"Hey, hurry up!" The doorman's urging voice snapped her back to reality, and in that instant, the surrounding noise seemed to return. She saw Su Qiao looking at her with concern, and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth: "It's okay." She suppressed her emotions and continued walking, but her heart was inexplicably racing.
It was because that one glance was too alluring, but as her heart pounded, she felt her whole body trembling uncontrollably, as if a chill was creeping out from the depths of her bones.
Her intuition told her that this person was dangerous and she should stay far away from him.
"Zhuang Su, will we be alright..." After returning, Su Qiao leaned against Zhuang Su, like a little bird seeking shelter, which aroused pity. "I'm all alone... I'm scared."
"It's alright," Zhuang Su smiled slightly at her, saying words even she herself wasn't sure. She leaned against the haystack, trying to absorb the somber atmosphere, her gaze fixed on the locked door, silently waiting for that person to return. But by nightfall, the door still hadn't opened…
That night seemed exceptionally long. Zhuang Su's eyes grew heavier and heavier, and she woke up several times with a start. All around her was darkness, a vast, empty blackness, with only the faint sound of someone falling asleep, their breath slow and heavy with weariness. And beside her, there was still no one. Zhuang Su got up, walked to the window, and looked at the moon outside.
The moonlight was rather dim that day, shrouded in a thick layer of clouds that obscured much of its bright, clear light.
As Zhuang Su gazed at the moon, somewhere in the courtyard, another person held a cup, gently sipping fine wine. The wine was delicate and mellow, and a faint, cold smile played on the corners of his lips. Beside him stood a young man, devoid of humility, simply looking up at the somewhat lonely moonlight, his eyes filled with deep unease.
"Want to go back?" the man asked.
Shen Jian remained silent, looking up to see only a mask obscuring the person's face, revealing only their eyes. He only knew that this person was the owner of this courtyard; nothing else.
The masked man's tone seemed to carry a deeper meaning: "Are you thinking about that girl?"
Shen Jian's expression suddenly darkened, but then he heard the masked man chuckle softly: "Do you know where that girl went in today's assignments for the four departments?" Shen Jian seemed to freeze, but two words still reached his ears—"North Building." Neither the South Department nor the North Building was where he wanted Zhuang Su to go. His fingers dug deeply into his palm: "Why?"
"This seems to be the first time you've spoken to me on your own initiative?" the masked man said sarcastically.
Shen Jian forced himself to ask, word by word, "She's not pretty enough, and she's so thin, why would she—enter—the—North—Building?"
The masked man scoffed indifferently, "That girl was so devoted to you, she'd go wherever you went. Since you refused to enter the Silver Hall, you naturally went to the North Tower." He glanced up and saw Shen Jian remain silent. He slightly raised his hand, and the wine in the cup spilled out, falling onto the ground and soaking in instantly. Without another look at Shen Jian, he turned and left.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he walked so loudly, each step echoing across the wooden corridor.
A faint smile played on her face beneath the mask, the curve of her jawline subtly outlined, exquisitely soft and perfectly proportioned; if seen by someone, she would surely be breathtakingly beautiful…
Each footstep seemed to fall on Chen Jian's heart, heavy and chaotic, stirring up a sense of bewilderment and confusion. He turned and walked towards the prison. He hurried along, as if afraid of missing something.
The South Courtyard was a place specifically for cultivating beautiful women, a place of nightly revelry and constant chatter; the North Building was a training ground for assassins, killing machines ready to be sacrificed at any time for their purpose… Neither the South Courtyard nor the North Building were places he didn't want Zhuang Su to go. In the East and West Buildings, although they offered the hardship of servants' lives, at least they were alone…
He knew why the Masked Man wanted him to join the Silver Hall—it was because of his identity. However, he would rather go to the North Tower, even if it meant facing death on every mission, it was still much better than the Silver Hall, a living hell.
Neither of these two places is where she should go.
Originally, Shen Jian thought Zhuang Su should already be asleep, but when he entered the room, he was taken aback to see the empty haystack.
"Finally back?"
Drawn to the sound, Shen Jian saw Zhuang Su standing by the window, the pale moonlight falling like a layer of frost upon her. Her slender frame appeared exceptionally thin at that moment. The anger that had been burning within him seemed to vanish instantly under her gentle gaze.
"Where did you go?" Zhuang Su asked curiously as she saw him standing there motionless. She walked over, stood in front of him, and looked up at him. She was still quite short, her head barely reaching his shoulder, so she had to look up high to see him. Therefore, she frowned slightly to avoid losing her imposing presence. After asking for a while without receiving a response from Shen Jian, Zhuang Su gradually became impatient: "You went to the North Building, didn't you?" For the first time, her tender voice carried a hint of anger.
Shen Jian turned his head away: "What's it to you?" His tone was unfamiliar and indifferent.
Zhuang Su was taken aback, then stepped forward. "Shen Jian, you shouldn't be hiding anything from me now. The person in charge assigned me to the North Building today, we..." She reached out to tug at Shen Jian's sleeve, but he dodged her. Looking at her empty hand, she was momentarily lost in thought, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity with the person before her. "Shen Jian?"
Chapter Two: A Startling Dream in the Garden (Part Two)
"Don't follow me anymore, you're a nuisance." Shen Jian turned around and didn't even bother to look at her, leaning against the haystack to go to sleep. "Tell the steward tomorrow that you're moving to the east wing."
Why…? Zhuang Su didn't ask that question. She bit her lip, and for the first time, instead of leaning on Shen Jian, she found a place to curl up and sleep. It wasn't anger, but rather because she trusted this person too much, believing he wouldn't harm her. If her approach burdened him, then she would simply stay away. However—where she went from now on was still up to her.
In the darkness, Zhuang Su's lips curled up slightly, and a strange radiance seemed to flash across her plain face.
The next day, the supervisors from various locations came to collect their people. The supervisor of the east and west buildings was a fat man with greasy hair and big ears, dressed in a glittering gold outfit, holding a gold abacus in his hand, and reeking of money. The constables next to him called him Master Jin, a name that matched his appearance. Those assigned to the east and west rooms were herded to follow him, and from afar, one could still hear him nagging about not slacking off on the work schedule and so on.
Zhuang Su sat in the corner, holding Su Qiao's hand. Su Qiao huddled beside her, looking somewhat uneasy. Zhuang Su gently patted the back of her hand, but didn't know what to say. Shen Jian leaned against the wall not far away, silent. For some reason, no one came to take him away today.
Hearing some noise outside, the people inside instinctively looked out and saw a group of brightly dressed people walking noisily towards them. Su Qiao's face gradually turned pale. Looking at the group's attire, some guesses surfaced, and Zhuang Su's expression immediately turned ugly as well.
They were all women of the night.
Those left behind, besides a few boys, were mostly weaker girls. Seeing this, several of them suddenly screamed and ran out like madmen. It seemed that the outside had already anticipated this situation. In the blink of an eye, several men arrived, and somehow, they grabbed all the girls and lifted them up in their hands.
"Miss Murong, this way please." The doorman greeted her politely from outside. A woman, dressed gracefully, walked in, while the others waited outside, their expressions very respectful. The woman wore a dark green outer robe, her black hair casually tied up, a few strands of hair ribbon falling loosely in the wind. She had an oval face, a pointed chin that exuded a hint of arrogance, and she held her head slightly higher, possessing a unique air of elegance.
Her gaze swept lightly over the surroundings, and Su felt that her glance was like a delicate hand gently brushing her face—soft, light, and fleeting. Su Qiao shrank back behind her, deliberately trying to avoid Murong's gaze, but the gaze circled around and returned to her.
"You're number sixteen?" Miss Murong stepped forward, looking at Su Qiao calmly. Su Qiao instinctively shrank back, like a rabbit trying to avoid a wolf's eyes. A smile flashed in Miss Murong's phoenix eyes. She approached, squatted down in front of Su Qiao, and scrutinized her closely. Her slender fingers lifted Su Qiao's chin: "Do you think I'm beautiful?"
Su Qiao was forced to meet her gaze, and felt a blur before her eyes. For a moment, she even forgot to run away: "Beautiful..."
Miss Murong seemed somewhat satisfied: "How about I make you as beautiful as me?"
"Okay...no, no, no, that's not good..." Su Qiao was almost bewitched and hurriedly hid to the other side. She didn't want to go to a brothel, she didn't want to be that kind of shameless person.
Miss Murong wasn't annoyed. She chuckled and stood up. "Alright, take everyone away." After giving the order, she turned to look at Su Qiao, her smile still lingering. "You're a lot like I used to be. Don't worry, I won't let you end up in a brothel." With that, she turned and left, her flowing robes raising a wisp of dust. A faint fragrance lingered in the room for a long time.
“Zhuang Su…” Su Qiao looked at Zhuang Su anxiously, her hand tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, as if it were the last straw. Zhuang Su pondered Murong’s last words. Seeing several fierce-looking men enter the room, she was worried that they would be violent towards Su Qiao, so she quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, Murong said that nothing will happen.”
Su Qiao was dragged away by several people. She kept glancing back at Zhuang Su and Chen Jian, full of reluctance, but she was forced to be led further and further away.
By this time, only a few people remained in the room. Zhuang Su secretly rubbed her sore eyes, then sat there again, staring motionless at the doorway. The people from the east and west rooms and the south courtyard had already come and gone; now only the north building remained. She stole a glance at Shen Jian's expression; his face was increasingly gloomy, utterly repulsive.
Just as Zhuang Su was starting to feel drowsy, there was a sound outside. Her dark eyes were fixed on the outside, and before she could see anything clearly, she saw a bunch of shiny things being thrown in. Then the door slammed shut, and she heard the heavy sound of a chain being locked.
What's going on? Zhuang Su belatedly looked down at the ground and discovered a pile of dazzling weapons, including knives and swords, made of bronze, reflecting a faint light.
"If you want to live, kill the others. Only the last six left will be released." A strange voice came from outside, cold and indifferent. A sudden silence fell over the surroundings. The gazes of the several teenagers met in a jumbled exchange, and for a moment, only the sound of the wind lingered.
Before Zhuang Su could even process the meaning of those words, she felt a blur before her eyes, and a force pulled her violently from behind. A blinding light flashed past her face, and the clinking sound of metal clashing filled her ears. She felt a heat on her face, as if something had splashed on it. She instinctively reached out to wipe it away, and what she saw was a patch of red, a glaring red.
Zhuang Su felt a buzzing in her head, and just as she was about to figure out what was happening, a hand covered her eyes. "Don't look." Shen Jian's voice reached her ears, accompanied by various hoarse roars, like a group of furious beasts searching for the last glimmer of life in the confined space.
It was that same warm hand that held hers in the cold night, now gently covering her eyes, as if to shield her from all the cruelty, bringing her peace of mind. Zhuang Su didn't push his hand away. Through her obscured vision, she felt that Shen Jian was always standing in front of her, protecting her from everything.
Her body trembled slightly, but she gritted her teeth, trying hard not to shake herself. She had to be strong; she wanted Shen Jian to see her strength. Zhuang Su understood somewhat why Shen Jian had treated her that way—because having her around him was indeed troublesome.
Shen Jian protected Zhuang Su with one hand and held his sword with the other. At first, some people saw that the girl next to him was hindering his movements and would attack him, but gradually, after failing time and time again, they realized that he was not easy to mess with, so no one targeted them anymore and focused on dealing with other people.
Time ticked by, and the stench of blood grew stronger. The screams had subsided, leaving behind only the faint murmur of blood and the mournful sound of corpses strewn across the battlefield, a scene of carnage.
The door creaked open, and everything seemed unusually quiet at that moment. A sound like tearing silk shattered the surface harmony.
Those who remained were all covered in blood, their own and others'. The moment the door opened and light streamed in, falling on their faces, it revealed a deathly silence.
Shen Jian did not let go of Zhuang Su's face.
He led her step by step, around the corpses strewn across the ground, out of the room. With the final step, he slowly lowered his left hand, whispering in her ear, "Don't look back." His voice trembled slightly, like a murmur. Zhuang Su's heart skipped a beat; her peripheral vision fell on his sword, a crimson hue. Blood congealed along the edges, slowly settling into a single drop, which then dripped onto the ground, spreading a cruel crimson glow.
He killed someone too...? Zhuang Su felt her lips were dry, as if she had just experienced the most brutal struggle on the edge of life and death. Her throat was dry, parched, and hoarse. But she couldn't ask. She felt Shen Jian behind her trembling slightly, but he was holding back, so she needed to hold back as well.
"Take me to see your master." At this moment, Chen Jian's voice was as quiet as ever.
"You're the one..."
Zhuang Su remembered that voice; it was he who had just announced that cruel order outside. The voice was flat and monotone, each word spoken like a lifeless object. She instinctively turned to look, but instead of the ugly, wooden figure she had imagined, she saw a clean-looking man in blue robes. She recalled the steward saying that the one managing the North Tower was the tower's master, Yan Bei.
Yan Bei seemed oblivious to Zhuang Su's gaze, and waved to call a few gatekeepers, as if he had already guessed that Shen Jian would make such a request.
"Shen Jian, you..."
"Wait for me to come back."
Zhuang Su's words were interrupted. She watched Shen Jian walk away with those people, gazing at him for a long time, inexplicably feeling that something was fading away. She felt that his back was somewhat ethereal, and subconsciously wanted to stop him, but something was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't make a sound. Her eyes lowered slightly.
"Take her downstairs first," Yan Bei ordered calmly.
Zhuang Su was led away by the doorman, still quite obedient. But in the instant she turned around, she suddenly glanced into the room. Shen Jian had told her not to look, but... if she hadn't seen it, she probably couldn't imagine the horrific sight. Corpses everywhere, blood everywhere.
Zhuang Su felt something churning inside her, a vague malice, but she forcefully suppressed it. As she left, she noticed Yan Bei's gaze was fixed on her, so she glanced away and gradually blocked his gaze behind her as she walked.
All she wants now is to wait for Shen Jian to come back.
Chapter Three: Light Dust Like a Fallen City (Part 1)
It was late that day, and a restless wind was blowing around her. Zhuang Su sat in the courtyard, letting the wind tousle her hair. Her face was covered in dust, and the wind seemed to be trying to wipe it clean, but no matter what, there was always so much dust that she couldn't get rid of.
Zhuang Su stared blankly at the empty sky. No stars, no moon, just endless gray, a gray so oppressive it was almost suffocating. But she seemed to see a sea of red before her, a dazzling, nauseating, and horrifying red. Had Shen Jian really killed someone? Those warm hands, how could he kill someone… for her…
She stared blankly, lost in thought, her figure frail and dressed in thin clothes. It wasn't that she forgot to put on warm clothes, but rather that no one here would provide her with anything to keep her warm. Like a blade of grass swaying in the wind, she seemed about to collapse but hadn't fallen.
After an unknown amount of time, as if sensing something, Zhuang Su subconsciously turned around and saw a figure slowly walking towards her. The person seemed lost in thought and didn't see her.
From afar, Zhuang Su saw Shen Jian holding up his hand, staring blankly at his palm, as if trying to see through something.
Zhuang Su suddenly stood up and ran over. When Shen Jian heard the noise and looked up, he only felt a figure flash in front of him and his hand was firmly grasped. He frowned and heard Zhuang Su's voice: "Shen Jian's hand is always the warmest hand."
Her voice was firm, and when she looked up, her eyes shone brightly in the darkness of the night. She grinned and gave him a huge smile.
Shen Jian's lips curled up slightly as he patted her head: "The manager will take you somewhere tomorrow, so you don't need to stay in the North Building anymore."
"You don't need to stay in the North Building anymore?" Zhuang Su was immediately delighted upon hearing this, then frowned and looked at him suspiciously, "What about you?"
"I... don't need it either."
"real?"
"real."
"Are you coming with me tomorrow?" Zhuang Su's eyes were full of anticipation.
"I'm going to another place."
"Then I won't go, I'll go with you."
Looking at her serious expression, Shen Jian's eyes seemed a little unnatural: "You can't go there, but I'll come to see you occasionally."
He knew this was the biggest concession they could make.
Seeing Shen Jian's troubled expression, Zhuang Su couldn't bear it any longer. Thinking that they could still meet in person later, she softened her tone and said, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you." She poked Shen Jian's deeply furrowed brows with her fingertip, and when she knew he had finally relaxed, she giggled and pulled him to a spot in the corridor. She leaned against him and looked at the sky with satisfaction.
A sky without a moon or stars.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the wind seemed to quiet down a bit. The two of them nestled together, each lost in their own thoughts, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
This was the last night they slept like this.
The next day, the person in charge had Zhuang Su taken away. As she left, Zhuang Su would look back every time she did so, and she would always see Shen Jian standing there watching her go. She suddenly remembered that when Su Qiao left, she also kept looking back, as if she could only leave in peace when she saw that person watching her all the time.
Zhuang Su was led out of the humble dwelling and onto a carriage. The wheels rolled along, taking them far from the bustling city and gradually filling the air with the scent of deep mountains and forests. Unexpectedly, a family had settled deep in the woods, and the carriage stopped in front of a large mansion. Led inside, Zhuang Su discovered that the entire courtyard was made of wood, with exquisitely carved railings that gave it a subtle elegance.
The guide led them further in, and as they passed a certain spot, Zhuang Su faintly heard the sound of singing, "ee-yah-yah." The sound was delicate and refined, with a unique rhythm. As they walked on, the sound gradually drew closer.