The day Shen Chongyi took charge of the Wolf Guards, he met a young Wolf Guard by the codename Geng Chen.
Geng Chen was drenched in blood from head to toe, on the verge of death beneath the blazing sun.
The previous commander had died a gruesome death on the way back to the capital, and Geng Chen was suspected of being his accomplice.
The eighteen-year-old Wolf Guard had endured all twenty-four forms of torture without uttering a sound.
Shen Chongyi was just about to praise his fortitude when the Wolf Guard captain told him that the boy was mute.
They had only found out yesterday.
Shen Chongyi nearly laughed in exasperation. He pinched the young Wolf Guard’s face to get a closer look.
His eyes were different colors, one black and one golden, and he glared fiercely at Shen Chongyi.
A pretty good little wolf cub.
With his hands behind his back, Shen Chongyi looked down at the man on the ground, satisfied. “Take him to my quarters.”
The little mute was perfect in every way, except that he couldn’t speak of his own accord.
For his amusement, Shen Chongyi gave him a bell. “If you need anything, call for me by ringing it. I’ll read whatever you write.”
But gradually, the mute became a nuisance too.
At first, he rang the bell three times a day. Then he rang it three times an hour.
Later, Shen Chongyi would hear that bell ringing in the dead of night, at death’s door, and whenever he needed it.
Geng Chen was only a codename. His real name was Yuan Bu.
The first time Yuan Bu spoke, he said Shen Chongyi’s name.
Even after he could speak, he kept wearing that bell and refused to take it off.
Shen Chongyi loved hearing the Wolf Guard captain speak, yet was always surrounded by the ringing of the bell.
On the bed, Shen Chongyi hooked a finger through Yuan Bu’s wolf-tooth necklace and said helplessly, “I’m raising a wolf, not a dog.”
Yuan Bu pressed against Shen Chongyi’s knees and pounced on him, smiling wickedly. “You have to be careful when you raise a wolf.”
That night, the bell jingled behind the curtains.
At the third watch, Shen Chongyi’s curses rang out. “If you’ve still got energy, go grind grain! Where’d you get all that donkey stamina?”
Reading Guide:
1. Younger top, one-on-one, both are each other’s first and only, happy ending.
2. Fictional dynasty. Please don’t compare it to real history.
3. Thank you for your support. Please don’t offer unsolicited writing advice.
Theme: Justice will prevail
