"Alright, alright. Meditate," Shu Mingye muttered, flopping back like a wounded man. "But what are you even planning to do with it?"
Linyue, still sitting in his lap, looked at him seriously. "I want to find out what kind of array is inside my body. If I train my spiritual sense, I'll be able to poke into it."
The moment she said that, Shu Mingye's smug grin cracked. Gone was the proud villain look. He sat up straighter, eyes narrowing in alarm. "You can't. It's dangerous. The last time you tried that—"
"I know," Linyue interrupted. "That's why I'm learning to control it. I'm better now. I even sensed you walking to my chambers before you arrived. That's how Master can see, even with his eyes covered."
Shu Mingye rubbed his face like he was trying to rub the future away. "Of course that makes sense," he muttered. "Of course you got better. Why wouldn't you?"
He looked at her again, heart pounding a little. That array in her body. No. She couldn't touch that. She mustn't touch that. "I don't mind you training your spiritual sense," he said gently. "But that array… Pie, it's completely off limits."
"Why?" she asked, frowning a little. "It might be something bad. What if I can undo it?"
"You can't!" Shu Mingye snapped, a little too fast. "Don't even try to touch it. Pie, I told you not to do dangerous things."
Linyue was surprised by his sharp tone. "It's not dangerous. I'm just sensing it from afar, not even poking at it. I found multiple arrays inside me. I need to know what they do."
Shu Mingye opened his mouth, then closed it again. His jaw tightened. For a man who could threaten an entire state with one glare, he now looked like someone who just got caught hiding a very big, very dangerous secret under the rug.
"Pie," he said slowly, "please don't make me tie you up for real."
"Do you know…" she began, "I discovered condensed spiritual energy in my meridian. It's like ice. Trapped by an array. Maybe that's why my body is always cold." She observed his expression and continued. "And there are multiple arrays surrounding it. Isn't it strange? I want to know what it is."
Shu Mingye's expression turned grim, and his arm around her waist tightened a little. So she had found it. She didn't understand what it was yet, but she was getting too close.
He kept his voice steady. "There are multiple arrays surrounding it?"
"Mhm," she said again. "And from those arrays… I felt my master's spiritual energy."
His jaw clenched. Her master? Of course he'd left something behind. But that self-sealing array, he had a sinking feeling it wasn't her master doing. Hopefully.
"What about the one that trapped your spiritual energy?" He kept his voice casual, but his eyes were sharp. "Is it also your master?"
Linyue frowned slightly, thoughtful. "I'm not sure. It's buried deep inside. I can't tell unless I poke further."
Shu Mingye immediately stiffened. "Pie," he said flatly, "don't poke into that one."
"What about the other one?"
He closed his eyes and sighed for the hundredth time that day. She was bargaining. With arrays. Inside her body. Of course she was. But the multiple arrays surrounding that one… they might be different. They could even help. It wasn't a bad idea to find out what they were if she was careful. Which, unfortunately, was something Linyue claimed she always was but absolutely never was.
He gave her a serious look. "Fine. But do it carefully. If anything even feels a little dangerous, you retreat. No experiments. No brave little Pie nonsense. Just run."
Linyue smiled sweetly. "Alright, I know."
She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, quick and warm, like a reward for saying yes. Before he could trap her back in his lap forever, she slipped away and sat across from him, arranging her robes with that prim, princessy grace that made him want to ruin them again.
She crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and settled into stillness.
Shu Mingye narrowed his gaze. "Pie," he said, his tone suspicious, "teach me how to use spiritual sense. I'll train too."
Linyue cracked one eye open, amused. "You want to meditate with me?"
"I want to supervise your meditation," he said. "If you plan to poke weird arrays, I'm not letting you do it alone."
Her lips curved into a grin. She nodded and began explaining, her voice calm and patient as she broke it down step by step.
He listened carefully.
...For five seconds. Then, the moment she closed her eyes and slipped into proper meditation, Shu Mingye leaned back against the carriage wall and tilted his head. His Pie sat in perfect serenity, breathing slow and even, while he sat across from her in perfect distraction, wondering how anyone was supposed to meditate when temptation sat directly in front of them pretending to be enlightened.
With a sigh that carried both devotion and suffering, he closed his eyes and tried to follow her instructions.
Step one: Clear the mind.
His mind: Pie's lips are very soft. I wonder if she will be mad if I kiss her now. What is she sensing right now. What if she melts. Should I cover her in blankets. What is that twitch on her brow. Is she sensing something scary? Should I stop her? Should I stare? I'm staring.
He peeked through one eye. She was faintly glowing with spiritual light, her face calm and otherworldly. Beautiful. Dangerous. His future wife.
Shu Mingye gave up on meditation right there. He folded his arms and sat perfectly still, watching her like a silent guardian. Meditation could wait. He had a Pie to protect. So he watched.
All night.
Seriously.
While most people would've fallen asleep or at least blinked once or twice, Shu Mingye did neither. He sat still like a creepy but oddly handsome statue, eyes fixed on the quietly glowing form of Linyue. She looked serene, so peaceful, her breathing steady, her posture elegant. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she was poking into those weird arrays yet. Good. She had said she only wanted to train her spiritual sense, and so far, she was behaving. He let out a long sigh, the sigh of a king who was extremely powerful but also extremely babysitting. Then finally, with a hint of surrender, he sat down properly, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.
"Might as well join her," he muttered under his breath. "How hard can it be?"
Time passed, though neither of them noticed. The carriage swayed gently. Outside, dawn crept in, sunlight brushing over the soft curtains. It was quiet and peaceful. Probably the only peaceful moment the two of them had shared without any touching, teasing, or dramatic yelling.
Linyue opened her eyes first. Her gaze fell on Shu Mingye. To her surprise, he was meditating. Actually meditating. Eyes closed, brow furrowed a little, posture upright. And most shockingly of all, he hadn't interrupted her once. Not even a sneaky hand on her lap. He just… behaved.
She blinked. Had he improved? Was this his growth arc? Was this spiritual maturity? Or had Shu Mingye finally burned out after last night's villainous enthusiasm?
Either way, she smiled. A tiny, pleased smile. Carefully, she spread her spiritual sense outward like delicate threads, testing her range. It was better now, much better. She could easily sense the people in the second carriage. Her chaos family. All alive, thankfully. And meditating too?
She almost laughed. All of them were still, quiet, even Song Meiyu. A miracle. A once-in-a-thousand-years event. Shen Zhenyu must be supervising with his usual silent but scary presence.
Linyue nodded to herself. Then she glanced back at Shu Mingye. She did want to poke at the arrays. She was ready. Her control was better now, but she had promised him she'd tell him first. She stared at his meditating face.
Should she wait until he opened his eyes? Or should she cough really loudly? Or dramatically faint so he'd immediately panic and snap awake?
She smiled again. No. This time, she'd wait. Let the Demon King have his little moment of peace. After all, he was trying very hard to be a responsible fiancé. Kind of.
Linyue opened the small carriage window, letting the fresh morning wind rush in. She crossed her arms on the windowsill and rested her head there, eyes half-closed as the sun kissed her face. The world outside rolled by slowly—trees, clouds, the occasional startled bird. Everything felt warm, peaceful, and just soft enough to make her forget the world had once tried to kill her. She sighed in contentment.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around her from behind. Not that she was surprised. She didn't even flinch.
Shu Mingye buried his face into her shoulder like a giant, clingy cat. His voice was low and husky, his breath brushing against her ear. "I miss you, Pie."