With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

The blue figure stood motionless under the eaves.

She shrank back, her voice even softer: "Although... there are some people I might not be able to beat..."

Shen Nannan followed her gaze.

Ah Chao stood under the eaves, his back to the light, so his face was not visible.

But Shen Nian's expression, like a mouse seeing a cat, made her want to laugh.

"Afraid of him?" she asked.

Shen Nian nodded vigorously, then shook her head vigorously.

Shen Nannan chuckled: "Nodding and shaking your head, are you scared or not?"

Shen Nian blushed and whispered, "When he looks at me, I... I'm scared... But when he looks at my sister, I feel..."

She couldn't continue.

Shen Nannan raised an eyebrow: "What do you think?"

Shen Nian lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum:

"I feel... he's a bit strange."

Shen Nannan smiled. "What's strange?"

"He...he keeps staring at my sister...and also..."

Shen Nian blinked: "That night when I got up in the middle of the night, I saw him under the eaves, holding my sister's handkerchief..."

"Alright, alright!" Shen Nannan quickly interrupted her, "How...how did you know?"

Shen Nian blinked: "I saw it from the corner."

Shen Nannan: "..."

Why does this child have such a peculiar habit?

She glanced at the doorway again, almost instinctively.

Ah Chao remained standing there, motionless.

But Shen Nannan suddenly felt that his shadow seemed a little closer than before.

"Alright." She looked away, ruffled Shen Nian's hair, and said, "If you want to learn, then learn. I'll find someone to teach you academics, and as for martial arts—"

She paused.

"Should I have your brother Ah Chao teach you?"

Shen Nian suddenly looked up, her eyes wide open, her face turning pale instantly.

"Sister, sister—" she stammered, "Could I...could I choose another one?"

Shen Nannan laughed out loud.

"Just kidding." She pinched Shen Nian's cheek. "I'll have my brother find you a martial arts master, but not him."

Shen Nian breathed a sigh of relief, and her whole body went limp.

But she couldn't help glancing towards the door again.

The shadow is still there.

He seems to be looking this way too.

Shen Nian shivered and quickly threw herself into Shen Nannan's arms.

"Sister," she whispered, "is he...is he looking at me?"

Shen Nannan turned around.

Ah Chao stood under the eaves, watching them.

His gaze fell on Shen Nian's little head, which was nestled in Shen Nannan's arms.

He narrowed his eyes.

She glared at him, then patted Shen Nian in her arms. "Ignore him. That's just how he is."

"Go back to sleep now, you'll start learning to read tomorrow."

Shen Nian nodded obediently and walked out.

As she reached the door, she suddenly turned back.

"elder sister."

"Um?"

Shen Nian looked at her and said seriously, "If he treats my sister badly, I will definitely beat him up after I learn martial arts well."

Shen Nannan paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay. I'm waiting for you to beat him up."

Shen Nian nodded in satisfaction and went out the door.

She froze the moment she stepped out the door.

Ah Chao stood under the eaves, facing her directly.

The moonlight fell on his face, illuminating a pair of unfathomable eyes.

He looked at her and slowly curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"Miss Shen Nian."

She stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.

"You just said," he said slowly, "that you wanted to hit me?"

Shen Nian shook her head desperately.

Ah Chao looked at her, who was on the verge of tears, and suddenly laughed.

Then he stepped aside to make way.

"Study hard," he said.

"Next time...don't hug her!"

Shen Nian's hair stood on end, and she took off running without daring to look back.

------

The back alley of the Shen residence.

With 500,000 taels of silver in his pocket, Tong Jian was practically floating on air.

Five hundred thousand taels!

Although it has to be delivered to Futailong, my aunt said there would be a reward after the matter is settled.

Then, he'll be able to pocket the money and go to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to choose the best girls—

As he thought about it, he started to use foul language:

"Shen Nannan...hey, that waist, that chest, that face...I'll show her what a man is...what a Shen family heir, I'll make her so damn good she can't even crawl on her feet..."

He was speaking enthusiastically when suddenly he felt a pain in his leg—

He lunged forward and fell face-first into the dirt.

"Who! Who the hell tripped me!"

He got up and looked back—there was nothing there.

"This is a ghost..."

He grumbled as he got up, dusted himself off, and was about to leave—

Suddenly, I noticed someone standing in front of me.

Dressed in black.

Black hair.

The moonlight shone from behind him, obscuring his face.

Tong Jian was stunned.

"Who...who are you?"

The man didn't speak.

It was just taking one step forward.

The moonlight fell on his face, illuminating a pair of unfathomable eyes.

Tong Jian saw that face clearly—

Handsome.

flirtatious.

It was as cold as a demon crawling out of hell.

"You, you—"

His legs went weak, and he wanted to run away.

But that person was faster than him.

A hand reached out, grabbed his neck, lifted him up, and slammed him against the wall.

"ah--!"

Tong Jian screamed in pain, but the grip on his neck tightened more and more, making it hard for him to breathe.

"You just said..."

The man spoke, his voice low and eerie, as if crawling out from the depths of hell:

"Who should we...?"

"Worked until you couldn't get up?"

Tong Jian stared wide-eyed, his face turning purplish-red, his hands flailing wildly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The man looked at him, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

That smile—

Tong Jian had never seen such a terrifying laugh in his life.

Then, he felt a chill in his groin.

A knife.

Clean and neat.

"ah--!!!"

The screams ripped through the night sky, then abruptly stopped.

The man released his grip, and Tong Jian slid to the ground like a lump of mud, curled up in a ball, convulsing all over, making strange gurgling noises.

The man disgustedly wiped his hands with a handkerchief.

"It's filthy."

He casually tossed the blood-stained handkerchief aside.

"Ah Man".

A burly man, as tall as an iron tower, emerged from the shadows, knelt down, and bowed his head: "Master."

"Take him back 'underground.' Make him spill everything he knows."

He paused, glanced down at Tong Jian convulsing on the ground, and his voice became even softer:

"Take good care of her."

Aman lowered her head: "Yes."

He picked up Tong Jian like a dead dog and disappeared into the night.

The alleyway quieted down.

The pale moonlight illuminated the bloodstains on the ground, which snaked into a dark red line.

The man stood there, looking down at his hands.

My fingertips were stained with blood, and they were still warm.

He slowly raised his hand and brought it close to his nose.

The stench of blood filled his nostrils, chilling him to the bone.

But the next second, he suddenly remembered another smell—

Sweet.

Soft.

The scent on her.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes again, something dark and swirling in them.

"Shen Nannan..."

He whispered the name, his tongue swirling over each word as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he turned around and walked towards the direction of Wutong Courtyard.