Back in her room, He Sui’an sat in a daze for a while. Without anyone else around, she slowly realized that she had really kissed Qi Buyan.
And she had initiated it.
This wasn’t something she should have tried to experience, but He Sui’an still tried it with Qi Buyan.
She felt guilty for leading him astray. She burrowed into her bed, rolling around like a cocooned silkworm. She tossed and turned until the latter half of the night, counting countless sheep before finally falling asleep just before dawn.
It was early spring and it rained a lot. The next morning, He Sui’an was woken up by the sound of rain.
Large raindrops pounded on the open window. She didn’t want to get out of bed but remembered her appointment with Miss He Hua from the Jingsi Bookstore. Overcoming her urge to continue sleeping, she got up with disheveled hair.
He Sui’an quickly washed up, combed her hair, and put on her dress in less than fifteen minutes. She glanced briefly in the mirror before heading out.
Qi Buyan was not in the room.
She guessed he had probably gone down to the inn’s hall, so she headed towards the stairs.
Shen Jianhe came out of his room yawning. Seeing He Sui’an about to go downstairs, he quickly caught up: “Miss He, you just got up too?”
He Sui’an nodded.
“Are you going out today?” Shen Jianhe looked down at the hall and saw Qi Buyan. “Fengling Town is quite chaotic right now. If you don’t have to go out, it’s best not to.”
He Sui’an replied, “We have something to do.”
He understood and didn’t ask further, casually saying, “Alright then, be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Otherwise, there’ll be no one to accompany me on my adventures. I quite like you two kids.”
In the jianghu, meeting one or two people you get along with is fate.
“We will.” He Sui’an automatically ignored Shen Jianhe’s use of “kids” to describe her and Qi Buyan, who were both in their teens. She walked downstairs quickly, heading straight for the table in the corner.
Qi Buyan was still sitting by the window. When he saw He Sui’an approaching, he stopped looking at the street and leisurely picked up his chopsticks to continue his breakfast.
They didn’t mention what happened last night.
He Sui’an didn’t bring it up because it felt a bit awkward. However, seeing that Qi Buyan behaved as usual, she quickly put it out of her mind.
Qi Buyan didn’t mention it because he didn’t think it was something to be ashamed or embarrassed about.
The inn was not busy in the morning. The large hall had only a few occupied tables—one with regular guests, one with Shen Jianhe alone, and one with them.
Qi Buyan ate slowly, something He Sui’an had noticed a long time ago.
She also slowed down her eating.
If He Sui’an finished eating first, she would have to watch Qi Buyan eat, which felt like urging him to hurry. It was better to eat slowly herself since no one was rushing them.
Somehow, He Sui’an felt that there was something off about Qi Buyan today. It wasn’t until they were almost done with breakfast that she realized what was strange—Qi Buyan had no Gu insects on him today.
Since the day they met, Qi Buyan had always been accompanied by his Gu insects.
Had something happened?
He Sui’an asked, “Where are your Gu insects?”
Qi Buyan swallowed his food, looked up at her, and set down his chopsticks. “I left them in the room. They’ve become a bit… uncontrollable. Do you want to see them?”
Absolutely not. He Sui’an was repelled by all kinds of insects and snakes. She shook her head vigorously, denying it: “No.”
He smiled and said nothing.
She was also full. “Even your Gu insects can be uncontrollable?”
Qi Buyan curved his lips. “Gu insects can become uncontrollable. They’re influenced by me. And if they encounter a more powerful Gu master, they might be manipulated to harm or even kill me.”
He Sui’an was so surprised her mouth dropped open. “Has that ever happened before?”
He stood up. “No, it hasn’t.”
“Is there really someone more powerful than you in handling Gu insects?” She found it hard to imagine what such a person would be like.
Qi Buyan opened his umbrella and stepped onto the street. Raindrops slid down the umbrella’s surface as he reached out to catch some, wetting his knuckles. “Of course there is. I once met one.”
*
The Jingsi Bookstore wasn’t open for business today. He Hua had given the men and women who worked there a day off, but she stayed, waiting at the door for He Sui’an and the others to arrive.
The early spring morning was still quite chilly.
When He Sui’an arrived at the bookstore, she noticed He Hua’s face was slightly pale from the wind. She wondered how long He Hua had been waiting at the door.
He Hua hadn’t mentioned that she would wait for them outside, and there was no need to; they would knock when they arrived. But He Hua did it anyway, stubborn in her own way.
The bookstore was brightly lit, illuminating the gray, rainy sky.
Water dripped steadily from the eaves.
They all walked into a room one after another. He Hua took out a few books for He Sui’an and Qi Buyan, all written by herself.
He Sui’an flipped through a few pages and saw that the content was all about King Yan, Yan Wuheng. These were the books He Hua had carefully compiled overnight to give to them.
There were very few historical records about this King Yan, so He Sui’an was shocked that He Hua had these books. The content didn’t seem like fiction, disconnected from reality.
He Hua understood He Sui’an’s doubts.
She picked up a pen and wrote:
“Everything in these books is true. Please believe me.” He Hua’s handwriting was elegant and pleasing to the eye. “If you have any questions after reading them, feel free to come back.”
He Hua’s expression was sincere.
He Sui’an glanced at He Hua and then at the book in her hand.
She didn’t read further: “Miss He Hua, may I ask you, what is your relationship with this King Yan in history?”
A few words fell on the white paper.
No relationship.
He Sui’an’s feelings were complicated. She closed the book: “Then why do you know so much about him? He lived a hundred years ago.”
He Hua gently touched the books she cherished and wrote on the paper again: “When you finish reading these books and still want to know about him, I will tell you why I know so much about him.”
“Thank you, Miss He Hua,” He Sui’an said sincerely.
He Hua smiled gently.
She had become mute due to an accident when she was a teenager, unable to speak and make others listen, usually having to write down what she wanted to say.
He Sui’an might have talked a bit too much, her throat feeling dry. Embarrassed, she fiddled with the silk ribbon hanging in front of her and changed the topic: “I’m thirsty, is there any water?”
He Hua went to pour her some water.
*
After receiving the book, He Sui’an did not leave the Jingsi Bookstore immediately but stayed for more than an hour, asking He Hua many questions.
Some questions could not be found or might be overlooked just by reading the book; only by asking in person could they be answered clearly and remembered firmly. He Sui’an even took a small notebook to jot down her questions.
He Hua’s gaze towards He Sui’an became increasingly gentle.
She had been too lonely all these years.
Because very few people knew sign language, and even fewer had the patience to sit down and watch her write back and forth, He Hua had a very happy day today.
Qi Buyan was watching from the side as He Sui’an seriously recorded the questions she had asked.
After a while, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the characters she wrote: “What are these characters? They look like Zhongyuan characters but are missing strokes.”
Simplified characters.
These two words flashed through He Sui’an’s mind.
