FI CH 39

Chapter 39: Underground Labyrinth (VIIII)

Kurosawa hadn’t noticed anything at first, but after Bai Hua mentioned it, he really did seem to catch a faint scent in the air.

“This smell…”

Before he could figure out what it was, the sound of footsteps came from above.

Bai Hua was the first to turn his head. When he saw the person walking toward them, he froze in place. He hadn’t expected to encounter Lin Yuan at a time like this. But Lin Yuan appeared to completely ignore their presence, walking right past the two of them.

It was only then that Bai Hua noticed Lin Yuan was carrying someone in his arms. The person was wrapped in an oversized trench coat, with only their face visible. He had only seen that face once, but he couldn’t possibly mistake it—that was Feng Xu.

Bai Hua stared blankly at their retreating figures, suddenly feeling a bit lost.

“Something’s not right… this timing…” Kurosawa also sensed something was off and shook his head.

“It’s not now.”

Bai Hua looked up at him.

Kurosawa said, “Don’t you think Lin Yuan looked too young?”

Bai Hua paused, then turned back to look at the two figures. He recalled what Lin Yuan had just looked like—he indeed didn’t resemble the version of him they saw in the rainforest. He was much younger, about the same age as the two of them. Feng Xu was still alive. That meant this was still before the rebel army campaign.

After a brief silence, he said, “Don’t tell me we’ve…”

“Yes, we’re inside a mental landscape again.”

“Because of that scent?”

Kurosawa responded with a hum, then added, “But this time, it’s different. It seems they can’t see us—this is just a playback of the past.”

Bai Hua said, “But the scent was coming from them.”

“That smell… it’s a little strange…” Kurosawa couldn’t pinpoint why, but he felt something was off.

“They’re getting farther away. Should we follow them?”

“Yes.”

The two of them followed Lin Yuan down a path, turning into a recessed cavern at the corner. It looked like a temporary rest area—there were only simple beds, some tea, and a half-closed wooden door. Even when the underground city was at its most populated, it was clear this place had always been secluded, barely known to anyone.

Kurosawa noticed that, based on the timeline, the underground city should have already been abandoned. The two of them should have long left this place—so what reason did they have to return?

But Bai Hua wasn’t thinking about any of that. He could only focus on how Feng Xu’s breathing was rapid, and his complexion looked off. He tried to step into the room to get a closer look, but Kurosawa reached out to stop him. Bai Hua hadn’t even asked why when he immediately understood the reason.

Lin Yuan had laid Feng Xu onto the bed and was now pulling open the trench coat—revealing that there was nothing worn underneath.

Feng Xu struggled slightly, but Lin Yuan pinned down his hands and leaned in to kiss him.

The scene unfolded so suddenly that Bai Hua had no mental preparation. He immediately turned his eyes away in a hurry. But as a sentinel, he couldn’t shut out the heightened sensitivity of his hearing, and was forced to pick up every sound between the two—the wet noises of lips meeting, the rustling of discarded clothing, the sensual friction of skin against skin, and Feng Xu’s intermittent murmurs and muffled gasps:

“No… they won’t approve of this…”

“Lin Yuan… stop…”

Bai Hua had known the two were close friends, but he never expected the truth to be this. And yet, when he thought about it in context with everything else, perhaps it wasn’t so hard to imagine this outcome. Their bond had always been deeper than most. Reaching this point didn’t seem all that far-fetched.

But why would the historical records falsify things—why hide the true nature of their relationship? Was it really only because Lin Yuan was a dark sentinel?

Bai Hua lowered his head, not daring to look at Kurosawa. But he knew Kurosawa was watching intently, not looking away for even a second.

The air was filled with that same sweet scent again, and combined with the flushed expressions they had seen earlier, it was obvious: this was a heat cycle. But something felt different.

That was when Kurosawa suddenly said, “It’s a forced bond.”

Bai Hua looked up in shock. The question that had been bothering him all this time suddenly seemed to have an answer.

Although it was true that only sentinels and guides with high compatibility were prone to triggering natural heat cycles, and that it was extremely unlikely for low-compatibility pairs to do so, it wasn’t entirely impossible. The only known method was through forced medication. Under the influence of certain drugs, they could be compelled into bonding.

After Kurosawa mentioned it, Bai Hua realized he had overlooked a fundamental issue—Feng Xu and Lin Yuan weren’t highly compatible. So was that why, back in the battlefield memory, when he brought up this topic with Feng Xu, the man had worn that helpless and sorrowful expression?

“Bai Hua, you…” Kurosawa seemed to have figured out the effect of that scent. It was an aphrodisiac.

“Hm?”

“Nothing. Hopefully I’m just overthinking it.”

They didn’t have long to dwell on the moment, as the brief mental landscape quickly dissolved—fading as suddenly as it had appeared, like a flash of lightning across the mind.

Back in reality, Kurosawa searched the room and indeed found the source of the lingering scent on one of the shelves. It was an aphrodisiac incense. Likely because the space was so enclosed, the fragrance had persisted even after all this time, allowing Bai Hua to catch a whiff and unintentionally trigger the memory echo.

Bai Hua didn’t dwell too much on the unexpected episode. The more he learned about Lin Yuan’s past, the more he felt he could understand his mindset.

“Let’s keep moving.”

“Mm.”

The two continued walking in silence, both immersed in thought over what they had just seen. The revelation was too crucial—it was as if the truth was finally beginning to take shape.

Lin Yuan may have once resisted the Sentinel-Guide Association because of the compatibility issue, but it had been futile. Born into nobility, his family’s power wouldn’t allow him to act freely. They looked down on Feng Xu’s background and arranged for Lin Yuan to be paired with a guide lover who had high compatibility—Zhou Shiyi, just like the records stated.

So Lin Yuan’s act of rebellion was to forcibly bond with Feng Xu—to mark each other completely.

That was why, in the end, Lin Yuan didn’t marry the guide partner arranged for him, and why Feng Xu’s name was never officially registered within the Association…

But Bai Hua knew clearly: if that was the only reason, it still wouldn’t have been enough to push Lin Yuan into outright rebellion. Something else must have happened later—such as the real cause of Feng Xu’s death…

During the battlefield memory, they had assumed Lin Yuan had killed Feng Xu. But now, it was obvious there was more to the story. At the very least, the announcement of Feng Xu’s death had only ever come from one side—no one had ever seen his body.

The two pressed onward. At the end of the passage was a waterway that extended into a person-high tunnel.

Bai Hua glanced at Kurosawa. Kurosawa shook his head, signaling that aside from this tunnel, there were no other hidden exits. He genuinely disliked terrain like this—it always felt like a sudden torrent could come from anywhere and sweep them away. Especially now that his guiding abilities hadn’t fully recovered. But they had no other choice.

Noticing Bai Hua’s hesitation, Kurosawa said, “I’ll go first.”

“No.” Bai Hua’s tone was firm. “I told you—I’ll protect you.”

“…Alright.” Kurosawa gave a helpless smile, then asked, “How’s your body holding up?”

Bai Hua looked at him strangely. “I’m fine.”

Kurosawa added, “If you feel anything unusual, promise me you’ll tell me.”

Bai Hua wasn’t sure why he was asking that, but this time, he’d brought enough suppressants, so he wasn’t worried in the slightest.

 “Got it.

(To be continued…)
T/L: Wait… so Lin Yuan actually forced Feng Xu into a bond???!?? What??? 🙁