TAP! TAP! TAP!

Zhao Xuanqi set the file down. With one hand propping up his chin, he tapped his fingers on the desk, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

He had first noticed something unusual about Zhao Qin’s behavior during his True Inheritance banquet. It made him realize that he hadn’t paid much attention to what she had been up to for a long time. So, he had Cai Mingliang arrange for the Wind Shadow Hall’s elite to discreetly look into her recent activities.

He knew it was wrong, but he also didn’t want Zhao Qin to get dragged into a mess. He felt it was his only option.

He hadn’t realized just how much Zhao Qin had been up to over the past few months until he saw the report.

Out in the world, she was leveraging her status as the sister of the Wind Shadow Hall Master to mingle with numerous socialites in the Upper River District, attending one high-end banquet after another. At the women’s college, his own financial sponsorship of the student aid program had turned Zhao Qin into an influential figure on campus. She had used this position to organize a mutual-aid society for night-school students, building a considerable reputation among the many female factory workers attending the free classes. Whether she was also using the program to spread certain ideologies was anyone’s guess.

He had to admit, he was impressed. He never thought Zhao Qin had it in her to do all this.

’Then again, perhaps it wasn’t just her own talent. More likely, someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Based on the places Zhao Qin had been frequenting and the people she had been meeting, Zhao Xuanqi narrowed his list down to a few key suspects.

"These locations, these people... have some men keep an eye on them. Remember, be thorough. Get your sharpest people on it. Report back to me immediately if anything happens."

Zhao Xuanqi said to Cai Mingliang.

"Got it. The men are all veterans; there won’t be any problems."

Cai Mingliang nodded. Part of his value was his discretion; he knew what to ask and, more importantly, what not to.

...

...

「One week later.」

Nightfall. 57 Peinan Road.

Chu’s Embroidery and Clothing Store.

The women’s clothing store had been open for less than two years, but it had already made a name for itself in the Upper River District. It was renowned among the area’s high society for its quality craftsmanship and fashionable designs. The owner, a woman named Chu Jiaxuan, had leveraged the store’s reputation to connect with the wives of many influential figures, establishing herself as a person of some standing in the district.

It was late now, nearly closing time, and the street outside seemed rather empty.

Inside, an apprentice named Ya was tidying up garments and bolts of fabric, preparing to close the shop for the night.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

Just then, a series of low, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the store.

Ya looked up. A man well over six feet tall stood before the entrance. He wore a long, black robe and a black formal hat, its wide brim obscuring his face.

"I’m sorry, sir, but we’re closing. Please come back tomorrow."

Ya glanced at the man at the entrance, not paying him much mind, and continued tidying the fabrics and clothes as she spoke.

But in the blink of an eye, when she turned her head again, the man who had been standing at the door was now right in front of her, having somehow crossed the seven or eight meters between them.

He had moved without a sound, without even stirring the air.

His tall frame blocked the light, casting Ya completely in his shadow.

This impossible, unnatural movement made Ya’s mind go blank. All she could think of were the ghost stories she’d heard.

She opened her mouth, a scream about to escape her lips, but a large hand clamped down on her neck. A gentle squeeze, and Ya’s eyes rolled back into her head as she lost consciousness.

The man gently laid Ya’s body aside, then walked toward the stairs leading to the second-floor workshop.

In the second-floor workroom.

Chu Jiaxuan sat with her hair pinned up, needle and thread in hand. As she sewed, she mulled over how to best manage her social connections to gain more intelligence, sell more clothing, and earn more working capital.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase. Chu Jiaxuan didn’t pay it much mind, assuming it was just Ya coming up. "Ya?" she asked casually. "Do we still have a customer this late?"

However, she received no reply. Instead, the footsteps continued their steady ascent.

Her needlework paused mid-stitch. Sensing something was wrong, she turned her head toward the staircase.

A figure of a man wearing a formal hat appeared before her.

At the sight of this complete stranger, the color drained from her face and her heart began to pound.

In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind.

’Did something happen to Ya? This person doesn’t have good intentions.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, she shot to her feet. With surprising agility, she bolted for the window, planning to smash through it and escape before deciding her next move.

Clearly, she was no ordinary woman; she was a trained martial artist.

But as fast as she was, the figure was faster.

WHOOSH!!

A powerful gust of wind tore through the room.

As Chu Jiaxuan fled, she felt an incredibly terrifying pressure bearing down on her from behind.

The once-bright room seemed to fill with shadows.

Her breathing grew ragged, and cold sweat beaded on her back. It felt as if she were being stalked by a terrifying monster.

’This pressure...’

Chu Jiaxuan skidded to a halt, abandoning her attempt to flee. Her fingers brushed against her thigh as, somehow, her palms had already turned a deep, purplish-red.

Double Palm Qi Surge—she was at the Cross-Training realm!

With a sudden flick of her wrists, a volley of Silver Needles she had drawn shot toward the man in the black robe, targeting his entire body from treacherous angles.

Her speed, power, and technique were all exquisite. A single Silver Needle could easily pierce the body of an ordinary person, and even a Cross-Training master would be unable to block them without first activating their Qi Surge.

The White Lotus Hand!

This was a martial art specializing in Hidden Weapons. Her Secret Transmission was focused entirely in her hands, making her use of such weapons extraordinary. Of course, she didn’t expect this attack to kill him—she just needed to delay him for a moment.

Without waiting to see the result, she spun around, kicked off the floor, and once again launched herself toward the window.

CRASH!!

This time, she succeeded. Her arms shattered the locked window, and she leaped through the opening. The empty street spread out before her, and the bright moonlight washed over her face.

’No ambush? He’s alone?’

She instantly assessed the situation outside, and a wave of relief washed over her. Her greatest fear had been that more enemies were lying in wait outside, which would have made things very difficult.

’As things stand now,’ she thought, ’as long as I can get away from the shop, I can definitely escape using the arrangements I’ve made nearby.’

SNAP!

But just as she let out a sigh of relief, she felt an iron-hot hand clamp around the ankle she had already thrust out the window.

’Damn it!!’

A terrifying force yanked her entire body back through the window.

The whistling wind, the spinning scenery, the feeling of weightlessness...

Her mind went completely blank.

And then.

CRACK!!

With a deafening crash, the man swung her around with one hand and slammed her down onto the wooden worktable.

The solid wood table exploded on impact, but her body didn’t stop there. She crashed through the splintered wood and slammed onto the floor with enough force to seemingly shake the entire building.

It felt as if her internal organs had been rearranged. Her chest was tight, she was short of breath, and a wave of dizziness washed over her, growing stronger by the second.

In her last moment of consciousness, by the light of the room, she looked up and vaguely made out the face looming over her, staring down.

It was young, calm, and profoundly indifferent.

A face that seemed terribly, terribly familiar.