Snow was falling.

Fast, like a rain.

Wind was howling.

Sharp, like a blade.

Moments ago, the ground still held many traces.

Footprints, hoof prints, and… some strange drag marks.

But now, at a glance, under the hazy moonlight, all that remained was a blur of white on the ground.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a chilling northern wind blew past.

At the same moment, a figure appeared on the hillside.

He wore a cloak and a bamboo hat.

A small bundle rested on his shoulder; a long sword hung at his waist.

Reaching the high point, he stopped and gazed into the distance.

When the small, dilapidated inn, teetering in the wind and snow, came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief.

In this wilderness, amidst the deep pines and scattered rocks, finding this place by memory, intuition, and a sliver of dim moonlight was indeed no easy feat.

One might even say, it was a miracle…

Bang—bang—bang bang—

Soon, he stood beneath the plaque of the "Mi Si Inn," raising his hand to knock four times on the door—two long, two short.

Then, he stood silently at the entrance, waiting.

Before long, the sound of a wooden latch being moved came from inside, and then the door opened.

A tall, burly man greeted him, respectfully saying, "Brother, please..." upon seeing the man's face outside.

As he spoke, the large man stepped aside, making way.

The man addressed as "Brother" merely glanced into the room before stepping inside.

Inside, several lanterns hung, and oil lamps were placed on the tables, providing ample light.

As the Brother shook the snow from his hat and cloak, the large man who had opened the door smoothly closed it and re-latched it.

"How did Third Brother die?" After the large man turned around, the Brother shifted his gaze to a corner of the room and asked.

There, in the corner, lay a person, a man.

Or rather, a male corpse…

Although he hadn't been beheaded, nor did he have any particularly obvious wounds, the "Brother" could tell at a glance that the man was dead.

"I killed him," the large man replied almost without thinking.

The "Third Brother" they spoke of was a sworn brother to the two of them, yet their tone was surprisingly calm, as if they were discussing someone completely unrelated to them.

"Why?" After a moment, the Brother asked again.

"He wanted to move the 'goods,'" the large man replied.

The Brother's eyes flickered as he looked at the large man. "How so?"

"Naturally, in a way that would ruin things," the large man replied.

The Brother took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then opened them again after a few seconds. "Where are the goods?"

"In that room," the large man pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "Fourth Sister is watching over them."

The Brother thought for a moment, then said, "The others in the inn…"

"The owner, the waiter, the guests, six people in total…" the large man interjected before the other could finish. "They're all lying in the woodshed now. When we leave tomorrow, a fire… and we can destroy the bodies and erase the traces."

"Good," the Brother said, turning to walk toward the room the large man had indicated.

He pushed open the door and entered, and the "Fourth Sister," having already heard the conversation outside, stood behind the door to greet him.

"Brother," Fourth Sister said, also bowing respectfully when she saw the Brother.

The Brother waved his hand casually and walked straight toward the "goods" at the other end of the room.

And the so-called "goods" was actually a person.

A woman.

There were women in this world who seemed destined… not to appear before the eyes of men.

They should be locked away in deep palaces, hidden in boudoirs, secluded from the world.

They were better off existing only in paintings or in people's imaginations.

But… they ultimately lived in this world.

Therefore, when such women appeared, wherever they appeared… there was often strife, there was often death.

"Ah…" The Brother glanced at the woman and then sighed.

He had harbored a trace of doubt about Third Brother's death, but the moment he saw the woman, that doubt vanished.

This Brother knew that his sworn Third Brother was the lustful type, but he didn't think Third Brother would act carelessly during such an "important" operation.

Until… he saw that woman.

He only glanced at her once, then looked away.

Because he knew that one glance was enough… enough to forever imprint her beauty in a man's heart.

If he looked at her for any longer, or met her gaze, he might waver.

"Are you… hurt?" The Brother then turned to look at Fourth Sister and asked.

"No, it's just… Third Brother, he…" Fourth Sister's tone was hesitant.

"I know everything," the Brother interrupted. "Don't worry about it… Tomorrow, we set off as planned."

After saying this, he turned and left the room.

He didn't want to stay there for even a second longer, because he could feel her gaze.

And he didn't want to have any further contact with her, not even a look, not even a word.

Only in this way could he continue to treat her as "goods," and only then could he… persist in completing his "mission," knowing full well what fate awaited her.

…………

An amount of time equal to brewing a pot of tea had passed.

The Brother and the large man (the large man was undoubtedly ranked second, but I didn't want to repeatedly call him "Second Brother") were now sitting face-to-face on either side of a square table. Next to the table was a small charcoal stove, with a copper kettle hanging above it, steaming gently.

"Your heart is troubled," the large man said suddenly, holding a teacup and staring into the Brother's eyes.

"Is that so strange?" the Brother asked.

"Not strange," the large man said, and after a moment, he added, "Not just Third Brother, but every man who has seen that face… their heart will be troubled."

"So, what's truly strange is…" the Brother continued, "Why isn't your heart troubled?"

"What do you think?" At that moment, the large man's tone and his attitude toward the Brother abruptly changed.

"You're not a eunuch," the Brother said calmly and unhurriedly.

"No," the large man said.

"Nor are you a congenital eunuch (also known as a heavenly eunuch or hidden palace; Gu Long's characters, Lu Xiaojia and Jiang Duanxian, both fall into this category)," the Brother added.

"No," the large man said.

"And it's even less likely that you're a woman disguised as a man," the Brother continued.

"Impossible," the large man said.

"Then there's only one possibility," the Brother said.

"Heh…" The large man laughed, a strange and triumphant laugh…