The Shadow’s Choice

In the darkness, they could not see each other clearly, only able to vaguely make out the silhouette of the person in front of them. Yet, Xia Qian still recognized that familiar pair of eyes, clear and bright.

It’s the girl we met at noon today, the one cleaning tables at the Dining Hall.

After calming down slightly, the footsteps that had momentarily disappeared sounded again, but now from above.

It was then that Xia Qian realized she had been pulled by the girl into a cellar hidden beneath a pile of miscellaneous items.

“Shh, please don’t make a sound, my lord,” the girl whispered in her ear. She nodded silently, suppressing the urge to speak. Only then did she reluctantly release her grip from Xia Qian’s wrist, gesturing for her to follow.

In the darkness, Xia Qian could only follow her, groping her way forward. Fortunately, the cellar was not large or deep, and after a few steps, they could see an opening at the other end.

Emerging from the cellar, they found themselves at the back of the Dining Hall, in the courtyard. The sudden sense of liberation filled Xia Qian with renewed hope, and she thanked the girl from the bottom of her heart.

“Thank you, you’ve done me a great favor.”

But the girl shook her head, raising her index finger to her lips again.

“We haven’t shaken off the pursuer yet.”

Realizing her mistake, Xia Qian zipped her lips. She knew that only by leaving the Dining Hall and finding the authorities or security personnel, capturing or killing the black-clad female assassin, could this nightmare end.

The girl silently pointed the way, indicating for Xia Qian to continue following her. They tiptoed along the wall, moving stealthily.

Before they could reach the stone path, a shadow flickered past the empty space in front of the house, causing Xia Qian to instinctively shrink back and press herself against the wall. The girl, however, merely pressed her ear against the wall to listen for any signs of danger. After a moment, she turned back to nod at Xia Qian, signaling it was safe to proceed.

They hurried along the wall, their footsteps muffled. But as soon as they emerged from the shadow of the building, they found themselves face-to-face with a black shadow, moving with lightning speed to intercept them.

“Be careful!”

Reacting swiftly, Xia Qian pulled the girl back, preventing the assassin’s blade from grazing her. Without a moment to spare, they turned and ran in the opposite direction, their hearts pounding in their chests.

Thinking on the run, Xia Qian shouted to the girl, “Hey, let’s split up!”

The black-clad assassin was alone, and even if she was fast, splitting up would give them a chance to escape. If someone could alert the authorities, they might still have a chance of surviving.

Understanding her intent, the girl nodded and they quickly separated, running in different directions. Xia Qian had never known she could run so fast. Unfortunately, she soon noticed the assassin was still hot on her trail.

No wonder she chose me, who else if not the one who bit her earlier?

Her only consolation was that the assassin had not pursued the girl. The thought of someone else being harmed because of her weighed heavily on her conscience.

Driven by desperation, Xia Qian sprinted forward, leaping over the fence and back to the front of the house. The familiar garden lay ahead, and all she needed to do was cross the open space and follow the corridor to escape.

Her hopes soared, but her heightened senses detected something amiss. Why had the assassin stopped chasing her?

Xia Qian stopped and turned back, only to see the black shadow mocking her from the front of the Dining Hall.

“What? You don’t want to run anymore? You, who are so good at running, moving like a rabbit?”

The voice was not alone; it was as if several speakers were playing the same recording, deep and chaotic. Accompanying the voice, several black shadows appeared, some emerging from the house, some jumping down from the roof, and some coming from behind the courtyard. Even in the direction Xia Qian had intended to escape, a black shadow appeared, walking towards her.

Xia Qian suddenly understood. They were trapped from the start. The shadows, however, did not surround her. Instead, they walked directly towards the central black-clad woman, merging into her shadow.

Shadow… profound arts?!

Since learning about the existence of profound arts in this world, Xia Qian had never seen it in action. What truly stopped her in her tracks was the black shadow that emerged from the back of the courtyard, holding the girl hostage.

The black-clad woman raised her golden-horned curved dagger, using the blunt side to lift the girl’s chin, allowing Xia Qian to see her more clearly.

“Ah, a mere courtesan’s servant. How amusing that you would abandon your escape for a mere insect that is not even as valuable as a dancing girl?”

“Shut your filthy mouth!”

Xia Qian gritted her teeth, summoning her courage to shout at the black-clad woman, “It has nothing to do with her. You have a problem with me. Take it out on me!”

But the black-clad woman ignored her anger, seeming to find it amusing. “Oh? Though you are a weak male courtesan, you have some guts. It shows some spirit of a woman.”

“Having guts or not has nothing to do with gender. No, enough talk. Let her go. Do what you want with me.”

Despite her rage, Xia Qian tried to keep her wits about her. But the black-clad woman seemed to find her words even more hilarious, laughing loudly.

“Hahaha… are you negotiating with me? What gives you the right?”

Xia Qian’s voice caught in her throat before she managed to ask again, “Then… then what do you want?”

“Hmm~ let me think… Ah!”

The woman drew another copper-patterned dagger from her waist, throwing it in an arc that ended with the blade’s point grounded into the earth before Xia Qian’s toes.

“Do you want to watch me slice this servant’s flesh piece by piece, or will you end it yourself?”

The black-clad woman offered her a choice, smiling wickedly.