By the time Lian Yin dragged him out of the water, Xie Lanyin was already unconscious, blood still flowing from his pale wrist.
Unfamiliar with the place and with no one else to rely on, Lian Yin could only seek help from Xie Sui again. With his assistance, she brought Xie Lanyin away from the banquet and summoned a medical cultivator.
While the medical cultivator treated Xie Lanyin inside the room, Lian Yin stood outside, recounting what had happened at the banquet to Xie Sui.
When he learned that the cause of the incident was related to him, Xie Sui frowned deeply. “Understood. I’ll deal with the rumors.”
Not long after he left, the medical cultivator also came out of the room.
Lian Yin immediately asked, “Is he alright?”
The medical cultivator nodded, though his expression remained somewhat grave. “Has anyone asked him to perform any calculations recently?”
Lian Yin froze for a moment, recalling what Xie Sui had said earlier… If the medical cultivator finds out and reports it to the head of the family, it might cause trouble and implicate you…
“No,” she replied quickly. “I just arrived recently. Could it have been before?”
Seeing that the girl indeed seemed unfamiliar, the medical cultivator did not press further. He gave a few casual instructions about keeping an eye on the patient before leaving.
After watching him go, Lian Yin found his words strange. Keep an eye on him? It sounded as if he were some kind of prisoner.
She turned back toward the room. Xie Lanyin had already awakened.
The young man sat by the bed, dressed only in a thin inner robe. The silvery moonlight fell over his loose hair like frost that had settled overnight. The wound on his wrist had already been healed by the medical cultivator, leaving not even a trace behind.
Lian Yin stepped inside. “How do you feel? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?”
“I thought you already asked that outside,” Xie Lanyin replied calmly.
“That’s different,” Lian Yin said. “The medical cultivator said you’re fine, but what about you? Do you still feel unwell?”
“Why are you so concerned about me?” He lifted his gaze to her, his tone devoid of emotion. “Because you kissed me just now?”
Lian Yin paused.
“Or is it because you need something from me,” he continued, “so you’re willing to do anything to please me, even offering yourself…”
“Stop talking—” Lian Yin’s body trembled slightly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, chilling her from head to toe.
He had been the one to lure her first, yet after she followed his lead, he turned around and mocked her for being shameless and without limits… How could someone be so hateful?
Suppressing the urge to leave immediately, she argued, “I do need your help, so I don’t want anything to happen to you. What I did earlier was just an emergency measure, and it helped you too. Besides, you were the one who—”
The last words were too embarrassing to say, and she could not find a suitable substitute, leaving her stuck mid-sentence.
“I was the one who what?” Xie Lanyin finished lightly, “seduced you? Or lured you?”
“You already know, don’t you?” she replied through gritted teeth.
He pressed further. “If it hadn’t been me today, would you have done the same for anyone who could help you? If it were Xie Sui instead, or that medical cultivator just now…”
The last thread of Lian Yin’s rationality snapped, her blood rushing to her head.
What answer did he want? For her to say he was special, only to be mocked again, or to admit that anyone would do, and be ridiculed for being unscrupulous?
Either way, it was just to humiliate her.
Furious, Lian Yin turned and strode toward the door.
It wasn’t as if Xie Lanyin was the only person in the world who could help her. There was no need to stay here and be insulted.
“I can answer your third question now. You—”
“I don’t need it!” She cut him off without stopping. She had already decided to seek help elsewhere. There was no reason to waste time with him.
But when she reached the door, she found she could not leave. At some point, an invisible barrier had appeared.
Memories of that night on the painted boat surfaced, and she turned back.
Meeting her furious gaze, Xie Lanyin instead smiled faintly. “Why so angry? I just don’t want you to act impulsively and miss this rare opportunity. After all, I’m in a good mood today and willing to help you.”
He claimed to be in a good mood, yet there was no trace of it in his eyes. Lian Yin knew he was about to toy with her again.
“No need. I’ve thought it through. This isn’t impulsive.”
“Are you angry because of what I asked just now?”
He knew the answer already. Lian Yin remained silent.
“I can apologize,” he said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just curious… after all, that was my first time.”
Lian Yin froze, finding it utterly ridiculous. He casually asked others if they wanted to kiss, even deliberately seducing her… even if he hadn’t asked for help, he hadn’t refused it either.
She sneered, “Are you making excuses for your incompetence?”
“It’s true.” Xie Lanyin smiled as he stood and walked toward her. “Why not try again and see if it’s an excuse? In exchange, I’ll calculate one answer for you. You won’t lose out, alright?”
“No,” Lian Yin said coldly.
Falling for it again would make her look like a fool.
He stepped through the moonlight pooling on the floor and stopped in front of her. “If those words made you uncomfortable, I can scold myself on your behalf.”
That wouldn’t hurt him at all. Someone as thick-skinned as him would not be affected.
She turned her head away. “No need. Just let me—”
Suddenly, Xie Lanyin bent down, bringing his gaze level with hers.
His faint fragrance filled the air, and even his gaze carried a subtle aggression, causing her voice to falter.
Then she heard him speak.
“Today I was shameless, despicable, insisting on seducing you, wanting you to reject me, begging you to kiss me…”
His expression remained calm, his tone gentle, yet the words he spoke were anything but proper.
It took Lian Yin three full seconds before she reached out and covered his mouth, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “You—”
Xie Lanyin blinked, his uncovered eyes looking innocent. His lips moved against her palm as he continued speaking, though she could not make out the words, only feel the faint breath brushing her skin.
She withdrew her hand. “What exactly do you want?”
“To coax you,” he replied.
Lian Yin: “……”
“You want to know when the place where your mother fell will appear, don’t you?” he tempted. “Once it appears, you only need to ask me where it is, and then you can go your separate ways from me… you’re just one question away.”
If she agreed now, she would only need one more answer.
Lian Yin hesitated, her gaze falling on his lips so close to hers, her palm still remembering their warmth. After a moment, she leaned forward and closed the remaining distance.
Soft warmth touched her lips.
Just as expected.
Yet Xie Lanyin did not feel particularly pleased. He still cared about that earlier question… Lowering his gaze to her gently closed eyes, he held her shoulders and, without hesitation, deepened the kiss.
The air between them grew warm and heavy.
Lian Yin could feel him teasing her. She opened her eyes. Compared to earlier, the redness in his eyes was gone, and the fragile, broken look had completely disappeared.
He was no longer the victim but the one in control.
That only confirmed to her that his earlier words had been lies. Annoyed, she bit down on his tongue until a faint metallic sweetness spread in her mouth.
He paused slightly, sensing her resistance, and pulled back.
Their breaths came unevenly, hearts still racing from the kiss. Lian Yin studied his shadowed expression before stepping back.
Moonlight flowed quietly outside.
“I’m going back,” she said, glancing at the now-vanished barrier before heading for the door.
“You don’t want your reward?” Xie Lanyin asked. “After tonight, it won’t count anymore.”
She paused briefly. “No. I don’t want to continue.”
They had no emotional foundation, and unlike earlier, there was no urgent situation forcing them. Continuing now would turn it into something improper.
It would become strange.
“I didn’t say continue,” he replied. “I’m asking if you’re leaving without taking your reward.”
She turned back, confused. “Does what we just did count?”
It hadn’t even lasted a minute.
“It counts,” he said matter-of-factly. “To confirm, your question is when your mother’s place of death will appear, correct?”
Lian Yin asked seriously, “What is the cost of your calculations?”
He hadn’t expected that question. “It consumes mental energy.”
That explanation was too vague, and he clearly did not intend to elaborate.
According to what the medical cultivator had said, each calculation caused significant loss. He should not do it so frequently.
Lian Yin had never intended for him to give her the answer today.
Since she had never planned to take a shortcut, there was no need to feel regret over not receiving this reward.
After making up her mind, she felt much more at ease. “Let’s leave it for today. When you’re in better condition, I’ll find another chance to ask.”
“I’m leaving. You should rest early too.”
With that, she quickly left the room.
She could feel his gaze lingering silently on her back for a long time, but she did not turn around.
“Chirp, chirp.”
On her way back, Lian Yin encountered a beautiful little bird. Its feathers were white and purple, shimmering with a pearlescent sheen under the moonlight.
It was about the size of a palm, round like a small ball. She could not identify its species.
It was unusually friendly. After she glanced at it once, it boldly landed on her shoulder, its black bead-like eyes staring at her intently.
“Do you belong to Xie Lanyin?”
She reached out to touch its head, and it tilted along with her finger.
When she tried to withdraw her hand, the bird stepped closer, rubbing affectionately against her palm and cheek, as if kissing her.
Lian Yin lifted it into her hands, stroking its soft feathers and gently squeezing its warm body.
She looked back along the path but saw no birdcage and had no idea where it had come from. Going back to ask Xie Lanyin would be troublesome.
“Do you live here?” she asked.
“Chirp.”
“Can you fly back on your own?”
“Chirp?”
It seemed unable to understand her.
But it wanted to go home with her.
Thinking it would be fine to keep it for one night, Lian Yin brought the little bird back to her room, telling it to stay quiet as she prepared to rest.
Surprisingly, it seemed to understand. It stayed perched calmly, as if also settling down for the night.
After such an eventful day, Lian Yin was exhausted. Not long after lying down, she fell asleep.
In the darkness, the bird remained still like a wooden doll, its black eyes quietly watching her as her breathing grew steady.
What Lian Yin did not know was that, on the other end of the bird’s gaze, a silent fire was burning.