He looked at Shen Yue's stiff, angry expression without any emotion. Her face was pale, her eyelashes trembled incessantly, and her dark, moist eyes seemed to be misted over due to intense emotional fluctuations. The tear mole was vividly lifelike on her fair skin.
After a while, she calmed down again. Her eyelids curved slightly upwards, her eyelashes as dense and long as crow feathers. Shen Yue smiled, as if holding all the winning cards.
"You will come to me."
Her luxurious, languid voice was filled with certainty, transforming into fine threads that bound Cheng Qian Gong.
He lowered his gaze, smiling, but his eyes were as cold as frost.
"Cheng Qian Gong, you will obediently come to my side on your own accord."
Cheng Qian Gong's eyes were deep, suppressing the dark clouds and rain. His pupils clearly reflected her image. He frowned tightly, as if enduring an insult.
Yet, in the most hidden depths, an emotion that fought against this aversion surfaced. He dared not delve too deeply, fearing that the result would contradict the upright and incorruptible education he had received over the years, like a stain on a white paper that could never be wiped clean.
He desperately wanted to escape, only to find he had nowhere left to retreat.
Ancient trees towered, foliage formed a dense canopy, and red walls stood against yellow tiles.
The golden glazed tiles of the double-eaved palace roof shone with dazzling light.
Shen Yue rested her forehead on her hand, her eyes closed in feigned sleep. Incense slowly rose from the censer, possessing a calming effect.
In the profoundly quiet space, Shen Yue heard no footsteps but could sense a presence approaching, drawing near. Her shoulder felt a weight as clothes were loosely draped over it.
The presence did not immediately depart, remaining rooted to the spot.
About half an hour passed, and Shen Yue opened her eyes. On her jade-like, fair face, beneath her eyelids, was embedded a strikingly eye-catching red mole.
Her dark eyes were like a layer of crystal glass, shining with a tranquil brilliance.
She tilted her head slightly, meeting the boy's deep, dark eyes.
The moment Shen Yue opened her eyes, the boy immediately retreated several steps. His face was devoid of any expression, his thin lips pressed pale.
Shen Yue tugged at her slipping robe with her fingers. Her fair fingers were like jade. She was very thin, with excellent posture. Although her back was not perfectly straight, her spine slightly relaxed, she still exuded an air of nobility.
She raised her arm, her sleeve sliding down to reveal a small section of her exquisitely slender wrist.
Her voice was somewhat casual, "Come here."
Huo Dao naturally walked over. He was like an untamed wolf, exuding a fierce wildness.
As he was standing, Huo Dao looked down at Shen Yue, somewhat condescendingly. When Shen Yue knitted her brows, he seemed to react, crouching down with a slight delay.
His handsome, pale face remained without any extraneous expression.
Shen Yue carefully appraised the young man before her, her gaze akin to inspecting her own property.
In fact, since she had brought Huo Dao to her side, Shen Yue rarely saw him. Only when she occasionally remembered would she summon him, to see what progress he had made in recent months.
Huo Dao seemed to be born an invincible and formidable sword. If one could control him, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. If one could not, it would result in utter destruction.
The young man had grown considerably. Shen Yue had measured him just now and found that he was half a head taller than her, and still growing.
Huo Dao's martial prowess was heaven-defying, but his intelligence was a cause for concern.
Although not exceptionally clever, he was not entirely foolish. Perhaps having grown up with the wolf king, his temperament was as greedy as a wolf's, possessing a surging ambition.
He knew that to stand higher, he needed the help of the person before him.
Thus, this wolf lowered its arrogant head.
Huo Dao reached out and grasped Shen Yue's sleeve. His hands were rough, calloused, and roughened by thick calluses. Yet, Shen Yue's clothes were made of thin, smooth silk, as if he could tear them to shreds with a slight exertion, revealing skin even smoother and softer than the fine fabric.
His fingertips merely brushed past, not yet gripping, when Shen Yue instinctively flicked her sleeve away.
Huo Dao missed his grasp and made no further move, his dark eyes fixed on her.
To be honest, servants of lower status simply did not dare to look directly at Shen Yue's face.
But Huo Dao seemed to know nothing of fear.
Shen Yue was not angry, even finding it somewhat interesting. Since she intended to train Huo Dao into her right-hand man, she naturally put some effort into it.
She shifted her posture, looking at the boy's expressionless face, her brows slightly raised, "Why are you here? Who allowed you to enter?"
Huo Dao did not intend to conceal it. He disliked lying. "Yes, I, I came myself."
Perhaps due to speaking so infrequently, his enunciation was exceptionally difficult and slurred for such a long time.
Outside the window, the parasol trees were lush and verdant, shedding a large patch of withered leaves onto the ground. The clustered parasol flowers swayed in the wind, precarious. Powder-white petals swirled and drifted inside.
Wisps of sandalwood incense misted the air.
Shen Yue's voice seemed to have become much more ethereal.
"Why?"
The boy was very young, yet his demeanor was as hard and cold as ice and iron, like a drawn sword.
He drew closer, and this time Shen Yue did not dodge.
Huo Dao's straight back relaxed due to Shen Yue's lack of evasion.
His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper, completely lacking youthful vigor.
"I want to follow you."
This sentence came out quite smoothly.
Even as he spoke such words, Huo Dao's face remained devoid of expression. At such a young age, his thoughts were so profound, making him unfathomable.
Shen Yue did not answer immediately but watched him quietly.
Huo Dao repeated himself, his tone flat and unvarying, "I want to follow you."
Seemingly calm, his fingers hanging at his sides clenched involuntarily, though his face showed no trace of it.
Slowly, he leaned forward, the distance between them rapidly closing.
Her face was like white jade, her long lashes casting faint shadows, her entire being exuding an icy, serene emptiness.
If one were to judge solely by appearance, no one would believe that this slender, beautiful person was the Fourth Prince, known for his brutal methods and cold-hearted nature.
Her cool fingers touched his face, and Huo Dao's jaw muscles twitched.
"Huo Dao, do you know the meaning of the name I gave you?"
Her soft fingers were like petals that could be easily pinched and kneaded, their rich, sweet juice flowing into the palm.
Huo Dao raised his thick, rough fingers and grasped her slender, snow-white wrist, his gaze fixed on Shen Yue with a predatory, almost bloodthirsty expression. His sharp canines made him resemble a wolf even more.
His dry lips almost devoutly kissed the back of Shen Yue's hand.
A smile appeared on his expressionless face, revealing his pointed teeth.
"Your Highness, I wish to be the blade in your hand, to cleave this prosperous era for you."