Xue Yinzhou was clearly in a great mood. Watching the little female in his arms nod off, eyes heavy with sleep and yawning continuously, he could tell she was on the verge of drifting away.

He lowered his head to kiss her forehead. "Let’s take a bath first."

Shen Tang was limp all over, barely able to stand, so Xue Yinzhou simply carried her to the riverside.

The weather this season still held a touch of muggy heat. Nights didn’t feel cold either. After cleaning themselves up, Xue Yinzhou was going to take Shen Tang back to rest, but after thinking twice, he turned around and headed back into the cave.

He shifted back into his snake form and coiled himself around the female in circles, letting her sleep atop his soft, supple snake body.

He wanted to spend a few more days with her.

Shen Tang was already too sleepy to keep her eyes open, and didn’t bother to ponder his little schemes anymore.

Xue Yinzhou glanced down at the little female in his arms, and, satisfied, closed his eyes to sleep.

But he’d barely drifted off when hurried footsteps sounded at the cave entrance—it was Xiao Jin, following the scent right to them.

Xue Yinzhou lazily cracked open his eyelids and shot a look at the leopard at the entrance, his silvery-white snake tail coiling even tighter around the female in his arms, thumping the ground in a show of warning as if to say, "Try coming closer and I’ll smack you out with my tail."

As soon as Xiao Jin was mobile again, he’d rushed over to find them. The sweet, cloying scent in the cave was all he needed to guess what these two had been up to for days, and in that instant, his heart boiled over with jealousy!

Glaring at the snake beast monopolizing the female, then at Shen Tang, still blissfully asleep in his embrace, Xiao Jin—for once—managed to keep calm instead of making a noisy fuss. He padded his way to the edge of Xue Yinzhou’s marked territory, flopped onto the ground, and decided to sleep right there.

Hmph.

Want to have her all to yourself? Dream on.

I’ll just wait right here.

No way this snake beast won’t tire out, he can’t possibly monopolize the female forever!

As soon as he gets a chance, he’s determined to squeeze his way in!

Forcibly crash their twosome into a threesome.

Violet sparks flashed in Xue Yinzhou’s purple snake eyes—he barely suppressed the urge to send this leopard flying with a smack of his tail!

The two of them had almost advanced at the same time, but Xue Yinzhou had accumulated more power in his body than Xiao Jin. Both were at the Primordial Beast Tier, but right now, Xiao Jin was no match for him.

Not that Xue Yinzhou felt like fighting anyway; after staring at the leopard for a moment, he slowly closed his eyes again.

Snakes never really close their eyes entirely when they sleep—their eyes look pretty much the same awake or asleep, but if you peer closely, you might notice a thin white film covering them.

Xiao Jin lay on the ground, secretly cracking an eye open. When he saw Xue Yinzhou looked asleep, he tiptoed, trying to sneak closer.

But the next second, the snake tail hanging on the ground suddenly whipped over.

"Ow..."

Xiao Jin reacted lightning fast, nimbly dodging the blow. Frustrated, he scraped his paws twice into the dirt, let out a heavy breath, then obediently slumped back where he was and stayed put.

Only then did Xue Yinzhou close his eyes again.

And so the night passed in peace.

Xue Yinzhou never allowed Xiao Jin to approach Shen Tang. But this time, Xiao Jin learned his lesson and didn’t go over to get himself thrashed; he curled up in the distance, watching like a predator—patiently biding his time.

From dawn to dusk, Xue Yinzhou always had to rest sometime, so his chance would come eventually.

At first, Xue Yinzhou would still attack him, but after a while he couldn’t be bothered anymore.

Just like that, a few days passed; as for the wild antics during that time, let’s not even mention them.

The one most tormented during these days, though, was definitely Jia Lan.

He could see it, but never taste it. It was driving him absolutely crazy.

No matter how he closed his eyes or stuffed wood plugs in his ears, the sounds played out before him again and again like a damn movie.

How was any adult male supposed to tolerate that?

This was psychological torture, pure and simple!

In the end, he just forced his puppet-self into hibernation—out of sight, out of mind.

...

Half a month later.

The first ray of dawn cut through the sky.

A silver-gray airship glided steadily through the sky, quickly crossing the national border.

When Lu Xiao knocked and entered, he was greeted by the lingering sweet scent in the air. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he glanced over at the lump beneath the blanket on the bed, exhaling softly as he struggled to tamp down the rising longing in his chest.

He set down the breakfast he’d brought on the table and gently reminded, "Female Master, have a bite to eat before going back to sleep."

Shen Tang let out a lazy yawn, draped only in her nightgown, the collar sliding off as she sat up, revealing fair, slender neck and one smooth, rounded shoulder, her long hair messy down her back.

She plopped down at the dining table, picked up a bun and bit into it—it was spicy chicken and shiitake, and she couldn’t help but praise, "This is so good~ You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Don’t just stand there—sit and eat with me."

"Alright." Lu Xiao sat beside her, pushing the meat porridge in front of her, quietly starting on his own meal as well.

This meal left Shen Tang so satisfied she was almost moved to tears. Heaven knows how she survived the last half month! It was, frankly... Something she’d rather not recall!

Those two were like starving wolves; she simply couldn’t withstand them. She’d barely managed to grab an opportunity to sneak away. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Lu Xiao was definitely the best—so thoughtful and gentle.

Being with him was relaxing; she didn’t have to think about anything, didn’t have to do anything. He always arranged everything perfectly for her, never forcing her to do anything, always prioritizing whatever she wanted.

Seeing her eat so happily, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but smile and reach out to wipe soup off her lips. "It’s still early—if you’re sleepy, you can rest a bit more."

"I’m not sleepy anymore." Shen Tang glanced at the already bright sky outside—likely around six or seven in the morning. She stretched and got up to wash, asking as she went, "How much longer till we arrive?"

Lu Xiao stepped up behind her, his broad palm gathering up her long hair and gently, meticulously combing it with a wooden comb. "We’ve crossed the border already—should be about two days left."

That’s right—they were on their way to the Yunding Empire.

This had been an impromptu decision by Shen Tang. Coincidence? Well, not exactly.

Not long ago, a national scandal had rocked the Yunding Empire—the Sky King’s Prince Consort had actually attempted to assassinate her and seize the throne!

This was uncannily similar to what Sivall had pulled years ago.

The Sky King, however, was warier than Jialouluo—or perhaps, after holding her position for so many years, she never truly trusted anyone, not even the partner who’d shared her bed for years.

That’s why the Sky King immediately detected his ambition, executed him on the spot, and ruthlessly uprooted his entire faction—killing who needed to be killed, banishing the rest—quelling the failed coup with an iron fist.

Still, betrayal by someone at her side was a heavy blow—especially with the Sky King now over forty, closing in on fifty. She was in excellent health and spirits, appearing no older than thirty or forty on the outside, but age was what it was, and the matter of succession could no longer be ignored.

Of her children, the Eldest Prince had always shown the most talent. According to imperial succession by the eldest legitimate son, the throne ought to have naturally passed to him.

Unfortunately, everyone knew what had become of the Eldest Prince—now a ruined man, and thus no longer eligible. That was exactly why the Prince Consort had resented and tried to seize power.

The Sky King now had to choose between the Second Prince and the Third Princess as heir.

Both remaining children were fairly gifted and passed the preliminary tests, but both stalled at the final step—awakening the Golden Feathered Roc bloodline.

Unlike other species, the Golden Feathered Roc’s bloodline must be awakened later in life. Even those of pure descent have to undergo this process.

Of the Sky King’s brood, only the Eldest Prince was a pure-blooded Golden Feathered Roc, and was expected to be most likely to awaken the bloodline—until fate took its twist.

The other two were children of the Sky King and her other consorts of mixed races. Though there was a slim chance, like Lu Xiao, that they could awaken the bloodline, the difficulty and failure rate were high.

As a result, the Sky King set up a competition—the first to awaken the bloodline wins the throne. Otherwise, there would be an open selection, and the most talented youth of the new generation would be crowned the new monarch.

With all this happening with his birth family, Lu Xiao naturally had to return, to comfort his mother and to guide his siblings who had yet to awaken their bloodline.

After all, deep down, the Sky King still hoped the throne would remain within her own bloodline.

But Shen Tang was also here for another reason.

Currently, power in the Yunding Empire was divided among the Three Kings. In order to complete her mission, Shen Tang desperately needed the Empire’s support.

The Sky King and the King of Abyss Night had already joined the Dawn Alliance, but the Rift Sky King still hadn’t stated a position, seemingly uninterested in joining.

Shen Tang had sent envoys for negotiations, but they’d all returned empty-handed.

So this time, she planned to go in person to see what was really going on—and if she could get a direct meeting with the Rift Sky King, all the better.