“Don’t, don’t go, stay, alright? I’m… I’m afraid… afraid of ghosts.”
It’s really embarrassing to say this, but I’m really scared, afraid of Ming Luo, afraid of that unknown female ghost in red. If it happens again, I’ll be scared to death.
“If I don’t sleep well, I… I won’t have the energy to fix the painting tomorrow.” I tried to withdraw my hand, but then I suddenly noticed something. My gaze fixed on the hand gripping his collar—my middle finger was wrapped around a red thread, and the other end of the thread… I lowered my gaze and discovered it was tied around his middle finger.
This red thread… wasn’t it the one the tribe leader had me tie when I paid my respects to the corpse god statue yesterday? Has it been on my hand this whole time? How did I not notice?
I was filled with doubt, instinctively grabbing Tunshe Nalin’s hand to examine it closely. But in the blink of an eye, the red thread that had been wrapped around our fingers disappeared, as if it had been nothing but an illusion.
Not wanting him to misunderstand me as impulsive again, I quickly released his hand.
After all, asking him to “stay” at night could easily cause ambiguity, and we also had a little fight last night. I explained, “I just want to have a good sleep, nothing else. This bed is spacious enough for two people to sleep in, I promise, I won’t do anything out of line.”
Tunshe Nalin stood there and didn’t respond to me.
I lowered my head and rubbed my fingers. If he left, I would definitely not be able to sleep.
Perhaps considering that I had to be in good spirits to finish the painting for him tomorrow, Tunshe Nalin stood quietly in front of the bed for a moment and actually lay down beside me.
There was a sinking sensation beside me, and my heart settled. The lingering fear finally dissipated. I had been trying to fall asleep for a while, but I couldn’t hear Tunshe Nalin’s breathing next to me, the silence was so deep that it felt as though he weren’t even there. I opened my eyes, a bit uneasy, and immediately saw the red canopy above and the carved bed frame. Glancing to the side, I saw that he was indeed there, and I finally relaxed. Yet, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering.
I have to admit, sharing this carved red bed with him really did make it feel like… we were newlyweds.
I fear marriage, but I’m not truly a “goddess consort” married to the corpse god, and Tunshe Nalin isn’t the corpse god. In this situation, it does have a certain charm to it.
Unable to sleep, I turned to my side and inched closer to him, quietly admiring his sleeping face. Tunshe Nalin’s profile was strikingly handsome, like the Suwajia Mountains rising in the night, with his brow bone as the peaks, the ridge of his nose as the mountain top, and the curve of his lips as the valley. Unable to help myself, I reached out and traced his jawline with my fingers, sketching every inch as if my fingers were a brush.
What are his eyes really like?
I thought to myself, intending to take the chance while he was asleep and remove the cloth covering his eyes. But when my fingers brushed past the bridge of his nose, I couldn’t help but freeze—Tunshe Nalin wasn’t breathing.
He must be awake, deliberately holding his breath.
I quickly withdrew my hand, but as I did, my wrist was tightly seized with a sharp “snap”—he had caught me red-handed.
“What are you doing?”
“I…” I just promised not to mess around but got caught sneaking a touch on his face in the middle of the night. I felt a bit embarrassed, smiled, and said, “A bug flew onto your face… I was trying to brush it off.”
His adam apple moved slightly, and he didn’t say much more and let go of my hand.
I pulled my hand back into the blanket, and seeing that he wasn’t covered, I lifted the blanket and draped it over him. To my surprise, my hand was suddenly gripped tightly, and with a “whoosh,” something wrapped around it, binding it to the headboard. Before I could react, my other hand was also restrained.
I was startled and said, “What are you doing, Tunshe Nalin!”
“You said, you wouldn’t mess around.” He said, pinching my face and asking coldly.
“I just wanted to cover you with a blanket!” I was furious and tried to kick him, but my knee hit something cold and hard, probably a gem on his belt. In an instant, I was completely wrapped up in the blanket, trapped like a cicada pupa. Under my stunned gaze, Tunshe Nalin lay down stiffly and said, “Sleep.”
I glanced up and realized that the belt tying my hands was his jeweled belt.
What’s he carrying around his waist? A weapon for self-defense? His reaction was so fast, it seemed like he was prepared—wait, does he really think I’m some kind of pervert? He can lift me with one hand, and with my strength and build, can I rape him or something? I was so angry my ears were burning, kicking around on the bed in frustration. It used to be others who were all over me, but now, with him, I ended up looking so embarrassed and helpless…
My legs were firmly pinned down, and he leaned over me, his tone cold and ominous: “If you don’t behave…”
I glared at him, breathing unevenly, and yelled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
With a “pop,” a cylindrical object, about the size of a finger, fell out from his collar and rolled to the side of my face. Before I could get a good look, he quickly shoved it under the pillow.
The fingers gripping my face tightened a little more. “I’ll leave you here, all alone. It’s the dead of night now, It’s the third watch now, the yin energy is at its peak.”
I shuddered and immediately stopped, not daring to move.
I gritted my teeth and decided to give up fighting with him. After all, it was me who asked him to stay and sleep with me, and I couldn’t help but attack him just now. No matter how I explain it now, it will only make things worse.
Seeing that I stopped struggling, Tunshe Nalin let go of my hand and lay down again.
“Little fox.”
In the dark night, he whispered something, it seemed to be this word. I didn’t hear it clearly, I was angry and didn’t want to ask more questions, so I forced myself to close my eyes.
I don’t even know when I fell asleep. When I woke up, my hands had been untied, but there were still red marks on my wrists from where they had been bound. Thinking about how I was left tied to the headboard by Tunshe Nalin all night, just like that, made my anger flare up again.
But the one responsible was nowhere to be seen and had clearly already gotten up. Fuming, I threw open the curtains and saw Tunshe Nalin, fully dressed, sitting at the table. The table was laid out with a rich spread of food—bird eggs, sweet potatoes, roasted birds, and a steaming bowl of milk tea.
“You’re awake.” He said.
Seeing that he had prepared breakfast, half of my anger subsided. Though there was still some left, my weak stomach couldn’t take it. After a bit of tossing and turning in bed, I finally gave in and got out of bed.
During the meal, Tunshe Nalin still didn’t take a bite. I didn’t bother with him and quickly devoured the entire breakfast, leaving only one bird egg to save for the vulture later.
Once his servant finished clearing the table and left, it was just the two of us. I didn’t even glance at the painting he had set in front of me to finish. Instead, I stared at him. “Don’t think that just because you made breakfast, I’ll let it slide. I was just trying to be kind last night, but you treated me like that. I don’t care. If you don’t let me vent, even if you throw me off the mountain, I still won’t continue with the painting.”
Tunshe Nalin was silent for a moment before asking, “How do you, want to, vent?”
I seized the opportunity to make a request: “Once I finish this painting, you have to promise me that I can paint you.”
Seeing that he didn’t respond or show any sign of remorse, I ground my teeth, stood up, and started heading back to the bed. But then I heard him say, “Just one portrait, and I’ll decide, where to paint.”
I felt a surge of joy in my heart and immediately sat back down at the table. Without saying another word, I unfurled the painting. Thanks to the experience from the first day, my efficiency was much higher on the second day. By evening, I had already completed most of it. After adding the final layer of color, the painting would be as vivid as before. However, the canvas was delicate and needed to be left to dry overnight before I could make the final touches the next day.
“Alright, I’ll just leave it here to let the paint dry. Tomorrow, it’ll be ready for the finishing touches. Look, do those peeled spots look like they’re gone now? I think I’ve fixed it up well enough to satisfy you.”
Tunshe Nalin didn’t respond, seemingly lost in studying the painting. I knew he was probably reminded of past memories with his former lover by the painting, and I didn’t want to disturb him. Stretching, I began packing up the paint pots, but then I suddenly heard him say, “It’s missing, one color.”
I froze for a moment as I saw him lift the skull candleholder toward the painting. My gaze followed where his fingertip pointed, and only then did I notice that all the white areas in the painting weren’t ordinary white. Under the firelight, the white base emitted a faint purple glow—this was a very special mineral pigment, one that wasn’t among the ores that Tai Wu and I had gathered. Even I couldn’t identify which mineral it came from. I stared in astonishment and widened my eyes. “This is…?”
“Flamestone,” Tunshe Nalin said, “I know where, to find it.”
Seeing him stand up, I was surprised and asked, “Is it here on this snow mountain?”
He nodded.
“Take me with you!” I grabbed the back basket.
“It’s very cold at night.” He replied.
I looked at him. “But it’s during the day, can you go outside? Aren’t your eyes sensitive to light?”
“I can go, by myself.” He replied.
“No, I have to go too.” I insisted firmly. If I could personally gather such a rare and beautiful mineral pigment, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an artist. I didn’t want to miss it, just like I didn’t want to miss him as my muse, leaving behind a lifelong regret.
The snow mountain was truly freezing at night. Despite Tunshe Nalin having a servant prepare a full set of winter gear for me, such as fur-lined robes, leather hats, scarves, boots, and a cloak, I was bundled up like a dumpling. Yet, the moment I stepped into the thick snow, I still felt the cold seep into my bones, each step making me shiver. On the other hand, Tunshe Nalin wore nothing but a thin, fine robe, yet he seemed completely unaffected by the cold. He carried a lantern and walked ahead of me, blocking some of the biting wind that hit me.
After walking for a while, I turned around and glanced behind me. Along the stone steps we had descended, the building perched on the edge of the cliff loomed majestically under the moonlight. Its blood-red structure intertwined with thick tree vines, blending into one. From a distance, it resembled an ancient, massive creature, locked in a deadly struggle with a giant serpent, its carcass buried in the snow-covered mountain, carrying an unwilling resentment.
I lost my footing for a moment and slipped, but Tunshe Nalin grabbed my wrist, and I ended up crashing into his arms and said, “Qin Ran, if you fall from here, even I, won’t be able to save you.”
The cold wind howled behind me. I glanced at the bottomless abyss behind us and felt a wave of fear wash over me.
We had just left the man-made stone steps and were descending along the steep mountain slope. Tunshe Nalin had once again stepped in front of me. I hadn’t realized that we had reached the edge of the cliff. This narrow, cliffside path had no guardrails, and if he hadn’t grabbed me, I would have fallen to my death, shattered on the rocks below already. My heart raced, and I didn’t dare glance behind me. “Th-thank you.” I stammered.
“Do you still, want to go with me?”
I nodded and looked at him. “Of course.”
