Chapter 13: Better Not to Regret

When Zhao Zhanlei arrived, it was already over.

The light in the dense forest was even dimmer, but because no barriers had been set up, the sentries’ sightlines were completely unobstructed.

Zhao Zhanlei saw Xu Yuangui kneeling on the ground, with a majestic adult white tiger standing nearby. The tiger’s strong, sharp claws were pressing down on two trembling little Tibetan mastiffs.

“Roar—!” The white tiger let out an angry, towering roar!

Xu Yuangui was so scared he wet himself, kowtowing so hard his head thudded repeatedly against the ground. “I was wrong, I was wrong…”

“It’s my fault, I’ll definitely change, I swear I will!”

Every time he spoke, he spat out a mouthful of blood—he must have lost two or three teeth.

Zhao Zhanlei glanced at Fu Shuxing with a complicated expression.

In the darkness, Fu Shuxing’s expression seemed calm and unruffled, but his cold, emotionless gaze was chilling to the bone.

Zhao Zhanlei felt as if he had been transported back to that day of real combat drills, when Fu Shuxing tore through two hundred sixty bug creatures with his bare hands.

Zhao Zhanlei asked, “All done?”

When Xu Yuangui heard Zhao Zhanlei’s voice, his vision blackened and his whole body trembled uncontrollably!

He hadn’t expected these two to actually be... good friends... teaming up here to wait for him.

This time, he was truly courting death!

Zhao Zhanlei asked, “Xing-ge, you didn’t act this afternoon, but now you’re hitting him. What exactly are you thinking?”

Fu Shuxing said nothing.

Zhao Zhanlei leaned against a large tree, watching him like that until he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Xing-ge! If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Stop pretending to be so deep and mysterious! What’s been going on these past few days? Your relationship with Xiao Xun, and your attitude toward him. Look at what you said this afternoon, huh?”

“You saw it and didn’t intervene, yet you messaged me, and when the teacher asked, you didn’t tell the truth. You skipped extra training after class, waited forever, and in the end, it was just to beat him up. What exactly are you after?”

“And before, you deliberately said things to hurt Xiao Xun’s feelings. Why? I just don’t understand. Weren’t you the one who spoiled him the most since childhood?”

“So what if I said it?”

Zhao Zhanlei blinked. “What?”

Fu Shuxing looked at Zhao Zhanlei. “Ji Xun wasn’t actually harmed. At most, the instructor would make that idiot write a self-reflection essay. Do you think someone like him actually reflects on his mistakes?”

“But—”

“It’s better to let him admit his faults himself,” Fu Shuxing said. “Look, now he’s obedient.”

Xu Yuangui was no longer kneeling; he was utterly terrified, collapsing onto the ground amidst the stench of urine.

Ji Xun, Ji Xun was actually... connected to these two...

Zhao Zhanlei felt restless because he knew Fu Shuxing was right.

Those who could enter the Sanctuary as sentries were future warriors guarding the empire!

The guiding principle of the Tower Order: Sentries are the pillar of the empire; guides are the foundation.

Ultimately, Ji Xun hadn’t suffered any real harm. Even if Fu Shuxing had said he saw it, the Sanctuary wouldn’t have truly punished Xu Yuangui. At most, it was seen as a student dispute, requiring that idiot to write a few thousand words of self-criticism.

That would be the end of it.

Zhao Zhanlei said, “But—”

Fu Shuxing said coldly, “Let him realize his mistake himself, understand the gravity of the situation. Isn’t that better than forcibly pressing him down? If he feigns obedience but rebels secretly, isn’t that preferable?”

Zhao Zhanlei said, “Yes, but—”

Isn’t this also a form of forceful oppression?

Fu Shuxing didn’t even glance at the collapsed Xu Yuangui. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Zhao Zhanlei grabbed him. “What about the rest? What exactly is going on between you and Xiao Xun? Are you planning to ignore him forever?”

Fu Shuxing was silent for a moment, then said, “No.”

---

Zhao Zhanlei asked, “Then how long will you wait?”

Fu Shuxing put his hands in his pockets, eyes darkened. “Until you two are together.”

“????” Zhao Zhanlei’s eyes widened. He stopped, then immediately caught up to push Fu Shuxing. “Xing-ge, are you out of your mind? What are you saying?! What do you mean ‘you two are together’???”

“Isn’t the Sanctuary already spreading word that you are?”

“What?” Zhao Zhanlei was utterly confused. “When? How come I don’t know?”

Fu Shuxing said nothing.

Zhao Zhanlei grew anxious. “Xing-ge, you can’t believe that, right? There’s no way I’m with Xiao Xun! I’ve always treated him as a little brother!”

“Am I not?”

“Huh?”

Fu Shuxing pulled his hand from his pocket and looked at Zhao Zhanlei. “You treat Ji Xun as a little brother?”

Zhao Zhanlei: “Yeah! Hasn’t he always liked you since childhood? He even used to follow me around. Ever since you moved here, he’s been glued to you. He even cut ties with me for your sake. When he was four or five, he told his parents he wanted to be your wife, and you nodded your head!”

Fu Shuxing: “You really believed that when he was five?”

Zhao Zhanlei was completely baffled. “Then why did you suddenly stop liking Ji Xun?”

“I never liked him.”

Zhao Zhanlei was stunned.

Fu Shuxing stepped out of the thicket and said calmly, “You treat him as a little brother, so do I.”

Zhao Zhanlei was dumbfounded, unsure how to react.

“Don’t you get it? I treat Ji Xun as a little brother, but he likes me,” Fu Shuxing turned back to him. Since Zhao Zhanlei had caught him red-handed beating Xu Yuangui, he no longer intended to hide it. “You treat Ji Xun as a little brother. If the one he likes is you, what would you do?”

“I…”

“You spoil him, indulge him, then date him?”

“I... I—”

“Then break up later?”

“No, definitely not. We’ll talk it out properly, reason with him,” Zhao Zhanlei stammered under pressure, then firmly said, “Anyway, you can’t do it like this!”

Fu Shuxing asked, “Then what do you want me to do?”

Zhao Zhanlei said, “Just tell Xiao Xun straight up that you don’t like him, that you two can only be brothers.”

Fu Shuxing said, “Are you sure that won’t make him feel even more embarrassed?”

Zhao Zhanlei: “Well…”

“If you don’t lay it all out, I’ll pretend I never knew he liked me. He’d be sad for a few days secretly, then realize the truth and back off,” Fu Shuxing’s voice grew heavy. “It’s better to be sad now than later. Ji Xun is still childish; his emotions can withstand big ups and downs. Once he understands, he’ll forget quickly. Then everyone can still be friends, nothing changes.”

Zhao Zhanlei: “So you’re just going to keep pretending to be clueless? I can’t understand…”

“Then don’t think about it,” Fu Shuxing said. “What happened today and what I just told you, don’t tell him.”

Then he strode away.

Zhao Zhanlei watched Fu Shuxing walk farther and farther, frustratedly tugging at his hair. Suddenly, a spark of realization hit him, and he hurried after him. “Xing-ge!”

“Xing-ge, if you really don’t like Ji Xun, then you better not regret pushing him onto me.”

Fu Shuxing put his hands back in his pockets. “I won’t.”

Zhao Zhanlei suddenly laughed. “That’s not so sure. I think you regret it a lot! You’re always so angry, and just now you beat Xu Yuangui that badly—it’s just venting your anger, right? After all, Xu Yuangui hasn’t even succeeded in bullying Xiao Xun yet. Was all that really necessary?”

Fu Shuxing: “If one day someone bullies you like that, I’ll help you get revenge the same way.”

Zhao Zhanlei: “Damn! Who dares bully me! I’m a sentry!”

Fu Shuxing said, “Really? Sentries’ punches are so light. Didn’t you eat?”

Zhao Zhanlei was about to retort, but suddenly realized the conversation was veering off. He pursed his lips and forced it back. “Heh, you don’t regret it, but you don’t regret showing me that sour face every day? You stole a few million from me—no, it’s like you stole my wife!”

---

Fu Shuxing glared coldly. “Are you out of your mind? Want to fight?”

“I’m not fighting you!” Zhao Zhanlei strode ahead, then turned back to say, “Since you say so, I’m going to find Ji Xun. I really can’t refuse such an invitation! When it’s time to drink at the wedding, you’ll be the matchmaker sitting at the head table!”

“Get lost.”

On the flight home, Zhao Zhanlei thought about how he had to tell Ji Xun everything as soon as possible.

But after the ten-minute journey ended...

Zhao Zhanlei calmed down. He realized Fu Shuxing’s words made some sense.

If Ji Xun didn’t know Fu Shuxing already knew he liked him, then after this emotional storm passed and he digested the “breakup” reality on his own, he could still stand openly in front of Fu Shuxing.

Whether as brothers or good friends.

That was better than laying everything bare and making it awkward for both sides.

Zhao Zhanlei sighed. “What’s so great about dating anyway? It’s so complicated. Isn’t piloting mechs better? Flying warplanes? Tearing apart bugs with your bare hands?”

“Jason, isn’t that right?”

The little cheetah, grooming itself, replied with a “Meow.”

“Wait a second.” Zhao Zhanlei patted its head, watching it lie down completely. With his other hand, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Did you grow? Were you this big before?”

The little cheetah proudly flicked its tail. “Meow.”

Zhao Zhanlei pet the leopard and thought about Ji Xun’s recent attitude. He decided to keep it all to himself for now.

Wait a few days and see.

Zhao Zhanlei and Fu Shuxing, in perfect tacit understanding, had together cornered Xu Yuangui.

As for the person at the center, Ji Xun was fine.

Perhaps because he was a guide, Ji Xun’s emotional adjustment was quick. Apart from feeling nauseous and a bit scared at the time, having been wary of Xu Yuangui for a while, he wasn’t surprised that the guy’s true colors were revealed.

However, Fu Shuxing’s actions left him a little resentful.

Even if he really hadn’t seen it, in that situation, shouldn’t he have said something for them?

Anything would have been better than this.

Instructor Alice said the investigation would continue, but with no witnesses and both sides sticking to their stories, it would likely drag on with no follow-up.

That scumbag wouldn’t even have to write a self-criticism.

So frustrating!

Fortunately, the beating was severe enough.

That guy suffered some pain and at least wouldn’t dare to tease or bully other guides for the next ten or fifteen days.

Ji Xun thought it all boiled down to his weakness, lacking a spiritual body.

If only he had a spiritual body.

Could Xu Yuangui have been so arrogant?

One swipe from a big lion’s paw would have torn that guy to shreds, making him wail and plead for mercy!

So, he didn’t blame Fu Shuxing.

After all, they were already at odds.

Fu Shuxing despised him for being a useless spiritless body, and he despised Fu Shuxing for being a beastly, heartless bastard.

Fu Shuxing had even refrained from adding insult to injury today, for which Ji Xun was grateful.

So, calm, calm.

“Ahhh!!!” Ji Xun angrily threw off his jacket. “Calm my ass! Fu Shuxing, you bastard! Once I get a spiritual body, you’re the first one I’m going to crush! Just you wait! You damn turtle bastard!!!”