The tunnel was filled with a chilling draft, far longer than Chu'he had anticipated.
At times like this, Chu'he felt that having exceptionally sharp hearing wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The sporadic, irregular sounds of insects lurking nearby were nothing short of psychological torture.
To the gu worms, she must have seemed like a fine meal, which explained why those hidden in the shadows were so restless.
Yet they dared not rush out to feast, intimidated by the blood-soaked figure walking ahead of Chu'he.
Meanwhile, Chu'he caught glimpses of pairs of crimson eyes watching from the darkness.
These drug-men had witnessed how the bloodied figure fought his way through to claim Chu'he—the perfect material for refining gu. Knowing they were no match, they wouldn’t act recklessly.
Though they wouldn’t attack, their hunger for her was palpable.
Goosebumps rose all over Chu'he’s skin. She took two quick steps forward, no longer caring about the filth and blood staining the figure’s clothes, and grabbed the hem of his robe, her eyes darting warily around.
This place was like a murky underworld, where the occasional drip-drip echoed—whether from water or blood, she couldn’t tell.
After walking for what felt like an eternity, she noticed stone alcoves lining the passage, pitch-black and devoid of light, save for the shifting red eyes that reminded her these were likely the drug-men’s dwellings.
Of course, not every drug-man had the privilege of a private alcove. Here, all resources had to be fought for.
Without a word, he led Chu'he to the deepest part of the tunnel before veering sideways into a grim, cavernous space.
Chu'he couldn’t see a thing. Clutching his robe, she stumbled over unseen obstacles, the clattering noise loud and grating.
Gritting her teeth, she sucked in a sharp breath—only to smack her forehead against a solid wall of flesh.
"You can’t see?"
The boy’s voice cut through the air, dispelling some of the suffocating silence.
A wave of metallic blood hit her senses. Belatedly realizing she’d collided with his chest, Chu'he scrambled back and lifted her chin defiantly. "No, I can’t."
"I actually took a blind girl as my wife?"
His accented Mandarin dripped with disdain.
Chu'he’s eyelid twitched. Ignoring his tone, she spun a bold-faced lie with utter seriousness. "Even though I’m blind, you still agreed to be my fiancé. There’s only one explanation—you must love me desperately."
Silence.
She couldn’t tell if he was doubting her.
Not pushing her luck, Chu'he quickly added, "I’m just not as strong as you. Without light, I can’t see. But if there’s any light at all, my eyes work fine."
After a pause, a snap echoed through the cavern. Tiny specks of light flickered to life—dim, but numerous enough to cast a faint glow.
They turned out to be firefly-like insects, their bodies emitting an eerie blue radiance, like scattered stars in the night.
Chu'he had never seen anything like it. Her dark eyes, now alight with curiosity, followed their dance.
Unconsciously, the oppressive tension eased slightly.
She tilted her face up. "Since you don’t remember the past, we should reintroduce ourselves. I’m Chu'he, from the Central Plains."
"Ninth."
He offered nothing more.
Chu'he knew Ninth was just a number, not his real name, but she didn’t press. A sudden draft brushed a strand of white hair against her cheek, drawing her gaze upward.
With the light, the boy’s features became clearer.
Unkempt, waist-length white hair, streaked with blood like tainted moonlight, obscured much of his face, giving him a ghostly appearance.
Through the gaps, she glimpsed his unnaturally pale skin and crimson eyes—pure, untainted red, almost childlike in their clarity.
He was watching her. No, scrutinizing her.
This drug-man called Ninth didn’t fully trust her yet.
Chu'he couldn’t fight, nor did she know any spells. To survive this underground world teeming with venomous creatures, she had to cling to him.
After all, judging by how no other drug-men dared challenge him for her, he was likely the strongest here.
Stealing glances around, she noted the sparse cave—just a stone bed and shelves lined with jars of murky substances. The squirming shadows inside made her shudder.
A small pool in the corner, at least, offered a place to wash.
Unbothered by his bloodied state, Ninth lounged on the stone bed, twirling a strand of hair. His ruby-like eyes pinned her in place.
"You claim we’re engaged. Where’s the proof?"
He remembered nothing and couldn’t fathom choosing such a scrawny girl, yet the green serpent’s reaction suggested she wasn’t lying. Doubt gnawed at him.
Chu'he had no proof—but she was quick on her feet.
Pulling out a fish-shaped jade pendant, she declared solemnly, "This is our token of love. There are two, meant to fit together—symbolizing our union as husband and wife."
Ninth blinked, confused. "Then why don’t I have one?"
Because the other pendant’s with my actual fiancé!
Clutching the pendant, Chu'he’s eyes welled up. "When you gave this to me, you said it represented our unbreakable bond. ‘As long as the jade exists, so shall we.’ That’s why I protected it through life and death."
Her voice trembled. "I know being trapped here as a drug-man wasn’t your choice. Even if you lost your pendant, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re alive… that’s enough."
Her words dripped with heartache, as if reliving the past.
"Back then, we were deeply in love. But my father despised you—no money, no skills, uneducated. He forbade our marriage. So you took me away from the Central Plains. We eloped to Miaojiang, hoping to force his hand once I was with child."
A tear rolled down. She rubbed her eyes redder for effect.
"Who knew our happiness would be cut short? You vanished without a trace."
Sobbing softly, she poured every ounce of grief into her performance.
"All these days, I feared I’d never see you again. But here you are… and we’ve been given a second chance."
Her tearful, impassioned delivery could’ve fooled anyone.
Ninth continued to gaze at her silently, his expression unreadable—whether he believed her or not remained unclear.
Chu'he clenched her teeth, deciding to lay it on even thicker.
"You never used to look at me with such coldness before… You promised I’d always be your dearest heart."
Her figure swayed under his unfamiliar stare, as if she might collapse from the weight of his indifference.
"Could it be… you truly feel nothing for me anymore?"
"You said you fell for me at first sight."
"You swore I was your one and only."
"You told me that if I called you 'husband,' you’d give me your life."
"Have you forgotten all those vows?"
Chu'he inched forward, suppressing her discomfort as she tentatively hooked her pinky around his. She leaned in cautiously, pressing herself against him bit by bit until she nestled into his arms, her misty eyes brimming with pitiful longing.
"Ninth, do you really not remember any of the sweet words you once whispered to me?"
The bloodstained boy remained shrouded in shadows, his face hidden behind a veil of long hair, betraying no emotion.
Chu'he knew she had to push further.
She leaned in harder, gradually shifting her weight onto him, then guided one of his hands to rest on her abdomen.
"You always used to say… how much you wished we had a child growing here."
The strands of snow-white hair still obscured his face, leaving her clueless about whether her performance was working.
She needed to see his expression.
Summoning her courage, Chu'he tenderly—yet cautiously—reached up to brush the hair away from his face.
"All the moments we shared… they can’t just vanish because you’ve lost your memories, right?"
As the tangled locks were swept aside, the boy’s pale features were unveiled in the dim light.
Red eyes, porcelain skin, delicate features—he looked like an exquisitely carved doll, breathtakingly beautiful.
Before, she had thought him ghostly, even monstrous. But now, he resembled a seductive mountain spirit from folklore, draped in a bewitching human guise, luring the unwary into his snare.
Unconsciously, as Chu'he pressed forward, he had no choice but to brace himself backward.
Their positions had reversed—now, she was the one looming over him.
His eyes, glistening like polished rubies, held an almost innocent allure.
Chu'he’s gaze flickered. Her fingers, still resting on his cheek, drifted to the side, brushing against his flushed, burning earlobe.
Unlike his chilling aura, it was soft. Surprisingly pleasant to touch.
Thud.
A sudden force shoved her backward, sending her tumbling onto the cold stone bed. By the time she looked up, the red-robed, white-haired boy had already retreated to the cave entrance.
"Foolish plains-dweller. Did you really think I’d believe you so easily?"
In an instant, he vanished.
Chu'he slowly sat up, rubbing her chin before letting out a low chuckle. "He’s shy."
Outside the cave, the boy slumped against the rocky wall, hugging his knees. Beneath the curtain of his hair, his eyes darted wildly.
Everyone knew that a poison-blooded body was lethal to touch—yet that woman from the plains had not only embraced him but even caressed him.
Hiss—
A small green snake slithered onto his shoulder, tilting its head as if asking what was wrong.
Ninth grabbed it reflexively, twisting its long body into a tight knot.
"Little Green… what if she really is my wife? The way she looked at me just now… it was like she wanted to devour me whole."
The snake rolled its eyes.
—How should I know what to do about your human problems?!
