Chapter 4

Ever since Lian Ai was assaulted, the two girls no longer dared to attempt real practice sessions. They were afraid another incident might occur.

Several days passed like that. Then Bu Nian came, bringing with him a variety of fine jewelry and beautiful fabrics as rewards for the three of them.

Lian Ai ran his fingers over the exquisite embroidery. He liked it, truly, but the feeling was bittersweet.

These beautiful clothes, who was he supposed to wear them for? Ah-Da and Ah-Er barely spoke to him outside of training. The servants behaved as if they had swallowed their tongues. Unless absolutely necessary, they avoided speaking to him at all. No matter how well he dressed, it was like performing for a room full of blind men.

Of course, Bu Nian hadn’t come just to hand out rewards. He was there to inspect the results of Lian Ai’s training.

He ordered Lian Ai to sit beside him and observe the girls as they demonstrated what they had learned.

Lian Ai was nervous around Bu Nian, but the general’s word left no room for refusal. He had no choice but to obey.

The evaluation was divided into three categories: oral technique, manual technique, and vocal technique. Each girl had two tall, blindfolded men as their partners for the demonstration.

Completing each skill within the time it takes to finish a cup of tea was considered excellent. Within the time of a single incense stick was acceptable. Anything longer was a fail.

The girls had learned well. Ah-Da had absorbed Lian Ai’s teachings with near perfection. Her execution of all three skills was smooth, even better than Lian Ai had been when he was still a trainee himself. Ah-Er was slightly weaker. Her oral and manual skills were passable, but when it came to vocal technique, she was too restrained. She ran over time in the end.

“That’s enough. Go rest,” Bu Nian said as he waved the others away after the test.

Lian Ai stood too, but Bu Nian did not dismiss him.

“You’ve done very well. It won’t be long before these two girls are fully trained,” Bu Nian said calmly. The praise, though simply spoken, was genuine.

“General flatters me,” Lian Ai answered with his gaze lowered, eyes locked firmly on the general’s collar and never daring to look higher.

“Is there any reward you want?”

Lian Ai froze. He looked up on instinct, meeting Bu Nian’s eyes directly. Fear forgotten, he spoke without thinking.

“Anything at all, General?”

Bu Nian’s expression didn’t change. “Say it.”

Lian Ai hesitated, but the desire in his chest surged past his caution.

He looked at Bu Nian with quiet desperation. “Could the General grant me freedom?”

Bu Nian didn’t look surprised in the least. He let out a soft oh, his tone impossible to read.

“You’re honest. That’s it? You don’t want anything else? Gold, jewels, a deed to a house, I can give you anything.”

Lian Ai shook his head. “I only want this one thing.”

Bu Nian’s black eyes glinted. His lips lifted into a smile.

“Alright. I understand. You may go. Once it’s done, I’ll give you what you wish for.”

Lian Ai could barely contain his joy. He felt, for the first time, like he had something to look forward to.

But he didn’t notice the chill hidden beneath the other man’s smile.

Lian Ai left the room and began walking along the covered corridor back to his own courtyard. Most of the servants had gone to attend to Bu Nian’s arrival, and the rear garden was unusually quiet.

Turning a corner, Lian Ai suddenly collided straight into someone’s chest.

“Ah!” He let out a soft cry. It felt like hitting a wall of flesh, and he stumbled backward.

The man caught him but didn’t let go right away.

Lian Ai frowned and looked up at the man’s face. In an instant, he recognized him. It was the same one from the training session not long ago, the man who had listened to his voice until he came. His eyes widened, and he tried to pull away.

“Don’t move,” the man growled and gripped his arm tightly.

Lian Ai froze. The low, rough voice was enough to make him go limp. He didn’t dare move again.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” the man said. His face was unremarkable, but his body was thick and powerful. His arms were twice the size of Lian Ai’s. A single slap from him could probably kill. Lian Ai knew better than to resist.

Trying to appease him, he softened his tone. “You honor me, sir. Lian Ai is truly grateful. But you hurt me that day. Could you loosen your grip just a little?”

The man touched his face with clear obsession. “Come with me. The general won’t let you go. But I have a way. I can help you escape. From now on, follow me. Will you?”

Lian Ai’s heart skipped. He had a strange feeling the next thing this man said would be important. “Why would the general not let me go? What do you mean by that?”

The man suddenly pulled him into a crushing embrace. Those steel arms nearly snapped Lian Ai’s slim waist in half.

“When the rabbit dies, the hound is cooked.”

That was all he said before releasing Lian Ai and walking off toward the far end of the corridor.

Lian Ai stood frozen, a cold chill crawling up from the soles of his feet.

He shivered and leaned against the wall. There was a touch of sorrow and confusion in his eyes.

Of course. How could livestock ever be granted freedom? He had been dreaming too big.

From that day on, Lian Ai grew restless. He didn’t doubt the man’s warning. What reason would someone like that have to lie to a lowly plaything like him?

Fear began to take root. He hid it carefully, not daring to let the two girls sense anything.

After the evaluation, Bu Nian had left the residence again. Lian Ai assumed he returned to the general’s manor. He had thought of escaping too, but even if he somehow slipped past Ah-Da and Ah-Er, both of whom were trained fighters, the regular guards would still catch him. With his frail body, he would never make it off the property.

Now, his only hope was a man he had met twice and didn’t even know by name.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. One day, after returning to his room, he spotted a small slip of paper pressed beneath his teacup. On it were two words.

Moonlit Night.

Lian Ai’s heart lurched. He quickly tossed the note into the flame of a candle.

He watched as the fire consumed it bit by bit, his eyes fixed in a trance. Moonlit night. That would be tomorrow. Was that man planning to help him escape?

Lian Ai had never been skilled at hiding his thoughts. With something this big weighing on his chest, his mind wandered through the entire next day. Even during the girls’ lessons, he was constantly distracted.

The red-robed girl with the sultry gaze noticed right away. She glanced at her companion, then smiled sweetly and said, “Is the teacher feeling unwell today? Why not end early? We can continue once you’re better.”

Lian Ai met her gaze, trying to appear calm. “I’m not feeling well. My head is aching quite badly.”

The girls didn’t insist. They offered some soft words of concern and had someone escort him back to his room.

There were still hours to go before nightfall, but Lian Ai couldn’t stay still. One moment he sat on the stool, dazed, the next he was at the window again, checking the sky.

He forced himself through the long wait until the sun finally set. As darkness crept in, his heartbeat quickened, tension building in his chest.

The room glowed dimly under the candlelight. He didn’t have much to pack. Just a few changes of clothes and a couple of valuable trinkets. He didn’t dare take more. He folded everything into a thin cloth bundle and placed it on his lap.

The world outside was silent. It felt like he was the only one left breathing under the heavens. Fingers curled tightly around the bundle, he sat by the table and waited in silence.

Suddenly, the candle flame on the table flickered to one side. He turned his gaze sharply to the window, and there it was. The frame had been cracked open just slightly.

His room faced the back mountain. The window opened that way too. It was a quiet, unpatrolled area where the guards rarely passed. If the man were coming, this would be the perfect entry.

Lian Ai rushed to the window. Just then it swung open fully, revealing a nervous face behind it.

“Hurry, come with me,” the man whispered, reaching out a hand.

Lian Ai stared at that hand for a moment, hesitating. But the thought of what Bu Nian might do to him made his skin crawl. He gritted his teeth and reached out to grasp it.

They fled down the back mountain. The night was so dark he could barely see his fingers in front of his face. They walked for hours through the forest, and by the time morning light broke over the horizon, they had made it down safely.

The man introduced himself as Song Qiao. He said he was a guard at the general’s residence and often served at Bu Nian’s side. From the moment he saw Lian Ai during that infamous competition at the villa, he had been enchanted. Later, when they met again inside the residence, the feelings only grew stronger. Since then, he had been unable to forget him.

After an entire night trekking through the mountains, both were exhausted. They found a roadside tea stall and decided to rest for a bit.

“If you stay with me, I promise I’ll treat you right. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again,” Song Qiao said, gripping Lian Ai’s hands with great sincerity, looking just a vow short of swearing to the heavens.

Lian Ai put on a touched expression, but in his heart, he didn’t believe a single word. He was a man too. He knew the nature of men.

Sweet words were easy when things were new. But give it time, and once his face and body lost their charm, the man would grow tired of him. Then he would be discarded.

He wasn’t clever, but he had lived long enough in the brothel to learn this much. If he took Song Qiao’s words at face value, he would be nothing but a hopeless fool.

The shop boy soon brought over two bowls of plain noodles and a plate of braised beef.

From the moment they came down the mountain, Lian Ai had felt uneasy. His eyelids kept twitching. The feeling unsettled him deeply. Now, even with food in front of him, he had no appetite. He forced down a few bites before setting his chopsticks aside.

“You’re not eating?” Song Qiao asked with concern.

Lian Ai smiled at him faintly. “I can’t eat anymore.”

“You should try to eat a bit more. Otherwise, how will you survive the escape…” Before he could finish, Song Qiao’s eyes drooped. In the next instant, he collapsed onto the table without warning.

The sudden change stunned Lian Ai. His mind blanked in fear, and for a moment, he forgot how to move.

But the dizziness crept in fast. A wave of heavy sleepiness rushed over him. His vision blurred as he scanned the tea stall, trying to spot the shop boy. All he saw was a shadow slowly walking toward him.

Just before he lost consciousness, Lian Ai thought, this time, he really was going to die.

Yet when he opened his eyes again, not only was he alive, he had somehow been brought back to the mountain villa.

He sat up abruptly. The familiar plants and ornate furnishings told him exactly where he was. Bu Nian’s residence. The main house. The largest and best-located courtyard in the entire estate.

“You woke up sooner than I expected,” came a familiar voice from behind.

Lian Ai froze. Every hair on his body stood on end.

He had been found. Bu Nian had caught him.

He was going to die. Bu Nian would kill him.

He turned around in panic. Bu Nian sat not far away, on a carved chair beside a redwood table, dressed in a dark robe. He peeled a longan slowly, the translucent skin coming away beneath his fingers.

His gaze was lowered. The moonlight struck his lashes, casting a deep shadow beneath his eyes. Lian Ai couldn’t read his expression. He couldn’t guess what the man was thinking.

But even so, the danger was unmistakable. That primal instinct, the kind prey feel when facing a predator, surged through him. Every inch of his skin screamed for him to run. To flee this terrifying man before it was too late.