Qi Buyan slightly bent his knees, placing his bare feet on the bedding. The indigo hem of his garment stretched over his bent knees, reaching above his ankles. A silver butterfly chain hung on the protruding ankle bone.
As he moved, the butterfly chain jingled softly, lightly tapping against his ankle.
The birds outside the window had long flown away, their chirping gone. The room returned to its usual silence, now broken by the crisp sound of the silver bells, emanating from Qi Buyan’s ankles and wrists.
He Sui’an looked down at Qi Buyan. His fair skin now had an abnormal flush, as if he were ill.
His temperature seemed to have reached an extreme height, very hot to the touch.
He Sui’an remained silent.
Qi Buyan had always helped her in the past.
Now, seeing him in such discomfort, He Sui’an thought, since he had helped her before, she was willing to help him in return, not letting him bear the pain alone, easing his discomfort, and aiding in his recovery.
He Sui’an’s palm was still holding Qi Buyan, feeling his temperature, which was noticeably rising and erupting.
Qi Buyan’s waist bent like a smooth, well-crafted bow, seemingly in more pain from his illness.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on his face, making his skin look even more translucent and white.
He Sui’an seemed to think that feeling his temperature through fabric wasn’t accurate enough. With Qi Buyan’s silent consent, she lifted his indigo robe, placing her small palm directly on his clean, pink skin.
Sure enough, without the barrier of fabric, He Sui’an could more accurately feel his feverish temperature. Her hands were cool, and touching him helped to lower his temperature.
The boy let out a low groan, seemingly uncomfortable. He Sui’an paused, “Does it hurt a lot?”
Qi Buyan called her name.
“He Sui’an.”
His voice sounded different from usual, stirring her heart slightly. She unintentionally moved her fingertips, her short nails accidentally scratching his delicate skin, making his body tense even more.
She quickly apologized, “Sorry.”
Qi Buyan lifted his body slightly before letting it fall back, half of his beautiful face sinking into the soft pillow that He Sui’an had slept on, casting shadows from his eyelashes onto the side of his nose, making his features even more defined.
The soft pillow still carried He Sui’an’s scent. He closed his eyes briefly before reopening them to look at her, “It’s not discomfort, you… touch me again.”
He was burning too hot, urgently needing the coolness of He Sui’an’s palms to lower his temperature.
She had just touched him voluntarily.
At the moment He Sui’an touched Qi Buyan, he felt like he was in a realm of ice and fire, one side burning hot, the other side soothingly cool. He couldn’t help but move his waist slightly.
Their breathing was clearly close, yet it felt distant. Qi Buyan realized that his acute sense of hearing had been overwhelmed by his sense of touch, and he occasionally couldn’t hear.
He Sui’an looked at Qi Buyan’s face.
His cheeks were redder than ever before. A drop of sweat slid down his attractive brow bone, silently falling into his scattered hair.
She had no experience with this kind of situation, so she did whatever came to mind. Her fingers moved, gently stroking Qi Buyan, transferring her own temperature to him, causing his shoulders to tremble slightly.
The several silver butterfly chains on Qi Buyan’s body kept jingling, their sound spreading throughout the room.
He Sui’an lowered her head.
The high temperature made every inch of Qi Buyan’s skin turn pink. The places where she checked his temperature were the same. Her hands, which were cool at first, gradually warmed up from holding him for too long.
It felt like the room was leaking rain. At a certain moment, He Sui’an felt cool water fall into her palm. This rain seemed mixed with syrup, a bit sticky, and it dripped through her fingers, landing on the bedding.
The boy, seemingly delirious from his illness, pressed against her.
She gazed at her slightly red hands, her earlobes also seemed to turn red from the high temperature, but she wasn’t angry, just as she wouldn’t be angry with a sick person.
*
When they left the inn room, it was already the hour of Si (9-11 AM). The inn’s main hall was still sparsely populated. The innkeeper sat at the counter in a daze, while the attendant used a cloth to wipe the already clean tables and chairs.
He Sui’an greeted the innkeeper, who was probably in his fifties or sixties, an elder.
The innkeeper nodded.
Since there weren’t many guests at the inn, the innkeeper could remember them. Even if there were more guests, he would still remember them.
Their appearance was one reason, the other was that they had damaged his room.
The innkeeper had been awake all night.
Although they would compensate with silver, the innkeeper still felt a bit heartbroken. Whenever he felt this way, he would look at the account he calculated last night, and seeing the silver they had to pay made him feel better.
The silver they had to pay included not only the cost of the wooden boards but also the cost of hiring someone to replace the boards. Well, it could be considered a renovation of that room in the inn.
He watched them leave the inn.
They seldom ate at the inn.
The innkeeper was puzzled. The inn’s cook was quite skilled. He had hired the best chef from Chang’an City, who was said to have ancestors who served as imperial chefs, and his culinary skills were remarkable.
He remembered that they had only eaten at the inn once when they first arrived. The rest of the time, they ate outside. Why didn’t they like the inn’s food? Had the old chef’s skills deteriorated?
The innkeeper tapped on the table.
The attendant came over at the sound.
With a serious face, he asked the attendant, “Has the old chef’s cooking deteriorated?”
The air seemed to quiet for a moment. The attendant looked up at the wooden sign hanging in front of the counter, which displayed the prices of the meals. While wiping the counter, he said, “The old chef’s culinary skills are as good as ever.”
The innkeeper stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Really? But I noticed that the two guests who just left have been staying here for several days and have only eaten one meal here so far.”
He couldn’t understand it.
The attendant glanced again at the wooden sign hanging in front of the counter, wanting to speak but hesitating.
One meal here costs as much as ten meals elsewhere; who would eat here?
But he couldn’t say that.
Swallowing his words, he lied with wide eyes, “Perhaps those two guests like to walk around outside and eat while they’re out. It’s not an issue with our inn, so you don’t need to worry about it, innkeeper.”
The innkeeper withdrew his gaze from the door, showing a look of agreement. He patted the attendant on the shoulder approvingly and said, “You’ve been very diligent lately. I’ll increase your pay by two coins next month.”
The attendant forced a smile.
“Thank you, innkeeper,” he said, though inwardly he grumbled that the raise would only buy two plain buns.
Outside the inn, He Sui’an and Qi Buyan hadn’t walked far when they saw Shen Jianhe.
Shen Jianhe looked disheveled.
His black clothes, which were usually resistant to dirt, were covered in colorful dyes and gray-white ash, making them uniquely dirty.
The dirty clothes were secondary.
Shen Jianhe’s once attractive face, which had often caught the attention of young women, was now bruised and battered.
His face was bruised and swollen. If not for the compass at his waist, a bag of black glutinous rice, and the collapsible shovel on his back, He Sui’an might not have recognized him.
Shen Jianhe stumbled towards them, bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath, “You… you guys are okay, right?”
He Sui’an thought the person in trouble was him, not them. “We’re fine.”
“Senior Shen, you’re injured.”
It wasn’t hard for her to guess why Shen Jianhe had changed so much overnight. The mastermind must have sent people to kill them at the inn and also sent people to kill Shen Jianhe.
Shen Jianhe straightened up, interrupting her, “I’m fine too. The ones who came to kill me last night were beaten so badly that they ran off crying for their parents.”
He Sui’an was silent for a few seconds.
Qi Buyan, hearing this, rarely lifted his eyelids to glance at Shen Jianhe’s face.
He Sui’an looked at the injuries on Shen Jianhe’s face. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Senior Shen. Let’s go see a doctor together.”
Shen Jianhe waved his hand dismissively, “It’s just a minor injury, ah!” Speaking pulled at the wound on his lip, causing him to wince in pain. “No need to see a doctor for this.”
He gradually caught his breath, “Last night, did those people come here too?”
“Yes,” she replied.
Shen Jianhe glanced at them, noticing they looked the same as they did the previous night. Feeling a bit embarrassed by his own disheveled state, he quickly changed the subject, “Are you going to find the mastermind today?”
He Sui’an confirmed, “Yes, we’re heading to find the mastermind now.”
Upon learning this, he insisted on going with them.
Wanting to help these novices in the martial world was one reason; he also had a good feeling about them.
The main reason, however, was that Shen Jianhe wanted revenge. Last night, he was nearly killed. When he returned, he was ambushed and narrowly escaped by hiding in a dye vat.
In truth, the one beaten and crying for his parents was Shen Jianhe himself.
He really was hiding and crying for help, not because he was weak, but because he was outnumbered and overpowered. It was a miracle he survived.
Shen Jianhe didn’t intend to meddle like a good Samaritan taking on trouble.
The problem was, he was already involved. Last night, Shen Jianhe had been dismissive of the danger He Sui’an had warned him about. He paid the price and was nearly killed.
When he returned to his room, he was greeted by cold blades and unfamiliar faces.
Had it not been for his quick reflexes from years of roaming the martial world, he might have lost his life.
Now, he couldn’t stay uninvolved.
Seeing how the mastermind wanted to kill everyone who might know about the jade pendant, Shen Jianhe realized he had to bring the mastermind to justice. After all, the mastermind wouldn’t spare him either.
Though Shen Jianhe knew nothing, the mastermind suspected he did.
He didn’t blame Qi Buyan and He Sui’an.
He knew he had brought this upon himself.
They had only asked him to lead them to the auction house. They didn’t involve him in anything else. He Sui’an had even gently persuaded him not to go to the auction with them.
Shen Jianhe thought He Sui’an didn’t want to trouble him and insisted on going.
Inside the auction house, He Sui’an had told Shen Jianhe to stay in an inconspicuous corner and leave the rest to them, not to bother him further.
Seeing her so concerned about troubling him, Shen Jianhe wanted to prove he wasn’t afraid of trouble.
Then, he brought himself a lot of trouble.
To get rid of the trouble, he had no choice but to go with them to find the mastermind. This person’s power was obviously significant; even leaving Chang’an wouldn’t guarantee safety. He might be attacked on the road and die without anyone to collect his body.
