In the pitch-black underground, time seemed to lose all meaning.
Ninth would occasionally return to the stone cave, tossing Chu'he some food that looked like it had been snatched from somewhere, only to disappear again soon after.
Beyond the cave, there was nothing but darkness.
Chu'he couldn’t shake the feeling that she had become his pet—only when she was on the verge of starvation would he appear to toss her a scrap.
When Ninth was gone, Chu'he studied the small pool of water. She wasn’t sure if there was an underwater passage leading to an exit, but even if there was, she doubted she could hold her breath long enough to make it through.
For now, she had to abandon that risky idea.
Disgusted by her own filth, Chu'he barely managed to wash her face before hearing movement. She looked up to see the blood-stained figure standing at the cave entrance once more.
Fresh blood dripped from Ninth’s body—whether it was his or someone else’s, she couldn’t tell.
He strode toward her and flung something at her feet.
Chu'he picked up the bloodied oil-paper bundle and unwrapped it—two steamed buns, same as before.
She pressed her lips together. Days of nothing but buns had made her sick at the sight of them.
As usual, Ninth didn’t speak. He turned to leave.
Chu'he carefully avoided the blood on the paper and took a bite of the bun. It was tasteless, but she forced herself to swallow—survival demanded it.
Then came a heavy thud.
Chu'he rushed to the cave entrance, where glowing blue insects flitted around, casting an eerie light.
The white-haired youth in bloodied robes had collapsed, his chest heaving violently.
"Ninth, what’s wrong?"
She crouched beside him, assessing his condition.
His breathing was ragged, his frail body trembling—painfully vulnerable.
When Chu'he touched him, her hand came away warm and wet. Pulling back his collar, she gasped—a gaping wound oozed crimson.
He was hurt.
The scent of blood stirred something in the darkness. From the surrounding caves, pairs of red eyes flickered to life, like ravenous beasts waiting to devour defenseless prey.
Chu'he didn’t dare linger. She dragged Ninth’s heavy body back inside and struggled to haul him onto the stone bed.
Brushing aside his long hair, she saw his pallid face glistening with sweat, his brows furrowed in agony. If not for his labored breathing, he might have been mistaken for a corpse.
Chu'he reached to remove his robes—
A small green snake shot out, baring venomous fangs.
She yanked her hand back. "I’m trying to treat his wound. I mean no harm."
The snake studied her for a moment, then slithered off Ninth’s body and coiled on the bed, still watching her warily.
Suppressing her fear, Chu'he peeled off his blood-soaked robes.
Beneath, his skin was a patchwork of scars—old and new, gruesome to behold. There was hardly an inch unmarked, but the wound on his chest was the worst, a mangled mess of flesh.
Gritting her teeth, Chu'he tore a strip from her skirt, rinsed it in the pool, and began wiping away the blood. After countless attempts, his body was clean, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
She turned to the snake. "Do you have any medicine to stop the bleeding?"
The serpent slithered to a shelf on the cave wall, coiling around a black jar and hissing.
Understanding, Chu'he tiptoed to retrieve it. Assuming it held healing salves, she pried open the lid—
A nameless insect scuttled out. The snake lunged, swallowing it whole.
Chu'he’s fingertip stung—a tiny bite mark welled with blood. But she had no time to care. If Ninth died, she’d lose her only protection. Not everyone was as easy to fool as him.
She fished out a pill and hurried back, trying to force it into Ninth’s mouth.
But his jaw was clenched shut.
The snake flicked its tail impatiently—first tapping Ninth’s lips, then Chu'he’s.
She glared. "If I can’t pry it open with my hands, how would using my mouth help? Have you been watching too many cheesy dramas?"
The snake tilted its head, its vertical pupils brimming with pure, uncomplicated stupidity.
Fine. Arguing with an animal is pointless.
Steeling herself, Chu'he climbed onto the bed, straddling his waist without putting weight on him, then leaned down and wedged her fingers between his teeth.
"Ninth, you can’t die. If you do, I won’t survive either!"
The snake swayed, seemingly moved.
This Central Plains woman vows to live and die with my master? If he perishes, she won’t go on… This must be what humans call a love suicide!
Chu'he strained with all her might—
Crack.
Ruby-red eyes flickered open, their depths dark and unfathomable. His face was deathly pale, utterly expressionless.
Chu'he froze.
After two seconds of awkward silence, she forced a bright tone. "Ninth! You’re awake! Take the medicine!"
He lifted a hand and reset his dislocated jaw.
Another crisp crack. Chu'he’s back prickled with cold sweat.
Swallowing the pill, Ninth spoke coldly. "Get off me."
Chu'he scrambled backward, putting as much distance between them as possible.
Whatever the medicine was, it worked instantly. Within moments, the bleeding stopped.
Looking closer, she saw tiny tendrils—like insect limbs or squirming flesh—knitting the wound shut. The sight made her skin crawl.
Ninth sat up, his silver hair cascading like moonlight over his bare torso. A slender finger wiped the blood from his lips, smearing a faint crimson streak across his ghostly face.
His red eyes shifted, lashes lowering slightly, the contrast making his hair seem even whiter. For a fleeting moment, savagery and lethality melded in his youthful form.
Once again, Chu'he felt as if she were staring at a mountain spirit from legend.
Ninth glanced down at his cleaned body, then fixed his gaze on the girl cowering across the cave.
Chu'he swallowed hard. "You were badly hurt. I had to undress you to stop the bleeding."
After a pause, she added, "Besides, we’ve already been husband and wife. It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before."
The lie rolled off her tongue effortlessly.
She braced for his fury, ready to threaten him with the nonexistent child in her belly—but Ninth merely snorted.
Pulling his robes back on, he turned his face away. "Do it again, and I’ll kill you."
Is that all?
Chu'he had been on high alert, but upon suddenly hearing those words, she couldn't help but glance over curiously. Before she could even see whether his ears had turned red, her heart skipped a beat.
A chill rapidly spread through her body, making her dizzy and disoriented.
Ninth looked at her. "What's wrong with you?"
"I... I'm so cold." Chu'he rubbed her arms, but it did nothing to help. When she spoke again, her breath came out in visible puffs of frost. "It hurts... so cold..."
Ninth frowned.
But Chu'he desperately needed warmth—the threat of death warning her that if she didn’t find a way to heat up, she would freeze to death.
The little green snake slithered out, hissing urgently at its master for a while.
Ninth said, "So she was bitten by a frost insect."
"Save me..."
At some point, Chu'he, who had been keeping her distance, suddenly moved closer. Not only that, but taking advantage of the fact that the young man was still weak from blood loss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and shamelessly pressed herself into his embrace.
"Chu'he, get down."
Chu'he: "I'm cold!"
She tightened her grip, burying her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent desperately. The metallic tang of blood was still strong—logically, she knew it shouldn’t be pleasant, but her body clung to it as if it were a lifeline.
Her nearly frozen heart found a sliver of warmth in his presence.
Ninth tried to peel her off, but she somehow mustered an unshakable strength, clinging to him like stubborn adhesive, arms and legs locked around him.
The robe draped over his shoulders slipped slightly, revealing his chest—his slender yet beautifully defined collarbone and shoulders now half-exposed.
Chu'he immediately pressed closer, skin against skin.
Ninth shuddered, nearly collapsing onto the stone bed.
Chu'he, her consciousness hazy, nuzzled into his neck, her breath ghosting over his skin in erratic, teasing puffs.
Ninth raised his hand, his sharp nails poised at her vulnerable throat.
The little green snake hissed frantically beside them.
Ninth’s hand twitched. "You’re saying she... she wants to die with me?"
The snake nodded emphatically.
Ninth pressed his lips into a tight line, his jaw clenched, refusing to look down at her.
Yet even if he didn’t move, her presence was overwhelming—her breathing, the warmth of her skin against his, the frantic pounding of her heart—all impossible to ignore.
Lost in delirium, Chu'he whimpered softly, her voice trembling with pitiful sobs.
"Ninth, Ninth... don’t die."
"If you die, I won’t live either."
"Don’t die..."
His hand hovered in the air for a moment before finally lowering, stiff and awkward, to rest on her back. His fingers tangled in her dark hair, the pale contrast of his skin melting into the inky black strands.
A long silence passed, broken only by the girl’s quiet weeping, until the young man’s voice cut through the cold cave with a scoff.
"Such a nuisance."
"I’m not so easy to kill."
He took her bloodied index finger between his own slender ones, examining the wound with a derisive sneer.
"Idiot."
Then, in the next moment, he lowered his head and took her finger into his mouth, his tongue pressing against the small cut with deliberate, lingering pressure.
