Qin Buwen blinked and shrank her neck back timidly.
“Th-Then… I’ll just make a random guess?”
The man was as handsome as a peach blossom, his smile never wavering.
Qin Buwen looked him up and down, one brow arching slightly.
“Thirty years of glory reduced to dust and earth; eight thousand miles beneath clouds and moon.”
The smile on the man’s face froze instantly.
As though she noticed nothing, she spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
“My guess is… you’re Yun Heyue, the commander of the Northern Desert intelligence network.”
The fox-eyed man’s gaze settled on her, a chill creeping into his eyes.
“Oh my,” Qin Buwen covered her mouth, her doe-like eyes shimmering. “Looks like I guessed right.”
His lips pressed into a thin line, his narrowed eyes brimming with killing intent.
“In that case…” she continued pleasantly, “let me guess why Young Master Yun sent me an invitation.”
She paused for a moment before smiling again, her expression innocent and gentle.
“Could it be because you realized one of your agents had lost an identification token, and you’re worried someone might uncover the Northern Desert’s spy network hidden in Yaoyun?”
The man’s face darkened completely.
“Who are you?”
Qin Buwen knew Yun Heyue genuinely wanted to kill her now.
Even so, she remained all smiles. In fact, she leisurely took a seat in the grand armchair, sipped her tea, and casually invited him as though she owned the room.
“Young Master Yun, don’t just stand there. Have a seat.”
His expression remained icy, but he slowly sat down beside her.
“How exactly did you discover my identity, Miss?”
He had lived in Chang’an for years. He never received visitors, and even when he left the residence, he never showed his real face.
Yun Heyue truly wanted to know how this seemingly fragile young woman—one whose neck looked as though it could be snapped with one hand—had identified him.
Qin Buwen nearly rolled her eyes so hard they disappeared into the back of her head.
Back then, when she had followed her old man onto the battlefield, there had been a traitor within the army. Every strategy they devised somehow reached the Northern Desert forces beforehand, leading to devastating losses.
It was Qin Buwen who noticed something was wrong.
She deliberately fed different false intelligence to different officers until she finally identified the mole.
Instead of exposing him immediately, she played along and traced him to the Northern Desert spy who had been receiving the information.
She had been just about to arrest them both when Yun Heyue appeared before her, a short dagger in hand.
At the time, he had only been two years older than she was, still little more than a youth. Yet every strike he made was vicious and aimed to kill.
Qin Buwen had to keep an eye on the two traitors while fighting Yun Heyue. It had taken considerable effort before she finally managed to wound him heavily.
That had been their first meeting.
Every encounter afterward had been the same.
Yun Heyue seemed determined to make her his personal enemy. Every time they crossed paths, he took reckless gambles and unconventional approaches, intent on killing her no matter the cost.
She would never forget those cold fox eyes.
How had she guessed?
Guessed, my foot.
She cursed him thoroughly in her heart while lazily resting her chin in one hand.
“Young Master Yun, let me give you three options.”
A glint flashed through Yun Heyue’s eyes before he chuckled.
“I’m listening.”
“The first.” Qin Buwen raised one finger. “You take your intelligence network and leave Chang’an. I won’t expose you, and the Northern Desert and Yaoyun can continue maintaining the illusion of peace.”
She paused before raising a second finger.
“The second. You stay in Chang’an, but I immediately reveal your identity. You might still escape the city alive, but relations between the Northern Desert and Yaoyun will only deteriorate further.”
“And the third…”
She smiled sweetly at him, looking as harmless as could be.
“You stay in Chang’an. I won’t expose you. But whenever I need the assistance of the Wanwu Pavilion, I hope Young Master Yun will lend me your full support.”
She finished with an obedient blink.
“What do you think?”
Yun Heyue smiled after hearing her proposal.
“The three choices you’ve given me are certainly reasonable.”
The next instant, however, his eyes turned frigid.
“But what if…”
“…I simply kill you here?”
As he spoke, a dagger flashed into his hand and stabbed toward Qin Buwen.
Its blade was frighteningly sharp. Even the slightest touch would slice through flesh.
Qin Buwen clicked her tongue.
With complete nonchalance, she pulled the silver hairpin from her hair.
In the next instant, the hairpin slid along the dagger’s edge before stopping directly against Yun Heyue’s throat.
Clang.
His dagger fell to the floor with a dull thud as strength left his hand.
Holding the silver hairpin, Qin Buwen raised a brow.
“Young Master Yun, I already told you.”
“You only have three choices.”
He hadn’t seen it.
He hadn’t seen her move at all.
Frowning, Yun Heyue stared at her.
“Who exactly are you?”
Instead of answering, Qin Buwen asked,
“That fellow Zhang Fu before… you were the one who sent him to test me too, weren’t you?”
Yun Heyue remained silent.
“Young Master Yun.” Qin Buwen’s tone stayed lazy. “My patience is limited.”
“So?”
“What’s your choice?”
After a long silence…
Yun Heyue’s smile finally returned.
“Then… Miss A’Jin.”
“May our cooperation be fruitful.”
Only then did Qin Buwen lazily lower the hairpin before flashing him an innocent, guileless smile.
“Young Master Yun, don’t lie to me.”
“Otherwise, I’ll be heartbroken~”
“I’m just a weak little woman who couldn’t even tie up a chicken. If you deceive me, I’ll be devastated.”
The smile on Yun Heyue’s face stiffened.
…
By the time Qin Buwen left the Wanwu Pavilion, dusk had already settled over the city.
She had barely walked a short distance before realizing someone was following her.
As soon as she turned a corner, a dark figure stepped out behind her and blocked her path.
The newcomer was dressed in black from head to toe, his face covered so that only a pair of cold eyes remained visible.
At first, Qin Buwen assumed Yan Tang had sent someone after her, and she immediately began looking for an opportunity to shake him off.
But the moment the man attacked…
She realized something was wrong.
He’s fast!
She narrowly dodged the blow, shock filling her eyes.
His martial arts are actually better than mine!
How was that possible?
The smile vanished from Qin Buwen’s face.
She had no intention of dragging out the fight and immediately began searching for an escape.
Yet the man seemed able to read her intentions. He stuck close, forcing her into close-quarters combat and giving her no chance to break away.
Who in the world is this!?
Among all the martial artists in Yaoyun, Qin Buwen could count on one hand the people whose skills surpassed hers.
Every strike from the assassin was aimed to kill.
She had no choice but to devote every ounce of concentration to defending herself.
I have to find a way out!
Her eyes swept across her surroundings.
Suddenly, they lit up.
An idea.
Driven steadily backward by the man’s relentless attacks, she suddenly pulled Haiyan from her sleeve.
“You want this, don’t you!?”
The assassin froze for the briefest instant.
Qin Buwen seized the opportunity and darted straight into the bustling streets of Chang’an.
Let’s see if he still dares chase me through a crowd!
When she glanced back over her shoulder…
She realized she had underestimated just how determined he was to obtain Haiyan.
The man actually leaped from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit.
There was no time to think.
Spotting an opportunity, Qin Buwen darted into a brothel.
Night had fallen, and the establishment was packed. Guests came and went in an endless stream. Unless the man had completely lost his mind, he wouldn’t dare enter dressed all in black.
Qin Buwen had just started to relax.
Then a cool, familiar voice sounded behind her.
“A’Jin?”
“What are you doing here?”