The heavy wooden gate of the courtyard creaked open, the sound slicing through the tense silence like a blade.
Liu Ruyan stepped inside, her face flushed, her eyes bright with a mixture of genuine excitement and a darker, secret anticipation. She carried a few scrolls in her hand, but her attention was immediately drawn to the figure sitting by the edge of the steaming spirit pond.
Wang Jian sat there, casually splashing water on his face, looking for all the world like a man simply enjoying a morning soak. But Liu Ruyan knew better. She saw the tension in his shoulders, the dark, satisfied glint in his eyes.
And, thanks to the mental link he had established with her earlier, she knew exactly who was hiding behind the large, mossy ornamental rock just a few feet away.
She didn't hesitate. Not for a second.
