Li Qingmu paused just outside the brothel and swished his sleeves as he prepared to step inside.
From a dark corner across the street, three men in plain gray robes blended into the crowd like ordinary merchants. At first glance, there was nothing special about them. But their hands hovered close to the hidden blades beneath their sleeves and their eyes never left the young man.
They had been following him ever since he came down from the mountain, patiently waiting for the right chance to strike. Their plan was simple. In the chaos and noise of Lantern Street, one of them would step in close and slice his throat. Then they would disappear into the busy crowd before anyone could react.
To outsiders, it would look like nothing more than a robbery gone wrong. After all, who would bother asking questions about a man dying in the pleasure district?
Their leader gave the slightest nod.
They stepped forward and joined the flow of people.
