Chapter 99: (Valentine's Day special)

“Madam, please halt and show your access permit.”

In front of the solemn and majestic buildings, Song Pianxian’s car was stopped outside the gate.

Blocking her car was a heavily armed guard, with a spirited falcon perched on the guard’s shoulder, exuding an aura of confidence.

In the sky, small patrol cruisers moved like whales, shuttling through the sea of clouds.

Song Pianxian pressed a button on the car’s control panel, and the window became transparent. Sitting in the driver’s seat, she tapped the chip on her wrist, projecting a document into the air.

“Hello, I don’t have an access permit, but I received this invitation.”

The guard glanced at it, his expression becoming serious and solemn.

“An invitation from General Qing’s office? Madam, please wait while I verify this for you.”

Song Pianxian smiled and said, “Thank you.”

The guard meticulously scanned the invitation, maintaining a composed expression. However, Song Pianxian could easily see his nervousness from the falcon – its neck shrank, feathers ruffled, transforming from a fierce raptor to a plump little bird, pitiful and helpless.

Song Pianxian had heard that this general held a high position in the military, and today, it seemed not an exaggeration at all.

This general was one of the few female generals in the Alliance, and also the youngest sss-level sentinel.

Though she was called the youngest, in reality, there were only three sss-level sentinels in the entire Alliance. Besides General Qing, one was a retired veteran who had withdrawn from the battlefield, and the other had lost her longtime companion on the battlefield and hadn’t been seen in public for three years, her whereabouts unknown.

Although Song Pianxian was highly talented, if it weren’t for General Qing’s extremely picky nature regarding companions, rejecting over a dozen experienced companions sent by the Tower, this opportunity wouldn’t have fallen to Song Pianxian, who had just graduated from the academy.

After verifying the documents, the guard allowed Song Pianxian to pass. She smiled in acknowledgment and continued forward.

“… The new guide is already outside, Madam. You must meet with her. This guide is also sss-level, with a high probability of compatibility with you.”

“The Empire’s offensive is unprecedentedly fierce. It was already dangerous for you without a dedicated guide before. This time, you must— Moreover, besides the Council, Madam is also very worried about you.”

Outside the office, Song Pianxian waited. The office door was tightly closed, but her senses exceeded those of ordinary people. She could hear the impassioned voice trying to persuade the general inside.

The general’s voice was indistinct, as if listening through a layer of water, with only faint echoes reaching her ears, making it difficult to discern.

From the words of another person, she could understand how much the general rejected the presence of a guide.

Song Pianxian was prepared to return empty-handed. In fact, she wasn’t very interested in becoming a guide for the general. Her visit this time was just to fulfill her duty.

Becoming a guide for a sentinel meant forming a unique and intimate relationship with them, at least spiritually. If one were to lose the other in the future, they would endure soul-tearing pain.

For Song Pianxian, providing social services at the Tower’s Guide Center, grooming sentinels in the mental realm who didn’t have guides, was more to her liking, and the risks were lower.

The office door opened.

Song Pianxian stopped her thoughts.

The general’s aide said, “Ms. Song, the general has agreed to have you groom her.”

Song Pianxian stood up. “Alright.”

As she walked towards the office, she had only taken two steps when the aide’s face turned grim.

“But the general requests that you cannot enter her office.”

“… “

A sentinel guide can achieve the best comforting effect only with physical contact. This person’s approach is like a patient locking the doctor out and asking for a prescription from afar, which is absurd and ridiculous.

Is she looking for trouble?

Song Pianxian glanced at the office door.

The aide beside her inexplicably dared not speak.

Song Pianxian took a step back and politely said, “I think I may not be suitable for this job. You can contact another guide for the general.”

The aide was dumbfounded. This was the last sss-level guide who hadn’t been rejected by the general or assigned to a sentinel. How could she just walk away like this?

“W-wait, I didn’t mean to offend. The general doesn’t have any objections to you, it’s just…”

Song Pianxian graciously stopped her steps to leave. “Just?”

The aide hesitated, glancing at the office door behind her, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Finally, she seemed to make up her mind, took two steps towards Song Pianxian, apparently wanting to secretly reveal something.

But faster than her, a fluffy ball rolled past her legs, tumbling and bumping into Song Pianxian’s Martin boots before stopping.

With a thud, it settled on Song Pianxian’s shoe, resting its cat head on the black shoe, its blue eyes looking up at Song Pianxian with all its might, and it meowed softly:

“Meow!”

Behind it, a woman appeared at the door of the office.

She wore a sturdy military uniform, with a slim waist and long legs. The dark green trouser legs were tucked into military boots, and a black belt was cinched around her waist—Song Pianxian saw her for the first time, a female officer who could turn a plain and boring belt into countless styles.

She wore a white shirt on top, the military uniform draped casually over her. On the shoulder of the uniform were three stars embellished with Bauhinia patterns, representing the position of a general.

She was truly beautiful, even more so in person. But at this moment, Song Pianxian had no interest in her appearance because she could tell at a glance that this sentinel was in urgent need of help.

Too much information filled her mind, scars of the battlefield etched deep into her psyche. Song Pianxian suspected that she hadn’t received any grooming from a guide in nearly half a year. Her situation was dire.

“Meow, meow, meow!”

Another cat’s meow came from the ground, and Song Pianxian had to bend down to see whose spirit guide it was. How did it end up here?

Just as Song Pianxian was about to pick it up, she heard a woman’s cold, hoarse voice, hiding her anger:

“Don’t touch her.”

Huh?

Suddenly, Song Pianxian understood.

The general walked over in military boots, the soles tapping on the ground coldly and ruthlessly.

Meanwhile, the little cat on the ground stretched out its claws, hooked onto Song Pianxian’s ankle, and even tried to climb up her leg, behaving like a spoiled child.

At that moment, Song Pianxian suddenly realized why the guides who came to this office had to sign confidentiality agreements.

“Well, the situation is like this. The general doesn’t like everyone to associate her image with her spirit guide, and she’s a bit of a neat freak, can’t stand physical contact, so she only wants her spirit guide to receive grooming.”

Song Pianxian fell silent for once.

The most powerful killing machine in the Alliance, and her spirit guide was actually a little cat. This was just too—

After all, the spirit guides of sentinels were mostly ferocious beasts, even the spirit guide of the guard at the door was a large hawk. For an sss-level sentinel, even if her spirit guide were a small feline, it should be something like the Lion King Simba.

Song Pianxian couldn’t help but look at the spirit guide that was nibbling and licking her hand. However you looked at it, it was a spoiled cat.

The aide also glanced at it and sighed, “She really likes you.”

“She doesn’t react to other guides, ignores them. Since she likes you so much, it means your compatibility with the general must be very high,” the aide said excitedly.

“Please release the spirit guide and give it a try.”

“Can I?” Song Pianxian casually stroked the cat, and it immediately started purring in her palm.

The aide confidently said, “Of course, the general has already left the kitten to us, which means tacit approval.”

“…”

Indeed, although the general had warned against touching her spirit guide, when she tried to take the spirit guide away, it clung to Song Pianxian’s ankles and wouldn’t let go, meowing plaintively.

The situation was extremely awkward at the time, so the general had no choice but to throw the cat away.

If that could be considered tacit approval.

“I’ll give it a try.” Song Pianxian decided to give it a try.

The general was in a poor state. She was going to the front lines, but her condition was precarious, even causing her to lose control of her emotions. As a guide, Song Pianxian couldn’t just stand by and watch her go to her death.

Even if she couldn’t do it very well, if Qinglu’s spirit didn’t reject her and instead was quite close to her, Song Pianxian was confident that she could provide her with some mental counseling, at least helping her maintain clear judgment in everyday affairs.

Song Pianxian held the cat and looked around:

“I need a backdrop.”

As a sentinel guide’s mental manifestation, the spirit could reflect the owner’s emotions and preferences but couldn’t communicate with the owner.

They seemed to have their own world and unique way of communicating.

Therefore, in the situation where the general only allowed the spirit to receive counseling, Song Pianxian couldn’t counsel the cat; this could only be accomplished independently by Song Pianxian’s spirit.

The backdrop she wanted was easy to set up. The aide found her an empty house, and after Song Pianxian made some settings on the backdrop device, the entire room turned into a beautiful lawn with a stream and wildflowers nearby, with a gentle breeze blowing.

It was a scene that could relax people, and it was a common backdrop for mental counseling.

During counseling, there couldn’t be a third person present. After the aide left, Song Pianxian released her own spirit.

Her spirit was a bright goddess butterfly.

“Go and play with your friends,” Song Pianxian said gently.

The bright goddess butterfly circled her, affectionate and cheerful, silently agreeing.

The bright goddess butterfly was entirely azure, its wings shimmering with a dreamy and beautiful gloss. When it fluttered lightly, it seemed as if there were faint blue moonlight falling.

Just watching her gently flap her wings seems to be able to soothe and calm one’s mood—

But this clearly doesn’t apply to the cat.

Under Song Pianxian’s gaze, the cat, which was originally curled up into a ball biting its own tail, immediately noticed the fluttering little butterfly.

The little butterfly danced lightly in the air, graceful and enchanting.

The cat raised its head, its head following the movements of the little butterfly, forgetting to spit out the tail in its mouth.

“…” Song Pianxian had a deeper understanding of the general’s mood.

The little butterfly obviously hadn’t forgotten its owner’s instructions. It flew lower, approaching the cat, and the cat suddenly became excited:

“Meow!”

The cat stood up, using its two fleshy paws to try to grab the little butterfly in the air. The little butterfly stopped in mid-air, showing no intention of struggling.

Now the cat was in a dilemma.

It hesitated, rubbing and kneading its two fleshy paws together, not wanting to let go, but also not satisfied with just holding it.

The cat was caught in a dilemma, its paws twisting and turning as it contemplated.

Song Pianxian watched with amusement beside her, unable to help but chuckle.

The next moment, the cat’s sky-blue eyes lit up, and it leaned in towards the little butterfly, sticking out its tongue for a lick.

The little butterfly was licked silly and stopped moving its wings.

The cat was extremely happy, rolling around in the grass with its new friend:

“Meow, meow, meow!”

The big butterfly watching from the side… couldn’t laugh anymore.

And so, because of the cat’s natural affinity for butterflies—after all, the general had no feelings for her, and her spirit guide couldn’t feel close to her because of the owner’s affection—it could only be said to be because of its nature—Song Pianxian became the general’s guide.

For the convenience of playing with the cat (not) and to comfort the general’s spirit guide, thereby soothing the general’s mental state, Song Pianxian and Qinglu moved in together.

Due to the nature of the work, it had to be Song Pianxian who moved into the general’s residence.

Before moving in, Song Pianxian specifically asked the other party if there were any special considerations regarding cleanliness, to which the general replied coldly after a while, “None.”

After the mental counseling, the general’s temper improved a lot, but she still remained cold and seductive.

As Song Pianxian listened, she stroked the furball in her hand, listening to the little cat purring, and her whole body gradually warmed up again.

As for how the general saw her own spirit guide lying limp on another woman’s thigh, that was not something Song Pianxian cared about.

Since Song Pianxian officially moved into the general’s residence, she was temporarily considered the most enviable guide of the present day.

However, the outside world did not know that Song Pianxian and their general had not officially bonded.

She was just a cold and ruthless cat-teasing machine.

But sometimes, disagreements could arise between the cat-teasing machine and the cat owner.

For example, when the little butterfly flew in the sky and the cat chased it on the ground, getting teased into a ball of fur on the ground, which amused Song Pianxian.

The freshly bathed general came out of the bathroom, just in time to see her spirit guide being played with between someone’s hands and foolishly rolling over from her feet.

“…” The general’s hand paused as she dried her hair, her eyes lifted, accurately finding the instigator.

The little butterfly fluttered behind Song Pianxian to hide, and the cat ball rolled over, following along. The general’s gaze swept over.

Song Pianxian touched her nose, feeling a guilty conscience as if she had been caught secretly teasing someone’s child to call her “mommy.” She picked up the fruit plate prepared for herself and calmly asked the general, “Would you like some?”

Just as a courtesy, Song Pianxian offered, and the general actually came over and sat down, picking up a ripe cherry and placing it between her lips.

Her knuckles were distinct, her skin pale, her expression on her face very mild, even as she sat on the soft sofa, her whole body still had the stiffness of a soldier.

But she carried with her the warmth and moisture of the water vapor, and between her lips, she held a ripe, fragrant cherry.

Song Pianxian felt a bit thirsty and took a bite of a water-rich apple.

“Meow, meow, meow!”

A happy meowing came from beside her.

Song Pianxian looked over and saw that the little butterfly had voluntarily snuggled up to the cat’s belly and was rubbing against it for the first time.

The cat lay happily on the floor, forming the shape of a fluffy “大” character, with its pink pads resembling four small plum blossoms.

On its soft belly, the fur was curled up finely, making a cat cushion for the little butterfly.

It’s said that the spirit guide is the spiritual embodiment of the master, so what does this behavior of the little butterfly mean—

“I think the behavior just now wasn’t very good,” Song Pianxian’s thoughts were interrupted by the general, who had finished eating the cherries.

Pointing to her own cat, the general said, “She shouldn’t be a ball. If your spirit guide doesn’t tease her, she’ll be much more stable.”

Much more stable?

Song Pianxian carefully looked at the “大” shape on the ground, which was purring and breathing rhythmically, expressing deep doubts.

But she understood the general’s almost non-existent self-esteem, so she said with a straight face, “I’ll make sure the butterfly behaves.” She wouldn’t tease the calm cat into a bouncing ball.

Before leaving the living room, the general glanced at the cat on the ground, which completely ignored her, giving up on this culprit, and left without even looking back while holding her towel.

There must be a reason for the cat’s behavior like this.

She seduced her own cat, the general thought coldly.

The general was reading reports in the study.

Suddenly, a cat’s head rose slowly from behind the report, with a little butterfly resting on its broad forehead.

The cat raised its head towards the general and meowed loudly: “Meow, meow, meow—”

The butterfly remained dignified: fluttering its wings, blingbling.

The general became more convinced that the child had been spoiled by the guide.

But soon, the general was proven wrong.

It all started in the morning when the culprit, who always slept with the guide, was grabbed by the back of the neck and thrown back into her own room by the guide.

The general, who hadn’t had to spend time with the cat lately and was feeling relaxed, furrowed her brow and almost asked, “Why did you bring her back to me?”

The general lightly kicked the cat with her toe and asked the guide, “What’s going on?”

The guide glanced at the cat, then back at herself and said, “You should take a look at the video recordings in my room.”

As a military residence, every room in the house had a recording device with very high viewing permissions, accessible only by the general.

As instructed, she found the recordings of the guide’s room and quickly checked the information from last night.

Without any difficulty, she found what the guide wanted her to see.

Early in the morning, the cat got up from the end of the bed, swaying as it walked on the fluffy blanket, and went to the guide’s side.

It sniffed the guide, then headed toward the soft, towering area of the guide’s neck, extending its meaty cat paw slowly.

Two paws alternated, one stepping, one stepping.

“Meow meow meow—”

The little butterfly was awakened by the excited meowing of the cat. Two or three seconds later, the entire butterfly spread out, with a snap, and firmly stuck itself to the cat’s face.

As a result, the colorful cat’s tail swayed even more vigorously, and it meowed even more happily.

“… ” The general’s eyebrows were frosty, lifting the rebellious child by the back of the neck, looking at the four-legged drooping child, and said to the guide, “I haven’t taught her well.”

“Don’t worry, there won’t be a next time.”

The general spoke firmly and uprightly.

Song Pianxian’s temples twitched, hesitating to speak.

No, I’m not too reassured.

She really wanted to ask the general, did you selectively forget about the fact that “this disobedient cat is your spiritual embodiment”?

Do you know that the behavior of a spiritual embodiment depends on the owner’s mental state? Ah?

Looking at the cold and beautiful figure in front of her, Song Pianxian felt powerless and a bit sweetly annoyed.

Who should really reflect on themselves?

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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