It didn’t take us long to slay the remaining demons. I was extra cautious during the rest of the fight, and the jade amulet never lit up again, but the thought of being protected calmed my mind and helped me focus more on my movements. I could feel the flow of my power growing smoother and more steady over time.

We burned the bodies afterward and stayed at the cabin for a bit longer, cleaning up the remaining swarms as more appeared. By the morning of the fourth day, there were no more signs left of the demons, and we made our way back to East Village.

“Who do you think that hunter was?” Qi Lian asked when we crossed the creek where we ran into Bai Ye the other day. “He said he was going to the market at the village, but he never came back. Does he really live in the cabin?”

“The cabin shows no sign of anyone living in it recently,” Xie Lun replied. “The dust has been cleaned off, but there was no candle soot or coal ashes, and the hides were tanned long ago.”

My steps almost froze midair. Xie Lun was much more observant than I thought. Would he suspect Bai Ye’s real identity?

As if to worsen my worries, Xie Lun glanced my way before continuing: “I thought the man was a disguised demon at first. But judging from the level of those creatures we dealt with, they shouldn’t have the ability to shapeshift.”

“Then what was he?” Han Shu asked. “Was he really a hunter?”

“Maybe, or maybe not. It doesn’t matter,” Xie Lun said. “He didn’t do us harm, and he might have even helped us with the task. Consider ourselves lucky.”

We didn’t talk more about it for the rest of the trip.

~ ~

The village elder thanked us again and again, insisting that we should stay around to receive gifts of gratitude from everyone in the village. When we finally returned to Mount Hua, the sun had already sunk into the west, and the first stars were glowing against the lavender evening sky.

I dashed towards the gate the moment I landed on our peak. It had been five days, and all I saw of Bai Ye was that brief moment outside the cabin. It wasn’t nearly the longest time I had been separated from him in the past five years, but I never knew I could miss him this much.

“Master!” I called as I ran across the threshold. To my surprise, he was standing under the plum tree in front of my room, waiting for me.

The scene was strikingly similar to that evening a week ago, when I returned from the back mountains with a heavy mind and bleak visage of the future between us, only to find him waiting there with his back to me, his lonely figure casting a desolate shadow on my door. But this time, I was returning with a light heart full of love and yearning, and he was smiling at me with endless tenderness in his eyes.

“I thought it might be time you’re back,” he said.

I fleeted through the garden, crashing into him and planted my lips firmly onto his. I missed his smile, his voice, the feeling of him in my arms. “It’s long past time that I should’ve been back,” I mumbled under our shared breaths. “I’ll go mad if I have to spend another day without you.”

I wasn’t exaggerating that much—once the number of demons trickled down on the last couple of days, all I could think of was when the trip could end and when I’d be able to see him—but I knew he wouldn’t miss the chance to tease my immodesty, so I sealed his mouth again before he had a chance to reply. I could never have enough of his taste, his scent …

A whiff of a foul smell stood out from the soothing mix of herbs and cedar. I suddenly remembered something. “Do I reek of demon blood?” I reluctantly let go of him and asked.

He laughed. “It’s the smell of a warrior,” he said. “Though I did ready a bath for you if you’d like.”

My eyes widened. Bai Ye, the man who wouldn’t even spare a nod of the head to show some respect for the Gatekeeper, prepared a bath for me like a handmaid?

“It’s a medicinal bath to strengthen your foundations,” he added. “It will help you with the tournament. Come.”

He took my hand, a gesture that seemed almost second nature to him now, and led me to the bath chamber at the back of the hall. I had never used this chamber before. I didn’t bathe often—cleansing spells were faster and easier—and when I did occasionally, I used the small tub in my room. I didn’t know what to expect of his bath until I gasped.

The chamber was lined with candles and freshly picked jasmine, filling every corner of the space with intoxicating fragrance. A large tub sat at the center of the room. The surface of the water was covered in lotus petals, their faint blush wavering in the rising steam.

I darted an incredulous look at Bai Ye. He didn’t seem like the type of person to fancy such luxury.

He read my mind and chuckled. “I don’t bathe in petals myself. And I added the jasmine to cover up the smell of sophora roots.”

I walked closer to the tub and sniffed. There was the scent of panax, red sage, myrrh … and the characteristic bitter odor of sophora roots. Bai Ye must’ve put a lot of effort into making this bath.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” he said and turned to leave.

“You are not bathing with me?” I blurted before I realized what I had said. “I-I mean … if it’s beneficial to you as well … maybe …”

I had no idea how such an embarrassing thought came to my mind. I wished I could take it back, but Bai Ye had already halted in his steps, and something sparked in his dark eyes.

“Qing-er,” he said, “I’ll have to ponder for the rest of my life … how such tantalizing words can come out of you so innocently.”

Then he picked me up and dunked us both into the water.