The Fengling Town, built by the water, had one significant flaw: after a chaotic tussle, it was easy for someone to fall into the water. A woman standing a few steps away from He Sui’an almost lost her footing while saving a child.
The child’s mother, seeing her child unharmed but fearing that the crazed person would come and bite them, turned and ran away with her child without caring about the woman’s safety.
The woman merely frowned.
She did not condemn their actions.
He Sui’an, coming back to her senses, found herself running up a wooden bridge and reaching out to grab the woman: “Be careful!”
With He Sui’an’s help, the woman hanging onto the bridge’s edge was pulled back onto the shore. She gave He Sui’an a grateful look but didn’t stay long and quickly walked towards the chaotic street.
Seeing the woman turn towards danger, He Sui’an wanted to stop her: “You…”
The woman seemed to know her thoughts: “I am the princess of Fengling Town. It is my duty to protect it. Thank you for your help. You should find a safe place to hide.”
He Sui’an: “Alright.”
The princess nodded: “Until we meet again.”
In the rush to save people, He Sui’an hadn’t paid much attention to the princess’s appearance. Now she could see clearly, just like when she first saw Qi Buyan’s face in Weicheng, she felt the word “stunning” was fitting.
The princess wore a pink robe with a cloak embroidered with wisteria flowers hanging by her slender waist. Lightly made up, her eyes were bright and charming. Her hairpins were meticulously placed in her cloud-like hair, making her face appear even smaller.
Though she looked delicate, her steps were steady and agile.
She didn’t seem like an ordinary person.
Respecting the princess’s choice, He Sui’an did not try to persuade her further. She looked around, hoping to find Qi Buyan quickly, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Instead, she saw several crazed people rushing towards her.
The once bustling street had become desolate, with scattered and chaotic bloody footprints on the ground, left unintentionally by those who bit others in their madness.
They were now making indistinct growling sounds.
He Sui’an was about to turn and run.
When faced with something or someone frightening, she would choose to flee as it was the best way to stay away from danger.
As she turned, a finger gently pressed against her smooth forehead where the scar had long since disappeared. Looking up, she saw Qi Buyan’s face. He was accustomed to bending down to look at her: “Were you looking for me?”
The young man’s voice was clear and pleasant.
He Sui’an’s eyes lit up: “Mm-hmm.”
So obedient.
He couldn’t help but touch her butterfly hairpin like stroking a snake’s head. His little finger inadvertently caught the ribbon in her hair, pulling it and causing He Sui’an some pain. She covered her head, muttering, “You hurt me.”
Hearing her say it hurt, he let go.
He Sui’an still thanked him, even though it was Qi Buyan who accidentally hurt her. After he let go, she thanked him, an odd person indeed.
But she looked so obedient.
He still wanted to keep her around. When he was with the living He Sui’an, Qi Buyan always seemed to feel fresh, strange, and different emotions, things that keeping Gu worms couldn’t give him.
He Sui’an asked Qi Buyan where he had been earlier since she couldn’t find him anywhere on the street.
Qi Buyan chuckled lightly: “I promised I wouldn’t leave you, so naturally, I won’t leave you. No matter where you run, I can find you. Us Gu cultivators can track people by their scent.”
He didn’t say where he went, only that he wouldn’t leave her.
Track people by their scent?
It was the first time He Sui’an heard that someone could find people this way, even from a long distance?
She didn’t ask further.
While they were talking, the few crazed people on the street were firmly tied up with ropes, and the one who ordered it was the princess of Fengling Town, whom He Sui’an had just helped.
The princess took a bow and arrow from her guard, held her breath, and shot the arrows. She aimed only at the legs and arms of the crazed people. Her archery was precise, hitting the mark every time, clearly trained from a young age.
The arrows were coated with a drug that induced temporary sleep.
Soon after the arrows hit the crazed people, they stopped struggling and fell to the ground.
The princess put down her bow, looking serious.
This was a significant matter, possibly needing to be reported to the court.
The guards carried the unconscious people away, then returned to ask the princess for further instructions. She told them to find the best doctors in town to diagnose them and determine the source of their madness.
Madness itself wasn’t terrifying; what was terrifying was its contagious nature, spreading like a plague. Was the mode of infection being bitten? The princess quickly called back her guards and warned them not to get bitten by these people.
Qi Buyan walked in the opposite direction.
He Sui’an followed him.
Even now, she was still frightened, muttering to herself or perhaps asking him: “Why did those people suddenly start biting others?”
Qi Buyan listened to her but didn’t answer.
According to ancient Miao records, the Yin Corpse Gu could drive people mad and cause them to bite others, and it could spread from person to person. The Yin Corpse Gu was extremely difficult to cultivate, usually done in dark, damp tombs filled with yin energy.
The Yin Corpse Gu, as the name implies, required human corpses for cultivation, relying on the right time, place, and people.
Since the Yin Corpse Gu appeared here, it meant that what he wanted was indeed here.
He couldn’t wait.
Qi Buyan couldn’t help but laugh.
He Sui’an didn’t understand why he suddenly laughed and looked at him with curiosity. Sensing her gaze, Qi Buyan turned to look at her, a head shorter than him, and asked, “Do you like looking at me?”
“No,” He Sui’an denied awkwardly, “I just don’t understand why you’re laughing. Did you think of something happy?”
The young man admitted.
“Yes.”
Qi Buyan said, “I thought of something that makes me happy.”
*
After the princess captured the crazed people, Fengling Town quickly returned to normal. Occasionally, people discussed the thrilling incident, and some were curious about the current state of those people, wondering if they were dead.
He Sui’an and Qi Buyan arrived at an inn named “Wind Without Trace.” The innkeeper’s assistant came forward to ask if they wanted a meal or a room.
They chose to stay.
At the front desk, the innkeeper asked how many rooms they needed. There were three superior rooms left, though they were a bit expensive. If they were short on money, they could choose a standard or basic room, which he assured were also very clean.
Qi Buyan looked at He Sui’an.
He Sui’an didn’t know why he was looking at her.
She glanced at the flat money pouch at Qi Buyan’s waist, thinking he meant they didn’t have much money left and couldn’t afford two superior rooms. She quickly said, “I can stay in a standard or basic room.”
The innkeeper, who had run the inn in Fengling Town for many years, was experienced and didn’t show much reaction to people being short on money. He calmly took a sip of tea, waiting for them to decide.
But then the handsome young man asked the girl, “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”
The experienced innkeeper spat out his tea.
Unexpected, indeed.
It turned out they weren’t short on money but had this kind of relationship. Seeing their young age, he had thought they were simply traveling together and hadn’t considered this possibility. But thinking about it now, it wasn’t impossible.
Though the innkeeper was accustomed to the open-mindedness of the Jianghu community, he had never encountered someone who spoke so openly about sharing a bed. This young man was the first.
He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, “Apologies.”
He Sui’an was utterly embarrassed.
Faced with the innkeeper’s suggestive look, she wished she could dig a hole and hide.
On the way to Fengling Town, they had often slept in the wild. There were a few nights when He Sui’an nestled in Qi Buyan’s arms for warmth, and he used her as a calming Gu scent, enjoying the fragrance he liked.
Avoiding the innkeeper’s gaze, she whispered, “Let’s get two rooms.”
Qi Buyan: “Then two rooms it is.”
“…Alright.” The innkeeper, trying to hide his nosiness and surprise, pretended to be busy with the abacus, quickly arranging two superior rooms for them.
As He Sui’an was about to leave the counter and go upstairs, she saw a young man in black, holding a compass, walk in excitedly and accidentally bump into Qi Buyan, causing a small bag of glutinous rice at his waist to spill.
The young man apologized to Qi Buyan and asked the innkeeper for the last superior room.
An assistant came over with a broom to sweep up the rice.
The innkeeper didn’t intervene.
Qi Buyan seemed to glance casually at the compass in the young man’s hand, smiling gently, “It’s fine.”
This little episode didn’t stay in He Sui’an’s mind.
After all, the other party had apologized.
She grabbed her bag and followed the assistant upstairs, staying in the room next to Qi Buyan’s. The young man in black was led by another assistant to the room on her right. He seemed very familiar with the assistant, even throwing an arm around his shoulders.
The young man carefully placed his compass into a cloth bag at his waist. Seeing He Sui’an, he warmly nodded at her, “Hey, little girl.”
He Sui’an nodded back.
Then, she went into her room and closed the door.
She sat and rested for a while, and after some time, went to the tea table to pour some water, only to find the teapot empty. She decided to go downstairs to ask for more water. As she reached the staircase, she overheard the innkeeper talking to an assistant.
Innkeeper: “Didn’t a young man in black just check into a superior room? Remember, unless necessary, avoid bothering him these next few days. After he leaves, throw away the bedding and teaware from his room.”
Assistant: “Why?”
The innkeeper poked his forehead: “Can’t you tell?”
The assistants shook their heads in confusion.
A customer arrived, and the innkeeper didn’t say more, just instructed them to remember his words. He then turned to greet the new guests with a smile.
He Sui’an looked up at the second floor. The young man in black seemed nice enough; why would the innkeeper say such things?
Unable to curb her curiosity, she asked the innkeeper.
What was wrong with that person?
After the guests left, the innkeeper answered He Sui’an: “Little girl, it’s not convenient for me to tell you in detail. That person is clearly involved in some shady business. Be careful around him.”
Shady business?
She didn’t understand, but still said, “Alright, thank you, innkeeper.”
Since the innkeeper didn’t want to continue talking, He Sui’an didn’t press further. She fetched the tea and went back upstairs. Just as she reached the second floor, she encountered Qi Buyan standing by the railing.
The bell on his wrist occasionally rang, its sound clear and melodious.
Ding ding.
She looked up at the sound.
The boy’s braid was completely undone, probably after a wash. His long hair, still damp, hung behind him with the ends naturally curling. He looked both feminine and masculine. Turning to look at her, he had clearly overheard her conversation with the innkeeper.
“Are you curious about him?”
Qi Buyan seemed puzzled as he asked He Sui’an, but he was smiling: “Why?”
