Shi Lan’s words instantly unsettled the five men.

He Hanshi’s body went taut. His comfortably swaying tail froze, and his eyes turned as dark and cold as ice.

Mu Tangfeng, who had been preening, felt his sharp beak tremble twice. He inadvertently snapped one of his own feathers but was too preoccupied to care about the loss.

Ye Ming opened his eyes in the shadows and strode toward the containment door, his gaze fixed on Chen Xiong with veiled displeasure.

Jiang Xia lost all interest in the ball of yarn he’d been batting around. He began to pace anxiously, leaving a trail of paw prints in the snow.

Even the perpetually nonchalant Yan Huoshui’s expression darkened, a sharp, cold glint flashing in his narrow, bewitching eyes.

At the same time, a single thought surfaced in all their minds: ’Is Shi Lan getting tired of us? Did we do something to make her job so difficult that she wants to quit?’

An inexplicable silence fell, and an invisible undercurrent of tension began to spread.

Chen Xiong remained blissfully unaware. His eyes, full of adoration, were fixed on the familiar figure of the White Lion in Cell Number One. He was so excited his voice trembled. "Hello, my lords. I-I’m Chen Xiong. From now on, I’ll do my best to t-take care of you..."

He Hanshi leaped down from the bed, his lithe movements showcasing the fluid grace of his beast form. He shook out his ruffled fur. For the first time, the White Lion, who normally appeared majestic yet gentle-eyed, revealed an edge as sharp and cold as a falcon’s gaze.

He coolly sized up Chen Xiong. Upon seeing his idol, Chen Xiong’s mind went blank, robbing him of nearly all ability to think. He stammered, raising a hand in a clumsy salute. "V-Vice Admiral He, hello!"

He Hanshi remained silent, his gaze shifting to the space behind Chen Xiong.

Chen Xiong was standing beside Shi Lan. His tall, burly frame made her look all the more petite and delicate, almost completely obscuring her from view and, coincidentally, blocking He Hanshi’s line of sight.

He Hanshi couldn’t see a thing. It was rare for him to feel such resistance and loathing toward a stranger, but he forcefully suppressed the churning emotions. For Shi Lan’s sake, he gave a cold "Mm" in response.

Hearing Chen Xiong and He Hanshi begin to interact, Shi Lan breathed a silent sigh of relief.

From her time with them, she had come to recognize He Hanshi’s authority. As long as he gave the word, the other prisoners would generally obey.

With him around, she could take her vacation without worry.

Shi Lan refocused. Seeing that Chen Xiong seemed to know He Hanshi, she skipped Cell Number One and proceeded to introduce the others in order.

She turned to Cell Number Two. When Chen Xiong had first entered, his mind had been completely filled with the three words "Vice Admiral He." After glancing at the name on Cell Number One, he hadn’t paid attention to anyone else, even giving his self-introduction while staring fixedly at He Hanshi.

But now, as he followed Shi Lan’s lead and his eyes fell upon the nameplate on Cell Number Two, he felt his world come crashing down.

’Oh god, why is Young Master Mu of the Empire’s Four Great Families here too?!!’

Mu Tangfeng, from one of the Empire’s noble houses, was notoriously volatile. He also loathed ugliness—he would immediately drive away anyone he deemed ugly if they came within three meters of him. He’d beat up anyone who defied him, and relying on his high spiritual power and powerful family background, no one dared to utter a word of protest.

It wasn’t just people with lesser backgrounds, either. Rumor had it he once got into a fight with the Second Prince simply because the prince had accidentally stepped on one of his freshly molted feathers. He beat the Second Prince so badly he ended up in a Treatment Pod, yet the Monarch’s only punishment was to send him to a military base for a week of "training."

To put it simply, anyone who crossed Young Master Mu was carried out feet first. He feared no one.

At this thought, Chen Xiong instinctively covered his face with his hands.

Shi Lan noticed his reaction and shot him a puzzled glance. She didn’t dwell on it, assuming he was just shy, and diligently continued the introductions. "This is Lord Mu."

"You can just address them as ’My Lord’ from now on."

Chen Xiong kept his face covered, not daring to lift his head. His voice came out muffled. "O-Okay."

But Mu Tangfeng wasn’t about to let him off the hook. His words were laced with venom. "Do they just hire anyone to work at this prison now?"

"What an ugly thing. An absolute eyesore."

Chen Xiong lowered his head further in shame.

Shi Lan’s expression hardened at his words. "Lord Mu, a person’s appearance is something they’re born with. You can judge someone for their character, but you cannot mock them for their looks."

"What’s truly dirty isn’t a person’s face, but a vile and filthy heart."

Chen Xiong was so moved by Shi Lan’s words that his eyes welled up with tears. ’What a kind and wonderful woman.’

But Young Master Mu didn’t care whether someone was a woman or not. A woman had once actively pursued him, and he had berated her until she cried, nearly driving her to suicide.

He couldn’t imagine the terrible retaliation this woman was about to face. He quickly tugged on her sleeve and stepped in front of her protectively. "S-Sorry, Young Master Mu. I-I’ll wear a mask next time."

Mu Tangfeng paid no mind to the other man. Seeing this male actually touch Shi Lan, his fury intensified. "Get lost."

Chen Xiong flinched and instinctively took a step back, but Shi Lan stood her ground, unmoving, her gaze locked on Mu Tangfeng.

"Apologize!"

This was the first time her tone had been so stern. Even when Mu Tangfeng had deliberately given her trouble in the past, she had always managed the situation with an easy smile.

But now, she was angry. All because of a stranger.

’She’s angry with me,’ Mu Tangfeng thought. The rage that had filled his chest, along with his anxiety about her leaving, transformed into an unbearable sense of being wronged. His once-resplendent, glossy feathers seemed to lose their luster in an instant, and his long, orange-yellow gradient tail feathers drooped listlessly to the ground.

Chen Xiong, standing to the side, could hardly bear to watch. ’Is this woman really so bold? Daring to demand an apology from Young Master Mu?’

’No wonder she had the guts to work on a remote place like the Prison Star.’

He shrank back, his teeth chattering. But he knew this woman was only acting this way to defend him. Just as he was about to say something to de-escalate, he heard Mu Tangfeng speak.

"Shi Lan, y-you’re scolding me? For a stranger?"

Chen Xiong: "..."

’Wait, is that right? Is that really something Young Master Mu would say?’

But none of the parties involved could comprehend his complex feelings right now. Shi Lan and Mu Tangfeng were staring at each other. She, too, wore a look of surprise, but for a completely different reason than Chen Xiong’s.

She looked into Mu Tangfeng’s eyes. Though his expression was fierce, a faint mist was gathering in his dark pupils. He still looked stubborn and proud, but it seemed as if he were on the verge of tears.

For a moment, Shi Lan felt as if she were the one bullying him.

This was the first time she had seen such an expression from Mu Tangfeng, and she was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, she softened her tone. "I’m not scolding you. It’s precisely because we’re familiar with each other that I want you to have proper values and judgment, rather than judging people solely on their appearance."

"If that’s really how you think, then if I became ugly one day, would you call me an ’ugly thing’ too?"