Serving a sovereign was like keeping company with a tiger through fortune's rise and fall

Along the banks of the Luo River, the sunset's lingering glow dyed the water gold and crimson. Ripples carried the shimmering light across its surface, as though it had been strewn with fragments of gold.

With little enthusiasm, Linu returned the game pieces one by one to their sandalwood container, her movements gentle but somewhat distracted.

She looked up at the river flowing into the distance. A breeze swept a few strands of black hair across her fair cheek, and she raised her slender fingers to tuck them behind her ear. Her long lashes lowered, casting faint shadows over her eyelids, her expression thoughtful.

She let out a soft, wistful sigh, her voice so quiet the evening wind nearly carried it away. "Actually... he's a decent person."

Zhu Qiqi parted her red lips, about to tease her, when she suddenly saw the trunk of a nearby weeping willow twist unnaturally, like rippling water.

Amid the swaying shadows, a man's figure slowly peeled away from the tree, as though he had grown out of the darkness.

The newcomer wore a dark teal outfit fitted for combat. Strange, subtle patterns embroidered into the fabric flickered in and out of sight beneath the sunset.

His face was cold and sharply chiseled, with a sinister air between his brows. An oddly shaped short blade hung at his waist, the black jade set into its hilt gleaming with a cold, eerie luster.

"Senior Brother Dongren!" Linu's pupils abruptly contracted. She instinctively stepped half a pace back, undisguisable fear flashing across her face.

Zhu Qiqi immediately lowered her head as well, unconsciously softening even her breathing.

The man called Dongren gave a slight nod, his icy gaze slowly sweeping over them both. When his eyes passed over Zhu Qiqi's bare shoulders and full breasts, his Adam's