Translator’s Note: This is an alternate timeline. The title of this extra is “If He Sui’an returned to Tianshui Village in Miaojiang from Chang’an”
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Recently, the people of Tianshui Village in Miaojiang have been feeling a bit uneasy. How should I put it?
Because that young Gu master, who rarely leaves the mountains, went out into the world, and within a year, he brought back a young girl. They even heard that the two of them are already married.
The people of Tianshui Village have always discouraged marrying outsiders. Marrying an outsider requires the approval of the elders, as there have been few good outcomes in such cases, so they are very cautious in this regard.
Judging by the girl’s dress and the way she speaks, she seems to be from the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The elders are worried.
They are incredibly worried.
Years ago, Qi Shu from the village married a person from the Great Zhou without informing the elders, let alone getting their consent.
However, since Qi Shu was a Gu master, the people of Tianshui Village treated her with special care and did not question her decisions. But they later learned from Aunt Cui that Qi Shu met a tragic end.
The elders’ hearts ached.
They mourned the untimely death of young Qi Shu and also the loss of a powerful Gu master for Tianshui Village.
Now, Qi Shu’s son, Qi Buyan, has done the same, bringing back a young girl after a trip outside, and they are married. They have to pay attention to this matter, fearing any unforeseen consequences.
Aunt Cui has been gone for many years, and Qi Buyan is the only Gu master left in the village.
If something happens to him…
Then Tianshui Village would be without a Gu master, and who knows when another would emerge.
It’s not that there would be no one left in the village who knows how to make Gu, but the Gu crafted by a true Gu master is the best. As elders tasked with protecting Tianshui Village, they cannot afford to lose such talent.
Hopefully, nothing will go wrong.
To be honest, the reason they reject outsiders is that they have experienced too many instances of Tianshui villagers being harmed by outsiders and must be cautious.
First, there were cases of villagers being killed by the brides they married on their wedding night. Then, there was Qi Shu, who, after marrying, broke the silver butterfly chain and ended her life. Each incident left a deep impression.
The elders’ hair grew even whiter with worry.
Even though Qi Buyan doesn’t seem like someone who would be harmed by an outsider; rather, he seems like someone who would harm outsiders and repay any harm twice over.
But who can say for sure in such matters?
He sighed, leaning on his cane against the railing of the stilted house, looking down at them.
The girl wore a ruqun that reached her chest, her hair braided, standing by the stream, picking a few flowers. The young man stood beside her, looking at her sideways.
Not only were the elders secretly observing them, but the other people of Tianshui Village were also watching them.
He Sui’an was somewhat aware, but there wasn’t much she could do. She couldn’t possibly spend all day with Qi Buyan on the solitary mountain, watching him refine Gu, as she wasn’t particularly interested in Gu refining.
Compared to the solitary mountain covered with Gu insects, He Sui’an preferred to come to Tianshui Village halfway up the mountain. So she often dragged Qi Buyan down the mountain.
She felt a bit shy on her own.
Besides, Qi Buyan wouldn’t let her go elsewhere alone. Since they returned to Tianshui Village from Chang’an, he rarely left her side.
He stayed close to her, almost never leaving her alone. Wherever she was, he would be there too.
It wasn’t that He Sui’an disliked staying on the solitary mountain with him, but she didn’t want to stay there all the time, nor did she want Qi Buyan to be so lonely.
She picked flowers and gave them to Qi Buyan.
“These are for you.”
He accepted them, brought them to his nose to smell, and a butterfly flew over, landing on the petals.
Qi Buyan brushed the butterfly away, not letting it stay on the flowers He Sui’an had picked for him. Seeing this, He Sui’an blushed slightly, not knowing what to say to him.
The people of Tianshui Village grew increasingly curious about He Sui’an, who gave flowers to Qi Buyan. She was indeed beautiful, but they didn’t believe Qi Buyan married her solely because of her looks.
What was so special about her?
While being observed by the curious villagers, He Sui’an suddenly held her stomach, looked up at Qi Buyan, who was a head taller than her, her face slightly flushed from the sun. She grabbed his hand and said something.
Qi Buyan then led He Sui’an towards the villagers, causing them to take a step back involuntarily.
They respected the Gu masters.
And they were a bit afraid of them too.
Who knew Qi Buyan was coming over to ask if they had any food at home because He Sui’an was hungry.
He spoke and acted as directly as ever, not caring about others’ opinions or discussions.
The villagers then realized.
So they just wanted food.
A woman with a cloth wrapped around the back of her head, dressed in blue, mustered the courage to step forward. “We have some at home.”
He Sui’an didn’t understand their language.
She looked at Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan, holding the flowers in one hand and her hand in the other, said, “They said they have some.”
Before returning to Tianshui Village, Qi Buyan had lived with Bian Yichen from the Great Zhou and Qi Shu from Tianshui Village, so he spoke both the Great Zhou language and the language of Tianshui Village.
Qi Buyan led He Sui’an to the woman’s home. Along the way, everyone, whether men or women, elderly or children, stared at them.
He Sui’an clung closely to Qi Buyan.
She was shy.
Being shy when being watched by many people wasn’t a trait He Sui’an could change at will.
Once they entered the woman’s house, some of those curious gazes were blocked by the bamboo and wooden walls. He Sui’an sat on a tree-stump-shaped stool, and Qi Buyan sat opposite her.
The woman served them hot food.
He Sui’an thanked her.
The woman understood a few simple words of the Great Zhou language and knew she was being thanked, so she quickly waved her hand. “No need to be so polite, miss.”
Qi Buyan would not eat their food for free. The silver he gave would cover their expenses for a year. Though he hadn’t eaten much in Tianshui Village before, the few times he did, he handled it this way.
He Sui’an didn’t know this and asked the woman if she wanted to sit down and eat with them.
The woman politely declined and then left.
He Sui’an didn’t insist.
She picked up a piece of meat with the bamboo chopsticks and placed it in Qi Buyan’s bowl. “Teach me how to speak the local language here. I want to learn.”
They would probably live in Tianshui Village for a while, and He Sui’an would interact with the villagers. She wanted to fully enter his world, and learning the local language seemed a good start.
Qi Buyan placed the flowers on a nearby stool. “Okay.”
He Sui’an’s eyes curved into a smile.
Her emotions were always written on her face.
Qi Buyan raised his hand, gently touching He Sui’an’s soft, white cheek with his fingertips, feeling like everything since they left Chang’an and returned to Tianshui Village was a dream. He wanted to touch her to make it feel real.
He Sui’an’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly where he had touched her face. “What’s wrong?”
“It feels like a dream.”
He murmured.
He Sui’an thought for a moment, then shyly leaned forward and quickly kissed the corner of his lips. “It’s not.” After kissing him, she pulled back like a timid quail. She was brave but not overly so.
She added, “Someday we should leave Tianshui Village to visit Sister Su and Senior Shen. I heard they went back to Fengling Town together.”
Qi Buyan lowered his hand.
The lingering warmth from He Sui’an’s kiss remained on his lips. It wasn’t a dream.
He smiled, “Alright.”
He Sui’an took a few bites of food and suddenly remembered the sacrificial altar she had seen earlier. It was surrounded by flags and offerings of meat and wine, as if some ceremony was about to take place.
She pointed outside the window, “Why does the village have those things?”
Qi Buyan glanced outside.
“A sacrificial ceremony.”
He Sui’an’s expression became more animated, and she momentarily stopped eating. “A sacrificial ceremony? I want to see it. When does it start?”
Qi Buyan replied, “Tonight.”
She gently shook his hand, “Then let’s go up the mountain later today. I really want to see the ceremony.”
Even though Qi Buyan didn’t think the ceremony was particularly interesting, he agreed.
He Sui’an, satisfied with his response, happily resumed eating.
*
As night fell, the sacrificial ceremony began.
A large part of Tianshui Village’s residents gathered around the altar with the sacred fire, their hands clasped and faces full of devotion. Another small group of villagers, wearing masks adorned with totems, played reed pipes and struck gongs.
He Sui’an, not being very tall, stood on the outskirts of the crowd, tiptoeing but only catching glimpses of the ceremony.
She refused to be lifted by Qi Buyan.
He then took her hand and led her toward the altar.
The villagers automatically made way, allowing the young Gu master to pass through.
In truth, having a Gu master at the sacrificial ceremony was ideal. Traditionally, it was the Gu master who lit the sacred fire and paid respects to the gods. However, in Qi Buyan’s generation, this duty had shifted to the elders of Tianshui Village.
There was no choice; Qi Buyan was so focused on refining Gu that he ignored all other matters.
The elders had tried to persuade him several times, but he had retaliated by using Gu on them, causing severe itching. Since then, they had never brought up the issue again.
The elders were helpless.
A teenager dared to use Gu on an elder nearing a hundred years old!
It was outrageous.
He showed no respect for his elders.
In fairness, Qi Buyan had never been taught conventional morals and virtues. This was something the elders had known for a long time, so they didn’t dwell on it.
Now, seeing him come to the ceremony for the first time, they were both surprised and delighted, making way for him to enter, even though there was a village rule that no outsiders were allowed near the altar.
He Sui’an felt very self-conscious as she walked past the villagers to the front of the altar.
Everyone’s eyes were on her.
He Sui’an was nervous.
The elder offered a mask to Qi Buyan with both hands. The thin wooden mask exuded a natural aura, and the intricate totem designs looked eerie yet beautifully detailed under the moonlight.
Qi Buyan noticed He Sui’an staring at the mask. Only then did he accept it and hang it at his waist, without wearing it.
The ceremony continued.
He Sui’an watched intently.
There was a dance segment in the ceremony. Men, women, old and young, dressed in indigo clothes and adorned with silver ornaments, danced around the altar. The villagers of Tianshui were all skilled, making the performance particularly captivating.
Some young villagers sneaked glances at He Sui’an. Having never left the village and rarely seen outsiders, they wondered if all people outside looked like her.
They, too, wanted to leave the village.
As they continued to stare at He Sui’an, Qi Buyan casually glanced over.
They quickly averted their eyes.
Qi Buyan then tilted his head to look at He Sui’an.
He Sui’an didn’t notice, fully engrossed in watching a young man on the altar. He wore a solemn indigo ceremonial robe, a silver crown on his head, and silver tassels on his forehead swayed gently as he danced.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Qi Buyan would look dressed in the indigo ceremonial robe and wearing the silver crown adorned with silver pieces.
He Sui’an thought he would look stunning.
Qi Buyan gently squeezed her soft palm, “Is it beautiful?”
“Beautiful!”
Her tone was joyful.
He smiled and asked, “How beautiful?”
He Sui’an didn’t think deeply, responding immediately, “Very beautiful.”
“What makes it beautiful?”
She seemed to catch on to something and turned to look at Qi Buyan, her face heating up. She stammered, “N-not that beautiful.”
Qi Buyan seemed to be asking casually, without any other intention. For the rest of the ceremony, he quietly accompanied He Sui’an until it ended and the villagers dispersed. Then they left.
He Sui’an was carried up the mountain on his back.
At night, the mountain paths were difficult to navigate, but Qi Buyan’s night vision was excellent, and he knew the mountain well.
He Sui’an wrapped her arms around Qi Buyan’s neck, her hands crossed in front of him, and her legs were supported on his side, part of her skirt draping over his wrist. Her embroidered shoes dangled, swaying slightly.
When they arrived at the wooden hut on the solitary mountain, Qi Buyan set He Sui’an down and pushed open the door.
She walked in, and he closed the door behind them.
He Sui’an collapsed bonelessly onto the bed, her skirt lifting slightly to reveal the butterfly silver chain around her ankle. This chain had been broken when Qi Buyan killed Liu Yan, and he had restrung it with a red cord for her to wear.
Qi Buyan suddenly approached and kissed her.
She accepted his gentle kisses in a daze.
He said, “You promised me yesterday that we would do something intimate tonight.”
He Sui’an had indeed promised Qi Buyan. After all, they were newlyweds, and she quite enjoyed such things, finding them very comforting. But after watching the sacrificial ceremony today, she had forgotten about it.
She buried her head in Qi Buyan’s chest.
This was her way of silently agreeing.
But when he didn’t make any moves, she looked up to see him reaching for a book they had bought before returning to Tianshui Village. He pointed to an illustration on one of the pages and said, “I want to try this.”
She then heard the young man, without any hesitation, say, “The book says you should sit on top of me.”
There are still extras coming!