The bonfire crackled and popped, sending sparks flying into the mid-air before they drifted down, dancing like tiny, fragmented stars across the golden-veined cover of the Longevity Secret Record. Just as Ye Fan's fingertips brushed the page, Su Qingxue's red silk ribbon wrapped halfway around his wrist. A warm, cool sensation mingled with the sweet fragrance of green plum wine slipped in—the jar of wine she had brewed sat right beside her feet, and the rising steam from its mouth brushed against the silver hairpins in Chǔ Hóngzhuāng's hair.
"Big Brother A-Ye's hands are all cold." Chǔ Hóngzhuāng suddenly leaned closer. A Golden Gu hummed as it swept over the ancient text, its antennae brushing the back of Ye Fan's hand and making him instinctively flinch. Tilting her head, the little girl flashed a smile, the silver bells at the ends of her hair ringing softly. "Did the dampness from the stone milk cave still not clear out? I have two anti-cold pills left from the batch I refined yesterday..."
"Hóngzhuāng." Qín Wǎnshuāng's voice carried a hint of a soft chuckle. She was leaning over, staring at the faint blood-stains glimmering on the cover, her fingertips gently tracing the characters for "Longevity". "Let's look at the contents first." Disguised in men's attire, the Eldest Princess had shed her outer robe, revealing the moon-white martial arts garb beneath. The jade thumb-ring on her wrist tapped against the stone floor, crisp as a warning bell.
Chapter 274