He Sui’an time-traveled again wearing Hanfu. Before she could grasp the situation, she heard a serene flute melody and instinctively held her breath.
The flute sound was coming from a nearby wooden house. He Sui’an instinctively moved closer but noticed something odd after a few steps—her arms and legs were much shorter, like a child’s.
Conveniently, there was a lake next to the wooden house. He Sui’an used the water as a mirror.
What she saw gave her a shock. She looked like her six or seven-year-old self. Had she reverted to her childhood in this time travel? Even her dress had shrunk. He Sui’an was bewildered.
Could she be dreaming?
He Sui’an’s mind was in chaos, with several questions surfacing simultaneously.
However, having experienced this once before, He Sui’an wasn’t too panicked or lost. She stayed relatively calm, intending to wait and see what happened.
The flute music continued inside the wooden house. He Sui’an found it somewhat familiar, similar in style to Qi Buyan’s playing. Her curiosity led her to press her ear against the wooden wall to listen.
Halfway through, He Sui’an noticed out of the corner of her eye a figure in indigo clothing.
A finely chiseled little boy stood not far away, tilting his head slightly to look at her. He Sui’an recognized him as Qi Buyan almost immediately.
Although his features were not fully developed, they bore a strong resemblance to his adult self. He looked innocent, with a fine braid mixed with loose hair falling by his side, holding a large spider in his hand.
The spider was black, with eight long, thin legs that occasionally moved.
Despite her instinct to approach Qi Buyan, He Sui’an was so frightened by the spider, about the size of a child’s fist, that she nearly cried.
She suddenly realized that not only had her body reverted to that of a five or six-year-old child, but her mentality seemed to be quickly reverting to her childhood as well, though she still retained her memories.
Her eyes reddened as she stared at the large spider in Qi Buyan’s hand, too scared to move.
Qi Buyan was also looking at her.
The little girl a few steps away was wearing a red dress, with a small face, plenty of chubby cheeks, and fair skin. She looked at him with slightly bright eyes, a long braid hanging by her side, and a silk ribbon fluttering in the wind.
Qi Buyan squeezed the large spider in his hand and, pretending not to see her, turned to enter the wooden house.
He Sui’an trotted to catch up.
He stopped when he heard her footsteps.
She also stopped, her legs too short, requiring her to trot to keep up.
Qi Buyan walked a few more steps, and He Sui’an followed, always maintaining a safe distance—not too close, not too far—safe from the spider.
When they entered the wooden house, Qi Buyan stopped and looked back at He Sui’an.
“Why are you following me?” Qi Buyan could see that she was afraid of the spider in his hand, and they were strangers to each other.
He Sui’an didn’t know how to explain herself and just hung her head without saying a word.
Qi Buyan walked over to her.
He Sui’an looked up.
They were both children, but he was slightly taller. As Qi Buyan moved, the silver ornaments on him jingled, quickly capturing He Sui’an’s attention.
Qi Buyan stood in front of her and asked again, “Why are you following me?”
He Sui’an hesitated for a few seconds before blurting out something that others might find infuriating, “Just felt like it.” Fortunately, her tone remained timid, sounding almost like she was being coquettish.
Qi Buyan, who lacked normal emotional understanding, naturally couldn’t discern her tone.
“Just felt like it?” Qi Buyan seemed to be repeating He Sui’an’s words or maybe just talking to himself. He often muttered to himself while observing insects and snakes.
He Sui’an opened her mouth, about to speak, when a woman walked out of the wooden house. She was dressed similarly to Qi Buyan, her silver ornaments glinting in the sunlight.
This must be Qi Shu.
The thought popped into He Sui’an’s mind, and she couldn’t help but look up at her.
Qi Shu was tall and slender, her indigo dress clinging to her frame like it was draped over a skeleton. Her skin was pale, her features gentle, but her eyes held a detached coldness as if she had no attachment to this world.
Her beauty wasn’t the striking kind that overwhelmed at first glance, but a subtle, enduring beauty that made people want to keep looking.
He Sui’an stared in a slight daze.
Qi Shu was equally startled to see an unfamiliar little girl in the courtyard.
This place was desolate, with no nearby households. Where had this little girl come from? Had she appeared out of thin air? It was indeed strange, and Qi Shu couldn’t immediately react.
The person playing the flute inside the house was Qi Shu. Whenever she thought of the Tianshui Village in Miaojiang, she would play a tune from her homeland. She had come outside after hearing voices.
He Sui’an edged closer to Qi Buyan.
She was afraid of being sent away.
“Where did this little girl come from? Go home quickly,” Qi Shu said, her elegant eyebrows furrowing. But then, for some reason, her expression changed, and she quickly picked up He Sui’an and stuffed her into a wardrobe.
Thankfully, He Sui’an was light. Otherwise, Qi Shu, who had been deprived of her martial arts and was in a frail condition, might not have been able to lift her.
Qi Shu’s actions were swift.
He Sui’an didn’t understand why Qi Shu did this, but Qi Buyan, also five or six years old, knew why. It was because Bian Yichen had returned. When he arrived, the bells hung outside the wooden house would ring.
And now, the bells were ringing.
After Qi Shu stuffed He Sui’an into the wardrobe, she thought for a moment and then picked up Qi Buyan and placed him inside as well. “Watch her and don’t let her speak,” she instructed.
Qi Buyan remained silent.
He Sui’an suddenly understood something.
The two children, small and huddled together, sat face to face, staring at each other with wide eyes.
Before Bian Yichen could push open the door, Qi Shu quickly closed the wardrobe door and naturally sat at the table in the middle of the room.
Through the cracks in the wardrobe, He Sui’an could see Qi Shu inside the room, as well as Bian Yichen as he entered. The young man wore ethereal white robes, his long hair held up by a hairpin, looking gentle and refined.
Bian Yichen carried some sweet cakes wrapped in lotus leaves, smiling as he said, “Ah Shu.”
Qi Shu responded, “Get out.”
Bian Yichen’s smile did not falter.
He took her cold hand in his and said softly, “Ah Shu, look at me.”
Qi Shu tried to pull her hand away, but with her martial arts and gu techniques abolished, she had no strength and couldn’t break free. She closed her eyes, her tone indifferent, “Get out.”
Bian Yichen wasn’t annoyed. He gently kissed Qi Shu on the face, then began unwrapping the sweet cakes, asking casually, “Where’s Qi Buyan? Why isn’t he playing by the lake today?”
At the mention of Qi Buyan, Qi Shu couldn’t help but open her eyes, unsure of his intentions.
Bian Yichen always had a purpose behind his actions and words; he never did anything without reason. Qi Shu, mindful of the innocent little girl in the room, had no choice but to speculate about his intentions.
Qi Shu remained calm on the surface.
There was no sign of anything amiss.
Bian Yichen bent down, leaning close to her, his expression half-smiling, “Ah Shu, you finally opened your eyes to look at me, but why is it always because of him? It makes me a little jealous.”
Qi Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It turned out Bian Yichen hadn’t noticed there were others in the room. She had initially thought his question about Qi Buyan was a test, but now she felt reassured.
Bian Yichen’s gaze lingered on Qi Shu’s face before he tried to kiss her again.
Qi Shu turned her face away.
Bian Yichen paused slightly.
Suppressing his urge to kill Qi Buyan, he spoke gently, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let you give birth to him. But don’t worry, I’ve taken medicine to ensure I’ll never have children again.”
Qi Shu didn’t even spare a word to tell him to leave this time, treating him as if he were invisible. Yet his presence was so overwhelming. She clenched her hand by her side, struggling to control her emotions.
Inside the wardrobe, He Sui’an glanced at Qi Buyan, who was still holding the large spider.
He reached out and poked her cheek with his free hand.
The small He Sui’an was stunned, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as they stared at each other in the dim light. Qi Buyan seemed curious about her, poking her cheek again before pinching it.
Qi Buyan rarely saw strangers.
Since he could remember, he had been trapped in this confined space with Qi Shu, only ever seeing the people Bian Yichen brought back to kill. He had never had close contact or conversations with anyone else, so this felt very new.
Even though her face was poked and pinched, He Sui’an stayed obediently still, not daring to make the slightest sound for fear that Bian Yichen outside would hear.
Qi Buyan leaned in closer, breathing softly as he examined her carefully.
He Sui’an didn’t move.
Outside the wardrobe, Bian Yichen, acting the part of a “devoted husband and father,” tried to feed Qi Shu the sweet cakes he had bought.
Of course, she wouldn’t eat.
Qi Shu kept her lips tightly sealed.
Bian Yichen caressed her face and said as if helplessly, “Alright then, Ah Shu. If you don’t want to eat, I’ll give them to Qi Buyan.” It was uncertain whether the sweet cakes were tainted.
Finally, Qi Shu ate.
Seeing this, Bian Yichen’s mood was neither good nor bad.
Not long after Qi Buyan was born, Bian Yichen regretted it and even considered killing him. But upon realizing that Qi Buyan occasionally affected Qi Shu’s emotions, he decided to keep him.
Even though Qi Shu seemed to dislike Qi Buyan, it was clear she had some vague, complex feelings towards the child.
Bian Yichen gathered his thoughts, his smile once again flawless.
Qi Shu stopped eating after two pieces.
“Take it away.”
She spoke so rarely, whether in bed or in daily life, that Bian Yichen felt a certain joy just hearing her say a few words, even if it was to tell him to “get out.”
Thinking back, he missed the time when they first met. Qi Shu, just starting her journey in the martial world, was lively and talkative, laughing heartily after defeating local thugs with her skills.
The first time Bian Yichen saw Qi Shu, he wanted to kill her and possess her.
It wasn’t love at first sight or any affection; it was a pure and inexplicable desire to possess something.
But he couldn’t kill her.
At that time, they were evenly matched in strength.
So, Bian Yichen, who excelled at deception, continued his facade. After Qi Shu fell in love with him, Bian Yichen still couldn’t bring himself to kill her. He loved her too.
If Qi Shu hadn’t lowered her guard out of love for him, Bian Yichen would never have had the chance to cripple her martial arts and gu techniques. But it was fine now; as long as Qi Shu was by his side, that was enough.
After feeding Qi Shu the sweet cakes, Bian Yichen stood up and headed towards the wardrobe, intending to change his clothes.
Qi Shu’s hand tightened.
Bian Yichen placed his hand on the wardrobe.
He Sui’an, whose mind had reverted completely to a child’s state along with her body, still remembered what kind of person Bian Yichen was. Her heart pounded with fear.
Instinctively, she burrowed into Qi Buyan’s arms, forgetting that he was still holding a large spider.
Qi Buyan looked down in confusion.
He didn’t understand what there was to be afraid of.
At that moment, the wardrobe door was opened from the outside, light streaming in through the slightly opened gap, falling on the two children inside.