The black snake, hearing the sound of the flute and sensing something had happened, slightly opened its mouth, causing the meat it was holding to fall. It didn’t dare to pick it up again, knowing that the meat it had spent so long finding was now inedible.
The red snake’s flat head kept turning.
Although it rarely interacted with He Sui’an, it was very familiar with her scent. Now, it couldn’t sense it at all, as if He Sui’an had disappeared into thin air.
The silver snake crawled away quietly, pretending to diligently sense He Sui’an’s presence. Even though it couldn’t feel anything, it didn’t want its master to think it was useless.
Qi Buyan squeezed a butterfly, releasing it just before it died.
The butterfly quickly flew into the air.
These butterflies had been summoned by Qi Buyan using his bone flute. Without his permission, they couldn’t fly far and could only flutter around him.
Qi Buyan left the windowsill, calmly washing up. He tied a little bell, which He Sui’an had once said was pretty, to the ends of his hair. He then adorned his forehead with the silver accessory she had worn, causing a jingling sound.
He opened the door and walked outside.
To reach the main gate, one had to pass through the rock garden and pavilions of the princess’s mansion. Qi Buyan saw Princess Luoyan, and she saw him.
Princess Luoyan rarely interfered with what He Sui’an and Qi Buyan, who were temporarily staying in the princess’s mansion, did. But seeing him alone today without He Sui’an, she felt an urge to ask.
In Princess Luoyan’s impression, they were almost inseparable.
Moreover, they were currently facing danger from Liu Yan, so they should reduce their separation. Could it be that He Sui’an was still resting in the room and Qi Buyan had just come out for a walk?
Princess Luoyan casually asked, “Young Master Qi, where is Miss He? Is she still resting in the room?”
“She went out,” Qi Buyan replied with a brief smile.
When Princess Luoyan came to her senses, all she could see was the young man’s slender figure heading towards the mansion’s main gate, the silver accessory glinting in the rising sun.
She was slightly stunned.
He Sui’an went out?
Why did she go out suddenly and not with Qi Buyan? Princess Luoyan called over the servants, asking if they had seen He Sui’an this morning. The servants looked at each other, all answering no.
Zhi Mo guessed, “From the way Young Master Qi spoke, it seemed like he knew Miss He had gone out. There shouldn’t be any issue. Perhaps they have something to do that requires separate actions.”
Princess Luoyan raised her eyebrows, not meddling further. “Perhaps.”
“Oh, by the way, yesterday Miss He borrowed some silver from me,” Zhi Mo almost forgot to mention this. “It wasn’t much, just ten taels. I took the liberty of lending it to her.”
Princess Luoyan was astonished.
Ten taels of silver was not much.
But why did He Sui’an suddenly borrow ten taels from Zhi Mo? Previously, she and Qi Buyan had even returned thousands of taels of gold to her without taking a single coin.
People who didn’t seem to lack money asking to borrow money was indeed a bit strange. But it was just ten taels of silver. Even if it wasn’t a loan but a gift, it wouldn’t matter. Princess Luoyan even thought it was too little.
More would be fine too.
She told Zhi Mo, “You did well. If Miss He needs silver again in the future, just give it to her. There’s no need to ask me.”
Zhi Mo responded, “Understood.”
Princess Luoyan had a good impression of He Sui’an. Some people are naturally likable, and He Sui’an was one of them. Princess Luoyan liked her from the first meeting.
There was a reason for this. Princess Luoyan had seen too much scheming and duplicity within the royal family, and knew many people who presented one face in public and another in private. He Sui’an had an indescribable quality.
It wasn’t her personality.
Nor was it her appearance.
It was a certain aura that made her seem out of place in this world, yet paradoxically fitting in. It was a strange but harmonious contradiction.
Princess Luoyan pulled her wandering thoughts back, discarding these odd musings.
Zhi Mo suddenly showed a hesitant expression.
“Is something wrong?” Princess Luoyan leaned against the railing, feeding the fish in the pond. Since learning the truth that Liu Yan had killed her brother and sister-in-law, her temperament had changed, and she seldom smiled.
Zhi Mo, who also knew the truth, braced herself and said, “The Prince sent some gifts, saying they are for your dowry.”
Princess Luoyan paused mid-motion, then started to laugh.
Her laughter grew louder and louder.
The servants nearby couldn’t hear their conversation, but they heard Princess Luoyan’s unrestrained laughter. She laughed loudly, without the decorum expected of a princess.
Princess Luoyan murmured softly, “What right does Liu Yan have to prepare a dowry for me?”
Zhi Mo was terrified.
She feared someone might hear this.
Princess Luoyan smoothed her gem-studded palace dress, indifferent to the jewels pricking her hand. “Well, then I must go see what dowry my dear royal uncle has prepared for me.”
Zhi Mo followed her, not forgetting to relay Liu Yan’s message: “The Prince said that on the day you leave Great Zhou, he has a grand gift for you.”
“A grand gift?”
Princess Luoyan paused. “Did he mention what this grand gift is?”
Zhi Mo shook her head, also puzzled by Liu Yan’s actions. “No, the Prince only said that he hopes you will like the gift when the time comes.”
Princess Luoyan laughed.
If the grand gift were Liu Yan’s life, she thought she would surely love it. But it definitely wouldn’t be that. He said he would give her a grand gift on the day she marries far away to the Nanliang Kingdom. Why that particular day?
She didn’t believe Liu Yan simply wanted to give her a gift. He must have another motive. Princess Luoyan turned and instructed Zhi Mo to send someone to monitor the Prince’s residence and report any unusual activity.
Zhi Mo accepted the order. “Yes, Princess.”
As they were about to go see the dowry Liu Yan had sent, a light rain began to fall.
Yesterday was quite hot, but today was cooler. Princess Luoyan walked along the long covered corridor to avoid the rain, with Zhi Mo following closely behind.
*
The wind and drizzle made the temperature drop slightly.
Outside Chang’an, in a small village, a young girl carrying a bundle and holding a bamboo umbrella walked forward. Her gauze skirt fluttered in the wind and rain, making her figure appear somewhat blurry. She sneezed several times in succession.
He Sui’an reached out to catch some rainwater. Could the original plot be changed?
According to the original story, it would rain continuously in Chang’an for the next few days, with the temperature dropping sharply from hot to cold. Finally, at the end of April, it would snow, creating the rare sight of snow in April.
It was raining today, and in a few days, the April snow would also arrive. Chang’an’s weather was following the original story, but the plot remained uncertain.
He Sui’an remembered that it also snowed the day she time-traveled, a sudden snowfall.
But that was just after the college entrance exams.
It was June snow.
She had been wearing a dress made by her mother, shivering from the cold, so she remembered it very clearly. A gust of wind mixed with rain blew in, and He Sui’an steadied her bamboo umbrella, walking in small steps.
He Sui’an was going to find Aunt Cui. After being disappointed in Liu Yan, Aunt Cui closed her auction house in Chang’an and left with Ah Xuan, but they didn’t go far, settling in a small village outside Chang’an.
Aunt Cui was still worried about Liu Yan, who had become obsessed with the Spirit Gu.
She wasn’t worried that Liu Yan would get hurt, but that he might use the Spirit Gu to harm people. Aunt Cui didn’t want to stay in Chang’an but still wanted to keep an eye on it, so she settled just outside.
The original story mentioned that Aunt Cui’s health deteriorated after leaving Chang’an, without explaining why. It only said that she could no longer practice gu techniques properly, rendering her skills half-crippled, with no one able to help.
The main reason He Sui’an left Chang’an to find Aunt Cui was that Aunt Cui wouldn’t harm her.
There was another reason.
Finding a safe place was difficult.
She couldn’t find a truly safe place in a short time. Finding Aunt Cui was a good choice. Having someone familiar nearby would be reassuring, even if they weren’t very close.
He Sui’an spent half an hour in the small village before finally finding Aunt Cui. Aunt Cui and Ah Xuan usually wore masks in public, so when the villagers heard He Sui’an’s description, they immediately knew who she was looking for.
They lived on the east side of the village, in the second-to-last stone house, which was easy to find.
Walking in the rain was difficult. He Sui’an’s skirt was splattered with mud. She held up her skirt as she walked slowly to avoid slipping on the muddy ground.
By the time she reached the stone house, her skirt was half-soaked. Ignoring this, she put away her bamboo umbrella and knocked on the door. “Aunt Cui, it’s He Sui’an. Are you in? I need to talk to you.”
Someone quickly came to open the door.
It was Ah Xuan.
Ah Xuan looked behind He Sui’an, seeing no one else. “It’s you? How did you come here? No, how did you know we were here?”
The wind had numbed He Sui’an, so she didn’t clearly hear Ah Xuan’s questions and didn’t respond.
Aunt Cui also came over. She looked much thinner and less spirited than before, as if she had been very ill. She walked to the door with a puzzled expression, looking at He Sui’an. “You’re here to see me?”
The wind and rain had made He Sui’an’s eyes and nose red. “Yes.”
Most elders like well-behaved juniors, and the elderly Aunt Cui was no exception. She softened her gaze when she looked at He Sui’an.
The rain was still falling.
Aunt Cui told Ah Xuan to step aside and let He Sui’an in. It wouldn’t be good for her to get sick from the rain, especially since she didn’t look very strong.
What surprised Aunt Cui wasn’t seeing He Sui’an here but seeing her alone without Qi Buyan.
He Sui’an carried her bundle inside.
Ah Xuan closed the door.
Aunt Cui pulled out a chair, motioning for He Sui’an to sit. “Sit down.”
He Sui’an accepted the hot tea Ah Xuan handed her with both hands. “Thank you, Aunt Cui. I have an unreasonable request. Could you temporarily take me in for a while? I will pay you.”
“Take you in?” Aunt Cui thought she had misheard. “You came to me to ask for shelter? Why isn’t Qi Buyan with you? Is something wrong with him?”
“He’s fine for now.” He Sui’an sipped the hot tea.
Aunt Cui crossed her arms and looked at He Sui’an.
She was skeptical.
“Qi Buyan is fine, yet you want me to take you in?” Aunt Cui still didn’t quite understand. “Did he send you here? And how did you know we were in this small village?”
He Sui’an evasively said, “I need to be away from him for a little while.” She avoided answering the latter question, hoping to get away with it.
Aunt Cui let out an “ah.”
That explanation made it sound like He Sui’an and Qi Buyan had a falling out, leading to her wanting to be apart from him for a while. Aunt Cui imagined this explanation but still wanted to know how He Sui’an had found them here.
To prevent Liu Yan from finding them through the Poison Gu, Aunt Cui had hidden their presence before leaving Chang’an, and He Sui’an wasn’t Qi Buyan, so she didn’t have any Poison Gu to track people.
Could He Sui’an have a hidden talent for finding people?
Aunt Cui thought for a moment.
She asked, “You mean you want to be apart from Qi Buyan for a while, and Qi Buyan doesn’t know you came to find me?”
He Sui’an tightly gripped the tea cup, feeling a bit timid in this unfamiliar place. “That’s right. He doesn’t know. Please, Aunt Cui, don’t tell him. I beg you.”
Aunt Cui chuckled.