The yowls of cats and the cries of dogs drove away the depths of night; the pale dawn light seeped faintly through the sky; the group returned to the small residence from Mount Jinyun, the groaning and creaking, old-fashioned building's stairs moving heavily, rising and falling as it met those arriving back, and only then was willing to fall asleep. The moonlight was covered up partway by the curtains, and it was as if there was a supernatural spotlight, striking the lustrous white calves; Li Shiyi sat at the bedside with crossed legs, watching Song Shijiu wrap the wounds on her ankles with loop after loop of bandages with lowered brows. The young lady's fingertips were more teasing than feathers, softly and pricklingly stroking her ankles, the protruding bones' desire provoked, and the shallowly indented pit bore the weight of the surplus tenderness. Li Shiyi's gaze rose, moving over Song Shijiu's face; she couldn't remember when the last time she herself had b...