Chapter 187: Perfect Timing
"Ah..." A soft uncontrolled broken breath slipped from Ningyan’s lips. His toes curled as Wuhen rubbed his insides, driving a finger deep before adding a second.
"That feels...." His fingers tightened in Wuhen’s collar, gripping hard as his body reacted before his mind could catch up, a shiver running through him as sensation coiled tighter and tighter beneath his skin.
Wuhen let out a low amused chuckle. He watched Ningyan carefully. The way his body tensed, the way his back arched, the way he stopped holding back the sounds that spilled from him.
Every reaction was honest... Unfiltered.
"Mmmh..." His lips and fangs continued their attack on Ningyan’s neck. His fingers moved with a changing pace, fast then slow, teasing him.
"What are you doing..." Ningyan managed, his voice unsteady, breath uneven as heat crept up his neck, his face flushed.
His hand slid up, gripping Wuhen more firmly as if to steady himself. "Stop... teasing."
Wuhen hummed in response.
"Alright," he murmured, though there was nothing particularly merciful in his tone. He pushed deeper, increasing his pace.
"W.. wait...!" Ningyan’s breath caught as he came hard. Tension snapped all at once, leaving him weightless and flushed, nothing but breathless jelly in Wuhen’s grasp.
Wuhen pulled back, his fingers straying to Ningyan’s cock. He tangled them in the release before bringing them to his own mouth. He licked his fingers clean, his eyes filled with pleasure.
Ningyan’s gaze, meanwhile, shifted toward the other side of the room.
Meishan.
He was no longer at the edge of the bed. He had pulled away, seating himself at a distance where he could see everything.
His expression was unchanged.
But his eyes... there was no mistaking it now.
The curiosity had deepened into something far more dangerous.
He didn’t interrupt. He simply watched as if committing every detail to memory.
Ningyan frowned faintly, a flicker of unease settling in his chest.
Come back... The thought slipped through his mind unbidden. Just come back...
But the beast watching him now only leaned back against the cushions, completely at ease. And didn’t look away.
Ningyan pressed his lips together, drawing in a slow breath as Wuhen’s fingers moved lazily through his hair.
Without thinking, he tangled their legs together, shifting closer, seeking something steady, something familiar as he buried his face into Wuhen’s chest.
"This hurts."
Wuhen’s hand paused briefly before continuing, slow and unhurried.
"Oh?" he murmured. "You didn’t sound like you were hurting earlier."
Ningyan frowned at that, ignoring the comment as his hand moved instead, pressing against Wuhen’s chest, right where he had been injured that night.
His fingers pushed the fabric aside, searching... Checking.
There was no scar.
The tension in his shoulders eased, just a little.
"Aww," Wuhen drawled softly, clearly noticing. "So that’s what hurts."
His tone turned amused, deliberately so. "You’re worried about that slippery snake."
Ningyan stiffened at the words.
Across the room, Meishan let out a quiet chuckle.
"I already told you," he said lightly, though there was nothing particularly light about the way he was watching them, "he’ll come back to you. You’re starting to make me feel bad."
He didn’t look like he felt bad. Not even a little.
Ningyan lifted his head slowly, his gaze locking onto him. The purple glow in his eyes deepened, sharpening and darkening.
"He better come back," Ningyan said, his voice low and steady. "If he doesn’t... I’ll find a way to erase you completely."
Meishan smiled. "Let’s see how that goes."
Ningyan’s eyes narrowed. "Are you daring me?"
There was real irritation there now.
Behind him, Wuhen’s fingers continued to move through his hair, slow and absent-minded, but his attention was no longer soft.
He was enjoying this tension.
Meishan’s chuckle came again, softer this time. "What if I am?"
Ningyan held his gaze for a moment longer before speaking, his tone colder now. "You’d better not."
^
Breakfast with Wuhen and Meishan had been... exhausting. Not physically. Mentally.
The two of them had fallen into an easy rhythm, far too easy, united by their shared tendency toward mischief and their apparent enjoyment of teasing him.
Ningyan, for his part, chose survival. Which meant ignoring them and focusing entirely on his food.
It didn’t help. Not even slightly.
By the time they made their way to the main throne hall, he was already bracing himself.
Jun Haoxuan sat upon the throne, composed and immovable.
Before him stood a golden-haired tiger beast prince, a guard stationed just behind him.
Rong Yue.
"Are you certain war is the right decision at a time like this?" Rong Yue asked, his tone measured, but firm.
"You have doubts," Jun Haoxuan replied calmly.
His gaze shifted, landing briefly on Ningyan, Wuhen, and Meishan as they entered the hall.
Rong Yue followed that glance. His eyes settled on them as well, a flicker of recognition passing through them.
Ningyan paused. Their last meeting had ended smoothly.
It was actually nice seeing him here.
"Yue’er." Wuhen’s voice cut through the space far too casually for the setting.
He approached without hesitation, his nine tails swaying behind him in clear amusement, as if this were a reunion rather than a formal discussion.
Rong Yue’s expression flattened.
"What is this behaviour?" he said coolly. "You left me to wake up in an empty bed."
Wuhen ignored that entirely. Instead, he reached out, flicking one of Rong Yue’s ears lightly. "How are you this beautiful morning, Yue’er?"
Rong Yue’s tail flicked once, sharp and controlled. He scoffed.
Ningyan watched them for a moment before exhaling quietly, stepping in before the exchange could spiral any further. "Are you against the war, Rong Yue?"
That pulled his attention back immediately.
Rong Yue looked at him directly now, his blue feline eyes steady, his posture straightening as he shifted back into formality. "Jun Haoxuan has informed me of his intention to unite the divine beast clans and move against Lan Yunlai. It is a responsibility our fathers should have fulfilled long ago. The other clans look to us as leaders. On that, I agree."
His gaze hardened. "But this is not a war that requires an army."
Silence settled more heavily across the hall.
"There are five of us capable of ending this," he continued. "Mobilizing entire clans will only spread fear across the realms. Our target is singular. His palace."
His tail swayed once behind him.
"Lan Yunlai is already destabilizing the balance. The aftermath of the battle here has spread across the three realms, and he continues to act out of rage and loss. Escalation will only worsen that."
Ningyan understood. He really did.
The last thing he wanted was a repeat of what had happened in the lower district of the Water City.
"And if he deploys an army?" Jun Haoxuan asked.
"Simple." Wuhen’s eyes gleamed, excitement flickering through them. "We wipe them out."
Meishan snorted softly. "Says the divine beast prince who hasn’t even reached the divine beast stage."
Wuhen gasped, placing a hand dramatically over his chest. "How dare you."
Then, without missing a beat, he turned to Rong Yue. "And how are you already there? You’re all making it look easy. Do you know how many beasts struggle just to reach the saint beast stage?"
"You’re just lazy, A-Hen." Rong Yue deadpanned.
Ningyan laughed.
Wuhen didn’t deny it. He only smiled at Ningyan, completely taken by him.
Jun Haoxuan exhaled lightly, bringing the focus back. "Then it’s decided."
His gaze shifted, landing directly on Ningyan. "Five of us. You will lead."
Ningyan smiled. "I like the sound of that."
"And Lan Meishan will end it," Jun Haoxuan added.
Ningyan nodded. "Even better."
Across the hall, Rong Yue’s gaze shifted to Meishan, studying him more carefully now. "So this is the one Wuhen calls the ’fun’ side."
Meishan glanced at him, amused.
Rong Yue’s lips twitched slightly. "I think I prefer this version."
"I said the same thing," Wuhen added instantly.
Meishan nodded in agreement. "I keep telling everyone. I’m the better one."
Jun Haoxuan looked like he was trying not to smile.
Ningyan wasn’t.
"I don’t care which version any of you prefer," he said flatly. "My Meishan is coming back."
Wuhen gasped again, louder this time. "There it is, favoritism."
"I don’t have a favourite," Ningyan snapped.
"You do," Jun Haoxuan said calmly.
"Aww," Wuhen cooed. "He’s trying not to hurt our feelings... by hurting our feelings."
Now they were all teasing him. All of them.
Except for Rong Yue. He simply watched like he was piecing something together.
Ningyan frowned. Wuhen and Rong Yue felt like a set.
Before he could say anything else, Wuhen appeared behind him in a flash, red-gold light trailing faintly as he wrapped an arm around Ningyan’s waist.
His voice dropped, low against his ear. "There’s only one way to prove you don’t have a favourite... even if you actually do, Yan’er."
Ningyan grimaced immediately. "You need to stop making deals with me."
"This isn’t a deal," Wuhen said brightly. "It’s marriage. Yue’er is here. Perfect timing. You can marry both of us."
Closing his eyes in exasperation, Ningyan smacked Wuhen’s face aside.
"Absolutely not," he muttered, the finality in his voice cutting through the air.
He turned and made for the exit, but the heavy doors offered no escape from the sound of Wuhen’s amused footsteps following close behind.