Chapter 15

Huan Yang truly lives up to being Jingcheng—even in the evening, the streets that aren't main thoroughfares are still bustling with people, and shops line the roadside. She could have properly admired what an ancient capital looks like, of course, on the condition that that pesky, ever-present guy wouldn't trail her step for step—then everything would be perfect!

Really, she couldn't care less about appearances now—Zhuo Qing crouched by the wall corner, gasping for breath. By comparison, ten paces away, Mo Bai's face showed no flush, no panting; his blue eyes gazed at Zhuo Qing with a distant, unfocused look, neither stepping forward to grab her nor walking away.

Zhuo Qing lamented, he'd chased her across five streets! Five streets! Why was she exhausted like a dog while he hadn't even a single hair out of place?

Having finally caught her breath, Zhuo Qing didn't run anymore—she walked toward Mo Bai, panting lightly as she asked: "Blue eyes, what exactly do you want?"

Mo Bai's indifferent face showed no expression, no response.

Zhuo Qing muttered under her breath—she hated this kind of pretentious coolness the most!

As her eyes darted, Zhuo Qing suddenly stepped close to Mo Bai's side, standing there with what seemed to be a decent mood, smiling: "You're not trying to follow me, are you? Staying close makes it harder to lose you."

Zhuo Qing's sudden shift made a flicker of surprise cross Mo Bai's heart—but his expressionless face made it hard to read his feelings.

Among the roadside shops, one particularly eye-catching silk store stood out, lavishly decorated. A flash of mischief passed through Zhuo Qing's eyes as she smiled: "This set of ragged clothes is already stinking—I'm going to buy a new outfit." Grabbing Mo Bai's sleeve, she dragged him along toward the silk shop.

Mo Bai coldly pulled his sleeve free, but still followed her inside.

As soon as a customer entered, the shopkeeper rushed forward: "Two gentlemen, please come inside!" Seeing Mo Bai's light blue eyes and snow-like complexion, the shopkeeper flinched, hastily stepping back, too afraid to meet his gaze—Mo Bai seemed long accustomed to it, his indifferent face unchanged as ever.

Even though Zhuo Qing was wrapped in a robe, covering herself thoroughly and looking somewhat odd, the shopkeeper preferred talking to him. Following behind Zhuo Qing, the shopkeeper eagerly introduced: "Our silk is renowned throughout Qiongyue—feel free to browse. We also have ready-made scholar's robes; if you don't find a style you like, no problem—we can custom-make them."

Walking toward a small room at the side of the shop, Zhuo Qing called out loudly: "I want to try some on—find two people to help me carry the clothes."

The shopkeeper replied repeatedly: "Yes, yes, please go ahead."

Arms crossed, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mo Bai, Zhuo Qing added a hint of provocation, smiling: "Blue eyes, want to join in?"

Mo Bai outright ignored her, turning his back and staring coldly ahead. Zhuo Qing silently exhaled in relief—if he really followed her in, she'd be in trouble.

After the burning of one incense stick.

"Ah——"

Suddenly, a shrill female voice cried out from the inner room, followed by several loud bangs. Mo Bai's eyes flickered—this kid was indeed playing tricks. He darted swiftly into the inner chamber; though small, clothes hung on all four sides lay scattered in disarray across the floor. A young boy lay face-up, a clear bruise on his forehead. Beside him, a girl in servant's attire lay on her side. Scanning the room, there seemed to be no place left to hide.

Beneath a half-closed small window sat a wooden footstool. Pushing the window open, he saw the shop's backyard. Mo Bai moved with agility, leaping out of the inner room and chasing toward the side buildings in the backyard.

The shopkeeper rushed in, took in the chaos, and was startled. Looking up, he just saw Mo Bai leap out the window and run into his backyard, shouting: "What what what—what's going on?! What do you want?!"

The shopkeeper was about to go call for help when the girl in green robes lying on the floor suddenly sat up. Her exquisite, otherworldly profile stunned him, leaving his mind reeling. Hesitating, he asked: "Miss, who are you?" How could such a beautiful woman appear in his shop? He remembered only calling a boy to serve the youth changing clothes.

Before the shopkeeper could make sense of it, the girl had already risen to her feet, standing opposite him. He gasped again—good heavens! This beautiful young woman, the other side of her face was ruined like this—what a pity! Truly too much of a pity!

The shopkeeper beat his chest and stamped his feet in distress, but Zhuo Qing was eager to seize the moment. She swiftly lifted the fallen skirt hem and darted out of the room with extreme speed. The shopkeeper only saw a green blur flash past—still dazed by what had just happened. When he finally came to his senses and recalled that Zhuo Qing's clothes were from his shop, she had already burst out the door.

Shortly after, the shopkeeper's terrified shout echoed from inside the silk shop: "Catch the thief! No, it's a robber!"

Zhuo Qing wound through the streets, darting into a narrow, little-used alley. The alley twisted and turned, a tangled maze—if not for her exceptional memory, she'd surely get lost. Blue eyes shouldn't be able to track her down so easily! She hadn't even finished feeling relieved when a jumble of footsteps came from behind. Just as she turned to look, a black shadow flashed before her eyes—a cold, icy greatsword was already pressed against her neck.

Was she really this unlucky? After finally shaking off one tail, she'd stumbled into a feud-fueled killing?!

The man before her had a face full of beard, his age impossible to tell. His eyes were bloodshot, filled only with fear and frenzy, as he muttered repeatedly: "You you you you······don't mess around!"

Was it him who shouldn't mess around?! Zhuo Qing was utterly bewildered, her heart pounding. At that moment, a young male voice, laced with teasing and the air of the market streets, came from behind her shadow: "Anyway, you can't escape Young Master's grasp—better behave and submit, or I'll start getting handsy!"

The bearded man grew even more terrified, one hand clamping down on Zhuo Qing's shoulder, shoving her in front of him as a shield. The blade pressed tightly against her throat, his grip on the hilt trembling violently.

Zhuo Qing dared not move—she could clearly feel the blade trembling up and down at her throat. She stiffened her body and said helplessly: "Can't you stop shaking?!"

The bearded man's breath came out ragged—he didn't even notice what Zhuo Qing had said. His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly ahead in terror, while from ahead came a low, mocking chuckle.

Zhuo Qing looked up. Not far off, a man stood with arms crossed over his chest, leaning lazily against the alley entrance in a blue cloth short shirt, his toes idly tapping a rhythm—utterly the picture of a ruffian. He looked young, about twenty, but his features were refined and handsome—sword-like brows at his temples, half-lidded phoenix eyes radiating carefree nonchalance.

The moment the man straightened up, the bearded man jumped like a startled rabbit, shouting: "Don't come closer, or I······I'll kill her!"

The man's gaze swept over Zhuo Qing's face, his phoenix eyes flickering slightly as a roguish smile curled his lips. He replied indifferently: "Whatever—I'm after capturing people for ransom. Her life means nothing to me. You already have five lives on your head—adding one more won't change anything. This way, I might even earn an extra hundred taels of silver!"

Exactly! Bounty hunters are in it for the money! The bearded man seemed to see hope, eagerly pleading: "Let me go—you want how much silver? I'll give you any amount, double the official bounty! No, wait—double that!"

The black-clad man flicked his ear, face full of impatience, and drawled: "Cut the nonsense—if you're going to kill, just do it fast. Young Master's still hungry! Hurrying to claim the bounty!"

Seeing bribery fail, the bearded man pressed the blade tighter against Zhuo Qing's neck, roaring frenziedly: "Don't come closer—I······I really will kill her!"

(End of Chapter)