Even without her saying it, Qi Buyan knew what she meant. His neck felt slightly itchy: “It’s manageable, not very painful.”
“If I ever try to bite you again, stuff something in my mouth.”
He Sui’an pulled out a piece of cloth.
She handed it to him: “Remember, don’t let me bite you again.”
When He Sui’an went mad, she couldn’t control her limbs and therefore couldn’t bind herself or stuff her own mouth with cloth. It would require outside help—specifically, Qi Buyan’s help.
Qi Buyan didn’t take the cloth.
He Sui’an stared at him in confusion. “Why aren’t you taking it?”
The young man smiled purely, propping his chin with one hand and tapping his fingers on the table with the other. “Do you know why you can return to normal after going mad?”
“Because… because the Yin Corpse Gu in me is a child Gu.” He Sui’an had thought this was the reason, but his tone made her uncertain. “Is that why?”
“You’re only half right,” he said.
She froze, as if bracing for a painful revelation. “What do you mean by ‘half right’?”
“It’s true that the child Gu causes your madness, and it’s also true that it allows you to regain a brief period of clarity afterward, unlike others who go mad and are beyond help.”
Qi Buyan paused, raising his hand to slowly rub the wound on his neck. “But there’s a condition.”
Before he could finish, He Sui’an realized the truth.
Biting people.
She concluded, “I get it. I have to bite someone. If I don’t bite you, I’ll stay mad. If I want to remain clear-headed, I have to bite someone after going mad.”
Qi Buyan nodded. “Yes. If you want to stay sane and not bite others, causing them to go mad, you have to bite me.”
He Sui’an was at a loss.
She was deeply conflicted. Until the Gu was removed, she would have to use Qi Buyan as her source of sanity by biting him.
Qi Buyan glanced at the bowl of rice she was playing with using her chopsticks. “If you really can’t eat, don’t force yourself. You won’t die from not eating right now.”
He Sui’an pushed the bowl away. Indeed, eating had become a torment for her.
—
Night fell, and the town was dimly lit.
Fengling Town’s nights were no longer as lively as before. Since yesterday, the authorities had imposed a temporary curfew. When the watchman struck his gong at the third watch, it signaled that the townspeople must stay off the streets.
He Sui’an didn’t return to her own room but stayed in Qi Buyan’s room for the night.
The reason was that she wasn’t confident she wouldn’t go mad during the night. If she did and left her room, biting anyone she encountered, it would be disastrous. It was safer to stay with Qi Buyan.
Before coming to Fengling Town, He Sui’an had done similar things. She could make herself almost invisible.
By the time the hour of Hai arrived, Qi Buyan needed to bathe.
Separated by a screen, He Sui’an turned her back to Qi Buyan and lay on a low table, reading a book.
By the time Qi Buyan finished bathing, He Sui’an had fallen into a deep sleep, her head resting on the low table, left hand as her pillow, and right hand casually draped over her knee. Her long red silk sash flowed down her back to the floor.
The layers of her wine-red gauze dress cascaded around her feet. Her face was serene, her nose delicate and high, and her black eyelashes contrasted against her pale skin.
Qi Buyan crouched beside her, observing.
She seemed to trust him greatly.
Unlike her, Qi Buyan never trusted anyone. If he sensed any danger from someone, he would kill them without hesitation.
Qi Buyan hadn’t told He Sui’an about another way to make the Yin Corpse Gu leave her body—death. If the host died, the Gu would naturally leave.
Thus, he had two ways to find the mother Gu.
One was to take He Sui’an into the tomb to sense the mother Gu. The other was to kill He Sui’an, wait for the child Gu to come out of her body, and then use the child Gu to sense the mother Gu directly.
He needed to decide whether to choose the safer way or the more risky one.
Today, Qi Buyan had been contemplating this but hadn’t made a decision. He had let the mad He Sui’an bite him without acting rashly.
He Sui’an had previously agreed to be his Gu incense.
This was their deal.
Alive, she could stay by his side, her scent calming him. But in reality, her corpse was the material needed to make Gu incense, a complete form of it.
This way, he could achieve two goals.
Qi Buyan brushed the loose hair from He Sui’an’s face and shoulders, his fingertips curiously tracing her eyebrows, nose, lips that had once kissed him, and down to her delicate, slender neck.
He spread his fingers and then closed them, as if simply measuring the narrowness of her neck. As soon as he lightly touched her, she unconsciously nuzzled her head against his hand for warmth.
Suddenly, Qi Buyan remembered the day he held her nape and kissed her gently.
His intent to kill turned into a desire to kiss her.
To experience that wonderful feeling again.
The room was so quiet that the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Qi Buyan stared at He Sui’an for a long time before waking her. “He Sui’an.”
She was sleeping soundly and, upon hearing someone call her, groggily opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused. “What is it?”
“Do you want to kiss me?” he asked.
She blinked slowly. “Huh?”
Qi Buyan’s fingers moved through her hair, feeling its softness. “I want to kiss you. I like the feeling. Would you be willing to give that to me now? He Sui’an.”
He waited for her response.
If He Sui’an were willing to give him this moment of pleasure, Qi Buyan would choose the riskier path, allowing her to bite him every day until they entered the King Yan’s Tomb to find the mother Gu of the Yin Corpse Gu.
Of course, he didn’t tell her this.
Choices should be made without coercion.
Qi Buyan never coerced He Sui’an into making decisions, just as he had never threatened others into deals. All agreements were made voluntarily.
But people should be responsible for their choices, even those made in a moment of impulse. Hence, Qi Buyan always let the other person decide.
He was waiting for her choice.
Quietly, gently, harmlessly.
He Sui’an, almost too sleepy to keep her eyes open, seemed to understand what Qi Buyan was saying, or perhaps she didn’t. Instinctively, she nodded.
Qi Buyan leaned in, kissing her as she had kissed him before. When her breath was taken away, He Sui’an’s eyes widened in surprise.
She tilted her head back; he lowered his.
As her breath caught in her chest, He Sui’an felt like she couldn’t breathe and instinctively parted her lips.
Qi Buyan’s lips pressed against hers, but he didn’t go further. He seemed to enjoy her initiative, his breath hot as he spoke seductively, “He Sui’an, aren’t you going to kiss me?”
The warmth of his breath made her heart tremble, as if in a dream.
She kissed him back, almost involuntarily.
Their lips met and parted, their noses touching. His loose hair brushed against her, tickling her. His lips, slightly dry, were moistened by her kiss, their breaths mingling.
Qi Buyan held the back of her head, eyes closed, fully immersed in the kiss, his lips a moist red.
Thin strands of saliva glistened between their lips, his elegant nose pressed against her face.
His face grew flushed over time.
There was a pure sensuality about it.
He Sui’an’s thoughts drifted as she looked at Qi Buyan’s face, only to be pulled back by the intoxicating scent emanating from him, filling the room.
As the kiss continued, He Sui’an pondered how it had started—perhaps with her nodding.
Later that night, they lay side by side on the bed.
Qi Buyan, eyes closed, hair spread out, with delicate silver ornaments entwined in his hair. His indigo robes were slightly wrinkled, and the seven small bells on his bracelet peeked out from his sleeve, resting against He Sui’an’s face.
She had fallen asleep again, having been woken halfway through her sleep, and after the kiss, she was too tired to do anything but seek the comfort of the bed.
He Sui’an thought it was all a dream.
—
In no time, the day arrived for their meeting with Su Yang at the haunted house.
Before the meeting, He Sui’an narrowly escaped being discovered by the authorities due to her unusual eyes. A sudden emergency on the street forced the officials to leave hastily, preventing them from insisting she remove the silk band covering her “injury.” Thus, she avoided detection.
That evening, He Sui’an followed Qi Buyan, evading the patrolling officials, as they made their way to the haunted house.
With her eyes covered, she was led by him.
Shen Jianhe, puzzled, was summoned by them and followed along, equally confused. He knew they were heading to the haunted house likely to enter the tomb, which was undisputed.
But when had He Sui’an injured her eyes?
Shen Jianhe had noticed she hadn’t left the inn these past few days. Had she injured her eyes in her room?
Looking at Qi Buyan, who had a white cloth around his neck, Shen Jianhe seriously suspected they had secretly fought, resulting in both getting injured.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the haunted house.
Under the dark sky, three figures stood by an ancient well.
Two men, both tall and dressed in black, flanked a woman standing in the middle. The woman’s long hair fluttered in the wind as she looked up at the night sky. Hearing their approach, she turned to face them.
Su Yang was slightly surprised to see Shen Jianhe as well.
Shen Jianhe’s shock was equally great. For a moment, he thought Su Yang had received news of their plan to enter the tomb and had come to catch them: “Princess?”
Su Yang nodded distantly: “Do you know why I asked you to come here tonight?”
Shen Jianhe: “No.”
He Sui’an: “Does the princess want us to go into the tomb with you?”
Shen Jianhe blurted out, “Really? She was stopping us from going into the tomb before. He Sui’an, don’t be fooled by her. Who knows what she’s planning?”
Realizing he might have offended her, Shen Jianhe regretted speaking so bluntly.
She was a princess, after all. Shen Jianhe feared she might use her power to deal with him quietly.
Zhong Kong, who couldn’t stand anyone slandering his princess, drew his sword: “You must have a death wish! The princess isn’t like that!”
Su Yang frowned: “Zhong Kong.”
At her command, Zhong Kong stepped back.
Shen Jianhe stuck out his tongue at him provocatively, showing none of the composure of an adult. This made Zhong Kong want to fight him on the spot. Zhong Huan held Zhong Kong back: “Follow the princess’s orders.”
He Sui’an said to Shen Jianhe, “Senior, I believe the princess won’t harm us.”
He disagreed.
“You’re too naive. People aren’t always what they seem.”
Shen Jianhe was worried for He Sui’an. “There’s an old saying: ‘People are drawn to gain, and driven away by profit.’ She let us go last time, but I don’t believe she has no ulterior motive this time.”
Qi Buyan leaned against the ancient well, saying nothing.
He Sui’an wanted to speak in Su Yang’s defense.
Before she could, Su Yang calmly and directly addressed the issue, “You’re right, I do have a purpose. I’m entering the tomb to investigate something.”
Shen Jianhe scrutinized Su Yang and concluded… she was so beautiful that he felt an urge to trust her unconditionally.
Zhong Kong glared at him, thinking even looking at the princess was a form of disrespect.
Su Yang continued, “I won’t tell you exactly what I’m investigating right now.”
“But I can assure you that if you help us explore the tomb, whatever you are looking for or doing inside, as long as it doesn’t harm the people of Fengling Town, we won’t stop you.”
Shen Jianhe, maintaining his composure despite her beauty, thought rationally.
He asked Qi Buyan and He Sui’an, “What do you think?”
He Sui’an answered first, “I agree. The tomb is dangerous, and having more people can help us think things through more thoroughly.”
Qi Buyan nodded, “Mm.”
With their agreement, Shen Jianhe saw no point in opposing and decided to go along, flashing a charming smile, “If the princess says so, how can I refuse?”
