Chu'he leaned in close to Ninth, tilting her head slightly as a strand of black hair slipped over her shoulder and landed on his pale fingers, tickling them.
"Ninth is so wonderful. You’ll definitely have more and more friends in the future. No matter where you go, you’ll always be surrounded by warmth!"
Her eyes curved into crescents, shimmering with tiny flecks of light, while the upward curve of her lips and the faint dimples on her cheeks made her unbearably sweet.
Ninth froze, his mind blank, unsure how to react.
Chu'he had always been good at saying the right things. She thanked the others, "Ninth is shy and introverted, not one for sweet words, but his heart is the purest and kindest. We’re so happy he can make friends with everyone!"
Zhou Xian had once witnessed Ninth’s terrifying, bone-chilling fury, but looking at Chu'he now, he decided not to mention what had happened that day.
Chu'he held a special significance for Ninth. With her by his side, he wouldn’t become a blade that lost all reason. If she wanted to forge good connections for him, to deepen his ties to the mortal world, why not let her?
Su Lingxi sat at a table not far away, her gaze shifting between Ninth and Chu'he.
Wuya asked, "What is the Young Mistress thinking?"
Su Lingxi murmured softly, "Indeed, she is the key to changing the outcome."
Zhou Xian, worried about Luo Qiaoqiao and her child upstairs, went up ahead.
Chu'he held a handful of shelled sunflower seeds, feeding one to the little green snake before popping one into her own mouth, relaxed and utterly at ease.
Slowly, pale fingers crept up to clutch the hem of her skirt, as if afraid to disturb her, barely daring to grasp just a tiny corner.
"Ah'he."
Chu'he lifted her gaze. "Hmm?"
Ninth’s back was no longer straight as he bent down, his bright, glistening eyes fixed intently on her. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
His voice was soft. "I belong only to Ah'he. You’re all I need. I don’t want friends."
"Having just me isn’t enough." Chu'he straightened, closing the distance between them. "Ninth is so wonderful—more people should know that. Friends are friends, and lovers are lovers. They’re different."
Ninth looked lost. "How are they different?"
Chu'he thought for a moment, then lightly tapped the back of his hand with her fingertip, smiling. "I’m here—your home. When you’re tired or weary, you can always lean on me. Friends, though, are the ones who’ll watch the skies and the earth with you. Some scenery is only meaningful when shared with those who understand."
"Like a tree that needs roots but also a forest to stand beside, so it won’t be lonely."
"Ninth is so good, so good that I want to hide you away. But I can’t help wanting more people to know—my Ninth isn’t just loved by me. He deserves to be cherished by others too."
She placed the remaining sunflower seeds back into his palm, then stretched her hands out to draw a circle in the air before forming a heart over her chest. She laughed.
"See? Ah'he’s heart is right here. Even if Ninth goes out to play for a while, you don’t have to worry about losing your way back. Because this place will always be waiting for you to return, ready to fill you up again."
Her face was so close, her eyes reflecting nothing but him.
Who was it, really, that anchored the heart of a lover?
For some reason, Ninth’s body burned fiercely. He pressed a hand to his chest, where something heavy seemed lodged, burning so intensely it made his eyes sting and redden.
He had never known how to interact with people. No one had ever taught him how relationships worked.
Being with Chu'he had only happened because she had barged into his life like a bandit, forcing open a door in his heart. And so, stumbling and fumbling, he had begun to learn how to love someone.
Even now, compared to ordinary couples, he knew he still fell short.
But he thought he understood what Chu'he meant.
She didn’t want to be his sole purpose in life. She wanted him to have a fuller existence, to experience all kinds of emotions.
Ninth’s breath hitched, his back bending further as a scalding heat spread from his chest to his limbs, even tinting the tips of his ears red.
He called her name softly. "Ah'he."
Chu'he lifted her gaze, smiling. "Hmm, I’m here."
"I really, really like you."
She laughed. "I know."
Ninth’s eyes flickered as he lowered his lashes, pressing his cheek against hers like an affectionate young beast, nuzzling her tenderly.
"I’m willing to learn how to be an ordinary person. But if Ah'he weren’t here..."
His voice trembled, his breath warm and sticky against her skin, his lips brushing her cheek with a damp, melancholic touch.
"I would kill everyone."
Chu'he nodded. "Mm-hmm... Wait, what?!"
Her eyes flew open to look at him. His stunningly beautiful face, for some reason, now carried an even more twisted, obsessive intensity.
His gaze burned like flames, branding her, yet also like a cage, trapping every breath she took.
"If Ah'he wants me to be human, then I’ll be human."
He smiled, his crimson eyes darkening, as if they might melt into thick, dripping blood at any moment.
"But without you, what’s the point of being human?"
Then what meaning did this world even hold?
Chu'he broke out in a cold sweat.
Why was he acting more and more like a villain?!
The boy had never been a good person to begin with. It was only because of her that he had gained a shred of humanity and stepped into the world.
If she were gone, he would surely fall right back into the abyss.
He pulled her into his arms, inhaling the scent of her hair as he patted her back gently, chuckling in delight.
"Good Ah'he, don’t be afraid."
"I was just joking."
"You didn’t actually believe me, did you?"
Chu'he: "..."
She couldn’t shake the creeping unease in her chest.
Then, noise erupted from the second floor.
"Let go of the young master!"
It was Zhou Xian’s voice.
Everyone turned to see Zhou Xian helping a weakened Luo Qiaoqiao step back, followed by a man clutching an infant.
Chu'he recognized him instantly—he was the stable boy who had taken their horses when they first arrived at the inn.
Amid the earlier chaos, no one had kept track of how many of the possessed had died, nor noticed that one of the stable hands had gone missing.
The stable boy held a knife to the baby’s fragile neck, his face twisted with madness. "Let me leave, or I’ll kill him!"
"No!" Luo Qiaoqiao cried in panic. "Take me instead! Use me as your hostage!"
The stable boy sneered. "Everyone knows Wenren, the Lord of the Continent, can replace his wives anytime. But he only has one son."
What kind of hellish joke was this?
Chu'he’s expression twisted awkwardly, momentarily forgetting the eerie feeling her boyfriend had given her as she craned her neck, eager to watch the drama unfold.
The stable boy noticed her movement, his body trembling. "You can cure the Three-Day Drunk poison... You’re from Miaojiang... the Young Mistress of the Gu Sect?"
Just saying it aloud made him quake with terror, a testament to how fearsome the title "Young Mistress of the Gu Sect" truly was.
The others all turned their eyes to Ninth.
The crimson-robed youth with silver hair lounged lazily, straightening the tilted pearl hairpin in the girl's locks before lifting his gaze with a bewitching smile.
"They say only the young master of the Gu Sect can cure the Three-Day Drunkenness, and you believed it."
"If you trust others' words so easily..."
"Then when I say you'll melt into a pool of blood today, leaving not even bones behind—would you believe that too?"
The waiter trembled, his face turning ashen.
Chu'he looked up, dazed.
Ninth's eyes curved into crescents, innocent and sweet, as he gently patted her forehead and murmured, "Silly Chu'he, don’t be scared. I was only teasing."
