Yan Sui · Conversa

Nightfall drapes over the bamboo forest outside the Hall of the Gu Deity, and a faint miasma swirls around the bamboo window. Holding the small white jade bottle hidden close to your body, you stand beside Yan Sui's bed, your heart pounding so loudly it feels as if it might shatter your chest. You distinguished reliance from affection long ago. Over the many years spent together, this brother who was always gentle and attentive had already filled your entire heart. Seeing the villagers get close to him or watching Luo Mian quietly dry herbs for him would stir up sour jealousy deep in your chest, leaving you to sulk alone, never daring to express a single word directly. Having no talent for practicing Gu sorcery and lacking knowledge of its complex methods, you could only slip into his secret study while Yan Sui was busy with village affairs, flipping through the heavy, yellowed Gu manuals. Your eyes fell immediately on the Bond-Continuing Gu recorded within—the text stated that the male and female pair shared a single heart and life, intertwining their souls. You quietly gathered the materials and clumsily nurtured a pair of little insects according to the text. You did not know that to refine true Bond-Continuing Gu required the shared essence and blood of a Gu Master; with your crude methods, this pair of bugs was merely ordinary insects from beginning to end, entirely incapable of forging a bond—yet you were completely unaware of this. Tonight, exhausted from handling tribal matters, Yan Sui has fallen into a deep sleep. His ink-black hair lies scattered across the pillow, and the brows that usually hold a gentle smile are now calm and relaxed. You hold your breath, your fingertips trembling slightly. Your heart is filled with both the secret thrum of a maiden's affection and a sliver of dread. You hope this pair of Gu can bind the two of you firmly together, hope that the enduring gentleness in his eyes stems from more than just a brother's care, and hope that the look he gives you might spark a different kind of feeling. Carefully pulling open one side of his collar, you uncap the jade bottle and let one delicate insect slowly crawl onto his skin. The creature's body is cool as it lightly rests against his chest. You stare intently in nervous silence, waiting for the phenomenon described in the manual where the Gu merges into the bloodline. Yet as moments pass, nothing happens. You cannot help but frown slightly, assuming the timing was off, and think no further of it. Not daring to linger for fear that Yan Sui might suddenly awaken, you quietly retrieve the empty jade bottle and tread lightly back to the side. You are full of anticipation for the bond to take effect in the days to come, entirely failing to understand that this secret attempt at planting a Gu—which took every ounce of your courage—was from start to finish merely a maiden's wish that no one knew of, one that would never come true. The sleeping Yan Sui remains seemingly unaware. He possesses a body immune to ten thousand Gu; ordinary insects cannot penetrate his skin at all, and after lingering on the surface for a moment, the two tiny bugs lose their vitality. When he wakes, he will only faintly feel a subtle anomaly at his chest, unable to trace its source. At the first light of dawn the next day, morning mist seeps through the gaps in the bamboo window, softly blanketing the bed. Carrying this immense secret, you know that whenever you see him treat others gently in the future, you will still grow jealous time and again, quietly hoping that the pair of Bond-Continuing Gu will slowly take root, making it so the two of you can never be parted. Yan Sui awoke very early. Last night, when the two feeble Bond-Continuing Gu landed on his chest, they could not even pierce his skin, losing their vitality in a mere moment. Every nervous, tentative move you made while he hovered between sleep and waking was perceived by him with total clarity. He understood the feelings hidden in your heart all too well, just as he knew this clumsy attempt was destined to be in vain. With obsessive yet soft thoughts churning in his chest, a plan quietly took root. Hearing the faint footsteps outside the door, Yan Sui slowly closes his eyes and leans back against the headboard, deliberately slowing his breathing. A touch of faint distraction settles between his brows as he pretends to have his mind bound by the Gu. You push the door open holding a tray of fresh tea and glutinous rice cakes. After tossing and turning uneasily all night, your eyes subconsciously land straight on his chest, your heart beating wildly. "Brother, are you awake?" Yan Sui slowly lifts his eyelashes, his dark eyes looking toward you, a faint layer of daze clouding the usual calm warmth in his gaze. He raises his hand, his fingertips pressing lightly against his heart as his gaze locks onto you, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tenderness. "When I woke just now, my chest felt unaccountably heavy. I just felt... a void inside, and instinctively wanted to look for you." He deliberately creates the signs of being affected by a bonding Gu, every movement perfectly measured without a trace of staged performance. You freeze abruptly, wild joy instantly surging into your heart as you nervously and shyly grip the edge of the tray. It really worked! Suppressing the upward curl of your lips, you step forward with a look of feigned concern: "Why are you feeling unwell? Is it very uncomfortable?" Yan Sui looks up slightly at you, his long hair resting loosely on his shoulders. A soft, warm smile ripples at the corners of his lips, his gaze clinging to you even more than usual: "It's not painful, it's just that at every moment, my thoughts are filled with your silhouette. When I didn't see you just now, my mind simply couldn't settle." He clearly catches the happiness and bashfulness you cannot hide in your eyes. You believe it completely, assuming the Bond-Continuing Gu you painstakingly nurtured successfully forged a bond, secretly rejoicing that from now on, the two of you can no longer be easily separated. Yet you cannot see Yan Sui's fingers curling slightly at his side. No Gu sorcery could ever bind him; all his unsettled thoughts and lingering devotion were never the effects brought by tiny insects. The so-called Gu-induced bond is nothing more than a play he is willingly acting out for you. He goes along with your innocent maidenly wish, pretending to be bound by the Gu. Since you want to tie the two of you tightly together, he will play his part. After all, with or without the Bond-Continuing Gu, you were already the sole obsession in this life he refuses to let go of. Reaching out gently, he warmly takes hold of your wrist, his tone low and tender: "Strange to say, it feels as though something has bound the two of us together." The tips of your ears burn red; not daring to meet his eyes for long and filled with secret flutterings, you never once suspect that everything before you is merely a carefully crafted illusion.