Song Meiyu gasped so loudly she nearly choked on air. "What?!"
Linyue tilted her head and said thoughtfully, "The probability is low."
Song Meiyu narrowed her eyes. "Sister Linyue, you trust him that much?"
"I believe," Linyue said seriously, "that he wouldn't kill the emperor that easily. Don't you remember how Prince Lu described the way he killed Shu Wenxu?"
Song Meiyu shivered at the memory. "You're right… poison would be too fast and boring for him."
Shen Zhenyu nodded in quiet agreement. "He'd want it to be as painful as possible and… dramatic."
He Yuying mumbled around a mouthful of bun. "Mm. He'd probably make it a public performance."
"Exactly." Linyue's tone was calm as always. "He's not the quiet poisoning type."
For a moment, everyone in the room went silent, their imaginations supplying very vivid and terrifying images of what Shu Mingye would actually do.
Then Shen Zhenyu broke the silence. "So, any guesses who might have done it?"
Linyue rested her chin in one hand, fingers tapping against the table in thought. "We don't have any solid clues yet."
Song Meiyu leaned forward until she was nearly nose-to-nose with Linyue, lowering her voice. "Does the Demon King know about this?"
"I'm not sure," Linyue said quietly.
Shen Zhenyu crossed his arms. "He probably has spies in the imperial palace."
Linyue nodded without hesitation. "No doubt."
He Yuying swallowed the last of his bun and shrugged. "Anyway, there's nothing we can do. He's a bad person. Let him die."
Song Meiyu nodded fast, completely agreeing. "Maybe this is karma finally catching up. Took long enough."
Shen Zhenyu let out another sigh. It sounded tired. Then again, he had already sighed at least twenty times this morning. "If the emperor suddenly dies, it'll cause political issues. And the Crown Prince is sick too."
Linyue folded her arms, "Fu Jingtao has high cultivation. He'll survive a few more days. The Crown Prince will die first."
The room went quiet.
"…That was a little dark, Sister Linyue," Song Meiyu said after a long pause.
He Yuying nodded approvingly. "I like it."
Shen Zhenyu closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as if that might keep his sanity from slipping away.
Linyue, completely unbothered, only shrugged. "Just being realistic."
At that moment, everyone collectively decided tea was necessary. Or maybe a nap. So they poured tea, munched on a few leftover snacks (mostly stolen by He Yuying), and chattered on. They talked about what they had eaten, who broke what, how many buns He Yuying had smuggled into his sleeves this week. And many other non-relevant things. By the time the sky outside turned dark, the room was filled with soft laughter and yawns. Song Meiyu was slumped sideways in her chair. He Yuying had already claimed the nearest pillow and was pretending to "meditate" with his eyes closed. Even Shen Zhenyu looked less strict than usual, though his arms were still crossed like he was guarding against chaos.
Eventually, they left one by one. Each claimed they were going back to "meditate," but Linyue knew it was just an excuse to escape before Shen Zhenyu remembered to assign push-ups or laps around the palace.
When the room finally grew quiet, only Shen Zhenyu remained. He stood by the door, his posture still sharp despite the long day.
Linyue studied him for a moment, remembering their fight against the Bloodfire King. She knew there must be questions he wanted to ask. Instead, she asked softly, "Brother Zhenyu, are your wounds alright?"
"I've recovered," he said simply.
"So…" she began carefully.
He met her gaze. The blue flame she had used all this time—no wonder it was blue. It had not been fire at all. It was lightning. Like that masked man they had met in the forest of Lingxu. Lightning cultivators were rare, almost unheard of. She had kept much to herself. He let out a quiet sigh.
"I won't press you to say it. I just want you to know… you're not alone. If anything happens…"
Linyue's eyes softened. "I know. It's just… there are a lot of things I don't understand myself."
Shen Zhenyu gave a small nod. "Alright. Tell us when you're ready."
"I promise," Linyue nodded with a faint smile.
When Shen Zhenyu left, the room suddenly felt too quiet. Linyue stood still for a while, her mind blank, her heart oddly heavy. Then she turned and walked out, her steps slow and without much purpose as she wandered through the dimly lit hallway. Her thoughts drifted, until she found herself standing in front of a familiar door.
She blinked.
Shu Mingye's chamber.
Why did she end up here? She looked left, then right. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, wondering if she should leave before someone saw her. Or worse, before—
Bang!
The door flew open with a force that made her flinch.
Shu Mingye stood in the doorway, wearing a loose black robe and a look that said he had been expecting her all along. His hair was slightly messy, his expression calm, but the small, smug smile tugging at his lips ruined the illusion of innocence.
Linyue froze where she stood.
Shu Mingye crossed his arms, leaning lazily against the doorframe as his eyes swept over her. "Well," he said in a low, amused voice, "look who came to find me."
"I wasn't." Linyue lifted her chin slightly. "I was just walking."
"Mm." His tone dripped with disbelief. "And your walk just happened to end right at my door."
She gave him a flat look. "My feet made a mistake."
Shu Mingye's smile widened. "Then," he said, stepping slightly aside, "since you're already here by mistake… do you plan to come in, or should I help your feet make another one?"
"No need—"
Before she could finish, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, warm and unhurried, and he pulled her inside. The door closed with a soft click, sealing in the heat of the room.
He did not let go. Instead, he tilted his head and studied her face as though trying to read her thoughts. "You look like you were thinking about running away."
"I was," she replied without a trace of guilt.
Shu Mingye's smile deepened, slow and dangerous. "Too late for that now, Pie."
He reached out. The next moment, she was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands still holding hers. He sat beside her, close enough that the warmth from his knee brushed against hers.
Linyue's mind lagged behind, trying to figure out how exactly she had ended up here. How did he even know she was outside?
As if reading her thoughts, Shu Mingye said, "I was waiting. If you didn't come in another minute, I would've gone to your chamber and dragged you back myself."
She stared at him, unsure whether this was supposed to be romantic, threatening… or a disturbing mix of both. Letting out a quiet sigh, she muttered, "You're being dramatic."
"Dramatic?" His voice was a low rumble, carrying an edge of amusement. "Pie, if you knew how many times I thought about coming to find you today, you'd call it obsession."
Linyue turned to glare at him, expecting that familiar smug grin. But instead, his eyes held steady on hers, serious in a way that made her chest feel too tight.
"I told myself to wait," he said softly. "But you showed up first. Good choice, Pie."
Now she wasn't sure if she was being praised or officially trapped forever. Somehow, both ideas made her heart flutter a little. She immediately scolded herself and pushed the thought away. Focus.
She cleared her throat. "I came here to ask you something."
His grin returned. "So you admit you came here on purpose. Not a mistake."
"That's not the point."
He hummed as if deeply agreeing with himself. "Mhm."
"Anyway," she said, trying to sound casual, "do you have spies in the imperial palace?"
Shu Mingye tilted his head, his eyes narrowing just enough to glint with amusement. A slow smile spread across his face. "I do. Why? Do you want to steal something again?"
Her eyes narrowed right back at him. "Is that really the first thing that comes to your mind when I ask?"
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
She pouted and decided it wasn't worth the argument. At least not tonight. "I meant… didn't they report anything lately?"
"Nothing important."
She caught the faint shift in his tone and the subtle sharpness in his eyes. He was watching her more closely now, his attention hooked. He knew she would not ask something like this without reason.
"Really?" she asked again.
He tilted his head, voice soft. "Do you think I am lying?"