It was Jiang Songwei who taught Jiang Xuewan to call He Sui’an “Miss He.” She always listened to her third uncle, so when she saw He Sui’an today, she called her “Miss He.”
He Sui’an didn’t expect to actually meet them on the boat, thinking she had mistaken them yesterday.
It was such a coincidence. They had first met in Weicheng, then again in Fengling Town, and now they encountered each other on the boat.
Jiang Songwei nodded at her and Qi Buyan.
In fact, them being on the same boat wasn’t a coincidence. It was Jiang Songwei’s deliberate arrangement.
Since leaving Weicheng, Jiang Songwei had been constantly searching for a way to cure Jiang Xuewan of the Gu worm inside her. He remembered that Jiang Xuewan’s mother had a map of an ancient tomb, located near Fengling Town.
After the defeat in Weicheng, the map had been lost. Jiang Songwei had seen it once and only remembered the entrance to the ancient tomb.
So, he brought Jiang Xuewan to Fengling Town.
Jiang Xuewan’s mother, who was also Jiang Songwei’s sister-in-law, had once told him that this ancient tomb map had been passed down through generations in her family. The tomb might contain many records about Gu.
If there were records about Gu, then there might also be information about dispelling Gu.
Jiang Songwei didn’t understand Gu.
Before Jiang Xuewan was infected with Gu, he had never come into contact with such things.
But given the situation, Jiang Songwei had to familiarize himself with these matters to find a way to cure Jiang Xuewan.
He had to go to Fengling Town.
After arriving in Fengling Town, Jiang Songwei encountered a madman, which forced him to spend more effort to settle Jiang Xuewan before finding an opportunity to enter the tomb.
Inside the tomb, Jiang Songwei triggered traps and faced many dangers. He endured them all but still got injured and had to hide in a dark corner to rest and regain his strength.
Then, he saw a group of people.
There were a few people he didn’t recognize, but he had seen He Sui’an and Qi Buyan before.
Why were they also entering the tomb?
Jiang Songwei’s sister-in-law had told him who the tomb belonged to—King Yan Yan Wuheng, a figure from several hundred years ago. He had never heard of such a person in history and thought his sister-in-law might have remembered or said it wrong.
Moreover, Jiang Songwei noticed that the tomb was built according to the specifications of an imperial mausoleum, which was not appropriate for someone of King Yan’s rank.
Where was the mistake?
While Jiang Songwei was puzzled, a sound of a flute filled the tomb chamber. Hundreds of puppets controlled by Yin Shi Gu broke out of the ground. He saw He Sui’an and the others struggling to fend them off, nearly being overwhelmed by the puppets.
The puppets were too many, dressed in armor, likely soldiers in their previous lives.
Most importantly, the puppets wielded their swords and spears tirelessly, with the vigor of soldiers in battle. How could they possibly withstand this?
Jiang Songwei thought they would surely die.
Then, he saw the young man in dark blue clothing raise a bone flute and start playing it.
The sound of the bone flute was beautiful, like the music of the heavens, reminiscent of mountain streams, yet it had immense destructive power. Listening to it for too long made one’s heart feel tightly bound by strings.
Jiang Songwei, already injured, felt even worse.
He couldn’t afford to worry about himself and focused intently on Qi Buyan. This person could use the flute to reverse control the puppets controlled by Yin Shi Gu.
How was this possible?
Yet the facts before him clearly told Jiang Songwei that it was true.
Being able to reverse control the puppets manipulated by Yin Shi Gu, could it be that Qi Buyan was also highly skilled in Gu?
Could he possibly help Jiang Xuewan remove the Gu inside her? This was what Jiang Songwei was thinking at the time, wanting to leave, but he passed out due to his severe injuries.
When he woke up again, the tomb was about to collapse.
The chamber was empty, except for scattered white bones everywhere.
Jiang Songwei barely managed to escape the ancient tomb after enduring countless hardships. He then decided to follow Qi Buyan and He Sui’an. They left Fengling Town by boat, so he and Jiang Xuewan did the same.
Uncertain whether Qi Buyan would agree to help remove the Gu, Jiang Songwei did not seek them out immediately after boarding the boat.
He was still hesitating.
He wanted to observe them further.
From his observations, the young man named Qi Buyan seemed to want nothing.
He acted on whims, with a smile that seemed both genuine and fake, his actions ruthless and cold. He appeared like a delicate porcelain figure with only an outwardly beautiful shell, showing some semblance of being a real person only when interacting with He Sui’an.
Even this semblance of being a real person was relative.
If Qi Buyan cared about He Sui’an, Jiang Songwei could potentially use her to threaten him into helping Jiang Xuewan remove the Gu. However, he was not such a despicable person and disdained resorting to such low tactics.
But did Qi Buyan like He Sui’an?
It didn’t seem so.
His attitude toward He Sui’an was strange. On the surface, it seemed quite good, with affectionate gestures, sharing a room, yet it didn’t resemble a typical romantic relationship. The more Jiang Songwei observed, the less he understood.
Having lived for many years, formerly guarding the border with his elder brother, Jiang Songwei had always feared people who had no desires. Such individuals were difficult to control and even harder to cooperate with.
—
The wind on the deck was strong, and Jiang Songwei found himself lost in thought as he watched He Sui’an and Qi Buyan.
“Young Master Jiang?”
He Sui’an waved a hand in front of him.
Jiang Songwei quickly collected his thoughts, his brows relaxing, and spoke in a tone befitting an elder. “Miss He, you can call me Third Uncle, just like Xuewan.”
“Third Uncle.” He Sui’an tried calling him that, then glanced at Jiang Xuewan, whose butterfly silver ornament on her braid swayed. “Third Uncle, where are you heading by boat?”
Jiang Songwei didn’t answer immediately.
In truth, he didn’t know where they were going next.
The world was vast, yet there were few places for them to stay. Their home had been destroyed in the battle of Weicheng, burned to ashes in the fire.
The future remained uncertain.
So, Jiang Songwei vaguely glossed over where they were headed and instead asked He Sui’an where they were going: “What about you?”
He Sui’an didn’t know.
She was unsure for the moment, aware that she often had many questions. Sometimes she tried to restrain herself from asking too much. She planned to follow Qi Buyan onto the boat, then follow him off when they reached their destination.
Qi Buyan glanced thoughtfully at Jiang Songwei. “You seem very concerned about us.”
Jiang Songwei’s expression remained unchanged.
He replied, “Apologies, I had no intention of prying, just asked casually. If I offended you, please don’t take it to heart, Young Master Qi.”
Qi Buyan smiled. “A casual question is just a casual question. What’s there to be offended about?”
He Sui’an didn’t pay attention to their conversation.
Jiang Xuewan liked her very much, probably because she spent all her time with her uncle, which was too boring. As soon as she got close to He Sui’an, she clung to her, making it impossible for He Sui’an to focus on listening to others.
“What’s this?” Jiang Xuewan touched the butterfly silver ornament at the end of He Sui’an’s braid, her eyes bright. “I want one too.”
Before He Sui’an could answer, Jiang Songwei scolded her, “Xuewan.”
Jiang Xuewan stopped touching the butterfly ornament.
She looked miserable.
It was clear that she liked the butterfly ornament, but she didn’t dare after her uncle called her.
Since being infected with Gu, Jiang Xuewan’s mind had regressed to that of a small child, forcing Jiang Songwei to keep a close watch on her, afraid she would do something reckless.
Another reason Jiang Songwei wanted to cure Jiang Xuewan was that she might know why Weicheng was attacked by the Hu people. At that time, he happened to be away from Weicheng and only returned after the incident.
Could there be some hidden truth?
Jiang Songwei believed in his elder brother’s abilities. A month before Weicheng was attacked, he had left, worried that his brother might not be able to handle the persistent Hu people.
His brother had confidently assured him that they were well-prepared and the Hu people would not break through. Jiang Songwei didn’t think his brother was exaggerating.
He stopped himself from thinking further.
The thought of it always left Jiang Songwei troubled.
Qi Buyan leaned against the railing, seemingly no longer concerned with what was happening on their side.
He Sui’an gave Jiang Xuewan a silver hairpin.
Only then did Jiang Xuewan become happy again.
Jiang Songwei didn’t let Jiang Xuewan stay outside the cabin for long. After she played with He Sui’an for about fifteen minutes, he took her back to their room.
He Sui’an watched them leave, then turned around to find herself locking eyes with Qi Buyan. She quickly walked to his side and said, “The butterfly ornament you gave me is so beautiful.”
“Miss Jiang wanted it too.” He Sui’an held the butterfly ornament on her braid.
“Is that so.”
At that moment, Qi Buyan seemed not to enjoy crowded places. He walked along the deck, took a turn into a secluded corner of the boat where no one was around, and no one could see them.
Naturally, He Sui’an followed.
As she approached, he reached out to touch the butterfly ornament, his fingers brushing hers. Continuing the previous topic, he asked, “So why did you give her a silver hairpin?”
He Sui’an tilted her head up.
Looking at him seriously, she said, “Because this was a gift from you. It’s not right to give away something that was given to me, especially since I really like it. It’s so delicate.”
Qi Buyan let go of the butterfly ornament.
“He Sui’an.” The young man bent down to her height, meeting her eyes.
He Sui’an looked confused. “What’s wrong?”
“You…” He blinked, then suddenly said, “You really don’t want to leave with them? If you say you want to leave with them now, I’ll allow it. I’m giving you one last chance to choose.”
The last chance to choose.
Qi Buyan treated his Gu the same way.
After refining the Gu, he would put them on the ground, giving them one last chance to choose—to become his forever or to leave.
He treated her the same way.
Once chosen, it could not be changed. The people of Tianshui Village in Miaojiang valued promises above all; breaking them meant death.
However, He Sui’an clearly didn’t realize this.
She replied, “I’ve known you and spent the most time with you. Why would I leave with them? I just talked to them a bit more. Are you upset because of that?”
Hearing He Sui’an’s answer, which was a denial, a starry smile seemed to appear in Qi Buyan’s eyes. He whispered softly in her ear, “Alright, He Sui’an, remember your choice.”
His breath fell warmly on her skin.
He Sui’an’s ears tingled.
Suppressing the strange feeling rising inside her, she responded with a low “hmm.”
Qi Buyan’s fingers suddenly brushed against the corner of her lips, and he lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers, holding her neck as he murmured, “He Sui’an, I want to kiss you now.”
Dong, dong, dong.
When the sound of the bell rang irregularly, he kissed her in the wind.
“Can we become a bit more intimate?” The silver ornament in his hair hung down, brushing against the butterfly ornament on He Sui’an’s braid.
—
TL: There was a missing 2000+ words on CH 40 but I already added it. Please refresh CH 40 and read it again so you won’t miss some details.
