He Sui’an couldn’t resist stroking Qi Buyan’s long hair, finding it even smoother than she had imagined.
He felt her touch and looked at her.
When Qi Buyan looked at someone, his naturally slightly red eyes had a downward tilt, and his eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows on either side of his nose. His eyes seemed to draw people in.
She withdrew her hand. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” Not only did it not hurt, but he also quite enjoyed He Sui’an’s touch.
He Sui’an had rested enough and didn’t want to delay their climb because of her. According to Qi Buyan, the Wan Cao Flower grew at the top of the mountain, so they had to reach the summit.
After another half-hour of walking, they reached the halfway point, where He Sui’an saw the legendary Xuanmiao Temple.
The terrain at the halfway point was relatively flat. The richly decorated gatehouse with carved mythical beasts stood before the temple. Beside it grew a locust tree, with a flag hanging from its branches.
Qi Buyan didn’t look at the temple.
He was preparing to continue up the mountain path, but rain stopped him. Climbing a mountain, especially one as tall as Dengyun Mountain, was not advisable in the rain.
The rain came without warning, so they knocked on the heavy black doors of Xuanmiao Temple. The deep sound echoed, and soon someone came to open the door.
It was a young Taoist priest in a gray robe.
The rain intensified, large drops pounding the temple gate. The young priest peeked out from the crack of the door.
When he saw He Sui’an and Qi Buyan, his brows furrowed slightly but quickly returned to the expected kindness of a monk: “I wonder what brings you to Xuanmiao Temple at such a late hour?”
It had been a long time since anyone had visited Xuanmiao Temple at night.
Firstly, there were rumors of a mountain god on Dengyun Mountain. Secondly, the temple had erected a stone stele at the foot of the mountain, advising the people of Qingzhou to avoid climbing the mountain at night due to potential dangers.
Dengyun Mountain was vast and full of various creatures. There was a real possibility of being attacked by wild animals at night, which the people of Qingzhou considered a kind reminder.
The young priest remained calm in the face of strangers.
He Sui’an pointed to the rainwater dripping along the gatehouse: “We just want to take shelter from the rain. We don’t have any business with Xuanmiao Temple.”
The young priest understood.
However, for him, there was not much difference between the two. They had still climbed the mountain at night.
Qi Buyan asked, “Is that not possible?”
The young priest frequently glanced inside the temple: “It is possible. Please come in.”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a “crack.”
The young man pushed the door open.
The young priest was shocked at how strong this boy, who looked about his age, was. The door was very heavy, usually requiring both hands to push open, yet he had done it with one hand…
He Sui’an nodded to the stunned priest: “Thank you, Master, for taking us in.”
He came to his senses: “No thanks needed.”
A Taoist priest is still a monk.
To outsiders, it would be improper for a priest to watch others get soaked without offering shelter, although that wasn’t his real reason for letting them in.
After entering the gatehouse of Xuanmiao Temple, a straight path led to the main hall, with the side rooms and courtyard behind. The rain wasn’t going to stop soon, and it was already late, so they might have to take shelter for the entire night.
The young priest directly led them to a side room, advising them not to wander around at night to avoid disturbing the real practitioners of the temple.
Xuanmiao Temple had a renowned practitioner, Sanshan Zhenren1“Zhenren” (真人) is a term used in Taoism to refer to an enlightened or perfected person. It translates literally to “true person” or “real person.”, who needed a quiet environment for night-time cultivation.
This period was not to be disturbed.
When the young priest spoke these words, his tone became more solemn, and his enunciation was clearer than before, indicating the importance of the matter.
He Sui’an understood that the practice the young priest mentioned was likely ordinary meditation and contemplation. She respected the temple’s practices and said, “Okay.”
The people of Qingzhou had a very good impression of the Taoists at Xuanmiao Temple. Despite their favor from the emperor, they remained patient and respectful to ordinary visitors, answering all questions without arrogance.
At this moment, the young priest’s attitude towards He Sui’an was impeccable.
Other Taoists passing by also greeted them with a respectful bow, to which He Sui’an reciprocated. She wasn’t used to receiving such respect.
Qi Buyan did not return the bows.
They should be bowing to him.
He didn’t need it, but they still did it, so he let them. He wouldn’t bow back.
In the eyes of the Taoists, Qi Buyan, a young man seeking shelter from the rain, should have been extremely rude not to return the greetings. However, they had the strange impression that his lack of response was normal.
They looked at the girl beside him, as if hoping she would remind this seemingly impolite young man.
He Sui’an returned the bows out of her own volition and didn’t compel Qi Buyan to do the same. She met the Taoists’ gazes without saying a word and continued walking with the young priest.
The Taoists exchanged looks but didn’t dwell on it, as they had their own tasks to attend to.
The young priest stopped in front of a side room.
He opened the door.
“You may rest here tonight. If you need anything, feel free to call me.”
He Sui’an thanked the young priest again. He didn’t say much more, just gave a thoughtful look at Qi Buyan. Qi Buyan suddenly turned his head and smiled back, causing the young priest to quickly avert his gaze.
The young priest had seen the snake’s head peeking out from Qi Buyan’s wrist guard. Ordinary people didn’t keep snakes, and even those who did rarely kept them on their bodies.
Snakes were difficult to tame.
If one wasn’t careful, they could still bite.
The young priest often saw various insects and snakes on Dengyun Mountain, but the red snake on Qi Buyan looked extremely venomous, the kind whose single drop of venom could be fatal. This realization made the young priest uneasy.
Why had such a person come tonight, with a jade-like face yet raising such eerie and dangerous creatures? The young priest didn’t linger long. He gave a few more instructions and then left.
After he left, He Sui’an leaned on the window to watch the heavy rain outside.
Since she entered the temple early, she didn’t get wet.
Qi Buyan gently brushed off the water droplets from the hem of his robe and removed his wrist guard, revealing a section of his wrist.
Every part of him looked as if it had been meticulously crafted, like a perfect doll. However, the scars that appeared intermittently on his wrist, which was adorned with a butterfly chain, were a flaw.
He Sui’an looked at those scars, thinking about why Qi Buyan would fall into a deep sleep when the weather turned cold, and if he didn’t want to sleep, he would cut himself. It must have been very painful.
“What are you thinking about?”
He noticed her staring at his wrist in a daze.
He Sui’an propped her chin on her hand and said, “I’m thinking about whether you can stop falling into a deep sleep whenever it gets cold. It’s too dangerous. Even if I’m by your side guarding you, I might not be able to protect you completely.”
“Protect me?” Qi Buyan’s attention was caught by those two words.
“Yeah.” He Sui’an sighed, feeling helpless about her own frail arms and legs, “I know I’m weak and sometimes can’t even protect myself, so I might not be able to protect you fully.”
He was more curious about why she had the desire to protect him and asked her about it.
He Sui’an paused.
Why did she want to protect him?
She had said it naturally, without a specific reason in her heart. Seeing Qi Buyan’s question, she tried to find the reason: “You protect me, so I’ll protect you.”
He Sui’an said this while looking into his eyes.
He leaned against the table and chair, his hand hanging down, the butterfly chain on his wrist. The combination was extremely pleasing to the eye, making it hard to tell whether the butterfly chain enhanced the beauty of his wrist or vice versa.
After hearing He Sui’an’s answer, Qi Buyan was momentarily lost in thought, then he laughed as if amused, his laughter pleasant and endearing.
He Sui’an reached out to touch his bracelet.
Qi Buyan let her touch it.
“Can I ask you something?” He Sui’an lightly touched the butterfly chain, “Why do the people of your Tianshui Village die if their chain breaks? Can’t you hide it?”
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn’t help but ask.
“Snake venom,” Qi Buyan said indifferently, “The people of Tianshui Village have snake venom in their bodies. The butterfly chains on our wrists and ankles are used to restrain the snake venom within us.”
As long as the butterfly chain remains unbroken, everything is fine. Once it breaks, the person dies.
He Sui’an asked, “Can’t the snake venom be cured?”
Qi Buyan spoke as if discussing something unrelated to himself, very calmly: “No, the snake venom is present from birth. Every generation of Tianshui Village people has snake venom in their bodies.”
“We don’t know which generation it started from, but their descendants also have snake venom. Newborns must wear a butterfly silver chain made by their mother within a hundred days of birth.”
He Sui’an suddenly understood.
So it was because of the snake venom in their bodies.
She gently rubbed the butterfly silver chain on Qi Buyan’s wrist and asked softly, “Is this butterfly silver chain made by your mother?”
He responded with little emotion, “Yes.”
He Sui’an sincerely praised, “It’s very beautiful. Your mother must have put a lot of effort into making it.”
Qi Buyan looked down at the butterfly silver chain. Under the bright candlelight, the chain shone with a pure silver color. He said with a faint smile, “Effort?”
He lightly tugged at the butterfly silver chain with his fingertips but was stopped by He Sui’an, who said, “Be gentle.”
Qi Buyan let go.
He was very casual in his actions.
He Sui’an then glanced at Qi Buyan’s ankle, hidden under his indigo robe. It felt so insecure. If she were Qi Buyan, she would be constantly worried, afraid that the chain would break with a careless move.
Not long ago, He Sui’an had broken a bracelet. Even though it was just a random purchase from the street, seeing it break still made her heart skip a beat.
The room’s candlelight continued to burn.
Qi Buyan, seemingly possessed by a sudden whim, asked, “He Sui’an, would you leave me?”
At that moment, his gaze held an innocence.
But this innocence had a natural and divine cruelty because he wouldn’t accept the answer “yes,” even if there was a possibility. What if she answered that she would?
What would he do then?
Would he kill her as he had killed the Gu insects that had betrayed him?
Qi Buyan, always clear in his goals and never one to drag things out, hesitated. It seemed like he was realizing for the first time that He Sui’an was fundamentally different from the Gu insects he raised. Very different.
If a Gu was lost, it could be refined again.
He didn’t care if it was the same Gu as before.
If He Sui’an was gone, she was gone. Raising someone else wouldn’t be the same as He Sui’an. Qi Buyan realized he only wanted to keep He Sui’an.
Special. He Sui’an was a bit special to him, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why. Maybe it was because He Sui’an made him reveal a different side of himself.
As He Sui’an was about to answer, Qi Buyan raised his hand to cover her mouth.
“I don’t want to ask anymore.”
The young man spoke.
Qi Buyan’s palm pressed against He Sui’an’s slightly parted lips, dampened by her breath.
