Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Three months, ten thousand taels, all yours...

As the sun sets in the west, smoke curls from cooking fires along the lakeside. Street lights light up one after another, and the sound of conversation and the mellow music from the buildings rise and fall.

Bells dangling from treetops sway in the gentle breeze by the lakeside, tinkling.

"Look up, look at the man on the second floor, southwest of Liuyunzhai," a girl said in a sweet, sweet voice, excitedly patting her friend's shoulder.

"What—" The friend's puzzled voice abruptly stopped, followed by a carefully restrained exclamation. "Whose young man is this? How come I haven't seen him before?"

The man casually glanced down, his peach-shaped eyes flashing with a hint of coldness, yet a warmth. His every move lent a youthful carefreeness.

As his gaze flickered back and forth, the girls below the building paused, as if captivated.

Ding—

the crisp sound of a teacup crashing to the ground brought everyone back to their senses, and they all looked towards the source.

The girl's delicate face, frightened like a fawn, instantly caught everyone's eye. Her almond-shaped eyes flickered with bewilderment, and she bit her lip, almost as if she were about to burst into tears. It was so pitiful, it was hard to blame her.

"It's okay, it's just a teacup."

"Check to see if you're burned—" The woman noticed the girl's reddened hand, paused, and urged, "Your palm is burned red. Go to the backyard and rinse it with cold water."

"Go quickly, young lady." The teahouse servant came over with a tea towel and quickly wiped the water stains off the tea table. "Don't leave any scars."

The girl pursed her lips, thanked everyone gratefully, and then hurried to the backyard.

Everyone watched the girl disappear into the teahouse. Suddenly, they came to their senses and looked towards the second floor of Liuyunzhai. The man was nowhere to be found.

"Young lady," the boy cleaning the backyard called out to the hurried girl. Seeing her covering her palm, he suddenly realized something and pointed behind her, saying, "The Qingchi is over there."

Biezhi followed his finger and nodded, "Thank you."

The girl walked lightly, and in a moment she was in front of the Qingchi.

She rolled up her sleeves, grasped the gourd ladle, and laboriously scooped half a spoonful of water. When she lifted it up

, the gourd, which couldn't stop shaking, tilted around, and most of the water in the gourd fell back down. The boy cleaning the yard trotted over and held out his hand, "Young lady, let me help you."

Biezhi looked up at him and handed him the gourd ladle.

The boy took the gourd ladle and scooped a large spoonful of clear water.

Clear water trickled down, its crisp, melodious sound drowning out the rustling of branches and leaves at the tops of the trees.

"News from half an hour ago." The servant's eyes fixed on the water, his lips barely moving. "We'll leave for the capital tomorrow at 1:15 AM."

"Got it." Biezhi's fingertips brushed across her fair palm, her head barely raised. "I'll deal with the tail that's following you tonight."

"Do you need us to help?"

"Just finish it off."

The water in the gourd was empty. Biezhi slowly withdrew her hand, looked up and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, young lady." The servant stepped back a few steps, making way for her.

Biezhi nodded.

She didn't return to the front yard, but walked straight through the trees and out of the teahouse.

The street was bustling with people, and the long street was illuminated by candlelight, illuminating the men, women, and children who passed by.

In just a moment, Biezhi spotted the man.

She followed behind at a distance, her eyes fixed on the tall figure of the man. His straight and upright figure stood out, and the bright moonlight made him look even more extraordinary.

Even so, Biezhi's gaze did not seem abrupt.

Men, women, young and old on the street also glanced at her sideways like her, and a few friends who were traveling together would even whisper to each other.

After walking through the crowd to the end, the man stepped onto a low stool. The moment he bent down to get into the carriage, he suddenly turned his head to look at her.

Across the long street, his cold gaze pierced through the surging crowd like a sword.

Biezhi, who was standing in front of the stall playing with a fox mask, raised her lips slightly, and her eyes fell on the man with his thin lips. After watching his figure disappear into the carriage, she took out some silver and handed it to the vendor, then walked away wearing the fox mask.

The wheels rolled over the stones, making a faint sound.

In the shadows of the forest garden, Biezhi sat on a tree branch, her legs swinging from side to side. She idly swallowed a candy pill and toyed with the mask she had just bought.

A faint smile flickered across her eyes as a sharp light

and shadow passed through them. Biezhi raised her wrist slightly, and the sharp blade of her

sword sliced through the air. With a clang, the blade pierced the black-clad assassin's sword, and the sharp clink of swords echoed through the vast, precise streets.

Guards hidden in the shadows leaped out, swords in hand, guarding the carriage. Biezhi leaped from a high treetop and leaped into the woods across the street.

The man in the carriage opened the window curtains, his eyes glancing at the two or three guards outside. His brows furrowed slightly, and he looked up at the dark woods. "Send a few men up to help him."

The guards remained motionless, as if their steps were nailed to the ground. They exchanged glances, their faces hesitant.

After a moment's hesitation, the secret guard on the other side bowed and said, "We have been ordered to protect you, sir. The rest of us are not part of our mission. Please forgive us, sir."

The man glanced at him. "Isn't he traveling with you?"

"No," the secret guard said, also feeling puzzled. "I haven't received any news of this person traveling with me."

It had been over fifty days since they had traveled from the capital to Hezhou and back again. They had only met once, on the day this person first arrived, when he passed him a message. Otherwise, he hadn't attacked them all along the way, except today.

If I'm not mistaken, this person's skills—

like those of Xianyun Tower.

He hesitated, then said nothing more.

In the woods, the sound of sharp swords clashing echoed, startling birds that had rested there and sending them flying in all directions.

A sharp blade threatened her eyes, and Biezhi dodged it by sidestepping. Her mind raced, roughly assessing the approaching assassins: there were perhaps seven or eight of them, with perhaps more approaching.

She couldn't wait for the others to approach; she had to make a quick decision.

Bie Zhi glanced at the moonlight, her bright eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

The leading assassin watched with a sharp gaze as the other man pulled out a bullet. The moment the bullet landed, his eyes shifted, "Hold your breath!"

Unexpectedly, the moment his breathing stilled, a piercing pain shot through his skin, so painful that he couldn't even stand. Dense beads of sweat poured out, hitting the ground. Soon, his mind suddenly lost consciousness.

Watching the fallen assassins, Bie Zhi squatted down and patted the sides of the men's faces, clicking his tongue. "Hold your breath if you're drugged. If you don't faint, who will?"

When the owner of Liuyunzhai and the others arrived, they saw the petite Bie Zhi picking up one sturdy man after another like piglets and throwing them aside like garbage.

"Tell someone to take them back to the capital." Biezhi had already noticed their arrival. Seeing the senior brother standing in the front, hesitant to speak, she took out a sachet and threw it to him: "A thank you gift tonight."

"Same effect?" The shopkeeper asked, glancing at the pile of assassins.

Biezhi thought for a moment and said: "I forgot. Senior brother, figure it out yourself."

The shopkeeper looked at her helplessly: "How many lives do I have to figure it out?"

Hearing this, Biezhi couldn't help laughing. She really had forgotten. She

received the mission in a hurry and couldn't remember what she brought out, but she was sure of one thing.

Biezhi's eyes slightly raised, and she said to him in a light tone: "Don't worry, senior brother, you won't die."

Seeing the lively and charming look of the girl in front of him, the shopkeeper laughed out loud.

After being away from the capital for many years, he had forgotten that their junior sister was not the kind of person who played by the rules. It suddenly reminded him of the days when he was still in the capital.

He glanced at his subordinate who had tied up the assassin, and said, "Junior sister, we'll meet again."

Biezhi nodded and watched them leave.

The next day, before the sun rose, the sound of horse hooves could be heard.

This time, they did not rest along the way, and returned to the capital in just half a day.

Biezhi tightened the reins and watched the man riding his horse into the city. When he waited for the guards of the Dali Temple at the city gate to meet him, he whipped the horse and headed towards Ding'an Gate.

It was only a hundred steps after passing Ding'an Gate that the bustling street scene could be seen.

There were noises everywhere, the music of stringed instruments was endless, and people were coming and going. Even in the second half of the night, Changle Street was the most lively street in the capital.

Biezhi walked through the surging crowd and stepped into Baiding Tower.

She walked to the counter, took out a silver ingot and handed it to the shopkeeper, "Second floor of the villa, West Lake Longjing tea."

The shopkeeper accepted the silver ingot with a smile and called the servant, "Quickly take this girl to the second floor of the villa."

The front yard of Baiding Tower and the villa were only separated by a wall, but the interiors were completely different.

The noisy noises in the front yard did not reach the villa at all.

People in Beijing often say that the villa of Baiding Tower is a different world.

The only sounds left in the quiet bamboo garden are the gurgling water, the tinkling of the rushing river, and the crisp and pleasant sound of wind chimes under the eaves, which mixed together and fell into the ears with a unique taste.

"Miss." The servant stopped in front of the door.

Biezhi glanced at the wooden sign on the side of the door, Baihua Pavilion.

Her eyes fixed, and she looked up at the servant.

The servant raised his lips slightly and smiled.

Biezhi pushed the door open. The moment it closed, she saw her master standing behind it. The corners of her mouth rose halfway when she saw the master's eyes vaguely looking at the screen that was about two people tall. She suppressed her frozen smile and bowed to the man behind the screen: "Biezhi greets the master."

"There is someone who may need you to follow." The man's indifferent voice swept over like the breeze.

Biezhi was stunned for a moment, and her eyes swept towards the master in confusion.

The master shook his head slightly, obviously not knowing what the master meant.

According to the custom of Qingyin Pavilion, after returning from a mission, you can get ten days of rest. This rule was set by the master, and no one has broken it for many years.

What's more, she only rested for an hour every day during the more than fifty days she was away from Beijing, relying on cup after cup of tea to drive away sleepiness.

Biezhi never wronged herself.

She withdrew her gaze from her master and lowered her head.

"Master, your subordinate—"

"Three months, ten thousand taels, all yours."