"Would you like more food?"
A female servant with white fox ears and a single white tail stood beside the table, her posture respectful, her smile gentle as she watched Su Ningyan lift the golden cup to his lips.
He nearly choked.
Quickly lowering the cup, he waved his hands. "No... no, thank you. I'm full."
The servant bowed, efficiently clearing the empty dishes and placing them on her tray before slipping out of the chamber without another word.
Su Ningyan let out a long breath and set the cup down.
Half a day.
That was how long he had been enrolled into the Celestial Beast Academy, under Yan Wuhen's name, under Yan Wuhen's authority, and disturbingly enough… he was living comfortably.
Fresh white robes clung to his frame, soft and warm with embedded spiritual threads. His stomach was full. Overly full. The food had been fragrant, rich with spirit essence, far better than anything he had eaten in the Phoenix Clan.
He hugged one knee to his chest and rested his chin against it, lips pursed.
He wasn't stupid. Comfort did not mean freedom.
Still… it beat being flogged by Madam Qin Lihua or thrown into a dungeon to rot.
The beast princes were treated differently within the Academy. All royals were granted private quarters, but the divine beast princes, those of ancient bloodlines, were openly indulged.
They had private manors. Servants. Entire households.
Which meant Su Ningyan was currently residing inside the personal manor of the Nine-Tailed Fox Prince.
That realization alone made his scalp tingle.
He rose and stretched, rolling his shoulders. The robes suited him far too well white layers trimmed in silver, boots light yet sturdy.
This really screams "main character," he thought grimly.
Bored, he wandered through Yan Wuhen's sleeping chamber. His gaze drifted across the shelves until it caught on something out of place. A red lacquered flute resting beside a row of small daggers.
Curiosity won.
Lifting it, he brought it to his lips and played a familiar tune. A gentle lullaby he used to play for his students in his previous life.
The melody flowed softly through the chamber, warm and calm. For a brief moment, his shoulders relaxed.
He lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as the last notes faded.
Then he abruptly sat up.
"No. No, absolutely not." He swung his legs off the bed. "Even my life in the Phoenix Clan wasn't this boring."
Rolling the flute between his fingers, he slipped out of the chamber.
The manor stretched endlessly with arched corridors, nine tailed fox crests etched into every wall, distant voices echoing through the halls.
He turned a corner and collided with someone.
"Oh!" The bunny girl stumbled back with a gasp, her ears twitching wildly as she lowered her head. "I.. I'm so sorry!"
Su Ningyan blinked, immediately waving his hands. "No, no, that was my fault. I wasn't looking."
She peeked up at him, her eyes wide and curious. Then her head tilted slightly.
"You were caught," she said.
Su Ningyan's eyes widened. Did she know everything?
"Oh…" He laughed softly. "Yes."
She nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "Trust me, do not blame yourself. You could never outrun Brother Wuhen. Once he wants something, he gets it."
Su Ningyan shivered. That didn't sound good. "So I am, uh… his lover or sex slave now?"
The bunny girl looked at him as if he were strange, then laughed lightly. "It doesn't matter what you call yourself. As long as you are bound to him, you are his. Your body, your soul, your…"
"Existence. Yes, yes, I understand that perfectly, thank you." He waved a hand impatiently, then frowned. "But I'm more curious... what is a bunny like you doing in the foxes'...."
He froze, eyes widening. "Wait. How do you know I'm bound to him?"
She pointed at his neck. Instantly, the spirit mate chain shimmered into view.
"I can see it."
Su Ningyan's face went pale. "Y-you can? How… Does that mean everyone can see it?"
The bunny girl lowered her hand, and the chain vanished. "No, no. Only beasts who have reached the Saint Beast cultivation stage."
That didn't make Ningyan feel any better. "It's still public. I can't even see it myself."
This body was only at Stage One—Body Tempering, nothing more than physical strengthening.
She looked at him with faint pity. "You'll be fine. It's not that bad serving this clan as a lover or sex slave. But…" Her gaze swept over him. "Your beast core... I can't feel anything from you."
Su Ningyan could very much feel something from her. Spiritual pressure rolled off her in heavy waves. She was at the same level as Yan Wuhen, yet as a divine beast, he was undeniably stronger.
She lifted her hand to touch him.
He immediately stepped back, raising his flute like a sword. "My beast core is damaged." He lowered his arm. "Seems that that will be public knowledge too."
"No, no, I didn't mean it as an insult." She shook her head quickly. "I just… felt it the other night. You almost seemed human, and I thought you were. It's strange that Brother Wuhen is fixated on someone like you. He usually goes for..."
"No, no, I'm not interested in who or what he usually goes for." Su Ningyan clamped his hands over his ears and walked past her. "It was very nice meeting you.."
He stopped.
She was still staring at him.
"…What's your name?"
"Tu Lanyin. And it is nice to meet you too, Su Ningyan." She smiled.
"Right. You know my name. Heh." Ningyan nodded, lowered his arms, and walked away without another word.
Why is someone this powerful here?
And why does she keep calling him Brother Wuhen?
Tu Lanyin watched until he disappeared from sight. Then her lips quirked faintly, and in the next instant she was gone.