He paused, then lowered his voice slightly. "But you're not an outsider, so you won't be affected by this. The token you carry will protect you."
Snow Empress touched her purse but didn't say anything.
Yin Wujou led her through the most prosperous main city of the three cities, heading north until they finally stopped in front of a palace. Although it was called a palace, it was far less grand than the main hall of the Ziwei Sect. It was also built entirely of black Xuantie, but the lines of its upturned eaves were sharper than those of the Ziwei Sect's buildings. A row of copper bells hung under the eaves, tinkling in the wind with a clear and pleasant sound.
"This is your... Demon Empress?" Snow Empress Di looked up at the two bold, powerful characters on the plaque—"Wu Jiu" (meaning "Without Blame").
"It's called Wujou Hall." Yin Wujou pushed open the palace door. "It's just a place to live, nothing too grand. Come on, to the backyard."
The backyard was much smaller than the front hall, filled with red shrubs. A winding flagstone path led deep into the woods. Yin Wujou led her to an open space at the foot of the courtyard wall, squatted down, and parted a patch of soil. Snow Empress leaned closer to look—a thin green stem had sprouted from the soil, topped with a tender leaf. The edges of the leaf were tinged with a faint purple, almost identical to the one in her yard. But it was thinner and weaker, having been planted much later, and the soil was different.
"I water it every day." Yin Wujou half-squatted there, gently touching the tender leaf with a finger. "I'm afraid it will die. You asked in your letter if I've watered it, how could I not?"
Snow Empress squatted down as well. The two of them squatted side by side against the wall, like two farmers toiling in the fields. Snow Empress looked at the weak little seedling and suddenly felt that Yin Wujou actually overly meticulous. He seemed to care about nothing, yet he buried a withered petal in the soil and watered it every day, waiting for it to sprout. She turned her head to look at him. The lines of his profile were particularly clear in the afterglow of the setting sun. His nose was straight, his jaw was neat, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his brows were unusually relaxed and at ease.
" Yin Wujou," she said.
"Um?"
"You're not actually that bad," Snow Empress said. "All that reputation you had before was just an act, wasn't it?"
Yin Wujou turned his head to look at her. Their eyes met, so close that she could see her own reflection in his pupils. He raised an eyebrow. "You still have to be bad, otherwise how can you keep those people in check? But with you—" He smiled, "You can be a little less bad."
Snow Empress burst out laughing. She rarely laughed like that; her eyes crinkled into crescents, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, making her whole face come alive. Yin Wujou looked at her, his gaze momentarily dazed, then he stood up, dusted off his hands, and held out his hand to her. "Get up, I'll take you to eat. There are a few dishes in the Demon Domain that aren't available outside; you can try them."
Snow Empress placed her hand in his palm. His hand was dry and warm, holding her firmly and tightly. After he pulled her up, he let go, but his fingertips brushed against the back of her hand almost imperceptibly, so quickly it was like an illusion. Snow Empress's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm. She simply hummed in agreement and followed him toward the main hall.
The meal was at a small restaurant on a main street in the city. As soon as Yin Wujou entered, the owner personally greeted him with a beaming smile and led him to a private room on the second floor. The private room was by the window, and by opening the window, one could see the most bustling street in the city. After dusk, the blue lanterns on the street lit up one after another, forming a flowing river of light, which was quite beautiful. Yin Wujou ordered a table full of dishes, including stewed Demonic Beast meat until tender, a thick soup made with the red fungus, a specialty of the Demon Domain, a kind of dark but melt-in-your-mouth pastry, and a pot of amber-colored wine.
Snow Empress tried a little of everything, and they were all flavors she had never tasted before. The wine was mellow on the palate, with a slightly spicy aftertaste, and left a warm feeling in her abdomen after swallowing. She drank three cups, Yin Wujou did not stop her, but just watched her drink with a smile in his eyes.
"What's the name of this wine?" Snow Empress asked.
"It's called 'Misguided Entry,'" Yin Wujou said. "It means that after drinking it, one is prone to getting lost or looking for the wrong person."
Snow Empress paused for a moment, her fingers holding the wine glass, then casually took another sip. "Have you tried it?"
"Me?" Yin Wujou pressed the rim of the cup to his lower lip, looking down at him with a faint smile. "I don't need to drink. I never get lost."
Snow Empress lowered her eyes, her ears burning again. She realized that her ears were burning up in front of Yin Wujou at an absurdly high frequency; she didn't know where her centuries of composure at the Ziwei Sect had gone. She lowered her head, picking up food with her chopsticks, poking at a piece of black pastry, but refusing to put it in her mouth.
Yin Wujou didn't urge her, slowly sipping his wine, his gaze idly drifting to the brightly lit street outside the window. After a while, he suddenly spoke, " Snow Empress."
"Um."
How long do you plan to stay?
Snow Empress paused for a moment. She hadn't really thought about this question before coming. What was she doing in the Demon Domain? How long would she stay? Where would she go afterward? She only had a vague direction in mind: come here first, and see who it was. Now that she had, sitting in a small restaurant by the window, eating a steaming meal, with the person opposite her quietly drinking wine, and the river of light flowing gently in the night outside the window, she suddenly felt that the answer to the question of how long she would stay was actually quite clear.
"Let's look at the flowers," she said. "We'll leave when they bloom."
Yin Wujou turned to look at her. The candlelight reflected in his eyes, and a hint of tenderness softened in those two cold, star-like pupils. He said nothing, but simply pushed the plate in front of him towards her. "Then eat more, food from the Demon Domain Realm is nourishing. You're too thin."
Snow Empress glared at him. "What's it to you whether I'm thin or not?"
Yin Wujou raised his wine glass in a perfunctory toast to her. "I care. Of course I care. You're my only friend. If I starve to death, who will I talk to?"
Snow Empress was speechless after being told he was "his only friend." He lowered his head, ate a mouthful of rice, and hid his face behind the bowl.
As night deepened, Yin Wujou escorted her back to the Wujou Hall and arranged for her to stay in a side hall. The side hall was small but very clean, and there was even a purple wildflower on the windowsill—exactly the same one he had placed on the windowsill of the Ziwei Sect. Snow Empress stood in front of the windowsill and looked at the flower for a long time, her fingertips gently touching the petals. The morning dew was still wet, and the water droplets were cool.
"When did you prepare this?" she asked, turning around to look at Yin Wujou, who was standing at the door.
Yin Wujou leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, expression nonchalant. "Guess."
" Yin Wujou."
"Um?"
"Thank you," Snow Empress said softly.
Yin Wujou straightened up, glanced at her, his gaze deep, the smile on his lips vanished, and he said softly, "No need to thank me. You can come whenever you want from now on; there will always be a room for you here. The flowers will always be there."