Ch 47: Interplanetary Planting Master

Understanding

Su He, lying in bed, belatedly understood Lu Li’s earlier statement that every sentinel hopes their guide meets their physical standards.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, his body tensed under Lu Li’s touch, and waves of pleasure overwhelmed him. His spiritual world trembled as he was pushed to the peak of desire. The aftershocks of climax lingered, and Su He, feeling satisfied, bit down lightly on Lu Li’s shoulder, expressing a faint protest. The muscles of a sentinel, honed through constant training, were solid and firm. Su He’s bite was trivial to Lu Li, who chuckled softly, holding Su He close, licking and nibbling his ear, and teasing, “Uncomfortable?”

Su He: “…”

Lu Li laughed heartily, kissing his way down from Su He’s ear, and asked gently, “Tired?”

“Mm.” Su He nodded slightly. Although his spiritual world had experienced ultimate pleasure, his body felt as if it had run a marathon. In the endless universe, he had no idea how long they had been in the room, but he knew that continuing like this might soon lead to exhaustion. He poked Lu Li’s abs, his expression serious, reminding him of this possibility. His body had been pushed to the limit by Lu Li, and all he wanted now was to close his eyes and sleep for 24 hours. But Lu Li obviously had other plans; his hand slid over Su He’s damp back as he whispered, “Baby, you should work out more.”

Su He pushed Lu Li’s hand away, glaring at him with no expression.

Lu Li laughed again, holding Su He’s hands tightly and no longer teasing him. He said, “Go to sleep. I’ll stay with you.”

Su He quickly closed his eyes but couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. His body was extremely tired, but his mind was in an excited state.

“Can’t sleep?”

Su He opened his eyes and murmured in frustration. Lu Li propped himself up on his arm, gently watching Su He, and said, “Then let’s talk for a while.”

“About what?”

“About you.” Lu Li kissed Su He’s fingers and added, “Your spiritual world is very special.”

For sentinels and guides, each person’s spiritual world is unique. It, along with the spiritual body, represents a deep symbol of the sentinel-guide bond. Lu Li had touched Su He’s spiritual world a few times before but had only grazed its edges. This time, Su He’s spiritual world was completely open to him. Golden sunlight, lush mountains, a primitive and quaint town, and a clear-flowing river… it was like a vivid and vibrant ancient historical painting.

Lu Li wanted to understand his guide better. Although the sea of memories was brilliant and they could easily understand each other’s thoughts, Lu Li believed that words have a certain power and wanted to hear Su He describe it himself.

A hint of nostalgia crossed Su He’s face as he wrapped his fingers around Lu Li’s and candidly said, “That’s my hometown, where I lived before coming to the Broken Star. It’s on Earth, Earth from a thousand years ago.” Su He extracted a fragment from the sea of memories and presented it to Lu Li. Since Lu Li had never asked before, Su He hadn’t mentioned his origins. It wasn’t out of reluctance, but because he felt no one would believe it. But now that they were united, with the fragments of memories traveling along the rainbow bridge, they truly merged spiritually, and trusting each other felt as natural as eating or drinking.

The memory Su He revealed flickered, and Lu Li accepted his explanation without hesitation. “It’s a fascinating experience and a beautiful place,” Lu Li added, “Many things are just like what you see in ancient historical museums.”

Su He chuckled at the mention of ancient historical museums, lamenting, “It’s a pity it’s all gone now. I don’t even know what Earth is like now.”

“Once we return to the Federation, we can find time to visit Earth. If you like, we can even rebuild a similar little town on the Iris,” Lu Li promised.

Su He was taken aback for a moment, then smiled brightly and said, “Okay.” His smile had a certain charm that quickly drew Lu Li in for a kiss. Their bodies reattached, the temperature in the room rose, and the powerful spiritual energy once again rippled like waves.

“Here we go again.”

In the starship’s gravity chamber, the sentinels moaned in despair, red-faced and spontaneously increasing the intensity of their training. Sweat flew through the air as everyone pushed themselves to exhaustion through exercise, trying to avoid embarrassment under the influence of shared emotions. Although the members of the First Team had all received professional training, the intense spiritual power of Lu Li and Su He together was far beyond the weak forces they had experienced in military school. The only consolation for the sentinels was that the strong shared emotions only occurred during the initial establishment and reinforcement of the bond. Once the bond was stable, such awkward situations wouldn’t occur again. Otherwise, it would drive these single sentinels to madness in no time.

The ripple of energy gradually subsided, as if the impact had finally receded after a long time. In the room, Lu Li wiped the sweat from Su He’s forehead and kissed him. Neither of them felt sleepy, and this time, they talked about Lu Li’s past. Lu Li shared stories from his childhood and his parents. He bit Su He’s fingers and whispered between kisses.

“…My grandfather was a very domineering person and pampered my mother from a young age. He didn’t want his only daughter to bear too much. After my mother awakened as a guide at thirteen, he concealed her identity. For seven years, from age thirteen to twenty, no one discovered that my mother was a guide. Under my grandfather’s protection, my mother grew up, went to school, and even had a boyfriend like an ordinary person.”

Su He had an inkling of what was coming, and Lu Li continued, “When my mother graduated from university, my grandfather took the family on a trip. Unfortunately, they encountered a small-scale beast tide. They were trapped on a semi-abandoned planet, and the nearby Federal troops quickly sent rescue. During the beast tide, my mother’s suppressor failed, revealing her guide identity. My father was one of the rescuers, and their high compatibility inevitably attracted them to each other.

They soon bonded on that planet and immediately had a wedding upon returning to the Federation. My mother’s then-boyfriend left home in disappointment and never returned to Iris. Because of this, my grandfather didn’t like my father very much, feeling that his appearance disrupted my mother’s normal life trajectory. Plus, the hurried bond between my parents made my grandfather very resistant to the natural bond between sentinels and guides.”

Su He had seen Lu Li’s grandfather in his memories and knew that Lu Li was likely deeply influenced by him. He recalled, “So that’s why you went to buy suppressors on the Broken Star?”

Lu Li nodded, “After my mother and father married, she was always unclear about her feelings for my father. This is a dilemma that almost every wild guide faces—whether instinct means true feelings.”

Su He understood Lu Li’s mother’s situation. After all, she had had a boyfriend before meeting Lu Li’s father, so her confusion was understandable.

Lu Li licked and nibbled Su He’s neck, asking, “Have you ever been conflicted?”

Su He honestly replied, “Yeah … you are a man.”

Lu Li laughed and kissed Su He, continuing with the rest of the story. “After I was born, my grandfather’s attitude began to soften, and he finally acknowledged my father’s existence… until I was eight, when the Iris was hit by a beast tide.” The mood of the story turned somber. “During the beast tide, my grandfather was the first to be killed, my father died in battle, and my mother entrusted me to my father’s comrades to be sent to the evacuating starship, choosing to follow my father in death. It was probably only in the end that my mother recognized her feelings for my father.”

Su He didn’t know what to say and embraced Lu Li. Lu Li’s expression was gentle as he gazed at Su He and said, “I’m much luckier than my father.”

Su He murmured in agreement. Lu Li touched Su He’s face and re-entered his mind. This time, his movements were incredibly gentle. Su He relaxed, and their spiritual energy flowed together like a river. They embraced tenderly, kissed sweetly, and each movement brought them to the peak of pleasure. The soft energy washed over their spiritual worlds, gathering tiny star-like specks that danced like fireflies in the void.

“Sleep now,” Lu Li whispered, kissing Su He’s forehead.

Su He curled up in Lu Li’s arms and fell into a deep sleep.

The sleep was endless and long. Su He felt Lu Li’s presence even while deeply asleep. Lu Li was always by his side, and bright spiritual lights shone, making him feel as if he was immersed in warm honey, with his body exceptionally relaxed and satisfied. When he woke up, it was already a full day and night later, and Su He was surprised at how much he had slept. Lu Li exchanged a lingering kiss with him and joked, “If you don’t wake up soon, I’ll have to call Wei Na to check on you.”

Still not fully awake, Su He, wrapped in his blanket, tilted his head and asked, “Do I need to see a doctor for sleeping too much?”

Lu Li replied seriously, “It’s not about sleeping too much, but about the guide’s physical standards. How to train to improve physical fitness.”

Su He: “…”

Lu Li chuckled softly. He had already helped Su He bathe while he was asleep. Su He got dressed, quickly freshened up, and urged Lu Li to go eat. When his awareness was fully restored and hunger started to set in, Su He felt like he could eat a whole cow by himself. He and Lu Li walked through a corridor piled with energy stones into the dining area, where whistling sounds filled the room. The sentinels made faces at Su He, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

Lu Li calmly seated Su He by the window, and Chen Hongliang brought over a bowl of pork rib soup for Su He with a smile. “Little guide, you need to replenish your energy.”

Su He: “…”

The sentinels burst into laughter. For the past couple of days, the Iris’s meals had been all pork rib soup. Not only did Su He need to replenish, but the sentinels, due to the strain of shared emotions and excessive exercise, also needed it even more.

Su He, blushing, finished his bowl of soup and was about to ask for something else when Yu Sen, who was in charge of monitoring the surroundings, hurried over with his attention focused on Lu Li. Lu Li looked at Su He, and Su He immediately said, “You go ahead, I can handle myself.”

Lu Li nodded and followed Yu Sen to the command room. Thanks to continuous wormhole jumps, the Iris had finally returned to familiar star systems after two days and nights. With just a few light-years left, they were about to reach the northwest border of the Federation. Everything had been going smoothly until Yu Sen discovered, during a routine scan, that a starship bearing the Red Spider Pirates’ insignia was approaching them.

Lu Li looked puzzled after hearing Shen Shen’s explanation. “Red Spider? What do they want? To rob the Iris?”

This was precisely what Shen Shen couldn’t understand. The Iris was infamous among space pirates, and it had always been the Iris that robbed pirate groups; no pirate group had dared to rob the Iris. Now, knowing it was the Iris, the Red Spider Pirates were still approaching. What had happened during their time outside the Federation?

Regardless of their intentions, Lu Li had no plans for passive defense. He quickly gave orders, “Team One and Team Two, prepare for battle. Good luck to you all.”

“Good luck!”

The sentinels shouted in unison and quickly entered their mechs. Soon, a line of eighteen mechs flew out of the Iris and headed toward the Red Spider Pirates’ starship. To Lu Li’s surprise, the enemy starship immediately turned and fled upon seeing the mechs, showing no intention of confronting the Iris directly.

Lu Li frowned and ordered, “Intercept them.”

The black mechs accelerated, and an unexpected situation arose. The fleeing starship abruptly turned and chose to surrender without a word.

Everyone: “……”

The incident started mysteriously and ended even more mysteriously. Just as the Iris was still on guard, a silver mech left the starship and headed toward the Iris.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow. “So it’s an old acquaintance.”

Shen Shen smiled. “Seems like White Fatty is sensible.”

The “White Fatty” Shen Shen mentioned was the pilot of the silver mech, a key figure in the Red Spider Pirates. The Iris had dealt with the Red Spider Pirates many times in the past, so they were familiar with White Fatty. Lu Li was still pondering why White Fatty dared to provoke the Iris, when the silver mech had already entered the Iris. A short, plump middle-aged man jumped out of the mech, ignoring the piles of energy stones around him, and rushed to Lu Li with a pained expression.

“Major Lu, I’m wronged.”

Lu Li smiled slightly, ignoring the plea of innocence, and said gently, “Mr. Bai, it’s been a long time.”

White Fatty aka Bai Pang shuddered. Every time Lu Li was polite, it didn’t bode well. He forced a sincere smile on his round face. “Major Lu, I’m so glad to see you safe. Ever since I learned that the Iris was caught in the subspace storm, I’ve been sad and restless, thinking about you every day, hoping for your safe return. It’s really… heaven’s blessing, you’re safe and sound!”

He emphasized his joy with a heavy tone. Lu Li chuckled, thinking that Bai Pang’s daily thoughts about the Iris might be true, but it certainly wasn’t about hoping for their safe return; it was more likely he hoped they would never return.

“Mr. Bai’s deep affection for the Iris is truly touching,” Lu Li said. “Then Mr. Bai should be willing to explain your actions.”

“Major Lu, I’m truly wronged, please don’t misunderstand,” Bai Pang swore, “I swear I had no intention of robbing the Iris. In fact, I was actually prepared to rescue the Iris, but then…” The Iris deployed eighteen mechs, and Bai Pang instinctively fled, only to realize it and choose to surrender immediately.

“Rescue the Iris?”

“Yeah,” Bai Pang himself felt no one would believe this excuse. He grimaced and began to explain from the beginning.

Half a month ago, the Iris was caught in a subspace storm, which directly led to the conflict between the Seventh and Fourth Legions. Initially, the disappearance of Lu Li and the other thirty or so people only concerned the Seventh Legion to some extent, and it was assumed to be a past issue. But three days ago, Li Zhengdao suddenly revealed that General Zhuang Wei of the Third Legion was also on the Iris. Whether General Zhuang Wei was on the Iris was not important, but what mattered was that the entire Federation was concerned about his disappearance with the Iris.

This news caused a sensation in the Federation. The day after the Third Legion was forced to admit General Zhuang Wei’s disappearance, a small civilian starship discovered the critically injured and unconscious Zhuang Wei in the northwest border area.

Bai Pang grinned, “The starship that found General Zhuang was heavily rewarded by the Federation and the Third Legion. Seeing the Iris show up, I thought of offering a favor to General Li, didn’t I?” He thought that since Zhuang Wei was badly injured, the other people on the Iris might not be in good shape either, so he boldly approached. Who would have thought the Iris appeared to be fine, with all the sentinels looking energetic, not at all like survivors of a disaster.

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked at Lu Li with a troubled face. Lu Li smiled gently and, meeting Bai Pang’s hopeful gaze, ordered, “Detain that pirate starship. Don’t let anyone escape or any news leak out.”

Bai Pang: “…”

Lu Li waved his hand, and Liao Kai and Jiang Bo immediately dragged the Bai Pang away. He frowned and said to Shen Shen, “Something isn’t right about this.”

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