"Isn't that your pet?" Yan Qinghe asked coolly, gesturing with her chin toward Ningyan as he danced beside Tu Lanyin.
Her tone was sharp, edged with disdain.
She clearly didn't like him.
Perhaps it was because his beast core was broken. Qinghe had never tolerated weakness especially not in beings who dared stand near her brother.
Yan Wuhen merely smiled.
He didn't answer her right away. His attention remained fixed on the figure moving across the floor.
Ningyan danced like drifting fire... twirling, bending, rising as though his body weighed nothing at all. Like a phoenix petal caught in the wind.
An edible one.
Wuhen found that his thoughts kept circling back to Ningyan cutting his hair earlier. That sharp, reckless decision. That defiance.
Then.... Those violet eyes met his.
Ningyan turned mid-step, his arms lifted gracefully, his gaze narrowing as it landed on Wuhen. For a heartbeat, they locked eyes.
Wuhen smiled.
Ningyan rolled his eyes and turned away.
Wuhen rested his jaw against his hand, watching with open fascination. The flow of robes, the sway of the veil, the elegant strength in those legs.
Exquisite.
The performance soon ended. The dancers cleared the stage, and Ningyan stepped aside, laughing softly as he spoke with Tu Lanyin.
Wuhen tilted his head, curious.
Then he glanced at Qinghe, who was sipping her wine, her expression darkened by a small frown.
"It seems our pets are getting along," he said lightly.
She shot him a glare.
He chuckled. "What is it, Qinghe?"
Her frown deepened. "You're asking me what it is? You truly don't see the problem, do you, brother?"
Wuhen shrugged, his smile flashing his canines as his gaze drifted back to Ningyan who was now climbing the stairs beside Tu Lanyin, eyeing the hanging silks as if he wanted to leap onto them.
"No," Wuhen said casually. "I don't."
"He's a phoenix with a damaged core," Qinghe snapped. "Do you know his existence is already being whispered about throughout the academy?"
That caught Wuhen's attention.
His smile faded as he turned fully toward her.
"Because his core is damaged?" he asked.
Qinghe's lips curled slightly, pleased she had finally pulled his focus away.
"No. Because he mentioned Demon Qi."
Wuhen's eyes widened. "What?"
She scoffed. "He's going to drag us into trouble. You should sever the spirit-mate bond and cast him aside."
Her voice hardened.
"He's the son of a whore. Abandoned by his family. Rejected by his clan. A broken, insignificant nobody."
Her gaze was cold.
"You can't possibly fancy something like that. You'll ruin your reputation."
Wuhen's lips twitched. "You are such an amazing sister. But I am disappointed in you."
Qinghe's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
"Because you are very much aware that our mother was a whore too." He paused, then added lightly, "Though I don't like that word. I prefer something more refined. Still... she was one before Father married her."
Qinghe frowned. "Do not compare our mother to—"
"I'm not comparing." He lifted his hand, tilting her chin upward.
She frowned, which only made him grin before poking her cheek playfully. "I'm reminding you that unnecessary discrimination isn't right. If you hated him because he's weak and insignificant, I'd understand. But dragging his mother into it?"
His voice softened. "That poor woman doesn't deserve that. She's dead too."
Qinghe snorted and slapped his hand away. "I can't believe you're lecturing me about right and wrong. You."
Wuhen smiled, clearly pleased with himself, and turned his gaze toward Ningyan, who was swinging and twisting above with Tu Lanyin.
Ningyan had removed his veil, and Wuhen could clearly see the wide smile on his face. He looked… happy.
"Adorable... it seems our pets are already acquainted," he remarked.
"She's not my pet," Qinghe grumbled.
"He's not my pet either," Wuhen replied with a chuckle.
Qinghe glared at him. "Are you seriously getting attached to him?"
"Yes." Wuhen nodded without hesitation.
"I will not allow this," Qinghe said, frowning.
Wuhen shot her a dry look, crimson light flickering faintly in his eyes. "Why not?"
Her frown deepened, but she said nothing. Wuhen's smile slowly returned.
"Focus on your own affairs, dear sister. I'm as free to have anyone in my bed as you are."
Qinghe's lips twitched. "If you say so, dear brother of mine."
Wuhen recognized that look immediately. She wasn't going to listen to him and he really didn't want to think about her.
His sister was overly protective, something he had always admired, but if she dared to hurt Ningyan simply because she didn't like him…
His gaze shifted to Tu Lanyin.
She was adorable. An adorable rabbit. Strong, too... very strong...but not stronger than Wuhen.
Tit for tat was bound to happen if Qinghe attempted to hurt Ningyan in any way.
And Qinghe knew that.
They were twins, after all. Identical twins separated only by gender. Their behaviors and habits mirrored each other.
They knew exactly what the other was capable of… and what they weren't. Wuhen was glad for that.
He rose, stretching lazily as a wash of red-gold light flared around his body. In the blink of an eye, he was above, seated on the wooden railing, his nine tails swaying slowly behind him.
At that same moment, Ningyan swung toward him. Wuhen's sudden appearance threw him off. He couldn't maneuver in time.
Strong arms yanked him from the cloth swing, pulling him straight into Wuhen's lap. Ningyan's eyes nearly burst out of their sockets from the shock.
"Hello there, Yan'er," Wuhen purred, gently caressing his face and brushing his hair aside. "I didn't know you could dance."
Ningyan blinked rapidly but didn't move. Struggling now would only send them both falling but he still slapped Wuhen's hand away.
"You didn't ask."
"True." Wuhen smiled. "You must be exhausted, though."
"I'm not," Ningyan replied, eyeing him suspiciously.
"You are." Wuhen's polite smile was unsettling. "And we're going to rest in my personal chamber."
Ningyan stiffened. Then, suddenly, he struggled just enough to push himself free of Wuhen's arms and began to fall.
It was high. High enough that he knew he'd end up with a broken back.
Wuhen watched him drop, surprise flashing across his face for only a moment before it twisted into a wide grin.