Lin Shisan spread the Beastskin Scroll Gu Mengli had left behind across his knees.
There was a hole in the temple roof. A shaft of sunlight fell on the blue bricks beside his feet, dust drifting lazily within it. He looked down for a long time, tracing the neat, tiny regular script with his fingertip, line by line.
Zi Yuner leaned against a broken pillar, her breathing shallow. Her deep purple eye was half closed, while the dark red one had narrowed to a thin slit. The Cursed Pattern on her forehead had stopped spreading, but it had not faded either. It lay across the space just below the center of her brows.
At last, Lin Shisan rolled up the Beastskin Scroll.
He tucked the scroll inside his robe, rose, and walked over to the pile of dry grass to look down at Mu Ling'er. Her eyes were closed, the last hint of a smile still lingering on her lips. The blood on her robes had dried dark brown. She lay so quietly that she looked asleep.
He tucked the loose strand of hair on her forehead behind her ear.
"Senior Sister, I have to find somewhere to settle Yun'er first. Wait here for me for a few days. Once I've settled her in, I'll come back for you."
Lin Shisan withdrew his hand and turned to help Zi Yuner. Bracing herself against the broken pillar, she stood up, her long, deep purple hair falling over her shoulders. Her body still trembled slightly, but the light in her eyes was steadier than before, and the dark red slit narrowed a little more.
"Let's go."
Supporting each other, they headed out of the temple.
Sunlight fell on the stone steps outside the temple, warming the moss. As Lin Shisan crossed the