5. The Starry Sky of Ojców
Tao Xinyu was held tightly in Yan Hao's strong arms. The feeling of being so securely protected made her cheeks flush involuntarily. She had never experienced such masculine strength before—this was a first for her.
It wasn't that she had never been in a relationship. She had once had a deeply passionate love affair, but that story hadn't ended happily, and it had left a shadow on her heart.
That man had also been refined, polite, and gentlemanly. But unlike Yan Hao, he had been indecisive, lacking Yan Hao's resolute nature. In the end, because their family backgrounds were mismatched, his parents opposed the relationship, and Tao Xinyu had resolutely chosen to break up.
He hadn't been able to defy his parents' wishes and had given up on the relationship, so she had accepted it. Reality was reality—there was no room for refusal. If even he, as the man, didn't dare fight for it, what could she, a woman, hold onto? To avoid making things difficult for him, she had voluntarily stepped back.
Fortunately, Tao Xinyu hadn't given her body, only her heart, so the wound wasn't too deep, and she had been able to let go and move on.
After all, it was all about fate.
She and he were what people called—destined to meet, but not to be together.
That man had also put his arm around her shoulder, but his touch had been gentle, unlike Yan Hao's commanding presence. Now, experiencing this powerful embrace, Tao Xinyu deeply felt that this was perhaps what a real man's hug should feel like.
"Still cold?" Yan Hao's low voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.
"No... not cold anymore..." Tao Xinyu replied softly, her face still flushed.
"The sky is getting dark, but the rain hasn't stopped. Looks like we won't make it down the mountain today." Yan Hao tilted his head, looking down at the petite woman in his arms, his voice deep.
In Tao Xinyu's eyes at this moment, Yan Hao seemed both gentle and reliable. His naturally handsome face carried a fearless presence—as if no difficulty could frighten him—which greatly reassured her.
Because right now, realizing they would have to spend the night in this mountain cabin, she was actually quite anxious and fearful.
Yet the voice by her ear was so steady and pleasant, the strong body she leaned against so warm and burning. Tao Xinyu gazed dumbly at the man holding her, feeling as though her soul had left her body and floated into his.
This man gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
"What's wrong? Can you hear me?" Yan Hao noticed her dazed, flushed face—she looked like a puppy afraid of being abandoned, so endearing it made him chuckle.
Snapped back to reality by his question, Tao Xinyu turned away, pretending nonchalance.
"I heard you. We have to spend the night in this wilderness, right?"
Yan Hao didn't comment on her awkward reaction, simply holding her tighter, trying to share his higher body temperature with her, worried she might catch a cold.
Tao Xinyu nestled in his broad chest, absorbing his warmth. Though she felt their closeness might be inappropriate, she couldn't afford to worry about that now—if she left his side, she'd freeze to death on this mountain.
And so, leaning against Yan Hao for warmth, she soon drifted into a deep sleep.
---
In the early hours of the morning, Tao Xinyu slowly woke up. She was lying on a cushion by the fireplace, covered by his now-dried jacket.
Rubbing her eyes, she searched for the man and found him standing by the window in just his thin undershirt. The window was shut, but she could still see the view outside.
Picking up Yan Hao's jacket, she walked over and gently draped it over his broad shoulders, scolding softly:
"Standing here in such thin clothes—aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
Yan Hao turned but didn't respond to her scolding. Instead, he said:
"Come look at the sky. It's beautiful."
Tao Xinyu moved to his side and looked up. The dark, light-pollution-free sky was filled with countless stars, twinkling like brilliant jewels scattered across the night.
"Wow! It really is beautiful!" she couldn't help but exclaim.
"Without light pollution, the world becomes much more beautiful." Yan Hao's eyes held a deep, thoughtful gaze. His words were not just praise for the natural world, but also criticism of human civilization's environmental destruction.
"Exactly! Rather than looking at artificial city lights, it's so much better to see natural starlight." Tao Xinyu deeply agreed that nature's beauty was something man-made scenes could never match.
"This world doesn't belong only to humans. Perhaps other races will one day replace humans and save this world." Yan Hao gazed at the sky as he spoke earnestly.
His words startled Tao Xinyu.
"The other races you're talking about—do you mean the demon clan? The ones who use magical powers?" Tao Xinyu looked at him with wide, confused eyes. "The demon clan hasn't contributed anything to human society. On the contrary, they've abducted countless human women, used them to bear offspring, and then discarded them. Do you really think such a race could save this world?" She didn't understand why Yan Hao would place hope in such inhumane beings.
"Do you hate the demon clan?" Yan Hao looked down at her petite form, his tone unreadable.
"I don't like them, but since I've never encountered them, I can't say whether I hate them. It's just... they've caused so much fear and panic in the human world. Honestly... I'm more afraid of them." Tao Xinyu spoke truthfully.
Yan Hao listened quietly to her views on the demon clan, thinking to himself:
'The demon clan you're afraid of is standing right in front of you. Is he really as terrifying as you imagine?'
He scoffed inwardly. Humans were always so prone to illusions—and to preconceived notions.
This innocent woman didn't realize that sometimes humans were far more terrifying than the demon clan.
"What's there to fear? Anyway, the civilized world and the magical world exist without interfering with each other. You have no chance of encountering them anyway." Yan Hao spoke casually, no longer concerned whether she liked the demon clan or not.
But human thoughts often surprised him.
"Actually, I would rather learn more about the demon clan. Complete separation, no understanding—that's where estrangement begins." Tao Xinyu spoke slowly, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.
Yan Hao was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected her to think this way. He'd assumed she was completely against the demon clan, but she actually wanted to understand them.
"Do you really mean that?" he asked, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Of course! Look at this magnificent starlight—it's not just humans who see it. The demon clan sees the same sky. We coexist in this world. We're connected with the demon clan, inseparable. I don't really agree with humanity's current passive approach either. If we could understand each other, accept each other, maybe humans and the demon clan could coexist peacefully." Tao Xinyu spoke openly about her views, making Yan Hao feel increasingly drawn to her.
"Perhaps. Maybe that day will come soon." His lips curved up again because of her. His emotions were always inexplicably stirred by this woman, much to his surprise.
As the sacred vessel he was, no one in the Astor Empire could easily sway his heart. Yet here he was, repeatedly affected by this small woman.
That probably wasn't a good thing.
"Anyway, people like us don't get to decide things like that. What I can control is not catching a cold, not starving—little things like that. Speaking of which, are you hungry? I brought some bread—let's have a snack!" Tao Xinyu pulled out the bread with a smile, handing one to Yan Hao and taking one for herself. She started eating with the simple pleasure of someone for whom food was the most important thing in the world.
Yan Hao watched her and truly felt that this woman was completely different from him—yet he found himself inexplicably drawn to her. He couldn't describe this feeling. It was the first time he'd encountered something he didn't understand, an event he couldn't explain.
At this moment, there was only one thing Yan Hao was certain of: he wanted to continue getting to know this woman. He wanted her by his side, to share life's experiences with her, to walk through life's landscapes together.
And this was entirely within his control. Whatever he wanted, he obtained.
That was who he was—the king of Astor, the eldest legitimate son of the Yan clan, Yan Hao.
***
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