Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 181: The Probing Gaze
Yue Yue had fallen asleep so late that the sun was already high in the sky when she finally began to stir. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, shining directly onto her face.
As she tried to turn over, she realized she couldn’t move. She felt a heavy, solid weight pressing against her, and a strong pair of arms was wrapped tightly around her waist. Her face was tucked neatly into the crook of someone’s neck.
Groggy and confused, she blinked several times.
At first, she panicked, her mind blanking on where she was.
Then, slowly, the memories of the previous night came flooding back. She had come to Xing Luoguang’s room to wait for him and had fallen asleep in the corner of the bed.
She looked up and saw the sharp jawline and peaceful face of Xing Luoguang. He must have come back very late and, instead of waking her, simply pulled her into his arms to sleep.
Looking at his innocent, calm expression, Yue Yue couldn’t help but smile.
He looked so different when he was asleep...less like a fierce warrior and more like someone who finally felt safe. She reached out a hand and gently brushed a few locks of hair away from his forehead.
A blissful feeling washed over her. This was the first time they had shared a bed, and it felt surprisingly natural. She liked the warmth and the steady sound of his breathing.
The movement caused Xing Luoguang’s long lashes to flutter. He slowly opened his eyes, and his deep eyes met hers.
For a moment, he looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe she was actually there.
"You’re awake?" he asked, his voice thick and husky with sleep.
Yue Yue nodded shyly. "Good morning."
Xing Luoguang didn’t say anything at first. He just leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her chin.
"Good morning, my dear Yue," he murmured. "Did you sleep well?"
Yue Yue giggled softly. "Of course. You are like a human heater. It was very comfortable."
She tried to sit up to start the day, but Xing Luoguang immediately groaned and pulled her back down against his chest.
"Don’t move yet," he muttered, closing his eyes again. "I slept very late. I’m still exhausted. Sleep a bit more with me."
Yue Yue didn’t fight him. She snuggled back into his embrace, enjoying the closeness. But then, she remembered the tension from the night before.
"What happened yesterday?" she asked timidly. "Why did you come back so late? Was it something bad?"
Xing Luoguang, who had been drifting back into a blissful daze, suddenly stiffened.
His muscles turned hard as stone under her touch. The memory of the purple-haired boy and the threats against the city came rushing back like a cold wave.
He looked down at Yue Yue’s innocent, questioning face. His heart tightened with a painful love and suspicion.
He had so many questions, but looking at her, he couldn’t find the words to ask them.
As he looked at Yue Yue’s innocent, sleepy expression, his brother’s harsh warning echoed in his mind like a recurring nightmare.
She must be the one who led them here. She is a spy. She is scheming. freёwebnovel.com
He felt his throat tighten, a choking sensation making it hard to breathe as he stared into her clear, gemstone-blue eyes.
"Yue Yue," he began, his voice strained and heavy. "Yesterday... we found someone. He was unconscious, lying in the sand right beside that massive polluted beast."
Yue Yue’s eyes widened, and she sat up slightly, her face filled with genuine concern.
"What? Someone was out there? Is he alive? Was he badly injured by the monster?"
She asked these questions with such pure worry that it sent a fresh wave of pain through Xing Luoguang’s heart. She seemed completely oblivious to the storm brewing inside him.
"Strangely, he was perfectly fine," Xing Luoguang said, watching her every micro-expression. "No sand beast had attacked him. They just ignored him, as if he weren’t even there."
Yue Yue looked stunned. She tilted her head, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"How is that possible? I saw that beast. It was terrifying and aggressive. It’s impossible for someone to be right in front of them without being harmed. Did he have some kind of special protection?"
Xing Luoguang continued to watch her, his gaze intense. "That is the strangest part. And even more concerning... he was not from our city. He wasn’t from any known settlement on this planet."
He paused, noticing the way Yue Yue’s breath hitched. She was starting to sense the gravity of his tone.
"The man said he was from the Empire," Xing Luoguang revealed.
Yue Yue froze. Her breath became short, and her eyes grew wide with a sudden fear. Seeing her reaction, Xing Luoguang pushed further, his voice growing deeper and more serious.
"You know our situation, Yue. We are always hidden. We have spent our entire lives hiding in the shadows because of the Empire. They have hunted us for generations... they want to butcher our people for what we are. If the Empire finds this base, it won’t be a battle. It will be a massacre. Every orc, female, and child here would be destroyed."
Yue Yue was trembling now. The peaceful morning air had turned cold. "Are you... are you telling me that the Empire has already found this place?"
Looking into her eyes, which were filled with nothing but raw fear for the people of the city, Xing Luoguang felt his heart sink even deeper. He wanted to believe her so badly. freewebnoveℓ.com
"I don’t know yet," he admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "But if they have truly found us, we are doomed. I don’t know how that man arrived here, but he was threatening us openly. He claimed that our location is no longer a secret."
Yue Yue’s heart pounded against her ribs.
She was so worried about the people, the kind caretaker, the girls she had shared pastries with, and the little cubs that she didn’t even notice the probing, suspicious gaze Xing Luoguang was leveling at her.
She had lived here long enough to understand their history. She knew the Empire was greedy and had hunted their race into near-extinction for something they possessed.
