Chapter 4 — Giao Giao’s Covenant

His pupils contracted until they were mere pinpricks.

"Dissolve the covenant?"

He curled his lip in a self-mocking sneer, yet his eyes were overflowing with bitter resentment. "Is it for that wolf, or is it for that fish?"

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and fine layers of frost began to coalesce upon the floorboards. This man’s nature was such that whenever his emotions surged, his ice-based elemental powers would leak uncontrollably. In the past, my heart would ache, terrified that he would suffer the backlash of his own abilities, and I would rush to embrace him. Even as I shivered, frozen to the bone, I would never have let go. But now, this cold felt piercing and invasive; I only wanted to put distance between us.

"It has nothing to do with anyone else." I stood up. "Yun Tu, I am tired. I have chased at your heels for three long years, and I simply cannot run anymore."

He took a step forward, reaching out to grab my hand. As his fingers brushed against my skin, I slapped his hand away. Yun Tu stood petrified, his face paler even than the ice shards he had just manifested.

"I do not agree." His voice was hoarse, laced with a tremor he struggled to conceal. "I will not agree to this."

With that, he turned sharply and strode away, pulling a gust of cutting, bitter wind that lashed against my face, stinging like a whip. I looked down at the back of my hand where he had touched me; a patch of angry red had already bloomed. It was a burn caused by his unstable ice energy. I let out a chilling laugh, only to hear an unusual sound coming from the window. I turned to look. A Lan, who should have left long ago, was standing there silently, watching me.

A Lan stepped inside. He bowed his head slightly, his long, slender fingers gently pressing against the swollen, red skin of my hand. A cool, serene stream of energy flowed from his touch, seeping into my skin. The pain vanished instantly.

"He hurt you." A Lan’s voice was as melodic as a babbling brook, yet it held a hidden thread of murderous intent. I pulled my hand away. "It is nothing."

"Giao Giao, once a Merman has claimed a life-partner, he will never allow her to suffer even the slightest harm." He raised his eyes, and those deep, oceanic orbs contained nothing but my reflection. "If you do not want him, I can help you... kill him."

He spoke with the lightness of a falling feather, as if he were discussing the changing weather. I jumped in shock. "It has not come to that." His long, wet hair swept against my ankles, sending a pleasant shiver up my spine. He knelt on one knee before me, took my hand, and pressed a delicate kiss to the back of it.

"Then let me care for you in his stead. Tonight, I wish to stay."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a ruckus erupted outside the door. Feng Yan barged in, heaving an enormous wild boar over his shoulders, his voice booming and jarring. "Master! I caught the fattest wild boar in the world! Tonight we shall feast—" His words cut off abruptly. He stared at A Lan, kneeling before me, then at the fading red mark on my hand. The air still carried the lingering, frigid chill of Yun Tu’s presence. Feng Yan dropped the boar with a heavy thud, his eyes turning bloodshot.

"That mangy leopard was here, wasn't he? Did he dare bully you?"

He lunged forward, shielding me just like a wolf pup protecting its kill. I looked at these two beast-men with their polar-opposite temperaments and felt a throbbing headache. My older sister hadn't sent me partners; she had clearly sent me two ticking time bombs. Before I could console them, heavier, more deliberate footsteps sounded at the entrance. Yun Tu had actually returned. Moreover, he held a yellowed scroll of parchment in his hand.

"This is a special mandate from the tribal chief."

Yun Tu walked in, his icy gaze flickering coldly over Feng Yan and A Lan. "This week, I must take Giao Giao to patrol the Forbidden Territory."

Feng Yan’s fur stood on end. "Absolutely not! The Forbidden Territory is far too dangerous; are you trying to get our master killed?" Yun Tu ignored him, walking straight toward me. He placed the scroll on the table, his tone reverting to a frigid, professional detachment. "These are the regulations. As my bonded partner, you are required to accompany me on patrols of this level." He paused, his voice carrying a subtle, underlying threat. I looked at the scroll, knowing full well this was merely a ruse. He wanted to tether me to his side, far away from these two rivals.

"I will go," I said, looking up with feigned composure. A flicker of joy ignited in the depths of Yun Tu’s eyes, though he quickly suppressed it.

"But I have one condition." I pointed toward Feng Yan and A Lan. "These two, as my partners, must also accompany us."

Yun Tu’s expression darkened instantly. "Impossible. That is the inner sanctum of the tribe."

"Then I am not going, and you might as well dissolve the covenant now."

I called his bluff. Yun Tu tightened his fists so hard that the sound of his claws digging into his palms was clearly audible. He stared at me for a long time, before finally forcing a single word through his gritted teeth: "Fine." He turned his back and walked away, his posture looking strangely strained and defeated.

The journey into the Forbidden Territory was far more boisterous than I had imagined. Yun Tu led the way, radiating an aura of "do not approach" that could freeze the air itself. Feng Yan walked on my left, constantly picking fruits to offer me or complaining about the uneven path, demanding that he carry me. A Lan walked on my right; though he remained silent, whenever we navigated a narrow pass, his hand would instinctively steady my waist. Yun Tu glanced back. The moment he caught sight of A Lan’s hand on my waist, the surrounding brush and grass were instantly encased in ice sculptures.

"Take your hand off her."

Yun Tu’s voice was so cold it sounded as if it might shatter into shards of ice.