When the bathwater was ready, He Sui’an thanked the waiter and closed the door to bathe. Qi Buyan was not around as he had gone to buy her a dress. She couldn’t possibly wear the servant’s clothes from the Duan family after her bath.
She carefully scrubbed herself as if wanting to wash away all her recent misfortunes.
The room was well-lit during the day.
So there was no need to light a lamp.
Her sore limbs relaxed in the warm water, and she even felt a bit drowsy. He Sui’an was afraid that she might fall asleep and drown in the water, so she got up and dried herself.
The bedding on the bed was new. With no clothes to wear, He Sui’an slipped in naked. Whether to wait for Qi Buyan to bring back a dress while sitting in the bathtub or wrapped in a quilt, she certainly chose the latter.
The bed was too soft and comfortable.
Not long after He Sui’an slipped in, her eyelids started to droop, pulling her into a sweet dream.
Don’t sleep.
Don’t sleep, don’t sleep.
She had to wait for Qi Buyan to return with her dress before she could sleep. He Sui’an repeated this to herself over and over, but it only made her more tired and drowsy.
He Sui’an fell asleep, snoring softly.
*
On his way to buy the dress, Qi Buyan casually killed a man before returning to the inn.
There was a sudden loud noise from the large ship that had not yet left the dock. On the ship, blood was everywhere, and a foreigner lay dead in a gruesome manner, his body sprawled across the ship’s mast, scaring the sailors out of their wits.
They didn’t know when the person had died.
As the crowd gathered to witness the horrific scene on the ship, Qi Buyan calmly squatted at the dock to wash his hands. His hands, as transparent and beautiful as jade, looked incredibly delicate. Who could have thought that these hands had just killed a person?
The water flowed through his fingers, quickly washing away the blood.
The red faded, revealing white fingers.
Seven butterfly bell bracelets gently jingled around Qi Buyan’s exquisitely protruding wrist bone as he washed unhurriedly. The sound of the bells was melodious, almost like the mourning tune played after taking a life.
He lowered his eyes, washing earnestly, as if washing the blood off his hands was a sacred ritual, giving the impression that he couldn’t possibly be the killer, and any blood on him must have been accidentally stained.
Not far away, the townsfolk were discussing how someone had died, and surprisingly, it was a foreigner.
The manner of death was beyond words.
Qi Buyan finished washing his hands and left.
Qingzhou’s clothing stores lined an entire street. He walked into one, and the shopkeeper greeted him with a smile, asking what kind of clothes he wanted, mentioning that many young gentlemen in Qingzhou came here to buy new clothes.
“Skirt,” Qi Buyan said.
The shopkeeper understood and led him to the section with women’s dresses.
Qi Buyan selected a few brightly colored skirts, particularly liking a red ruqun. He thought He Sui’an, with her fair skin, would look good in red. He asked the shopkeeper to wrap them up and paid with silver before leaving.
Having business was naturally pleasing to the shopkeeper.
He wished he could sell a few more pieces.
The shopkeeper quickly wrapped the skirts and asked, “Young master, are you buying this for your wife?” Judging by his age, he shouldn’t be married yet.
Qi Buyan replied, “No.”
Hearing this, the shopkeeper displayed a “just as expected” expression and gossipingly asked, “Then, young master, are you buying these to give to a young lady?”
He responded, “Sort of.”
With that, Qi Buyan walked out of the clothing store.
The shopkeeper watched his back in amazement, thinking how handsome he was. After selling clothes for decades, it was the first time he’d seen such a handsome young man buying skirts to give to someone.
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of fairy the young lady in his heart must be.
*
The young lady being wondered about by the shopkeeper, He Sui’an, was sleeping soundly.
Regardless of whether she looked like a fairy, her sleeping posture was far from it. Her head tilted slightly on the soft pillow, one slender arm stretched out from the quilt, hanging over the bed’s edge, with her leg pressing on the quilt’s corner.
With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside.
He Sui’an, completely unaware, turned over in her sleep, the quilt slipping down to her waist, revealing her clear waistline.
Qi Buyan placed the dress to one side and walked to the bedside. What he saw was a stretch of alabaster skin. He wanted to cover her with the quilt again, but his fingertips inadvertently brushed against her delicate skin, as smooth as fine paper.
His fingertips lingered for a moment, then moved away.
At this moment, she was entirely displayed before him, both similar and different from the last time. Qi Buyan watched He Sui’an quietly for a while.
He wanted to lean down and kiss her.
Lately, Qi Buyan had often felt the desire to be more intimate with He Sui’an.
He bent down and kissed He Sui’an. She woke up as soon as Qi Buyan kissed her, but she forgot that she wasn’t dressed and instinctively opened her mouth to kiss him back, her breath becoming slightly uneven.
With the oxygen being squeezed out, He Sui’an breathed through her mouth, making the kiss longer and deeper. The sound of their kiss, mixed with their breaths, echoed in the empty room, adding a layer of intimacy.
Their lips and teeth met, and Qi Buyan slowly swallowed He Sui’an’s saliva.
He bent over, supporting her neck.
The kiss continued.
The cool butterfly bracelet on Qi Buyan’s wrist touched her ankle bone as he raised his hand to hold her neck, and it soon warmed against her skin.
He Sui’an suddenly felt a bit chilly. She glanced down during the kiss and realized she wasn’t wearing any clothes. She immediately shrank back into the quilt like a quail, only to be pulled out again by Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan’s eyes seemed to ask, “Why did you stop?” She seemed unable to accept being exposed, so when he pulled her out, she simply threw herself into his arms, burying her face.
The warm scent of Qi Buyan’s body immediately filled her nostrils. His body always emitted a pleasant fragrance.
His dark blue robe was adorned with silver accessories that clinked against each other as He Sui’an collided with him.
He had a narrow waist and long legs.
She spread her arms and wrapped them around his waist.
Remembering that she had just kissed him naked, He Sui’an felt so embarrassed that she wanted to bite Qi Buyan’s waist through his clothes but didn’t have the courage. She mumbled, “I need to put on clothes.”
Qi Buyan asked, “What’s the difference?”
“Of course, there’s a difference,” He Sui’an said, looking up, realizing their current situation, and then burying her head back into his chest, tugging at his waist belt, “You try it without clothes.”
She murmured weakly, but there was something incredibly lively and captivating about her.
“I don’t mind,” Qi Buyan said as he brushed away He Sui’an’s long hair that had fallen beside his leg.
He Sui’an: “…”
She whispered, “I mind.”
To Qi Buyan, a person’s body might just be a layer of skin over flesh and blood. Even if he saw her body, it wouldn’t stir any improper thoughts, but He Sui’an still felt a bit uncomfortable.
“Alright,” Qi Buyan said, his fingers weaving through her hair. “Since you mind, then put your clothes on. Do you want me to help you?”
“I’ll do it myself,” she replied immediately.
Seeing Qi Buyan’s response, He Sui’an knew he wouldn’t stop her anymore. She turned and burrowed into the quilt, leaving only her fuzzy head out.
She rolled her eyes and said, “Could you… bring me the new dress?”
Qi Buyan fetched the red dress for her.
He Sui’an then asked him to turn around.
Finally, He Sui’an put on the dress as quickly as possible. It fit perfectly, with red fringes on the edges and shallow red patterns of spring flowers on the front.
The skirt was tied at the back, wrapping around her slender waist, and the hem of the gauze skirt was fluffy. When He Sui’an stood up, her delicate ankles were faintly visible under the skirt.
“It’s done,” He Sui’an said, sitting back on the bed.
She glanced out the window and realized it was dark. Had Qi Buyan really spent so long buying the dress? He Sui’an found it a bit odd but didn’t ask further, as it wasn’t that important.
They decided not to have dinner tonight. He Sui’an was still full from the meal she had with Jiang Xuewan earlier, so she had no appetite.
After putting on the dress, she lay on the bed.
Qi Buyan went to feed the Gu.
He Sui’an didn’t dare get close, so she lay on the bed and watched him feed the Gu.
The food for the Gu was fresh meat, though she didn’t know what kind. Qi Buyan had asked the waiter for it. The waiter thought he was extravagant for feeding high-quality meat to insects and snakes but didn’t dare question him.
A young man who kept such creatures couldn’t be an ordinary person. The waiter delivered the fresh meat and quickly left without even daring to take another look.
Since leaving the mountain, Qi Buyan’s insects and poisonous Gu had developed a taste for human corpses, making them less interested in ordinary meat.
The black snake, having once tasted He Sui’an’s blood, still coveted that delicious flavor. It turned its flat head towards her but was gently tapped away by a bamboo-like finger.
The force of the tap seemed gentle but carried a hint of danger.
The black snake recoiled its head and continued eating.
After the insects and snakes finished eating, Qi Buyan threw them outside to digest their food. He then washed his hands twice with hot water.
Feeling bored, He Sui’an started braiding her hair, only to undo it and braid it again. No matter how she tried, it never looked as good as when Qi Buyan did it.
She stopped playing with her hair.
Qi Buyan got onto the bed as well; it was already late, and feeding the Gu had taken quite a bit of time.
Once the room was dark, He Sui’an took a moment to adjust before she could see Qi Buyan’s face again. He held her as they slept, just like a pet he had carefully nurtured and always kept by his side.
However, He Sui’an had taken a nap that afternoon and couldn’t sleep now. She kept tossing and turning.
Her soft body rolled around in his arms, and Qi Buyan’s nose was filled with her scent. Her hand unintentionally brushed against his waist a few times, causing his eyelashes to flutter slightly in the dark.
Feeling something different, Qi Buyan buried his face into He Sui’an’s neck, exhaling softly, and let out a soft groan, startling He Sui’an. “What… what’s wrong?”
Qi Buyan’s face was flushed, a mix of intense beauty and confusion about the unknown.
His fingers gripped the quilt tightly.
He Sui’an, who had been lying flat, turned to face him upon hearing his voice. She was momentarily stunned by the sight of Qi Buyan’s face, covered in a delicate red.
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, He Sui’an noticed something amiss. When she turned, a scorching heat pressed against her, causing her to swallow nervously.
The young man’s chin rested on her shoulder, seemingly trying to alleviate his discomfort by being close to her and breathing in her scent.
After a long while, He Sui’an asked, feeling at a loss, “Are you feeling better?”
“Very strange,” he said.
Since turning fourteen, Qi Buyan occasionally experienced similar situations in the mornings, though he never understood why. They usually resolved on their own.
But this time was different… it was caused by He Sui’an.
He Sui’an grew increasingly nervous, not daring to move. Her palms were sweaty, though she wasn’t sure if it was due to the heat or something else.
She pressed on, “What do you mean by ‘very strange’?”
The strange thing was…
Qi Buyan wanted to press against her.
Dear translator, thank you for giving us the choice to buy the completed version! Truly appreciate it :))