Linyue panicked. Her mind grabbed the first excuse it could find. "The books!" she blurted. "Did you finish reading them? The ones about the array?"
Shu Mingye's hand froze, his expression shifted instantly. All traces of mischief disappeared as he remembered every detail about the strange danger hidden inside her body. His eyes darkened, not with desire this time, but with focus and quiet worry. "Pie," he asked softly, "are you tired?"
She blinked, caught off guard. That was not the question she expected. She had no idea why he suddenly asked that, but something in his tone told her she would be in far greater trouble if she said no. So she nodded quickly. "Yes. I'm really tired. So tired. I could sleep standing up. Or sitting. Or even hanging upside down."
Normally, that kind of answer might have earned her one of his wicked laughs. But not this time. Shu Mingye didn't even smile. A faint crease carved between his brows as he studied her face.
Tired? What if it wasn't just tiredness? What if the strange array thing inside her body was slowly gnawing at her from the inside, hurting her more each day while he stood here wasting time kissing her? The thought alone was enough to twist his chest with a sharp, heavy ache.
He gently cupped her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb, his touch warm and light. His voice softened, barely above a whisper. "Alright. You should rest. I'll continue reading the books."
Linyue frowned. His mood had shifted so fast it made her head spin. Just a moment ago he had been all smug danger, ready to devour her whole. Now he looked… quiet. Thoughtful. Maybe even a little sad?
Had she said something wrong? Was he disappointed because she said she was tired? She was just joking around, did he take it seriously?
Before she could say anything else, he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. It was so gentle and warm that it made her heart skip. Then, he pulled the blanket over her like she might really fall asleep at any moment. And just like that, Shu Mingye stood and walked to the table. He picked up a book, sat down, and began flipping the pages quietly.
Linyue stayed still under the blanket, watching him. His face was calm but focused. His long fingers moved over the pages. His posture straight, his brows slightly furrowed, his whole presence serious. He really looked like a king now. Cold, steady, and annoyingly handsome.
She smiled faintly to herself. The truth was she wasn't tired. Not even a little. So she called softly, "Mingye…"
Shu Mingye froze. His name came out of her mouth so naturally. It sounded so sweet. He loved it. He quickly turned his head, trying very hard not to smile too obviously. "Pie, didn't you say you were tired? Changed your mind already? Do you want to continue our lesson?"
His words came out serious, but the corners of his mouth betrayed him. A trace of amusement slipped through despite his best effort.
Linyue, keeping her calm as best she could, pointed at the empty spot beside her on the bed. "No. Read here. Let's read together."
Shu Mingye raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You won't be able to read if you invite me there."
Linyue hesitated. Her heart skipped. Her calm expression cracked. "Good luck then," she blurted and quickly threw the blanket over her head. Her muffled voice came out in a rush. "I won't bother you and your books anymore!"
Shu Mingye stared at the small lump under the blanket and let out a laugh. Shaking his head in amusement, he turned back to the book on the table and continued reading. But every few minutes, his eyes flicked to the bed, where the blanket lump hadn't moved once.
*****
The next few days passed quietly and peacefully, something that still felt rare in the palace.
Linyue stayed in Shu Mingye's chamber, buried in towers of scrolls and books that seemed to grow taller every day. The palace librarian and Shanjun had worked themselves to the bone collecting rare materials from all over the realm. Some scrolls came from hidden libraries no one was supposed to know about. Others were smuggled out of forbidden archives by "helpful" merchants. One even arrived rolled up inside a giant dried gourd for "extra protection," the courier had claimed proudly.
Yet despite all the effort, none of it was useful. No matter how many books she read or scrolls she opened, there was no real clue about the strange array in her body. The more she searched, the more suspicious it seemed. Like someone or many someones had gone out of their way to erase the very existence of such arrays from the realm.
It wasn't just forgotten. It was hidden.
As for Shu Mingye, he hadn't found anything new about Qi Heng either. Linyue wasn't even surprised. It wouldn't be that easy. She had expected that.
The others were still busy. Training, fighting, sparring. They had spent the last few days helping the soldiers push back small groups of demons near the outer walls. The attacks weren't serious enough to alarm Linyue. With Shen Zhenyu leading them, she doubted anything could go too wrong. That man could probably meditate in the middle of a battlefield and still stay calm.
It was a small miracle. No explosions. No property damage. No scandalous reports about rogue physicians trying to sell herbs in the middle of sword training. For once, her chaotic little group had survived a whole week without embarrassing themselves. Linyue gave them a silent nod of approval in her head. Then she turned her eyes back to the scroll in her hand. She had just started decoding a sentence that looked suspiciously like a recipe for grilled fish, when—
BANG!
The door burst open. Linyue didn't need to look up. Only one person would dare storm into the Demon King's chamber without knocking and it was, of course, the Demon King himself.
Shu Mingye strolled in like he owned the place (He did.) He walked straight to her and sat beside her. "Found something?" he asked, eyeing the scroll in her lap.
"Still nothing," she replied, not looking at him. "Unless you're interested in a step-by-step guide to grilling ancient fish."
He tilted his head. "Tempting, but not today. I received news from the palace."
Linyue asked without a hint of emotion. "The Emperor or Crown Prince finally died?"
Shu Mingye let out a quiet laugh. "Not only the Crown Prince. The entire imperial family. The Empress, First Concubine, all the princes, and princesses. They're all dead. They tried to cover it at first, but the situation got worse. The emperor is bedridden now. He won't last much longer."
That finally made Linyue lift her eyes from the scroll. "The entire imperial family?" she repeated slowly.
He shrugged. "The Second Concubine and the real Princess Fu Yuxin also died mysteriously. I've sent people to confirm it. Right now, the palace is in chaos. Everyone's panicking. Some believe it's a curse."
Linyue blinked slowly. She wasn't fond of the imperial family, but even she found this overkill. "Why go that far?" she asked, frowning. "If the whole imperial bloodline is gone… who'll become the next Emperor?"
Shu Mingye answered without hesitation. "King Shen."
Linyue paused. Queen Shen and Fu Jingtao had a secret affair for years, long before he stole the throne. Which meant the current King Shen was possibly the result of that affair. And the emperor must have known. Suddenly, far too many things made sense.
Had King Shen poisoned everyone just to clear the path for himself? To rise as the next emperor?
She frowned. "If he's the one behind this, wouldn't people start doubting him? He'd look too suspicious if he suddenly became emperor right after everyone conveniently dropped dead. Even the dumbest officials would notice something's off."
Shu Mingye raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any clue who did it, then?"
She tapped the scroll lightly, thinking. "Do you really think it was King Shen?"
He gave a small shrug. "He's the only one left. The emperor already decreed that King Shen would succeed the throne. Shenlin will officially become imperial territory."
Linyue shook her head, "I'm not sure. Something doesn't add up. The poison came from the emperor in the first place, right? But where did he even get it? He didn't have the cure. He didn't even know one existed. And now, the emperor has become the victim himself."
Shu Mingye nodded slowly, his expression turning thoughtful.
She went on, "If this was all King Shen's plan, then he's playing a very dangerous and confusing game."
Shu Mingye sighed, "He's the only one standing. Have you thought of another possibilities?"
Her eyes narrowed. "There's still one more person."
That made Shu Mingye turn his head, interest flickering in his eyes.