Suddenly, Chu'he picked up the hairpin on the table and pressed it against her left wrist, piercing the skin until a drop of blood welled up.
Yet, she felt no pain.
Ninth was at a loss. "Chu'he, have you lost your mind?"
Why else would she harm herself for no reason?
Ignoring him, Chu'he grabbed his left hand, pushed up his sleeve, and exposed his wrist. There, on his pale skin, appeared a small red mark—identical in size and shape to the wound on her own wrist.
Chu'he demanded, "What is this?"
Ninth tilted his head slightly. "I don’t know. Maybe a mosquito bite?"
In this world, countless insects existed, but all feared him. None would dare to bite him.
Drop by drop, warm liquid fell onto the skin of his arm, carrying an inexplicable magic that made his hand tremble faintly from the heat.
It was as if a wildfire had ignited, burning even the heart she had once touched into a scorching blaze.
Her eyes brimmed with tears, lashes adorned with delicate droplets like butterfly wings dusted with morning dew. When they trembled, the shimmer in her gaze rippled like a tender, heartbreaking wave, softening anyone who saw it.
Ninth had seen her cry before, but this time was different.
Her sobs were ragged, each breath sharp as a blade, slicing through his skin and scraping against his bones.
Panicked and helpless, he reached out to brush the wetness from her cheeks, but the moisture carried that same strange magic, setting his entire body aflame.
"Chu'he, don’t cry," murmured the boy who knew neither how to comfort nor sweet-talk, as lost as a child.
Chu'he lifted her gaze, lips pressed tightly together before she finally erupted.
"You bastard! Who told you to give me your name?"
"Who asked you to meddle with my body?"
"You never told me anything! I didn’t know anything—not even to run from danger!"
"What if one day… what if one day I really die? If my head is cut off, if my limbs are severed—will you bear all of that for me?"
"Chi Yan! Ninth!"
"You’re a complete bastard!"
For the first time, he was being screamed at like this. Normally, he would have put on a stern front to intimidate her, but now he hunched in on himself, enduring the scolding without a word of protest.
Then, abruptly, Chu'he threw herself against him, clinging desperately to his chest as sobs wracked her body, her tears soaking his bare skin.
"If I had known… I would never have rushed out to save anyone!"
What stupid mission?
What saving the world?
To hell with all of it!
Ninth didn’t understand. In truth, ever since meeting Chu'he, there had been too many things he couldn’t comprehend—like now.
Shouldn’t she be happy knowing someone could bear all her pain and suffering for her?
In this world, countless people longed for a Miaojiang love-guardian charm.
The one who carried the secondary charm would endure all harm meant for the primary charm’s bearer. In other words, as long as the secondary charm lived, the primary charm would never perish.
Such a blessing—a second life—why wasn’t she rejoicing?
Chu'he buried her face against him, her voice thick with tears. "What right did you have to decide for me? What right did you have to alter my body? What right—"
Ninth lowered his gaze, staring blankly at the crown of her head, her soft hair tangled with his own, black strands mingling with white until the boundaries blurred.
Long moments later, he finally found his voice again.
"Chu'he once said… she didn’t want me to use a love charm on her," Ninth offered weakly, as if trying to justify himself. "So I used a different charm instead."
She was too agitated now. Even when he had annoyed her before, she had never lashed out like this. Fearful of her disgust, he tightened his arms around her.
"I know many from the Central Plains come to Miaojiang seeking the love-guardian charm… so I thought it was a good thing. Chu'he is also from the Central Plains, so… I thought she’d like it too."
Chu'he lifted her head angrily. "I’m not like those people!"
Yes, of course she wasn’t.
Ninth gazed into her misty eyes, fingers twitching toward the reddened corners—only for her to slap his hand away without mercy.
"I love you, so I treasure you, I cherish you! If I see you hurt, do you think I’d be happy? If… if you really died in my place, do you think I’d rejoice at surviving?"
Ninth’s throat was parched, unable to force out a single word.
"I don’t want anything to happen to you. I want you safe." Chu'he wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face into the crook of his shoulder, breathing in his scent until her heart clenched even tighter.
Their meeting had begun with her lies.
Though raised in bloodshed, he was naive to the ways of the world and had believed her deceit.
In the cavern of the medicine men, he had protected her, left broken and barely alive.
Chu'he sobbed. "I thought once we left Miaojiang, you’d be free… but now I’ve bound you again. Ninth, I don’t want this. You’re your own person—you should be free to do whatever you want, not leashed to me."
It was strange.
Ninth couldn’t understand.
So many people desired him, wished to tie him down just as she described—why was Chu'he the only one who refused?
"Chu'he is angry."
Chu'he said, "Yes, I’m furious."
"Why?"
"Idiot!" She glared at him. "Because I love you!"
And just like that, all the things he couldn’t comprehend ceased to matter.
Because she loved him.
Ninth pressed a hand to his chest, dazed.
Beneath his skin, something wild and restless surged, as if desperate to break free, to coil around her, drag her inside, and keep her close to his frantically beating heart.
Chu'he blinked away tears, rubbing her face against his clothes until her vision cleared.
Cupping his face, she said firmly, "Ninth, undo this charm."
Ninth’s lips twitched. "I can’t."
He was lying.
Chu'he stared in disbelief. "You placed the charm yourself, and you can’t undo it?"
Ninth lowered his eyes, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, betraying rare nerves. "Once the love-guardian charm is cast, it cannot be undone unless the secondary charm dies."
Chu'he was livid. "Then what if I’m being chased and can’t escape?"
Ninth lifted his gaze gently, voice soft. "If Chu'he stays by my side day and night, never leaving me, then it’ll be fine."
Chu'he: "What if there’s another unexpected situation like tonight?"
Ninth's eyes flickered mischievously as he scooped Chu'he into his arms and laid her on the bed, climbing in beside her. His robe fell open further, revealing the faint outline of his sculpted abs.
Chu'he's face flushed as she clutched her collar, but when she looked at him again, memories of their past encounters flooded her mind. Her grip on her clothes loosened almost involuntarily.
If he wanted it… well, she wouldn’t refuse.
So what if they skipped a few steps? They could figure it out later!
Ninth’s cool fingers lifted one of her legs, tracing a path up to her ankle.
Chu'he lay with her eyes shut, bracing herself for what came next—only to feel a sudden chill around her ankle, followed by a soft jingling that echoed through the bed curtains.
She opened her eyes. "What are you doing?"
Ninth, still half-dressed, sat poised at the edge of the bed, holding her ankle as he gazed down at her. A few strands of his hair slipped over his shoulder, the ends brushing against her calf, sending a ticklish shiver through her.
"Now, Chu'he won’t ever lose me."
His fingertips toyed with the tiny bell on the red-string anklet, as if transferring its delicate chime onto her—a mark of his claim.
A smug smile curled his lips, proud of his clever solution, completely unaware of what he’d just missed.
Chu'he stared at him, deadpan.
Ninth leaned closer. "Let’s sleep together."
Her response was a sharp kick. "Go sleep in your own room!"
Ninth tumbled off the bed but immediately scrambled back up. "Chu'he, we can’t be apart."
"Didn’t you say this anklet means I won’t lose you?" She yanked the blanket over herself, turning her back on him. "Get out!"
His smile vanished. He reached for the anklet, but Chu'he tucked her feet under the covers, ignoring him.
Pouting but not daring to push further, he gathered his long hair and trudged out of the room.
Facing the wall, Chu'he clutched the blanket, torn between embarrassment and frustration.
After mentally preparing herself—even imagining their future children, a son named Little Treasure and a daughter called Baby—this was all he did?!
Her emotions churned until dawn, when exhaustion finally pulled her into a fitful sleep.
Once her breathing steadied, the door creaked open. The white-haired, crimson-eyed youth shed his last layer and slipped naked under the covers, pulling her effortlessly into his arms.
And with that, he, too, could rest peacefully.
