He Sui’an wanted to take another step forward, but a pair of hands encircled her waist from behind. Qi Buyan gently held her, not pulling her away but standing with her at the cliff’s edge.
Their shadows overlapped, red clothes intertwined. Qi Buyan bent down, looking at the abyss below.
He pressed his cheek against hers, using his body heat to chase away her cold. “If you take one more step forward, we will die together.”
Because of Qi Buyan’s words, He Sui’an gradually stopped hearing her parents’ voices and seeing those illusions. Finally, she saw clearly that she was standing on the edge of a steep cliff, and she hurriedly stepped back.
As soon as she turned around, she fell into Qi Buyan’s warm embrace.
It seemed she had just experienced an illusion.
Then she had run like she was possessed.
If Qi Buyan hadn’t woken her up, He Sui’an thought she would have fallen off the cliff. She was filled with fear; how could she suddenly have such a vivid hallucination of seeing her parents? It was so strange.
Terrified, He Sui’an didn’t dare to look back at the cliff. She clutched Qi Buyan’s clothes, burrowing her head into him, her hands trembling.
His clothes were crumpled by her grasp.
Seeing that they were safe, Aunt Cui’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. She dispersed the villagers and left with Ah Xuan, giving them some privacy.
Qi Buyan tried to pull He Sui’an out of his embrace, but before he could, she had snuggled back in, crossing her arms around his waist. The fear had not yet subsided; she needed something to hold onto for support.
He still pulled her away.
He Sui’an raised her wind- and snow-reddened face to look at Qi Buyan, her eyes pitifully asking why he pushed her away.
Qi Buyan knelt down, grasped her bare foot, brushed off the snow, and slipped the embroidered shoe back on. He Sui’an lowered her eyes to watch him, kneeling in front of her, putting on her shoe.
“Let’s go back to Chang’an first,” Qi Buyan said after putting her shoe on and standing up.
He didn’t want to stay in this place any longer.
Nor did he want to see the cliff again.
Seeing He Sui’an run towards the cliff, Qi Buyan realized his heart felt like it had stopped beating, a sharp, prickly pain spreading through it, as if a hundred claws were scratching it, drawing blood.
It was a pain different from being injured, different from the backlash of a curse.
If Qi Buyan used to fear that He Sui’an might disappear, now he was terrified she would vanish. Terror was a deeper level of fear.
This emotion was complex. When it first arose, Qi Buyan, who had lived alone in the isolated Tianshui Village of Miaojiang for over ten years, hadn’t had time to understand it. But now, he understood.
He absolutely couldn’t lose He Sui’an.
Qi Buyan looked at her intently.
Why couldn’t He Sui’an love him on her own? Never mind, he would help her love him, and she had to love him, so she couldn’t leave him. Because for every problem in this world, there was a solution.
He touched her cheek with his fingertip and repeated, “Let’s go back to Chang’an first.”
The words He Sui’an wanted to use to refuse wouldn’t come out. She sniffed her red nose from the cold and held Qi Buyan’s hand. “Okay.”
One step at a time.
*
As the city lights began to illuminate Chang’an, the sky remained starless.
They returned to Chang’an City and the Princess’s mansion. The servants greeted them with courtesy but asked no questions. He Sui’an felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the mansion, having been away for a few days.
Qi Buyan carried her bundle and walked familiarly towards their courtyard.
That courtyard was their private space. Unless He Sui’an called for the servants or it was mealtime, it was rare for anyone to set foot there. Tonight, it was especially quiet.
He Sui’an pushed the door open and entered the room, with Qi Buyan following behind and closing the door.
Everything seemed as usual, yet not quite. He Sui’an sat on the bed, watching Qi Buyan as he suddenly took out a small glass jar containing a very beautiful red insect.
Most insects were ugly, but this red insect was different, exuding a pure red hue. He Sui’an glanced at it a few times.
It looked like it was refined with blood.
Qi Buyan often had various Gu insects around him, so she was no longer surprised by their presence.
However, this time he approached her with the red insect. He Sui’an’s expression was puzzled; Qi Buyan knew she was afraid of insects and rarely brought them close to her.
He Sui’an didn’t flinch.
She knew better than anyone that Qi Buyan would never harm her, but she was curious.
Qi Buyan sat beside He Sui’an, calmly opened the glass jar, and brought it to her mouth. “Eat it.”
This red insect was beautiful, but He Sui’an had no reason to eat it. She looked at the insect, then at Qi Buyan, confused. “Why should I eat it?”
Qi Buyan smiled slightly. “It’s something that can help you.”
“Help me?”
The candlelight flickered, casting shadows on Qi Buyan’s face. He Sui’an clutched her clothing. “Help me with what?”
Qi Buyan didn’t answer.
He Sui’an could sense that his emotions were in a strange state. She had felt this since they reunited, and tonight it was even stronger.
She didn’t ask further.
Believing it wasn’t poisonous, she closed her eyes, trying to hypnotize herself, and opened her mouth to eat the red insect.
However, the insect crawled in on its own, light as a feather, with no sensation in her mouth. He Sui’an even doubted if she had touched it at all. When she opened her eyes, she saw the empty glass jar.
Qi Buyan’s smile became more genuine. “This is called the Love Gu.”
He Sui’an’s heart trembled.
He wanted to observe her expression for any changes but didn’t want to see even the slightest hint of reluctance on He Sui’an’s face. So, Qi Buyan lowered his head and kissed her. “It will help you love me.”
Kissing her cool cheek, with his black hair falling over her, he smiled, though his tone carried the unique obsession of youth: “Remember, He Sui’an, you have to love me…”
His voice was soft, yet clear enough for He Sui’an to hear, tugging at her heartstrings.
Knowing Qi Buyan’s true nature, He Sui’an understood that he wouldn’t listen to anything else at that moment. After a brief silence, she agreed and lifted her head to kiss him, hoping to restore his usual demeanor.
He Sui’an didn’t know if it was because she had run away for a few days or because she almost fell off the cliff today that he was acting this way.
But she was sure it was because of her.
He Sui’an wrapped her arms around Qi Buyan’s neck, kissing the corner of his lips.
Qi Buyan chuckled softly, and the bed curtains slowly fell around them. His breath landed on He Sui’an’s skin, sometimes on her face, sometimes on her delicate white neck, carrying a sweet scent.
“He Sui’an, let’s do the most intimate thing in this world,” Qi Buyan whispered, the silver ornaments in his hair brushing against her neck.
She blushed and closed her eyes.
No matter what the future holds, they needed to cherish the present. He Sui’an understood this well.
With a naive longing for such intimacy and realizing tonight that she would be moved because it was Qi Buyan, how could she refuse him? He Sui’an let him untie her crimson sash.
The sash and the silver-adorned belt fell to the floor. The warm, moist air brushed over He Sui’an’s white shoulders, sending a shiver down her spine. Her fingers curled one by one.
He Sui’an hugged Qi Buyan’s waist.
Her palms pressed against the thin skin on his waist. Qi Buyan felt both thin and strong to her touch, his waist perfectly narrow, exuding strength.
They were exploring an unknown territory, their breaths and rhythms erratic. He Sui’an’s heartbeat was even more chaotic as she watched the blue butterflies slowly crawl over Qi Buyan’s body, just like before.
He Sui’an’s body temperature was lower compared to Qi Buyan’s higher warmth.
Qi Buyan raised her body temperature. No longer hugging him, she saw him bend down, his slightly dry lips pressing against a small gap, gently licking, then closing, drinking water.
Qi Buyan’s innocent face had traces of water on his lips, reflecting a shimmering, moist red. His eyes seemed misty, and his nose brushed against her soft hair, causing an itchy sensation.
He Sui’an turned her eyes away.
She couldn’t bear to look at Qi Buyan in this state—it was too seductive. As soon as she saw him, she couldn’t catch her breath, feeling as if he had silently and completely taken over her, her forehead throbbing.
A blue butterfly bloomed at the corner of Qi Buyan’s eye. When he looked up at He Sui’an, it seemed the blue butterfly was also gazing at her.
He was like a living painting.
Qi Buyan touched her with his lips and hands, making her moist.
He Sui’an lowered her head slightly and noticed something unbelievable. There was a small blue butterfly on Qi Buyan’s fair skin, something she had never dared to look at closely before. This was the first time she saw it up close.
The combination of blue and pink was quite distinct, and with the room’s candlelight still burning, He Sui’an could see everything clearly.
Qi Buyan’s voice was very low: “You always make these butterflies come out.”
He Sui’an’s ears softened.
Qi Buyan pressed his palm against hers, holding her hand. Slowly, he transferred the small blue butterfly from his skin to hers, inch by inch, embedding it into He Sui’an’s body, merging it with her.
He Sui’an didn’t know if tattoos hurt; she only knew that this was somewhat painful, but not overly so—more of a light, slow pain.
She unconsciously let out a soft sound.
He Sui’an hugged Qi Buyan’s shoulder. She was sweating a little, her vision becoming blurry, unable to see his expression clearly, while Qi Buyan watched in a daze as the butterfly magically disappeared into He Sui’an’s body and then reappeared.
Satisfied, Qi Buyan nuzzled against He Sui’an’s slightly damp temple, barely able to control himself: “Did you see that? It really works. From now on, I will be the closest person to you.”
He Sui’an kicked her feet slightly.
She had ventured into unknown territory tonight, with no regrets, and instead experienced immense pleasure.
The butterfly momentarily left her and then quickly returned. Embarrassed and annoyed, He Sui’an grabbed the small silver ornament in Qi Buyan’s hair, wanting to speak. But Qi Buyan suddenly focused intently on her: “You have a butterfly.”
He Sui’an looked at herself and saw that indeed, her skin now bore a butterfly—not the same kind as Qi Buyan’s, but a multicolored one.
As Qi Buyan moved, He Sui’an’s butterfly moved too.
A delicate, colorful butterfly on her waist and abdomen was trembling, as if it was being continuously bumped, causing a unique kind of beauty.
The surrounding temperature was high, and as sweat flowed, the butterfly’s color deepened. Uncontrollably, she reached out to touch it, but through the butterfly and a thin layer of skin, she felt the outline of Qi Buyan beneath.
Qi Buyan hurriedly tried to grab He Sui’an’s hand: “He Sui’an…”
She turned to look at him.
The boy looked somewhat broken.
Qi Buyan’s reaction was too late, and he couldn’t stop her. The immense stimulation He Sui’an unintentionally gave him made him exceptionally vulnerable, and in an instant, he lost control.
He Sui’an immediately realized she had done something wrong, pulling her small hand back in a panic.
It ended soon after it began.