Seeing He Sui’an return, the red snake immediately crawled off the bed as if giving way. Watching it crawl away, she quickly jumped onto the bed, pulled up the covers over her head, and rolled over to Qi Buyan’s side.
Having experienced being surrounded by Gu worms, He Sui’an couldn’t relax enough to sleep through the night. Even under the covers, she kept her eyes open.
She listened carefully for any sounds.
There was no movement from the Gu worms, but He Sui’an still didn’t dare to relax, determined to stay awake until dawn. Near dawn, she couldn’t hold out any longer. Her eyelids drooped, and she fell asleep.
—
At Dawn.
The room in the inn was dim with the windows tightly shut. He Sui’an’s long hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled, and she hugged a wooden stick, curled up in the bedding.
When Qi Buyan woke up, he saw her sleeping in this state. He pulled down a corner of the blanket, revealing her flushed face.
He Sui’an drowsily felt someone watching her and opened her eyes.
It was Qi Buyan looking at her.
The stick in her arms was pulled out by Qi Buyan. He recognized it as the stick used to prop up the window, though he didn’t know why He Sui’an had hugged it to sleep. His instinct told him she was scared again.
He Sui’an sat up and, before Qi Buyan could ask, began to recount what happened last night, focusing on the woman in the silver mask.
Qi Buyan twirled the stick, casually observing the Gu worms in the room.
The black snake’s head was hanging low.
The silver snake, upon hearing the xun last night, had knocked itself unconscious by hitting the wall, fearing it would lose control. It was unaware of what happened afterward. The red snake, which knew everything, was quietly coiled under the tea table.
He Sui’an didn’t mention her close call with the Gu worms, only saying they had been agitated and restless due to the xun played by the woman in the silver mask, crawling around the room in a frenzy.
After listening, Qi Buyan asked her, “Why were you holding the stick?”
She stammered.
“Afraid that the woman might come in.”
He leisurely got up, still holding the stick, and chuckled lightly, “Really?”
He Sui’an lied, her eyes flickering.
Whenever He Sui’an lied, her eyes would flicker. To cover it up, she lowered her head, pretending to tie her skirt belt, and said, “Yes.”
Qi Buyan put the stick back by the window, half-squatted, and summoned the Gu worms.
The Gu worms crawled onto his hand.
The boy pinched one of the Gu worms.
The black snake trembled, and even the red snake was no longer in its lazy posture. Qi Buyan only gently pinched the Gu worm, not doing anything else, yet the pinched Gu worm twisted and turned.
“You actually got counter-controlled,” he said softly, his voice as light as a spring breeze, his tone calm. The brown scorpion Gu worm between his extremely pale fingers instantly stopped writhing, fearing its owner would crush it.
Without He Sui’an saying anything, Qi Buyan could see that they had been counter-controlled.
The red snake hadn’t been.
Qi Buyan had fed it a lot of his own blood, which contained the scent of the heavenly silkworm Gu. It was extremely difficult to counter-control. Human blood was limited, only enough to feed one snake regularly.
Qi Buyan chose to feed the red snake.
He liked the most poisonous Gu.
So even if Qi Buyan didn’t know exactly what happened last night, he knew she wouldn’t be harmed by his Gu worms. As long as the red snake was there, He Sui’an, whom he intended to keep for a long time, would be safe.
He Sui’an got out of bed and put on her shoes.
The girl’s floral-embroidered skirt entered Qi Buyan’s peripheral vision. He turned his face to look at her, his gaze fixed on He Sui’an’s face. She hesitantly asked, “Do you know the woman from last night?”
Qi Buyan smiled slightly, “You said she wore a silver mask, played the xun, and had a butterfly silver chain from Tianshui Village of Miaojiang on her wrist. I think I’ve met her before.”
He Sui’an also squatted down, facing him, her slightly chubby face looking soft.
She gently tugged his sleeve.
The fabric brushed against his wrist.
Qi Buyan had just gotten up, his long hair unkempt, the ends a bit messy, hanging at his waist. His thin inner garment outlined his figure, looking warm and beautiful, like a finely carved jade statue.
He Sui’an pressed her lips together, “Met before? Just met?”
“Yes,” Qi Buyan released the brown scorpion, and the Gu worm quickly crawled far away. “I’ve only met her.”
“Is she also a Gu master?”
She wanted to confirm her suspicion.
Qi Buyan washed his hands, “She is. Nowadays, Tianshui Village of Miaojiang has only two Gu masters: me and her.” She was the one who brought him back to Tianshui Village of Miaojiang.
Back then, the woman’s Gu skills were only second to Qi Shu, and she was exceptionally gifted in Gu cultivation. She had received Qi Shu’s favor and agreed to bring Qi Buyan back to Tianshui Village of Miaojiang.
They had indeed only met a few times.
However, it was rumored that the woman had betrayed Tianshui Village of Miaojiang for a man, stealing the village’s sacred relic to save him.
The sacred relic of Tianshui Village was meant for the veneration of future generations and could not be stolen. The village elders immediately sent people to capture her.
But they never caught her.
Her Gu skills were extraordinary, beyond what anyone in Tianshui Village could handle.
The village elders then hired people from the martial world to catch her, but without exception, they were killed by the woman. Tianshui Village people do not kill their own, but she would kill those from the martial world.
Since then, she never returned.
The matter of the stolen sacred relic was left unresolved.
Qi Buyan had no feelings about this incident. He single-mindedly focused on cultivating Gu in his wooden hut on the lonely mountain.
He never expected to encounter her again in Chang’an after so many years. Last night, she played the xun to leave a trace of counter-control on his Gu worms, letting him know she was in Chang’an.
She must have something to discuss with him, using her usual flamboyant method. But what should he do? Qi Buyan really didn’t like his Gu worms being counter-controlled.
He needed to think about how to respond.
He Sui’an didn’t ask further.
Remembering the scene of being surrounded by Gu worms last night, she walked to the mirror with lingering fear, thinking about how they needed to go out today. She wanted to tie her hair up, but Qi Buyan took the silk ribbon from her.
Beside the full-length mirror was a table with a sandalwood comb. Qi Buyan stood behind He Sui’an, holding the comb, and smoothly ran it from her roots down to her jet-black hair tips.
He Sui’an obediently let Qi Buyan comb her hair, feeling very comfortable.
Qi Buyan braided her hair into a plait.
The silk ribbon mixed with her black hair, hanging diagonally over her left shoulder, adding a youthful touch. The young man lowered his head, tying the end of the braid. When she looked up, she could see his long eyelashes.
He did everything with great focus, whether it was cultivating Gu, killing people, or now braiding her hair. He Sui’an rubbed her slightly itchy eyes, not having slept well last night, making her eyes a bit sore and itchy.
Qi Buyan finished tying the hair ribbon and looked at her in the mirror. “You didn’t sleep well last night.”
He Sui’an put down her hand from rubbing her eyes.
She looked in the mirror.
The person in the mirror had fair skin, but her eyes were dark and lacked vitality.
Qi Buyan brushed his fingers over the dark circles under her eyes, then let go after a moment. He dressed and went downstairs with her to have breakfast.
They didn’t have breakfast at the inn but went out to the street instead.
He Sui’an kept yawning.
Most of the residents in the Western Market were merchants, outsiders, and common folk. Unlike the Eastern Market, which was bustling at dawn, the Western Market only gradually came alive with the aroma of food filling the streets and the constant calls of vendors.
People discussed the xun music they heard last night, curious about who dared to break the curfew and play the xun, and how they managed to escape right under the night patrol soldiers’ noses.
Some houses were close to the street, and their occupants had seen the person playing the xun.
“It was a woman.”
They chattered, “So many night patrol soldiers couldn’t catch a single woman?”
“Let me tell you, I saw her fly up to the rooftops with just one leap. She’s really agile; the night patrol soldiers were no match for her.”
The person who said this even mimicked a flying gesture vividly.
“No wonder.” The night patrol soldiers were usually selected through rigorous criteria; strong men could barely take them on. A woman escaping unscathed from a group of night patrol soldiers was impressive.
“But why did she come out to play the xun in the middle of the night?”
“Who knows.”
“If I had her skills, I’d be even more daring than her, hahaha.” Then they shifted the topic, “Isn’t the prince of Nanliang coming to Chang’an today?”
“Yes, since Nanliang wants to form an alliance with our Great Zhou, they must show sincerity. How could they not send the prince personally?”
He Sui’an, attracted by the smell of food, walked past these people to a bun shop.
She wanted meat buns, but they were sold out. A new batch was steaming and would be ready soon. The owner invited her to sit and wait.
So, He Sui’an sat on a chair in front of the bun shop, with Qi Buyan sitting opposite her.
She stared at the steaming buns.
As she watched, her eyelids drooped.
Having almost not slept the entire night, He Sui’an’s head began to droop. A somewhat pale hand reached out from across the table to support her chin, letting her head rest heavily in Qi Buyan’s palm.
Qi Buyan absentmindedly pinched the soft flesh of her cheek with his fingers.
She was very sleepy today. Without thinking, she quickly fell into a deep sleep, her eyes closed, dark shadows under them, her braid hanging gently in front of her chest as she slept with her chin in his hand.
Sometimes, He Sui’an really resembled a small animal, Qi Buyan thought. But she couldn’t be carried around like a pet.
He blinked slowly.
When the fragrant buns were finally brought to the table by the owner, He Sui’an’s nose twitched like a dog’s. She half-opened her eyes, grabbed a bun, and stuffed it into her mouth, while Qi Buyan withdrew his hand.
People around suddenly gasped.
They saw a woman in an indigo long dress walking towards them. She was extremely beautiful, though her makeup was heavy, and she wore a scarf that covered her entire neck.
He Sui’an heard the noise around her and looked up. The bun she had taken a few bites of rolled out of her hand and stopped at the woman’s feet.
The woman tilted her head slightly and looked at Qi Buyan.
It was then that the onlookers noticed that the boy’s attire was very similar to the woman’s.
He Sui’an stood up awkwardly.
The woman glanced at her first, then at Qi Buyan. She took out a small silver ornament engraved with the character “Yan” and waved it in her hand, smiling as if no one else was around, “It really is you.”
To the onlookers, the tall, striking woman was Bian Yichen.
Bian Yichen…
The moment He Sui’an saw her, her heart seemed to skip a beat.
She was now fully awake, all her drowsiness gone.
Bian Yichen’s gaze was fixed on the butterfly silver chain on Qi Buyan’s wrist. It was a chain handcrafted by Qi Shu, imbued with Qi Shu’s blood, yet it was on his wrist.
Why?
It should be returned to its rightful owner.
Qi Buyan slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze falling on Bian Yichen’s heavily made-up face.
