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.”
I’m not one to be particularly brave, but I have a stubborn temper, and I certainly don’t have the habit of backing out. The cold fingers gripping my wrist tightened, and he moved my hand to his belt, wrapping it securely with a turquoise ornament attached to it.
I froze for a moment, watching his back as he turned. I couldn’t help but let my lips curl into a smile.
Tunshe Nalin, are you worried that I might die and won’t be able to finish the painting for you, or… have you started to care about me?
We continued along the cliffside path for a while, and then a suspended cave suddenly appeared before my eyes. The entrance showed no signs of human carving—it was naturally formed, with thick, long icicles hanging down from above, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight.
I heard a series of fluttering wings, and following the sound, I looked up to see the vulture with the red-feathered head fly into the cave. Soon after, many more vultures flew out, perching on the rocks jutting out from the cliff around the cave entrance, as if they were welcoming Tunshe Nalin.
How could there be so many vultures here?
As soon as I followed Tunshe Nalin into the cave, I felt a warmth spread through my body. The temperature inside the cave was surprisingly higher than outside.
The strong smell of birds and the stench of decay hit my nose, and I quickly covered it. Using the lantern Tunshe Nalin held, I looked around and noticed several bird nests, each containing eggs the size of fists. Scattered around the nests were broken animal bones. It dawned on me that this cave on the cliff might be the nesting grounds for these highland vultures. I also remembered hearing from the elders in the Jiangsu region that highland vultures were different from other birds—they built nests and reproduced in the winter because it was easier to find dead animals during that time.
“Why is it so warm here?” I asked him curiously as I followed Tunshe Nalin deeper into the cave.
“A long time ago, this snow mountain was a volcano.” He replied.
I was surprised. “I see, no wonder there’s flamestone. Have you been here before to gather the stones?”
“En.”
“Why gather stones? You don’t even paint.”
“To give to others.”
I paused in my steps.
The flametone from the snow mountain—who did you gather it for?
The answer was, without a doubt.
The flamestone… did you once, on such a cold winter night, come here to gather the stones, holding a burning heart beneath your cold front, and give it to the one you loved? As an artist, having a muse like you—how fortunate he must have been.
I stared at his back, and the desire to conquer that had been lurking in my heart was ignited by this thought, revealing its fangs, spitting out red venom. A bitter, spicy taste spread through my tongue like poison.
I wasn’t sure if I had felt jealousy when I was looking at the painting earlier, but at this moment, it seemed like I truly was feeling a bit jealous. I stood there, unwrapping my wrist from the ornament tangled around his belt, shaking my hand forcefully. With a frustrated tone, I said, “Tunshe Nalin, I need to relieve myself.”
After saying that, I ignored him, walked to the side, and untied my belt facing the mountain wall.
Love cave, right? I want to pee here, leaving you a stamp…
I was thinking so maliciously as I was lifting my cloak and taking off my trousers when I suddenly felt a chill in my abdomen. I lowered my eyes and saw a pale hand grabbing the waistband of my trousers.
A cold voice came from behind my ear: “No, pee here.”
F*ck… Tunshe Nalin, you!
“Let go of me! I’ve walked so far, and I can’t hold it anymore!” The fire of jealousy gnawed at my throat. I was frustrated, anxious, and feeling aggrieved, my eyes starting to burn with tears as I struggled to pry his hand off. “Why? These vultures can pee, poop, and lay eggs anywhere, but I—an actual living person—can’t relieve myself here? If you don’t let go, I’ll pee on your hand!”
His hand tightened around my waist, and my feet were immediately lifted off the ground.
He raised the lantern, casting its light on the ground beneath me. “The flamestone is right here.”
Could it really be this coincidental? I just randomly chose a spot to relieve myself, and it turned out to be the location of the flamestone? Using the light from the lantern, I saw that the entire white rock beneath my feet, extending up to the mountain wall in front of me, indeed emitted a beautiful purple glow, shimmering with a mesmerizing fluorescence. I widened my eyes in shock.
“So beautiful…”
Tunshe Nalin pulled me back a step and let go of his grip.
I quickly grabbed onto my slipping waistband, feeling a bit awkward as I tied it properly. Squatting down, I took out the tools from my backpack and began mining the stones using the method Tai Wu had taught me.
—Let me show you just how skilled I am. This is what you call a single strike that seals fate!
I’m not sure if the flamestone is harder than other minerals or if my method was wrong, but when I struck it with the hammer, it nearly bounced back into my face, leaving only a shallow mark on the rock.
I hammered twice more, but I couldn’t break off a single piece, and my fingers almost got struck by the hammer.
Knowing that Tunshe Nalin was watching, I felt even more embarrassed. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and prepared to switch to a chisel, but suddenly a hand reached into the pack basket and pulled out the dagger Tai Wu had given me. I was startled—what was he going to do with the dagger? Looking up at Tunshe Nalin, I saw him raise his hand and gently toss the dagger onto the ground.
With a loud “thunk,” the dagger sank seven inches into the stone.
Accompanied by a crackling sound, the entire piece of hard flamestone began to spread out spider-web-like cracks with the dagger as the center.
Then, it broke into pieces.
I opened my mouth, dumbfounded, the chisel in my hand hanging in the air.
—I am ignorant. Can humans have such great strength?
No wonder he could hold me up with one hand… One of his hands is enough to crush me.
“Qin Ran.”
When I heard him calling my name, I came back to my senses. I silently put the broken fire stones into the back basket, stood up, and my whole body swayed.
…It’s so heavy.
The next moment, the back basket felt lighter. I turned around and saw Tunshe Nalin standing behind me. It was obviously him who held it up. I felt embarrassed again: “I can do it.”
With a “Swish!” The back basket felt heavy, and I staggered, almost falling backwards, but was held firmly again.
“You, can do it?”
I don’t know if it was an illusion or something, but under the firelight, I seemed to see the shadow at the corner of Tunshe Nalin’s lips deepen for a moment, and a hint of warmth seemed to appear on his ice-sculptured face.
He looked extremely charming, but I felt ashamed. I took off the back basket in anger and walked forward a few steps. I heard him say, “You’re walking the wrong way.”
I saw a steaming mist deep in the cave, and the temperature inside was even higher. I thought to myself, “Tunshe Nalin, is there… a hot spring in there?”
Without waiting for him to respond, I walked toward the mist and soon saw a crescent-shaped natural hot spring. I was overjoyed—although I had to admit that the “bridal mark” on my chest was a work of art, as a painter I should cherish it, but the thought that it symbolized my marriage to that corpse god, even if it was just a ritual and not a real wedding, made me feel uncomfortable keeping it on me.
Moreover, taking a bath was one of my greatest pleasures. So, when I stumbled upon this wild hot spring in the snow-capped mountains, there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity.
I quickly turned my head and saw that Tunshe Nalin had already arrived behind me. Fearing he might try to stop me again, I quickly grabbed my cloak, tossed it over his head, and while he was caught off guard, I swiftly stripped off my clothes. Testing the water with my foot, I found it to be just the right temperature and immediately sat down in the hot spring.
I could feel his gaze on me as he pulled the cloak off his head. His voice, low and serious, echoed, “Qin, Ran.”
I sat in the steaming hot water, tilted my head back, and let out a contented sigh. “This is so amazing. Tunshe Nalin, do you want to come down and soak with me?”
He pressed his lips together, not responding.
I smiled and splashed a handful of water toward him. “Your body is so cold; you must have poor circulation. Come down and soak, it’s really amazing.”
Seeing that Tunshe Nalin remained unmoved, I pouted. “Fine, I can tell that you’re someone who doesn’t know how to enjoy life. I’ll just enjoy the hot spring by myself then.”
After leisurely swimming a couple of laps in the hot spring, feeling a bit tired, I finally leaned against the rock wall, washed my hair and face, and began to clean the “bridal mark” on my chest.
But after scrubbing a few times, the red camellia-like mark on my skin showed no sign of fading. In fact, it seemed to grow even more vivid after coming in contact with the water. Could it be that the time hasn’t passed yet? Or maybe I need to use some soap, body wash, or bath oil to get it off? It’s not like a tattoo, it should fade eventually, right? I tried to reassure myself, but deep down, I couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious.
“Do you really mind, if it stays on you?”
It was the first time he spoke after all this silence, and his words made me freeze for a moment.
“Obviously,” I didn’t turn around, continuing to scrub, “Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the image of your Corpse God Lord, and it creeps me out.”
“Are you afraid, of his true form?”
“Who wouldn’t be afraid of that creepy appearance? Only you guys would treat such… such a terrifying evil spirit as a god,” I replied instinctively. The other party fell silent, and an eerie quietness settled in. Realizing the atmosphere was off, I turned to look at him. “I… I didn’t mean to question your beliefs, it’s just that, as an outsider…”
At a glance, I saw that Tunshe Nalin’s expression was icy cold, there was an invisible pressure like dark clouds hanging overhead. I swallowed nervously and didn’t dare to continue speaking, shrinking back further into the water.
“But you can’t wash off this bridal mark.”
“Huh?” I froze for a moment. What does he mean by ca-can’t be washed off?
I rubbed my chest in disbelief again, and a cool, slippery sensation brushed against my calf. Looking down, I was instantly petrified—there was actually a snake as thick as an arm there!
How can there be snakes in the hot spring!
Seeing it swim to the surface, its head and neck arched, ready to strike, I was so scared that I leaped out of the water and retreated to the shore. Just as the snake opened its mouth to bite me, a pale hand suddenly reached over my shoulder and grabbed the snake’s body.
With a sharp “crack” of bones snapping, the snake’s head drooped limply, a thin line of blood dripping down and landing on my calf.
“I had planned to, warn you, that there are, hot spring snakes here.”
I turned my head, and the side of Tunshe Nalin’s face was mere inches away—I was leaning into his embrace, and just a slight movement closer, and I could kiss the dark, curly hair at his sideburns.
The tip of my nose was filled with the faint scent of ancient incense silently emanating from his body, which, when heated by the moist heat, mixed into an extremely alluring hormonal smell.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom… I heard my heart beating irregularly.
