In the dead of night, the wilderness was alive with the incessant chirping of insects.
The rhythmic clatter of hooves came to a halt before an inn, followed by the rough pounding of fists against the door.
"Open up! The Demon-Suppression Guard is conducting a routine inspection!"
The inn was already filled with skilled individuals, the kind who could be roused by the slightest disturbance. By the time the horses arrived, most of the guests were wide awake.
Yu Sanniang hurriedly swung the door open, forcing a smile at the sight of the unfriendly faces before her. "Ah, it’s Officer Jia Yi! My inn was just inspected yesterday—why the sudden return?"
The man called Jia Yi was tall and gaunt, his sharp cheekbones lending him a severe, almost sinister air. His presence was as cold as his demeanor.
"We’ve received intelligence that followers of the Cloud Wasteland’s Eternal City have been active in this area. Your inn is a gathering place for all sorts—who’s to say their agents aren’t hiding here?"
Yu Sanniang paled. "How could that be? Officer Jia Yi, my guests would never harbor demonic cultists!"
"You’ve already got people from Miaojiang staying here. A couple of heretics wouldn’t be surprising."
Jia Yi shoved past Yu Sanniang, his men following closely as they barged into the inn.
At that moment, Zhou Xian and his group descended the stairs. The two leaders locked eyes, mutual disdain flashing between them.
Zhou Xian spoke first. "Jia Yi, most of the guests here are no ordinary folk. Unless you have solid evidence, I suggest you tread carefully."
"Rooting out the heretics of the Eternal City is the Demon-Suppression Guard’s duty. If everyone were as timid as you, Zhou Xian, how would we ever restore peace?"
The tension between Jia Yi and Zhou Xian was thick, their long-standing grudge evident in their locked gazes. Their subordinates—the Demon-Suppression Guard and the Spirit Patrol—stood ready, the air between them crackling with hostility.
Chu'he, whose hearing wasn’t as sharp as the others, was likely the last to be roused by the commotion.
Her first sensation upon waking was the feeling of being coiled around by a serpent—sticky, suffocating, and steeped in a damp, oppressive aura.
Then, her eyelids twitched.
Brushing aside the strands of white hair plastered to her face, she took a deep breath before yanking on a handful of long locks. "Ninth, get off me!"
The young man sprawled atop her had been sleeping soundly. The sharp tug on his hair made him yelp. "Ow!"
This was someone who wouldn’t flinch even if the flesh were stripped from his arms, yet here he was, crying out over a few pulled strands. How much of it was an act? Even he couldn’t say.
Chu'he pushed him upright, glaring. "I told you not to sneak into my room again!"
Ninth, still groggy, blinked sleepily. His robes hung loosely, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his chest, though he seemed utterly unbothered. With a lazy stretch, he murmured, "You said not to climb through the window. I didn’t."
The pale moonlight bathed him like a spotlight, casting an ethereal glow over his red robes and snow-white hair, as if he were wrapped in a delicate veil.
Wait—moonlight?
Chu'he looked up, her temple throbbing.
Ninth pointed cheerfully at the gaping hole in the roof. "I came in through there."
His crimson robes, barely clinging to his frame, accentuated the tousled white hair that spilled like fresh snow. His grin, bright and crescent-eyed, blended boyish charm with an unconscious allure.
He seemed awfully pleased with himself.
When Chu'he didn’t respond, Ninth helpfully loosened his sash further, letting his robes slip dangerously low. The contours of his torso teased the eye, his hips barely concealed.
He reached for her, eager to pull her into an embrace, skin to skin.
Instead, Chu'he grabbed the blanket and swaddled him like a cocoon, leaving only his head exposed.
She squeezed her eyes shut, chanting under her breath, "Pure thoughts, pure thoughts, pure thoughts..."
Ninth tilted his head, a single white strand of hair swaying. Still half-asleep, his expression was blank, his usually sharp eyes now round and vacant.
He didn’t understand why Chu'he was resisting so hard. Wasn’t being together supposed to be joyful?
After wrestling down her wayward impulses, Chu'he opened her eyes and patted his head, flattening the rebellious lock. "Alright, be good. Go back to your own room."
Ninth pouted. "You said sleeping with me was comfortable."
Chu'he blurted, "But it’s not even hot tonight!"
The mountain nights were chilly.
"So you only like holding me when it’s hot?" His eyes gleamed with sudden clarity. "Chu'he, are you using me?"
A shiver ran down her spine. "That’s not ‘using’! We’re a perfect match—it’s called complementing each other!"
Ninth was getting harder to fool. He stared at her, skeptical and unmoving.
Just as Chu'he was about to crack under the pressure, he flopped back onto the bed, still bundled up.
"I’m sleeping here."
She tried reasoning with him. "Good Ninth, wouldn’t your own bed be more comfortable? All that space to yourself?"
"No. I want this one."
Ninth wriggled under the blanket, squirming like a restless caterpillar, his white hair fanning out in a tangled mess. All the while, he muttered to himself.
"This blanket is softer than mine."
"This pillow is nicer than mine."
"It even smells better here."
"I want to stay, but Chu'he won’t let me."
His soliloquy continued, undeterred.
"Why won’t she let me?"
"Does she not like me as much anymore?"
"Did I get less pretty?"
"Or does she like someone else now?"
He rolled onto his side, peering at her through the curtain of hair. Beneath the snowy strands, his ruby eyes glowed.
"Chu'he, should I slip you a love potion?"
Alarm bells blared in her mind. She leaned in, cupping his face to meet his gaze. "I’m just worried about the risks of us sharing a room at night!"
"You’re afraid I’ll hurt you?" His eyes flickered. "Then cut my tendons. It’ll take me at least three hours to heal. Would that make you feel safer?"
Chu'he froze. After a pause, her expression softened. She brushed the hair from his face, revealing his flawless, jade-like features, and smiled.
"I’m worried about your safety."
Innocent as he was, even if she gave in to her darker impulses, he probably wouldn’t understand what was happening.
Ninth didn’t grasp her meaning, but as Chu'he’s gaze lingered on him, an unfamiliar heat surged through his body.
He curled up under the blankets, his gaze flickering between shy glances downward and cautious looks at her, until he could no longer hold back, his breath coming out in heated bursts.
"Chu'he, kiss me."
Then, his lips parted slightly, waiting for her to deepen the touch.
Chu'he was holding back too, but the restraint was futile. She leaned down, barely brushing the corner of his mouth, their tongues just grazing each other—when a knock sounded at the door.
"Demon-Suppression Guard, room inspection!"
