Boundless – Chapter 71

The rain was still falling, the sky like a cage, vast and gray with clouds.

In the courtyard, the flowers and plants were listless, and fallen leaves covered the ground.

Wen Qianshu had just been helped up by Wen Qianhua when her head tilted to one side and she fainted, stunning everyone around her.

2333 was convinced she was faking it. It said a few words as usual and asked her why she was doing this, only to find that it couldn’t contact Wen Qianshu.

2333: “…”

2333 quickly joined the ranks of the stunned.

A doctor arrived quickly, and several people scrambled to carry Wen Qianshu back to her bedroom. Since she had already woken up, it wasn’t suitable to put her back in the nutrition pod. Wen Tianqi intended to place her on the bed, but she wouldn’t let go of the jacket she was clutching. So, they had to tuck her back into the quilt, jacket and all.

Wen Qianshu developed a high fever.

The doctor said it was because her mental body was recovering.

Her fever was severe. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her forehead was scorching hot. Even 2333 grew a little worried, keeping a constant watch on her. So much so that when Wen Qianshu opened her eyes, it nearly jumped.

But before it could speak, it heard a middle-aged man’s voice: “You’re awake?”

Wen Qianshu opened her eyes. Her throat was terribly dry. Before she could speak, she saw a leopard charge onto the bed like a bullet and lean down to lick her. But just as its tongue came out, its long tail was yanked, and it was forcefully dragged back a few steps, falling off the bed with two aggrieved whimpers.

Wen Qianhua was holding the leopard back. “Don’t move, you’re jumping around like an idiot—”

Then she was quickly reprimanded by her older brother: “That’s Dad’s mental body, show some respect!”

A small leopard cat with intricate markings, resembling a leopard, instantly bristled its fur and bared its teeth at the eldest Wen brother. But it was hooked by the tail of a jet-black cat, which gently nuzzled it. Nearby, a Ragdoll cat took a few steps and jumped onto the head of Wen Qianshu’s bed, where another small, entirely silver-white kitten was.

2333: “…”

Wen Qianshu: “…”

The bedroom was actually very large, but even a large room would feel crowded with too many people, let alone when there was more than just people.

There were also two leopards and a floor full of cats.

Was this actually a cattery?

Wen Qianshu propped herself up. “I—”

The silver-white kitten glanced at the Ragdoll, then leaped up, landed on Wen Qianshu’s shoulder, and coiled itself around her neck in a beautiful ring. Its long tail hung down, sweeping back and forth intermittently.

“You’re finally awake,” came a very gentle female voice. The Ragdoll cat stepped aside to make way for a woman who sat down on the edge of the bed. “I heard Tianqi’s call and rushed back immediately—”

Wen Qianshu was a bit dazed. She watched the woman rub her hands together to warm them up, afraid of chilling her, before placing a hand on her forehead. “The fever’s gone down.”

Wen Qianshu wasn’t quite used to this kind of warm atmosphere. Her gaze fell, and the woman thought she was looking at the cat’s tail. “Don’t be afraid, this is your manifested mental body…”

Only then did Wen Qianshu learn that this body had previously been diagnosed with Mental Body Developmental Delay Syndrome【1】. The mental body had never been able to take form, existing as a mist. Later, after an accident, it was completely destroyed, causing Wen Qianshu to fall into a deep sleep from which she couldn’t wake.

It was also easy to ask about the accident. They said that she and Wen Qianhua had gone out to play together, but got separated. Wen Qianshu’s mental body was attacked by a Sentinel who had lost control. Although she was found quickly, it was too late to save it.

Wen Qianshu had wanted to ask who had been tidying her room, but later realized it didn’t matter whether she asked or not. The Wen family was very good to Wen Qianshu. They had all come to see her from time to time, helping change her bedsheets and duvet cover, and trimming her hair.

That’s why she could still maintain a decent appearance after being in a coma for so long. When Second Brother Wen heard her question, he picked up his black cat and said with a warm smile, “It’s nothing. Our Qianshu is the prettiest. Even when she’s asleep, she has to be a beautiful Sleeping Beauty.”

The black cat meowed, as if in agreement.

Although they held little hope, they still maintained her previous appearance.

It was like this even before she woke up. After Wen Qianshu truly awakened, she was waited on hand and foot. Second Brother Wen, fearing she would be bored, brought her many books and anime to watch, and there was a never-ending supply of snacks. The Wen family’s Guides all had cats as their mental bodies, and they didn’t shed. When they all surrounded her on the bed, it was no different from heaven. After all, Wen Qianshu liked cats too, but the one she and Mingyue had raised before had always been disdainful of her.

Wen Qianshu: “I should really let it see how popular I am with cats now. That’ll piss it off.”

2333: “…”

The Wen family’s father and eldest brother were Sentinels. Father Wen was tall, stern, and rarely smiled, but his mental body was an overly enthusiastic leopard that would lick and nuzzle any family member it saw. After Father Wen came home from work, it would often rush upstairs at top speed, lie down by Wen Qianshu’s legs, and lick every kitten on the bed one by one.

Wen Qianhua’s mental body was a small leopard cat, with a temper as foul as its owner’s. It didn’t want to be licked but couldn’t escape, so it would bare its teeth after every lick, as if equipped with some kind of reflex device, constantly looking for a fight.

Wen Qianshu initially thought it didn’t like this and forcibly rescued it. But who knew that when the leopard actually went to nuzzle the little black cat, the leopard cat would “demurely” and “reluctantly” walk over, block the way between the black cat and the leopard, sit down with a plop, and let out two provocative “meows.”

Wen Qianshu: “…”

Good grief, this cat is a tsundere?

Everything was progressing so easily that Wen Qianshu felt her fever had muddled her brain. “Are you sure the difficulty of this world is the same as the last one?”

2333: “…”

2333 couldn’t figure it out either. “I’m sure.”

Wen Qianshu looked at the cats rolling all over the room, for once at a loss for words.

Her body recovered quickly, and her mental body became more and more solid. The small silver-white kitten would occasionally jump out of Wen Qianshu’s arms and tentatively watch the furballs rolling around below.

After a period of quiet recuperation, Wen Qianshu began to wander around the house, moving about and watching robots sweep the floor and do chores. The technology in this world line was much more advanced. Wen Qianshu found it novel and even wanted to study the code.

The Wen family, on the other hand, discussed taking her out for some activities. Unfortunately, because Wen Qianshu’s mental body had failed to manifest for so long, she had become withdrawn and had few friends. Her two older brothers both had jobs and could at most accompany her for a walk in the evening.

So they turned their attention to Wen Qianhua. “Don’t you have a classmate’s birthday party in a couple of days? Why don’t you take your sister?”

Wen Qianhua: “…”

She was holding a long rod with a string tied to it, a small stuffed toy dangling from the end, teasing her mental body. The effect was disastrous—she had a bad temper, and so did her mental body. If they weren’t a single entity, that leopard cat would have scratched her face with its claws long ago.

Wen Qianhua raised the rod high. Seeing the little leopard cat bite the toy, before she could feel smug, she lifted it up as if fishing. “It’s a Sentinel’s birthday party. I don’t want to go.”

“Besides,” she glanced at Wen Qianshu, “they said we could bring someone, but everyone else is bringing their significant other. Me, bringing my sister? Is that appropriate—”

As Wen Qianhua spoke, she couldn’t help but glance at Wen Qianshu out of the corner of her eye. Seeing her expression, her words trailed off.

Wen Qianshu actually wasn’t very interested. Her senses were sharp, somewhat like a Sentinel’s, so she wasn’t keen on activities that sounded like they would involve a lot of people.

2333 thought she was cold, and this was part of the reason. If she took everything to heart, she would eventually break down. Therefore, her interpersonal relationships were very bland. She befriended as few people as possible and avoided emotional attachments whenever she could.

However, in this world—she was a Guide!

A Guide could soothe a Sentinel, so naturally, they could soothe Wen Qianshu. So she used her mental energy to soothe her own emotions with all her might, feeling so happy she could ascend to heaven.

But that was just her personality. When she was unhappy, she smiled more brightly than anyone. When she was genuinely in a good mood, her expression would be calm, and she wouldn’t laugh much.

Smack

The little leopard cat couldn’t take it anymore and finally swatted Wen Qianhua on the head.

Wen Qianhua snapped back to her senses. “Ow—”

She lifted her cat away. “Fine, I’ll take my sister.”

She tossed the cat, which “happened” to land at Wen Qianshu’s feet, and snapped at it, “I’m not playing with you anymore.”

The little leopard cat bared its teeth, then turned and climbed onto Wen Qianshu’s lap, affectionately nuzzling her hand and tilting its head to look at Wen Qianshu’s white cat.

The eldest Wen brother couldn’t hold back anymore. “Can you please rein in that temper of yours? At least be a little nicer to your own mental body—”

But Wen Qianshu smiled and looked up. “I’m not angry. Thank you.”

Wen Qianhua was taken aback. The eldest brother said, “We’re family, why be so polite?”

Wen Qianhua: “I! I don’t care if you’re angry or not!”

The next afternoon, Wen Qianhua handed a gift to her classmate whose birthday it was, forcing a smile that looked almost ferocious. “Happy birthday!”

Her classmate hadn’t expected her to come either—after all, Wen Qianhua’s hatred for Sentinels was famous throughout the school. The tall, sturdy Sentinel felt an inexplicable chill and nodded, but couldn’t help asking, “Who’s that with you?”

Wen Qianhua: “My sister.”

She saw Wen Qianshu not far away, seemingly not paying attention to them. She couldn’t help but click her tongue, then couldn’t resist saying, “Pretty, isn’t she?”

Chen Dong answered honestly, “She is.”

Wen Qianhua smiled again, with an expression that said, “You’ve got good taste.” “Happy birthday.”

Chen Dong: “…”

You already said that.

But he didn’t dare say it.

After Wen Qianhua left, Chen Dong sighed. He looked at the person who had just entered and almost froze. “A-Qing—why are you here—ah no, why did you come at this time?”

He swallowed, trying to block Mu Danqing’s line of sight, praying he wouldn’t see Wen Qianhua.

He had sent invitations to the whole class, but he thought Wen Qianhua wouldn’t come! Great, he could already foresee these two getting into a fight at his birthday party. He had even prepared his speech for breaking them up.

Mu Danqing: “Got delayed on the way.”

Behind him stood another person, holding car keys, who looked up and greeted him.

Chen Dong was pleasantly surprised. “Sister Mu?”

“What kind of way is that to talk?” Mu Danqing said bluntly. “This is my sister.”

He slung an arm around Chen Dong’s shoulder. “Didn’t you want to apply to medical university? I specially dragged my sister over. She was number one back in her day, so you can ask her for advice. What do you think, am I a good brother or what?”

Sentinels and Guides both had to attend special schools. Only after successfully graduating could they apply to universities. And unlike ordinary people, they had special subjects to test their use of their mental bodies.

Medical universities had always favored Guides. Mu Lian was one of the few Sentinels to be admitted with a high score.

Chen Dong: “?”

He laughed and punched Mu Danqing. “It’s my birthday, and you’re talking to me about studying?”

Mu Danqing laughed heartily and tossed him a box. “What the hell, I still got you a gift.”

He didn’t bother Chen Dong any further, planning to pull him over after he finished receiving gifts. Mu Danqing walked into the house and saw his Sentinel classmates looking at him with strange expressions.

Mu Danqing clicked his tongue and joked, “This eager to see me? Your faces have changed from anticipation. Dongdong is probably going to die of jealousy—”

He didn’t notice that behind him, Mu Lian had stopped walking and was looking in a certain direction.

The golden eagle on Mu Danqing’s shoulder suddenly bristled its feathers, let out a sharp cry, and tightened its talons on his clothes. Mu Danqing winced in pain. He looked down and saw a small leopard cat staring covetously at the bird on his shoulder with considerable ill intent.

Mu Danqing: “…”

This is outrageous!

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Author’s Notes:

Note 1: Mental Body Developmental Delay Syndrome: A disease that only occurs in Sentinels and Guides, characterized by the mental body’s inability to take form, existing as a mist. —Source: I made it up.

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OOC Skit:

This world line is also known as: Two Sister-Cons, Let’s See Who Wins.

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Finally, it’s not as heavy as the last world line. I’m going to start writing sweet stuff (for real)!

I really love the fluffy animals in Sentinel-Guide settings. I’m going to hug a cat and take a couple of whiffs (Wen Qianhua’s case is for plot purposes, please don’t treat ordinary cats like that, you’ll get your face scratched).