A week passed after that unexpected and..untold incident...
Morning in the Lan Sect was colder than usual. The walls of the main hall reflected the pale light of winter, painting the gathering cultivators in strokes of silver and white.
Lan Sujin stood among them...tall, composed, his face as unreadable as the quiet sky above Lan Ye Lou . His violet hair was neatly tied back, headband resting precisely in the center of his forehead, as per Lan custom. Only the subtle fur lining his outer silver robe betrayed the chill in the air.
Their sect leader's voice broke the silence:
"The suspect has appeared again in Yinshi. He's been tracked to a location called Jiu Se Ge."
Sujin's heart twisted.
That name again.
The red-lanterned bar. The wine and colour pavilion. The place he stumbled into by mistake, where names came not with titles, but with a price.
"You five will go," the leader continued. "Blend in. Observe. Do not confront unless absolutely necessary. This man is dangerous...and high-ranking. We must remain cautious."
Five cultivators bowed in unison. Sujin was one of them, though the motion felt heavier than usual. He said nothing. His face revealed nothing. But inside....he was burning.
Why that place again?
He hadn't told anyone what happened the first time. The embarrassment alone would've tainted his family name. And the fact that he'd run from that strange courtesan with flushed ears and a burning pulse…
It was unthinkable. Even thinking about how he looked like when he found out he that random man gave me the wrong address for resting and he realized it when that young guy..the top one explained what was that 2nd menu was about later...was the most embarrassing thing in his whole life which makes him want to disappear from this whole world..yet now he have to go that same place again from where he ran away with his life and reputation...
Evening came too quickly.
Yinshi City was alive again...smoke rising from roasted meats and incense, the streets glowing with laughter and mischief. The red lanterns swayed like soft traps in the cold wind. Somewhere in the distance, an instrument played faintly under a bar's roof.
Yujin walked with the other four cultivators through the crowd. Their white robes were like swans drifting through ink. But this time, there was no elegance in his posture. Just tension.
"I've heard of this bar," one whispered behind him. "Their top courtesan is so good, men forget their wives."
"They say he's… sweet but dangerous," another added with a smirk.
Yujin clenched his jaw.
The bar hadn't changed.
Jiu Se Ge stood like a jewel of decadence....deep wine-red walls trimmed with silver, soft laughter echoing through the silk-curtained entrance. The name still shimmered in both Chinese and English: "Wine & Colour Pavilion."
And still, it gave him chills.
Inside was warmth, perfume, and something unspoken in the air...something soft and dangerous. There were only men here, talking, laughing, drinking under the charm of glowing lanterns and wandering eyes.
Almost immediately, two cultivators excused themselves and followed an attendant toward the private chambers.
"Just observing," one joked, disappearing behind red silk.
Yujin didn't laugh. He remained at the center of the hall with the only other cultivator who seemed as uncomfortable as he was.
He sat quietly at a small table near the wall, eyes scanning the crowd, observing.
That's when a familiar voice slid beside his ear.
"Back again, moon childe?"
His spine stiffened.
That tone....teasing, lazy, and dangerously smooth.
He turned slowly and saw him.
Xiao.
The courtesan in the red silk robe, the same one from that night. His grayish-black hair was loosely tied back, eyes the color of mischief itself...stormy blue with stars hiding behind smirks. His beauty was impossible to ignore, but it was his pride that hit harder. He looked at Sujin like he'd been expecting him.
"Did you miss me?" Xiao asked, pouring himself a cup of wine without permission.
"I'm on official duty," Yujin replied coldly, adjusting his sleeve. His fingers tapped once on the table...nervous habit.
"So am I," Xiao grinned. "But my job's more fun. Look around...this place is full of eyes, but yours are the most uncomfortable."
He leaned closer, whispering:
"You're not very good at pretending."
Yujin tensed. His lips parted, but no words came.
"Others tried to book me tonight," Xiao said lazily. "I said no."
"Why?" Yujin's voice finally returned, sharp and low.
Xiao rested his chin on one hand and smiled.
"Because the one who ran away tastes sweeter than the ones who beg."
Yujin looked away, heat crawling up his neck.
"I don't play games."
"Pity. I was planning a rematch."
There was something under Xiao's grin tonight. Not just flirtation. Not just pride.
Something… cracked.
Before yujin could speak again, the soft bell above the bar's front entrance chimed.
A new man entered...tall, elegantly dressed in gold and dark green, carrying a closed fan in one hand. The bar fell quieter. Even the manager stepped forward and bowed deeply.
Yujin recognized him immediately.
"That's the suspect," he muttered to himself. "That's the man we're here for."
He sat straighter, watching the man take a private seat with two silent guards beside him. Power dripped from his very presence.
Xiao's tone changed. Softer.
"Ah. That one."
Yujin turned to him.
"You know him?"
"Tried to buy me last week." Xiao poured himself another drink, not meeting Sujin's eyes this time. "I refused. The boss wasn't happy."
"Why did you refuse?"
Xiao didn't answer right away. He swirled the wine in his cup.
Then he said, almost lazily:
"Because he treats people like collars. And I already wear one."
Sujin froze.
He looked at Xiao fully this time...not at his smile, not at his silk...but into his eyes.
There was something there. A dullness behind the shine. A sorrow behind the act.
And for a moment, Yujin forgot the mission.
Forgot the villain.
Forgot even his shame.
He just watched a beautiful, broken man hide his bruises beneath laughter....and wondered how many nights it had taken for him to learn to do it so well.
[ End of Chapter 02 ]