Xue Yunxue lay quietly on the bed in the old inn.
She pulled the thick blanket over her body, trying to block out the cold that slowly crept into the night. Outside, everything was silent, broken only by the occasional wind carrying drifting snow. Before long, exhaustion dragged her consciousness into darkness.
She fell asleep.
In that silence—
a sudden warmth touched her.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her gently yet firmly into an embrace. It was solid… protective… as though shielding her from everything beyond.
Though her mind was half-asleep, her sense of smell remained sharp.
That scent…
warm.
calm.
and deeply familiar.
Sandalwood.
Only one of her beast husbands carried such a scent.
Xue Yunxue slowly opened her eyes.
Her blurred vision caught sight of the figure beside her—
Luo Shixin.
He lay behind her, holding her tightly, as if ensuring she truly remained within his reach.
No words.
No explanation.
Yet his presence alone was enough.
A sense of peace immediately enveloped her.
Warm.
Safe.
Unconsciously, her body leaned slightly into his embrace. Her eyelids closed again.
And this time—
her sleep became far deeper.
Luo Shixin lowered his head slowly.
His gaze fell upon the girl resting in his arms.
Soft.
Beautiful.
He leaned closer.
His lips brushed lightly against her forehead—
a fleeting kiss.
Yet filled with meaning.
But in that very moment—
his expression changed.
His golden eyes sharpened.
That scent…
He inhaled slowly.
And in an instant—
he realized.
The sweet, intoxicating fragrance—though suppressed beneath a layer of energy—was unmistakable at such close distance.
The girl in his arms…
was in heat.
His body tensed slightly.
His throat moved as he suppressed the instinct rising within him.
Desire.
Primal.
Difficult to ignore.
Yet his embrace did not loosen.
Instead—
it tightened slightly.
As if he were restraining himself—
and at the same time, unwilling to let her go.
But seeing her peaceful, sleeping face—
he endured.
"Xue'er… you truly leave me helpless," he murmured softly.
That entire night—
Luo Shixin did not truly sleep.
His body remained still, his arms never leaving her, yet beneath that calm surface, his instincts churned endlessly.
That faint, warm, tempting scent lingered in his senses.
Not overwhelming.
Not aggressive.
And precisely because of that—
impossible to ignore.
Each breath grew heavier.
Each moment stretched longer.
His instincts pushed him.
Tested him.
But he did not move.
He remained still—
holding her carefully, as if even the slightest loss of control would shatter everything.
In his arms, Xue Yunxue slept peacefully.
And that—
was what kept him restrained.
He did not want to disturb her.
Did not want to break that rare calm on her face.
So he endured.
Through the entire night.
Near midnight—
the inn's atmosphere shifted.
The front door opened silently.
Cold air slipped inside—
bringing new presences.
Yun Wu and Lin Yuan had returned.
But they were not alone.
In Yun Wu's hand, a silver snake lay weakly coiled.
Xiang Shuai.
Still in snake form.
His body looked exhausted but stable. His scales were cleaner, brighter—evidence that he had just completed shedding.
They had found him hidden inside a warm hollow tree, fully surrendered to instinct.
After shedding—
his body weakened.
And sleep—
was the only way to recover.
Without speaking, they brought him back.
Soon after—
another presence appeared.
Lu Xiao.
As always—
silent.
Without trace.
Like a shadow that chose when to exist.
Once gathered—
they all moved toward the same place.
Xue Yunxue's room.
They stopped at the door.
A scent reached them.
Masculine.
Warm.
Sandalwood.
Luo Shixin.
Yun Wu's eyes narrowed slightly.
But he said nothing.
Lin Yuan stood beside him, expression calm—
yet the air around him grew colder.
He was not angry.
But clearly—
he did not like this.
Lu Xiao remained behind them, quiet as ever.
Watching.
Observing.
And the silence between them—
spoke more than words ever could.
Lu Xiao merely stood slightly behind them. His expression remained calm, yet his eyes narrowed faintly as he observed, without overreacting.
One by one, they turned away. They all understood that nothing had happened between the two—only rest. The steady rhythm of breathing from inside the room made that clear. Since nothing had occurred, they chose to leave, allowing the two to sleep peacefully.
The next morning, Xue Yunxue woke up.
She had slept deeply.
The room had felt warmer that night.
She opened her eyes—
and found Luo Shixin lying beside her.
His strong, muscular arm was wrapped around her waist, his head resting against her neck. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady, clearly still in deep sleep.
Xue Yunxue rose slowly.
She adjusted her clothes and prepared to go downstairs to order breakfast.
But before she could open the door—
it burst open.
A man with silver hair and beautiful golden eyes stood there, staring sharply at her. His features were perfectly sculpted.
Xiang Shuai.
His expression was slightly dark, irritation clearly visible on his face.
"A-Shuai? Are you alright? I was really worried about you. Did you fall asleep somewhere? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?" Xue Yunxue hurried forward, checking his condition, even leaning closer to make sure there was no scent of blood on him.
Xiang Shuai's eyes widened.
Was this girl… truly worried about him?
Hadn't she just spent the night with that damned bird man?
And yet—
there was no lingering masculine scent on her.
Instead—
he caught that faint, sweet, intoxicating fragrance.
He stepped back suddenly, realization flashing in his eyes.
"You…" his gaze sharpened with vigilance.
Xue Yunxue tilted her head.
"Why do you suddenly look a bit pale?"
"No, I… I'm just a little hungry. Can you cook something for me?" Xiang Shuai quickly found an excuse.
"Of course. I'll borrow Julia's kitchen. You must be starving. I'll make something delicious."
Xiang Shuai immediately left.
His snake tongue flickered subtly as he caught that alluring scent again.
If he stayed any longer—
he might lose control.
Xue Yunxue prepared several delicious dishes and invited Shaotian and Luo Mei to eat together.
Afterward, they discussed their plans and agreed to leave Yinhe that very day.
Luo Shixin and Lu Xiao had already identified the attackers—
they were envoys of the dark power,
clearly under the command of Zora.
Because of this, they had to leave immediately.
To avoid pursuit, they split into four groups:
Lin Yuan with Luo Shixin, Xiang Shuai with Lu Xiao, Luo Mei with Shaotian, and Yun Wu with Xue Yunxue
Yun Wu, with his sharp senses of smell and hearing, could detect enemies from afar and move swiftly on land—making him the best choice to stay with her.
Xue Yunxue narrowed her eyes.
That name—
Zora—
was not unfamiliar.
He was the one who had tried to kidnap her—
and kill her—
on the day of the Star Princess coronation.
Without delay, they left Yinhe.
Though Julia felt reluctant to part with Xue Yunxue, she insisted on giving her several soul core stones as a farewell gift.
Even though Xue Yunxue refused—
Julia insisted.
In the end, she accepted.
Feeling awkward, Xue Yunxue also gave Julia several items in return—healing potions, teleportation tokens, and rare herbs.
Then—
they parted.
Leaving Yinhe by midday.
Xue Yunxue lay atop Yun Wu's massive black wolf form.
His powerful legs carried them swiftly through the snow-covered forest.
It would take at least five days of travel, avoiding crowded areas and moving through the wilderness.
At night, they rested in narrow cave crevices.
At dawn—
they continued.
On the fifth day—
they neared the capital.
Then—
Yun Wu suddenly stopped.
His sharp nose caught something.
A scent.
Blood.
Faint—
but growing stronger the closer they got.
Xue Yunxue smelled it too.
A foul stench—
mixed with the metallic tang of blood—
carried by the wind.
"A-Wu… isn't that coming from the direction of the capital?" she asked, opening the map.
Yun Wu let out a low growl in his wolf form.
"Yes… I have a bad feeling. Something is happening."
Xue Yunxue nodded slowly.
She felt it too.
Something—
was very wrong.