Chapter 12 Green Chirp-Chirp Gui Banjing

　　Major General Sain brought Wei Yin back to the villa. Sure enough, the sitting room was fully occupied—Kalida, Madam Morgan’s family, and Mike Hera.
　　Mike had blond hair and blue eyes and a healthy ruddy complexion. Although his wrinkled skin revealed his age, he still gave the impression of a hale, vigorous old man. He was also a high-level Sentinel with exceptionally sharp senses, so the moment Wei Yin entered the room, he handed control of his body over to Shangyang.
　　As soon as Major General Sain and Wei Yin entered, Mike laughed. His smile was hearty. Judging from his face alone, Mike looked completely harmless, even kindly.
　　But everyone present knew he was not.
　　“Sain.” Mike spoke with a smile. “I hear from Kalida that you’re quite satisfied with Wei Yin.”
　　He was referring to Major General Sain’s earlier statement: “He is no longer the An family’s young master.”
　　Major General Sain said nothing. He simply stood there and looked coldly at Mike.
　　Mike did not mind and continued, “I know Kalida offended you just now. I already scolded her on your behalf. But you know your wife’s condition is unusual, so don’t blame her too harshly. After all, she is Wei Yin’s attending physician. Kalida, bring Wei Yin over. Treating his illness is more important.”
　　Kalida walked forward, but Major General Sain extended an arm and blocked her.
　　Major General Sain said coldly, “The Sain family does not need outsiders. I will find him another doctor.”
　　“Don’t be willful, Sain,” Mike said, lowering his voice.
　　“This is my estate, Grandfather.” Major General Sain’s voice also turned cold. At the same time, blood-red color spread across his eyes, making him look as though he might erupt violently in the next second.
　　Wei Yin was surprised. Since he did not have to control his body, he simply chatted with Shangyang inside his mind. “Yangyang, something feels off with the Major General. He’s being too impatient.”
　　Shangyang: “That fits the madman persona.”
　　Wei Yin paused, then mentally blurted, “Holy crap. He’s acting too?”
　　Shangyang: “Not necessarily. His mental power has never gone out of control, but he also hasn’t released his spirit form even once. So I suspect his consciousness cloud really does have a problem, but clearly it isn’t as serious as other people believe—or as serious as he deliberately makes it look.”
　　Wei Yin understood. “He’s acting for Old Mike? Why?”
　　Shangyang: “Obviously to hide his strength and bide his time. As for the reason, I don’t know either.”
　　Wei Yin was silent for two seconds, then let out a tragic sigh. “My Major General and I really are a pair of star-crossed lovers~”
　　Shangyang: “…”
　　“Sain! Don’t be disrespectful!” Seeing Major General Sain on the verge of losing control, Old Mike immediately shouted angrily.
　　At the same time, a jackal suddenly leaped out from behind Old Mike—it was Mike’s spirit form. The jackal was enormous; standing upright, it would probably be taller than Wei Yin. Its foxlike face held a pair of round yellow beast eyes, with a ring of short black fur around the sockets that made it look eerie and sinister.
　　The jackal lowered its body and snorted toward Major General Sain, poised as if ready to pounce.
　　Major General Sain refused to yield. The air around him suddenly surged and, in an instant, turned into a violent wind. Not only Kalida but even Wei Yin was caught in it, stumbling and falling under the force—after all, he “didn’t know” how to keep his balance.
　　Wei Yin: “…”
　　Shangyang: “If you want to curse, curse.”
　　Wei Yin said worshipfully, “So the rumor that Major General Sain is an all-element ability Sentinel is actually true!” (①)
　　Shangyang: “…” You are beyond saving. Truly.
　　“Sain! It seems you’ve developed considerable confidence in your self-control. In that case, we can appropriately reduce your medication from now on.” Old Mike was obviously wary of Major General Sain’s apparent madness too, but he held firm and maintained the air of someone who had everything under control.
　　Sure enough, the moment Major General Sain heard those words, the chaotic wind vanished. He clenched his teeth. His emotions were clearly still unstable, but he forcibly restrained himself and did not erupt.
　　Wei Yin caught one key word—medicine.
　　Old Mike’s jackal relaxed as well. It returned to Mike’s side and crouched obediently at his feet.
　　“That’s more like it. Don’t disgrace the Sain family’s manners.” Old Mike looked satisfied. Then his tone softened, sounding like an elder yielding to an unruly junior. “But giving medicine to your wife is about treating illness and saving lives. What are you getting worked up over?”
　　Major General Sain drew harsh, heaving breaths through clenched teeth. All trace of his earlier elegance was gone. He looked like a mad bull ready to attack at any moment. Simply standing there, suppressing himself and remaining still, seemed to consume every ounce of his strength.
　　Old Mike watched him like that and grinned. Then he said to Kalida, “Kalida, give Wei Yin his medicine.”
　　“Yes, Mr. Hera.” Kalida had already gotten back to her feet. She did not help Wei Yin up. Instead she ran to the side, fetched the medication she had prepared earlier, and directly injected Wei Yin.
　　Wei Yin: “…Yangyang.”
　　Shangyang: “Once the drug is injected, I can’t take over your body anymore, or they may notice. You don’t need to suppress your reactions either. I doubt you’ll be able to.”
　　Wei Yin: “Yangyang…”
　　Shangyang: “Hang on.”
　　Wei Yin: “…” Fuck it. Fine, I’ll hang on. What, is it going to kill me?
　　The icy liquid was slowly pushed into his body. Wei Yin remained sitting where he had fallen, looking innocently at everyone in the room.
　　The medicine took effect quickly. At first Wei Yin felt a headache. He knew this kind of pain. When he had first borrowed this body and returned to life, he had awakened only to be blasted straight back into his consciousness cloud by it.
　　At first the pain was not severe and came with dizziness. But it would not go away. The moment his attention returned to it, it clung to him like maggots gnawing at the bone.
　　About a minute later, the pain suddenly intensified. Wei Yin had prepared himself, but he still screamed from the agony. Just as Shangyang had said, there was no need to suppress it—and he could not have suppressed it anyway.
　　“Ah—!” Wei Yin collapsed completely onto the floor, clutching his head and screaming.
　　“Yangyang! Knock me out!” Wei Yin shouted inside his mind. Fortunately, the pain left him unable to form words aloud and he could only scream; otherwise he genuinely did not trust himself not to yell “Yangyang.”
　　Shangyang’s voice was very soft, hushed even inside the consciousness cloud. “I can’t. The dosage has been precisely controlled. If you black out, it’ll expose us.”
　　“Fuck!”
　　Cold sweat had soaked through Wei Yin’s clothes. The entire sitting room was deathly quiet. Those seated around him—this body’s own relatives—watched him coldly. Some of their gazes might even have carried a trace of malicious satisfaction.
　　By the end, Wei Yin did not know what he was doing anymore. Maybe he rolled on the floor. Maybe he cried. The pain in his brain consumed every sense. It felt as though he had been peeled out of his body and his entire soul submerged in sulfuric acid.
　　Wei Yin had no idea how much time passed. When the pain finally receded, he lay limp on the floor, and somehow his mind was still conscious.
　　His entire body was soaked. Worse, his trousers were wet too—he had actually lost bladder control from the pain.
　　Wei Yin’s eyes were empty as he stared blankly at the huge antique crystal chandelier on the ceiling. His ears rang. Inside him, it felt as though someone had stomped brutally on a taut wire—this feeling was too horrible. Wei Yin felt not only as though he had been tortured, but as though he had been stripped naked and humiliated as an object before tens of thousands of people.
　　But to the others in the sitting room, it had only been an entertaining show.
　　Wei Yin heard Old Mike’s voice, still carrying the same kindly elder’s smile as before. “See? Miss the proper time for your medicine and you suffer for nothing.”
　　“Exactly. Our Wei Yin has always been frail and has taken medicine since childhood. Who would have thought he would become dependent on it?” Madam Morgan spoke too, in the compassionate tone of a loving mother. “Every time the proper time passes before he gets his dose, he has to suffer like this. So I hope Major General Sain can be more understanding. Kalida has been responsible for Wei Yin’s treatment for nearly ten years and understands his condition better than anyone. No one else can easily replace her.”
　　“He should understand now.” Old Mike stood and said, “Charlie, take the Major General’s wife to wash up. Arrange for Kalida to stay somewhere nearby so Madam doesn’t lose control again next time.”
　　He deliberately used the title “Major General’s wife,” clearly offering a sweet date after the slap by acknowledging Major General Sain’s earlier claim of “ownership” over Wei Yin.
　　Old Housekeeper Charlie bowed. “Yes.”
　　Mike looked again at Major General Sain, who was still standing there with highly unstable emotions, and asked Charlie, “Sain’s medicine is almost finished, isn’t it?”
　　Charlie answered again, “Yes.”
　　Mike: “I’ll have the next supply delivered.”
　　Charlie: “Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Hera.”
　　Mike waved a hand. “The guests are still waiting outside. Sain clearly can’t entertain them in this state, so he can go rest with his wife.”
　　After saying that, Mike left first. The others followed one after another. Before long, the vast sitting room held only the three of them.
　　Charlie hurried over and activated the sitting room’s holographic screen doors, blocking outsiders’ view. At the same time, he played a recording of dull crashing sounds—bang, bang—creating the impression that someone inside was going mad and smashing things.
　　There was no hiding what had happened today. Most of the people outside were Guides or Sentinels, but even ordinary humans would have heard Wei Yin’s screams perfectly clearly. More importantly, Mike had deliberately intended to establish his authority in front of those guests. Wei Yin’s “ugly scene” and Major General Sain’s “madness” would probably both spread afterward.
　　The moment Charlie closed the screen doors, Major General Sain dropped the frantic posture. He clenched one fist hard, then bent down and picked Wei Yin up from the floor.
　　Charlie looked as though he wanted to say something, but in the end said nothing. He watched Major General Sain carry Wei Yin upstairs.
　　Major General Sain took Wei Yin to the bathroom. He did not use the sonic cleaner. Instead, he filled the bathtub with hot water, removed Wei Yin’s soiled clothes, and personally bathed him.
　　Wei Yin sat leaning back in the tub, warm water surrounding his body. Major General Sain used a towel as soft as a cloud to wipe away the dirt. His movements were very gentle, as though what he was cleaning were something fragile enough to shatter.
　　“I’m sorry.” After a long time, Major General Sain finally spoke. His voice was quiet, but every word landed with immense weight. “I promise there will not be a next time. Absolutely not.”
　　Wei Yin did not react. In truth, his mind was completely blank right now. He thought he needed a good, long sleep.
　　Author’s Note:
　　———————
　　①: All-element ability Sentinel.
　　Like Guides, the concept of Sentinels originates from the ability users in The Planter of the Future.
　　Setting: Later, as the concept of “mental power” became widespread and was no longer limited to Planters, spirit forms began appearing one after another.
　　Once the appearance of spirit forms stabilized, the healing relationship between Guides and Sentinels was established. Thus ability users and Planters “evolved” into Sentinels and Guides.
　　Correspondingly, some Sentinels still retain supernatural abilities, while some Guides can still establish connections with spirit plants.