Chapter 3: Shengqing, the Camel Bells Are Ringing

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Qiao Ruyi stared intently at the silken camel pattern atop her coffee, her tone tinged with amazement. “This is so beautiful, I almost can’t bring myself to drink it.”

Yet despite her words, she couldn’t resist taking a sip, delight lighting up her brows. “Boss Xing, your coffee-making skills are impressive.”

No wonder he’s ranked number one.

Xing Lin felt as though he’d just punched a wad of cotton.

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“I heard you,” Qiao Ruyi replied, her tone and movements as unhurried as her coffee sipping. Then, all of a sudden, she looked up at Xing Lin. “May I trouble you with a small favor, Boss Xing?”

“What is it?”

“I’ve lost my luggage.” Qiao Ruyi’s face was the picture of sincerity. “Someone must have taken it by mistake while I was transferring buses.”

Xing Lin fell silent for a moment, as if weighing his words, then spoke with a touch of coldness. “With the weather being what it is, nobody’s going out. I can’t help you look for your luggage.”

Qiao Ruyi simply hummed in acknowledgment, showing no sign of displeasure. “Then... perhaps just a little help within your means, something that doesn’t involve leaving the shop.”

“Such as?”

“For instance, I’d like to stay here for the night,” Qiao Ruyi said directly.

Xing Lin was momentarily taken aback, then walked over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down across from her, his long legs splayed with a rather aggressive air.

“There are hotels everywhere outside. Why not stay at one of those?”

Qiao Ruyi rested a hand on the coffee table. Beside her, the fragrant wood on the partition was thriving, its branches drooping onto the tabletop. She gently twirled a leaf between her fingers, scenting her fingertips with its fragrance.

Her tone was half resigned, half roguish. “But I’ve lost all my things...”

Xing Lin regarded her sharply.

The sense of pressure hung over her head, but Qiao Ruyi seemed perfectly unruffled. “I can’t leave Gua County. All the hotels and guesthouses here are closed...”

Xing Lin averted his gaze, moving the pot of fragrant wood she’d been toying with out of reach.

It wasn’t easy to raise a plant to such maturity in this northwest region.

After a while, he spoke. “You’re a master of rubbings—an expert. Since you’re with the research institute, it shouldn’t be hard for them to arrange your accommodation.”

“They can’t do anything at a time like this either. Besides, I’ve heard about the black sandstorms. If there really is danger, I’ll have to ask Boss Xing to keep me safe.”

“Keep you safe?” Xing Lin’s gaze was sharp as a blade, appraising her.

Qiao Ruyi met his eyes with a radiant smile. “Yes. I’ve heard Boss Xing is well known for helping others. You’re tall and handsome—protecting a helpless woman like me should be a piece of cake.”

At her words, a faint, chilly shadow passed over Xing Lin’s eyes, making him seem distant. Yet Qiao Ruyi caught the faint blush coloring his ears in the dimness.

Handsome men, she thought, are always so easy to tease.

“No guests are allowed to stay—”

“I’m not that close to anyone at the institute. In times like these, owing a favor is the hardest debt to repay. I’d rather pay you for peace of mind. The wind and sand are already kicking up outside. If I were to leave and something happened to me, wouldn’t that affect your shop’s reputation? Besides, I must enter Guyang City, and you’re the only one I can turn to.”

Qiao Ruyi gently cut him off, casually reaching for her purse and pulling out her phone. “So, Boss Xing, name your price?”

The bag was small, its contents plain to see: a travel-sized perfume, lipstick, a makeup mirror, tissues, and a gold token, not large, with intricate patterns.

Xing Lin’s gaze lingered on the token for a fraction of a second before sweeping past it as if nothing had happened. After a brief pause, he asked lightly, “You know it’s sandstorm season, so why insist on entering Guyang City?”

He did not mention money.

Qiao Ruyi slipped her phone back into her bag. “The ancient mural I’m searching for is in the heart of Guyang City. You can’t find it in fair weather. Only during sandstorm season, when the dunes inside the main city shift, can the mural be revealed.”

Xing Lin’s eyes were as dark as ink, boldly fixed on her face.

Qiao Ruyi had no intention of dodging his gaze. Just as she had outside, she met his eyes openly, a faint smile playing at her lips, her eyes as bright as stars. “Boss Xing, aren’t you afraid I’ll fall for you, if you keep staring like that?”

Xing Lin refused to be drawn in, his hawk-like gaze steady. “You’d risk a sandstorm just for a rubbing?”

“Of course not,” Qiao Ruyi replied, unexpectedly candid.

Noting the flicker of curiosity in his eyes, she pressed her lips into a sly smile. “For money, naturally. A single ancient mural rubbing can fetch a handsome sum.”

From her playful expression, Xing Lin could tell she was being deliberately provocative.

Qiao Ruyi arched a delicate brow, her manner coquettish. “Apart from sightseeing and people like me on business, does anyone else go in for other reasons?”

She leaned forward slightly, her waist as supple as the snake coiled around her wrist, feigning innocent curiosity. “Is there something else inside Guyang City?”

Xing Lin didn’t answer, rising to his feet with a casual air. “The sandstorm’s about to hit. If you want to stay at Heart’s Desire for the night, it’s not impossible—but you’ll have to follow the rules. After dark, you stay in your room. No wandering, no coming downstairs.”

“Naturally,” Qiao Ruyi agreed with an easy smile. “A guest follows the host’s lead.”

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Xing Lin had taken a few steps when he paused, turning back to her. “You fiddled with your phone for ages—where’s the money?”

Qiao Ruyi was perfectly frank. “Actually, I don’t have any money on my phone. My wallet was in my suitcase.”

Xing Lin let out a derisive laugh.

“Hey...”

Now what?

Xing Lin glanced back at her.

Qiao Ruyi smiled slightly, nodding at the coffee on the table. “Put this on my tab, too.”

—

According to the lady from the stall opposite, Xing Lin might seem aloof, but he was always willing to help the neighbors—everything from lost chickens and ducks to settling local disputes. The locals said that as long as the owner of Heart’s Desire nodded, the matter would surely be resolved.

Of course, some came for Xing Lin himself. He was handsome, after all, and there was no shortage of bold girls around here.

The stairs to the second floor were tucked away in the southwest corner of the shop, shrouded in shadow for years. Each step creaked with the weight of time. The upstairs layout was clear—a three-bedroom, one-living-room arrangement, one room converted into a study, the kitchen half-open, pots and pans all in place, evidence that someone lived here long-term.

When the wind and sand rose, the sky blackened completely. Moon and stars disappeared behind clouds, sand drummed against the rolling shutter with a sharp, insistent rattle. The wind grew fiercer, tree shadows thrashing wildly, as if possessed.

“Qiao Ruyi is quite famous in the field of relic restoration and rubbings. On the one hand, her skills are genuinely impressive; on the other, it’s her temperament.”

Xing Lin answered a call from Shen Que. The wind outside howled, scraping the walls and windows with piercing noise, so Shen Que’s voice on the phone faded in and out.

“I’ve heard people at the institute can’t stand Qiao Ruyi’s way of doing things. They say she’s not serious, too unruly, so she usually works alone.”

Xing Lin leaned against the window. The upstairs panes were unsealed, giving him a perfect view of the scene outside—a sandstorm raging like a swarm of demons. Black sand battered the glass, and no matter how tightly the seals were stuffed, grit always found a way in, bringing with it a dull, metallic tang.

“She has nothing to do with the institute,” he said.

Shen Que grunted. “Qiao Ruyi doesn’t hold any official position there, but she’s in Gua County this time on a commission from them. She’s well respected in the field. Even if she works alone, she can mobilize resources easily.”

He paused, then added, “But how do you know her situation? From what we know, Qiao Ruyi doesn’t seem to have any ulterior motive in entering Guyang City. Are you sure you haven’t misread this?”

Xing Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, lighting a cigarette with practiced nonchalance. His gaze drifted to the menacing black sand outside, where sky and earth had merged into one.

“She has a gold token. I couldn’t be mistaken.”

“She’s a wishmaker?”

“She isn’t.”

Shen Que laughed. “So many wishmakers, you remember each one?”

It was half a tease.

Normally, Xing Lin would have traded barbs with him. He was a deep, steady man, always alert and guarded. Though he had many acquaintances, there were few he truly trusted—Shen Que was one of them.

But today, a restless irritation simmered in his chest. His hand, cigarette poised, rested on the window frame, veins standing out along the back of his hand.

He frowned impatiently, snapping, “I remember every last wishmaker.”

Shen Que was laughing on the other end, utterly unafraid. “Seems this little twist has you unsettled. So why let her stay? Wait...”

Before Xing Lin could speak, Shen Que suddenly caught on, his tone turning grave. “She just happened to have the gold token where you could see it? If she’s up to something, she’s walked right into your web. You wouldn’t have missed such a basic trick, yet you let her stay...”

He drew a sharp breath. “She couldn’t be...”

Xing Lin said nothing, the thin haze of smoke blurring the darkness at the corner of his eye.

“What’s your silence mean, Xing Lin? Did I hit the mark?” Shen Que was unsettled now.

A bit of ash fell to the floor before Xing Lin finally spoke. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

“Xing Lin, I know you,” Shen Que said, his voice serious.

A brief silence fell between them, until Shen Que spoke again. “Whether it’s a coincidence or not, you can’t afford to be soft-hearted this time. If need be, I’ll handle it.”

“Shen Que.” Xing Lin’s voice was cold as frost on a roof tile. “This is my business.”

As soon as the words left his lips, a gust of black sand battered the window, followed by the faint, lingering sound of wind chimes.

It was the bronze camel bell hanging under the eaves outside.

It was ringing.

—

Qiao Ruyi moved into the study without fuss. In the corner by the lamp was a comfortable sofa bed, just big enough for one.

Twenty minutes earlier, the power had gone out. When Xing Lin knocked to deliver candles, he’d reminded her again: The sandstorm’s started. Rest early. If you can’t sleep, read a book.

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Qiao Ruyi leaned in, examining the man’s handsome features by wavering candlelight. “I heard during the day that there are things in the black sandstorm that can snatch people away. Is it safe here? Boss Xing, why don’t you stay?”

They were close; their shadows overlapped and intertwined on the wall, giving rise to a subtle intimacy.

Yet Qiao Ruyi showed not a hint of embarrassment after making such a bold suggestion. “After all, I’m a woman of some value.”

Xing Lin’s gaze shifted to her face, weighing her words, his tone placid. “Miss Qiao, you’re a scholar. Do you really believe such tales? It’s just a bit of wind and sand. Stay in your room and don’t wander, you’ll be fine.”

A bit of wind and sand? Qiao Ruyi finally understood what the stall owner meant by “like the black Gobi desert flooding in.”

The windows were tightly shut, but the candle flame still flickered, stretching her shadow long and unsteady.

Qiao Ruyi toyed with the gold token, flicking it so it spun like a coin on the tabletop, casting a flurry of golden facets.

As its spinning slowed, both sides of the token became clear: on one, an image of distant buildings in the boundless Gobi; on the other, four small seal characters—“Heart’s Desire.”

Her pale fingers pressed the token still.

She traced the characters with her thumb, then picked up her phone to send a message to a WeChat contact with a ginger root avatar—

Found it.

The ginger avatar replied quickly: The one on the gold token?

Qiao Ruyi: No, but the shop is odd, something’s off. Sheng Qing reacted.

Ginger avatar: If something’s wrong, provoking him could be dangerous.

Qiao Ruyi: No risk, no reward, right? How else to catch a handsome man?

Ginger replied with an exasperated emoji.

Qiao Ruyi smiled and typed quickly: The gold token is the bait. With the black sandstorm, this is a rare chance. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.

Ginger avatar replied with a simple “Mm.”

She didn’t leave the chat, but stopped messaging. Half a minute later, the other party began typing again.

A new message arrived: How handsome is he?

Qiao Ruyi replied with two words: Devastatingly handsome.

Suddenly, the gold token beside her trembled, and the soft chime of the camel bell rose with the wind and sand. At the same time, the green snake coiled around her wrist abruptly lifted its head, staring alertly at the window.

Qiao Ruyi tapped the snake’s head with a finger and turned to look outside. “Sheng Qing, the camel bell is ringing.”

So it wasn’t broken after all.

But Sheng Qing was not comforted. It nearly stood upright, eyes fixed on the window, tongue flicking, clearly agitated.

Qiao Ruyi got up and walked toward the window.

Black sand was swirling outside, the bronze camel bell ringing more urgently and clearly, as if separated from her by just a pane of glass.

Then the world began to change.

Everything in sight seemed distorted by an unseen force; reality and illusion blurred together, and a faint scent of blood hung in the air.

Qiao Ruyi blinked hard, and the world seemed to right itself, but the atmosphere was undeniably strange—an inexplicable, eerie feeling.

A faint pain tugged at her heart.

Something was banging against the window—she leaned closer and, without warning, a face pressed right up against the glass!

Qiao Ruyi’s breath caught; she instinctively stepped back two paces.

What kind of face was it?

The features were twisted, as if pressed against the glass—or perhaps it had always been that way. One eye was missing, covered by a black leather patch, the expression ferocious and menacing. The darkness of the sand outside only made the face more terrifying.

He was looking inside!

As this realization struck, Qiao Ruyi felt her mind reel.

This was the second floor—how had he gotten up here?