Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The moment the words left his mouth, Ning Qiuyan was actually very nervous.

Things like “kissing” had always been initiated by Guan Heng in their relationship. He wasn’t sure whether, as a “Blood Contract Partner,” he had the right to ask for something like that.

But then, emboldened, he thought that if it was meant as a reward… it should be all right to ask, shouldn’t it?

Fortunately, the reward he had asked for fit the moment perfectly. Whether it would be granted or not, the answer would be revealed at once.

Guan Heng’s gaze lowered slightly and landed on Ning Qiuyan’s lips, his lashes veiling whatever emotion lay in his eyes. Because of their positions, Ning Qiuyan was a little higher than him, so Guan Heng was in fact looking up. Yet as he leaned closer and the kiss descended, it still carried the unmistakable air of a favor bestowed by someone above.

The dim light hid both their faces in shadow, tinged with a warm, dusky yellow.

The room was so quiet.

All the noise and trouble of the world seemed to be far away on the other side of the ocean. Only this island, this house, belonged to them-a safe harbor.

Their lips touched. The tips of their noses brushed together. Ning Qiuyan’s breath was hot, while Guan Heng’s was cool.

The kiss was very brief, and very gentle.

It ended as soon as it began.

The reward Guan Heng had promised was over.

Even though Ning Qiuyan had originally wanted more than that, because of the cherish hidden beneath Guan Heng’s coldness, he still felt deeply satisfied. After receiving his reward, the look he gave Guan Heng was clear and bright, as if the slightest bit of affection was enough to make him content.

Thump. Thump.

That human heart was beating rapidly, its reaction to Guan Heng all too obvious.

“Do you want more?”

A few seconds later, Guan Heng suddenly asked in a low voice.

Perhaps, after their separation, Ning Qiuyan had not been the only one waiting.

After all, when it came to how time felt, it passed just as slowly for humans and Vampires alike.

The answer did not matter. Guan Heng kissed him again.

This kiss was heavy and fierce, filled with desire. He no longer concealed it, nor was there any of the gentleness from before.

In the dim light, their eyes met.

Guan Heng’s expression was calm. His thumb gently stroked the back of Ning Qiuyan’s neck, and beneath his lip, a pair of small, snow-white points emerged.

The corners of Ning Qiuyan’s eyes were flushed red as well. As if he understood what Guan Heng was suppressing, he said softly, “…You can. It’s really okay.”

“Please bite me.”

A weight pressed down on the back of his head, and Ning Qiuyan found himself leaning against Guan Heng’s shoulder.

He felt Guan Heng turn his face toward him. The cool tip of Guan Heng’s nose touched the warm skin at the side of his neck, making him shiver without meaning to.

Beneath that layer of skin, Guan Heng could feel the blood flowing through the vessels. With the young man’s panting breaths, it was fresh, alive, brimming with vitality.

He opened his mouth and sank his sharp fangs into it, slowly yet cleanly. His eyes had turned entirely red.

A drop of fresh blood welled up, running down the corner of his lips, sliding to his neck, then flowing along the open collar of his robe and onto his bare chest.

Ning Qiuyan trembled violently from the pain. Fortunately, very soon, Guan Heng’s toxin began to take effect inside him.

The pain vanished.

In Ning Qiuyan’s blurred vision, everything gradually turned black, leaving only the hazy glow of the floor lamp.
The electric hearth rose from beneath the floor. The room was very warm, and the heavy curtains were drawn open to either side of the window.

From this angle, because of the rise and fall of the terrain, he could see part of the treetops of the Forest and admire the rolling mountains in the distance. The pale blue lake was like a shy young girl, revealing only the faintest sliver of its surface.

Ning Qiuyan had never seen this room with the curtains open before.

So this was the view from the third floor.

He had probably been unconscious for about thirty minutes. When he woke up, he was still in Guan Heng’s room, on that high-backed black velvet sofa.

To be precise, he was in Guan Heng’s arms.

Guan Heng was tall, and Ning Qiuyan was slim and tall himself, so the two of them on this sofa were actually a little cramped.

Neither of them spoke. There was no music, either.

They simply sat there quietly, gazing out the window.

White snow covered all of Du Island, including the dark green treetops. The sky, which had still been relatively clear when Ning Qiuyan arrived, had changed completely. It pressed dark and gray over the Forest, while black clouds spread from behind the mountain range, as if brewing a storm.

Ning Qiuyan looked up and asked Guan Heng, “Is a blizzard coming?”

The dim daylight shrouded Guan Heng’s face, making him look almost human, except for his colder, paler complexion.

His arms rested loosely around Ning Qiuyan’s waist as he answered, “No. It’s just ordinary heavy snow.”

Ning Qiuyan relaxed a little and looked out the window again.

With Guan Heng here, the manor was like a shelter. Even if a blizzard really did come, it did not seem all that frightening.

He took hold of Guan Heng’s fingers and toyed with them idly. “What was the biggest blizzard you’ve ever seen like?”

“It wasn’t on Du Island,” Guan Heng said. “It was on a snowy mountain on a plateau, at an altitude of more than five thousand meters. At first, there was no warning in the sky. All we saw were wild animals fleeing and migrating. Then the dark clouds appeared, pressed close to the ground like a thick wall. Thunder kept exploding through the clouds, and dense snowflakes and ice pellets fell. The accumulated snow on the ground was swept up by the gale as well. In an instant, the blizzard engulfed a vast stretch of snowy land. People, livestock, trees-almost nothing could remain on the ground.”
Ning Qiuyan looked back at him, nervously asking, “And then?”

“Then some snow hills disappeared, and some woods too,” Guan Heng told him. “As if nothing had ever happened.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded, his legs draped over the sofa armrest, a pair of brown socks on his feet.

His toes curled and then relaxed.

After a moment, he said, “Wutong has never had such heavy snow. I only heard there was a severe snowstorm once before I was born.” His mind jumped topics, and he abruptly asked, “What about Ball Lightning?”

Guan Heng: “Ball Lightning?”

“Yeah. Lightning that falls in the shape of a sphere. It’s also called rolling ground thunder, and it’s a physical phenomenon. There’s a very famous sci-fi novel with that title,” Ning Qiuyan said. “One day in class, the teacher played a video related to astronomy and had us simulate the sounds. Ball Lightning was among them.”

Guan Heng said, “I’ve seen it.”

Ning Qiuyan quickly asked, “Where?”

Guan Heng thought for a moment. “I can’t remember clearly. I was probably a few years old.”

Ning Qiuyan pressed for details: “How did it happen?”

“Ning Qiuyan.” Guan Heng called his name, his tone not scolding but carrying a faint helplessness. “My memory isn’t that good.”

Ning Qiuyan wisely stopped asking: “…”

Over a thousand years. It really was a very, very long time ago-so long ago that the terrain itself had changed, replaced by something new, as if it had never existed.

“I originally wanted to take a walk around the island today,” Ning Qiuyan said, looking out at the gloomy sky beyond the window and changing the subject. “Looks like I’ll have to wait until after the heavy snow.”

Guan Heng asked gently, “What for?”

Ning Qiuyan laid out his plans: “Just to look around. I wanted to go to the lake and the farm. If there’s time, I could also stay at the Lighthouse for a while.”

Guan Heng said, “No need to wait until after the snow.”

When Guan Heng spoke, his chest produced a pleasant resonance too.

Listening to his voice, Ning Qiuyan looked puzzled. “Huh?”

“The roads won’t be passable after the heavy snow,” Guan Heng said. “We can go together. Now, while we still can.”

Ning Qiuyan hesitated. “It’s fine. We can go after the snow.”

Guan Heng lowered his gaze. “There will be other things after this.”

There was still some time before dark, and the heavy snow had yet to fall.

No sooner said than done. They set out before the heavy snow sealed the roads. Although Ning Qiuyan didn’t know what they would be doing later, he still went downstairs to quickly tidy himself up, stuck a bandage over the bite mark on his neck, ate a little something, then got dressed and prepared to go out.

Guan Heng was already waiting in the entrance hall, wearing a long coat and talking with Uncle Kang.

As for Guan Heng going out during the day, everyone on Du Island acted perfectly normal. It seemed they all knew what Ning Qiuyan meant to Guan Heng.

When he saw Ning Qiuyan come out, Guan Heng frowned slightly and had someone bring over thicker clothes. Then, just like last time, he personally wrapped Ning Qiuyan in a scarf and hat, bundling him up from head to toe.

Going out in extreme cold was no joke.

With Uncle Kang and the others watching, Ning Qiuyan felt very embarrassed. He wasn’t actually a child; he could obviously do these things himself.

But this time, he simply couldn’t refuse Guan Heng, nor could he bear to ruin the tenderness of the moment.

Once they were properly dressed, Guan Heng reached out to Ning Qiuyan. “Let’s go.”

They were both wearing gloves.

Black ones, lined with rabbit fur, in the exact same style.

In front of Uncle Kang, Ning Qiuyan held out his hand.

Between “feeling embarrassed” and “holding hands with Guan Heng,” he naturally chose the latter.

The last time he and Guan Heng went out together on Du Island, it had been at night. Back then, Ning Qiuyan had only followed silently behind Guan Heng, not daring to say anything, while Guan Heng had merely broken off a branch for him. They hadn’t held hands either.

Things were different now. To be able to set foot on Du Island again, to walk freely around the island, and to hold Guan Heng’s hand-these were all things of great significance to Ning Qiuyan.

It was snow season on Du Island. The snowy ground was soft, occasionally slippery.

After they entered the Forest, Ning Qiuyan could no longer walk as easily. He gripped Guan Heng’s hand tightly, their fingers intertwined, relying on him completely.