“I remember now, I didn’t at all…”
Kunlun finally came back to her senses dully, but by then, Chuci had long since vanished without a trace.
Kunlun paused, then finished the sentence: “I didn’t say those things anymore.”
She shook her head with a soft laugh and walked through the snow-laden corridor. She deliberately veered towards the outer edge, letting the snow from the eaves fall onto her head and shoulders, making no move to brush it off. She strolled to a door, stopped, dusted the snowflakes from her body, and pushed the door open.
At first glance, the furnishings in this room were entirely white. Not a plain, insipid white, but a pure, noble snowy white. Chuci always demanded the best in everything. Cloth had to be Dawn Cloud Brocade, embroidery thread had to be Silver Dragon Thread, and if a pair of boots had one stitch more or less in its pattern that didn’t suit her fancy, she wouldn’t wear them.
In the past, Kunlun had spared no thought for these things. If you truly like someone, you always want to do something for them, even asking after their warmth and coldness, small insignificant things. And with Chuci’s particular taste in clothing, she would rise early to gather dawn clouds to make into brocade, then go to the North Sea to capture dragons. As years turned into ages, even after Chuci left, this habit remained. So all these years, she’d made a huge pile of clothes, all stored in this room.
She had originally planned to bring Chuci here to choose some when she grew up. Who knew she’d become completely unfussy, just grabbing clothes at random and running off.
“Sigh…” Kunlun sighed, feeling a little dejected. She was like a mortal girl wanting to please the one she cherished, having prepared for so long, only to find her beloved suddenly had no need for those things anymore.
Kunlun closed the door and sat down in the room, falling into a daze.
Her dazing was no match for ordinary mortals. She could sit for a hundred years without any effort, until vines and creepers entangled her thickly, and Meng Zhaozhong often couldn’t find where the Mountain Saint had gone. In those times, no one dared to wake her, and Kunlun became even more unwilling to stir.
But Chuci was different. After washing up and coming out, she saw no one. She called out a few times, got no answer, and then proceeded to systematically turn the courtyard upside down.
“Bang—” The door was kicked open with one foot. Kunlun looked up, startled, to meet an angry face.
“Surname Kun, given name Lun!”
“Ah?”
Chuci glared at her. “You walked off without a word—who are you trying to scare to death? I called you, why didn’t you answer?”
“I was just…” Kunlun suddenly stammered, “D-Didn’t hear.”
“What were you doing that you didn’t hear?”
“Thinking about things.”
“What things?”
Under her gaze, Kunlun’s head drooped lower and lower. She whispered, “The clothes I made for you.”
“Clothes?” Chuci reined in her intimidating aura, frowning slightly. “What clothes?”
Kunlun quickly shuffled over to open the wardrobe, deftly catching an outer robe that fell out at that exact moment. She handed it over, looking at Chuci with eyes full of hope.
Chuci was quiet for a moment, her lips pressing together. She had meant to put on a stern face to tease her, but in the end, couldn’t hold it in. Her eyebrows and eyes curved into a smile. “For me?”
Kunlun nodded minutely.
“Then I’ll try it on!” The king waved a hand casually, pulling the door shut. Right then and there, she took off the outer robe she’d taken from Kunlun, revealing a white inner garment beneath. Only then did Kunlun have the chance to notice that Chuci’s hair was still wet, a few damp strands clinging to her profile, her long lashes beaded with water. The normally gentle and refined face of a well-bred maiden now became alluringly sensual.
“Eh? Where’s the red lotus on your forehead? How come it’s gone?” Kunlun asked.
Chuci adjusted the ties at her chest, not looking up. “That thing? I painted it on. It naturally washed off in the bath. You like seeing it? I’ll paint it back on in a little while.”
As she spoke, she finished dressing and spread her arms wide, twirling in front of Kunlun. “How is it, Kunlun?”
Kunlun scrutinized her from top to bottom, then asked Chuci to show her the cuffs, and then the collar. Only after a long moment did she nod and say, “It fits reasonably well. Turn around again for me.”
Chuci obliged and spun around once.
“Once more.”
Chuci frowned slightly, but turned around again.
“Once more.”
Chuci stopped, folding her arms across her chest, and looked at Kunlun with an amused expression. “Kunlun, what kind of game are you playing?”
“I’m checking to see if the hem is done properly.”
“Is that so?” Chuci beckoned her over. “Come here.”
“No.” Kunlun stepped backward.
“Are you coming or not?”
“Not coming.”
Chuci: “Fine. If you won’t come here, then I’ll go there.”
Kunlun: “I’ll come over after all.”
“Come then.” Chuci waited where she was. Kunlun approached step by tiny step. Seeing Chuci’s hands rise, she immediately shut her eyes tight, only to fall into a soft embrace. Her cheek rested against the white fur of Chuci’s collar, as if sinking into a cloud.
“Why are you wearing so little? Hmm?” Chuci held her tightly, her breath falling on Kunlun’s ear, tickling slightly. Kunlun uncomfortably scrunched her neck.
“I’m not afraid of the cold.”
“Even so, that won’t do. Looking at you makes me feel cold.”
“Oh.”
“I just wanted to hold you for a moment. What did you think I was going to do? You even closed your eyes. Did you think I would hit you?”
Kunlun mumbled vaguely, “It’s not like you haven’t before.”
“What are you muttering?”
“Nothing. I said I want to go take a bath.”
Chuci immediately caught on and asked, “Could it be that I hit you before?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Chuci pulled her out of her embrace and looked at Kunlun’s face, tinged with an unnatural blush. She laughed. “Where did I hit you?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Kunlun blinked. For others, blinking signified innocence; for her, it meant she knew how to imitate it, but she simply couldn’t fool a sly fox like Chuci.
“Fine, if you say no, then no,” Chuci decided to let her off for now. She would find out sooner or later anyway. But there was another matter. She added, “Did you just change the subject? How could you be so lost in thought that you didn’t even hear me calling? How many times have I told you…”
“Don’t space out anywhere out of my sight!” Kunlun had already learned to preempt her.
Chuci: “Ah, right! Don’t you know I get worried when I can’t find you?”
Chuci pressed her fingers to her own temple. Why did something still feel off?
Kunlun, knowing she was in the wrong, immediately said obediently, “I know.”
“Will it happen again?”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Chuci: “Oh? Seeing how skillfully you admit fault, it looks like you’ve been thoroughly tempered.”
She was still waiting for Kunlun’s reply when Kunlun bit her lip, rose slightly on her tiptoes, and a delicate, elegant face leaned in before Chuci’s eyes. Warmth suddenly touched her lips, and her mind instantly went blank, unable to remember anything.
“I was wrong.”
“Mm.”
“I’m going to bathe now.”
“Okay.”
Chuci stood rooted in place, raising her hand to touch her own ear, biting her lower lip. She lowered her head and slowly wavered back and forth in the room, before suddenly breaking into a smile.
Forget it, I’ll let you off this time too.
