Discussing The Correct Posture To Enjoy Dog Food

Chapter 169 - Pomegranate Flavored Sentinel Gong (10)

Translated by Hua Li ^_~

“Happy… wedding night.”

When Gou Liang heard it, his tear ducts almost gave way.

His eyes shimmered as he looked at Xiang Muchuan—he really did regret it. But once the arrow had left the string, there was no taking it back.

Xiang Muchuan, with no prior experience, moved with painstaking restraint. Yet the moment he touched Gou Liang, it was as if some mysterious gene code within him had been unlocked—he suddenly knew exactly how to make Gou Liang feel good, how to make him tremble, how to pour out tenderness.

The pomegranate-sweet soul energy intertwined, overlapping, and flowing between them. Gou Liang got exactly what he wanted—the richest, most intoxicating soul power.

【Ding—Mission progress updated. Current completion: 10%.】

But the physical resonance alone couldn’t satisfy Xiang Muchuan. Panting softly, he brushed a hand through Gou Liang’s sweat-damp hair, holding him close, their foreheads touching.

He tried to initiate spiritual fusion—and he did sense Gou Liang’s spiritual sea.

The system, terrified, hadn’t expected its master to be so reckless. It dove to the deepest part of that sea, hugging itself tight, praying the Lord God wouldn’t notice it.

Muchuan, Xiang Muchuan, I love you.

The instant Xiang Muchuan entered that secret realm, Gou Liang’s thoughts lay bare before him.

He kissed him gently; even with their minds resonating, he kept soothing him with touch and whispers, murmuring to the boy whose voice was hoarse and trembling—

“Xiao Keng’er… I love you too.”

But that was when everything went wrong. He hadn’t expected it—he couldn’t merge with Gou Liang’s spiritual sea.

Spiritual fusion had no recorded method; it was an instinct engraved in the souls of sentinels and guides—touch, and you would know. So Xiang Muchuan was completely unprepared for this. He tried everything, but all he could feel was his guide’s deep unease, the connection still refusing to blend.

Deprived of fulfillment, the sentinel’s eyes turned crimson as spiritual rage took hold. His silver wolf spirit burst forth, battle instincts flaring.

Gou Liang gasped.

Before he could react, Xiang Muchuan pinned him down and yanked the blanket over them both. Then he glared at the silver wolf that tried to wrap its tail around the little guide. “Get out.”

When Gou Liang’s own spiritual beast appeared, Xiang Muchuan immediately grabbed the tiny pink pup, set it on the wolf’s tail, and sent them both away.

“Awoo~”

The silver wolf refused, gnawing on the blanket that covered Gou Liang. Xiang Muchuan finally lost patience and unleashed his spiritual pressure.

“Awoo!”

The wolf gave Gou Liang one wounded look, then slunk off with the dazed pink pup in tow.

“Meng—Meng Hao, he—”

“Shh.” Xiang Muchuan silenced his concern with a soft but possessive kiss. “Xiao Keng’er, don’t think about anything but me.”

No matter how they tried, the result was the same—failure.

“S-sorry…”

Still reeling from exhaustion and grief, Gou Liang couldn’t help feeling his heart ache even more at Xiang Muchuan’s frustration.

Startled, Xiang Muchuan immediately stopped trying, pulling him close to soothe him. “Don’t cry. It’s my fault. I was too impatient.”

Gou Liang shook his head through his tears.

“I-I’m stupid.”

“How could you be? It must be me. Relax, okay? Let’s stop for today—we’ll try again tomorrow.”

“…”

Gou Liang only wanted to cry harder. He wrapped his arms around Xiang Muchuan’s waist and kissed him in apology. “I love you.”

“I know.”

Xiang Muchuan smiled softly.

【Ding—Target’s affection updated. Current affection: +100!】

*

Inside the consciousness sea—

Gou Liang, physically spent yet unable to sleep, stared blankly at the sparkling +100 affection notification.

He’d thought that final point would only come once they completed spiritual fusion, but his dear target had never been stingy with love. Thinking of that, he sighed.

The system, which had been waiting for him to reap what he’d sown, finally softened. “Don’t be sad, Master. Next time, let’s… not play with fire like this, okay?”

Gou Liang: T ^ T

“Huh?”

The system suddenly had a bad feeling—but it didn’t expect the blow that followed.

Gou Liang said, “I was afraid I’d give in, so… the blocker’s duration is two months.”

System: “…Where’s the antidote?”

Gou Liang: “The main herb got… burned. Replanting will take 43.8 days to mature.”

System: “…”

System: （╯‵□′）╯︵┴─┴ Just go die quietly already!!

Completely unaware of the miserable nightlife awaiting him, Xiang Muchuan woke up to find himself being clung to by hands and feet—and broke into a blissful smile.

“Morning, Xiao Keng’er.”

He kissed Gou Liang’s hair, and when he saw the faint curve of his lips, he knew the other was already awake. “Don’t want to get up?”

“Mhm.”

Gou Liang only hugged him tighter.

Xiang Muchuan leaned close to his ear, kissing it lightly. “Then let me wake you up another way, hmm?”

“Wh-what…”

Before Gou Liang could react, the “soldier” stationed outside the “city gate” charged right in. He gasped—damn, this wake-up call was exactly his thing!

Feeling his partner’s spiritual resonance urging him on, Xiang Muchuan only grew more vigorous. By the time the two of them finally crawled out of bed, it was already noon.

“Commander—Yuan—Yuan-shao?!”

Barton’s voice shot up several decibels when he saw Gou Liang walking hand in hand with Xiang Muchuan. Ai Qi had gone to prepare a restorative tonic for the exhausted little guide, while Yao Zicong and Li Weike were discussing mission reports—and all of them froze in shock at the sight.

Though they had all known about Gou Liang’s use of disguise, none of them had expected that without it, he would look this good.

There had never been anyone who could stand beside the young commander and still shine so brightly. The three exchanged looks: incredible—this “enemy of all the empire’s sentinels” title on their commander’s head was never coming off.

But mostly, they were happy for Xiang Muchuan. Just look at that tenderness between them—“made for each other” didn’t even begin to cover it.

Yao Zicong clapped his hands and laughed. “Those people online who said Yuan-shao was ugly are about to eat their words.”

“Online? What did they say?”

Xiang Muchuan sat down, pulling Gou Liang onto his lap. Seeing his little guide gazing up at him with puppy eyes—and remembering how hard he’d worked that morning—he indulgently released the silver wolf.

Delighted, Gou Liang hugged the big fluffy tail immediately, petting the poor wolf who had been neglected all night while holding his tiny pink pup in his other hand.

But a second later, Xiang Muchuan’s large hand covered Gou Liang’s eyes, cutting off his affectionate staring contest with the wolf. Then, without mercy, he pushed the wolf’s head off his shoulder—the tail he allowed Gou Liang to pet was for hands only, no funny ideas allowed.

“Awoo…”

The silver wolf drooped pitifully; even its tail stopped wagging, eyes full of grievance.

Gou Liang’s heart ached. “Don’t bully… Meng-Meng Hao.”

“Awoo~”

Encouraged by Gou Liang’s defense, the wolf’s ears perked right up again, and it boldly inched closer.

But they had underestimated Xiang Muchuan’s possessiveness. Before the wolf could even reach Gou Liang, both the tail in his arms and the wolf itself vanished into thin air. Xiang Muchuan plucked the little pink pup off his shoulder and plopped it into Gou Liang’s lap instead. Hug, kiss—fine. But only this one. That was the bottom line.

Gou Liang stared at the pink puppy in silence, eyes glistening as he looked up at Xiang Muchuan. “I-I was wrong.”

“Woof woof~”

Utterly oblivious to being unwanted, the little pink pup happily licked Gou Liang’s face, making him look all the more adorably heartbroken.

Xiang Muchuan couldn’t help but laugh.

He released the silver wolf again—this time, both the spirit beast and the little guide behaved perfectly.

The three subordinates exchanged knowing grins: Commander, don’t get complacent just yet—your tug-of-war with Meng Hao has only just begun.

The mood was so warm and pleasant that Li Weike almost hated to interrupt it. But when Xiang Muchuan looked over, he picked up the topic Yao Zicong had mentioned earlier, saying tactfully, “Commander, ten days ago Madam publicly announced your marriage with Yuan-shao, and the central system confirmed your 100% match. However… there’s been some misunderstanding and controversy online.”

“Controversy?”

Xiang Muchuan opened his personal terminal.

He never paid attention to gossip and didn’t even have social accounts, so he hadn’t seen any of it.

Since the end of the mission, everyone had been focused on stabilizing Gou Liang’s mental state—and afterward, nobody dared disturb the commander during his honeymoon—so this was the first time Xiang Muchuan had heard about it.

Their marriage announcement was still topping the central star network’s trending list.

After ten days of frenzy, public opinion had cooled and split into three camps: the majority pitied “the poor, forced-to-marry Commander Xiang”; the rest either cursed or sympathized with Gou Liang.

The hate was easy to understand—how could the empire’s most brilliant sentinel be paired with such a defective guide? No one in the galaxy thought it fair.

The sympathy came from the more rational crowd, who reasoned that Gou Liang had no choice in the matter; the pairing system decided it. He was innocent. Though the title of “Commander’s Spouse” was glamorous, he was destined for a lonely, loveless life—so, please, everyone, have some mercy.

In short, nobody believed their marriage would last.

Xiang Muchuan frowned. He had never cared for others’ private lives, and he didn’t appreciate others prying into his.

More than that, he couldn’t comprehend—much less tolerate—how anyone could look down on Gou Liang.

Even before the disguise came off, he had never thought of Gou Liang’s appearance, family background, or stutter as flaws.

So all this noise only irritated him.

Gou Liang, curious, leaned in to take a look. Seeing that he wasn’t upset, Xiang Muchuan let him.

Then, at one particular comment, Gou Liang suddenly snorted with laughter. “They… must be… jea-jealous.”

The line read: Everyone, wake up! The one doomed to eighty years of no sex isn’t just @Yuan Wang, okay?!

Only then did the haters realize—once a sentinel and guide reached over 80% compatibility, the sentinel could no longer… perform with anyone else.

Thus, “#HeartacheForCommanderXiang” began trending all over again.

As the only one truly qualified to speak on the matter, the system could only throw up its hands: Foolish mortals—if only you knew how filthy these two lovebirds’ nightlife really is!

Yao Zicong, sharp-eyed as ever, caught sight of the post—and immediately burst out laughing.

Xiang Muchuan chuckled too, ruffling Gou Liang’s hair before registering a personal account on StarNet and posting the very first message of his life.

Xiang Muchuan wrote:Thank you for coming into my life. @YuanWangV 【Photo】

*

Right after the trending topic #HeartacheForCommanderXiang#, another one exploded across the network—#ThisPhotoIsDefinitelyFake!#

The fact that Commander Xiang had registered an account and posted for the first time wasn’t even the main draw. What truly ignited the chaos was the sheer madness of his fans.

In the photo, Xiang Muchuan was holding Gou Liang—who was half-covered by a big, fluffy tail—while bowing his head to kiss the other’s forehead. Dressed in a full military uniform, his handsome profile alone was enough to feed his looks-obsessed followers for a year. But what really killed them—slayed them utterly—was that faint curve of his thin lips and the tender affection in his eyes, warmth so real it almost spilled out of the holographic screen.

The person being held didn’t show their whole face—just a pair of smiling, crescent eyes and ears flushed red.

But anyone in the galaxy could tell—there was no one else Xiang Muchuan could possibly hold and kiss like that.

And yet…

– This photo is definitely fake! No way Commander Xiang would ever show that kind of sappy look, are you kidding me?

– Totally photoshopped! Look at this: [Yuan Wang skin tone comparison] [Yuan Wang eye detail comparison] [Yuan Wang ear angle comparison]. @MrsXiang, how much did this edit cost you?

– Fake! Otherwise, what’s Yuan Wang holding—Commander Wolf’s tail? Our galaxy’s coldest and most dignified sentinel’s tail? Please, there’s no storyline dumber than this. Next time, put more effort into your edits, @MrsXiang.

– No way that’s the real person! Commander Xiang doesn’t even use social media. @MrsXiang, if you’re going to fake a post, at least copy his tone better. “Thank you for coming into my life.”? What kind of cheesy self-help quote is that, huh?

– If you’re gonna fool us, at least make it convincing! This is an insult to our intelligence, @MrsXiang!

After her son’s marriage announcement, Madam Xiang had already endured a wave of public mockery, but she couldn’t care less about being tagged again by angry netizens.

At that very moment, she was holding her face, staring at her son’s high-definition photo with starry eyes. After a long while, she sighed in pure bliss and told her butler, “I never thought Muchuan’s genetic map contained a romance gene after all. As expected—he really is my son!”

As for those ignorant people accusing the photo of being fake? Madam Xiang couldn’t even be bothered to refute them.

How could anyone possibly photoshop my son’s beauty? Naïve fools!

But the skeptics weren’t limited to the online mob. Even Mr. and Mrs. Yuan were feeling uneasy.

Unlike the netizens, their concerns stemmed from self-interest. They simply couldn’t believe the Xiang family would publicly parade their own “disgrace” of a son-in-law. The longer they looked at the photo, the more they were convinced that the hidden-faced guide must be some little mistress Xiang Muchuan kept outside. Nervous and restless, they called to confirm.

Hearing their clumsy probing, Madam Xiang frowned. After a moment’s thought, she told her butler to invite the Yuans over, under the pretext of “discussing wedding arrangements.”

When the Yuan couple arrived, they’d even brought Yuan Xi along for moral support.

As they sat down, Mrs. Yuan cautiously asked, “My dear in-law, with the Nelson System at war, will Muchuan be sent to the front lines?”

“Matters of the battlefield are for sentinels to handle. We just need to take care of the wedding preparations at home.”

Of course, Madam Xiang heard what she was really asking—whether the ceremony would be delayed—but even she couldn’t say for sure. Still, she gave them the reassurance they wanted: the wedding will happen.

Yuan Xi glanced at his parents.

He had already told them that, given Xiang Muchuan’s character, he would never toy with his guide. Besides, Yuan Wang and Xiang Muchuan were legally married; whether or not a ceremony had taken place, their bond was real. He had tried every way possible to convince them that their fears were baseless—but he hadn’t succeeded.

Now, seeing his parents finally relax only to notice Madam Xiang’s faint frown, Yuan Xi’s unease deepened.

The ones who most firmly believed in the rumor that “Xiang Muchuan retreated to the frontier to escape marriage and won’t return for years”… were, embarrassingly, his own parents.

They had even tried to “subtly” sound out Madam Xiang about it. When Yuan Xi heard afterward, he had nearly exploded. Since then, he could tell Madam Xiang’s politeness toward them was tinged with cold distance.

That was not the result he wanted.

He had ambitions. He never fantasized about marrying someone like Xiang Muchuan, but his sights were firmly set on several of the capital’s elite heirs.

And he knew—his A-rank guide rating, his prestigious status at the Imperial Guide Academy, even his beauty—none of it was enough on its own to get him there.

He wanted to stay in the capital, to rise above. For that, he needed to work, to strategize—and he could never relax.

But reality was cruel. Behind the polished surface of his life lurked the shadows he could never quite erase.

The stain he tried so hard to hide always came from the same place—his family.

A mother disgraced and abandoned by the clan, a weak, unfaithful father, and a stuttering, ordinary twin brother…

And now that very ordinary brother had lucked his way into becoming Xiang Muchuan’s 100% compatible guide, finally giving Yuan Xi leverage to reach higher.

But that alone wasn’t enough. The true key to his success lay with the Xiang family—more precisely, with Madam Xiang.

So he had been carefully cultivating her favor, hoping to win her approval. Yet his parents constantly dragged him down, never understanding their place, nor realizing that Madam Xiang’s courtesy toward them came only because of the very son they disdained.

Watching Madam Xiang’s opinion of him gradually fall, how could he not be frustrated?

But anger solved nothing.

Suppressing his turbulent thoughts, Yuan Xi looked apologetically at Madam Xiang and said, “Auntie, please don’t mind them. My parents are just… too worried about my brother. The Yuan family is only a small household from Bluewater Star—we can’t offer him much support. They’ve always felt guilty about that.”

At his words, the displeasure in Madam Xiang’s eyes softened.

They all knew he wasn’t telling the full truth, but at least Yuan Xi’s attitude toward Gou Liang was improving, and that was enough to please her.

“It’s all right. In fact, I invited you here today for another reason.” Madam Xiang sighed. “Xiao Wang is too shy and not good at expressing himself. But I don’t want his own family to keep misunderstanding him like this.”

As she spoke, she took out a photo she’d secretly snapped when Gou Liang was taken away by Xiang Muchuan.

“This—this is the person in the picture?!”

Mrs. Yuan gasped. What was going on? The Xiangs had already brought that little seducer home—and accepted him? Then what about her son? What value did this marriage even hold for the Yuan family anymore?

Her expression was so blatant that the warmth in Madam Xiang’s demeanor vanished instantly.

“This is your son, Yuan Wang,” she said firmly. “Surely you still remember the old guide, Kemi, who used to care for your twins?”

Watching this unfold, Gou Liang nearly burst out laughing.

He’d been wondering how to dispel the Yuan family’s doubts about his appearance—Madam Xiang was just too sweet!

“What’s so funny?”

Xiang Muchuan, seeing him giggling while holding the silver wolf, suddenly grew jealous of the creature that could make him smile so happily.

Rolling his chair over, he rested his hands on his knees and bent close to look Gou Liang in the eyes.

The moment their gazes met, Gou Liang’s mind went blank. Holy shit—he’s so handsome it’s lethal!

Catching that stray thought loud and clear, Xiang Muchuan froze for a second—then the sharp glint in his eyes melted into pure, tender amusement.