After placing the water properly, He Sui’an noticed that the other books had been picked up, but Qi Buyan was staring at the only remaining book on the ground, lost in thought. She felt puzzled and walked over, intending to ask him what was wrong.
The room was lit brightly with candles, almost like daylight. He Sui’an unintentionally glanced at his book and was instantly shocked, her eyes widening.
Qi Buyan brought this book?
No, that couldn’t be right.
He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would silently take someone else’s belongings. Something must have gone wrong. She felt as if her feet were bound with heavy stones, making every step difficult: “Why is it here…?”
Qi Buyan straightened up: “It was tucked inside my Gu book. You didn’t put it there?”
“How could that be possible?”
He Sui’an immediately blurted out.
He absentmindedly picked up the book, his fingers lightly pressing on the title page: “Then it must have accidentally fallen into my Gu book.”
This seemed the most likely explanation. He Sui’an also didn’t believe Qi Buyan would deliberately take the book from the treehouse. What she wanted to know now was how he would handle this book—keep it or throw it away.
But she saw Qi Buyan place the book back on top of his Gu book, treating it as an ordinary book.
So, he had no intention of throwing it away.
Since the book ended up in Qi Buyan’s Gu book, it should be up to him to handle it.
However, it seemed Qi Buyan had no intention of reading this book at the moment. He Sui’an tried to make herself not care too much about it and pointed to the shelf with the water basin, saying he could wash his face and hands.
He had a habit of cleaning up a bit after coming back from outside.
He Sui’an had already washed once.
After seeing that book, she recalled some previous incidents, feeling her face heat up. She walked to the window to cool off.
The curfew had already started, and the streets of Chang’an were quiet. Besides the patrolling night guards and watchmen, there were no other people, making it seem very empty. More than half of the street lights were extinguished.
Looking at the late-night Chang’an, He Sui’an felt a strange sense of familiarity again.
Could it be that this wasn’t her first time in Chang’an?
She hadn’t heard the sound of water for a while, so she turned back to look. Qi Buyan wasn’t washing up but was fastening a loosened tie, something he usually unfastened before sleeping.
This act didn’t look like he was preparing to rest, but rather to go out on some business. But it was already curfew time, and He Sui’an was puzzled.
“Are we going out tonight?”
He Sui’an asked aloud.
Qi Buyan confirmed her guess: “That’s right, we are going to meet someone who wants to make a deal with me.”
Before leaving the Tianshui Village in Miaojiang, Qi Buyan had investigated the person who possessed what he wanted. He sent a letter to that person, offering to fulfill a wish in exchange for the corresponding payment.
Of course, the terms of the payment were set by him.
Whatever payment he asked for, the person accepting the deal had to provide it.
If the person couldn’t be sure they could fulfill this requirement, they didn’t need to agree to the deal. The transaction was to be mutually agreed upon.
Additionally, it was usually others who sought out Qi Buyan for deals.
Few were sought out by him.
The owner of the Millennium Red Jade was one such person.
A few months ago, the owner of the Millennium Red Jade had replied to Qi Buyan at Tianshui Village, expressing that they could meet in Chang’an to discuss the details of the transaction.
Upon arriving in Chang’an today, Qi Buyan left a mark at the city gate, arranging to meet tonight. The other party had someone check the city gate daily and would know about the meeting. If they couldn’t arrive on time, it would be assumed that they wished to cancel the transaction.
He didn’t do business with those who didn’t keep their word.
Naturally, He Sui’an was willing to accompany Qi Buyan to the meeting, but Chang’an had a strict curfew. While he could move freely, she might not be able to.
Avoiding patrol after patrol of night guards on the streets of Chang’an was no easy task.
If caught, the lightest punishment would be a beating, and the worst could be losing one’s life.
Avoiding the night patrols was indeed difficult, but she would do her best. She couldn’t let him go alone.
He Sui’an tied her loose hair with a silk ribbon, not taking the time to make a proper bun.
“Let’s go.”
When she reached the door, she stepped back.
He Sui’an glanced at Qi Buyan’s long hair that hung to his waist. He didn’t have the habit of tying it up, but part of it was braided, and part was loose, with silver ornaments at the ends of the braids mixed in with the loose hair.
For the first time, she suggested, “Do you want to tie your hair with a silk ribbon too? Otherwise, it might be inconvenient to move later.”
Qi Buyan didn’t have the habit of tying his hair, so he naturally didn’t have anything to do it with.
She handed him her silk ribbon: “You can use mine. This one hasn’t been used much.” The others had been used many times.
But he took out another silk ribbon.
“Sure.”
The silk ribbon Qi Buyan pulled out was green, slightly faded from use by He Sui’an, but it matched his clothing, making it more suitable. She put down the purple silk ribbon she had picked up.
The ribbon hung in his fingers, its long ends draping down, looking as if it bound someone.
“Let me help you tie it.” He Sui’an quickly walked behind Qi Buyan, gathered his long hair, and then took the ribbon, wrapping it around his dark hair several times before tying a secure bow.
She was used to tying bows but not to tying or braiding hair, worrying it might look bad: “Do you want to look in the mirror?”
He Sui’an looked up at Qi Buyan.
She was used to seeing him with his hair down, so seeing it tied up was refreshing.
His youthful face was striking, with deep-set features. The forehead band he wore had silver clasps with indigo beads, and small silver bells dangled from the neckline of his clothes, adding an exotic touch typical of Miaojiang.
His waistband was also adorned with silver ornaments, with indigo tassels hanging from the ends, completely covering his waist but still outlining its shape. His wrists hung at his sides.
The butterfly silver chain was faintly visible.
He hadn’t worn his wrist guards much today either.
Even with his long hair, adorned with silver ornaments, simply tied back, it didn’t diminish his exotic appearance. Instead, it made his face stand out more clearly.
He Sui’an couldn’t help but look at him a few more times.
Qi Buyan didn’t look in the mirror; he said it wasn’t necessary and started walking out.
She was about to remind him to be careful with his silver ornaments but realized that Qi Buyan could control whether they made noise while walking.
As long as he didn’t fight or kill, the sound of the silver ornaments could be controlled by lightening his steps. It was just a matter of whether Qi Buyan wanted to control it.
He Sui’an felt reassured.
The patrol guards in Chang’an would certainly be sharp.
She blew out the room’s lamps to create the illusion that they were resting and then followed Qi Buyan out. Given the strict curfew in Chang’an, they couldn’t let anyone know they were out at night.
He Sui’an followed quietly behind Qi Buyan, avoiding making any noise, and they avoided the people in the inn and went out onto the streets of Chang’an. The night wind was strong but not cold, carrying a bit of early summer warmth.
Ahead was a patrol of night guards.
They wore heavy but highly protective armor and carried long knives at their waists, their movements producing a clattering metallic sound.
The night guards’ sharp eyes seemed to scan every part of the street. He Sui’an and Qi Buyan pressed against a wall, their hearts pounding. They had encountered night guards as soon as they left the inn.
This patrol was led by a commanding officer, making their observations even more meticulous.
She confirmed their presence by listening to the sounds.
The metallic clattering gradually faded away.
He Sui’an peeked out and saw that the night guards had turned onto another street. She led Qi Buyan back onto the street, keeping a constant watch around them. “Where is your meeting place?”
Qi Buyan took out a map of Chang’an and pointed to a small spot on the layout of the East Market with his fingertip: “A pavilion in Chang’an East Market called ‘Qigong.’ We’ll meet there.”
With money, it’s easy to obtain a general layout map of Chang’an.
What’s hard to get is a military defense map.
Qi Buyan didn’t need a military defense map; he easily bought the general layout with silver. He only needed to know the directions in Chang’an to find his trading partner.
Chang’an is large, but with a map, it’s still possible to find the destination quickly.
He Sui’an also looked at the Chang’an map.
The location was in the East Market.
Most of the residents in the East Market were high-ranking officials and nobles, indicating that the person who owned the Millennium Red Jade was likely a high-ranking official or noble; otherwise, they wouldn’t have a pavilion of considerable size in the East Market.
She raised her eyes to determine the direction.
They were currently on a street in the West Market, far from the East Market.
He Sui’an memorized the route and headed straight for the East Market. The night guards had just patrolled this street and wouldn’t be back soon. The long street was empty except for the two of them, their shadows elongated by the moonlight.
Qi Buyan glanced down at their occasionally overlapping and separating shadows. Their clothes fluttered in the wind, and their long shadows moved with them.
After walking for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they reached the East Market. There were more night guards here.
After all, the East Market was home to high-ranking officials and nobles.
The night watchman suddenly sounded the gong and shouted, “It’s the third watch of the night, all is safe.”
The content of the watchman’s calls varied depending on the time. At night, there were usually two watchmen, one beating a gong, the other a drum.
They nearly ran into the watchmen.
He Sui’an wanted to retreat and find a place to hide.
Unfortunately, night guards were approaching, with two watchmen in front and patrol guards behind, and there was nowhere to hide—just high courtyard walls and tiled rooftops.
Qi Buyan pulled He Sui’an’s hand and placed it on his waist.
Her palm suddenly felt the strong yet supple waist beneath the belt, and she instinctively tried to pull back, but he pressed her hand down, his large hand covering her small one.
Qi Buyan met her gaze.
He Sui’an realized what he meant.
He wanted her to hold onto him tightly so they could leap onto the nearby rooftop.
He Sui’an didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms tightly around Qi Buyan’s waist, her index fingers interlocking as if to lock him in place.
Holding onto Qi Buyan meant her face was pressed against his chest, and she could hear his strong heartbeat.
Qi Buyan stepped on the wall and vaulted over it.
The silver ornaments jingled softly.
He Sui’an tightened her grip around Qi Buyan’s waist, hoping to minimize the movement of the silver ornaments. She held on so tightly that it felt as if she might merge into him, making his eyelashes flutter slightly.
Just before the night guards and watchmen reached their position, they safely landed on the rooftop of a nearby courtyard.
There was still a faint jingling from Qi Buyan’s silver ornaments. He Sui’an held her breath.
Under the eaves, the watchmen stepped aside to let the night guards pass.
But the night guards stopped.
The leading night guard turned and asked the one next to him if he had heard anything. The other night guard glanced at their armor: “The sound is from us.”
The questioning night guard fell silent.
Their armor indeed made quite a bit of noise.
Despite this, they carefully checked the vicinity. Seeing no one, they moved on.
