"I'm not sure," Linyue replied truthfully. "I can't read minds."
He leaned in closer until his breath brushed her cheek. "What do you want to know? I won't hide anything from you. I won't lie to you."
She told him about the rumor from the imperial palace, about the emperor's sudden illness, and Master Yin Xue's refusal to help.
Shu Mingye's eyes narrowed. "Sick? I did not get that kind of report from my spies."
Linyue gave a small nod. "Sister Meiyu heard it from Master Yin Xue, who heard it from Prince Lu, who heard it from his father, who received the news from the imperial palace."
There was a pause.
Then Shu Mingye burst out laughing. "Alright. What exactly did they hear through this very professional grapevine?"
Linyue chuckled too, finally realizing how ridiculous that chain of whispers sounded. "Master Yin Xue believes the emperor is suffering from the same disease caused by Crimson Bloodroot. The symptoms match, exactly the same."
Shu Mingye's face darkened in a way that made Linyue sit up a little straighter. He leaned forward, eyes fixed on her with a quiet, curious intensity. "Do you think I did it?"
Linyue met his gaze without blinking. "Brother Zhenyu asked the same thing," she said calmly. "We decided you didn't."
A single brow rose on Shu Mingye's face. He looked amused. "Oh? And how did you come to that conclusion?"
She tapped her lip with a fingertip. "It wasn't that hard. I just reminded them of the breaking, the chopping, the hanging, and the skinning part that Prince Lu mentioned. Wait… did I get the order right?"
Shu Mingye froze for just a breath before another wave of laughter tore out of him again. A real laugh this time, deep and unrestrained. He leaned back, shoulders shaking, the sound filling the warm room.
What kind of woman could say something so gruesome in such a calm tone and still make him feel warm inside and even laugh?
"No," he managed between laughs, wiping at the corner of his eye. "I cut his tongue first, remember?"
Linyue tilted her head in thought, completely serious. "Oh. You're right." She nodded once. "Anyway, we agreed you wouldn't use poison. That's too easy. You'd lose your Demon King title if you went for such a lazy method."
Shu Mingye gave her a long, steady look, his grin still stretched across his face. "Remind me never to upset you, Pie."
"You already do. Every day." Her tone was flat, but the corner of her lips twitched slightly.
He laughed again, but this time it came out softer, almost tender. And somehow, in the middle of all the chopping and poisoning talk, the space between them felt a little more comfortable. A little more like home.
Linyue ignored his hateful Demon King laugh and went on. "Today, the crown prince also fell sick."
Shu Mingye's grin faded at once. His face hardened, eyes narrowing. "So they'll die before I even get to do anything."
Linyue only gave a small shrug. "It will save you the trouble."
He let out a long sigh, though there wasn't much real disappointment in it. "True. Still, it's a pity. I wanted to see the emperor's face when he finally croaked. The look of despair would have been beautiful."
Linyue gave him a meaningful look, "We can always pray for them later."
That made Shu Mingye laugh again, a real laugh that softened the sharpness in his eyes. He remembered clearly the day she had stood in the ancestral hall, lighting incense with perfect courtesy while calmly cursing Fu Jingtao's ancestors and Shu Wenxu with calm, polite words that somehow sounded more dangerous than shouting.
"Yeah," he said, still smiling. "Let's do that." Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her face a few times—cheek, temple, forehead—quick and warm like he was trying to soak in every second of her.
Linyue blinked, caught off guard, but she didn't pull away.
He held her close, arms steady and warm, breathing in the quiet between them. If he had never met her, he would have drowned himself in nothing but revenge until there was nothing left of him. He still wanted it, but the weight on his heart felt lighter now. The thought of his enemies dying without his blade no longer filled him with rage. In fact, it sounded convenient. Less blood on his hands. More time to keep her in his arms.
Resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice lowered into something almost too soft for him. "Pie, I'm really happy having you by my side."
Linyue's lips curved into a sweet smile, her eyes sparkling with innocent mischief. "That's unfair," she said. "I should make you less happy, then."
Shu Mingye's dark eyes narrowed, full of suspicion. "What are you planning to do now?"
She only smiled more mischievously, refusing to answer. And then, she gave him a determined shove. Shu Mingye let out a very un-kinglike "Oof!" as he flopped backward onto the bed. He blinked up at her, half shocked, half impressed, his dark hair slightly messy against the pillows.
That look only made Linyue bolder. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, gentle and soft, like testing how far she could go.
For a heartbeat, Shu Mingye went rigid, his body caught between surprise and disbelief. Then his hands found her waist, pulling her closer as he returned the kiss with the same quiet warmth.
Linyue, apparently unaware of the dangers of pushing her luck, let one hand wander to his collar.
Shu Mingye's breath caught. His expression flickered from the terrifying Demon King of Shulin to something closer to oh no, she's not stopping.
She ignored the warning in his eyes. Her fingers traced the shape of his chest, slow and curious, feeling the outline of muscles that absolutely didn't need showing off.
His grip on her waist tightened—half warning, half plea. He turned his face away slightly, trying to dodge her kiss like a noble gentleman. Unfortunately for him, Linyue had no interest in being noble tonight. She leaned in again, calm and persistent, her hand still holding his collar like she had no intention of letting him go.
Shu Mingye could feel his carefully built self-control slipping fast. His arms wrapped around her tighter as his mind screamed two very conflicting things: Stop her before you combust and don't you dare stop her.
Her cold little hand was still pressed to his skin. Her lips brushed his again and again, soft but relentless, each kiss setting his body on fire. Not figuratively. It literally felt like someone had thrown him into a volcano, heat licking through every nerve. And somehow her cold little hand, wandering where it absolutely shouldn't, only made it worse.
A vein throbbed on his forehead. Not from anger, but because he could feel danger closing in. When her fingers strayed again, Shu Mingye let out a low, warning groan. He gave up all pretense of being a gentleman. He caught her hand mid-crime, his grip firm and unyielding around her slender wrist.
"Pie," he said in a low voice, "do you really want to start something you can't finish?"
Linyue's eyes shone with shameless confidence. "Who says I can't finish?"
That was it. The last thread of his noble restraint snapped. In one swift, merciless motion, he rolled them over, pinning her beneath him. His dark hair fell loose around his face, framing sharp features stripped of patience, stripped of gentleness. Whatever trace of noble self-control he had clung to was gone, replaced with raw heat and hunger that left no space for doubt.
Linyue blinked up at him, still holding onto his collar like she was too stubborn to surrender. "So you've decided to stop running?" she asked, voice calm despite the fact that he now had the advantage.
Shu Mingye's smirk curved slow and dangerous. "Running? No, Pie. I was letting you play."
Her lips twitched. "How generous of you."
"Mm. But generosity has limits," he murmured, leaning close until his breath brushed her ear. His voice dropped lower, darker. "And you just reached it."
She offered him her sweetest, most innocent smile, the one that could fool almost anyone but him. Inside, her heart hammered too loudly to ignore. "You told me to learn, didn't you?"
A slow, dangerous grin spread across his face. "If you're that eager to learn… I'll teach you properly."
His hand moved with deliberate intent.
Linyue flinched. A spark of alarm shot through her calm act. Oh no. She might have teased the tiger too hard this time. "Wait!" she blurted, voice cracking a little. "It's late! Time for bed!"
Shu Mingye chuckled, the sound deep and dark. "I'll make sure you won't feel sleepy. In fact…" His smirk deepened, wicked and certain. "You won't be thinking about sleep at all."
He tightened his hold just enough to make it very clear that bedtime was about to be… a group activity.