly, inhaling the faint milky scent that clung to him. He would never let anyone harm Tang Tang.
The emotional impact was intense.
Bai Tang, hugged from behind, didn’t notice the sentinel’s unusual state. But the system did—it caught the brief flash of red in Herslet’s eyes. If it wasn’t an error in detection, then… it was a sign of demonic corruption.
Corruption? How could that be?
The male lead was the chosen one, a symbol of righteousness!
The system tried to perform a full-body scan on him. But the moment it made contact, it was violently repelled—as if Herslet’s body was protected by an invisible barrier.
Bai Tang had still wanted to stay mad at Herslet, but the moment he heard that, he couldn’t hold out any longer. His worry for his man quickly took over.
A condition even Qiu’er doesn’t recognize—can he still be saved?
The boy turned around with teary eyes, cupped Herslet’s face in his hands, and felt his forehead. His voice trembled with panic: “Are you feeling unwell anywhere…?”
Herslet was pleasantly surprised by the boy’s sudden concern—he’d already mentally prepared for a long, uphill battle to win his wife back.
Unexpectedly, Bai Tang didn’t just show concern with words—he actually used his spiritual power to examine Herslet’s condition.
The reason sentinels and guides need to be matched is because their spiritual energy affects each other. If a guide’s spiritual power is too weak compared to a sentinel’s, not only will it fail to soothe or heal, it can even result in backlash.
Herslet felt Bai Tang’s gentle spiritual energy—like a spring trickling through him, soothing and comfortable. As it approached the depths of his consciousness, he quickly lowered his defenses and let Bai Tang in.
Their two streams of spiritual energy chased and danced around each other, eliciting soft sighs of contentment from both.
Just as Bai Tang’s energy was preparing to withdraw after circling Herslet’s mind and finding nothing abnormal, Herslet suddenly and possessively branded it.
When a sentinel brands a guide’s spiritual energy, it’s equivalent to binding their souls for life. From that moment on, they are permanently linked—if one suffers, the other will feel it, and their lifespans will be tied together.
What Herslet did was unfair to Bai Tang, but he couldn’t help himself—he was desperate for the boy to soothe the restlessness in his soul.
Bai Tang’s spiritual power wasn’t as strong as Herslet’s, and being branded overwhelmed him like a storm. It was as if he’d just experienced an intense moment of intimacy—his soul quivered, and the tremor passed into his body. His face flushed a deep red, his breathing turned rapid, and his eyes were hazy and intoxicating.
“Tang Tang… Tang Tang…” Herslet called his name softly as he leaned down and pressed their lips together.
Bai Tang didn’t resist. In fact, he grabbed Herslet’s collar, parted his lips slightly, and lured the sentinel in deeper…
Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Inside, the atmosphere turned hot and ambiguous.
Meanwhile, the system hid in a little black room, chanting a cleansing mantra for dear life.
…
Early morning. A new day had begun.
The heavy rain had lasted all night. Now, a pale white stretched across the horizon, tinged with the soft glow of the rising sun—it was a beautiful sight.
In this world, there weren’t many strict rules. Premarital boundaries weren’t particularly emphasized. Young people often acted on impulse, which led to high marriage rates—and equally high divorce rates. If the couple involved were a sentinel and a guide, the divorce process was just a bit more complicated.
But after what happened last night, Bai Tang’s spiritual energy had been permanently bonded. He could no longer perform mental guidance for any other sentinel. If he didn’t stay with Herslet, he’d remain single for life. Other sentinels wouldn’t marry a guide who couldn’t soothe their minds—and ordinary people didn’t even qualify to marry a guide.
“Morning, Tang Tang,” Herslet greeted him with a satisfied expression.
He had used some less-than-honorable means to finally have the boy he loved, but he didn’t regret it. Especially now—he was sure Bai Tang loved him too.
No guide would willingly let themselves be branded by a sentinel. Even married sentinel-guide pairs rarely bonded that deeply. Though a guide’s spiritual strength couldn’t compare to a sentinel’s, once pushed, a guide’s resistance could be devastating. At worst, both parties might be severely injured—or the sentinel’s mind could collapse entirely, leading to madness or death.
But Bai Tang hadn’t resisted. He had even responded with passion, willingly surrendering himself…
“Morning~” Bai Tang’s voice was hoarse from crying out all night. He was curled up under the blankets, only his clear, shy eyes peeking out.
Despite having gone through several worlds together with the male lead—practically like an old married couple—Bai Tang still felt embarrassed after every intimate moment.
Especially afterward, when Herslet would gaze at him with deep affection, tracing the marks on his body with long, slender fingers. Every place he touched felt like it was on fire—tingling, aching, making Bai Tang involuntarily let out soft moans…
And just like that, round two of their intimacy would begin.
Herslet leaned down and gently kissed the boy on the forehead. “A good morning kiss. What do you feel like eating, Tang Tang? I’ll make it for you.”
Bai Tang thought for a moment and said, “I want candied hawthorn.”
Herslet : “…” My beloved wants to eat something I don’t know how to make. What do I do? Online now, urgent.
“Can I?”
Faced with the pure, hopeful gaze of his freshly bonded “little wife,” Herslet felt that saying no would make him the worst kind of scumbag.
“Alright, I’ll go make it for you. Tang Tang, get some more rest.”
Herslet tucked the blanket snugly around Bai Tang, then walked—completely naked—to the wardrobe to look for clothes.
It seemed like in every world, the male lead had an amazing body.
Bai Tang, hiding under the covers, touched his own little tummy and made a firm resolution: One day, I’m definitely going to get Herslet to teach me how to work out. I want a full eight-pack!
Author’s Note:
I suddenly really want to write a supernatural (paranormal) story, but it seems like I’m not allowed to.
Feeling a bit melancholic… sigh~