Cold, yet the depth of feeling is clear.

The Shangguan family had a strict ancestral precept: Do not attack unless attacked; if attacked, even if the offender is as close as a brother, uproot them completely and show no mercy!

This was the sole ancestral precept of the Shangguan family. Having grown up imbued with this philosophy from childhood, taking a life was as simple as drinking water for Shangguan Han.

Consequently, he had indeed made his move back then! If Kevin had not desperately stopped him with all his might, that man would likely be a cold corpse by now!

When all was said and done, he was still somewhat troubled. That man's words had deeply pierced his heart and his reason!

Shangguan Han, who was never good with words, had no idea what to say after Kevin's intervention, nor did he know how to explain his recent behavior.

In a fit of frustration, he simply turned and walked away! Although half of his departure was driven by anger, a greater part stemmed from emotions he could not comprehend himself.

He only felt a sour, stinging ache deep within his chest! What on earth was this feeling? He still could not figure it out—until Kevin confessed that he loved him!

In that very instant, the sour anguish and the sharp, wrenching pain in his heart vanished completely, swept away by those words!

His heart pounded wildly as if he had just stepped off a roller coaster. He was so overwhelmed that his mind went entirely blank, incapable of forming a single thought!

His whole being was enveloped in happiness! Perhaps this was love, he thought. Having been raised under his father's cold and ruthless dominion to become an emotionless successor, his father had never once taught him what emotions were, imparting only cruel methods for dealing with others! What were feelings? What was love? He did not even know the definition of emotion!

He had always considered himself an emotionless machine, knowing only how to raise his blade and cut down any obstacle in his path.

Many people called him a cold-blooded monster, but he cared not at all. On the contrary, he had always believed that having no emotions was far better than having them!

After all, as long as one felt no emotions, one would feel no pain, would not grieve over the death of another, and could blindly pursue whatever they desired without a single care in the world.

Yet, just as he believed he was entirely devoid of the seven human passions, Kevin appeared! It was Kevin who gradually made him realize that he, too, was a human being of flesh and blood.

He, too, possessed desires and emotions! He also wanted to love someone, and wanted to use all his strength to bring happiness to the person he cherished!

He wanted to shelter his beloved under his wings and provide him with a peaceful life! When he finally snapped back to reality, he noticed that Kevin's arms, which had been tightly wrapped around him, were gradually loosening!

His body's reaction was vastly quicker than his brain's; his physical instincts were far more honest than his heart! He directly pulled Kevin back into his arms and kissed him deeply.

After a night of passion, the chaotic tangle of thoughts in Shangguan Han's mind slowly dissipated, gradually growing clear and lucid once more!

Perhaps his feelings for Kevin were not limited to mere friendship! Perhaps he was just like Kevin—in love! Yes, he had to admit it, he loved Kevin as well.

Yet he was acutely aware of the stakes and the obstacles standing in their way. If their relationship were ever exposed, the one to suffer would be Kevin!

He refused to let his beloved suffer any harm because of him, whether in spirit or in the flesh! Yet precisely now, he found himself unable to stay by Kevin's side twenty-four hours a day.

Being unable to protect the person he loved was the thing he could tolerate the least, yet such a situation had actually come to pass!

He was currently stretched too thin, forced to juggle family affairs while worrying about Kevin's safety. What kind of crisis this might ultimately lead to, even he could not predict.

Therefore, he felt deeply uneasy. Looking at Kevin's innocent face, he truly did not want him to be harmed by worldly prejudices! He simply could not understand modern people; clearly, it was merely two individuals of the same sex falling in love—why did they have to treat it as if it were some monstrous sin?

Even though he had lived in Country S for many years, Shangguan Han was well aware of the customs and sentiments of Country Z!

To the citizens of Country Z, a same-sex romance was a shocking emotion that people could not comprehend, and one that they viewed with profound disgust!

Some people even frequently committed violent acts against same-sex couples, forcing them to break up, and in some cases, driving them to desperate straits that ultimately led to death!

Yet those perpetrators seemed to believe that these tragedies were caused by homosexuality itself, shifting all the blame for the sins they created onto those pitiful lovers!

This was precisely why Shangguan Han was so troubled. It did not matter much for himself; having grown up in Country S, he did not hold strong prejudices against what Country Z considered taboo love.

On the contrary, once he fell in love, he fell in love! He had no regrets! The problem now, however, lay with his own family and Kevin's family!

If even they refused to approve, the path ahead of them would be unimaginably difficult. His own situation did not matter, but if his parents—especially his father—were to get involved...

Once Shangguan Xiong took the matter seriously, no matter how much precautions Shangguan Han took, his father would still find an opportunity to strike at Kevin. That was what gave Shangguan Han the greatest headache right now.

And then there was another person: his most beloved younger sister. The mere thought that his sister might also reject him and Kevin made Shangguan Han's heart constrict with anxiety.

On one side was his lover, and on the other was his dearest kin. How was he supposed to choose? For the first time, his sharp mind fell into chaos.

Tonight the weather was exceptionally clear. Meanwhile, deep in the mountain forests, poor students like Shangguan Xiao and Ouyang Qianyu were not enjoying a warm sleep in their beds, but were instead slowly trudging forward through the old woods!

Shangguan Xiao walked while grumbling under her breath. They had clearly set the fastest completion record in the history of the military region, yet these instructors had made them walk down the mountain on their own.

The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became, until without a second thought, she tugged on the sleeve of Ouyang Qianyu, who was walking ahead of her. Ouyang Qianyu turned around and looked at Shangguan Xiao in confusion.

She was pouting with a displeased expression on her face. Ouyang Qianyu was somewhat baffled! Strange, he clearly had not done anything to displease her!

Feeling rather helpless and depressed, Ouyang Qianyu asked tentatively, "What is it?"

Hearing him ask what was wrong, Shangguan Xiao, who had been bottling up her frustration all afternoon, felt as though she had finally found an outlet to vent her grievances.

Putting on a deeply aggrieved and disgruntled expression, she complained to Yu, who was watching her intently, "Don't you think those instructors are utterly unreasonable? We clearly won the competition, yet they still made us walk down the mountain ourselves, and only gave us this lousy map!"

The piece of paper referred to as a lousy map was currently held tightly in Ouyang Qianyu's hand. Shangguan Xiao was still holding onto Ouyang Qianyu's hand, having completely forgotten to let go.

She urgently needed to find someone who shared her perspective and despised those instructors just as much as she did! Little Ai and the others followed closely behind the two, secretly covering their mouths and snickering.

Judging by their behavior, the two of them must have finally gotten together! Tang Meng's physical condition was largely recovered, so the instructors had summoned her to join the group as well.

At that moment, she was being carefully watched over and led along by Dongfang Shuo, who walked close by her side. Tang Meng genuinely harbored very favorable feelings toward Dongfang Shuo!

He had taken good care of her ever since the rock climbing exercise, and even more so when she was injured! He was always silently helping her, giving her a feeling very similar to Shangguan Xiao!

Therefore, in Tang Meng's eyes, Dongfang Shuo was someone just like Shangguan Xiao—a genuinely good person!

The main group walked together, supporting one another. Clustered closely in small groups, they looked rather frightened and anxious.

One could not entirely blame them for being timid; after all, it was already nightfall!

Just imagine, deep in these ancient mountains, the occasional howl of a wolf echoed through the dark, throwing everyone into a panic!

Ouyang Qianyu, Shangguan Xiao, and a few others seemed completely unaffected, strolling leisurely at the very front of the procession.

Upon hearing the wolf howls, Shangguan Xiao felt a surge of excitement! She could not help asking Ouyang Qianyu beside her, "Hey, do you think some wolves are really going to show up later?"

Hearing the distinct excitement in her tone, Ouyang Qianyu obliged with a reply, "Perhaps."

Having received the answer she wanted, Shangguan Xiao became even more delighted! The lingering frustration from earlier vanished instantly, and her mood turned buoyant as she chirped happily, "Then maybe we can have some field-roasted wolf meat!"

The rest of the group shuddered involuntarily upon hearing her words. Just how much courage did it take for someone to utter such a thing? Roasted wolf meat!

Did she really think wolves were that easy to catch? There were so many people here; if wolves really attacked, they would likely be devoured by the wild beasts before they even had a chance to run!

Forget about eating wolf meat—saving their own skins and avoiding being eaten by wolves would be a blessing already! They simply could not understand how Shangguan Xiao, who looked so gentle and delicate on the outside, could come up with such an idea. Who on earth gave her such boldness?

Perhaps only Ouyang Qianyu, walking right beside her, knew the answer.

After marching for a long time, the group felt the surroundings growing increasingly gloomy and eerie. Sinister signals seemed to emanate from all directions!

Ouyang Qianyu suddenly pulled Shangguan Xiao to a halt. With furrowed brows, he scanned the surrounding environment, sensing an unusual and dangerous aura permeating the air!

Seeing him frown in deep thought, Shangguan Xiao curiously tugged at his hand and asked, "What's wrong? Are the wolves coming?"

With that, she began looking around anxiously as well. A gust of wind swept through, rustling the tall grass in a chilling whisper.

Such sounds only deepened the panic of the already uneasy students, who huddled close together like frightened fawns, as if doing so could diminish the terror gripping their hearts.