The interior of the private chamber was quiet, perfumed with sandalwood and adorned with faintly glowing wall murals that shimmered with moving illusions of starlit gardens and hidden moonlit pools.
Silk drapes flowed gently like liquid moonlight, and sitting atop a throne-like chaise of dark wood and crimson cushions was a woman who seemed to command the very atmosphere with a mere glance.
Lady Qin.
The madam of the Ember Veils Pavilion.
A woman whose age was veiled not by illusion, but by timeless grace. Her features were refined—like a painting rendered with delicate care. Long black hair, threaded with silver strands like moonlight through midnight silk, framed a mature face with dreamlike beauty. Her skin was fair, her lips subtly tinted, and her eyes… they held a hazy, hypnotic depth, as if she looked at the world through a veil of sweet dreams.
The moment Meng Bai saw her, he felt a weight in his chest.
His breath slowed.
