He Sui’an saw that he hadn’t answered her for a long time, so she asked again. Apart from her low voice, the room was extraordinarily quiet.
“Not yet,” Qi Buyan replied.
He Sui’an looked up, wanting to see him, but suddenly stared intently at his face.
She was astonished: “Y-your face.”
On the side of Qi Buyan’s face appeared half of a blue butterfly, so gorgeous and enchanting, like a forest elf, as if a vivid painting suddenly appeared on a blank piece of paper, a painting imbued with life.
This was the first time He Sui’an had seen a butterfly appear on Qi Buyan’s face. She couldn’t describe the beauty before her eyes with words, only feeling that it carried an almost sacrificial allure.
He Sui’an raised her hand to touch it.
The blue butterfly seemed to spread its wings under her fingers.
The wings appeared to move, and the colors became vibrant the moment He Sui’an touched them.
Just half of the blue butterfly was already like this; she couldn’t imagine how stunning a whole butterfly would be if it appeared.
Qi Buyan had experienced a significant emotional fluctuation just now; otherwise, the butterfly wouldn’t have appeared, spreading from his clothes to his neck and the side of his face. Such a reaction indicated a considerable emotional upheaval.
He Sui’an wanted to withdraw her hand.
But Qi Buyan grabbed her wrist.
“You… like my butterfly?” His skin had a faint peach color.
Although he couldn’t see his own face at the moment, he could guess what she was touching through He Sui’an’s reaction—the butterfly, his blue butterfly.
He Sui’an heard Qi Buyan ask if she liked his butterfly. Without recalling their recent absurd yet real moment, she honestly replied, “Yes, I like it.”
“It’s very beautiful.”
She added another sentence.
He Sui’an admired her ability to talk about butterflies with him under such circumstances. But she did need something to divert her attention or his, hoping it might help.
They were very close to each other, and Qi Buyan could clearly hear He Sui’an’s answer.
Although the blue butterfly appeared on Qi Buyan’s face, it was still because of He Sui’an. The butterfly belonged to him, yet it also belonged to He Sui’an, born because of her, deepening because of her.
Qi Buyan had seen the people of Tianshui Village with butterflies on their faces before.
But he had never had one.
He thought it would only appear on a small part of his body, but tonight proved otherwise.
His face could actually show a butterfly; this was so novel that it made Qi Buyan’s blood boil with excitement. He even thought about cutting out the blue butterfly pattern and giving it to He Sui’an.
But he couldn’t.
The butterfly would disappear.
And the way to maintain the brilliant color of the blue butterfly was He Sui’an.
Qi Buyan couldn’t help but feel even more delighted, sensing a wonderful connection between his life and hers. Regardless of whether she would change because of him, the fact that he could change because of her was enough to make him feel amazing.
The people of Tianshui Village didn’t necessarily practice the art of Gu, but whenever their emotions fluctuated, butterflies of various colors and shapes would appear.
They rarely ventured outside.
Because they might be seen as freaks.
There was once a young man from Tianshui Village who went out to make a living. Although he didn’t practice Gu, a butterfly accidentally appeared on him in front of others, and he was burned alive as a monster.
No matter how sincerely he explained the truth, no one believed him, insisting on burning him.
He was burned into a corpse.
If the butterfly had always been there, it could have been explained as a tattoo. But the fact that it appeared bit by bit in front of everyone made it impossible to argue otherwise; he was seen as a monster.
There are no real monsters or spirits in the world, but when enough people say so, they become real.
Qi Buyan rarely let butterflies appear in front of others.
After all, his emotions seldom fluctuated greatly. When he killed, butterflies would appear up to his neck, but those who saw the butterflies were almost always dead, so who could burn him as a monster?
Therefore, Qi Buyan didn’t care whether others feared or liked the butterflies that appeared on him.
Other people’s opinions were their own.
He was himself.
How he lived was his business.
When he heard He Sui’an say she liked his butterfly, Qi Buyan felt a sudden desire to keep the blue butterfly. He inexplicably wanted her, whom he had picked up and raised halfway, to gaze at him, to have only him in her eyes.
At this moment, the butterfly pattern seemed to penetrate deep into his bones.
Qi Buyan trembled slightly, as if in pain from an injury.
He Sui’an didn’t know where to put her hands or feet and asked for the third time, “Not better yet?”
He raised his face, his jawline smooth and beautiful. His long hair, adorned with many silver ornaments, lifted in small arcs in the air. The sound of silver bells continued endlessly, the tips of his jet-black hair spreading out and then slowly gathering back.
Like an enchanting demon who transformed into a handsome figure at midnight, coming to steal souls, his five fingers dug deep into the bedding, as if grasping a support.
He Sui’an looked at Qi Buyan’s expression and understood clearly what was going on.
He wasn’t better yet.
She had no real experience with this situation.
After a brief thought, He Sui’an said, “Then wait a bit longer, it might get better soon.”
Qi Buyan remained silent, his elegant and pale neck beaded with fine sweat that eventually formed a droplet, sliding down his intricately embroidered collar, adding a touch of fragility.
Time passed, but He Sui’an still didn’t see any improvement in him. She guessed that he must be feeling quite uncomfortable. After much hesitation, her face reddened as she suggested, “You could actually try touching it.”
“Touch it?” The young man finally spoke.
Her throat felt dry: “Yes.”
Qi Buyan moved closer to He Sui’an, his nose brushing against her shoulder, his breath warm on her side. His voice was extremely soft, like a student asking a question from a teacher, direct yet pure: “How should I touch it?”
He Sui’an felt embarrassed to the point of madness, like a cat wanting to scratch but having its claws trimmed, only able to make a feigned attack in her mind. She knew he wasn’t teasing her but was genuinely confused.
She stammered, unsure how to explain.
What if she couldn’t say it?
Qi Buyan’s breath enveloped He Sui’an, the scent intoxicating.
His face was very sculpted, subtly different from the people of Great Zhou. His disheveled hair didn’t make him look disheveled but rather added a touch of natural beauty beyond gender.
He Sui’an averted her gaze, unable to look directly at Qi Buyan for a moment.
She hesitated: “Hold it?”
He unconsciously lowered his head and kissed He Sui’an’s shoulder, as if absorbing her scent. His fingers released the bedding, his indigo clothing slightly overlapping, then clumsily grasped in the darkness.
Qi Buyan waited for He Sui’an to continue. She felt her scalp tingle at her own words but couldn’t stop halfway: “Then move up and down.”
The young man moved slightly.
Sweat increasingly soaked his long hair, and the contrast between his cold jade-like finger bones and the pink flesh below created a stark difference. The movement of his fingertips made his entire face radiate an indescribable yet extremely contradictory allure.
He Sui’an witnessed the entire scene of vibrant beauty, vivid and intense. Qi Buyan raised his neck and unconsciously called out, “He Sui’an.”
It sent a shiver through He Sui’an.
Her earlobes turned red as if scorched by fire, and she hesitantly said, “It should be fine now.”
Qi Buyan buried his head in He Sui’an’s neck, very quiet, his hair ornaments falling onto her, feeling slightly ticklish and cool. He didn’t find it embarrassing to be like this in front of her and accepted it.
He was naturally deficient in emotions, lacking in embarrassment or shyness, always good at accepting all of himself and facing changes calmly.
But tonight, Qi Buyan realized something through He Sui’an—things could be this way too.
At first, it was very painful.
Following her instructions, it felt comfortable.
Later, Qi Buyan went to clean himself alone, the sound of water echoing in the room. After a short while, he returned and hugged her, also letting He Sui’an hold him tightly, craving an intimate embrace.
Qi Buyan had a particular trait: he never concealed his thoughts. He would say them out loud and act on them, just like now.
He Sui’an complied.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Then, following his instincts, he gently kissed the side of her neck before falling asleep again.
He Sui’an held Qi Buyan’s waist, her face pressed against his chest, listening to his now steady heartbeat. She learned a lesson from tonight and didn’t move much, just holding him.
Originally unable to sleep, He Sui’an found herself even more awake after teaching Qi Buyan to relieve himself. In the past, she would never have believed she could do such a thing.
Thus, He Sui’an stayed awake all night.
At dawn, she got up.
The inn’s room had a mirror. He Sui’an sat in front of it to comb her hair, tying it up in a simple butterfly bun with a new silk ribbon. Qi Buyan had bought her a dress and the hair ribbon.
Today, He Sui’an wore a red dress. She chose a scarlet ribbon for her hair. The long ribbon tied her black hair and hung down her back, swaying at her waist.
She stared at herself in the mirror.
Her lips were red and her teeth white. Although her face wasn’t a slim oval shape, the flesh was just right, giving her a balanced and elegant look. The scarlet ribbon and black hair made her face appear as fair as snow, beautifully highlighting her features.
Red suited her well.
Despite being a young girl, He Sui’an occasionally liked to dress up.
Suddenly, another figure appeared in the mirror. He Sui’an’s eyes followed, seeing the young man’s face. Qi Buyan had risen from the bed and was fastening the belt at his waist.
His hands, with their distinct knuckles, drew her attention and her mind drifted back to last night. Those were the same hands he used to hold himself, as she had taught him to find relief…
His long black hair draped over his shoulders, his movements like a blooming jade tree.
He Sui’an pinched herself.
Stop thinking about it.
Qi Buyan’s clothing was much the same, in shades of indigo and navy, adorned with shining silver ornaments. The intricate patterns added a touch of mystery.
The layers of his attire didn’t seem cumbersome but rather gave him an air of nobility. His wrist, adorned with a butterfly bracelet, was hidden under his wrist guard, tempting curiosity.
The room was equipped with water.
They washed up one after the other.
During this time, He Sui’an kept glancing at Qi Buyan, noticing his complexion had improved.
After a while, Qi Buyan couldn’t help but notice her frequent looks. Wiping away the water droplets on his chin with a towel, he turned his head to look at her: “You like looking at me today.”
She instinctively denied it: “I don’t.”
Qi Buyan bent down, leaning close to He Sui’an: “Your earlobes are red again.”
He gently pinched them.
Her earlobes reddened further: “I rubbed them too hard while washing my face just now.”
“Is that so?”
Seeing Qi Buyan’s hand up close, He Sui’an couldn’t help but recall fragmented scenes from last night. Fortunately, he released her earlobe and stood back up.
He Sui’an didn’t want to spend the whole day cooped up in the room; it was too boring. Just as she was about to suggest going out, Qi Buyan mentioned that they would be going out today, not staying at the inn.
