She didn’t dwell on the memory fragments that resurfaced after falling into the water. Though shocking, she had experienced such things a few times already. He Sui’an was gradually adapting to the contradictory and strange memories in her mind, striving not to show any reaction.
It turned out she wasn’t from the Great Zhou Dynasty; she had loving parents.
She was one step closer to the truth of her memories.
However, a sense of foreboding lingered.
She couldn’t pinpoint the source of this foreboding. Her slightly unfocused gaze wandered until the sound of the silver ornament on Qi Buyan’s body brought her back.
The sun was warm on them, and in no time, He Sui’an’s wet clothes were half-dry. She rested her head in her hands, avoiding the sight of the corpses by the river and instead looking at Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan gazed down at the river.
Suddenly, He Sui’an poked him with her finger. He turned to her, and she asked, “Is there any trace of the masked man nearby? Can we use the Gu to find him?”
“No.”
He dipped his hand into the cool river water, letting the current flow through his fingers. “That person used something special to hide his presence, as if he knew I would use Gu to track him.”
He Sui’an’s eyes widened. “He knew you would use Gu to track him… Could he have found out your identity in such a short time?”
Qi Buyan didn’t react much.
He lifted his hand from the water, his fingers translucent from the soaking. “Perhaps.”
Shen Jianhe, listening in, thought to himself that he still hadn’t figured out Qi Buyan’s identity. Up to now, he only knew him as a boy skilled in Gu techniques who dealt only in transactions, not friendships.
They had only been in Chang’an for a short while, and the auction for the Water Jade had only been publicized a few days ago. Could the mastermind really have uncovered Qi Buyan’s identity in such a short time? It was terrifying.
There was nothing they could do; they were in the open, while the enemy was in the shadows. There was no way to avoid it.
A chill ran up Shen Jianhe’s spine, raising goosebumps all over. What if the mastermind had also discovered his identity?
But it didn’t matter. He was just a homeless tomb robber, with nothing to lose.
Shen Jianhe wasn’t afraid.
He Sui’an tossed a small stone into the river with a “plop.” “They will definitely come after us again. As long as we are alive, the mastermind won’t be at ease.”
Shen Jianhe let out a long sigh to the sky. His fate was so miserable, entangled with an opponent he couldn’t shake off. If he at least knew who the enemy was, it would be better. But he didn’t even know that.
He pondered for a moment and asked them, “What should we do now?”
He Sui’an had no idea.
“Wait for them to come and kill us,” Qi Buyan stood up, his silver ornaments jingling. A few strands of long hair fell over his shoulders, his tall and upright figure reflecting in the rippling river, becoming slightly distorted.
Shen Jianhe’s eyelid twitched.
“Wait for them to come and kill us”—though shocking, it made sense. Given the circumstances, they had no choice but to take things one step at a time.
After He Sui’an regained her strength, they retraced their steps back to Chang’an City. They didn’t know when the mastermind would strike again, so there was no point in waiting by the river. They headed back to the city.
They didn’t report to the authorities.
The authorities wouldn’t intervene in the violent affairs of the martial world, and even if they did, the case would end up unresolved.
This trip had yielded no results.
*
The scorching sun shone directly on the tall auction house. Inside, Aunt Cui was tallying accounts. Although the auction house had a bookkeeper, she would verify the accounts herself to prevent anyone from skimming profits.
The fifth floor of the building was Aunt Cui’s private area, rarely visited, so it was very quiet, with only the sound of the abacus beads being moved.
Even when alone, she didn’t remove her silver mask, revealing only the upper half of her face.
The water clock dripped.
Noon had arrived.
Aunt Cui closed the account book and pinched the bridge of her nose. Just then, the masked man lifted the beaded curtain and walked in, his steps light, imbued with inner strength. He bowed respectfully to her, “Aunt Cui.”
Aunt Cui casually tossed the account book aside and lazily propped one hand on the table. She asked offhandedly, “Where did you go?”
The masked man hesitated.
Aunt Cui crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, “What, Ah Xuan doesn’t want to say?”
Ah Xuan was the name she had given the masked man long ago. Hearing her call his name, he immediately knelt and said, “Ah Xuan would never do anything against Aunt Cui.”
Ah Xuan had once been a lowly slave, subject to beatings and abuse. Aunt Cui had saved him, and since that day, he had regarded her as his own mother and would never betray her.
Aunt Cui raised an eyebrow, “I asked you, where did you go last night?”
“The river six li outside Chang’an City,” Ah Xuan answered truthfully.
She poured herself a cup of wine and swirled it in her hand, smelling the aroma but not drinking it. “The river six li outside Chang’an City? Why?”
“I…” Ah Xuan looked at Aunt Cui in distress, unsure whether to speak or not.
Aunt Cui commanded, “Speak.”
Having been by Aunt Cui’s side for ten years, Ah Xuan could naturally detect the anger in her voice. He hurriedly replied, “To kill someone.”
The wine from her cup splashed onto Ah Xuan as Aunt Cui suddenly stood up, slapped him, and grabbed his collar. “You hid such a big thing from me! Well done.”
“If I hadn’t asked today, would you have kept me in the dark forever?”
She was furious.
Ah Xuan was speechless.
He had to admit she was right. If Aunt Cui hadn’t asked today, Ah Xuan wouldn’t have brought it up, as he didn’t want her to get involved.
Aunt Cui was about to say more.
The appearance of a man with a jade pendant at his waist stopped her. He smiled warmly as he took Aunt Cui’s hand. “Cui Niang, I asked him to help me deal with some of my men. Don’t be angry.”
Aunt Cui didn’t need the man to tell her; she already knew it was him. Ah Xuan treated Aunt Cui as a mother but also regarded the man as a father, only listening to the two of them.
Seeing the man, Ah Xuan wisely retreated.
For the first time, Aunt Cui pulled her hand away from the man. “I don’t care what you’re doing, but I hope you don’t involve Ah Xuan. Aren’t you afraid that sending him to kill someone will get him killed?”
The man wasn’t upset by her pulling away. “Ah Xuan’s martial arts are high; he’ll be fine.”
Aunt Cui took a deep breath.
She looked directly at the man, then spoke slowly and firmly, “People of the Miaojiang Tianshui Village do not kill their own, nor do they harm their own.”
“Ah Xuan is my person and represents me. Sending Ah Xuan to kill someone from the Miaojiang Tianshui Village violates my principles. Do you understand?”
Disappointment was evident in Aunt Cui’s eyes.
She was disappointed that he hadn’t discussed this with her beforehand and that he hadn’t considered her position and feelings as someone from the Miaojiang Tianshui Village.
The man remained silent.
After a while, he sighed helplessly, “You knew all along.”
*
Meanwhile, He Sui’an and her companions parted ways at the gates of Chang’an City after returning from the river.
Shen Jianhe went back to pack his things and moved to the inn street, feeling that staying together would be safer and that they could look out for each other.
He didn’t stay at the same inn as He Sui’an. After hearing the price from her, he decisively chose the inn next door.
He Sui’an and Qi Buyan returned to their inn.
On the way back, her clothes and hair had completely dried in the sun, looking just as they did when she left in the morning, except perhaps for her braid, which might have become a bit messy.
The innkeeper and the attendants didn’t notice anything unusual, merely glancing up before returning to their tasks.
They went straight upstairs to their room.
He Sui’an locked the door, went to the wardrobe, and opened her bundle to take out some clothes. Although her skirt had dried, it still felt uncomfortable, so she decided to change into a fresh set and went behind the screen to do so.
Qi Buyan sat at the edge of the bed, absentmindedly rubbing the bone flute at his waist, staring at the floor, lost in thought.
The floor screen cast the silhouette of the young girl.
Behind the screen, He Sui’an untied her skirt, slipped off her outer garment and ruqun, and draped them over the top of the screen. As she was about to put on the new skirt, she moved her shoulder and winced in pain. Reaching back, she found she was injured.
It wasn’t a serious injury. It must have happened when she fell into the river, with her shoulder scraped by a rock, just a surface wound with a bit of blood, not enough to seep through her clothes, so no one noticed.
Qi Buyan’s poison Gu would become agitated at the scent of He Sui’an’s blood.
The poison Gu crawled restlessly on the floor.
They could smell scents undetectable to humans, and they immediately picked up the faint scent of her blood, which they loved to drink. As soon as the scent dispersed into the air, they noticed it.
No one knew the poison Gu better than Qi Buyan, who had refined them.
He released the poison Gu from the room, and they reluctantly left. Qi Buyan looked at the silhouette behind the screen. “You’re hurt.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.
He Sui’an finished putting on her ruqun. “It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious.”
“Come out and let me see.”
Qi Buyan said.
He Sui’an, now fully dressed, stepped out from behind the screen. They had seen each other naked several times, so checking a wound didn’t seem like a big deal.
Besides, the wound was only on her shoulder and back. Just pulling the outer garment aside slightly would reveal it. He Sui’an, holding her slightly longer skirt hem, walked to the bed and sat in front of Qi Buyan, with her back to him.
Then she slowly pulled down the outer garment at her shoulder, exposing the injured area.
Qi Buyan examined He Sui’an’s wound.
It was a scrape, with no bleeding, just a thin layer of blood on the surface. He gently touched the edge of the wound, his warm hand against her exposed skin, causing a tingling sensation.
He Sui’an sat cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees, her long hair pulled to the front to allow Qi Buyan to see the scrape on her back. She hung her head, her exposed neck as flawless as white jade.
“I told you, it’s just a small wound,” she murmured.
Noticing that Qi Buyan remained silent for a long time, He Sui’an started to pull up her outer garment, intending to ignore the wound, but he grasped her hand, and she was momentarily stunned.
Qi Buyan leaned down and kissed the scrape on He Sui’an’s shoulder and back, licking it bit by bit.
He Sui’an’s shoulders involuntarily tensed up.
“He Sui’an.”
“Don’t get hurt again. I don’t like it,” he said as he placed his palm on her waist and abdomen, where there was a scar from when he had previously removed the Yin Corpse Gu from her body.
This scar had been left by Qi Buyan himself. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he wished he could remove it for her.
Qi Buyan turned He Sui’an around.
Facing each other, her heart began to race.
He pulled down He Sui’an’s ruqun. She didn’t understand why, but she didn’t stop him. She watched as he leaned down and kissed the scar on her waist and abdomen. The scar was light pink and somewhat jagged.
Qi Buyan kissed the old scar as if he wished it could disappear.
y’all just get married already 😭😭