“A very beautiful place, with mountains, water, and trees. There are no intrigues or deceptions there, because our people in Tianshui Village in Miaojiang do not tolerate deceit.”
Qi Buyan didn’t know if he understood. He stared at the rainwater dripping from the eaves.
Qi Shu sighed almost inaudibly.
She murmured, “You should stay in Tianshui Village in Miaojiang in the future, never come out.”
“Never come out. I regret it… never come out. Over the years, those from Tianshui Village who ventured outside met terrible fates, almost all died miserably.”
Qi Shu thought that would be her fate too, unable to return to her homeland after death.
She understood Bian Yichen too well.
He wouldn’t let her return to her homeland.
Bian Yichen would keep her by his side in a twisted way. Qi Shu understood this, though it disgusted her and made her want to escape. But who could help her? No one could.
Qi Shu had tried asking for help, but it only resulted in the other person being implicated. Bian Yichen would kill them, and she couldn’t bear that.
So, she got used to enduring it alone.
Qi Buyan remained silent.
It seemed he didn’t understand her words.
Until he saw Qi Shu’s silver ornaments approach, she half-squatted down, “Even if you leave Tianshui Village in Miaojiang in the future, don’t believe in so-called emotions. It could kill you, Qi Buyan.”
Qi Shu rarely spoke to Qi Buyan in this tone. He looked at her face, so similar to his own, not understanding why her eyes reddened and warm tears fell.
Hot tears mixed with the cool rain, falling on Qi Buyan’s face.
Hongye Village.
The wind and rain lashed at the branches outside the treehouse.
Qi Buyan’s mind flashed back to Qi Shu’s words. He didn’t understand what emotions were, whether in the past or now; he only knew he wanted to be close to He Sui’an and receive the pleasure she offered.
When He Sui’an moved away from his neck, Qi Buyan opened his mouth and took her heart into it. He Sui’an seemed to gasp, his lips pressed against her, her heartbeat and the sound of water merging.
This wasn’t something Qi Buyan had read in a book; it was his instinct to kiss her heart.
She braced her hands on the table behind her.
The Gu books on the table tumbled to the floor.
From this angle, He Sui’an could see the blue butterflies covering Qi Buyan’s body.
A small blue butterfly was on his face, at the corner of his mouth. When he kissed her heart, it seemed alive, as if the blue butterfly was also consuming her. The scene was absurd yet strangely beautiful.
Qi Buyan’s wet hair was loose, and He Sui’an shivered from the cold, but he quickly warmed her in the rainy night. She slumped onto the table.
The boy slowly leaned down, intending to drink water.
But there was no water.
Now there was only a slight dampness from the rain. Qi Buyan remembered what the book said: if there is no water, make it. Only by creating pleasure and comfort could he drink.
Qi Buyan’s thin lips covered the spot, his tongue clumsily prying open what seemed like a shell that could produce water. He first drank the surrounding rainwater, then went into the small crevice where water could be found.
He Sui’an’s leg twitched.
Her toes pressed against Qi Buyan’s shoulder, as if dissatisfied with him drinking water, or perhaps she was thirsty herself, wanting to drink.
Qi Buyan, pressed by He Sui’an’s foot, lowered his gaze, focusing on the spot where water slowly emerged.
He drank it all.
Qi Buyan tasted the water, experiencing ultimate joy. He raised his head, inhaling the sweet air, his face flushed with color, the blue butterflies seeming ready to take flight.
All of this was born for him, solely his, just as his butterflies were born for He Sui’an. Qi Buyan was intoxicated by this. When he moved to drink more water, He Sui’an hugged him.
She didn’t want him to drink that kind of water anymore.
“He Sui’an.”
Qi Buyan called her name, “I really like this closeness.”
The boy’s voice was several tones lower than usual, making her heart itch. He Sui’an blew out the candle and pulled Qi Buyan to bed, each with their own blanket. They used to share the same blanket.
Tonight, it wouldn’t be possible.
Sharing the same blanket again was out of the question; He Sui’an couldn’t imagine what might happen. But she also felt she was overthinking it. After spending a considerable amount of time together, she was sure that he didn’t understand.
Since Qi Buyan didn’t understand, it was unlikely that what she imagined would happen. He Sui’an covered herself with the blanket, feeling the solid sensation of her feet on the ground.
She had just felt like she was floating.
A feeling of losing control.
His tongue was scorching, carrying a melting warmth, soft and flexible.
Qi Buyan turned on his side, his slender fingers winding through her long hair. This small gesture seemed to carry a hint of tenderness: “You don’t like it?”
Perhaps because Qi Buyan grew up in Tianshui Village in Miaojiang, his words and actions were too straightforward, making it hard for people to handle.
Especially for someone like He Sui’an.
She couldn’t tell if it was Qi Buyan who had led her off the original path or if she had led Qi Buyan onto a strange path for him, which became uncontrollable from then on.
He Sui’an blushed from head to toe.
It felt like being burned, shedding a layer of skin.
She had been too bewitched, not stopping Qi Buyan, letting him do such a thing, and she had even enjoyed it.
She remained silent.
At this point, He Sui’an didn’t even dare to get dressed. What had just happened was sparked by their naked closeness, so she decided to stay under the blanket and get dressed in the morning.
Qi Buyan watched her in the darkness.
In a moment, his fingertips touched the wetness of her hair from the rain. He grabbed a folded towel nearby, intending to wrap her long hair and dry it.
He Sui’an thought Qi Buyan was reaching over to do something else, so she quickly buried her head into the blanket, taking her wet hair with her.
Qi Buyan gently pinched the back of He Sui’an’s neck, as if handling a delicate Gu, pulling her out.
She turned and dove back into the blanket.
A small, naked bundle.
Qi Buyan again pinched the back of He Sui’an’s neck, stopping her. With his other hand, he spread out the towel and covered her head: “Dry your hair.”
“Huh?” He Sui’an stopped her attempt to burrow back into the blanket, “Oh.”
She used the blanket to cover her front.
Qi Buyan grabbed another towel to dry his own wet hair. Upon closer smell, it carried not only rainwater but also He Sui’an’s scent, from when he had inadvertently come into contact with her beneath him.
In the treehouse, the only sound left was them drying their hair. He Sui’an stole glances at Qi Buyan, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see his face clearly.
The boy had a refined and delicate look, his lips slightly redder from the friction earlier.
Yet his expression was calm.
It was as if the person kneeling beneath her a moment ago wasn’t him. Anyone looking at Qi Buyan would find it hard to imagine him engaging in such intimate, almost erotic, acts with that serene face.
He Sui’an felt a small sense of relief.
Being with someone like Qi Buyan, who seemed to take nothing to heart, made her feel less awkward, even in embarrassing or uncomfortable situations. Otherwise, He Sui’an might not have been able to face him.
In the rain, drying hair was difficult, and as He Sui’an continued, her hands grew tired and cramped. She lay down, her pale shoulders exposed outside the blanket, her long hair scattered messily.
She wasn’t asleep yet.
She was just exhausted.
Qi Buyan, with his strong hands, quickly dried his hair.
He set down his towel and lay next to He Sui’an, using her towel to continue drying her hair, as if he were carefully tending to a special Gu. He Sui’an felt very embarrassed.
She pulled the towel from Qi Buyan’s hand, intending to dry her hair herself before resting. Once she finally dried it, she collapsed onto the bed.
After such a long ordeal, He Sui’an was both tired and sleepy, closing her eyes to fall asleep.
But the moment she closed her eyes, she thought of Qi Buyan.
He had licked her there.
He Sui’an opened her eyes again, turning her head to look at Qi Buyan. He was already resting with his eyes closed. She clutched the blanket tightly, silently repeating that it was all in the past.
Unable to sleep, He Sui’an didn’t toss and turn, choosing to stay in the same position for a long time, not wanting to wake Qi Buyan. If he also stayed awake, she thought it would be better if only one of them remained awake tonight.
In the second half of the night, the rain gradually stopped.
Although they started the night sleeping separately, by the second half, the always restless sleeper He Sui’an had crawled into Qi Buyan’s blanket, their bodies closely pressed together.
The next morning, the weather was sunny and beautiful.
Qi Buyan was the first to wake, roused by He Sui’an’s scorching body heat.
He called her name, and He Sui’an drowsily opened her heavy eyelids. Qi Buyan pulled her up to sit, but she collapsed back down, cold and curling up in the warm blanket.
It seemed she had a fever from last night’s rain.
Qi Buyan, however, was fine.
He had certainly been in the rain longer than she had. He Sui’an hadn’t expected to be the one to fall ill. It must have been the combined effect of last night’s emotional turmoil and the rain that temporarily weakened her.
He Sui’an remembered she wasn’t wearing a dress and wanted to get up to put one on, but she was too weak. Feverish and delirious, she hadn’t even tried to sit up before collapsing again.
Qi Buyan held her by the waist, preventing her from hitting her head.
“I need to wear… my clothes,” He Sui’an mumbled.
Qi Buyan picked up He Sui’an’s red dress and helped her put it on, piece by piece. Inevitably, his touch brushed against her skin. Though she was burning up, she felt cold.
When his fingertips grazed her skin, she instinctively sought out that warmth.
Originally, Qi Buyan had planned to leave Hongye Village in Qingzhou today. He had already completed what he wanted to do regarding Sanshan Zhenren. Even if he left, Sanshan Zhenren’s fate wouldn’t change.
He Sui’an’s sudden illness was unexpected. They might have to stay here for another day or two, perhaps even witness Sanshan Zhenren’s downfall.
On any other day, he would have enjoyed watching it.
He had a habit of appreciating the agony of others, especially those who wanted to kill him but couldn’t.
Qi Buyan finished dressing He Sui’an, then carried her down from the treehouse to find a doctor in Qingzhou.
She lay limply in his arms.
Zhong Liang was just coming over to bring them some food.
Seeing Qi Buyan carrying He Sui’an down the ladder, he guessed something had happened. “What’s wrong with Miss He?”
Qi Buyan, carrying He Sui’an towards the village entrance, replied succinctly, “Caught in the rain, fell ill.” Zhong Liang hurried to catch up.
Hongye Village had an ox cart that could take them to Qingzhou faster to find a doctor. Zhong Liang told them to wait while he fetched it. Qi Buyan stood at the village entrance waiting for him.
He Sui’an clung tightly to Qi Buyan. She was very cold and buried her head in his chest.
