Old scars naturally wouldn’t hurt anymore, but He Sui’an never expected Qi Buyan to kiss her old scar. When his lips touched it, it felt as though a blazing fire had seared the spot.
His thin lips were hot, scorching her heart.
At first, her expression froze, then she cupped his face, pushing the heat away.
Qi Buyan’s face loomed larger in front of He Sui’an. He was strikingly beautiful, yet just the right amount—like his charm, silently ensnaring hearts and leading people to fall.
He Sui’an released Qi Buyan, pulled up her chest-length skirt, and then straightened her outer robe. Her heartbeat showed no signs of slowing, as if it would jump out of her chest.
She awkwardly changed the subject: “By the way, today is April 19th.”
April 19th.
They had agreed that from now on, this day would be Qi Buyan’s birthday. He Sui’an had also promised to give him a gift today.
Qi Buyan sat up straight, looking at He Sui’an, waiting for her to finish.
He Sui’an, who had just been kissed on her old scar, suddenly felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t bear his gaze and awkwardly pressed her palm against his face, turning it to one side.
But Qi Buyan turned back.
He Sui’an’s hand, which she was about to let go, pressed against his face again, turning it away once more. His skin was smooth, like the finest silk, and her fingers involuntarily twitched upon touching him.
This time, Qi Buyan didn’t turn back: “Why don’t you let me look at you?”
“Just say it like this.” There was no way He Sui’an would explain the reason. She didn’t elaborate and asked him, “Do you have any wishes?”
“Wishes?”
He repeated the word.
He Sui’an nodded vigorously: “Yes, do you have any wishes?”
Qi Buyan usually made deals with others, fulfilling their wishes in exchange for the reward he wanted. He never thought someone would ask him if he had any wishes. It seemed he didn’t have any.
In Qi Buyan’s view, a wish is something deeply desired from within but temporarily unattainable. People wish to achieve it, but when they can’t, they feel disappointed.
Thus, they need the help of others to fulfill their wishes.
Qi Buyan thought for a moment.
His answer was that he didn’t have any.
Wanting to refine the Gu King to remove the Heaven Silkworm Gu in his body was something Qi Buyan could achieve. Although he didn’t know if the Gu King could truly remove the Heaven Silkworm Gu, refining the Gu King was within his capability.
As long as he gathered the necessary items for refining the Gu King, he could achieve it. As for these items, Qi Buyan could also obtain them on his own.
No help from others was needed.
Even though Qi Buyan had come down the mountain to collect items to refine the Gu King and remove the Heaven Silkworm Gu, this was not his wish because he wouldn’t feel disappointed even if he failed.
A task that, when failed, doesn’t lead to disappointment cannot be considered a wish, so Qi Buyan currently had no personal wishes.
After hearing Qi Buyan’s response, He Sui’an blinked: “Really, none at all?”
“None.”
His answer remained the same.
Qi Buyan noticed that the pressure of He Sui’an’s palm on his face had lessened. He turned his head to look at her and asked in return: “Then what is your wish?”
He Sui’an let go of her hand, unsure where to place it, so she rested it on her knee, nervously fiddling with her little finger. She replied honestly: “My current wish is to remember all my memories.”
He lightly tapped her forehead with his fingertip.
She looked up.
Qi Buyan and He Sui’an locked eyes, each reflecting the other in their gaze, clear as a mirror. He said softly: “This is something I cannot help you with, so we can’t make a deal.”
Throughout their time together, He Sui’an never thought about making a deal with Qi Buyan. It was only upon hearing his words today that she realized he had been considering making a deal with her.
It’s not that she assumed Qi Buyan would help her unconditionally; she simply hadn’t thought about making deals.
For personal matters, it’s best to handle them oneself.
For minor issues, it’s not worth negotiating a deal.
For major issues, He Sui’an had yet to encounter any. Even if she did, she would try to solve them herself first. If she couldn’t, she would then seek help. At least for now, she didn’t need to make any deals with him.
However, He Sui’an was somewhat curious about what kind of payment Qi Buyan might request from her.
From Weicheng to Chang’an, they hadn’t been separated. She was well aware of how Qi Buyan handled various situations they encountered along the way.
Jiang Songwei had previously wanted to make a deal with Qi Buyan, but he didn’t have anything Qi Buyan wanted, and since removing Jiang Xuewan’s Gu was difficult, Qi Buyan didn’t agree to the deal.
This indicated that Qi Buyan would only consider a deal if there was something he desired.
He Sui’an didn’t think she had anything Qi Buyan currently wanted. In Weicheng, they had made a small deal, asking him to help bury the old nanny, and she was bitten by his snake.
This time, the payment wouldn’t be getting bitten by a snake, her intuition told her.
Because of her curiosity, He Sui’an wanted to know what kind of payment Qi Buyan would request if they made another deal.
She voiced her curiosity: “If we were to make a deal, what kind of payment would you ask for?”
Qi Buyan seemed momentarily stumped by the question.
The two of them stared at each other.
“I haven’t thought of anything yet.” Qi Buyan ran his hand through He Sui’an’s long hair, which was slightly wavy from being braided. Her hair was very black, and his fingers were very white, contrasting sharply.
As he reached the end of her hair, he grasped it and then let go: “I just want to make a deal with you and receive a payment from you.”
He Sui’an found this amusing.
She straightened her dress and returned to the original topic: “Think about whether you have any wishes today. People usually make a wish on their birthday, so you should make one tonight.”
Qi Buyan nodded.
After resting in the room for a while, He Sui’an expressed her desire to go out. She knew their situation was dangerous and it wasn’t wise to wander around, but she hadn’t prepared a birthday gift yet, and going out was necessary to get it.
If they went out together, Qi Buyan, with his sharp mind, would probably guess what she was preparing for his birthday, ruining the surprise.
This was the first birthday gift He Sui’an was giving Qi Buyan, and she hoped it would be a special one.
At the very least, she wanted to surprise him.
She didn’t explain to Qi Buyan why she wanted to go out, only saying she had some things to do alone and promised to return by evening to minimize the risk. She even suggested taking the red snake with her.
Qi Buyan didn’t refuse.
He summoned the red snake and placed it in He Sui’an’s palm. The cold, slippery texture almost made her throw it away. The snake’s vertical pupils stared at He Sui’an, as if warning her not to drop it.
Qi Buyan gently stroked the snake’s head, and it stopped staring at her.
He Sui’an held the snake carefully. Although she had suggested bringing the red snake to make Qi Buyan feel at ease, she was still a bit scared. Could she let the snake crawl on the ground and follow her?
She glanced at the busy street outside the window.
It seemed like there were more people on the street today for some reason.
If the snake crawled on the ground, it might scare people, and it could get stepped on, causing it to instinctively strike back. Whether it got stepped on or bit someone, it would be problematic.
He Sui’an decided not to put the snake down and instead carried it as she left the room and went downstairs. The innkeeper and the staff quietly kept their distance from her.
She realized this wasn’t a good solution either.
Carrying a venomous snake through the streets would make people avoid her and draw too much attention.
Maybe she could borrow a basket from the innkeeper, put the snake inside, cover it with a cloth, and carry it around? He Sui’an thought this might work, so she asked the innkeeper for a basket.
The innkeeper didn’t understand why He Sui’an was carrying a snake around, but they tried to accommodate their guests’ needs. He turned and called the staff to fetch a basket from the kitchen for He Sui’an.
The basket still had a few leaves in it, which He Sui’an dumped out before letting the red snake crawl inside.
Reluctantly, the red snake slithered into the basket.
He Sui’an then asked the innkeeper for a cloth.
Once the cloth covered the basket, the snake’s presence was concealed.
With the snake safely tucked away, He Sui’an carried the basket and left the inn. The street outside was bustling with shops, crowded with people, and filled with horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts.
She asked a few passersby for directions and then headed straight to her destination.
On her way, someone bumped into her from the side, causing her to stumble. Fortunately, she quickly grabbed onto a nearby stall to steady herself.
The red snake was jostled and rolled around inside the basket, but He Sui’an held on tightly, preventing it from falling out.
The stall owner selling vases kindly asked, “Little girl, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” He Sui’an replied, looking at the person who had bumped into her.
It was a man with his hair tied back with a jade hairpin. He was slender, dressed in a blue round-collared long robe embroidered with delicate gold-threaded cloud patterns at the cuffs, and wore a jade pendant at his waist.
He had sharp brows and eyes with fine lines from age, yet his handsome features and dignified presence remained undiminished.
Two guards accompanied the man.
“I’m sorry,” the man said, his eyes showing remorse. He apologized for bumping into He Sui’an, explaining that he was deep in thought as he came out of the alley, not noticing anyone outside. His guards, following behind, also failed to see her, leading to the collision.
He Sui’an didn’t take it to heart. It wasn’t a big deal, and though the bump had hurt a bit, she hadn’t been seriously injured. “It’s alright.”
With that, she intended to leave.
The man asked her to wait.
“Is there something else?” He Sui’an kept a few steps of distance from strangers when speaking. At this moment, the red snake poked its flat head out from under the cloth, flicking its tongue at them.
The guards, seeing the snake, immediately moved to shield the man, gripping the hilts of their swords, fearing the snake might harm their master.
The man stopped them.
He Sui’an stepped back, holding the basket, as the man picked up a purse that had fallen to the ground and handed it to her, saying kindly, “Don’t be afraid, little girl. They won’t harm you.”
Her purse had fallen?
He Sui’an reached for her waist and realized the purse had indeed fallen. She took the purse from the man and thanked him, but she didn’t want to stay any longer.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted.
“Your… Second Uncle?”
A carriage passed by them and then turned back. Princess Luoyan leaned out of the carriage, lifting the curtain to look at them standing on the street.
She only called out to the man, not to He Sui’an, pretending not to recognize her. The fewer people who knew about their acquaintance, the better. Princess Luoyan was careful not to reveal anything in front of others.
Liu Yan, the man, no longer looked at He Sui’an, but at Princess Luoyan, gently calling her, “Ah Yan.”
the culprit is her second uncle!!