Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Wen Yu was completely shrouded in unknown darkness and gloom, his breathing almost imperceptible.

Shen Yu couldn't see his expression clearly, but he held his cold hand tightly, trying to sense some emotional fluctuations from it.

Shen Yu knew his fate in his previous life, and he knew what would happen to him after he returned to Chengyuan Mountain, while Wen Yu was still heading down this dead end.

He may have had beautiful fantasies, but reality was far from it. Chengyuan Mountain was no longer their sanctuary. Wen Yu, the Demon Queen, had a completely ruined reputation. Even Mo Qianyu didn't believe him and even wanted to kill him. The remaining fellow disciples on the mountain probably hated him even more.

Wen Yu deceived the emperor and flattered the ruler, willingly becoming the emperor's plaything despite being a man. Cheng Yuanshan had long regarded him as an enemy.

So... Wen Yu, knowing all this, what would you choose?

Where do you plan to go in the future?

If you have nothing left to lose, you're already at a dead end. Those imprisoned in the palace... are they even worth risking your life for?

"Ha." Wen Yu leaned against the corner of the wall and chuckled inexplicably, which made Shen Yu frown.

"Shen Yu, what are you afraid of?" Wen Yu suddenly grabbed Shen Yu's arm. Caught off guard, Shen Yu leaned forward and lost his support, half of his body falling into Wen Yu's arms.

Wen Yu gently stroked Shen Yu's ear with his fingers, and he lowered his head and said, "They are them, and I am me. I went to save them out of consideration for our fellow disciples, and also to clear my conscience."

Shen Yu buried half his face in Wen Yu's stomach, his eyes trembling slightly as he silently listened to Wen Yu's every word.

“I don’t know what they think of me now. Maybe things aren’t so bad, or maybe they are terrible.” Wen Yu’s eyes darkened. He hugged Shen Yu and a small smile appeared on his lips. “But with you by my side, things will get better.”

“The world is so big, and I don’t only have Chengyuan Mountain to go,” Wen Yu said. “I’ll go with you to other places, dense forests, wilderness, mountain paths…anywhere is fine.”

Shen Yu lowered his eyelashes, and Wen Yu's voice rang out above him, giving him a slightly bittersweet feeling.

“Your Majesty, I can’t endure hardship. I don’t want to go to some remote corner with you and live a miserable life.” Shen Yu hugged Wen Yu’s waist tightly. He frowned and said in a muffled voice, “You have to be innocent and take me to a good place openly and honestly, otherwise I won’t want you.”

Wen Yu chuckled: "How come I never knew you were so precious?"

Shen Yu remained silent.

Helpless, Wen Yu kissed Shen Yu's earlobe and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer."

Shen Yu then shifted his gaze upwards. Wen Yu, sensing his gaze, reached out and covered half of his cheek: "This round, are you willing to bet?"

Shen Yu turned his head slightly, his thick, curled eyelashes quickly brushing against Wen Yu's palm.

“If Your Majesty dares to gamble, then so do I.” Shen Yu covered Wen Yu’s right hand, which was covering his face, with one hand, and smiled. “Let’s make this clear first: the house I live in from now on can’t be smaller than this Kunning Palace.”

Wen Yu scoffed lightly, then kissed Shen Yu's lips, unusually generous, and said, "Okay."

The atmosphere inside was intimate, with shadowy figures moving about, soon blocking out the light from the windows. Those hidden places were shrouded in darkness, and after a moment, all sound was silenced.

*

Wen Yu needs to walk slowly in the palace every afternoon. His recovery is much faster than Shen Yu imagined. Perhaps it is due to the effect of the medicine. The internal energy that Wen Yu has lost over the years is slowly gathering in his body.

Using her recovery status as an excuse, Wen Yu exchanged a few blows with Shen Yu. Shen Yu's skill level was not as high as Mu Yuyuan's, but he was very skilled and his moves were swift and decisive. He could see through his opponent's fatal point in just one or two seconds each time.

In Shen Yu's eyes, Wen Yu was just a novice. Shen Yu deliberately let him have a couple of moves, and then with a light lift of his leg, he pressed him down to the edge of the bed.

"Your Majesty, I'm ranked 88th in the photo studio. With your skills, I'd probably be ranked 188th."

As Shen Yu spoke, he pulled Wen Yu up from the bedside. Wen Yu was breathing heavily, and he had to hold onto the bedpost to stand up. Upon hearing this, he immediately glared at him coldly: "You wait."

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow, hummed in agreement, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I'll be waiting."

Wen Yu's breathing was heavy. He reached out and grabbed the cane beside him, slowly walking towards the outside of the beaded curtain.

As Shen Yu watched him walk further and further away, he suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, a friend of mine is coming tonight. Would you like to meet him?"

Wen Yu stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Shen Yu, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "You have friends?"

Shen Yu: "..."

Shen Yu walked to Wen Yu's side, took the cane from Wen Yu's hand, and let him support his arm: "A friend from the photography studio, you've met him too. The day we came out of the well, he was the one who helped us stop Mu Yuyuan."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu seemed to recall something: "What's he here for?"

Shen Yu helped Wen Yu walk forward for a while, and said calmly, "I don't know either, but he doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards us."

Wen Yu frowned and asked, "Then what should I do?"

“He seemed a little worried about the Empress. To put his mind at ease, the Empress should just sleep normally at that time.” Shen Yu said, glancing at Wen Yu. “Of course, you can also pretend to be asleep and eavesdrop.”

Wen Yu: "..."

He sneered, "I don't have such petty thoughts as you're suggesting. I'm not interested in your affairs, so you'd better keep your voices down and don't disturb me."

Shen Yu shifted his gaze and said, "Alright."

Wen Yu pursed his lips, glanced at Shen Yu, took a few more steps, and then returned to his bed to rest.

Shen Yu was still sketching the blueprints for the palace when Wen Yu glanced over through the beaded curtain. She saw Shen Yu writing carefully, stroke by stroke, and had not yet noticed the commotion on Wen Yu's side.

Wen Yu reached into a small medicine box beside his bed. Inside were piles of bottles and jars. He looked down and rummaged through them for a moment, then found a small medicine bottle with a red label.

The Five Senses Enhancement Pill can enhance various bodily functions in a short period of time.

Wen Yu turned her back and swallowed a pill.

*

Shen Yu extinguished the candle at the same time every night. Wen Yu went to bed early tonight, perhaps because he had walked back and forth dozens of times in the afternoon and his body couldn't take it anymore and he felt tired.

Shen Yu sat in the darkness, his eyes closed, listening to the sounds around him. At midnight, he heard faint footsteps above the eaves. The sound stopped for nearly four or five minutes before shifting its direction toward the edge.

A moment later, a figure jumped down from above. The outer hall door was quietly pushed open and then quickly closed. Shen Yu opened his eyes and saw that the oval-faced palace maid from that morning was walking towards him again.

"Little brother, why can't you lift the bricks on the eaves?" Ying Shiqi frowned and rubbed his arm, complaining, "They've gotten my hand all dusty."

Shen Yu: "..."