Chapter 5

Thirty li north of the city, a caravan of more than ten horsemen traveled toward the city gates beneath the moonlight. They surrounded a two-wheeled horse carriage, keeping it safely in the center of their formation. On the hillsides, where dense forests blocked out the sky on both sides of the road, A Yuan lay concealed behind a cluster of trees. Dressed in fitted black clothing, he held a small crescent-shaped throwing knife in his hand. Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, he raised a hand and scratched the spot at the outer corner of his right eye where a teardrop-shaped mole rested. Then, unhurriedly, he hooked his index finger through the hole at the end of the knife and gave it a deft twist. The crescent blade began spinning lightly around his finger. With a flick of his wrist, the spinning knife split apart with a series of metallic clicks, separating into five identical blades. Their ends connected in a fan-shaped arrangement, forming a circular ring. Guided by the strength of his wrist, the ring spun rapidly around his index finger, producing a sharp whooshing sound as the blades sliced through the air. When the caravan entered their ambush, A Yuan raised his head and carefully studied the carriage. Then he closed his eyes, gathered his strength, and flung the spinning ring of blades toward the road. The ring whistled through the air, passing close to the horses before striking the ground. One blade grazed the foreleg of a horse, leaving a shallow cut. Startled by the sudden pain, the horse reared up and neighed wildly, becoming uncontrollable. The coachman, who had been nodding off, jolted awake. He hurriedly tightened the reins, trying to calm the frightened animal. Only then did the caravan's leader realize they had been surrounded. At his command, everyone warily drew the sabers from their waists. Dozens of figures charged down from the hills on both sides, and in an instant, the road erupted into a fierce melee. The terrified coachman tried to soothe the horse while shrinking toward the carriage. Before he could react, a curved blade was pressed against his neck. “Please, spare me! Spare my life!” The coachman dropped the reins in fright. As he begged for mercy, he stole a timid glance at his attacker. He could not make out the man's face, but he clearly saw the twin-headed snake embroidered on the hem of his clothing. B-Bandits! The coachman's face drained of color. He had heard that bandit activity north of the city had grown rampant lately, but he had never imagined he would encounter the notorious Twin Snake Mountain bandits, who were said to specialize in robbing officials and noble families. Amid the chaos, A Yuan strolled toward the carriage. He bent down and retrieved the ring of blades from the ground. No one could tell exactly what he did with his hands, but with a few crisp metallic clicks, the five blades rejoined, returning to their original crescent shape. Casually spinning the curved blade around his index finger with one hand and resting the other on his hip, A Yuan tilted his head and studied the carriage, wondering what sort of person was inside. A gust of wind lifted one corner of the carriage curtain. A flash of moon-white fabric appeared within, but the curtain soon fell back into place, concealing the figure inside. The coachman, trembling on the driver's bench as he clutched the reins, was also blocking A Yuan's view. A Yuan's already expressionless face turned cold. “Get lost!” Under that icy gaze, which seemed sharp enough to cut to the bone, the coachman scrambled down from the carriage. He crawled and stumbled through the fighting men before fleeing toward the nearby woods as though his life depended on it. A Yuan frowned and stared at the carriage curtain for another moment. Though hesitant, he eventually leaped onto the carriage. Remaining alert, he bent down and used the knife in his hand to lift the curtain. He expected a hidden weapon to fly at him or a cloud of knockout smoke to billow out, but neither came. The instant A Yuan lifted the curtain, he saw a person seated inside the carriage, as exquisite as a piece of fine jade. The person held an elegantly carved hand warmer. A moon-white brocade cloak, embroidered with a subtle lotus pattern, lay loosely over their shoulders, covering a robe fastened with blue-green sashes. Their expression was peaceful, without the slightest trace of fear or alarm. Their lips were gently closed, and they remained silent. The instant A Yuan raised the curtain, the jade-like figure in white slowly opened their gentle eyes. Their gazes met and became entangled. A Yuan froze for a moment. This beautiful person had a teardrop-shaped mole at the outer corner of their left eye. Its position was almost identical to the mole on his own face, except that his was beneath the outer corner of his right eye. While A Yuan was still staring in surprise, the jade-like figure looked at him with a pair of phoenix eyes, their gaze graceful and captivating. A gentle smile appeared on their delicate face. As their eyes narrowed slightly, the teardrop-shaped mole at the corner of their eye seemed to lift with them. The person was rather slender, their figure wrapped in fine brocade. Yet they seemed as light and ethereal as a drifting cloud, carrying none of the ordinary air of the mortal world. After swiftly examining the person, A Yuan's gaze suddenly caught on a jade-green plaque hanging from their waist. The plaque slipped loosely from the person's belt, revealing a carved character: Mu. A Yuan picked it up and frowned. “Are you from the Mu residence?” At his question, the man in white remained silent. He merely tilted his head and gathered his cloak more closely around himself. Unbeknownst to him, he had just landed himself in a troublesome situation. *What a hot potato I've picked up,* A Yuan thought. Frowning, he studied the jade-like man before him, trying to decide what to do. Just then, a companion's voice came from outside the carriage. “Second-in-command! Another group has charged down from the mountain! They look like they're from Cat Sprout Stronghold!” Upon hearing this, A Yuan immediately pressed the tip of his crescent blade against the man's neck. Avoiding his gaze, he lifted the curtain and looked outside. From the opening, he could see that the guards protecting the man in white were all agile and skilled fighters. They were clearly no ordinary hired hands or bodyguards. This made A Yuan even more certain that the man was closely connected to the Mu residence. Looking toward the melee, he saw that more than thirty fighters wearing cat emblems on their clothing had joined the battle. He recognized the female bandit leading them. There was no doubt about it: they were from Cat Sprout Stronghold. A Yuan considered the situation carefully. He was after money, not human lives. More importantly, he had no desire to get the Mu residence involved. The bandits from Cat Sprout Stronghold had not even figured out the identity of the caravan, yet they had already wounded several of the white-clad man's men. This chaotic battle offered little advantage and would only bring trouble. The wisest choice now was to leave while he still could. Having made up his mind, A Yuan withdrew the crescent blade and lowered his gaze toward the man in white. “Listen carefully. The men in black belong to my Twin Snake Stronghold, while those in purple belong to Cat Sprout Stronghold. I'm only after money, and I don't kill people. If the Mu residence comes looking for revenge later, make sure you don't blame the wrong people. You'll have to look after yourself from here on!” Just as A Yuan turned away from the man in white, the latter suddenly caught his hand. A faint chill passed through A Yuan's palm from the man's cool fingers. A Yuan froze blankly for a moment before turning back. They were so close that only a short distance separated their faces. Their eyes met for an instant. For reasons he could not explain, A Yuan sensed an indescribable emotion hidden in the man's deep, profound eyes. At that single glance, the world seemed to fall silent, and time itself came to a sudden halt.