The moment the man spoke, a chill ran down Qiao Li's spine.
She looked up at the misty, rain-drenched sky, rubbed her arms against the sudden cold, and decided to head back the way she came.
Qiao Li had no intention of trespassing on someone else's territory—especially not in such an eerie situation. The last thing she wanted was trouble.
Just as she turned to leave, the sound of firm, hurried footsteps echoed from behind.
"Big brother! Are you here?"
The voice was strangely familiar.
Shang Lu.
Qiao Li frowned. Now she was truly stuck.
There was only one narrow path in and out of the garden. Everything around her was soaked in rain and overgrown with tall and short plants—none of which could conceal a person.
After weighing her options, she chose to stay put and observe.
At that moment, the man under the pavilion lifted a finger without a change in expression and ordered his bodyguard,
"Take him to the Dark Hall."
"Yes, Master."
"No, Master Yan, please! I've learned my lesson—I swear, I—"
The middle-aged man's pleas were cut off as the bodyguard gripped his jaw and dragged him away.
Moments later, he vanished around the bend of the pavilion.
Just then, Shang Lu strode into view.
As he raised his eyes, he spotted Qiao Li standing by the path.
Narrowing his fox-like eyes, he shook the damp fringe from his forehead. His expression was one of smug disbelief—like he'd caught her in the act of something pitiful.
"I knew it. You just can't let it go, can you?" he sneered.
Qiao Li looked at him calmly and asked, with a touch of sympathy in her tone,
"I've heard… physicians can't heal themselves. Is that true?"
Shang Lu didn't think twice about her words. He lifted his chin proudly and scoffed,
"Yes. So what?"
Qiao Li stared at him with eyes full of pity, her lips twitching slightly in a helpless smirk.
This engagement…
Calling it off was absolutely the right choice.
"Second Master, the Master requests your presence."
A voice called out suddenly from behind the banana leaves.
It was the bodyguard, standing not far away beneath the dripping greenery.
Shang Lu snorted coldly and stepped forward, muttering under his breath,
"Don't think running to my big brother will save that ridiculous engagement. I'm telling you—it's not happening!"
The bodyguard, still holding up a banana leaf with one hand, watched Shang Lu walk off before shifting his gaze to Qiao Li.
For a brief second, a flicker of admiration passed through his eyes.
Just now, the girl… was probably calling the Second Master crazy.
And yet… he hadn't even realized it.
Tricky.
Qiao Li had noticed the bodyguard's look. She nodded slightly in greeting, then stepped forward.
Since she'd been discovered, there was no point in hiding anymore.
And if this man was indeed Shang Lu's older brother… then she already knew who he was.
The most mysterious man in all of Nanyang.
The ruler of its underworld.
Surname Shang. Given name Yu. Courtesy name Shaoyan.
So it was him.
⸻
At that moment, rain poured in narrow sheets from the eaves of the pavilion, like shimmering curtains enclosing Shang Yu in a world of his own.
His poised, icy presence cast a heavy pressure across the surroundings.
And as Qiao Li drew closer, she picked up a faint metallic scent in the air—
The scent of blood.
Without a word, Shang Yu took the towel handed to him by the bodyguard.
He slowly and methodically wiped his long, well-proportioned fingers, occasionally lifting his gaze to watch Qiao Li approach through the drizzle.
The girl wore a dark green, sleeveless, waist-cinched dress.
Rain had soaked the fabric around her shoulders and collar, outlining the delicate curve of her collarbones.
His eyes traveled upward—to her calm, doe-like eyes.
They were deep and crystal-clear, unshaken even as she stepped over rain-washed stone bricks still stained with diluted blood.
It was as if she hadn't noticed it at all.
Her gaze remained fearless, unwavering.