He didn’t answer directly but instead asked, “He Sui’an, will you leave me?”
He Sui’an froze.
Why was this his main concern?
Qi Buyan lowered his head, his forehead touching hers, his nose brushing against hers, a faint smile on his lips. “I can accept you killing me, but I can’t accept you leaving me.”
He held her hand, interlocking their fingers.
“I want to take you back to Tianshui Village in Miaojiang and take care of you for a lifetime. I seem to like the idea of raising you, the kind that lasts a lifetime.” Qi Buyan’s voice was like an electric current, traveling straight into her ears.
He Sui’an’s heart skipped a beat.
Her earlobes turned red at an inopportune moment.
Qi Buyan had only said he liked the idea of taking care of her for a lifetime, not that he liked her, but for some reason, He Sui’an found it hard to breathe. Perhaps she also longed to live in Tianshui Village with him.
Even though Qi Buyan hadn’t asked about his ending, she still told him, revealing not just his fate but everyone else’s as well.
Qi Buyan smiled. “I’m glad to know I died by your hand.”
He Sui’an couldn’t bring herself to smile.
Her entire face fell.
Qi Buyan’s smile faded a bit as he thought of something. If he died, what would happen to He Sui’an? How would she fare alone? The idea that someone else might be by her side was something Qi Buyan couldn’t accept.
The gu he no longer raised, the person he no longer cared for, no one else should touch them.
He couldn’t die.
As long as He Sui’an was alive in this world, he couldn’t die.
Qi Buyan raised his eyes slightly. “Let’s make a bet. I’ll bet that I’ll kill Liu Yan. Once I’ve killed him, we’ll leave Chang’an and go back to Tianshui Village in Miaojiang. You’ll have to take care of me for a lifetime.”
He Sui’an knew what Qi Buyan could also foresee: Liu Yan would not let him go.
The Heavenly Silkworm Gu in his body was no secret.
All Poison Gu could sense the presence of the Heavenly Silkworm Gu in Qi Buyan’s body. Liu Yan, who raised Poison Gu, could easily know this.
Even if they left Chang’an now, with Liu Yan’s current gu control abilities, he could still track them down, and a fight would be inevitable. Since that was the case, they might as well kill Liu Yan first before leaving Chang’an.
Moreover, Qi Buyan would never spare anyone who wanted to kill him.
He Sui’an was sullen.
After saying everything, she finally felt she could breathe easier, but the problem wasn’t solved, and her mood didn’t improve.
Additionally, Qi Buyan wouldn’t agree to He Sui’an leaving him, not even for a short time. They had a disagreement about this, and He Sui’an was so angry that she puffed out her cheeks.
She didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
Qi Buyan seemed unaware of He Sui’an’s anger and reached out to untie the silk ribbon in her hair.
He Sui’an tugged at Qi Buyan’s indigo robe. “I won’t run off. Find a place to leave me, and once you’ve dealt with Liu Yan, come find me.”
In truth, she was uneasy about leaving Qi Buyan and Su Yang to face Liu Yan alone, but she was even more uneasy about staying by Qi Buyan’s side. Weighing the pros and cons, her choice was to leave Qi Buyan.
It had to be done quickly, before anything changed.
She couldn’t gamble on this.
He Sui’an hadn’t given up on persuading Qi Buyan. “Keeping me with you is dangerous. I swear I won’t run off. You know I’m not familiar with this place. Where could I go?”
Qi Buyan finished untying the silk ribbon from her hair, letting her long hair fall, brushing against the back of his hand. “He Sui’an.”
She didn’t understand. “Hmm?”
Qi Buyan looked at He Sui’an for a long time. For some reason, he had a premonition that one day she would suddenly disappear completely, so he wanted to keep her under his watch.
Even if it meant they both might be in danger.
Qi Buyan didn’t want to let go.
He even had a dark, obsessive thought: if He Sui’an were really going to disappear, then they could die together before that happened. That way, she wouldn’t be able to disappear.
If He Sui’an could come to this world, then she might also leave this world.
Qi Buyan called her name but remained silent. He Sui’an waved her hand in front of his face. “What do you want to say?”
“It’s late. Let’s rest.”
Qi Buyan smiled as he spoke.
He Sui’an still wanted to say something, but he pressed her into the bed. She stubbornly poked her head out, about to speak, when Qi Buyan bent down and kissed her, leaving her speechless.
The night deepened, dew settled on the flowers and grass. Inside the room, He Sui’an’s lips were a vivid red, as if from long, passionate kisses. She lay half-awake on the bed, Qi Buyan playing with her hair.
She didn’t bring up the matter again.
Nor did Qi Buyan.
He lowered his eyes, his lashes casting shadows, silent and lost in thought.
He Sui’an, kissed into a daze, remembered just before falling asleep that she shouldn’t be too close to Qi Buyan’s butterfly silver chain. She pushed his hand away slightly and rolled towards the wall, maintaining a safe distance.
She trusted that Qi Buyan would understand.
Qi Buyan knew what He Sui’an was worried about and said nothing more. Unlike her chubby face, her back was slender, with thin shoulders and a narrow waist, looking fragile.
In the middle of the night, he was still watching He Sui’an, his fingers playing with the silk ribbon she had untied.
He Sui’an had fallen into a deep sleep.
She kicked off the blanket.
Her fair feet were exposed, her skirt lifted, revealing her calves. Her nose twitched like a dog’s, searching for a scent, and she unconsciously rolled towards Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan always carried a lasting warm fragrance, a scent He Sui’an loved, even in her sleep.
He Sui’an hugged his waist.
She burrowed into Qi Buyan’s embrace. He ran his hand through her long hair, his palm moving down her back to her waist, holding her in place.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, with hardly any space between them. Qi Buyan bent down, resting his chin on He Sui’an’s shoulder, his eyes clear and focused.
So, he was just a character in a book, someone who didn’t truly exist to her.
Qi Buyan’s fingers dug into the bedding behind He Sui’an, slowly tightening, his fingertips turning white. The butterfly silver chain on his wrist jingled softly.
He slowly buried his face in her shoulder.
“He Sui’an…”
—
Xie Mansion.
Xie Wenqiao had not yet rested.
Today, two strangers arrived at the Xie Mansion: Aunt Cui and Ah Xuan. They came to help Jiang Xuewan with her gu problem.
Jiang Songwei did not trust them. Aunt Cui claimed to know He Sui’an, so Jiang Songwei reluctantly trusted this silver-masked woman, but on one condition: she had to be watched closely during the entire gu removal process.
Aunt Cui did not object.
She was there to remove the gu, not to harm anyone, so if they wanted to watch, they could. Aunt Cui focused on her task, while Ah Xuan stood by her side. After finishing his work for the day, Xie Wenqiao also joined them.
Xie Wenqiao had heard of the mysterious Miaojiang gu techniques and had seen them a few times, knowing that they were extremely dangerous and could be fatal if not handled properly.
At this moment, Aunt Cui and Jiang Xuewan were sitting on the same bed, both with their eyes closed.
Aunt Cui was using blood as a medium and channeling her inner strength to force the soul-capturing gu out of Jiang Xuewan’s body. Even though it wasn’t very hot tonight, both women were sweating profusely, their clothes soaked, and their faces pale.
Ah Xuan was like an ant on a hot pan, restless, using a handkerchief to wipe Aunt Cui’s sweat, while Jiang Songwei did the same for Jiang Xuewan.
Xie Wenqiao didn’t dare to make a sound.
Butler Zhu guarded the door.
Jiang Xuewan’s hands clenched tightly on her lap, as if enduring extreme pain. Aunt Cui’s hands were on her back, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Aunt Cui was determined to free Jiang Xuewan from the gu, even if it meant severe injury.
She had always known that Liu Yan was trying to refine the Spirit Gu and had thought he had given up after several failures. But he hadn’t. Liu Yan continued to secretly search for a solution and eventually found it.
The nomads had a stone heart required for refining the Spirit Gu. They didn’t know its use, only that it looked fresh and preserved it.
Liu Yan wanted that stone heart.
He made a deal with the nomads, trading the city of Weicheng for the stone heart.
Liu Yan sacrificed Weicheng and obtained the stone heart, successfully refining the Spirit Gu a few months ago. He intended to use the Spirit Gu to destroy the nomads later, honoring the sacrifice of the many soldiers and civilians of Weicheng.
He also aimed to reclaim the lost territories of Great Zhou and restore its glory.
Aunt Cui learned about this from Ah Xuan and found it unbelievable. How could Liu Yan be so obsessed? He claimed to be refining the Spirit Gu for Great Zhou, but it was a betrayal.
These events were already set in stone.
Aunt Cui couldn’t change them.
All she could do was remove the soul-capturing gu from Jiang Xuewan. During the process, Aunt Cui kept recalling the past, growing more regretful for teaching Liu Yan gu techniques without reservation.
Getting distracted while removing a gu was dangerous, and Aunt Cui nearly suffered a backlash, but she managed to regain control in time.
After another quarter of an hour.
A bump appeared on Jiang Xuewan’s wrist, showing the outline of the gu worm. As time passed, the gu worm tore through the skin and crawled out. Aunt Cui quickly grabbed it and burned it to death.
The gu was removed.
Jiang Xuewan fainted on the bed and wouldn’t wake up until the next day. Aunt Cui, exhausted and too weak to stand, refused to stay at Xie Mansion despite others’ pleas and insisted on leaving. Ah Xuan supported her as they left.
Aunt Cui was still somewhat selfish. She feared that once Jiang Xuewan woke up, the first thing she would do was to demand Ah Xuan’s life, so she left immediately after removing the gu, not waiting for her to wake up.
They returned to the auction house.
Ah Xuan helped Aunt Cui lie down and was about to go prepare a tonic for her.
Aunt Cui grabbed Ah Xuan and handed him a piece of paper with a method for hiding one’s aura written on it. “Deliver this to Miss He first thing in the morning. It’s my way of thanking her for telling me Miss Jiang’s whereabouts.”
—
Morning mist enveloped the landscape, and the first rays of dawn broke through.
He Sui’an sat in front of the mirror, grooming herself, while Qi Buyan braided her hair. During the braiding, He Sui’an brought up last night’s conversation again, but Qi Buyan remained indifferent, showing no signs of agreement.
A maid came to the door, saying that someone outside the princess’s residence wanted to see He Sui’an. Just as Qi Buyan finished braiding her hair, He Sui’an left the room and followed the maid to meet the visitor.
At the entrance of the princess’s residence, she saw Ah Xuan holding a piece of paper.
Before He Sui’an could ask Ah Xuan his purpose for coming, he handed her the piece of paper and said, somewhat unclearly, “Aunt Cui asked me to give this to you.”
“What is this?”
“You’ll know once you read it.” Ah Xuan had other matters to attend to and didn’t stay long.
As He Sui’an watched Ah Xuan leave, she was about to open the paper to take a look when Qi Buyan’s voice sounded from behind her. “He Sui’an.”
