Chapter 9: Mental Guidance. Liu Ming: Just a Mental Landscape – Fine…

Du Shui frowned. “Just one favor? A favor from someone of the Liu Family isn’t something a minor shrine maiden from the Third District like me can easily repay.”

Liu Ming seemed indifferent to her concern. “It doesn’t matter. I only need one favor. As for what you’ll have to give… I can guarantee that when the time comes, whatever I ask of you will definitely be within your means to pay.”

Ying Huo watched Liu Ming warily, maintaining his protective stance in front of Du Shui. “Du Shui, don’t listen to his honeyed words. Who knows what wicked schemes the Liu Family is plotting now? They’re the most treacherous of the lot. Whatever price he demands later will surely be more than you can afford!”

Liu Ming didn’t care to explain further. “If you’re worried, we can sign a contract. It makes no difference to me. Of course, I’m not a particularly patient man. I only offered this simple condition so we can get along in the future. If you keep hesitating…”

He smiled, though the mirth didn’t reach his eyes. “I might decide this losing bargain isn’t worth my time after all.”

Ying Huo stared him down, but Liu Ming’s expression was currently so exceptionally innocent that he couldn’t tell what this venomous snake was really up to.

He could hear Du Shui’s heavy breathing behind him. The aura of the Anomaly on her vertical pupils was growing thicker. Even he couldn’t guarantee that he could maintain Du Shui’s stability better than Liu Ming.

Du Shui clearly shared the same thought. The girl took a step forward and looked steadily at Liu Ming.

Ying Huo wanted to say something more, but Du Shui stopped him.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry, Ying Huo. My intuition tells me it’s fine. Besides… the Council Chairman has already tied the four of our futures together.”

The memories of her past were a blur. She didn’t know why her eyes held such a terrifying power belonging to an Anomaly, one that tried to pull her into the abyss of corruption whenever she overused her mental strength.

However, she could feel that the Anomalous aura had been growing more restless and active lately. If a top-tier mental-type Guide didn’t intervene to control it at the root of her Mental Landscape, the possibility of her losing control would only continue to rise.

It would be one thing if it were just her… but now Yun Zhou had been dragged into that prophecy from Y009, and even Ying Huo had been pulled into the Salvation squad…

With more and more uncontrollable factors appearing, she couldn’t allow the power in her eyes to remain a hidden danger to her companions.

“Fine, I agree. We’ll make a contract. If there’s something you want me to do or something you want in the future, as long as it’s within my power or possession… I will fulfill that promise.”

The girl lowered the hand she had been using to shield her eye. Her unique eyes stared fixedly at Liu Ming, blue patterns flowing at the corners of her lids, looking exceptionally eerie.

But Liu Ming didn’t flinch; he simply gave a slight nod.

“A wise choice. You don’t have much time left. It’s best if I start the guidance now.”

Du Shui nodded. Having received her consent, Liu Ming wasted no more words and walked directly up to her.

“Close your eyes and relax your Mental Landscape.” For the first time, Liu Ming’s habitually sarcastic voice carried a tone that brooked no argument. “Your situation is special. Remember, no matter what you feel, do not resist my mental strength. Even the slightest hint of resistance from you could cause both of our Mental Landscapes to collapse together.”

It wasn’t actually that severe, but Liu Ming couldn’t be bothered with complications, so he decided to scare the two Sentinels.

Du Shui nodded repeatedly. She closed her eyes, and two siphonophore-like jellyfish with red-to-blue gradients appeared beside her. These were her Spiritual Bodies. She was ready to accept the mental treatment.

Seeing the nervous expressions of the two Sentinels, Liu Ming’s mood inexplicably improved.

Truth be told, the three members of the protagonist group were quite entertaining.

He slowly raised his right hand, his long, pale fingertips hovering three inches away from the center of Du Shui’s brow.

A slender, silver-blue snake composed of mental energy appeared in mid-air, shimmering slightly.

This was Liu Ming’s Spiritual Body, which he rarely released.

Ying Huo was momentarily stunned when he saw the slender snake that lacked any sense of intimidation. In his impression, members of the Liu Family all manifested as King Cobras. He hadn’t expected this heir to be so… small and delicate.

“Can he really do it?” Ying Huo asked, incredulous.

No one answered him. Du Shui and Liu Ming had already focused all their concentration.

As the little snake slithered, an invisible and cold ripple of mental energy spread silently from Liu Ming’s fingertips. The air seemed to freeze instantly, and even the dust stopped drifting.

So cold… so strong!

Ying Huo’s pupils shrank. Even as a Sentinel, he could clearly feel the “swarm” brought by Liu Ming’s little snake. Liu Ming’s mental energy probed into Du Shui’s mental space like a nest of serpents. They didn’t have the warm or soft touch typical of a Guide’s mental energy; instead, they possessed a peculiar, icy texture that pierced precisely toward Du Shui’s brow.

【This mental energy… is so cold!】

【It feels very sinister… is this really guidance? Liu Ming’s villainous aura is way too thick… could he be the final boss instead of cannon fodder?】

【Du Shui, be careful!】

【Liu Ming won’t take this chance to pull something, will he? Ying Huo, keep your eyes on him!】

Du Shui’s body jerked violently the moment Liu Ming’s mental energy invaded. She clutched her eye and let out a muffled groan, cold sweat instantly breaking out on her forehead.

The two jellyfish swam restlessly and agitatedly through the air, clearly sensing the cold and aggressive nature of that mental energy, instinctively wanting to raise a barrier in resistance.

“Don’t move,” Liu Ming’s voice was soft yet powerful. “If you don’t want to turn into an Anomaly, trust me.”

Du Shui bit her lower lip hard, forcibly suppressing the instinctive resistance coming from the depths of her soul. She forced herself to relax. Her mental energy, which had been like a surging tide, slowly parted to create a gap for Liu Ming.

Liu Ming seized the opportunity immediately, maneuvering his mental energy to surge into Du Shui’s Mental Landscape.

The moment he used his spiritual body, the snake, to peer into the Mental Landscape before him, an ancient, eerie sense of oppression slammed down upon him.

A Mental Landscape is intrinsically linked to a Sentinel’s soul. Although he knew that as a Sentinel, Du Shui’s Mental Landscape would be far from pleasant, Liu Ming never expected to see a scene like this.

It was an ocean… dyed a dark, bruised red, churning with monstrous, violent waves.

A terrifying aura of fury, chaos, and a primal desire for destruction rushed at him, nearly shredding Liu Ming’s mental strength instantly.

Deep within that dark red spiritual sea, a pair of colossal, blood-colored vertical pupils slowly opened, casting a casual glance at him.

“Ugh!” Liu Ming let out a muffled groan. His body swayed, and his face instantly paled.

Those eyes appeared for only a heartbeat before being suppressed by some unknown power, vanishing back into the depths of the endless crimson ocean. Liu Ming didn’t have time to overthink it; Du Shui’s Mental Landscape was in much worse condition than he had imagined. He had to hurry and soothe the chaotic torrents of mental energy flooding this sea.

Countless snakes transformed into thin, silver-blue threads, rapidly yet gently plucking at the colliding strands of mental energy. Liu Ming focused his mind, meticulously untangling the knotted chaos like the most skilled embroiderer.

Du Shui arched her back, her body trembling on the verge of collapse until Ying Huo caught her. Beneath her tightly closed eyelids, the patterns at the corners of her eyes writhed violently like provoked vipers, only to be forcibly suppressed by a certain power, slowly smoothing out.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Liu Ming’s forehead. His face was even paler than Du Shui’s, but his gaze remained steady, without a hint of wavering.

His mental strength acted like a precision-woven net, ignoring the terrifying pressure left behind by those giant vertical pupils. He resolutely combed through Du Shui’s Mental Landscape layer by layer, using his own energy to patch the fractured areas one by one.

The patterns at the corners of Du Shui’s eyes were smoothing over at a visible rate. Though she was still struggling, the sight was no longer horrific.

Supporting Du Shui’s trembling body, Ying Huo could clearly feel the terrifying power within her being quelled under the suppression of Liu Ming’s cold mental strength.

He sighed, forced to admit that the Liu Family was indeed the undisputed pinnacle when it came to the branch of mental-type Guides.

【Du Shui doesn’t seem to be in as much pain? Isn’t this too fast? That pressure felt like a top-ten Anomaly just now, and he can actually suppress it?】

【It looks like he really did it. Those red patterns are fading…】

【Liu Ming is actually helping her? Is this the same Liu Ming who used to hiss whenever he saw Yun Zhou pass by?】

【No, this is too strong… Is this the true power of a top-tier family heir? Terrifying! Did someone possess Liu Ming? He used to be an unreasonable lunatic—is this even the same person?】

Du Shui’s painful tremors gradually subsided, and her ragged breathing grew steady. The hideous blue patterns at the corners of her eyes receded like a low tide, vanishing beneath her skin.

Ying Huo held her up, giving her something to lean against.

Liu Ming finally withdrew his fingers from between Du Shui’s brows. His face was whiter than hers, and his frame swayed, but he quickly and inconspicuously braced himself against the wall to steady his body.

Du Shui slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes had returned to their normal blue and red hues. Looking at Liu Ming standing right in front of her, she whispered, “…Thank you.”

Gratitude was unmistakable in her voice.

Liu Ming’s lips curled into a thin smirk. “Don’t thank me too soon, Miss Du Shui. I’ve only temporarily reinforced the ‘cage’ to keep ‘that thing’ inside you quiet for a while. If you lose control again, you might not be so lucky.”

Du Shui and Ying Huo didn’t mind his tone. They were already used to Liu Ming’s prickly way of speaking. More importantly, Liu Ming had truly helped Du Shui complete a thorough cleansing of her Mental Landscape.

The two wanted to say more, but Liu Ming interrupted them. He turned to leave the storage room, waving a hand over his shoulder at his two future companions. “Just don’t forget your promise… We’ve been gone too long; the Captain will be getting worried. I’m heading back first.”

That last sentence sounded slightly… awkward and rushed?

Du Shui and Ying Huo exchanged a glance, both seeing the same confusion in the other’s eyes. Did this Young Master Liu run off so fast because he wasn’t good at handling gratitude?

In the corridor.

Liu Ming walked down the hallway. The moment he left the storage room, exhaustion swallowed him whole. He leaned against a windowsill, forcing his spine to stay straight so as not to show his fatigue.

“…That really is… quite a big secret…”

He thought back to those terrifying eyes in Du Shui’s Mental Landscape and let out a long sigh.

The notification pings from T231 were constant. The alerts for gaining 【Misunderstanding Points】 were refreshing frantically, originating from the complex emotions of Du Shui and Ying Huo.

Liu Ming suddenly laughed.

Those two would never dream that he wasn’t planning some grand conspiracy. His true goal was simply a promise: a promise that they wouldn’t kill him even when under the control of the Plot Strings, and that they would even help him complete his plans.

Only by pulling the protagonist group onto his side would he have a better chance of winning against the Plot Strings.

This deal with Du Shui had allowed him to drive himself like an unignorable, unremovable nail into the heart of the “Salvation” team. He also held Du Shui’s secret in his hands. But to be honest, he had no desire to intrude upon someone else’s friendship or become the hated fourth wheel in their trio.

Liu Ming remembered the way Yun Zhou and Du Shui’s eyes had visibly brightened when Ying Huo entered the meeting room, and the genuine, undisguised worry Ying Huo had shown when he proposed the deal. The deep bond between the three protagonists was too pure—so pure it made him a little envious.

That kind of friendship shouldn’t be destroyed. However, the soon-to-awaken King of Water was still waiting for him in the Third District. The road ahead was treacherous, and he had no other choice.

“Don’t die too soon, my teammates,” Liu Ming whispered to himself. He thought back to the future depicted by the bullet chat and Y009. “Our ‘magnificent’ journey has only just begun.”