“You stayed at Hua Feng for three years just to look for someone?”


  Qin Shu was indescribably surprised.

  Back then, people harboured all sorts of suspicions towards Han Xiao, a heaven-sent genius who stayed at Hua Feng for three years without taking the college entrance exam.

  No one would have thought that he was looking for someone.

  The image of a certain someone came to mind. Was Han Xiao looking for that person?

  The fact that he had stayed in one place for three years showed his patience and determination.

  Han Xiao nodded. “En.”


  Qin Shu did not push him for details. After all this time, Han Xiao still had not found her and it showed in his expression of disheartened dejection.

  Under his breath, Han Xiao whispered, “I’ve been looking for her for seven years.”


  Qin Shu’s sensitive ears picked up his words and a question rolled off her tongue unbidden, “Xiao Budian?”


  Han Xiao nodded. “En.”


  “Seven years…… That’s a long time. You were only sixteen then but you still insisted on looking for her. Your relationship with her must have been very good.”


  Qin Shu couldn’t imagine the fortitude a person would have needed to persist in a desperate search for seven whole years.

  Han Xiao and that girl were students from the same school. They shared an exceptional relationship akin to a senior and junior.

  In those years long past, they had made a pact.

  Han Xiao sent Qin Shu a thoughtful look. “You’re nineteen this year.”


  “Yes, I will be.” Qin Shu responded.

  “That girl would have been the same age as you,” Han Xiao mused.

  “Does that mean she was only twelve when the two of you parted ways? She, a girl who had just entered middle school?” Qin Shu yawned. She had not meant to but she was feeling really sleepy after that delicious leg of roast rabbit. Feeling awkward, she covered her gaping mouth with her hand.

  “They start going to middle school at that age.” Han Xiao noticed Qin Shu’s droopy eyelids and the way she struggled to stay awake. “Go get some sleep. We’ll be up early tomorrow. I’ll help you look for those medicinal herbs.”


  “Okay. You should rest early too.”


  She had spent the whole day running about in search of the medicinal herbs she needed, and bone-deep fatigue had settled over her. Qin Shu hobbled to her tent and drew the curtains shut. She was out like a light before she knew it.

  Han Xiao stared at Qin Shu’s departing figure and fished out a cigarette before lighting it.

  Was Qin Shu the one he had been looking for all this while?

  If so, why didn’t she react when he mentioned the pact?

  Soft snores drifted in the air and chorused with the thousands of sounds that rustled or hissed in the night.

  The next morning……

  Qin Shu ate the sumptuous breakfast Han Xiao prepared before continuing her search. She dressed light and carried only the essentials she needed for her climb.

  She trekked over to the mountain opposite her. Yesterday, she had left earlier than she would have liked so today she would begin her search from there.

  At noon, they rested for a while, eating some bread and dried biscuits. After their short break, they redoubled their search efforts with vigour.

  An hour into their hike, they arrived at a col. If they weren’t careful they would fall in.

  Han Xiao studied the slope, urging caution, “Qin Shu, be careful. The slope is steep. You might slip.”


  “I know.”


  Qin Shu moved cautiously as she looked for the herbs. Fortunately, there were rock shelves and places where she could rest.

  Han Xiao tracked her movements closely. Although he had already warned her, he still worried for her safety.

  The col really was quite deep. If she fell, she would fall into the depression below, putting her in a dangerous position.

  Despite the low temperature in the mountain forest, Qin Shu had worked up a sweat. Beads of perspiration lined her forehead and trickled down the sides of her face. It soaked her palms, mixing with the soil, producing a slippery film of loam that made it hard for her to get a good grip on the trunk of the tree she was clinging to. She had to concentrate very hard not to lose her grip.

  She was not far from her goal now. A short distance away was the Qizhu. It was growing in a crevice of the rock’s face.

  A wave of nervous energy suffused her skin. She had taken great pains to find the herb and, now that it was almost in reach, she found herself feeling extremely apprehensive. Qin Shu took a deep breath to collect herself, knowing that one misstep could prove fatal.

  She steadily edged her way over. Excitement bubbled in her chest. It was an elation that few would ever understand. Qizhus were precious beyond belief. It was a herb similar in rarity to the other ingredient she lacked.

  Qin Shu clasped the Qizhu in her hands and pulled. The surrounding soil had come loose and plunged into the dark maw below; revealing an emerald green snake as thick as a chopstick coiled around the roots of the herb. The snake was flecked in purple spots and had a blood-red tongue that tasted the air over her hand. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her hand. Two puncture wounds came into view.

  Was the snake venomous?

  Thinking of the poison, she felt a chill run down her spine. She was scared.

  She did not carry any anti-venom on hand and even if she did, she needed to know what kind of snake had bitten her in order to administer the right antidote. If the snake’s venom was toxic enough, she could very well die.

  Qin Shu did not have time to consider her options. She raised her hand to her lips and sucked forcefully.

  It was a subconscious reaction – probably one inspired by the many television programmes that she had seen.

  Qin Shu sucked in a mouthful of blood, spat it out, and then sucked again. She repeated the process several times.

  Qin Shu’s conspicuous actions caught Han Xiao’s attention. He inched closer to her and asked, “What happened?”


  No sooner had he asked her what was wrong than Qin Shu’s body tilted to one side and plummeted into the depths of the col.

  Qin Shu’s legs had collapsed beneath her weight almost as if they had turned into jelly.

  “Qin Shu……!”


  Han Xiao’s pupils constricted, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Without thinking, he launched himself at Qin Shu and wrapped her in his arms, bracing for impact.

  The mountains were rocky, therefore it was inevitable they would be injured hurtling down the steeps sides of the col.

  They tumbled all the way to the bottom and rammed against a tree.

  Han Xiao ignored the searing pain ravaging his body and checked Qin Shu’s condition. “Qin Shu, are you okay?”


  He helped her up using his left hand. He could barely feel anything with his right hand and blood was seeping through the cloth along the same arm. It was probably lamed as a result of his recklessness. Still, he was more concerned for Qin Shu’s wellbeing.

  Little stars swirled in her eyes but she snapped to attention the moment she heard Han Xiao call out to her. Fumbling for words, she cried out, “.…… Qizhu.”


  Han Xiao knew that Qizhu was the herb Qin Shu was looking for. He surveyed her surroundings and saw a plant clutched in her right hand. The herb was called Qizhu because it had only seven leaves and the undersides of each leaf were red.

  “It’s in your hand.”


  Qin Shu raised her hand and saw the herb enveloped in it and heaved a sigh of relief. “I’ve got it! I’ve finally gotten it. It would near impossible to find another.”


  “Are you injured?” Han Xiao’s black eyes sized her up, scanning her figure for any potential injuries she might have sustained. With her black suit on, it would have been hard to tell if she was injured, bleeding or worse. It made him even more anxious.

  “I’m fine. My legs suddenly felt weak……” Qin Shu recalled the scene of her fall. Han Xiao had protected her. She scanned his body for injuries. “How about you? Were you injured?”


  Han Xiao shook his head. “I’m fine.”


  Just as he finished speaking, blood dribbled down the side of his forehead, colouring his fair cheeks in a vivid shade of crimson. It painted a bloody scar on his cheeks.

  Qin Shu saw the blood on Han Xiao’s cheeks and her face paled. “You…… You’re bleeding.”


  Han Xiao wiped his face with the back of his hand. It was coloured a bright red. His head pounded in time with his heart and a headache threatened to explode from behind his eyelids. He must have hit his head while falling off the col’s cliffs.

  “Let me have a look.”


  Qin Shu shook off her backpack, unzipped it, and stuffed the Qizhu into her bag. However, before she could examine Han Xiao’s head, she was stopped by a hand that grabbed her wrist. “There’s no need to look. It’s just a cut.”