As it turned out, both Caiyu and Yanniang were star attractions at the Chunfeng Pavilion. Compared to Yanniang’s gentle and cautious demeanor, Caiyu was far more bold, striking, and abrasive.
In this world, men naturally gravitated toward women with distinct personalities, and those who frequented such establishments were no exception. Consequently, many of Yanniang’s regular patrons had been lured away by Caiyu’s vivid flair.
Over time, this rivalry inevitably bred resentment among the women.
Yanniang had one regular patron in his early thirties named Liu, the young master of a tea plantation in the county. While his family might not have possessed wealth that could rival a nation, they were comfortably multi-millionaires, and he had always been exceedingly generous with her.
This Young Master Liu was utterly devoted and obedient to Yanniang, having proposed several times to buy out her contract and redeem her. However, Yanniang had grown up in the Chunfeng Pavilion and was entirely accustomed to the revolving door of guests; she had no desire to leave the life behind for a respectable path.
Even so, it hadn’t diminished Young Master Liu’s affection for her in the slightest. On one occasion, while the two were alone, Yanniang had vented some of her grievances about Caiyu to him, and Young Master Liu had impulsively declared that he would have someone deal with Caiyu to vent her anger.
At the time, she had simply brushed it off as empty talk meant to humor her, never taking it seriously.
Yet, just a day after Young Master Liu’s visit, news of Caiyu’s sudden death broke, throwing her into a panic.
She had fallen severely ill over the ordeal. Just as she was beginning to suspect that Young Master Liu had murdered Caiyu, she heard reports that courtesans from other brothels were also being targeted. This sparked a glimmer of wishful thinking within her, as she reasoned that a mere merchant like Young Master Liu couldn’t possibly be responsible for so many deaths.
Hearing this, Gu Ci unconsciously frowned. “Since Caiyu died, have you seen Young Master Liu again?”
Yanniang blinked her dry, bloodshot eyes and replied expressionlessly, “No. But he has always gone missing for a month or two at a time in the past.” That was precisely why she hadn’t panicked when Caiyu died and Young Master Liu failed to show up.
Gu Ci muttered to himself, “I see.” If what Yanniang said was true, then Young Master Liu indeed lacked any major motive or suspicion.
“Who’s there?!”
Gu Ci suddenly hurled the teacup from his hand toward the window. A dark figure flashed past swiftly, and two black-clad guards immediately bolted out in pursuit.
Seeing this, Gu Ci pulled Jun Yichen behind him, his entire body radiating an aura of lethal intent. “Your Highness, be careful.”
He then turned to instruct the trembling Yanniang, “Find somewhere to hide. It’s not safe here.”
Upon hearing this, Yanniang hurried over to an ornate wooden bed at the side, feeling blindly along its frame until she found a mechanism. The bed slowly shifted aside, revealing a narrow exit wide enough for only a single person to pass through.
“My lords, quickly this way!” Yanniang urged anxiously. Gu Ci glanced at Jun Yichen and, seeing a slight nod from the prince, strode quickly toward the hidden alcove, following Yanniang inside.
With one hand grasping Jun Yichen’s hand and the other resting tightly on the soft sword at his waist, Gu Ci kept his nerves taut as he followed Yanniang to the end of the secret passage.
After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the group finally caught sight of a stone wall leaking a sliver of light. Yanniang pressed hard against a protruding rock on the wall and gave it a twist, causing the stone barrier to slowly part as a blinding beam of light pierced into the tunnel.
Instinctively shielding their eyes, the group adjusted to the glare after a brief moment.
Once the surrounding scenery came into focus, Jun Yichen flicked his fingertips lightly, sending an imperceptible trace of white powder drifting silently into Yanniang’s hair.
“Where is this? The western suburbs outside the city?” Looking at the familiar-looking scene, Gu Ci was momentarily dazed.
Suddenly, a rough, booming middle-aged voice exploded beside their ears.
“Ha-ha-ha! Lord Gu truly has a sharp eye!”
Gu Ci’s gaze darkened instantly. His hand shot to his waist, and with a crisp shing, a silvery-white soft sword flashed into his grip, its blade glaring brightly in the sunlight.
In the blink of an eye, the surroundings were swarming with men dressed in black. A rough count put their number at no less than a hundred, and every single one of them moved with light steps and steady postures, clearly seasoned martial artists.
Jun Yichen gently tugged on the hand Gu Ci was using to hold him, signaling for him to remain calm. He looked up at the middle-aged man leading the group and said with a smile, “You must be the young master of the Liu Family Tea Plantation, aren’t you?” Though phrased as a question, his tone was entirely certain.
The middle-aged man didn’t seem surprised that his identity had been guessed so easily. Instead, he boldly looked Jun Yichen up and down before breaking into a lewd laugh.
“They all say the Seventh Prince grew up in the cold palace since childhood, blessed with looks that outshine any woman. Some even say he was kept as a plaything by an old eunuch during his days in the palace. Why doesn’t the Seventh Prince tell us himself whether those rumors are true? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
His words struck like a bolt of thunder, leaving Gu Ci dizzy and disoriented.
When he had read the original novel, he had skipped straight to the romance between the male and female leads, leaving him with very little knowledge of Jun Yichen’s suffering in the cold palace.
His fingers tightened around the sword hilt, trembling slightly as an unspeakable ache twisted in his chest.
Gu Ci launched into an abrupt assault. Like an enraged lion, he darted back and forth through the sea of enemies.
His movements were as fluid as a ghost, lightning-fast, and every strike carried a fierce, biting gale. The cold light flashing along his blade sliced through the air like a silver bolt, leaving deep, crimson wounds on his attackers.
The men in black, who had been arrogant just moments before, now stared at him in sheer terror, desperately trying to parry his blows. But Gu Ci’s swordsmanship flowed like drifting clouds and flowing water, utterly devoid of flaws. Every movement was packed with raw power and precision, impossible to block.
Amidst the fierce combat, Gu Ci’s eyes burned with unwavering resolve. Only a single conviction drove him forward: to slaughter this entire pack and protect Jun Yichen.
Just then, a longsword thrust straight toward his face. At the eleventh hour, he jerked his body to the side, narrowly dodging the blow before spinning outward to plunge his sword straight through the enemy’s chest. As the man collapsed in agony, Gu Ci unhesitatingly pressed his attack against the rest.
Watching Gu Ci fight in the thick of the fray, Jun Yichen felt an indescribable tremor ripple through his heart.
His gaze remained locked entirely on Gu Ci, watching him wield his blade with the agile, lethal grace of a panther, every swing charged with a merciless intent to kill. A complex swirl of emotions surged within Jun Yichen: deep-seated emotion, heartache, and a faint, inexplicable flutter in his chest.
He knew Gu Ci was fighting with his life on the line purely to protect him. Every single sword stroke felt like a declaration of absolute loyalty and resolve to the entire world. Jun Yichen’s eyes grew slightly damp; he had never imagined anyone would ever be willing to risk their life so recklessly for his sake.