The first visitors arrived at dawn.
Their presence announced itself long before they crossed Hawk Clan airspace—clouds folding unnaturally, wind currents bending as if guided by unseen hands. High-altitude arrays hummed in warning, golden runes flaring briefly before stabilizing.
Sky Serpents.
"They didn't even bother hiding," Mo Shan muttered from the watch platform.
Feng Lihan stood at the edge of the cliff, wings half-spread, red feathers catching the early light. His expression was calm, but the air around him was sharpened to a blade.
"Let them come," he said. "They chose courtesy over ambush. That already tells me how afraid they are."
Below, Lin Yue felt the shift immediately.
The egg pulsed once—slow, deliberate.
He inhaled carefully, grounding himself against the stone wall. He was still weak, but his senses were sharper than before, attuned not only to the mountain—but to Feng Lihan.
"They're here," Lin Yue murmured.
Feng Lihan turned at once. "You shouldn't be awake yet."
Lin Yue smiled faintly. "Tell that to the blessing growing ten feet from me."
Feng Lihan moved to his side, placing a hand at his back—firm, warm, unmistakably there.
"I'll handle them," he said quietly. "You stay here."
Lin Yue looked up at him. "You're worried."
Feng Lihan didn't deny it. "Because they felt you. And they will look at you as if you're a prize instead of a person."
Lin Yue's fingers brushed Feng Lihan's wrist, a small but steady touch. "Then don't let them forget who I belong to."
For a heartbeat, Feng Lihan forgot the mountain, the clans, the world.
Then he leaned down, pressing his forehead gently to Lin Yue's.
"I won't."
The Sky Serpent delegation arrived in elegant formation—long, slender wings, scales shimmering with pale blues and silvers. At their head stood Elder Qianyu, smile smooth as polished stone.
"Hawk Alpha," Qianyu greeted, bowing just enough to be respectful, not enough to be submissive. "What a radiant mountain you have today."
Feng Lihan didn't move. "State your purpose."
Qianyu chuckled lightly. "Straightforward. As expected." His gaze flicked—briefly, sharply—toward the inner mountain. "We felt a birth. A rare one."
"So did the whole Beast World," Feng Lihan replied coldly. "You're not special."
Qianyu's smile thinned. "Then allow us to congratulate you properly. A blessing of pure lineage is… extraordinary."
"And dangerous," Feng Lihan said. "Which is why it remains Hawk Clan business."
Murmurs rippled through the Serpent warriors.
Qianyu raised a hand. "Peace, Alpha Feng. We did not come to challenge. Only to observe—and to offer protection."
That earned a laugh from the Hawk warriors stationed nearby.
"Protection?" Feng Lihan echoed. "From whom?"
Qianyu met his gaze evenly. "From those who will not ask so politely."
The air tightened.
"Say what you want," Feng Lihan said. "And leave."
Qianyu hesitated, then spoke carefully. "The bearer of the egg. They say it was carried by someone… unexpected."
Silence fell like a dropped blade.
Feng Lihan's wings flared fully now, red feathers igniting with suppressed power.
"You are not permitted to speak of him."
Qianyu's eyes flickered—with interest. "So it's true."
Before Feng Lihan could respond, a new pressure rolled through the air—gentle, but unmistakable.
Golden.
From the cave entrance, Lin Yue appeared.
He walked slowly, supported by the stone wall, dressed in simple robes—but the aura around him was unmistakable. Warm, steady, alive.
Every Sky Serpent froze.
The egg pulsed.
Lin Yue stopped beside Feng Lihan, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
"I'm not unexpected," Lin Yue said calmly. "I'm chosen."
Qianyu stared, shock breaking through his composure. "You carry no corruption… no forced resonance…"
Feng Lihan shifted instantly, placing himself half a step in front of Lin Yue.
"Look all you want," he said. "But remember this—every breath you take here is because I allow it."
Lin Yue felt the heat of Feng Lihan's wing brush his back, sheltering without hiding him.
The gesture was unmistakable.
Possessive. Protective. Intimate.
Qianyu bowed this time—deeper.
"The Sky Serpents acknowledge the bond," he said quietly. "And withdraw."
"Wise," Feng Lihan replied.
As the delegation retreated, Lin Yue exhaled slowly, the tension draining from his limbs.
"You didn't have to come out," Feng Lihan said, turning to him immediately.
Lin Yue smiled up at him. "Yes, I did. They needed to see I'm not alone."
Feng Lihan studied him, then sighed—something dangerously close to relief softening his sharp edges.
"You're reckless."
Lin Yue leaned closer. "You like that."
A corner of Feng Lihan's mouth lifted. "Only because you're mine."
The egg pulsed warmly, approving.
Above them, the Hawk Clan sky cleared.
The first test had passed.
But far beyond the mountains, other clans were already watching—
And not all of them would leave so easily.