Snow fell.

Fast as rain.

Wind howled.

Sharp as a knife.

Moments ago, the ground was still covered with many traces.

There were footprints, hoofprints, and… some strange drag marks.

But now, looking out, in the hazy moonlight, only a blur of white remained.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a fierce north wind blew past.

At the same time, a figure appeared on the hillside.

He wore a cloak and a bamboo hat.

On his shoulder was a small bundle; at his waist hung a long sword.

Reaching the top, he stopped and gazed into the distance.

When the small inn, teetering in the wind and snow, came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief.

In this wilderness, among the rocks and pines, it was not easy to find this place by memory, intuition, and that faint moonlight.

One could even say it was a miracle…

Bang—bang—bang bang—

He soon stood beneath the plaque of the "Mi Si Inn" and raised his hand to knock four times on the door—two long, two short.

Then, he stood at the door, waiting silently.

Before long, the sound of a wooden latch being moved came from inside, and then the door was opened.

A tall, burly man came out, and after seeing the face of the man outside the door, he respectfully said, "Brother, please..."

As he spoke, the big man stepped aside, making way.

The man, called "Brother," merely glanced into the room and stepped inside.

Inside, several lanterns were hung, and oil lamps were placed on the tables, providing ample light.

As the Brother shook the snow off his hat and cloak, the big man who had opened the door readily closed it and re-latched it.

"How did Third Brother die?" As the big man turned around, the Brother shifted his gaze to a corner of the room and asked.

In that corner, a person was lying, a man.

Of course, one could also say, a male corpse…

Although he had not been beheaded, nor did he have any particularly obvious wounds, the Brother could tell at a glance that the man was dead.

"I killed him," the big man replied almost without thinking.

The "Third Brother" they spoke of was a sworn brother to both of them, but the tone of their conversation at this moment was surprisingly calm, as if they were discussing someone completely unrelated to them.

"Why?" After a moment, the Brother asked again.

"He wanted to move the 'goods'," the big man replied.

The Brother's eyes flickered, and he looked at the big man. "How did he want to move them?"

"Naturally, in a way that would ruin things," the big man replied.

The Brother took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, opened them again. "Where are the goods?"

"In that room," the big man pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "Fourth Sister is watching over them."

The Brother thought for a moment, then said, "The others in this inn…"

"The owner, the waiter, the guests, six people in total…" the big man interjected before the other could finish, "are all lying in the woodshed now. When we leave tomorrow, a fire… will destroy the bodies and erase the traces."

"Good," the Brother said, and turned to walk toward the room that the big man had pointed to.

He pushed the door open and entered, and the Fourth Sister had already heard the conversation outside, so she stood behind the door to greet him.

"Brother," Fourth Sister said, bowing respectfully when she saw the Brother.

The Brother waved his hand casually and walked straight toward the "goods" at the other end of the room.

And the so-called "goods" were, in fact, a person.

A woman.

There are women in this world who seem destined… not to appear before the eyes of men.

They should be locked in deep palaces, hidden in boudoirs, secluded from the world.

They should preferably only exist in paintings or in people's imaginations.

But… they do live in this world after all.

So, when such a woman appears, in the place where she appears… there is often strife, there is often death.

"Sigh…" The Brother glanced at the woman, and then sighed.

He had originally had some doubts about the death of Third Brother, but the moment he saw the woman, those doubts vanished.

The Brother knew that his sworn Third Brother was the lustful type, but he did not believe that Third Brother would do something reckless during such an "important" operation.

Until… he saw the woman.

He only looked at her once, then averted his gaze.

Because he knew that one glance was enough… enough to imprint her beauty forever in a man's heart.

If he looked at her for even a moment longer, or met her eyes, he might waver.

"Are you… uninjured?" The Brother then turned to look at Fourth Sister and asked.

"No, it's just… Third Brother, he…" Fourth Sister's tone was hesitant.

"I know everything," the Brother interrupted her. "Don't worry… Tomorrow, we'll set off as planned."

After saying this, he turned and left the room.

He didn't want to stay there for even a second, because he could feel her gaze.

And he didn't want to have any further contact with her, not even a glance, not even a word.

Only in this way could he continue to treat her as a "commodity," could he persist in completing his "mission"… knowing full well what fate awaited her.

…………

The time it takes to brew a pot of tea passed.

The Brother and the big man (the big man was undoubtedly ranked second, but I don't really want to keep calling him "Second Brother") were sitting face to face on opposite sides of a square table. Beside the table was a small charcoal stove, and a copper pot, from which wisps of steam were rising, was hanging above the stove.

"Your heart is in turmoil," the big man said suddenly, holding a teacup and staring into the Brother's eyes.

"Is that strange?" the Brother said.

"It's not strange," the big man said, and after a moment, he added, "Not only Third Brother, but every man who has seen that face… their hearts will be in turmoil."

"So, what's truly strange is…" the Brother continued, "Why isn't your heart in turmoil?"

"What do you think?" At that moment, the big man's tone and his attitude toward the Brother suddenly changed.

"You're not a eunuch," the Brother still seemed calm, speaking slowly.

"No," the big man said.

"Nor are you a congenital eunuch (also known as a natural eunuch or a hidden palace; Lu Xiaojia and Jiang Duanxian in Gu Long's novels belong to this category)," the Brother said again.

"No," the big man said.

"It's even less likely that you're a woman disguised as a man," the Brother said again.

"Impossible," the big man said.

"Then there's only one possibility," the Brother said.

"Heh…" The big man laughed, a sinister laugh, a triumphant laugh…