Turning my head, my gaze fell on Tunshe Nalin’s face, which was still covered with the blindfold—he didn’t move at all, he just quietly let me cover his mouth. He didn’t even frown, but he didn’t breathe, and it was obvious that he was somewhat nervous because of my sudden movement.
I felt the cool and soft touch on my palm, my hand went numb, and I moved it away.
…My eyes uncontrollably swept towards his lips.
The corners of his mouth drooped, and his lips were slightly thin, a characteristic of self-discipline and restraint. Yet, his lips bore a prominent cupid’s bow, with a clear curve and a seductive shape—instantly, it seemed like they would be irresistible to kiss.
I swallowed dryly, feeling a cold sensation at the corner of my right eye. I froze for a moment, then looked at his hand, which was gently placed over the corner of my right eye. It seemed that the area had been scratched by a bullet or a branch, with blood trickling down my cheek. He used his thumb to softly wipe it away.
My heart pounded like a drum, yet doubts kept creeping in—this gesture, between two men, especially two men who had just met, felt far too ambiguous. Besides, hadn’t Tunshe Nalin been so enraged by my comments about that painting that he had thrown me directly by the roadside?
Why is he acting like this now?
If he’s here, it can’t be by chance, right?
Has he calmed down, realized he was wrong, and deliberately come out to find me?
I raised an eyebrow, staring at Tunshe Nalin, deep in thought. I could feel his cold fingertip lingering at the corner of my eye, his movement no longer simply wiping away blood but instead gently stroking the area. My heart skipped a beat. I grabbed his wrist tightly and curled my lips into a smile. “What are you doing, Tunshe Nalin? You threw me by the roadside late at night, and now you feel guilty? Let me tell you, if you keep acting like this, I might start thinking things you don’t want me to.”
Tunshe Nalin didn’t respond to my teasing. And he didn’t try to pull his hand away either, his thumb still pressing gently on the corner of my eye. “Your face, can’t be harmed.”
His tone was calm and steady, yet there was an undercurrent of bloodlust that faintly seeped through. For some reason, it reminded me of that driver earlier, the one who had been turned into a monster, with his face peeled away.
A fleeting thought in my mind vanished as quickly as it came. I wiped the smile from my face and said seriously, “Tunshe Nalin, we need to leave here. It’s really dangerous—there are not only monsters but also bad people. Saibang and I were captured by bad people before, and I don’t know if he can escape or not. We should go back to the village and tell your tribe leader about this. We need to organize a search for that child.”
“He’s, fine.” Tunshe Nalin replied in a low voice, “He has already been sent back to the village.”
“Ah?” I was startled, unable to believe it happened so quickly. But hearing the certainty in his tone, I knew he had no reason to lie to me about the safety of his own people, so I eased my mind.
“That’s great. Shall we go?” I released his wrist, but Tunshe Nalin didn’t move. He remained sitting on the rock, slightly tilting his head back. In that moment, I wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the shadows from the trees or something, but it seemed like I saw the corner of his mouth curve ever so slightly, as if he were smiling.
“You’re, very kind.”
“……” I let out a soft scoff, but my ears turned slightly red—there’s no gay man who could resist being complimented by a handsome man like Tunshe Nalin, especially when he’s my muse.
But am I kind?
Since I was young, countless people have told me that I have a pair of deep, affectionate eyes yet a naturally cold temperament. Even Ming Luo once half-jokingly said I was warm on the outside but cold on the inside. At first, people might think I’m a ball of fire, but once those who seek warmth get close, they’ll realize that deep down, I’m actually quite indifferent.
Indifferent… doesn’t that mean lacking in affection and loyalty?
Would someone like that really be considered kind?
This is just the basic sense of morality that any normal person should have. And I also have it, that’s all.
Rustle, rustle—just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly saw a yellow figure emerge from behind a large tree not far from Tunshe Nalin. Was it that guy, Gu Man? He was holding a recurve bow, and as soon as I noticed him, he quickly reached behind and nocked an arrow. The speed was so fast that with a “whoosh,” the arrow came straight at me. Instinctively, I shoved Tunshe Nalin aside, and the shadow of the arrow struck my shoulder.
With a loud “boom,” a burst of fire ignited on my shoulder. When I saw that the arrowhead was wrapped in a yellow paper talisman, a sharp, excruciating pain shot through me. I screamed in agony and rolled on the ground. At that moment, a pair of hands quickly scooped me up.
“Run quickly, Tunshe Nalin! Those bad people are chasing!” I yelled through gritted teeth, enduring the intense pain.
Tunshe Nalin, however, paid no attention to my warning. He grabbed the sharp arrow lodged in my shoulder, and with his bare hands, he snuffed out the flames. The yellow paper burned into a puff of ash. Just then, another “whoosh” rang through the air as another arrow shot towards us. He didn’t even flinch, instead turning his head to look. I wrapped my arms around his body, trying to shield his back where his heart would be. In that instant, the sound of flapping wings filled the air, and a white shadow descended from the sky. With a “crack,” another arrow fell to the ground beside me, splitting into two pieces, and immediately caught fire, burning to ashes.
The white shadow folded its wings and landed on Tunshe Nalin’s shoulder. It was the red-crested vulture. When I looked up again, the man in yellow had already vanished without a trace.
Tunshe Nalin let out a sharp whistle, and the vulture perched on his shoulder immediately spread its wings. In the blink of an eye, it soared into the sky, darting towards the direction where the man in yellow had disappeared.
The sharp pain in my shoulder came in waves, accompanied by a burning sensation that spread from the wound, coursing through my veins like wildfire consuming a desolate forest in the winter night. I clutched his shoulder, my body trembling, and groaned through clenched teeth, “Hot… it hurts… it’s like it’s burning! The arrow… it’s poisoned!”
My body lightened as he lifted me effortlessly, cradling me in his arms and placing me into the stream. The cold water surrounded me, but I felt no chill. Instead, the wildfire-like heat continued to surge through my body, the pain was so intense that I couldn’t stop trembling.
“Don’t move.” Tunshe Nalin pressed his hand firmly against my chest, then gripped the arrow lodged in my shoulder. With a swift, he wrenched it out forcefully.
“Ugh!” With a sharp crack, the sound of his bones grinding together filled the air. Blood splattered in all directions, rising up to three feet. I writhed, like a dying eel, before he pressed me back into the water.
“Why?” Tunshe Nalin leaned over me, his voice close to my ear as he asked.
I knew he was asking why I risked my life to save him, but the pain and blood loss gradually made me fall into a daze. I couldn’t answer him, only weakly smiling.
In the next moment, his damp, thick black hair brushed across my face and swept over my neck, causing a wave of itchiness. Tunshe Nalin lowered himself, lifting me up, and bowed his head to my shoulder. Then, something colder than the stream, yet softer than petals, gently fell onto my wound.
—It was worth it.
That thought flashed through my mind before I lost consciousness.
………
“Ah Ran…”
In the haze, a familiar and gentle voice softly called my name. A damp hand caressed my cheek.
Without thinking, I grasped the hand and felt a cool bracelet. Its surface was slightly rough and uneven—traces of mineral pigment particles. I had polished it myself. The texture was familiar, and out of habit, I rubbed the particles between my fingers, idly playing with them as I slowly opened my eyes.
“Are you awake?” Ming Luo’s face was hanging above me, staring at me, his eyes filled with a gentleness that could drown people, his hair and face were wet, like a mermaid just out of the bath. He lowered his head and kissed the corner of my eye. “Ah Ran, will you marry me…”
“Why are you bringing this up again? Didn’t I tell you my answer already?” I replied to him lazily and impatiently.
I will not marry anyone and will never accept such a bond, not to mention that he is my muse. If we get married, this relationship will definitely deteriorate due to the daily necessities and end in unbearable vulgarity. Through the soaked fabric, I gently patted his back in a comforting manner, only to feel an unusually cold body beneath.
“You… why are you so cold?”
Suddenly, my hands were tightly seized and pulled above my head, forcing me into a rather dominant position.
“Ah Ran, I want you…”
Ming Luo always goes along with me and spoils me. He knows that I have been used to being the center of attention since I was a child, and I want to be the absolute master in a relationship. He also knows my personal obsession with the relationship between the painter and the muse—between the two, spiritual fusion is enough. Kissing is the purest and most extreme expression of desire. If it goes one step further and develops into a sexual relationship, it will become vulgar and deteriorate. So even if he really wants to sleep with me, he never forces me to do it. It has never been like this before. So I was stunned: “Ah Luo?”
“Ah Ran, I’m so cold, my heart is cold…” Ming Luo’s eyes were still gentle, but his tone suddenly changed. The air around me seemed to drop by dozens of degrees, making me feel like I was in an ice cellar. It got dark all around, and I noticed that I was not in my room but in a dark and long square space. It was like… a coffin.
“Ming, Ming Luo, where are we?”
“I’ve only left for a year… and you’ve already fallen in love with someone else?”
“Le-left?”
I shuddered and stared at Ming Luo’s handsome and familiar face.
Left… that’s right, Ming Luo, isn’t he dead?
“Ah Ran…” Ming Luo murmured to me, his face gradually turned pale, and then began to swell as if it had been soaked in water for a long time, blood oozed from his eye sockets, nose, and ears. He opened his mouth, and a few small fish came out from between his teeth and flowed onto my face with the blood. “I fell into the sea from a great height. The water is so cold. The fish eat my flesh. I am so scared. I miss you so much… I wish you could come to accompany me… But why did you fall in love with someone else?”
“Let, let me go!” I screamed and struggled, but the little fish crawled into my clothes, squirmed around clinging to my skin, and moved along my chest to my abdomen.
“Ah Ran, I love you. If we get married, we can be together forever…”
Suddenly, with a “chi” sound, something pierced my chest.
I lowered my eyes and saw a blood-red rosy camellia.
A pale and slender hand reached out from the center of the flower and grabbed Ming Luo’s neck.
“He is, my slave. You, a mere remnant soul, even dare to offend me?”
I woke up in shock, covered in cold sweat.
My mind was hazy, the remnants of my dream slipping beyond recall. As I opened my eyes, one was cast in shadow while the other remained blurred. All I could make out were the shifting silhouettes of trees and what seemed to be the flicker of firelight.
Drops of cold and thick liquid seeped into my lips, it was sweet and fishy, exuding an unknown alluring fragrance, which made me drool.
I swallowed instinctively, and the burning pain in my body gradually faded away. My vision also slowly became clearer, and I could see clearly that hanging above my face was a hand with slender fingers.
I looked up in the direction of the hand, was startled, and sat up.
“Tunshe Nalin, what are you doing?” I wanted to grab his hand to check the wound on his wrist, but he had already taken his hand back and rolled down his sleeves.
“This is, the healing method of our tribe.” He said.
