In this era of open social customs, the practice of women seeking companionship among themselves was hardly uncommon. Thus, this place existed as a haven of romance and pleasure exclusively for women.
Though Yun Jinghe had lived through many years, she had never once set foot in such an establishment.
For a moment, she stood frozen. Could Shi Ying have come here?
What, then, did her earlier actions toward Yun Jinghe signify? Her breath grew slightly uneven, a flicker of turmoil beneath her calm exterior.
Inside the building, a woman idling by the entrance caught sight of Yun Jinghe standing outside. After stealing glances for a while, she hesitated before deciding to approach, only to be abruptly pulled back by her companion.
“What are you doing?” Tang Chun turned, puzzled, to look at her friend.
“I should be asking you the same.”
“Of course, I was going to talk to her. She’s been standing there alone for quite some time perhaps she’s too shy to come in.” Tang Chun gestured toward the woman outside.
Her companion raised a shimmering silk fan, half-covering her striking face as she stifled a laugh. “Take a good look at her bearing. Does she seem like the type to seek amusement in a place like ours?”
Though their establishment catered only to women, many came merely for fleeting pleasures.
“Judging by her demeanor, she looks more like someone here to catch a cheating lover,” the companion remarked with another chuckle.
Tang Chun hesitated at her words. She stole another glance at Yun Jinghe. She had seen many women in her time, but few possessed such an ethereal grace. She had indeed been momentarily enchanted by that beauty.
While the two were still exchanging words, someone else far less discerning, had already approached Yun Jinghe.
The next moment, the seemingly delicate and gentle-looking woman pinned the would-be suitor beneath her foot, rendering him immobile.
Tang Chun, who had been about to step forward, immediately retracted her foot, her eyes widening in shock.
“See? I told you. The more beautiful something is, the more caution it demands,” her companion said, lightly tapping Tang Chun’s head with her fan before turning away with effortless grace.
Knowing her friend was right, Tang Chun cast a reluctant glance back before following her inside.
Meanwhile, the man beneath Yun Jinghe’s foot let out a few pitiful groans. The commotion drew the attention of passersby.
Yun Jinghe rarely resorted to force against ordinary people, but this man’s words and actions had been vulgar, and he had mistaken her attire as a sign of frivolity, showing her no respect whatsoever.
“Fair lady, fair lady, I was wrong! Please, have mercy!” The man, sprawled on the ground, covered his bruised and swollen face, too ashamed to show himself. Being trampled by a woman was a humiliation he couldn’t bear, and he only wished to flee as quickly as possible.
The gathering crowd watched with interest, but Yun Jinghe eventually lifted her foot. Unless absolutely necessary, she would not take a life.
The man scrambled up, not even bothering to dust off his clothes, and limped away with his face half-hidden.
The onlookers dispersed just as quickly, returning to their own affairs.
Night had fallen, and the streets were now aglow with ornate lanterns.
The city had no curfew, so the streets remained lively with people coming and going.
Though Yun Jinghe could not clearly see her surroundings, she could feel the weight of countless unseen gazes upon her. But she paid them no mind she had long grown accustomed to such attention.
Yun Jinghe gazed at the lively illusory scene in the building behind her, her eyes dark and inscrutable.
Tang Chun hadn’t expected that when she checked again half an hour later, the woman would still be standing there, though slightly shifted from her original spot.
Unaware guests who entered later would laugh and ask who the person standing at the door was, even requesting her company.
As more and more people made such remarks, it caught the attention of the establishment’s manager. She felt this wasn’t appropriate and sent someone to speak to the woman at the door either come inside or move away to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Tang Chun, who had no patrons at the moment, volunteered for the task. She swayed gracefully as she approached the woman.
The stranger was cautious, turning around the moment Tang Chun drew near.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been here for quite some time. Why not come inside and rest?” Tang Chun reached out to take her hand.
Xu Zhiwei subtly avoided the touch, her cool tone laced with something restrained. “I’m waiting for someone.”
Many came here searching for people, and some indeed waited. Tang Chun wondered if the rumors were true was this woman here to catch a cheating lover?
She studied the woman’s expression closely and suddenly realized her gaze was unfocused, as if she wasn’t truly looking at anything.
Tang Chun’s heart skipped a beat she hadn’t expected the woman to be blind. A pang of pity stirred within her.
“The autumn wind carries a chill. If you must wait, perhaps find a better place to do so.” Tang Chun said no more, wary of getting entangled in someone else’s domestic affairs.
Yun Jinghe thanked her but remained unmoved. Only after the woman left did she lower her eyes.
She had wanted to ask if the woman knew Shi Ying, or even step inside to search for her. Yet the words never left her lips, and she couldn’t bring herself to enter.
Instead, she had chosen the most foolish method.
She didn’t even know what she was doing anymore.
News of the woman outside quickly spread among the girls in the building. When Tang Chun returned, they pulled her aside to ask for details.
Feeling pity for the stranger, Tang Chun shared everything she had observed.
Gossip traveled fastest in places like this. The tale of a beautiful blind woman waiting in the cold for her unfaithful lover soon became the talk of the establishment.
Everyone began speculating in hushed tones about who the heartless woman might be.
When Shi Ying heard the news, she was perched on the highest beam in her room, idly weaving a red bracelet.
She had just fed, and the gnawing hunger and discomfort in her body were gradually fading. Now, she was simply passing the time.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and two women entered, whispering and giggling between playful scolds.
“Promise you won’t become like that heartless woman, leaving me to wait in misery like the blind girl outside?”
“Of course I won’t.”
Shi Ying’s hands stilled at these words. She often overheard gossip here, but such direct drama was rare.
Curious, she wanted to glance out the window, but her high vantage point made it impossible.
So, she leaped down from the beam instead. The two women, lost in their tender moment, shrieked in alarm at her sudden appearance.
Their cries were drowned out by the music outside.
“Who are you?!”
Shi Ying lightly pressed her hands on the table between the two of them, raising a finger with a smile and giving them a soft “shh.”
The crimson threads coiled around her fingers suddenly slithered forward. Before the two could even cry for help, the threads burrowed into their foreheads.
Their bodies stiffened for a moment before they both collapsed, unconscious.
With her task done, Shi Yian finally straightened up and walked to the window, pushing it open in one swift motion.
But before she could even lean out in curiosity, a hand from outside shot in, gripping her wrist with startling speed.
Under the moonlight, every bone of that hand appeared exquisitely refined, the blue veins on its back faintly protruding. Yet the palm and fingertips were rough, scraping against Shi Yian’s wrist with a dull ache.
And the grip was so strong, it felt as though her bones might shatter.