The City Lord's Mansion

"First," Xuanyuan said, raising one finger, "the Azure Fire Scorpion poison in that plate of shrimp dumplings, and the Three Day Drunk hidden in your wineglass, are both rare commodities. Tell me, who asked you to serve me these things?"

Su Mei's pupils suddenly contracted!

Not only could he identify poison, he even knew its exact name! That was beyond all reason! Just who was this man...?

Seeing the undisguised shock on Su Mei's face, Xuanyuan's smile grew wider. He raised a second finger.

"Second, your Listen to the Wind Tower is a pleasure house on the surface, but a network of informants behind the scenes, isn't it?" He leaned back in his chair, completely at ease, his gaze sharp enough to see through everything. "From now on, I want your Listen to the Wind Tower to pass information only for me."

The first question meant she had to betray her employer.

The second meant she had to... bow to him!

Su Mei's heart spasmed wildly, and a chill shot from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head.

At last, she understood.

From the very beginning, his goal hadn't been to eat, or even to kill her. He had come to subdue her—to take control of the Listen to the Wind Tower she had spent years painstakingly building!

He wasn't a dragon crossing the river. He was a prehistoric leviathan intent on swallowing the entire river!

"You... you're dreaming!" Su Mei shouted, her bravado masking her fear. "Who do you think you are? Do you know who my employer is? Do you know what will happen if you mess with the Listen to the Wind Tower?"

"I don't know, and I don't care to know." Xuanyuan cut her off, his tone as casual as if he