CHAPTER 56 — A Command That Defied Death
809 Words
The mountain groaned again.
Not like a warning anymore—
but like a dying beast finally collapsing under its own weight.
Cracks spread across the frozen cliffs above Chu Wenzhe and Shen Yue like veins breaking apart.
Snow shifted violently.
Rocks trembled.
The valley was about to bury everything alive.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
Valin soldiers outside shouted desperately.
“My Lord! Retreat immediately!”
But inside the storm—
Chu Wenzhe did not move.
His gaze remained fixed on Shen Yue.
As if the collapsing world around them had become irrelevant.
Only her voice mattered now.
Only her presence.
Shen Yue stood firmly in front of him despite the raging wind trying to push her back.
Her cloak whipped violently behind her.
Her eyes were steady.
Too steady for someone standing at the edge of death.
She repeated again:
“Leave.”
Simple word.
Absolute tone.
Chu Wenzhe’s expression darkened slightly.
“…You are still ordering me.”
Shen Yue did not hesitate.
“Yes.”
Silence.
The wind roared louder.
Snow shattered from above in small bursts.
Then—
Chu Wenzhe stepped forward.
Not toward escape.
Toward her.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
“You came into a collapsing battlefield,” he said quietly.
“Just to order me?”
Shen Yue answered instantly.
“Yes.”
Another pause.
Then she added—
“Because you are wasting time calculating a death scenario you already survived once before.”
Silence.
That sentence struck differently.
Because it wasn’t emotional.
It was analysis.
Sharp.
Correct.
Dangerously correct.
Chu Wenzhe narrowed his eyes slightly.
Interesting woman.
Very interesting indeed.
The mountain above them cracked again violently.
A massive chunk of ice broke free from the ridge.
It fell.
Fast.
Deadly.
Valin soldiers screamed from a distance:
“Collapse—!”
But Chu Wenzhe moved instantly.
Not away.
Toward Shen Yue.
He grabbed her wrist sharply and pulled her into his side.
The falling ice shattered behind them in a deafening explosion.
BOOM—
Snow exploded across the valley.
Wind swallowed everything.
For a moment—
everything went white.
Silence returned slowly afterward.
Only breathing remained.
Heavy.
Close.
Shen Yue blinked once.
She was pressed against his chest.
Warm despite the cold.
Protected.
Completely.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
Chu Wenzhe’s arm remained around her waist, steadying her as debris settled.
Then he spoke quietly near her ear:
“You are reckless.”
Shen Yue replied without hesitation:
“You are suicidal.”
Silence.
For a second—
something unreadable passed through Chu Wenzhe’s eyes.
Then—
he actually exhaled.
Not laughter.
Not fully.
But something close.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
The ground shook again.
Another collapse beginning deeper in the valley.
The soldiers outside were still shouting.
But Chu Wenzhe didn’t release her yet.
Instead—
he looked down at her.
Really looked.
And said quietly:
“You shouldn’t have come.”
Shen Yue met his gaze.
“And you shouldn’t keep surviving like you don’t matter.”
Silence.
The wind slowed slightly.
As if even the storm was listening now.
Chu Wenzhe’s grip on her wrist tightened briefly—
then loosened.
Just slightly.
He turned his head toward the valley exit.
“Move.”
This time—
not an order for her.
But for everyone.
Valin forces immediately responded.
The evacuation began.
Fast.
Controlled.
Efficient.
But Chu Wenzhe did not let go of Shen Yue.
He walked with her still beside him through the collapsing valley.
Step by step.
Snow falling.
Cliffs breaking behind them.
Death chasing them from every direction.
Yet strangely—
there was no fear in her anymore.
Only awareness.
Because she realized something unsettling.
She trusted him.
Completely.
And worse—
he had already decided she would not die here.
Interesting.
Very dangerous indeed.
As they reached safer ground outside the collapsing range—
Chu Wenzhe finally stopped.
Valin soldiers immediately surrounded them, kneeling in relief.
“My Lord!”
“You’re alive!”
But Chu Wenzhe didn’t respond to them.
His eyes were still on Shen Yue.
The wind softened slightly now.
Snow falling gently instead of violently.
And quietly—
he said:
“You disobeyed military blockade orders.”
Shen Yue blinked.
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then—
Chu Wenzhe added:
“You also saved my life.”
Silence.
Even the soldiers nearby froze slightly.
Because Lord Valin did not acknowledge debt easily.
Ever.
Shen Yue answered calmly:
“You were not planning to die anyway.”
Chu Wenzhe studied her for a long moment.
Then—
finally—
he said something different.
Something unexpected.
“…Stay closer next time.”
Silence fell instantly.
Not because of the words.
But because of the meaning beneath them.
And for the first time—
Shen Yue did not analyze it immediately.
She only felt something unfamiliar tighten quietly inside her chest.
Interesting.
Very dangerous indeed.
- Writer
