The young man watched the woman sleeping on the bed, his gaze cold, yet tinged with a hint of complex emotion.
He stood by the bed for a long ti without doing anything, then turned and went to the doorway to keep watch.
In the dead of night, he sensed sothing and appeared in a remote alley within the city.
Dozens of n in black were already gathered there.
Soone saw him arrive and called out,
"How’s the mission coming along?"
These were undoubtedly Demon Beast n of considerable strength. They were all Demon Beasts carefully selected for their concealnt abilities, their Demonic Qi expertly suppressed. They lived disguised within the city—so as beggars, so as shopkeepers, and so even as mbers of the Beastman patrol, leading ordinary lives alongside other Beastn.
One of them was a burly Beastman. Had Sang Luo been present, she would have been astonished, for this was the very Bear Beast who had whipped Xiao’er on the road a few days prior.
The Bear Beast looked over at the young man who had just arrived.
They had sent out this Beastman, their youngest yet most cunning operative. His delicate features were incredibly deceptive, masterfully designed to inspire pity in females.
It was a classic self-injury ploy.
The tactic had never failed; countless females had fallen for it.
The last ti they’d used the sa old trick, they had hoped Sang Luo would take him in, giving him an opportunity to strike.
Unexpectedly, that female was quite vigilant. She hadn’t fallen for it and had simply sent him away with a few Beast Crystals.
This ti, they found another chance, risking life and limb to get him into the Imperial Palace, hoping he could find an opportunity to act.
Fortunately, good news had co from the Imperial Palace yesterday: the Phoenix Emperor had left and wouldn’t be back for at least a week or two. A re female would be easy prey!
The Bear Beast asked him, "How’s the plan going? Did you manage to get close to that female?"
The young man nodded.
The Beastman grinned and tossed him a pouch. "Good! Find a chance to give this to her!"
The young man took the pouch, glanced at it, then looked up and scanned the group. "Is everyone here?"
"We agreed to et underground tonight to discuss the next step of the plan."
"All the ’moles’ are here. You’re the only one who was late. We thought you were a goner and were about to find a replacent."
"What are you still standing there gawking for?"
A tall, sturdy Demon Beast walked over, reaching out to grab him.
The next second, an arm flew through the air, followed by a shrill scream.
"Traitor!"
"Kill him!"
All the Demon Beast n rushed forward to kill him.
...
The young man walked out of the silent alley as dawn was breaking.
He glanced up at the sky, put a black Token into his storage space, then looked down at the bloodstains on his clothes. He turned and headed for the forest outside the city, killed a few Star Beasts, then went to the river to wash himself before returning to the Imperial Palace after sunrise.
Sang Luo liked to linger in bed for a while after waking up. She snuggled her pillow and heard the door open.
Xiao’er stopped outside the folding screen.
"Noble female, it is ti to wake up, dress, and wash. The kitchens have prepared breakfast."
"Mmm... I’m getting up."
Her voice was languid and delicate, charming to the core, and followed by a soft yawn.
The young man watched her hazy silhouette behind the screen, listening to the faint rustle of fabric. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he stepped inside.
Sang Luo had just put on her inner robe and was about to get off the bed to put on her shoes when she saw the young man walk right in.
A look of shock and panic crossed her face. Before she could tell him to get out, the young man knelt by her bed. He took her small, fair foot in one hand and used the other to help her put on a shoe.
"You..."
Sang Luo stamred, her body stiffening.
It wasn’t as if she were so innocent maiden with no experience with n. But however uninhibited she might be, that was reserved for her own Beast Husbands. She always kept her distance from other Male Beasts, to say nothing of a male servant she had barely t.
And yet, he made no other inappropriate moves. After helping her with her shoes, he respectfully stepped aside, took her outer robe from the rack, and waited to help her dress and do her hair.
Sang Luo gave the young man a complicated look. The Servants in the Imperial Palace took good care of her, but never... this attentively.
She recalled that Xiao’er ca from a Beast Slave background. He was probably used to serving a master like this, having been trained from a young age.
She suppressed the faint unease in her heart.
She said with a dry laugh, "Um, you don’t have to trouble yourself with little things like this in the future. Your usual duties are just to clean and tidy the room, and perhaps serve tea and water."
The young man watched her for a mont before nodding. "Understood, noble female."
He then picked up her outer robe. "Let help you with your robe."
Seeing his normal expression and polite deanor, Sang Luo didn’t dwell on it. After she was dressed, the kitchens delivered breakfast.
Sang Luo was starving, so she focused on her al.
The young man waited on her, pouring tea and water.
Sang Luo said, "You’ve been busy all morning. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Would you like so?"
For soone with a Beast Slave background, he certainly wasn’t shy. He sat down beside her. "Thank you, noble female."
He placed a piece of at in her bowl.
"at from a King Rank Ice Boar Beast. This is a rare treat." Sang Luo took a bite, her eyes sparkling. "Mmm! This at is exceptionally fresh and tender, as if it was just killed this morning."
"I caught it in the forest outside the city this morning and gave it to the kitchens. If you like it, noble female, I can go catch one every morning."
"No wonder I caught a faint scent of blood on you earlier." After her initial surprise, Sang Luo smiled. "Thank you for the hard work, but the Imperial Palace has Beastn specifically assigned to hunt for ingredients. You don’t need to go yourself."
’He’s getting paid for one job but doing the work of two. She wasn’t about to exploit a male slave like that.’
Xiao’er nodded and said no more, quietly placing more food on her plate.
Sang Luo saw that he was only serving her and hadn’t taken a single bite himself. She said, a little embarrassed, "You should eat too. Thank you for accompanying to the dungeon last night. You were the one who brought back, right? Then you went out of the city at the crack of dawn to hunt a Star Beast. You must have used a lot of energy. You’ve worked hard, so eat up and replenish your strength."
"I ate earlier. I’m not hungry."
Since he said so, Sang Luo didn’t insist, and she ended up eating everything.
After clearing the dishes, the young man showed no sign of leaving. Sang Luo was puzzled. ’Is this young male slave a little too hard on himself? He’s even more diligent than the other servants in the palace.’
She took the initiative to speak. "There’s nothing else for you to do here. You should go and get so rest."
"I’m not tired."
"It doesn’t matter if you’re not tired. You didn’t sleep well last night, and you were up so early this morning. How can a normal person’s body handle that? I’m telling you to go rest, so go rest. There are plenty of servants in the Imperial Palace, it’s not just you. I can summon soone else if I need anything," she said sternly.
The young man lowered his eyes. "I don’t trust others to take care of you."
Sang Luo frowned. That strange feeling rose in her heart again. This ti, she couldn’t convince herself it was just her imagination.
’This young male slave’s feelings for her seed... unusual.’
’He was overstepping.’
"There are many people in the Imperial Palace. They serve very well, I don’t need you to..."
"Are they better than ?" the young man asked, raising his eyes to look at her. His lips were pale, giving him a cold and distant air.
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