The water temperature of the hot spring river in Hongye Village is always warm, no matter the season.
Even though He Sui’an fell into the river unprepared, she didn’t feel the chill. Instead, she felt her body surrounded by the warm, flowing water.
If she could ignore the current situation, He Sui’an might have enjoyed the comfort.
But the present circumstances left her no time to enjoy the comfort of the hot spring river. Her attention was focused on the sensation under her hands. It was likely that the mountains and waters of Miaojang Tianshui Village were very nurturing, as Qi Buyan’s skin was in excellent condition.
It was like a fine piece of pure white canvas.
Smooth to the touch and pleasing to the eye. At the moment she fell, the splashing water blurred He Sui’an’s vision.
As she remained in the water a bit longer, the splashes settled back into the river.
Her vision cleared again.
He Sui’an immediately stood up.
The water where she fell only reached her shoulders. Besides, she could swim. It was just the sudden fall that caught her off guard, causing her to flail and grab onto Qi Buyan in the water.
Now that she had recovered, He Sui’an naturally let go. The smooth sensation, however, seemed to cling to her fingertips. Qi Buyan’s body temperature was higher than that of the hot spring river, like a natural furnace.
He Sui’an awkwardly turned her head away, looking up at the sky, “Sorry, sorry.”
Qi Buyan: “Sorry for what?”
He genuinely didn’t understand what she was apologizing for.
Was it for grabbing his waist or seeing his body? But were these things important?
Whether they were important or not, in Qi Buyan’s view, He Sui’an didn’t need to apologize to him because her touch gave him an indescribable pleasure, especially when they made direct contact without any barriers.
This kind of pleasure only she could give him, and he had realized this a long time ago.
After leaving Gu Mountain, Qi Buyan had met other people and had physical contact with them. Although most of the time, it was because he needed to kill someone or complete a transaction.
But it was a fact that he had never experienced this kind of pleasure before, so he occasionally indulged in it.
However, there was something strange.
When Qi Buyan first met He Sui’an, or rather, when he first brought her back to raise, he didn’t feel this subtle pleasure when she touched him or when he touched her.
It appeared as he spent more time raising her, one day becoming perceptible to him.
What was the reason?
Could it be just because he had raised He Sui’an and spent more time with her? But he had raised Gu for much longer than he had raised He Sui’an, so it shouldn’t be the cause.
Qi Buyan didn’t care whether He Sui’an touched him; what mattered to him was the reason behind it. He seldom pondered over matters unrelated to Gu.
Today, he suddenly wanted to delve deeper into his thoughts.
Qi Buyan looked at He Sui’an’s face, wondering if it was flushed from the hot spring river water, hoping to find answers there. However, she turned her face away, showing only half of her face to him, making it difficult to read her true expression.
“I’ll go up first,” He Sui’an said, knowing that in his heart, there was no distinction between men and women as the world perceived. She hurriedly changed the topic, “Your hand isn’t healed yet. I’ll wait for you by the riverbank. Call me if you need anything.”
He Sui’an waded through the water and walked back to the riverbank.
Her dress was soaking wet, continuously dripping water as she wrung out the hem. The weather was warming up, so even with wet clothes, she didn’t feel cold.
Her dress was made of gauze, which dried easily. She decided to wait until it was a bit drier before returning to the village. With her back to the river, she squatted down and picked up smooth little stones, tossing them from one hand to the other to pass the time.
When He Sui’an’s hands were so full of little stones that she could no longer hold any more, Qi Buyan emerged from the hot spring river. He picked up the new clothes placed on a large rock and started putting them on piece by piece.
The sound of silver ornaments clinking together began again.
These silver ornaments were added during the making of the clothes, coexisting with the embroidered totems. They couldn’t be removed like the silver ornaments tied in the hair, worn on the forehead, or around the waist.
Even though Qi Buyan hadn’t spoken, He Sui’an knew he was getting dressed.
Piece by piece.
When He Sui’an heard the sound of him fastening his belt, she was certain that Qi Buyan was fully dressed. Sure enough, he soon walked over to her.
He Sui’an turned around. Qi Buyan had just come out of the river and had only finished putting on his clothes. His long hair was still wet, hanging loose behind him, dripping water and soaking the indigo fabric, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Her gaze fell on him.
The hot spring river water had washed Qi Buyan’s fair skin to a slight blush, especially his face, which looked as if it had a light touch of makeup. Everyone who had seen him agreed that he was extremely handsome.
He was good-looking but ruthless when he killed.
Like a two-faced Buddha.
One side appeared extremely kind and gentle, while the other looked extremely sinister and malevolent. Which side was true and which was false was difficult to discern—this was how those killed by Qi Buyan saw him in their final moments.
However, He Sui’an had no such thoughts as she looked at him now. She simply thought he was good-looking and, after a few more glances, looked away.
“Let’s go back,” she said.
“Hmm.”
Qi Buyan took his old clothes and followed He Sui’an back to the village.
As soon as they returned, they saw a gathering of villagers, making a loud commotion. In the midst of the villagers stood outsiders.
The outsider was none other than Xie Wenqiao, whom He Sui’an had met twice before. What was he doing in Hongye Village?
Thinking this, she quickly walked over.
The villagers of Hongye Village, armed with various farming tools, were trying to drive Xie Wenqiao and his men out. Xie Wenqiao’s attendants quickly stood in front of him, frowning at the “unruly villagers.”
The attendants were also surrounded by the villagers, outnumbered and unable to act aggressively. They could only shout, “Do you know who our lord is? Put down your tools.”
The villagers all showed disdain.
One villager, with a hoarse voice, shouted, “I don’t care who you are. Get out of Hongye Village immediately.”
The attendants wanted to draw their swords.
Xie Wenqiao stopped them.
He hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from the villagers of Hongye Village and understood that in this situation, he couldn’t use his official position to pressure them. He didn’t even refer to himself as an official, saying, “Villagers, I only want to…”
The villagers interrupted him, “Get out.”
The attendants, eager to protect their master, couldn’t tolerate this humiliation and angrily shouted, “You!”
Uncle Zhong stood at the front of the villagers, his eyes cold. “What about us? You officials have never cared about the lives of Hongye Village. Now you dare to use your status against us?”
Xie Wenqiao had no response.
He had heard unfavorable rumors about Hongye Village before coming. Officials in Qingzhou didn’t want to deal with this village at all.
Officials naturally prioritized the majority of Qingzhou’s people. They couldn’t oppose the many citizens of Qingzhou for the sake of the few in Hongye Village, fearing it would cost them their positions.
Thus, they turned a blind eye to the exclusion of Hongye Village by the people of Qingzhou.
Xie Wenqiao clasped his hands in apology. “I’m sorry.”
The villagers, who had been ready to drive them out with their tools, were momentarily stunned, then sneered, “Stop pretending. Just leave.”
The attendants were indignant.
Their lord had traveled to the capital to take the imperial exams in his teens, becoming the youngest top scholar of the Great Zhou dynasty. Since then, he had been serving as an official in the capital, rarely returning to Qingzhou and knowing little about the affairs of Hongye Village.
How could they blame their lord and compare him with the ineffectual officials of Qingzhou? The attendants wanted to argue with the villagers, but Xie Wenqiao shook his head at them.
In a moment of carelessness, a hot-tempered villager from Hongye Village threw a shovel.
It hit Xie Wenqiao’s head with a “bang.”
The surroundings fell silent.
Blood slowly trickled down Xie Wenqiao’s face. The attendants were shocked, “My lord!”
The villagers of Hongye Village were stunned. In truth, they didn’t want to hurt anyone; they just wanted these people to leave. If they injured someone, it would give them an excuse to retaliate against Hongye Village.
The shovel that had struck Xie Wenqiao fell with a clang at the feet of He Sui’an and Qi Buyan.
The attendants tried to seize the villager who had caused the injury.
Xie Wenqiao repeatedly stopped them, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his forehead. “It’s nothing, just a minor injury.”
Seeing He Sui’an and Qi Buyan here surprised Xie Wenqiao. He had come today to ask the villagers of Hongye Village about Xuanmiao Temple, but they were uncooperative and unusually hostile.
Why, then, had they accepted He Sui’an and Qi Buyan, who were also outsiders?
What had they done?
If they had done nothing, the villagers would likely not have accepted them.
Xie Wenqiao scrutinized them more closely, though years of being an official had taught him to hide his emotions well, revealing nothing.
Uncle Zhong, seeing someone injured, urged the villagers not to act rashly, to avoid escalating the situation.
He said, “Lord Xie, is it? I am one of the elders of Hongye Village, and I speak on behalf of the village. We do not welcome you. Please leave Hongye Village immediately.”
Xie Wenqiao glanced at He Sui’an.
She did not get involved.
This was a matter for Hongye Village, and as an outsider, it was not her place to interfere, nor did she have the right to do so.
When she first arrived in Hongye Village, the villagers’ attitude towards her wasn’t much better. After all, they had been treated differently by outsiders before. From their perspective, He Sui’an could understand the villagers’ reaction.
However, she was curious about why Xie Wenqiao had come to Hongye Village.
He was an official.
Was he here to investigate something?
On the day at Xuanmiao Temple, Xie Wenqiao had asked her many inexplicable questions. Although he hadn’t explained why, He Sui’an could surmise that he was investigating something related to Xuanmiao Temple.
He Sui’an tilted her head slightly, trying to lower her presence and stood aside watching.
Qi Buyan also watched the scene quietly.
His clear eyes swept over Xie Wenqiao, his index finger lightly tapping on the clothes in his hand, as if pondering something.
Xie Wenqiao, always maintaining a refined appearance, spoke gently even after being injured, “I know you have many grievances, and it is understandable that you treat us this way.”
He Sui’an could hear the sincerity in his voice.
But sincerity alone couldn’t erase all the hatred. Aunt Li gritted her teeth, “Don’t think you can gloss over the harm you’ve caused us with a few kind words.”
Someone echoed, “That’s right. You officials are all the same. We won’t trust you. Get out of Hongye Village.”
“Sorry.”
He expressed his apology once more.
“I can’t speak for others, but as an official of the court, I sincerely want to apologize to you.” The wound on Xie Wenqiao’s forehead had stopped bleeding, but the mark was still very visible.
The villagers remained unmoved; they wouldn’t be swayed by a few simple words.
The reason they temporarily allowed He Sui’an and Qi Buyan to stay in Hongye Village wasn’t because they truly accepted them, but because these two could extend the life of Zhong Liang’s father.
