When Su Ningyan woke, it was to the distant sound of music and laughter drifting through the air.
The scent around him was rich and unfamiliar with warm spices, wine and something faintly electric that prickled at his senses. Whatever he was lying on was soft. Too soft. Luxuriously so.
A bed.
His instincts snapped fully awake.
He lay still for a moment, forcing himself to breathe as memories surfaced all the way to the dungeon, the maid, the foul soup.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
He was indeed in a bed, but not in the Phoenix Clan palace. The room was lavish yet unfamiliar, decorated in shades of red and gold, lantern light casting soft shadows across silk curtains. It looked like a royal chamber at first glance until he recognized the subtle signs of a high-class tavern.
"…Where am I?" he rasped.
He pushed himself upright and froze.
The blanket slid away, revealing bare skin.
Completely bare. Naked!
Su Ningyan stared down in stunned silence, heat creeping up his neck.
"…Of course," he muttered dryly. "It's big."
Despite himself, a crooked smile tugged at his lips. "No wonder Lan Meishan never shut up about it."
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, immediately scanning the room. "Alright. Very funny. Now where are my clothes and why am I naked in the first place?"
There were none. No robes. No spare garments. Nothing.
As he moved, the lantern light revealed his body more clearly. His skin was marked with scars but what caught his breath were the markings around his ankles.
Deep crimson patterns, elegant and sharp.
Wings.
One etched around each ankle, mirrored perfectly.
His chest tightened.
Those were phoenix marks.
A sign of pure blood.
Su Ningyan clenched his fists.
That was why...
That was why they had broken his beast core before it could stabilize. Why his step-siblings had never let him recover. Why his fall had been inevitable in the original story.
He had been born with the potential to become something terrifyingly powerful.
And they had crushed it before it could bloom.
Su Ningyan lifted his gaze, eyes burning quietly.
"…This time," he whispered, "No one but me gets to decide my ending."
Suddenly, the door flew open.
A small, petite woman stepped inside, dressed in flowing white lace and silk, her long sleeves fluttering as she froze mid-step. White bunny ears twitched atop her head, and her silver eyes widened in pure shock.
Su Ningyan froze too.
For half a heartbeat, they simply stared at each other.
Then she screamed.
"Ah—!"
She spun around instantly, clapping both hands over her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Ningyan jolted into motion. He scrambled backward, yanking the duvet clean off the bed and wrapping it around himself in a panic, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"I...I'm sorry!" he blurted. "I can't find my clothes! And I don't even know where I am!"
The bunny girl hesitated.
Slowly, she lowered one hand, peeking through her fingers. Her gaze lingered on his face, before she looked away again, clearing her throat awkwardly.
"You are in Brother Wuhen's chamber," she said. "This is a tavern in Fire City… in the Heavenly Realm."
She glanced around the room. "You were unconscious earlier. I came to check on you. Where is Brother Wuhen?"
Su Ningyan's brain short-circuited.
His violet eyes widened.
"…Did you just say the Heavenly Realm?"
She nodded, confused. "Yes?"
"No. No, no, no.." Ningyan shook his head violently. "Fire City? Heavenly Realm? That's where the Celestial Beast Academy is! I can't be here. I will not be here."
Panic slammed into his chest.
Fight-or-flight kicked in hard.
Clutching the duvet around his body, Ningyan bolted past the stunned bunny girl and down the hallway. Music and laughter grew louder with every step. Lantern light spilled across the corridor, warm and inviting. Everything he absolutely did not want.
He burst into an open room, spotting scattered robes near the balcony where several patrons laughed over wine.
Perfect.
He dove for the clothes without hesitation, grabbing whatever he could find.
Get dressed. Get out. Do not enter the academy.
Not again.
He was supposed to be avoiding the plot.
Yet somehow, Su Ningyan had woken up naked in Yan Wuhen's bed and now found himself in the Heavenly Realm, precisely where the Celestial Beast Academy was located.
This was bad.
Very bad.
He bolted down the tavern corridor, shoving past startled guests, ignoring the shouts behind him. Music blared somewhere below, laughter and clinking cups mixing with the heavy scent of wine and incense.
He didn't slow down.
Instead, Su Ningyan vaulted through an open window.
Cold night air slammed into him as he caught onto a tree branch outside, swung once, then dropped hard onto the street below. He staggered but stayed upright, his chest heaving.
Fire City exploded around him.
Flames bloomed into the sky like living fireworks. Massive spirit birds soared overhead, their wings glowing as they cut through the clouds. The streets teemed with life. Beastmen with exposed ears and tails, full beasts walking freely beside humans, laughter and shouting echoing through lantern-lit avenues.
It was unreal.
Su Ningyan stared for half a second too long before pinching himself.
"Ow—"
Not a dream.
Groaning, he adjusted the borrowed robe around his shoulders and forced himself to move. Fire City was the entertainment heart of the Heavenly Realm. He remembered that much from the book.
Which meant he needed to leave.
Immediately.
"I should just disappear into a forest somewhere," he muttered. "Live quietly. Grow herbs. Definitely not seduce divine beast princes."
The thought made him snort.
As he wove through the crowd, his eyes couldn't help drifting to the beautiful men, elegant women, dazzling beasts. The world was breathtaking.
Maybe… just maybe...
"You can seduce me." Warm breath brushed his ear.
Su Ningyan froze.
His heart dropped straight into his stomach.
Slowly, dread crawling up his spine, he turned his head.
Yan Wuhen stood far too close.
Crimson hair spilled over his shoulders, fox ears flicking lazily atop his head, nine tails swaying behind him like living flame. His red eyes gleamed with amusement, sharp canines flashing as his smile deepened.
"Running again?" Yan Wuhen murmured. "You're very good at that."
Su Ningyan swallowed. "…Yan Wuhen."
"Oh?" The fox prince leaned closer. "Is that panic I hear in your voice?"
That was enough.
Su Ningyan spun on his heel and ran.
Yan Wuhen watched him disappear down the lantern-lit street, surprise flickering briefly across his face before melting into delight.
"…Interesting," he murmured, licking his lips. "He smells even better when he's scared."