He Sui’an’s body stiffened.
Aunt Cui lazily sat back on her usual accounting desk and folded her arms, watching them.
Qi Buyan stepped into the room, followed by Ah Xuan, who had just had his dislocated jaw set. Ah Xuan stood silently beside Aunt Cui, unable to speak much yet, but he seemed to have a lot he wanted to say.
He Sui’an nervously twisted his clothes and said guiltily, “I was just curious about how they managed to avoid your poison bug tracking by hiding their presence.”
Aunt Cui looked up at them again.
Qi Buyan chuckled lightly, “If you really want to know, I can tell you. Have you forgotten? She’s a Gu Master, and I’m also a Gu Master. What she knows, I will also know.”
He Sui’an automatically walked up to Qi Buyan, hesitated for a moment, and then very slowly hooked his fingers through Qi Buyan’s before holding his hand. “Okay.”
Aunt Cui raised her eyebrows.
Their interaction seemed to have changed?
Despite her curiosity, Aunt Cui naturally wouldn’t meddle in their affairs. She had enough of her own problems and certainly didn’t have the time or interest to bother with others’.
Just as she was about to tell them they could leave, her words got stuck in her throat. Being so close, she noticed that there was a noticeable gap in the butterfly silver chain on Qi Buyan’s wrist.
Aunt Cui stood up abruptly.
She pointed at the butterfly silver chain on Qi Buyan’s wrist, her brows furrowed slightly. “When did your butterfly silver chain get a gap like this?” Such a large gap, it looked like it would break with just one more pull.
Qi Buyan replied, “A few months ago.”
Seeing the gap in the butterfly silver chain reminded Aunt Cui of Qi Shu, who had died when his butterfly silver chain broke. Not even a great immortal could have saved him. “I believe you remember, if it breaks, you will die.”
“Of course I remember, if it breaks, I die.” Qi Buyan nonchalantly looked at the butterfly silver chain he was wearing. “But if I don’t want it to, I won’t let anyone break it.”
He Sui’an bit her lip tightly.
Aunt Cui still couldn’t relax.
Too many unexpected things happen in this world. Who can know what the future holds? When Qi Shu first left the Miaojiang Tianshui Village, she also thought she was skilled in Gu arts and that no one could harm her. She thought nothing would go wrong.
And yet, Qi Shu died in the end.
Her bones were gone, and even after death, she couldn’t be buried back in her homeland, returning to her roots.
Qi Shu, the most skilled Gu Master in Miaojiang Tianshui Village, died in her twenties. Though she chose to give up on life, who would choose death if they could live well?
Qi Buyan and Qi Shu were mother and son, alike in some ways: highly talented in Gu arts, fearless, and doing as they pleased. But Aunt Cui sincerely hoped they wouldn’t end up the same way.
Aunt Cui admired Qi Shu and didn’t want her son to have an accident in front of her.
She had worn her silver butterfly chain for nearly forty years, and it remained as good as new. Qi Buyan was only a teenager; if he were to die because the chain broke, it would be a pity, especially since he would die even younger than his mother.
Aunt Cui, moving with an almost teleportation-like speed that ordinary people couldn’t achieve, grabbed his hand. “If I want to, I can break it right now. Even if you don’t want me to, what can you do? So don’t…”
The words abruptly stopped.
As she grabbed Qi Buyan, he placed the bone flute against her neck.
The flute’s tail end had a poisoned needle.
A single prick would be instantly fatal.
The silver ornaments on Qi Buyan’s body slightly swayed. His beautiful fingers held the bone flute: “If I don’t want to, I simply don’t want to. If you want to break my silver butterfly chain, let’s see who dies first, you or me.”
He smiled brightly, but it fell in the shadow: “Or we both die together.”
Ah Xuan’s heart raced, producing indistinct sounds from excitement. He Sui’an knew Aunt Cui didn’t really intend to break Qi Buyan’s silver butterfly chain; she just wanted him to take this matter seriously.
Aunt Cui released her grip, and Qi Buyan’s bone flute moved away from her, its indigo tassel brushing against his cold white fingers.
“Can we leave now?” Qi Buyan asked Aunt Cui gently, as if the confrontation had never happened.
Aunt Cui said yes but spoke again just before they stepped out of the room: “Safety first. Because of me, Liu Yan also knows that people from Miaojiang Tianshui Village die if their silver butterfly chain is broken.”
He Sui’an looked back at Aunt Cui.
Aunt Cui shrugged nonchalantly. To be honest, if Liu Yan hadn’t repeatedly gone against her wishes, used her, and even used Ah Xuan, Aunt Cui would never have left Liu Yan.
Last night, Aunt Cui forced Ah Xuan to write down Liu Yan’s deeds with the threat of death. She then realized how many things Liu Yan had hidden from her. This was the real reason Aunt Cui decided to leave him.
After He Sui’an and Qi Buyan left, Aunt Cui still needed to take Ah Xuan to find someone.
Jiang Xuewan.
She needed to lift the curse from Jiang Xuewan.
Even if it would harm her own body, Aunt Cui would do everything in her power to lift the curse from Jiang Xuewan. Ah Xuan had done something wrong, and as the one who raised him, Aunt Cui believed she shared some responsibility.
According to Ah Xuan, He Sui’an knew Jiang Xuewan and should know where she was now. Aunt Cui pondered for a moment: “Do you know a girl named Jiang Xuewan? I want to find her.”
He Sui’an didn’t answer immediately but instead asked in return: “What does Aunt Cui need from Miss Jiang?”
“To lift her curse.”
Aunt Cui brushed off her blue skirt, which had no dust on it. “You might learn the specific reasons later, but I’m only looking for this Miss Jiang to lift her curse. I won’t harm her.”
Ah Xuan, knowing how much damage lifting the Soul Capturing Gu could do to the body, looked at Aunt Cui, who was like a mother to him, with red-rimmed eyes. He wanted to stop her but knew he had no standing to do so and was filled with regret.
Qi Buyan remained silent.
He Sui’an trusted Aunt Cui.
At this point, Aunt Cui had no reason to deceive her. He Sui’an didn’t know how Aunt Cui planned to lift Jiang Xuewan’s curse, but since Aunt Cui intended to help Jiang Xuewan, she was certainly willing to explain.
He Sui’an said, “Miss Jiang is at the Xie residence, the mansion of Assistant Minister Xie of the Ministry of Justice.”
Aunt Cui noted it down.
They didn’t stay long. They went downstairs, exited the auction house, and found the guards sent by Princess Luoyan still waiting at the door. Qi Buyan needed to return to the inn to fetch his belongings, and He Sui’an went along.
The guards accompanied them to the inn. The innkeeper wasn’t surprised to see a few more people with them and continued to tally the accounts. Checking out was easy; they just needed to settle the bill.
He Sui’an went upstairs to pack their bags.
Both her and Qi Buyan’s bags were in the wardrobe. As she took them out, she accidentally knocked over his bag, spilling half of its contents.
Qi Buyan, who had followed He Sui’an upstairs, entered the room just then. She bent down to pick up his bag and the scattered items, finding paper butterflies.
Many paper butterflies.
These were the paper butterflies He Sui’an had folded out of boredom while staying in Hongye Village in Qingzhou and given to Qi Buyan. Not a single one was missing.
He Sui’an looked at these paper butterflies with mixed feelings, picking them up one by one. Qi Buyan also picked up a paper butterfly, his slender and broad hand making the butterfly look small.
She looked at the paper butterfly in Qi Buyan’s hand, and he seemed to sense her gaze and looked back at her.
At that moment, they both held paper butterflies. He Sui’an’s eyes started to sting after looking for a while. She quickly looked down and placed the butterflies back in Qi Buyan’s bag. “Why do you still keep these?”
Qi Buyan tied a secure knot on his bag and said calmly, “You also keep the silver ornaments I gave you. Why can’t I keep these?”
“That’s different.”
She muttered.
He smiled slightly, as if he didn’t understand what she said. “How is it different?”
He Sui’an was at a loss for words, her mind in turmoil. She grabbed her bag and headed out of the room, her movements almost synchronized. If the path hadn’t been level, she might have tripped. She changed her tone, “As long as you like them.”
Down in the lobby, the innkeeper was busy with his abacus again. Qi Buyan paid the bill, and the innkeeper happily accepted the heavy bag of silver coins, saying he welcomed their next visit.
The guards escorted them out of the inn.
The waiter clicked his tongue in amazement, wondering if they had somehow become close to someone important in Chang’an overnight. How else could they afford such a grand entourage?
He watched He Sui’an and Qi Buyan leave, itching to gossip with the innkeeper. Before he could speak, the innkeeper stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth, silencing him with a muffled noise.
The innkeeper, without looking up from counting the money, said, “Finish eating quickly and get back to work.”
—
Shen Jianhe was outside the inn.
He had come looking for them the previous night, but the innkeeper told him they weren’t there. Shen Jianhe figured they must have gone out on some business. He came again this morning to inquire and saw He Sui’an coming out.
Her head was still wrapped in white bandages, indicating an injury. Shen Jianhe stepped forward, concerned, “Miss He, Young Master Qi, what happened to you…”
The guards stopped him.
Confused, Shen Jianhe wondered who they were and why they were treating him this way. He Sui’an whispered a few words to the guards, and they quickly stepped aside, allowing Shen Jianhe to approach her.
Standing in front of the inn wasn’t a good place to talk, so He Sui’an invited Shen Jianhe to join them in the carriage. Sensing something was amiss, he put aside his questions for now.
The three of them shared a carriage.
The carriage headed to the princess’s residence.
Inside the carriage, Shen Jianhe looked at them, hesitant to speak, sensing something was wrong. The way they were seated was unusual.
Shen Jianhe sat on the left side near the carriage door, Qi Buyan on the right side, and He Sui’an sat in the middle facing the door, not next to Qi Buyan as she usually did.
Could it be that these young people had a quarrel? Shen Jianhe pondered if he should help mend their relationship.
Unaware of Shen Jianhe’s thoughts, He Sui’an quietly recounted the events they had experienced the previous day.
Shen Jianhe became more serious than ever. The mastermind was Prince Liu Yan? A significant figure indeed. If it had been someone else trying to kill them, they could fight back. But dealing with a royal figure was different.
If it were an official, it would be easier.
Killing an official wouldn’t cause as much trouble.
The martial world and the court usually stayed out of each other’s affairs, as long as they didn’t cross each other’s boundaries.
Killing a royal was equivalent to openly challenging the court’s authority. The court wouldn’t care that Prince Liu Yan tried to kill them first and that they acted in self-defense.
Even though the law stated they were not guilty in such a case.
