671L OP:
Mr. Spade’s Spiritual Body has appeared!
The experts at the Research Center held meetings all day today to discuss my and Mr. Spade’s cases. While they were meeting, the subjects of the research, having nothing to do, could only sit next door, ready to be questioned at any moment.
Perhaps my condition last night had frightened Mr. Spade. He kept asking if I’m uncomfortable anywhere or if my heart was fluttering every now and then, looking utterly bewildered.
I told him, “No, I’m fine.”
After hearing the answer, Mr. Spade would be calm for no more than half an hour, then he’d circle around me again, repeating the same questions.
I had no choice but to tell him: “I’m hungry.”
Mr. Spade crouched beside me. “What do you want to eat? I’ll get it right away.”
I thought for a moment and honestly replied: “I want to eat spicy crayfish.”
Mr. Spade: “Okay, I’ll go get some right now.”
I grabbed his arm. “Never mind, I suddenly don’t want any.”
Mr. Spade crouched back down. “Then what do you want to eat?”
I began listing dishes one by one: “Sweet and sour pork tenderloin[mfn]糖醋裏脊 (táng cù lǐ jǐ): Sweet and sour pork is a classic traditional Chinese dish. It is made with pork tenderloin as the main ingredient, along with flour, starch, vinegar, tomato sauce and other seasonings. It is made by coating with batter and deep-frying twice. It is characterized by its crispy exterior and tender interior, and its sweet and sour flavor.
[/mfn], braised pork ribs[mfn]紅燒排骨 (hóngshāo páigǔ): Braised Pork Ribs.
[/mfn], rock sugar pork knuckle[mfn]冰糖蹄髈 (bīng táng tí bǎng): Rock Sugar Pork Knuckle.
[/mfn], Dongpo pork[mfn]東坡肉 (Dōng pō ròu): Dongpo pork, also known as Dongpo meat, is a Hangzhou dish made by pan-frying and then red-cooking pork belly. The pork is typically cut into thick, approximately 5 centimeter (2.0 inch) squares, with an even distribution of fat and lean meat, while retaining the skin. The texture is tender and juicy without being excessively greasy, accompanied by a fragrant aroma of wine. The dish is named in honor of Su Dongpo (Su Shi), a distinguished Song Dynasty poet and gastronome.
[/mfn]…”
Mr. Spade: “I’ll go buy them for you right away!”
I shook my head. “No.”
Mr. Spade: ???
The feeling of attachment hadn’t faded. I hugged Mr. Spade: “Not now.”
Mr. Spade was flustered, unsure where to put his hands and feet.
I said: “And plum wine[mfn]梅子酒 (méi zi jiǔ): Umeshu (梅酒) is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping ume plums (while still unripe and green) in liquor (焼酎, shōchū) and sugar. It has a sweet, sour taste, and an alcohol content of 10–15%. Umeshu can be made either from real plum fruit, or using additive flavours and perfumes to emulate the taste of plums. Umeshu which is made from exclusively plum fruit (without additives) will be labelled as Honkaku Umeshu and will typically be made only from ume fruit, sugar, and alcohol.
[/mfn].”
Mr. Spade: “Okay, okay, okay.”
I: “Pomelo wine.”
Mr. Spade: “Sure, sure, sure.”
I: “Osmanthus sweet fermented rice[mfn]桂花酒釀 (guì huā jiǔ niàng): Jiuniang is a sweet, soup- or pudding-like dish in Chinese cuisine. It is also known as sweet wine or sweet rice wine. It consists of a mixture of partially digested rice grains floating in a sweet saccharified liquid, with small amounts of alcohol (1.5–2%) and lactic acid (0.5%). It is made by fermenting glutinous rice with a starter called jiuqu containing Rhizopus oryzae or Aspergillus oryzae and often yeast and bacteria. It was first developed as a by-product of mijiu production and generally speaking is partially digested rice from a young rice wine (or vinegar) ferment.
[/mfn].”
Mr. Spade: “Yes, yes, yes.”
I: “Your snake.”
Mr. Spade: “Right away, right away, right away.”
Then, I saw the big black snake that had swallowed my Spiritual Body appear!
Mr. Spade’s body went stiff. I stared at him, waiting for him to explain.
Mr. Spade: “…”
I immediately called Madam Peach and several researchers.
I said to him sternly: “You’re not allowed to disappear.”
Mr. Spade and his snake shrank into a corner of the room, looking aggrieved.
Madam Peach stormed in, full of vigor, grabbed Mr. Spade’s big black snake, and scolded, “Where have you been running off to?! Did you see the bird you ate?”
Mr. Spade’s snake coiled into a pathetic, poop-like shape. The tip of its tail wrapped around my wrist in a pleading gesture.
I said to Madam Peach: “Let’s check Mr. Spade’s mental world and Sea of Consciousness first.”
Madam Peach tried: “No, I can only see his Sea of Consciousness. He’s not opening his mental world to me right now.”
I glanced at Mr. Spade, who was squirming awkwardly, practically drawing circles on the floor with his foot, and suggested: “How about I try?”
Mr. Spade immediately protested: “No!”
Madam Peach pondered for a moment. “Can your body handle it?”
I stepped in front of Mr. Spade, my expression serious. “I’m going in.”
Mr. Spade turned his head away, muttering sullenly: “No.”
I moved to where his gaze had shifted. “I’m going in.”
Mr. Spade turned his head to the other side.
I was furious. Three-Year-Old Spade was disobedient when he was little, only knowing how to bully people, and now that he was older, he was still disobedient, only knowing how to bully me.
My expression darkened. “This is the last time I’ll ask you: will you open your mental world to me? If you refuse now, I won’t go even if you beg me later.”
Mr. Spade stood rigidly against the wall, his gaze darting nervously as he stared back and forth between his snake and me.
I gritted my teeth. “I’ll never give you mental soothing again. I’ll do it for other Sentinels instead.”
Madam Peach chimed in from the side, “Oh dear, I saw that Ragdoll Cat who came yesterday seemed a bit off. Little Nashu, why don’t you go check on him and give him some mental soothing while you’re at it?”
Mr. Spade’s snake instantly blocked the doorway, opening its massive jaws, glaring menacingly at everyone in the room. Aside from me, Madam Peach, and Mr. Spade, the other researchers were terrified, frantically wiping their sweat. “Let’s talk this over calmly.”
A Spiritual Body reflects its Host’s mental state. Seeing this reaction, I understood everything. I beckoned to the snake. “Come here.”
The big black snake obediently slithered over and coiled around my arm. I apologized to Madam Peach and the others. “Could you please wait outside for a moment?”
Once Mr. Spade and I were alone, I asked him, “Open it, or not?”
Mr. Spade pressed his lips into a thin line, his posture as sharp as a blade. After a long silence, he finally forced out a single word: “Open.”
Mr. Spade had high brow bones, thin lips, and a well-proportioned physique. He stared at me silently, like a wolf poised to strike. However, when he opened his mouth, he sounded more like a dog in wolf’s clothing.
I was satisfied. I had the big black snake coil itself up to the height of a chair and sat on its back. “No rush, I have a few questions for you.”
Mr. Spade clenched his hands tightly, his face sullen: “Ask.”
I asked: “Did your Spiritual Body truly disappeared?”
Mr. Spade: “Yes.”
I stroked the snake’s head, which was resting on my lap. The big black snake seemed rather listless, clinging to me with a pitiful air and gently nuzzling my hand. “When did you get it back?”
I didn’t believe it was a coincidence that his Spiritual Body reappeared just as I asked to see it. The most likely explanation was that Mr. Spade’s Spiritual Body had already returned, and he had inadvertently released it when he lowered his guard and tried to fulfill my request.
Mr. Spade: “Last night.”
I: “Did you deliberately swallow my Spiritual Body?”
Mr. Spade hastily explained, “No, I truly didn’t expect…”
I interrupted him: “I ask, you answer.”
Mr. Spade clamped his mouth shut.
I: “Why did you fight with Mr. Club?”
Mr. Spade glanced at the big black snake in my hand and said something completely unrelated: “My snake is cute too.”
I: ???
Mr. Spade: “It can be used as a cushion, a seat, or even a clothesline. You could even use it as a jump rope if you wanted. Other than having no fur and being a bit large… Cats get really hot in the summer, and then there’s shedding season… Anyway, you can’t like that cat who pretends to be a dog.”
I: “…”
I: “Do you like me?”
A blush crept across Mr. Spade’s face, turning him as red as a boiled crab. He squirmed and mumbled a reluctant “Mm-hmm.”
Mr. Spade: “I’m stronger than the Ragdoll Cat, my rank is higher than his, and I’ve known you longer than him. I’ll take you anywhere you want to eat. I might have bullied you when we were kids, but I swear, from now on, if you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west…”
I said calmly: “But liking a person has nothing to do with their position or how long you’ve known them.”
Mr. Spade’s expression instantly became miserable: “I knew it… I knew it the moment I saw him training with you…”
I countered: “What did you know?”
As if mirroring Mr. Spade’s mood, my seat slowly uncoiled in sorrowful circles, gradually lowering me to the ground.
I: “…Coil back up for me.”
I rose up inch by inch again.
Mr. Spade said, “When you get married, I’ll give you a big red envelope… but I won’t attend.”
I hummed in acknowledgment. “Besides the big red envelope?”
Mr. Spade’s face twisted like a bitter melon. “I’ll also send you pomelo wine, plum wine, and watermelon wine.”
I silently extended mental threads. “I want to eat spicy crayfish.”
Mr. Spade: “Mm, I’ll send you spicy crayfish, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, braised pork ribs, and rock sugar pork knuckle to you guys…”
With practiced ease, I slipped through his mental barrier and entered his mental world.
It was another realm entirely.
Deep within this realm, I found my Spiritual Body, sleeping soundly.
I tilted my head to look up at Mr. Spade and said. “But I want to eat with you.”
672L: OMG SO SWEETTTTTTTTT! EVERYONE! I CRACKED THE FORUM’S LOCK CODE!!!
673L: Holy shit, congrats OP!!!
674L: OP, please contact the Moderator! This thread is too good to be locked!
675L OP: Okay.
676L: Love you mwah mwah mwah~
677L: So, the OP’s Spiritual Body has been hidden in Mr. Spade’s mental world all this time?
678L: Worthy of Three-Year-Old Spade—even his jealousy is earth-shattering!
679L: Wait, OP, did you agree to be with Mr. Spade because of love, or because of your lingering attachment disorder symptoms?
680L: So, Spiritual Bodies can’t be swallowed, but they can be hidden inside another Sentinel’s mental world???
681L: Forty-eight years ago, the neighboring country violated ethical principles and tried this experiment. I remember the results wasn’t like this!
682L: What were the results?
683L: The one being swallowed couldn’t endure it and resisted. As a result, they were torn to shreds, and the experimenter died on the spot.
684L: The experimental conditions were different. The neighboring country’s experiment used two Sentinels; they were trying to achieve fusion through devouring.
685L: How… how cruel.
686L: What!!! My Lord PLUM was actually defeated!!!
687L: OP, please un-lock the thread next door while you’re at it.
688L: If their true identities hadn’t been leaked, I truly would never have believed this was real. Even novels wouldn’t dare to write something like this these days.
689L: My old man’s maiden heart! [Psyduck-style chest clutching.jpg]
690L: We need Three-Year-Old Spade to appear! Aaaaaah!
691L: This is the first time I’ve ever thought a snake was so adorable.
692L: Same as above.
693L: [Image][Image][Image][Image] Cute, right?
694L: Mommy, Ragdoll Cats are still cuter.
695L: Can the Moderator or Administrator please delete 693L? It’s giving me the creeps…
696L: Did Three-Year-Old Spade just freeze up at that last sentence? Peach-style Bewilderment!
697L: OP, please give us the follow-up!
698L: We need daily life stories!!!
699L: Lord PLUM‘s little kittens!!! Are you done with your punishment after being caught red-handed yet?!!!!!!!!!!!
700L: Newcomer who arrived too late here! Can’t access the gossip thread next door QAQ. Feels like I’ve missed out on a whole world QAQ.
701L: You did. More than one world.
702L: So, OP, when did you start liking Mr. Spade?
[System Message]: OP has updated the thread status: Problem resolved.
[Administrator]: This thread has been archived.
The author has something to say:
The End. The three-day writing frenzy mode has ended. There might be one or two follow-up chapters and one or two side stories, which I’ll aim to wrap up in about 10,000 words. Since I have to go back to school, I won’t have the time or convenience to write whenever I want anymore. Updates will be sporadic, but I’ll release the fully revised version and TXT file by Sunday at the latest.
If you spot any typos or errors, please don’t hesitate to point them out!
As a savory zongzi[mfn]粽子 (zòng zi): Zongzi, rouzong, or simply zong is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves (generally of the species Indocalamus tessellatus), or sometimes with reed or other large flat leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. People in the Eastern world often translate this dish into English as rice dumplings or sticky rice dumplings, although the Chinese government has registered Zongzi as the formal name in global use.
[/mfn] lovers who don’t care for sweet ones, I’ve written this little sweet treat to share with you all. Thank you for keeping me company during the three-day holiday!
Now, everything is ready, except for Mr. Spade’s name[mfn]萬事俱備，只差黑桃先生的名字了 (wàn shì jù bèi, zhǐ chà hēi táo xiān shēng de míng zì le): T/N: A play of the idiom 萬事俱備，只欠東風 (wàn shì jù bèi , zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng), lit. All things are ready except for the easternly wind; Everything is ready except for one last crucial item; everything is ready, all we need is an east wind (idiom); lacking only one tiny crucial item.[/mfn]… The OP is named Mischna, but I haven’t decided what Mr. Spade’s name will be yet.
Just to clarify, the terms ‘Spiritual Body’, ‘Mental Power’, ‘Mental Threads’, ”mental black spot’, and ‘Sea of Consciousness’ were taken from the dozen or so Sentinel-Guide stories I’ve read before. I haven’t thoroughly researched the original Sentinel-Guide lore, so if any of these terms are a particular author’s original creation, please let me know.
As for the true nature of the mental barrier and mental black spots being Febima-X Spirit Substance, and the Spiritual Body being composed of Hokar-like substance—all of that was pure made-up nonsense on my part.
Similarly, symptoms like ‘stress-induced insecurity’ were also my own made-up nonsense. I ask any Sentinels and Guides hiding among the general population not to believe these claims. If you experience any issues, seeking timely medical attention is the proper course of action.
There’s still 2 Epilogue and 2 Extras.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 14.2″]
手足無措 (shǒu zú wú cuò): lit. to have no way to move the hands or feet; at a loss to know what to do (idiom); not know where to put one’s hands and feet—be all in a fluster; bewildered; From the Analects, Book 13 (《論語·子路》): 名不正，則言不順；言不順，則事不成；事不成，則禮樂不興；禮樂不興，則刑罰不中；刑罰不中，則民無所措手足。, If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.風風火火 (fēng fēng huǒ huǒ): rash; vigorous; bustling; energetic; hasty and rash; hustling and bustling; describe someone who is in a hurry or being reckless; fierce and swift; impetuous. Its core meaning encompasses a dual meaning: it can describe a person’s hurried and impulsive behavior, but it can also refer to a spirited and energetic outlook. 風風火火 is a combination of wind and fire, with wind symbolizing speed and fire representing passion. Its core meanings include: to describe a negative state in which an individual behaves rashly or insecurely, and expressing a positive character that is decisive, energetic, and proactive.
大眼瞪小眼 (dà yǎn dèng xiǎo yǎn): lit. the big eye stares at the small eye; two people staring at each other, without knowing what to do; look at each other helplessly; look at each other in dismay; stare at each other blankly; be at a loss; describes a situation where people stare at each other in surprise, confusion or helplessness but are unable to respond.
虎視眈眈 (hǔ shì dān dān): to glare like a tiger watching his prey (idiom); to glare at with fierceness; to keep a vigilant eye on; to eye covetously; eye with hostility; like a tiger staring at its prey, waiting for an opportunity to grab it. To describe a state of being malicious and waiting for an opportunity to seize something. From I Ching, Hexagram 27 (《易经·頤卦》): 六四：顛頤，吉，虎視眈眈，其欲逐逐，无咎。, The fourth SIX, divided, shows one looking downwards for (the power to) nourish. There will be good fortune. Looking with a tiger’s downward unwavering glare, and with his desire that impels him to spring after spring, he will fall into no error.
蓄勢待發 (xù shì dài fā): to wait for action after having accumulated power, energy etc; gather strength for a burst; be poised for action; be ready to go; build up momentum; prepare for a launch; be on the brink of action; be ready to strike; to be ready to attack at any time. Originally, it referred to a person crouching down who was ready to stand up and rush out at any moment.
風馬牛不相及 (fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí): lit. when the horses and cattle [of the distant Qi and Chu] are in heat, they cannot come close to one another [due to the great distance]; (of things) to have no relationship with each other whatsoever; to be totally irrelevant; apples and oranges; to be completely unrelated to one another (idiom); unrelated; have nothing to do with each other; completely unconnected; not pertinent; no relation. It means that even if horses and oxen gallop and escape, they will not run into the other party’s territory, describing a vast and distant area. It can also be used metaphorically to describe things that are completely unrelated. A story from Zuozhuan (《左傳·僖公四年》): 楚子使與師言曰：君處北海，寡人處南海，唯是風馬牛不相及也。不虞君之涉吾地也，何故。, The Master of Chu sent someone to speak with the allies’ troops: “Your ruler dwells near the northern sea, while I, the unworthy one, dwell near the southern sea. Even when our horses and cattle are in heat, they cannot come close to one another. So I did not expect that you would encroach upon our territory. Why have you done so?”
扭扭捏捏 (niǔ niǔ niē niē): to pretend to be shy, coy or embarrassed; affecting shyness or embarrassment; to mince (when walking, talking, etc); be bashful; act demure; be affectedly modest; be prudish; be selfconscious; refers to the deliberate twisting and swaying of the body while walking, but also focuses on describing a person’s pretentious and unexpressive behavior.
遊刃有餘 (yóu rèn yǒu yú): to handle a blade skillfully; handling a butcher’s cleaver with ease (idiom); to do a task with skills and ease; to achieve something effortlessly; be more than equal to； accomplish a task with ease; be more than equal to a task; handle a butcher’s cleaver skillfully; do a job with skill and ease; have plenty of room for play of a butcher’s knife. From Zhuangzi: 今臣之刀十九年矣，所解數千牛矣，而刀刃若新发于硎。彼節者有間，而刀刃者無厚；以無厚入有間，恢恢乎其於遊刃必有餘地矣，是以十九年而刀刃若新發於硎。, Now my knife has been in use for nineteen years; it has cut up several thousand oxen, and yet its edge is as sharp as if it had newly come from the whetstone. There are the interstices of the joints, and the edge of the knife not thick; because the thin blade enters the gaps, there must be enough room for the blade to move freely, so after nineteen years, the edge is still as sharp as if it had just been sharpened.
驚天動地 (jīng tiān dòng dì): (of sound or influence) world-shaking (idiom); earth-shattering; (of sound) extremely loud; ear-splitting; shaking heaven and earth―earth-shaking; astounding; tremendous; causing a great disturbance; describe something of great momentum or significance. This idiom is often used to describe an event of great scale or far-reaching impact. Its semantics include two dimensions: one is to emphasize the great significance of the cause or event (such as “a cause that shakes the heavens and the earth”), and the other is to describe the loudness of the sound (such as “a thunder that shakes the heavens and the earth”).
[/dropdown]Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.
