The carriage jolted over a bump. Linyue's brain jolted with it. She was still in Shu Mingye's lap, cocooned in his warmth, when his gaze wandered lazily around the small carriage. His voice came out far too calm. Far too serious. The kind of voice that made alarms go off in her head.
"Actually, it's not that bad," he said thoughtfully. "We can do it here."
His hand slid across her waist with unmistakable purpose.
Linyue jolted and straightened up fast. "I remember! Spirit beast!"
Shu Mingye blinked, unimpressed. His brow furrowed. "Pie, don't try to change the subject."
"No no, I'm serious," she said quickly, clinging to the random memory. "Do you remember the first time we met? In front of the palace gate?"
He let out a long, dramatic sigh, visibly disappointed by her escape tactic. "Of course. You looked like a seaweed monster. And those candies? Terrible. It was the worst first meeting of my life."
"Memorable," Linyue corrected, poking his chest. "Anyway, we fell into the swamp because of a spirit beast."
Shu Mingye leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Are you really trying to have this conversation, or are you just desperately running away from what I was about to do?"
Linyue hesitated, caught red-handed. "…Both?"
He stared at her for a long moment. Then leaned back with a defeated sigh. "Fine. Tell me about it."
Linyue exhaled quickly and launched into her story. "We were looking for herb near the forest on the border of the inner wall. Then suddenly, a spirit beast showed up. It looked so cute! Like a white dog wearing a crown. Its fur sparkled with shiny aura."
Shu Mingye arched a brow, already skeptical. "And of course you followed it."
"We all did," she said defensively, puffing her cheeks a little. "It trotted ahead so gracefully, wagging its fluffy tail, looking back as if it wanted us to follow. Who wouldn't?"
Shu Mingye chuckled, low and amused. "I wouldn't."
Linyue pouted hard. "Anyway, it led us deeper and deeper into the forest… right to this suspiciously, overly green meadow."
"And you just walked into it?" he asked, voice flat.
Linue nodded. "Mhm. Like complete fools. Turns out the whole meadow was actually a swamp. A hungry swamp."
He exhaled, lips twitching as if he was already bracing himself for what was coming. "And the spirit beast?"
Linyue pursed her lips. "It just sat there and watched us sink. Looked absolutely entertained. Then it trotted away, tail wagging. Didn't even say goodbye."
Shu Mingye was quiet for a moment. Then the corner of his mouth curved faintly. "So that spirit beast was smart. It lured four foolish cultivators into a trap. And you all just fell in."
Linyue looked offended. "It was cute. You can't say no to a puppy with a crown. That should be illegal."
Shu Mingye let out a soft laugh, pulling her closer until she was snug against his chest. "Pie, you drowned yourself in a swamp because you could not resist a dog with jewelry."
Her cheeks burned, but she lifted her chin anyway. "It was majestic," she muttered stubbornly.
"Pathetic," he murmured. Yet his hand stroked her hair with lazy fondness, like she had just confessed something endearing instead of idiotic.
"You are pathetic," she muttered, scooting slightly farther away.
His eyes narrowed. "And you're still in my lap."
"…Technical difficulty," Linyue mumbled, refusing to meet his gaze.
Shu Mingye gave her a slow, wicked smile. "Then let's fix it."
Linyue yelped and scrambled closer to the window. The swamp was starting to sound safer. At least the swamp didn't try to seduce her between bumpy carriage rides.
Chaos couple update: One was trying to fix a "technical difficulty," the other was seriously considering running back to nature.
Meanwhile, in the second carriage…
Shen Zhenyu sat by the window, quiet as ever, staring out at the trees and road outside.
He Yuying naturally had already broken into the emergency snack stash. He munched on dried lotus root chips.
Song Meiyu, of course, was not quiet. "Do you think Sister Linyue will be alright?" she asked, leaning forward with worry.
Shen Zhenyu didn't even blink. "What could possibly happen to her?"
Song Meiyu gasped a little. "Brother Zhenyu, you trust that Demon King that much?"
Shen Zhenyu turned his head slowly, raising an eyebrow at her. "You saw her fight. If anything happens, it won't be to her. That carriage will get struck by lightning first."
He Yuying nodded wisely without looking up from his chips. "Good thing we take separate carriage."
Song Meiyu huffed, crossing her arms. "That's not what I meant. Ugh, forget it, forget it. Anyway Brother Zhenyu, does this mean… you give him your blessing?"
Shen Zhenyu frowned slightly, thoughtful. "Linyue's opinion matters the most. If she's being forced, I won't sit still. If she chooses him willingly…" He paused. "Then I'll support her. Gladly."
Song Meiyu's eyes instantly filled with sparkles. "Brother Zhenyu, I knew it. You're always so strict and serious, but deep down, you understand us the best!"
Just as Song Meiyu looked ready to get emotional, He Yuying casually stuffed a steamed bun into her mouth without even glancing up from his snack pouch. "No crying. We still have six days left."
Song Meiyu made muffled noises, trying to speak through the steamed bun now occupying most of her mouth. Her arms waved dramatically, like she was either summoning help or just demanding attention.
Shen Zhenyu sighed, rubbing his temple lightly. "He hasn't even gotten permission from masters yet. They won't make it easy for him, especially with that reputation of his."
Song Meiyu finally managed to swallow the bun. "You're right. But should we help him? He really is good to Sister Linyue. And let's be honest, we've lived pretty well in the palace, haven't we? No poison, no assassins, cozy beds, and even after burning and breaking a few things… we're still alive!"
Shen Zhenyu said casually. "Leave him be. Let him suffer a bit."
He Yuying nodded with a grin. "Yeah. It'll be fun to watch."
Song Meiyu gasped, clutching her chest. "You two are terrible."
Carriage Two: quieter, safer but still undeniably chaotic in its own, snack-filled way.
Back to Carriage One.
Linyue lay flat on the seat, completely breathless. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Shu Mingye like she had just survived a storm. Technically, she had. A very smug, very good-looking storm who clearly had no concept of mercy. That Demon Kking had taken her "unlimited time" promise far too seriously. Extra? Bonus? Why had she ever said those words? She wasn't sure anymore. Her mind was soup. Her limbs were noodles. And Shu Mingye? Still going, all proud and determined.
She squirmed weakly, biting her lip to keep the sounds from escaping. But after what felt like hours (and was probably only twenty minutes), she finally broke. "I—I can't anymore," she whispered, her voice shaky as if her soul was trying to escape too.
Shu Mingye leaned down, his lips brushing her ear as his voice turned low and husky. "Don't worry, Pie. I'll handle everything. You just have to lie there and breathe."
"But—"
"No but," he cut her off smoothly, wicked amusement in his tone. "You already gave me unlimited time. Too late to regret it now."
He grinned, dark and satisfied, and kept going. Somewhere deep inside, Linyue cursed her past self for ever saying anything about bonuses. Or time. Or affection. Or existing in the same carriage as this man. And then, because the universe clearly hated her, Shu Mingye somehow found new and creative ways to make her lose her mind. Linyue could only whimper softly and accept her fate.
In the end, the carriage kept rolling along peacefully. Inside, there was one completely satisfied villain and one thoroughly defeated Pie.
Linyue sat slumped on Shu Mingye's lap again. She was dressed in fresh robes, her hair slightly messy, and her eyes half-closed like she hadn't slept in three days. Meanwhile, Shu Mingye looked far too pleased with himself. He grinned like a fool and even had the audacity to hum softly, as if he hadn't just caused complete and total spiritual damage to someone.
Linyue blinked slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I want to meditate."
Shu Mingye raised a brow. "You still have energy for that?"
"I do," she muttered, frowning faintly, "as long as you keep quiet. And keep your hands where your hands should be."
"Alright," Shu Mingye said sweetly. Then without shame, he moved his hand over her waist and let it slide just slightly lower in a very obvious, very deliberate way.
Linyue stiffened. "What are you doing?"
"You told me to keep my hands where they should be," he replied innocently, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Not there!"
He tilted his head. "It's my hand. I know exactly where it should be."
Linyue stared at him then very seriously, she said, "I want to train my spiritual sense."
"Mm," Shu Mingye nodded. "Your spiritual sense just flared up twenty minutes ago. I felt it. Very impressive."
Linyue flushed. "That was not training."
"I learned a lot from it," he said shamelessly.
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Breathe in… breathe out… ignore the Demon King…"
"Too late," Shu Mingye whispered beside her ear, his voice low and playful. "You already married him in spirit. No take-backs."
She opened her eyes and gave him a look.
He kissed her cheek and added softly, "But I'll behave. For now."
Linyue exhaled. Peace, at last.
...Until his fingers moved just a little.
"Shu Mingye."