The damp breath spread out, and a surge of heat rose in He Sui’an’s heart.
The heat burned her limbs, making her feel a tingling itch; even her fingertips were numb. Her breath felt warm, carrying Qi Buyan’s unusual temperature, scorching and impossible to ignore, her thoughts followed him.
He Sui’an’s shoulders and collarbone became slightly damp, and the chest-high ruqun on her body developed some wrinkles as the boy’s tall body covered her.
But his hands were supported beside her, propping himself up, not pressing down on her.
Their breaths mingled.
Lips and skin brushed against each other, and He Sui’an only felt increasingly hot. She didn’t know why she didn’t immediately explain, because her body seemed to be enjoying this sticky contact, surprising her.
It might have nothing to do with emotions, but rather physiological pleasure, purely the body’s sensation of delight, autonomously reacting with acceptance—this thought suddenly popped into her mind.
As if she had learned similar knowledge somewhere before, stored in her subconscious.
Also—
Physical desire is not shameful.
Thinking about what might happen next, He Sui’an’s heart pounded. She couldn’t clearly articulate her true feelings.
It seemed she didn’t reject it.
She had never resisted intimate contact with Qi Buyan, but what about taking it a step further?
She didn’t know.
She hadn’t figured it out yet.
When Qi Buyan was about to kiss her further, He Sui’an cupped his face and kissed him. The sound of moisture between their lips and teeth made her blush as she mumbled, “Let’s leave it at this for tonight.”
Being kissed by He Sui’an, Qi Buyan went along with her, raising his hand to cradle the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair, his pale fingers forming a stark contrast with her black hair.
He Sui’an wrapped her arms around Qi Buyan’s neck, opening her mouth to give him the intimacy he desired.
*
Early the next morning, at sunrise.
He Sui’an arrived at the small wooden house where Zhong Liang’s father lived. Zhong Liang, worried about his father, was waiting outside the house early. When they went in, he stayed outside, never questioning or disturbing them.
The door of the wooden house was closed, and Zhong Liang outside could only hear a little noise, unable to see the scene inside. He didn’t intend to. Since he chose to believe, he believed completely.
“If you doubt someone, don’t use them. If you use someone, don’t doubt them.” Zhong Liang had studied for two years and understood this principle.
However, he was still a bit nervous.
Zhong Liang frequently looked at the tightly closed door.
Accidents are everywhere. He not only worried about his father but also about He Sui’an and Qi Buyan. Although it was a transaction, Zhong Liang believed that they were good people willing to help him.
Unaware of what Zhong Liang was thinking outside, He Sui’an followed the steps from the previous day. She heated the dagger and handed it to Qi Buyan.
He skillfully removed his wrist guard, rolled up his sleeve, and exposed a section of his wrist.
The butterfly silver chain sometimes slipped down.
He Sui’an stepped forward to hold the butterfly silver chain on Qi Buyan’s wrist in place. The butterfly silver chain, which should have been cold, was warmed by his body temperature and carried his scent.
She glanced at the butterfly silver chain.
The butterfly silver chain of Tianshui Village was beautiful. Who would have thought it could determine a person’s life or death?
Beautiful yet dangerous.
He Sui’an noticed that the small wooden house no longer had the strong medicinal smell from before. It was evident that someone had cleaned it thoroughly. It was not difficult to guess that Zhong Liang was the one who did it.
Zhong Liang knew the medicinal smell was overpowering. He hadn’t had time to clean the wooden house the previous day. Last night, he cleaned it thoroughly, even using some flowers and herbs to remove the smell. Only after confirming the smell wasn’t too strong did he rest.
Qi Buyan, sensitive to smells, naturally noticed the change in the scent of the wooden house.
He could focus more on his work now.
Qi Buyan needed to cut a second wound on the old man’s wrist. Correspondingly, he would also cut a new wound on his wrist with Heavenly Silkworm silk to feed the not yet fully effective Gu with his blood.
Cutting old wounds easily damaged the tendons and bones, hindering recovery. If he encountered a situation that required killing to resolve, it would pose an obstacle. He aimed to minimize such occurrences.
The dagger sliced through the old man’s shriveled, dark skin, seemingly making a sound.
He Sui’an turned her head away.
She couldn’t bear to look directly.
Qi Buyan acted as if he were doing the most ordinary thing, his hands moving skillfully. To him, their bodies were merely living things, only slightly different from inanimate objects.
The only thing that could stir his emotions was the moment blood flowed from a human body.
He would feel exhilarated.
It seemed to be an innate emotion.
Perhaps this was why Qi Shu hated him and implanted the Heavenly Silkworm Gu in him. However, Qi Buyan didn’t care. He always acted according to his emotions.
Even if killing triggered the excruciating pain brought by the Heavenly Silkworm Gu, he didn’t mind. He would still kill those who needed to be killed.
His life was his own, not dictated by the heavens.
Nor by anyone else.
The more people Qi Buyan kills at once, the more pain he feels. If he kills enough people in a single instance, he might even die.
This was Qi Shu’s painstaking method to prevent Qi Buyan from killing indiscriminately.
It was also the shackle she imposed on him.
The Heavenly Silkworm Gu was refined by Qi Shu with her own heart’s blood. Qi Buyan couldn’t break it. Qi Shu’s Gu-refining skills were better than his; he lost because he was too young, for Qi Shu was also a genius in Gu refinement.
Qi Buyan was also a Gu-refining genius from the Tianshui Village in Miaojiang. When two Gu-refining geniuses clash, it comes down to their Gu-refining experiences.
Previously, he couldn’t break it.
As long as such a Gu exists in the world, there must be a corresponding solution, yet it couldn’t be resolved. Now at eighteen, Qi Buyan still couldn’t break the Gu with his own strength.
It seemed as if the Heavenly Silkworm Gu had symbiotically merged with him.
Qi Shu died in her twenties. Qi Buyan’s experience had yet to reach her level, thus he couldn’t break the Gu. Even so, Qi Buyan rarely suppressed his nature.
He used to enjoy killing for fun, but now he was more interested in the novel and wonderful pleasures he experienced with He Sui’an, temporarily surpassing the emotional fluctuations other matters brought him.
He Sui’an…
Qi Buyan withdrew his gaze from the old man’s bleeding wrist and dripped his own blood into it.
The Gu, which had been inside the old man for a day and a night, crawled to the wound, drank Qi Buyan’s blood, and then crawled back inside the old man.
Practice makes perfect.
He Sui’an bandaged his wrist again.
After tidying up the room, she went out to ask Zhong Liang for a bowl of meat porridge. Qi Buyan had been losing blood for two consecutive days and needed to replenish his strength.
Although Zhong Liang’s family wasn’t very wealthy, they could still afford a couple of bowls of meat porridge. Seeing that his father was fine inside the room, he told them to wait a moment while he cooked it for them.
They sat down under a large tree not far from the small wooden house, with Qi Buyan leaning against the trunk.
He Sui’an sat cross-legged beside him.
She had changed her clothes last night. Today, she wore an apricot-colored ruqun, the skirt hem falling to the ground. Her long braid hung smoothly in front of her, with colorful silk ribbons tied at the end. Her profile was as smooth as jade.
Although He Sui’an looked best in red skirts, she looked lively and vibrant in other colors as well.
He Sui’an tugged at Qi Buyan’s hand.
He raised his eyes.
She picked up some small stones from the ground, tossing a few back and forth to practice.
“Let’s have a competition. We toss one stone in the air and, before it falls, pick up another and catch the first one. Let’s see who can catch the most stones in their hand.”
He Sui’an sometimes couldn’t stay idle and would find something to do but didn’t want to leave Qi Buyan aside, so she pulled him along.
Qi Buyan slowly turned the small stone He Sui’an had given him.
“This isn’t fair to you,” he said.
He Sui’an couldn’t understand for a moment. “Why wouldn’t it be fair to me?”
Qi Buyan put down the small stone and placed his hand against hers. His hand was much larger than hers, both in width and length, and the warmth from their palms spread between them.
“My hands are bigger than yours, so I can hold more stones. Your hands are smaller, and once they’re full, the stones will fall out, making it hard for you to hold more than me.” The corners of the boy’s lips curved into a smile, looking particularly attractive under the sunlight.
She looked at their hands as he spoke.
Indeed, there was a big difference.
Qi Buyan’s hands were wide and large, with well-proportioned bones and muscles. His long fingers were slightly hard, and the veins on the back of his hands were somewhat prominent. He Sui’an’s hands were slender, with small, soft palms.
Despite being around the same age, their hands were very different, and He Sui’an was momentarily entranced by the comparison.
Thinking about it, it was indeed unfair.
Qi Buyan moved his hand against He Sui’an’s palm, seriously comparing them. His long fingers curled and interlocked with hers, holding them like clasped fingers. “Really small.”
When his hand wrapped around hers, He Sui’an felt enveloped by him and pulled her hand back. “Then, let’s not compete.”
At that moment, Zhong Liang brought over the meat porridge and walked toward them. “The porridge is ready.”
There were two large bowls, with plenty of meat.
He often went hunting, so they had some meat stored. Zhong Liang’s mother, upon hearing that they needed to make porridge for them, specially used a large piece of good meat.
The meat porridge emitted a rich aroma. To avoid it being too greasy, Zhong Liang’s mother also added some green vegetables and a few wild mushrooms picked from the mountains.
“Eat while it’s hot,” Zhong Liang said.
He Sui’an had only asked Zhong Liang for a bowl of meat porridge for Qi Buyan, but he had prepared one for her as well. Looking at the delicious porridge, she swallowed and said, “Thank you, Brother Zhong.”
“You’re welcome.”
Not wanting to disturb their meal, Zhong Liang found an excuse to leave. “I should go take care of my father. Call me if you need anything.”
He Sui’an nodded a few times and happily buried her head in her bowl of meat porridge. Seeing her eat so contentedly, Qi Buyan started eating as well.
The two bowls of meat porridge were completely finished by them.
The empty bowls lay quietly under the tree.
Whenever the villagers of Hongye Village had some free time, they would visit Zhong Liang’s father. Seeing that his complexion was better than the near-death state of the past few days and that he could even say a few words to them, the villagers felt very relieved.
Zhong Liang’s face also showed a hint of a smile.
Qi Buyan’s life-prolonging Gu not only kept a person hanging on but also induced a phenomenon where those implanted with the Gu experienced a temporary revival.
Typically, such a revival would last only a few days. However, for those with the life-prolonging Gu, this state of revival could be maintained until their death.
For instance, someone bedridden for a long time due to illness might be able to walk a bit again.
