Finding the serpent guard proved far more difficult than Ningyan had anticipated.

By the time he abandoned the search, dusk had already begun to settle.

He stood by the lattice window, the faint glow of twilight filtering through drifting mist, the gloom of the clan yet to lift. Between his fingers rested the feather, Its glow flickering faintly against his skin.

Ningyan’s gaze darkened.

Lan Huiwen’s words echoed in his mind. ’You can open it. You are of the same kind.’

A phoenix... Yet the one who led him there had been a serpent.

His fingers tightened around the feather.

"What is going on..." he murmured, voice low.

Only five of them had known the plan.

No one else. And yet... someone had entered the dungeon. Someone had taken the phoenix.

Ningyan exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts into order. "When we arrived... there was no one but remains and half dead corpses."

Which meant... it had happened after. During the chaos of the battle.

His brows drew together.

"Then why?" His voice sharpened faintly. "Why reveal themselves at all...?"

No answer came. Only the quiet hum of the feather in his grasp.

With a flicker of violet light, it dissolved into his essence.

Ningyan let out a long breath and turned, collapsing face-first onto the bed.

His voice came out muffled. "...Why is everything so troublesome?"

The door slid open.

He turned his head.

Jun Haoxuan stepped inside, his presence calm as though untouched by the storm that had swept through the clan.

"Ah... Haoxuan?" Ningyan called, blinking rapidly.

"I heard," Jun Haoxuan said, a faint smile resting on his lips.

Ningyan pushed himself upright, frustration still lingering in his expression.

"What if I was followed?" he said. "Or watched without noticing?" His gaze sharpened. "Even then... how would they know there was a phoenix sealed below? Are the phoenixes together?"

Silence lingered for a second.

Then Jun Haoxuan spoke gently as he settled next to Ningyan, "Yunyi might know something about this."

Ningyan stiffened.

For a moment, something unreadable flickered across his face.

Then he shook his head.

"No." His tone was firm. "I am not that curious."

He shifted instead, glancing up. "You’ve been busy."

"Mm." Jun Haoxuan inclined his head. "Lan Meishan has begun restoring order in the clan. He asked for my assistance in tracking the remaining serpent lords."

Ningyan nodded slowly, though his thoughts clearly remained elsewhere.

The door opened once more.

Rong Yue entered.

Ningyan straightened. "Any sign of him?"

Rong Yue shook his head. "None."

Ningyan leaned back again, quieter now. "Perhaps it isn’t as complicated as I think. If someone used the chaos to save their own... that would make sense."

It was a convenient conclusion. One he chose to accept. For now.

He shifted closer, resting lightly against Jun Haoxuan without much thought. The latter’s arm came around him naturally.

From across the room, Rong Yue watched silently.

Ningyan caught the look. "Where is Wuhen?"

"There has been a coup in the Vermilion Fox Clan." Rong Yue replied.

Ningyan’s eyes widened. "A coup?"

That... had not existed before.

But then again... very little still followed the path it once had.

"He will return," Rong Yue added.

He moved to the window, gaze lifting toward the sky where distant dragon forms cut through the mist. "He always does."

Ningyan’s teeth sank into his lower lip.

Wuhen always returned.

Yet something about this felt... unsettled.

In the original trajectory, once his power reached its peak, he would have ascended to the Sky Palace, taking the male leads with him while they governed their respective clans from above.

But Ningyan had no such intention.

Not now. Not ever.

The Heavenly Realm was vast enough without binding himself to a single throne.

He would rather wander to Wind City, Fire City, Earth City, places yet unseen, waiting.

Anywhere but Water City.

A faint crease formed between his brows at the thought.

He had no desire to set foot there again. It felt less like a place and more like a curse.

His thoughts paused when he felt a gaze resting on him.

Ningyan lifted his eyes.

Jun Haoxuan was watching him.

Those golden, reptilian eyes held unguarded admiration and adoration in a way that made Ningyan’s face flush.

"...Do you intend to remain within the Abyss Serpent Clan for a time?" Jun Haoxuan asked at last, his voice low and even. "Lan Meishan has requested my aid. I plan to assist him in rebuilding."

Ningyan blinked, pulled from his thoughts. "I do not mind... but the children—"

"They can be brought here," Rong Yue interjected from the window, his tone measured. "Though the demonic aura has yet to fully disperse."

Ningyan turned. "And the demon tools?"

"Thousands have been recovered." Rong Yue’s gaze drifted outward, toward the distant sky. "The majority are being transported to Earth City. There is a collector there, one who hoards such artifacts, but does not practice their use."

Ningyan studied him for a moment before asking, quietly, "Did Meishan request your help as well?"

"He did." Rong Yue inclined his head. "Regarding the tools."

"And afterward?" Ningyan continued, his voice softer now. "Will you leave?"

Rong Yue looked at him.

"Wuhen is not here." Ningyan continued, his tone careful, almost indifferent.

"The alliance between the Divine Beast Clans has fulfilled its purpose. Lan Yunlai is dead." His fingers tightened against Haoxuan’s sleeve. "There is no reason for you to remain here."

Jun Haoxuan’s eyes widened vaguely, noting the subtle restraint in Ningyan’s tone.

"Leave if you want to." Ningyan turned back toward him and lifted his hand.

Jun Haoxuan did not move. He followed the motion instead, his eyes tracing every inch of Ningyan’s fingers until they came to rest against his face.

Ningyan’s touch lingered, drifting from the line of his lips downward, slow and absent-minded as though confirming something only he could feel.

Across the room, Rong Yue’s lips pressed into a thin line, a flicker of jealousy passing through his eyes.

He turned, taking a single step with the intent to leave.

"Do you want him to stay?" Jun Haoxuan’s voice cut cleanly through the space.

Rong Yue halted.

Ningyan did too.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Ningyan blinked, then glanced toward Rong Yue.

It wouldn’t hurt...

He wasn’t denying what he was anymore. He was greedy, and somewhere along the way, he had begun to want this one too.

Rong Yue met his gaze, waiting.

Ningyan held it, then deliberately looked away, back to Jun Haoxuan.

He leaned forward slowly, moving until their breaths brushed and their noses grazed in the smallest, most intentional contact.

Then, softly, he whispered, "Yes," before closing the distance and crashing their lips together.

Jun Haoxuan was caught off guard for the briefest moment, before his hand tightened around Ningyan, drawing him closer as the kiss deepened

Rong Yue’s lips curled, a soft chuckle escaping as his fingers shifted slightly, clearly entertained.

So that was how it was.

Ningyan was playing with him, circling him, teasing him and Rong Yue could tell.

He didn’t deny that he did not dislike it.

"Very well, little bird. I’ll stay."

Ningyan barely had time to react before Jun Haoxuan pulled him in again, capturing his lips and devouring his mouth like he’d been craving this since the night Ningyan stole a kiss from him.

A breathless moan escaped Ningyan as Haoxuan bit down on his lower lip. Heat rushed across his face, flushing down to his neck.

Rong Yue watched, intrigued. It wasn’t often he saw Jun Haoxuan lose control like this. His composure was gone, replaced by raw hunger as he took Ningyan apart, piece by piece.

Ningyan’s breathing turned uneven, a shiver running through him.

It really was always the quiet ones.

With Wuhen, the hunger was always so obvious, chaotic, and unrestrained. But Jun Haoxuan and Lan Meishan were different.

Jun Haoxuan’s grip tightened, pulling him down onto the bed and hovering over him. The kiss broke, leaving them both breathing hard.

Golden, reptilian eyes locked onto Ningyan.

A faint flush colored Haoxuan’s sharp cheekbones as he said, his voice rough, "I have thought of this again and again since that night."

Ningyan’s pulse stuttered.

This... this was not what he had anticipated.

He had meant to provoke Rong Yue, to tease, to test the fragile balance between them... not this.

And yet, his body betrayed him, heat coiling beneath his skin, responding all the same.

Not that he minded.

Who wouldn’t want to be pinned down and devoured by a breathtaking dragon beast king, all while another exquisite beast looked on with open amusement?

Rong Yue clearly enjoyed watching.

Ningyan could feel his pulse racing, excitement burning through every nerve. His thoughts spiraled, reckless and vivid....

What would it feel like to be caught between them, heat against heat and naked bodies pressed tight, as they lost control completely while driving into him at the same time?

He wanted to know.