The dawn pierced through the darkness as the first light of day quietly arrived.
Shui Liu frowned at the man who had barged into his bedroom before daybreak—none other than the supreme Dragon King of the Water Clan!
This man had struck him twice with water pillars earlier in the night and then inexplicably stormed into his bedroom in the latter half.
If there had been some urgent matter, Shui Liu might have understood the intrusion. But from the moment the Dragon King kicked open his door in the dead of night until now, at daybreak, he had simply sat at the table in his room, neither looking at him nor speaking a word. What was the meaning of this?
Could it be that losing that woman, Yun Qingxue, had inflicted such deep psychological wounds on the Dragon King?
Shui Liu’s expression grew increasingly gloomy. If the Dragon King continued like this, he wondered if he should just take matters into his own hands and abduct Yun Qingxue for him.
—
**Beast King’s Palace.**
Cang Yan reclined lazily on his bed, propping his head up with one hand, while Qing Yan knelt respectfully before him on one knee.
“Any movements last night?” Cang Yan asked, his voice carrying an air of casual indifference.
Qing Yan, however, dared not show the slightest negligence and immediately reported, “None. After the banquet, the Phoenix King and the Dragon King each returned to their assigned quarters and did not emerge again.”
“None?” Cang Yan’s deep blue eyes flickered, his tone laced with a hint of amusement.
Qing Yan, still kneeling, tensed up.
Cang Yan rose with a profound smile. “Come, accompany me to visit my betrothed.”
“My Lord!” Qing Yan frowned. “Could it be that the Phoenix King and the Dragon King—”
Cang Yan’s gaze turned icy in an instant. “If they wished to see someone, none of you could have stopped them.”
With that, Cang Yan strode out of the Beast King’s Palace. Qing Yan quickly stood and hurried after him.
—
**Just after dawn.**
Xiao Yao and Xiao Ling stood guard outside Yun Qingxue’s palace. Spotting Cang Yan approaching from a distance, they immediately bowed in greeting. “Greetings, my Lord!”
Inside Bai Xi Palace, Yun Qingxue lay in bed, the little snake A’Dai coiled around her wrist, sleeping soundly.
Hearing the voices of Xiao Yao and Xiao Ling greeting Cang Yan outside, Yun Qingxue swiftly got up.
*Why is Cang Yan here so early at daybreak?*
“Flower King, my Lord has arrived,” Xiao Ling’s voice came through the palace doors.
“Let him in,” Yun Qingxue instructed. Xiao Ling entered and helped her freshen up briefly before she stepped out of the inner chamber.
Cang Yan sat in a chair in the outer hall, sipping tea as he waited for her. Seeing her emerge, he set down his cup and smiled faintly. “Did you sleep well last night, Qingxue?”
Yun Qingxue flashed a playful grin. “Did you come all this way just to ask me that?”
Cang Yan took another slow sip of tea. The fragrant aroma filled the air, but Yun Qingxue’s heart grew uneasy.
“I care for you,” Cang Yan said, setting down the cup. His deep blue eyes met hers with another smile.
Those eyes were as cold and fathomless as the ocean depths, devoid of warmth.
Yun Qingxue’s heart tightened. *Last night, three groups of people came to me. Now, Cang Yan shows up at dawn with this attitude—does he know about Feng Zihuang and Jin Lin’s visits?*
*He’s here to test me!*
She let out a long sigh. “I slept terribly.”
*Thud!*
Cang Yan slammed his teacup onto the table, his entire demeanor instantly turning imposing and fierce.
Yun Qingxue’s heart sank.
“Is this how you serve the Flower King?!” Cang Yan’s cold gaze swept over the attendants in the hall. His voice was quiet, but the anger and authority in it were unmistakable.
“Forgive us, my Lord!” The maids immediately prostrated themselves in apology.
“Guards!”
At his furious command, over a dozen guards rushed in.
“The servants of Bai Xi Palace have failed in their duties to the Flower King. Take them all away and punish them severely.”
After issuing the order to the guards, he turned to Qing Yan. “You personally select a new group of diligent and capable maids to serve the Flower King.”
“Mercy, my Lord!” The maids of Bai Xi Palace wept and begged for leniency.
After the incident with Qing Mei’er, and with Qing Yan having personally escorted Yun Qingxue back last night under the Lord’s orders, they had been serving her with utmost care, fearing even the slightest oversight!
“Cang Yan,” Yun Qingxue called softly. When his gaze turned to her, she frowned. “What is the meaning of this so early in the morning?”
“Don’t worry, Qingxue. If these servants are disobedient, I will ensure they are punished harshly,” Cang Yan replied calmly.
*He definitely knows about Feng Zihuang or Jin Lin’s visit last night!* Yun Qingxue was certain.
Cang Yan’s dramatic display this morning was nothing but a warning—if she dared to scheme or act out of line, she would suffer the consequences.
“How have they been disobedient?” Yun Qingxue feigned ignorance of his warning, pouting with a touch of girlish petulance.
Cang Yan smiled, as gentle as a spring breeze. Yet his deep blue eyes, even when he smiled, remained chillingly cold. “If you didn’t sleep well, isn’t it because these servants failed in their duties?”
“Of course not!” Yun Qingxue blurted without hesitation. *With three groups of people—some familiar, some not, some friendly, some ambiguous—showing up in one night, how could I possibly have slept well?*
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