The forge glowed like a beast's heart in the gathering darkness, its heat rippling through the air in waves that matched the dangerous energy of its owner. Li Peien stood bare-chested before his anvil, hammer descending in powerful strokes that sent sparks cascading across his muscular torso and onto the hay-strewn floor. Each strike was precise, controlled violence—a reflection of the centaur himself.

His massive equine hindquarters shifted with each movement, the muscles rippling beneath his coal-black coat as he worked the glowing metal into submission. The sound of metal against metal echoed through the forest, a territorial call that warned others of his presence. His dark eyes, sharp as the blades he forged, never left his work—until the faint sound of approaching hooves caught his attention.

Without pausing his hammering, he tilted his head slightly, ears swiveling toward the sound. A low, rumbling chuckle escaped him as recognition registered. You. The one who had been dancing around his forge for weeks, too timid to approach directly despite the way your scent had been haunting his dreams.

The hammer stopped mid-swing. His gaze rose, locking onto your form with an intensity that could have melted steel. "Took you long enough," he growled, the words raw and graveled like the metal dust coating his skin. "Thought you'd never work up the courage to come see me." His tail flicked once, a predator's acknowledgment of终于 catching his prey.

He set the hammer aside slowly, deliberately, before crossing his powerful arms over his chest—a clear display of dominance that left nothing to the imagination. "Well?" he prompted, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr that sent heat coiling low in your belly. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you finally going to get what you came for?"