Back in the Azure dragon clan, Ningyan stood within the garden, his gaze resting on the distant floating mountains that drifted across the horizon like silent sentinels.

The air was crisp.

Beside him, Yan Wuhen stood with his tails swaying lazily, his expression faintly unimpressed as he followed Ningyan’s line of sight.

"...Are the mountains more important than me, Yan’er?" The question was dry.

Ningyan blinked, then turned to him.

"You’re jealous of the mountains?" he laughed softly. "That’s absurd."

"Absurd?" Wuhen echoed, clearly offended. Then he leaned closer, closing the distance between them, his voice dropping. "Look at me. Not them."

Ningyan shook his head, amusement lingering in his eyes.

"This was meant to be a private conversation," he said. "You could go and distract yourself with the children."

Wuhen rolled his eyes but didn’t move away. "No, I’ll admire the mountains with you."

Wuhen had stayed away from the Vermilion Fox Clan following the coup. No one asked questions, and Wuhen himself offered nothing.

He did not look angry or sad, and there was no physical evidence of the struggle....

Honestly, nobody outside of the palace was aware of the events that had taken place within the Vermilion Fox Clan.

Wuhen simply laughed, played, lingered at Ningyan’s side as though nothing had happened.

"You know..." Wuhen spoke again, quieter this time. "We never really talked about that night at the academy."

Ningyan’s heart skipped.

Wuhen’s ears twitched, his gaze shifting back to his husband. "Even if it’s long past... perhaps we should."

Ningyan pressed his lips together.

For a brief moment, he hesitated.

"I was going to elope with Meishan that night," The words came out more abruptly than intended.

Wuhen blinked.

"But I was betrayed by Han Yunyi," Ningyan continued, voice steadying as he went on. "She tampered with the chain... made sure you’d be forced to break it."

His fingers curled faintly at his side.

"...For a time, I thought I had killed you."

Wuhen stared at him and bursted into laughter as though Ningyan had just told a good joke.

Ningyan stared at him. "Why are you laughing?"

Wuhen gradually stopped, though the smile lingered on his lips.

"There’s no particular reason," he said lightly, then laughed again, softer this time. His tails swayed behind him, betraying his amusement as his red-gold eyes settled on Ningyan. "You were planning to elope with Lan Meishan... and you didn’t tell me?"

Ningyan frowned. He regretted taking Wuhen seriously at all.

He turned and walked past him. But Wuhen moved faster. His arms wrapped around him from behind, drawing him close, his face burying into the crook of Ningyan’s neck.

They stopped beneath the tree.

A gentle noon wind stirred the garden, sending pale blossoms drifting through the air, falling around them like scattered petals of light.

"I apologise... I apologise," Wuhen murmured, his voice softer now, stripped of its teasing edge. "But we’ve come far from that, haven’t we?"

Ningyan’s expression eased. His hands rose, resting over Wuhen’s where they lay against his stomach. "We have."

"Ningyan?" A familiar voice cut through the moment.

Ningyan’s smile vanished.

He turned.

Han Yunyi stood at the edge of the garden, her robes and hair stirred gently by the wind, her posture composed, yet her gaze uncertain as it moved between them.

Wuhen’s expression hardened instantly. He let go of Ningyan immediately and stepped forward.

"No." Ningyan caught his sleeve.

Wuhen paused, glancing back. A silent exchange passed between them. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Then, he exhaled sharply. "...Fine. I’ll go check on the children."

Ningyan’s lips curved faintly. "Thank you, my troublesome husband."

Wuhen huffed a quiet laugh and brushed past Yunyi without sparing her a glance.

Only when he was gone did she step forward.

Her hands clasped tightly before her.

"I’m... glad you agreed to see me," she said, voice low. "You don’t know how long I’ve carried guilt for that night. I only did it because I—"

"I don’t want to talk about that night." Ningyan’s words were calm.

Yunyi trembled, her eyes widening. "Then... what—"

She stopped.

Ningyan had already raised his hand. A purple glow flickered to life within his palm and the golden phoenix feather appeared.

Her breath caught.

"..This..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, shock flickering across her face. "That... where did you get that?"

"The phoenixes," Ningyan replied without hesitation. "Are you in contact with them?"

"What?" Yunyi’s expression tightened.

"Do you interact with them?" Ningyan pressed. "I want to know what they’re planning... and why they’re following me. Why are they trying to lure me in."

Yunyi blinked, caught off guard.

"What do you mean? I don’t—" She turned slightly, as if gathering her thoughts, then faced him again. "I told you before, you could unite our kind. I told you. And now..." her gaze swept over him, "with the strength you hold, I was right. You are capable."

Ningyan’s eyes twitched faintly.

"So that’s it?" he said, his voice cooling. "They want me to lead them and this is how they approach me? By hiding in shadows and setting traps?"

Yunyi exhaled.

"You’re more exposed now than ever, A-Yan," she said. "Back then, you were only a target to be killed by assassins. Now, you’re known across the three realms, a rising beast god... bound to the four great divine beast clans. Do you think they wouldn’t take notice?"

Ningyan let out a slow breath. The feather in his hand dissolved into his essence.

"...So you are in contact with them," he said quietly.

Yunyi scoffed, as though the answer were obvious. "Of course I am. If you had listened to me back then, we would already—"

"I don’t want that." The interruption was calm.

Yunyi froze.

Ningyan stepped closer.

"I don’t want to rule anyone," he said, his voice steady, stripped of all hesitation now. "I don’t want power struggles. I don’t want more attention, more schemes, more... expectations."

His gaze held hers. "I have a family. That’s enough. I’m happy where I am."

Yunyi’s expression flickered.

"I know you don’t feel the same," Ningyan continued. "And that’s fine."

He took another step forward and this time, the air shifted. His eyes bled into a vivid, luminous purple.

"But if you are truly in contact with them..." he said, voice lowering, each word stern, "then pass this message along."

The garden seemed to freeze around them.

"They should stay away from me and from my family. Do that... and we won’t have a problem."