The woodpile in the corner had burned to ash, but the crude earthenware pot still simmered over the embers, filling the small cabin with steam.
As the air grew increasingly humid and hot, the two figures within the hut became more deeply entangled.
The moment Li Qiao embraced her, Qin Jiuye felt a flicker of regret.
The youth’s kiss was unpracticed, trembling and stumbling, yet it was precisely this raw, pulsing quality that made it so easy to lose oneself in.
Unfortunately, now was not the time for such reckless abandonment.
Her breathing quickened and her head began to burn. Knowing they could not continue, Qin Jiuye hurriedly pushed him away.
The youth froze, at a loss. He quickly lowered his head in a timid gesture, yet the hands holding her refused to let go, tightening their grip around her.
She truly did not understand how someone so severely injured could still possess such strength.
That secret formula was indeed worth investigating.
"Let go of me first. We can't talk like this."
Li Qiao’s fingers tightened at her waist for a moment before he finally, hesitantly, released her.
Qin Jiuye raised a hand to wipe her lips, steadying her surging emotions. As she continued to clean his wounds, she laid out his situation with total honesty.
"Your current circumstances are dire. Someone saw you entering and leaving the Lotus Market and the Listening Wind Hall. A paper lotus—the kind used only by assassins from the First Villa—was found beside Old Tang’s body. Your identity has been exposed. They suspect you broke into the Listening Wind Hall to silence him. Martial law has been declared inside and outside Jiugao City. Even if I hadn't come for you, they would have caught you eventually. And once you are captured and interrogated, the fact that your body is saturated with the secret formula likely won't remain a secret either." She finished in one breath, adding in a tone of forced, restrained calm, "Consider all of this carefully. If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But if you walk away now, the next time we meet, we will be strangers."
Her words were alarmist, yet he seemed possessed, replying in a low, muddled voice as if drunk.
"If Sister wants me to go back, I will go back."
"I want you to go back so you can clear your name. That way, you might have a chance to live in Jiugao City in the future." As she spoke, she suddenly remembered his true identity. Uncertain of his choice, she lowered her eyes. "If... if you still want to live that kind of life."
Go back? Go back where? Was it even possible for him to live a normal, upright life like an ordinary person?
Even if he wasn't entangled with the secret formula or the death of Tang Shenyan, how could he ever wash away the sins he had previously committed?
"The business on Qingping Road... I did it."
He spoke abruptly. The woman before him didn't even blink, merely nodding slightly.
"I know."
"The day we were separated at the Treasure Mirage Pavilion, I actually went to kill two people to steal their Clear Wind Powder."
"I know."
"I have killed many people before. Many of them had no grudge against me, but I killed them anyway."
He stared intently at her expression as he spoke.
Sensing his gaze, Qin Jiuye finally looked up. This time, it was he who recoiled, hanging his head uneasily.
Looking at that mop of hair, Qin Jiuye found the situation to be a mix of gravity, helplessness, and a touch of the absurd. Neither of them dared to hear the other's answer, yet they couldn't stop testing each other, hoping for a sign of infinite tolerance.
"If you intend to confess, tell me something I don't already know." She forced herself not to soften at the youth's fragile expression, though that kiss had robbed her "interrogation" of its threat. "Tell me the truth. What were you really doing on Qionghu Island?"
He paused for a moment before answering honestly.
"Stealing a blade."
Qin Jiuye’s gaze fell upon the long saber resting beside him, its surface stained with dried blood.
From his desperate flight to their current refuge, his hand had never left that blade—until just moments ago.
Qin Jiuye withdrew her gaze and sighed softly.
"It truly is a fine blade."
But even a blade forged of gold was not worth throwing one's life away for.
She remained silent for a moment, but finally, she could no longer endure it.
"You knew those people wouldn't let you go easily. Why take such a risk? Do all the assassins of the First Villa act as recklessly as you?"
"Because I needed that blade."
"Because it was your master's blade?"
He looked visibly stunned, seemingly surprised she had guessed that much, but he quickly shook his head.
"No."
Qin Jiuye pressed him further.
"Then why? Was it Young Master Yan of the Chuanliu Courtyard who forced you? What did he say to make you work so hard for him?"
He lowered his head again, falling silent.
Looking at the quiet youth, Qin Jiuye felt a sudden surge of uncontrollable emotion.
He had three broken ribs and roughly a dozen wounds of varying sizes, the deepest of which had nearly grazed his internal organs. She could not imagine how anyone could fight and flee with such injuries until they reached the point of total exhaustion.
Perhaps she couldn't truly understand his lack of choice or feel the years of torment and hardship he had endured. But was there really nothing in this world worth his lingering, worth stopping for, worth staying alive to experience?
"Don't you understand the saying, 'As long as the green mountains remain, one need not worry about firewood'? Even if you couldn't steal it this time, you could have waited for Di Mo to leave Jiugao and found another opportunity. Why did you have to rush forward when the storm was at its peak? Are you in that much pain? Do you want to die that badly?"
Her questioning was tinged with exasperation, echoing between them and stirring the struggle in the youth's eyes once more.
"Without this blade, I couldn't kill Zhu Fuxue."
Even though she had anticipated various possible answers, Qin Jiuye was still deeply shocked by his words.
"You... you killed Zhu Fuxue? But earlier by the lake, weren't you..."
*Weren't you clearly aware you were no match for her? Didn't you choose to endure and avoid her? Why avoid her then, only to seek her out now?*
Qin Jiuye’s voice cut off abruptly. Her gaze swept over the blood-soaked white robe lying nearby, and she suddenly understood.
While cleaning his body and tending his wounds, she had noticed that the garment was not the disciple's uniform he had worn on Qionghu Island. Judging by the fabric, it certainly wasn't the patched, coarse cloth from the Guoran Residence either.
Her anger suddenly dissipated, replaced by a bitter tang in her voice.
"Since she dared to have you change into the robes of the Falling Sands Sect and risked offending Di Mo to take you away from Qionghu Island, she must have intended to formally induct you into her sect. If you had followed her, you could have avoided the First Villa. In the future, perhaps..."
She was far too sharp; she had deduced the entire sequence of events from a few observed details. Li Qiao’s expression changed instantly, his voice becoming urgent.
"No, that's not it! She used a numbing incense on me. I was careless, and that's how she changed my clothes. I never intended to join the Falling Sands Sect. I stole the blade specifically to kill her. Because if I didn't kill her, she would have come to kill you very soon!"
He finally spat it all out, yet he felt no sense of relief. Instead, his chest felt as though it were about to burst. His hands, hanging at his sides, trembled from the force of his clenched fists.
Whenever he had to confess something about himself, it became agonizingly difficult to speak.
How could he tell her that the reason Zhu Fuxue was hounding them was because his past identity and origins had been exposed? In the past, he was merely a plaything to be manipulated at will. Whether it was Zhu Fuxue or the other "distinguished guests" of the First Villa, they only had to crook a finger or toss a blue medicinal bottle before him, and he would bow down as an obedient slave.
He had harmed her, burdened her. His wretchedness was not worth her saving.
The brief silence felt like an eternity of torment to him. After an unknown amount of time, he heard her ask in a nearly stifled voice.
"Why didn't you fight back?"
He looked up at her, dazed. In the next moment, the woman’s thin, weak hands firmly gripped his shoulders.
"Since you were strong enough to kill her, why didn't you fight back when she had someone break your fingers?"
Over the past years, in the countless moments when she had been stepped on, dragged through the dust, and treated as worthless, there wasn't a single second where she hadn't wanted to rise up and smash her fist into their noses. But she lacked that strength. Every time she endured such torment, she fantasized about possessing that power.
Perhaps she could never become a free-roaming, vengeful hero of the martial world, but the person before her could. He clearly could have used his fists and his blade to defend his dignity, yet in the end, he had chosen endurance and compromise, just as she had.
"Because back then, I only wanted to live..."
When he first faced Zhu Fuxue, he chose to endure because he still wanted to live. Just like the years since he fled the Villa, no matter the posture of his breath or the rhythm of his heart, struggling to survive in this filthy, ugly world had been the entire meaning of his existence.
But the moment he charged at Zhu Fuxue with his blade, he had found something more important than living.
It was her.
"I know Sister came to find me to help Qiu Ling solve the case and uncover the truth of the secret formula."
Perhaps that was also why she was willing to hold him and kiss him.
He lowered those eyes that had once been filled with killing intent, trying to hide the moisture and fragility within them, but his raspy, trembling voice could not be concealed.
"But it's alright. It doesn't matter..."
A person like him didn't deserve to be cherished. She could treat him like a bundle of firewood for the medicine stove—before he burned out and turned to ash, he could boil a pot of medicine, warm her hands, and heat her body. That would be enough.
"You're wrong. I came to find you because I like you."
Qin Jiuye’s voice rang out suddenly. Her cool hand gently cupped his face, forcing him to look into her eyes.
She had declared her heart with that kiss, and now she repeated it to him, word by word.
"Li Qiao, I like you. Do you like me?"
*Like? But what is "like"?*
Su Muhe had said she liked him, but he hadn't felt happy; he only wanted to escape. Before that, the people who ordered and enslaved him had also said they liked him, but he only felt terror. Even earlier, back at the Villa, that man had said he liked and appreciated him, subsequently transferring him to the First Battalion and sending him out of the Villa as an "outstanding disciple." Looking back now, he felt his nightmare had begun with those two words: "I like."
He thought that Su Muhe hadn't actually done anything wrong; it was just that some of her words and actions reminded him of the dark shadows lurking in his past.
To him, "like" was a form of torture, a punishment, a dominance, a crime for which he could be executed at any time or place.
Li Qiao shook his head slightly.
He did not believe he was capable of liking anyone.
Qin Jiuye gazed at his face, which was a storm of emotions. She could feel the temperature rising in his cheeks against her palm.
His body had clearly confirmed the answer, even if his chaotic mind could not yet sort it out. But it didn't matter; she wouldn't give up easily.
Qin Jiuye pulled something from her person and placed it before him.
"If you don't like me, why did you give me this?"
His eyelashes fluttered. The moment his gaze touched the bronze mirror, he quickly looked away.
"...Because you like it."
"If you don't like me, why did you kill Zhu Fuxue for me?"
The youth fell into silence again. After a long while, he whispered, "Because... I don't know how to do anything else."
Aside from killing, he had no other skills.
Aside from killing Zhu Fuxue, he didn't know what else he could do for her.
He understood Zhu Fuxue; he knew there was no solution other than killing her because he had once been the same kind of person—someone who would not stop until their goal was reached.
The path of survival was so monotonous in their eyes, stretching straight beneath their feet with no branches to choose from and no end in sight. Just like the blood-stained Mingde Avenue today.
Aside from slaughter, he knew no other way to live.
To stay alive, he had to kill.
To keep her alive, he had to kill Zhu Fuxue.
"Who says you can only do those things? I need you, and the Guoran Residence needs you too."
Qin Jiuye’s voice sounded in his ear. Li Qiao hesitated before speaking.
"Does Sister have someone she wants killed? I won't charge you silver, and I won't let anyone find out..."
Seeing his reaction, Qin Jiuye didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Have you forgotten everything I taught you at the Guoran Residence? Filling prescriptions, weighing herbs, and collecting debts—didn't you do those things quite well?"
Li Qiao opened his mouth, and after a long pause, he asked incredulously, "You... are still willing to let me return to the Guoran Residence?"
"Of course. But not looking like this mess."
Whether he liked her or not was something he would have to figure out for himself. For now, her priority was to heal his body.
Qin Jiuye stood up and used a poker to stir the woodpile. The earthenware pot was no longer boiling or steaming. She leaned in to check, then used the hem of her robe as a pad to carry the pot over. After blowing on it to cool it, she handed it to him.
"Drink it all. Not a single dreg left."
Without a word, he took it. Without even looking, he poured the contents of the pot into his mouth.
The freshly boiled herbs were a clumped mess, bitter and astringent. He chewed and swallowed them down. Suddenly, he let out a low grunt. Though the sound was small, she heard it and immediately leaned closer.
"Did you burn yourself? I blew on it; it shouldn't have been that hot."
Li Qiao touched his jaw and shook his head slightly.
"It must have been hit during the fight with Zhu Fuxue."
As someone who knew nothing of martial arts, Qin Jiuye could not imagine the details of that fight. She wiped her hands, leaned forward, and pinched his chin.
"Open your mouth. Let me see."
He obediently opened his mouth, allowing the woman’s fingers to probe and search within.
Her fingertips carried the faint bitterness of unknown herbs. When they occasionally brushed against his teeth, the memory of that rainy night was instantly awakened. Back then, he had been delirious from his heavy injuries and the reaction of the substance within him, yet he still remembered the sensation of his teeth piercing her skin.
Firelight danced in the youth's pupils. The hand supporting him on the floor slowly tightened, and his body began to tense uncontrollably, as if the person sitting before him were not a defenseless village doctor, but his formidable enemy, Grandmaster Li Kuquan.
She keenly sensed his abnormality and her movements stopped.
"You've broken a tooth. That's why it hurt just now..."
As she spoke, she moved to withdraw her hand, but her wrist was suddenly seized by him.
A strong premonition that something was about to happen surged through her mind. She felt his voice grow even deeper.
"You... have a cut here."
Qin Jiuye’s gaze fell back to her own fingertips. Only then did she notice a small nick on the pad of her index finger, likely left from searching through the wild jujube thickets earlier.
The wound was insignificant; it didn't even hurt unless touched.
But for the youth who had just been severely injured, even the slightest scent of blood could cause his internal energy to surge.
The secret formula that helped heal his flesh and ward off death was now demanding its "price." If he did not respond, it would seize control of his body. The craving for blood expanded wildly within him. Reason and consciousness retreated step by step under the provocation of the metallic scent. Li Qiao uncontrollably opened his mouth and gently took Qin Jiuye’s fingertip between his lips.
Qin Jiuye shuddered involuntarily. The trembling of that rainy night returned in an instant.
He slowly licked her fingertip, tentatively touching it with his teeth. Her breathing quickened, but she did not pull her hand away.
More than half a month had passed since Li Qiao attacked her at the Guoran Residence. During that time, her guard had slowly lowered, and other crises had pushed the incident to the back of her mind. Facing it again now, she was inevitably at a loss, yet she wasn't as terrified as the first time. She could even spare a thought to consider the cause of all this.
Judging from his first episode, his injuries must have triggered the secret formula, driving him to consume blood to replenish his body. This craving might subside once satisfied, but it could also develop into an instinct, becoming increasingly uncontrollable. Although this was the wilderness, there were villages a few miles away. If she drove away someone on the verge of an episode, would he attack others? She couldn't let him out to harm anyone else; her family's troubles should be settled by her family.
But how to settle it?
Qin Jiuye’s gaze fell upon the youth’s face, so close to her own. He was near enough that she could easily draw a needle and drop him just as she had dealt with Yuan Qi. But for some reason, seeing him exposed and defenseless before her, the hands she intended to use for "ruthlessness" suddenly hesitated.
Should she not push him away? Could she not push him away? Or... did she not want to push him away?
Her heart beat faster and faster, yet her thoughts slowed down. In the next moment, the youth’s sharp teeth sank in.
A sharp pain shot through her fingertip as bright red blood welled up, like ripe cornelian cherries in the September mountains.
The long-standing void was finally filled. A low sigh escaped from deep within his throat as he gently held her finger in his mouth.
He could no longer distinguish between the taste of blood and the scent of her. An intense longing drove him to move closer.
Closer, and closer still...
*Clang.*
It was the sound of the medicine pot being knocked over.
Nothing flowed out of the already empty pot, but something much thicker and hotter was already surging through the air.
The youth’s body slowly pressed down. Their violent heartbeats merged, a chaotic but identical frequency, like the sound of a sudden downpour hitting the earth.
Suddenly, a noise disrupted the sound.
Someone was coming.
Li Qiao’s eyes snapped open.
In the next instant, the dull sound of splintering wood exploded behind them. Li Qiao extended his right arm, pulling Qin Jiuye into his embrace. His left hand had just managed to press against the hilt of his saber when a cold light lunged straight for him.
The tip of a sword, as white and bright as snow, stopped barely three inches from his neck. The old door panels had shattered under the force of the sword's qi. Dust and wood chips flew, dancing before the eyes of the young Governor, which were filled with a mixture of shock and fury.
"Let her go!"
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
九皋城 | Jiugao City | The main city setting.
天下第一庄 | First Villa | Literally "Number One Villa under Heaven."
荷花集市 | Lotus Market | A location in the city.
听风堂 | Listening Wind Hall | A location/organization.
唐慎言 | Tang Shenyan | Full name of "Old Tang."
川流院 | Chuanliu Courtyard | An organization or location.
公子琰 | Young Master Yan | A character associated with Chuanliu Courtyard.
狄墨 | Di Mo | A character, likely a powerful martial artist.
朱覆雪 | Zhu Fuxue | A female antagonist from the Falling Sands Sect.
落砂门 | Falling Sands Sect | A martial arts sect.
铭德大道 | Mingde Avenue | A main road in the city.
李苦泉 | Li Kuquan | A Grandmaster and likely Li Qiao's master.
茱萸 | Cornelian Cherry | Also known as dogwood fruit; often associated with the Double Ninth Festival.
剑气 | Sword Qi | The invisible energy or force emitted from a sword.
