Lu Zhiyao’s sword was unusual.

Fine cracks ran along the blade, slicing any reflected image into countless fragments, as if it might shatter at any moment.

The edge was thin and cold, gleaming with a chill under the sunlight.

Li Ruoshui’s gaze swept over that razor edge, and her heart gave a small jolt.

“Why are you polishing your sword?”

Lu Zhiyao smiled gently. Sunlight fell across his long, curled lashes, scattering like tiny flecks of gold.

“It’s never tasted a throat before. If I don’t soothe it, it gets nervous.”

Li Ruoshui shifted uncomfortably, moving to the window to watch the stream of passersby below. She licked her lips and let out a couple of awkward laughs.

“It’s only been three days…”

She glanced back at Lu Zhiyao, who remained focused on cleaning his sword, and felt the last of her inner defenses starting to crumble.

Once so confident and defiant, she was now practically a stone statue by the window, waiting for rescue.

Three days! Why hadn’t the male and female leads come yet?! Was this inn too small and out of the way? Or hadn’t those girls delivered the message?

If no one showed up soon, she might as well swallow the sword for everyone’s entertainment.

She didn’t know if he’d ordered it specially, but there was no paper or ink in the room at all, and his hearing was so sharp that even her muttering under her breath reached him—let alone trying to whisper anything to the innkeeper.

She’d been standing at that window for two straight days, hoping it would have some effect.

Below, carriages rolled by and vendors hawked their wares. Amid the bustling crowd, Li Ruoshui’s gaze met that of two figures.

A man and a woman. The man wore dark robes, his expression spirited. The woman was in a black-and-red long dress, holding a blade in her arms with a stern look on her face.

They were staring directly at her.

That classic pairing—who else could it be but the leads, Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian?!

Li Ruoshui quickly glanced at Lu Zhiyao, then hurriedly gave the pair a small, eager wave, her face lighting up.

Lu Feiyue’s eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, she tightened her hold on the blade and strode toward the inn, Jiang Nian quickly following after giving Li Ruoshui a brief look.

Relief washed over Li Ruoshui. She finally sat back down at the table and poured herself a cup of tea.

“So, they’re here?”

Lu Zhiyao stopped polishing his sword and tilted his head toward her. From this angle, she could see the curl of his long lashes.

Li Ruoshui couldn’t hide her spreading grin. She tried to sound casual as she nodded.

“Just like in the dream.”

Lu Zhiyao let out a quiet laugh, lowering his gaze as he slowly slid the sword back into its scabbard. The metallic scrape made her lose her smile and sent chills prickling over her skin.

He picked up the cloth he’d been using to wipe the blade—only for a sharp arrow to pierce it in the next instant, pinning it hard into the windowsill.

He raised his brows at Li Ruoshui, his smile still warm.

“Was it like this in the dream too?”

“Y-yes…”

Of course it wasn’t like this. In the original story, their first meeting was perfectly civil. After all, the two leads were good people, and he was only pretending to be one—they’d all gotten along just fine.

But now, the wooden door was kicked open. Lu Feiyue swept her gaze around the room and, without hesitation, drew her blade in an attack. She even shoved Li Ruoshui out of the way.

Her strikes were fierce and direct. Yet, just as the blade was about to pierce Lu Zhiyao’s chest, he caught it neatly between two fingers, stopping it cold.

A smile curled at his lips as his fingertips tapped lightly against the blade.

“And you are?”

Lu Feiyue yanked her blade free, her brows lifting with haughty defiance as she pulled out a badge from her robes.

“Criminal Investigation Office. Lu Feiyue.”

Li Ruoshui walked in from outside. “He can’t see…”

Ignoring the brief flash of embarrassment on Lu Feiyue’s face, she hurried to stand next to Lu Zhiyao.

“But I can vouch for it—that really is an official badge.”

“A female constable, huh?” Lu Zhiyao remarked, a faintly amused tone in his voice. Then he picked up the blind staff beside him and rose to his feet.

“I’m just a blind man. Why would you need to arrest me?”

Lu Feiyue let out a cold laugh, her blade still aimed squarely at him. “We suspect you of unlawfully imprisoning this young lady.”

“Then I suppose I don’t know her.”

Lu Zhiyao fell silent after that, standing with his eyes closed as though listening carefully.

Li Ruoshui hesitated for a moment, then gently took his blind staff and turned him in another direction.

“Your handkerchief is over there.”

He paused briefly, then gave a small, relaxed smile. “Thank you.”

As Lu Zhiyao went to retrieve the handkerchief, Li Ruoshui quickly turned to explain to the other two.

“He didn’t imprison me.”

“I’ve been watching you for two days,” Jiang Nian said as he entered the room, taking a place beside Lu Feiyue with his weapon in hand.

“Every day you just stand at the window, looking miserable. I even asked the innkeeper—he said you’ve never gone out. Even if that’s not imprisonment, it’s clearly restricting your freedom.”

“It’s not like that. His eyes are bad—I have to take care of him.”

Li Ruoshui shot the two of them a mournful look, deliberately lowering her voice.

“I looked miserable because I only just escaped from a dungeon. I’m still shaken up. Just thinking about how close I came to being trafficked makes me…”

Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian exchanged a look, then quickly stepped forward, their expressions turning serious.

“You escaped from where exactly?”

“Yes. There were several others who got out with me—they’ve already gone to report it to the authorities.”

At those words, Jiang Nian let out a sudden, mocking laugh. He holstered his weapon at his waist.

“So that’s why they sent you off to the bamboo grove in the east that day. Turns out the magistrate’s office was hiding a witness.”

He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, looking at Lu Feiyue.

“I told you, not everyone works like you people from the Criminal Investigation Office.”

Lu Feiyue clenched her teeth in frustration, her cool, elegant brows tightening before she looked back at Li Ruoshui.

“Miss, could you lead us to that dungeon so we can investigate?”

“Of course.” Li Ruoshui jumped at the offer. “It’s still early—why don’t we go right now?”

She’d answered so quickly that Lu Feiyue froze for a moment, then glanced at Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian stepped forward to stand in front of Lu Feiyue, looking down at Li Ruoshui.

“Mind telling us how exactly you managed to escape?”

Li Ruoshui’s throat tightened. How was she supposed to explain that letter to Lu Zhiyao—claim it was part of her “dream” too?

“It was me who rescued her,” Lu Zhiyao said.

He found the handkerchief but didn’t put it away. Instead, he tossed it into the small brazier at the side.

“I received a secret letter asking me to go there and save someone.”

He didn’t mention the bounty notice or his wager with Li Ruoshui—just glossed over it vaguely.

Lu Feiyue pressed a hand to Jiang Nian’s shoulder to stop whatever he was about to say, then gave Li Ruoshui a small nod, ignoring Lu Zhiyao entirely.

“No time to waste. Let’s go now.”

“Are you coming too?” Li Ruoshui turned to Lu Zhiyao, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

After all, the outcome of their bet depended entirely on him. He could easily refuse to cooperate and sabotage the entire investigation.

“Of course,” Lu Zhiyao replied gently, his expression warm and agreeable. “Weren’t I in the dream too? How could I not go?”

Li Ruoshui was momentarily stunned. Was he trying to help her win or lose?

They all headed for the door together. Lu Zhiyao wore a pleasant, spring-like smile as he took the lead, while Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian walked behind, muttering quietly. Li Ruoshui fell into step between them, watching Lu Zhiyao’s back in deep thought.

She truly couldn’t figure him out.

He seemed so changeable, yet always smiling like the picture of warmth.

He seemed gentle and harmless, yet could kill without a moment’s hesitation.

If she’d committed a crime, the law should punish her—not force her to fall in love with a madman.

….

The place where they’d been held was in the middle of Luming Mountain, marked by a shabby little house with a dungeon beside it.

The black-clad men killed three days ago still lay exactly where they’d fallen, scattered in a gruesome trail from the front gate to the dungeon entrance.

Lu Feiyue frowned slightly at the sight. Jiang Nian glanced at Lu Zhiyao with clear disapproval in his eyes.

Lu Zhiyao couldn’t see any of it. He simply stood quietly at the hut’s door, a faint smile on his lips. But to Li Ruoshui, it looked more like he was lost in thought.

“Constable Lu and the others are checking the dungeon. Want to look inside the house with me?”

Li Ruoshui wanted to finish this rescue mission while he was being cooperative. She was terrified something might go wrong if they took too long.

In the original book, Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian had found the trafficking ring’s main base elsewhere, but it had mentioned early on that this house contained a hidden passage. She needed to check.

“There wasn’t any rescue scene in your dream?”

Li Ruoshui was already inside the hut. Besides some basic tables and chairs, it was nearly empty, giving it an unsettling, barren feel.

With something to do, her reply came out in a lazy, distracted drawl.

“Dreams are always hazy, you know? I can only remember a few vague fragments.”

“Is that so?”

Lu Zhiyao stepped inside as well, his blind staff tapping lightly against the floor.

Li Ruoshui’s hand froze against the wall she was tapping, and she suddenly remembered reading an old news story—

People born blind don’t see colors in dreams at all. Their dreams are only sounds, often nightmares.

Realizing what she’d just said might have been thoughtless, she quickly added,

“Even if the dream was blurry, I remember you in it very clearly.”

“I see.”

Lu Zhiyao answered softly, then seemed to think of something, letting out a quiet laugh.

Li Ruoshui turned to look at him in silence.

She had no idea what, exactly, had set him off this time.

Her eyes fell on his gently closed eyelids.

Lu Zhiyao’s eyes had a beautiful shape—slightly long but not at all small. His lashes were long and fine, and when they curled, they resembled a slender crescent moon in the sky. Staring at them too long could make one’s heart itch a little.

She couldn’t help wondering what kind of light those pretty eyes might reveal if they ever opened.

“You’re looking at me. Why?”

He couldn’t see, but his other senses were exceptionally sharp—especially his hearing. In the original story, he’d helped the main characters solve more than a few cases with it.

But getting caught staring? That was something she refused to admit to on the spot.

“This room is… kind of small.”

Lu Zhiyao seemed genuinely intrigued by the answer. He tilted his head, smiling as he turned directly toward her.

“Why keep looking at me?”

Even with his eyes closed and a pleasant smile on his face, it sent an odd chill down Li Ruoshui’s spine. It felt like being watched by something uncanny.

She awkwardly touched her neck, then quickly moved behind him and started tapping at the wall.

“I think there might be a mechanism here.”

Hearing that, Lu Zhiyao’s expression cleared in sudden understanding, his smile turning almost sincere.

“So that’s why you were staring at me—looking for a hidden mechanism.”

What else? Did he think she was putting on a drum concert?

Lu Zhiyao listened carefully for a moment, then moved toward the southwest corner of the room.

Setting his blind staff aside, he untied the sword at his waist and drove it straight into the seam of a floor tile.

Cracks spread from the point of impact like a spiderweb, the tiles creaking under the strain.

Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian, who had just returned from checking the dungeon, heard the noise and rushed inside—only to freeze at the scene before them.

Tiles that had been solidly sealed for who knew how long shattered like thin ice under Lu Zhiyao’s hand, revealing the hidden space beneath.

Four or five iron-gray gears of varying sizes lay exposed below, one of them still whirring noisily.

“Found it,” Lu Zhiyao said with a gentle smile.

But in the next moment, he drew his sword. The scabbard slammed down onto the single moving gear, jamming it with a sharp metallic clang.

A heavy rumbling followed. Two paces away, a half-meter-wide black hole yawned open in the floor, cold air gusting up from its depths. It looked bottomless.

Li Ruoshui couldn’t help blurting out an admiring curse in her head.

Most people would have to puzzle over a mechanism before opening it properly. Not him—he skipped the whole process, used brute force, and broke straight into the mechanism’s guts.

She took a couple of steps forward to get a closer look.

But just then, the gear that had been clanging against the scabbard abruptly stopped moving.

The narrow black opening instantly expanded to a full meter wide—right beneath her feet.

“Shit—!”

As she fell, Li Ruoshui grabbed desperately onto Lu Zhiyao’s sleeve.

=^_^=