Chapter 14

Su Yue was leisurely admiring the scenery on the lawn when he suddenly noticed a familiar-looking ancient castle standing majestically in the distant mountains.

Noah walked over and followed his gaze: "Looking at the castle?"

"Is that really an ancient castle?" Su Yue asked, somewhat surprised.

From the camping area, one can only glimpse a corner, but from here, it faces the ancient castle in the distance, offering a panoramic view.

The entire castle sits atop a giant rock, built against the mountainside, with cliffs on three sides, making it so magnificent that it seems unman-made.

It's hard to imagine how this was built in ancient times...

Su Yue recalled Professor Philip's impassioned "mysterious castle theory," looked at Noah, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously:

"This castle...could it have been built by your Crystal Clan?"

Noah nodded: "...Yes."

He gazed into the distance, his calm expression softening slightly, something about to emerge from his eyes, yet quickly concealed within.

Su Yue was taken aback.

He saw a very faint pink tinge rise on Noah's body—it was a feeling of liking, reluctance, and longing.

Although he possesses extraordinary abilities, he cannot always see other people's emotions. Only when a certain emotion is particularly strong can he "see" colors and shapes.

In his eyes, Noah had always been extremely restrained. During the time they spent together, apart from that unusual energy, he had never seen Noah show the slightest emotion.

Even when he was being stung by the black mist during the purification process, and his heart was pounding like a drum when he touched his hands together, Noah remained calm and showed no reaction.

He thought Noah was... a celibate type.

But what's with this light pink layer?

What happened in that castle?

Suppressing his many questions, Su Yue coughed lightly and asked, "Noah, can you take me there to have a look?"

Noah was slightly surprised, and the pale pink on his clothes quickly faded: "You want to go to the castle?"

Su Yue nodded obediently and smiled ingratiatingly, "Yes, I want to go."

Noah seemed somewhat troubled: "The cliffs there are steep and there are no paths on any side. It's impossible to climb up there using normal methods."

Su Yue rolled her eyes.

The person who rescued him from the cliff wouldn't be allowed to go to an ancient castle, would they? This tone... is clearly a euphemism for refusing!

The more he acted this way, the more Su Yue wanted to go.

After a moment's thought, Su Yue had a sudden inspiration. He remembered the most popular pose of the cheerleading beauties and gritted his teeth to imitate it.

He tried to squeeze some tears into his eyes, put on an innocent face, pursed his lips slightly, and looked up at the other person at a 30-degree angle:

"Brother Noah, I've never been there before, I've only seen silhouette photos taken by others... I really, really want to see it with my own eyes..."

Noah met those wet, green eyes and felt they looked more and more like that person.

He was somewhat moved, hesitated for a moment, and then said evasively, "Let's talk about it when you've fully recovered."

"Okay! It's a deal then—once I recover, you'll take me there!" Su Yue pressed his advantage, subtly changing the subject, "It's a deal."

Noah: "..."

To pass the time, Su Yue asked Noah for a set of paintbrushes and a drawing board.

To be honest, the days spent recuperating in the stone house were excessively comfortable—it was all about sleeping and eating. Noah prepared meals at set times and delivered them to my door; the wolf king was always by my side, and as long as I didn't mention that it resembled a dog, I could pet it as much as I wanted; when I occasionally went for a walk, Da Bao always greeted me warmly and held no grudges.

Sleep whenever you want, eat whenever you want, pet wolves and bears whenever you want. It's even better than a vacation.

But he was in the prime of his youth, and he couldn't just let himself become a pig.

So Su Yue picked up his paintbrush again.

He drew countless "animal portraits" of the wolf king and Da Bao: there was the wolf king lying on the carpet cosplaying as Saint Bernard, and there was its proud and aloof posture when guarding the gate; there was Da Bao's silly appearance when chasing butterflies, and there was its majestic posture when standing upright and looking down on all directions.

I drew them in all sorts of poses and styles: silly and cute, quiet and adorable, domineering and imposing.

He even captured a peaceful moment between the wolf king and Da Bao.

Although the wolf king was unhappy that Da Bao had taken over the guard job and always bared its teeth and kept its distance when it saw him, Da Bao was kind-hearted and thick-skinned, and kept sticking close to him.

Persistence pays off; there will always be a few times when you succeed.

That afternoon, as usual, the wolf king bypassed Da Bao and walked to the edge of the cliff, howling alone. Da Bao waited for it to finish howling, then slowly approached, sniffing the air—seeing that the wolf king neither chased it away nor left, it plopped down next to it and stayed there all afternoon.

A wolf and a bear, like old friends reunited after a long separation, their unspoken words condensed into a silent understanding as they stood side by side gazing at the distant snow-capped mountains.

Su Yue immediately went back to the house to get his painting tools and recorded this joyous moment.

Noah once said, "The wolf king seems to dislike Da Bao, but they actually have a good relationship." It was only then that Su Yue truly understood.

Noah came to visit and noticed a thick stack of paintings piled up on the table.

He casually flipped through the pages; some he had seen before, some he hadn't, but all were incredibly lifelike and vivid.

People who can "see" emotions are always exceptionally perceptive of details.

"Well done," Noah simply praised.

Su Yue's nose almost popped out of her head: "That's right. I started learning to draw in junior high school, and because I drew well, I was recommended to Horton High School. There are professional artists there who have won major awards, and they also praised my talent."

Noah noticed that the painting repeatedly featured the Wolf King and Da Bao. After a moment's thought, he suggested:

"...If you need a model, I can do that too."

Su Yue was taken aback, then exclaimed with delight, "Great!"

He had actually considered painting Noah, but since the other person spent most of his time working in the basement and also had to cook for him at set times and accompany him on walks, he felt embarrassed to make the request again. Unexpectedly… hehe, this is really great.

Noah's image is superb; this drawing would definitely be a masterpiece. But... what pose should he be in? Frontal or side view? Sitting or standing? Should he be holding some props? Like, a wolf king on a leash?

As Su Yue laid out the paper, her mind raced with ideas. Unexpectedly, Noah, without a word, suddenly took off his shirt.

Su Yue's breath hitched.

Noah had not an ounce of excess fat on his body; he had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and muscle definition like a professional swimmer—stunningly beautiful.

He looked at Su Yue innocently: "Don't you have to take your clothes off for nude photography?"

Su Yue replied a beat late, "Yes...yes."

Nude photography? ...Dude, he only wanted a regular portrait, he didn't dare to ask for an exorbitant price...

Su Yue swallowed hard.

Noah remained calm and oblivious, even adjusting his posture to subtly display every muscle: "Is this okay? Or this? I don't know anything about drawing, so tell me what posture and angle you need."

"Okay, okay." Su Yue stammered, her hand holding the pen trembling slightly.

He felt nervous. It was as if it wasn't Noah who had taken off his shirt, but himself.

Calm down, calm down! Su Yue took a deep breath and told herself: This is just the upper body. What kind of nude models haven't I seen at the art academy...