When she opened her eyes again, Ruan Ning found herself lying on the ground, covered by a black robe, with a flickering campfire before her. The man sat beside her, his dark eyes watching her. Flatly, he said, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t kill you for now.”
Ruan Ning felt momentarily relieved, then alarmed—so he would eventually kill her? The campfire’s flames flickered, bringing warmth but also an indescribable bloody smell.
Ruan Ning looked closer and realized the fire contained many clothes, with unburned fragments from killed soldiers. She immediately started to retch.
The man seemed to understand her thoughts and explained, “The snow is heavy. Gathering firewood is too troublesome.” Ruan Ning was surprised he would explain. Struggling to sit up and move away from the fire, she saw him smile slightly at the black robe beneath her.
This demon king could actually smile, and he looked quite handsome when he did, Ruan Ning thought, involuntarily looking at the robe. It was embroidered with golden cloud patterns and lined with pure black sable fur. She now understood his smile—the robe was surely stained with the blood of countless dead people, just hidden by its color.
Rolling away from the robe as if it were a plague, she shook all over, unable to speak. The man draped the robe over his shoulders, saying lazily, “If you don’t want to freeze to death, it’s best not to be so particular.”
Ruan Ning wasn’t usually fastidious, but burning people’s clothes and wearing a blood-stained robe exceeded her tolerance. She trembled, moving backward, her shoes soaked in cold snow. Hunger came in waves, and the bloody campfire sent warmth from afar, while darkness and cold loomed behind her.
She felt she must be in a nightmare—how else could she have fallen into such a miserable situation?
A man was being harassed by two wolves, one on his shoulder and the other clinging to his legs. He struggled to hold Ruan Ning with one hand while trembling with the other, which was very inconvenient. The most terrifying part was when the lead wolf pounced on Ruan Ning, its two thick front paws landing on her shoulders.
Ruan Ning’s mind went blank as the lead wolf opened its mouth, exposing its yellowed fangs and emitting a fishy, stale odor. She was paralyzed with fear.
Suddenly, the wolf lunged at her face. At that critical moment, the man let go of her, kicked one wolf away, and forcibly pried open the lead wolf’s mouth. With a piercing howl, the lead wolf’s head split open, and blood splattered on Ruan Ning’s face. She screamed, witnessing the other wolf bite the man’s shoulder.
His clothes torn and blood spraying, the man threw aside the lead wolf’s corpse and grabbed the remaining wolf, slamming it to the ground repeatedly, his face tense and eyes bloodshot.
Soon, the gray wolf’s corpse was reduced to a pile of mangled meat. Ruan Ning finally regained her ability to speak, her voice trembling: “It’s already dead. You don’t need to keep hitting it. Treat your wound first.”
Her soothing words calmed the man’s rage, prompting him to refocus his emotions. He gazed at her intently and said, “Ruan Ning, right? From now on, you are mine.”
Chapter 117
A thin blade pierced the lead wolf’s hind leg, quickly separating the thick fur and exposing the meaty muscle underneath. The blade passed through and roasted over the campfire, filling the air with the fragrance of charred wolf meat, which mingled uncomfortably with the pervasive bloody smell.
Ruan Ning’s gaze remained fixed on the man’s half-naked upper body.
Annoyed by continuous bleeding, he tore off most of his robe, revealing an injured right shoulder, where a deep gash from wolf teeth still bled. However, Ruan Ning’s attention was drawn to an old scar near his chest, by his heart. Though healed, the uneven marks suggested it had been a severe injury.
Wang Ye, wounded in the heart, recognized the killer: Chu Yuan, the only man Huo Rou had failed to seduce.
Chu Yuan, the only son of the late Jin Yuan Princess and cousin to the current Emperor Chu Yun, was granted a royal surname and a king’s title. His illustrious reputation far exceeded that of the male lead; had Huo Rou succeeded, the male lead might have been replaced.
While the official explanation for Chu Yuan’s chest wound was a childhood assassination attempt, rumors among noble families suggested that the stab was delivered by his own mother, who then committed suicide with the same dagger. He was rescued by Emperor Chu Yun and received greater favor than legitimate princes.
Chu Yuan was bloodthirsty, having massacred multiple times in the capital and later requesting frontier combat to satisfy his urges. When Chu Yun refused out of fear for his safety, Chu Yuan single-handedly attacked an enemy camp, creating a bloody battlefield that gained him instant fame.
Due to his background, handsome appearance, and military achievements, he quickly became the man Huo Rou most wanted to seduce.
She approached him through male backup plans, but he always disdained her – the only time she failed in her pursuits.
Recalling Chu Yuan’s characteristics, Ruan Ning realized her joking thought might have come true; she had probably encountered a new yandere. But this yandere’s intensity was terrifying, and she doubted she could survive a day by his side.
“Jiao Jiao, he’s not really a yandere, right?” she asked with hope.
“He is,” the standard female voice answered decisively.
Ruan Ning was speechless. This wasn’t a strategy game; this story was about survival!
“Eat,” Chu Yuan said, presenting her with a piece of roasted wolf meat on a knife tip. His gaze was obscure and indecipherable.
Ruan Ning trembled, involuntarily shrinking back. Her psychological resilience wasn’t strong enough to eat surrounded by human and wolf corpses. Although her stomach growled, she had no appetite. Chu Yuan took the meat from the knife, tore off a piece, and stuffed it into her mouth.
Ruan Ning didn’t dare refuse. Though hungry, the unseasoned roasted meat in this environment made her start retching.
“How can you be so weak?” Chu Yuan frowned.
Her stomach was empty, leading to waves of nausea. Chu Yuan’s frown deepened as he hugged her tightly and swiftly moved away, accompanied by rushing wind. Before Ruan Ning could react, they were several zhang away. He continued carrying her, quickly finding a large tree and leaping onto it.
Several long horizontal branches served as seats. This high ground was free from the bloody killings and foul odors. Though the winter night wind was cold, it felt fresh, allowing Ruan Ning’s stomach to settle.
“Eat,” Chu Yuan said, bringing some meat and tearing off a piece to feed her. He then grabbed a handful of clean snow from the branch and passed it to her, saying, “Make do with this. There’s no water nearby.”
After eating wolf meat and chewing cold snow, Ruan Ning felt a bit better. She noticed the deep wound on Chu Yuan’s shoulder and asked, “Should you have a doctor look at your injury?”
Chu Yuan replied flatly, “No need. It’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Ruan Ning remained silent. Thankfully, he didn’t seem intent on killing her now.
They stayed on the branches for the rest of the night.
Ruan Ning initially fought to stay awake but eventually fell asleep. Upon waking, she found Chu Yuan holding her horizontally, her head resting on his injured shoulder, which he had padded with cloth to prevent discomfort.
Startled, Ruan Ning quickly sat up and met Chu Yuan’s dark eyes. He asked casually, “Awake?”
She nodded nervously, concerned about hurting his wound, but he seemed unconcerned, pulling her closer and stating, “Let’s go. The Emperor’s men are coming.”
Ruan Ning followed his gaze to a large group of soldiers in bright red robes kneeling silently beneath the tree, awaiting his command.
