Chapter 998: Han Yunxi, do you dare to give? (2/2)
As long as he was by her side, she wouldn’t be scared or tired no matter what happened. Perhaps this was her sense of security. Long Feiye gently stroked her cheeks before taking her hand in his. Raising it to his lips, he said, “Then be good and sleep. I’ll call you once Xu Donglin returns.”
Han Yunxi didn’t feel sleepy at all, but hearing Long Feiye speak so warmly made her want to sleep. She shuffled against his thighs until she found a comfortable position and curled up next to his body. Even if she wasn’t sleepy, she could calm her heart and grow groggy while enjoying this silent moonlit night.
Perhaps she was too comfortable and safe, but soon enough Han Yunxi was starting to doze off. In the midst of her languid thoughts, she felt as if they’d returned to the little bamboo house back in Jiangnan’s Plum Blossom Sea. There too, he was sitting down while she used his legs as a pillow. Both of them watched the snow fall down until she slept. If they couldn’t go back this year, then she would hold out hopes for next year. They had to return!
Still sleepy, Han Yunxi began to muttered, “Feiye…”
“I’m here,” Long Feiye replied.
“I like you...so much…” Han Yunxi really was raving in her dreams. By now she’d returned to the Plum Blossom Sea, which was why she was declaring her feelings. Long Feiye looked at her dozing face and didn’t reply, but a smile rose to his lips. He discovered that sometimes, just watching her sleep was satisfactory enough.
“I’ve long known that,” he murmured back.
--
At daybreak, Xu Donglin arrived with a name list of all the corpse and bone collectors, as well as bone-selling shops, in the city. The details were very thorough. A single night wasn’t long, but Xu Donglin had his ways to complete his mission. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be worthy as Long Feiye’s number one guard.
Long Feiye and Han Yunxi cleaned themselves up back at the inn before disguising themselves as a jianghu couple. Long Feiye wore plain black, form-fitting clothes with an informal white brocade robe. In one hand he held a fan, making him look like some noble and refreshing prince. Han Yunxi wore a long pink dress and adorned herself quite prettily. The two of them together resembled a pair of newlyweds. In Xu Donglin’s eyes, they looked about four years younger than their actual age--although they weren’t very old to begin with. It was only because their usual dress was too low-key and sedate that it gave them an air of maturity.
Han Yunxi crossed out all the names of the corpse collectors. They were only listed so she could she the bone collectors they collaborated with. Since Xu Donglin had found that out himself, she didn’t need to repeat the work. It wasn’t easy to meet with corpse collectors, much less talk business with them, so she and Long Feiye began from the bone ornament shops first. After browsing through multiple stores, they found that some owners hid the fact that they used human bones while lying their wares came from animals; others told them outright that most of their wares were cast from humans but reshaped to look like animal bones before they were put on sale. Long Feiye was in charge of picking through the wares and asking for their origins while Han Yunxi simply observed the shopkeepers and their assistants without a word.
They didn’t gain any clues at first, but as it grew darker, they entered a very special shop called True Love. None of the bone ornaments inside the shop were very big, nor were they handicrafts. Instead, the shop sold jewelry, head ornaments, and pendants, all of exquisite make. Long Feiye and Han Yunxi noticed that there was only a single pageboy and a female proprietress on duty. The proprietress was very young and possessed a coldly elegant beauty that was exceptionally enchanting on first sight.
Han Yunxi silently activated her detox system while Long Feiye glanced at the shopowner briefly and muttered, “She’s an experienced fighter, knows martial arts.”
Han Yunxi didn’t detect any traces of poison. “I haven’t found the Qi Sha dagger, so keep looking.”
The proprietress didn’t pay them any attention, but allowed them to browse as they wished. Han Yunxi dragged Long Feiye around the shop before she asked, “Proprietress, are these the only models you have? Is there anything more special? I want to buy something for my husband.”
Today, Han Yunxi had already given Long Feiye countless “gifts,” all of which he threw away as soon as they left the store. He only felt helpless that her first presents to him were under these circumstances.
The proprietress examined Han Yunxi from head to toe before she said coldly, “There is something unique, but you might not dare to gift it.”
“There’s nothing I don’t dare to gift in this world. What is it, just tell me!” Han Yunxi blustered.
The proprietress still didn’t think much of her and said in a languid tone, “It’s the treasure of my store, called Engraving of Heart and Bones.”
Engraving of Heart and Bones? It was also an idiom that meant to “leave an indelible impression,” or “remember with deep and eternal gratitude.”
Instantly, Han Yunxi recalled the “True Love” store sign by the door. “What is it?” she asked curiously. Long Feiye looked over as well as if in interest.
Unexpectedly, the proprietress simply took out a dagger and set it on the counter. Both Han Yunxi and Long Feiye grew guarded, but she quickly determined it wasn’t Qi Sha.
“What do you mean by this?” Han Yunxi asked.
The proprietress lifted a hand and showed them her very special bracelet. It was made of hemp and entwined around a round bead made of bone. There were even words carved into its surface. Caressing the bone bead, she said, “This was gifted to me by my husband on our wedding day. The bead is carved out of a yu bone from his own body.”
Han Yunxi and Long Feiye were surprised, but the proprietress added, “Engraving of Heart and Bones means taking a piece of bone from your body to carve into a piece of jewelry for your loved one. Madam, do you dare to give this gift?”