Volume 1, Chapter 32: Are You Two Kissing?

The threat in Ye Xuan’s words struck Su Qingxue’s heart like the sharpest of blades. Her intelligence and lineage, which she had always taken such pride in, appeared pale and powerless in the face of absolute strength and the threat of death.

She had lost. Utterly and completely.

The room was deathly silent. The two stood face to face, close enough to feel each other's breath, yet the atmosphere was strained to the breaking point.

Just then—

"Young Master Ye? Cousin? Are you in there?"

A crisp, melodious voice, tinged with excitement, drifted in from outside. Immediately after, with a soft creak, the door was pushed open. Liu Yuexue walked in, beaming as she carried a tray of delicate pastries.

"Young Master Ye, I made some plum blossom cakes myself; I wanted to invite you to taste—"

Her words died abruptly the moment she saw the scene inside. The pastry tray clattered to the floor, shattering into pieces.

From Liu Yuexue’s perspective, the room was dim, illuminated only by a sliver of moonlight. Under that light, the Young Master Ye she admired and the cousin she worshipped were standing in an incredibly intimate position. Their faces were almost touching!

Wasn’t that... wasn’t that the "kissing" pose drawn in the romance novels her maid had secretly snuck to her?!

Boom!

It felt as if countless fireworks had ignited in Liu Yuexue’s head. A blush spread across her fair face, climbing from her cheeks to her ears and down to her slender neck. Her heart pounded wildly, threatening to leap out of her throat.

Heaven! What... what did I just see? Young Master Ye and Cousin... they actually...

Countless chaotic thoughts flashed through her mind, causing her brain to crash completely; she had no idea how to react. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that escaped was a meaningless, shrill cry.

"Eek—!"

The exclamation instantly jolted Ye Xuan and Su Qingxue out of their standoff. Like they had been struck by lightning, they abruptly pulled apart. Turning their heads, they saw Liu Yuexue standing at the door, her face red enough to drip blood, staring at them in shock as if she had seen a ghost.

Oh, great. We’re done for.

These words flashed through Ye Xuan’s mind, and he felt a massive headache coming on.

***

The girl had clearly misunderstood everything. Su Qingxue was also stunned for a moment, then realized how ambiguous their previous posture must have looked. No matter how cold and composed she usually was, a rosy flush involuntarily bloomed on her face.

"Yuexue, it’s not what you think..." she began, trying to explain.

However, Liu Yuexue, acting like a startled rabbit, slammed her hands over her face and let out an even sharper shriek.

"I didn't see anything! Carry on! Carry on!"

With that, she spun around and fled. Her speed was faster than when she had encountered Wang Defa’s troops, and in the blink of an eye, she had vanished around the corner of the courtyard, leaving behind a mess on the floor and two people staring at each other in bewilderment.

The room fell back into an eerie silence. The air seemed to hold the lingering echoes of the girl’s cry and a faint, inescapable sense of awkwardness.

Ye Xuan glanced at the shattered pastries on the floor, then at Su Qingxue, whose face was still flushed and whose eyes were darting away. He was the first to break the silence.

"The deal, I accept."

His voice returned to its usual flatness, as if the intense confrontation from moments ago had never occurred. Su Qingxue looked up at him sharply.

"However," Ye Xuan shifted his tone, his gaze turning sharp once more, "you must remember that this is a partnership, but the hierarchy must be clear. I can take you to Beiliang, or I can let you die on the road to Beiliang."

"I can save your life, and I can just as easily take it back at any time."

"Do you understand?"

His words were understated, yet carried an unquestionable tone of command. A chill ran through Su Qingxue, and the trace of lingering embarrassment vanished, replaced by a sense of dread. She knew this man was warning her to recognize her place.

She took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

"I understand."

"Very good." Ye Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

With that, he turned away from Su Qingxue and began packing his belongings, as if he were merely discussing a trivial matter. Su Qingxue watched his calm back, her heart filled with complex emotions. This man was even more terrifying than she had imagined.

She bit her lip, said nothing more, and turned to walk away quickly. She had tasks he had assigned to carry out, and she also had to... explain herself to her meddlesome cousin.

***

Meanwhile, at the residence of the Deputy Commander of the Military and Police Department.

The mansion was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was as oppressive as an ice cellar.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

In the study, a roar exploded like thunder, followed by the harsh sound of porcelain shattering. The burly, cruel-faced Wang Defa kicked over the rosewood table in front of him, sending stationery, inkstones, and precious tea sets crashing to the ground. Several confidants and servants knelt on the floor, trembling like autumn leaves, their heads bowed so low they dared not even breathe.

"An entire afternoon and night! Six full hours!"

Wang Defa’s eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted like a mad tiger as he pointed at the captain kneeling in the front, spewing insults.

"You turned all of Yun'an City upside down, and you couldn't even find a single hair of those three wretches, let alone capture them!"

"Where are they?! Huh?! How can living people just vanish into thin air?!"

The captain trembled as he replied, "My Lord... we have checked every inn in the city and questioned every guard at the gates, but there are no leads... those three, it’s as if... as if they just popped out of nowhere..."

"Popped out of nowhere?!" Wang Defa was so enraged he felt he might lose his mind; he kicked the bookshelf next to him. "If you can't find them, fine! I told you to get a doctor! Where is the doctor?! My son’s leg is still broken! Did you lose the doctor, too?"

Another servant stuttered, "R-reporting to my Lord, the well-known doctors in the city... they are... they are all gone..."

"Gone?" Wang Defa’s eyes widened. "What do you mean, gone?!"

"They... they seem to have all left the city, saying... saying they are attending some 'Apricot Grove Symposium,' and they won't be back for a while..."

"Bullshit!" Wang Defa roared. "They don't hold a symposium early, they don't hold it late, but they choose right now? Do you take me for a three-year-old?!"

Of course, he didn't believe it was a coincidence. Someone was clearly pulling the strings behind the scenes! But he couldn't figure out who had the power to make every doctor in the city disappear at once.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! Can't even find a doctor!"

Wang Defa’s rage had nowhere to go; his chest heaved violently, and the bloodshot eyes made him look particularly ferocious. He stared fixedly at the trembling subordinates at his feet, his voice turning cold and cruel.

"I’ll give you one last day!"

"By sundown tomorrow, there are two paths for you to choose." He held up two thick fingers.

"First, bring me the doctor to set my son’s leg and drag those three wretches to me! I want to skin them alive with my own hands!"

"Second," he bared his yellow teeth in a sinister grin, "I will break all of your legs myself, and then have you thrown out of this estate like dead dogs!"

"Do you understand?!"

"Y-yes, we understand!"

Terrified, the men kowtowed like they were pounding garlic.

"Get out! Get out and find a way!"

With Wang Defa’s roar, the men scrambled away as if pardoned from death. The room was left in silence, save for Wang Defa. He slumped into his chair, his chest still heaving, the rage in his eyes slowly replaced by anxiety and exhaustion.

No matter how fierce he was, he was still just a brute. His son’s leg was his only true weakness.

Just then, a hunched figure walked in silently—the old butler who had been with him for decades. The butler held a bowl of freshly brewed ginseng tea and placed it carefully by Wang Defa’s hand.