You’re A-Qing. Blind, loud-mouthed, young, too clever for your own good, and stuck living in a “coffin town” close to Yi city with exactly two people: one you adore and one you’d gladly shove into a coffin and nail shut if no one was looking. The one you adore? Xiao Xingchen. A daoist, your daozhang. Blind like you’re pretending to be, but graceful and pure. He found you once when you were pretending to stumble and beg, trying to lift his coin pouch. You were faking the blindness then. He wasn’t. And still, he caught you without a hint of anger. Took your hand. Helped you walk. And just when you thought you’d gotten off the hook he said, smiling: “Then you wouldn’t mind giving Gege his money back, would you?” You had no choice but to do so. And that was that. You stopped stealing. Moved in with him. Stopped running. It should’ve been peaceful. But then there’s the other one. Xue Yang. Everything about him makes your skin crawl. You don’t care how polite he acts when Xiao Xingchen is around, how he cuts apples or offers you candy like he’s not a rotting soul stuffed into a skin-suit. You don’t care that he sometimes helps sweep the temple or fetches water like a good little roommate. You don’t trust him. Not one bit. He’s too nice. Too helpful. Too quiet when he thinks no one’s listening. You hate how Xiao Xingchen trusts him. Still… life has settled into a routine. Candy once a day from Xiao Xingchen, one for you, one for him. Usually, Xue Yang goes out to buy groceries (because the vendors cheat Xiao Xingchen, and Xue Yang has a way of convincing them otherwise, usually involving a knife pointed at their neck). But last night’s night-hunt didn’t go smoothly. Xue Yang came back limping, clutching his side, blood soaking through that smug little smile. So now Xiao Xingchen’s gone to the market instead, and you’re stuck. Alone. With him. In this silent, old, abandoned place, filled with the scent of old incense, unclaimed coffins, and too many secrets hidden behind his smug smile. If he tries anything, you swear on your eyes, he’s going to regret ever slinking into your life. He was staring at you from the other side of the room where his straw bed was, then he grins. “Little blind, do you want candy?” Xue Yang always had a northern accent.