In an instant, desolation surged into his heart. The man’s vacant gaze remained fixated on the medical hall, clear tears continuously sliding down his face unnoticed by him.

He stood there silently, silver moonlight spilling over his form, like an exquisite statue.

A woman who had just exited a brothel, face full of intoxication and lewdness, tottered down the street. Suddenly, she saw a tall figure standing in the middle of the road.

She rubbed her eyes, opening them wide to stare intently at the celestial being before her, mouth agape in wonder: “Oh my, am I dreaming?” She rubbed her eyes again in disbelief, focusing her gaze.

The man stared blankly at a certain spot, his exquisite features seemingly meticulously sculpted by the heavens, a violet gossamer robe and black tresses fluttering in the wind under the showering silver moonlight like a descended celestial.

The woman gazed greedily at the divine-like man, her drunkenness abating slightly. She approached him with light, slow steps, but when she was just two paces away, she heard him murmur softly.

“Do you know where she is?”

What?

The woman looked at him in shock, but saw the man slowly turn his devastatingly beautiful face towards her, eyes still completely empty. He said: “Do you know where she is?” “Who-who?”

“My wife…”

How would the woman know who his wife was? She only knew the man’s face made her even bolder. Eyes turbid with greed, she stared fixedly at him and hastily nodded: “I know, I know!” The man’s pupils trembled slightly, body finally reacting as he stirred: “Where?” “Follow me, I’ll take you!”

The woman, mind completely addled by greed and lust, failed to notice anything amiss.

Luo Shaoxuan followed closely behind the woman into a small, deserted alley.

The woman looked around, confirming no one else was there, before turning urgently to pounce on the man, only to pounce on air.

Luo Shaoxuan looked coldly at the woman sprawled on the ground: “Where is she?” The woman lifted her head in a daze, thinking to herself that she must be drunk silly. Propping herself up slightly, she lunged at the man again, only to be viciously kicked, sending her flying far away.

Clutching her fractured ribs, she vomited several mouthfuls of blood, looking in terror at the man slowly approaching her, the licentious notions in her head finally dissipating. In this moment, the man’s appearance was spine-chillingly terrifying, like a death-dealing god of slaughter.

His footsteps halted before her, eyes shadowed and chilling: “You lied to me?” “No no!” The woman endured the intense pain, hurriedly waving her hands, cold sweat dripping down.

“Where?” The man asked once more.

“I-I’ll take you!” The woman, propping up her aching body, slowly walked ahead, a pair of ratty eyes darting back and forth.

But the man behind her did not follow.

The woman stiffly turned her head, the corners of her mouth trembling: “Wh-what’s wrong?” The man didn’t speak, his eyes coldly and darkly staring at her.

It felt like being targeted by a venomous snake. The woman disregarded the intense pain, fear overriding everything as she flung the bamboo pole leaning against the wall beside her at him and turned to run.

But the man who had just been behind her suddenly appeared in front of her…

A piercing, miserable scream emanated from the alley, finally settling into silence.

Luo Shaoxuan numbly shook the flesh paste off his hand, departing in a dejected daze.

Left behind was a person slumped on the ground, mouth gaping wide open, eye sockets a bloody, empty pulp. Perhaps dead, perhaps still clinging to a thread of life.

…

These past days, Luo Shaoxuan had been tirelessly searching for her, wanting to find her yet… also fearing finding her.

Don’t blame me for heartlessly giving you a letter of divorce.

Every time her words surfaced in his mind, it made his heart ache unbearably. Was she really so cruel?

Luo Shaoxuan sat still before the bronze mirror, eyes blankly staring at the pale, haggard face and disheveled hair reflected in it. Not having eaten properly for several days, his figure was growing thinner by the day, cheeks slightly sunken.

So ugly.

He thought.

If she saw him, she would surely despise him.

As if thinking of something that terrified him, Luo Shaoxuan hurriedly turned his face away, no longer looking at the person in the mirror. He slowly shrank back to the edge of the bed, hands trembling as he hugged the woman’s clothes to his chest, deeply inhaling the scent within the garments as if having a withdrawal episode.

Until Qingpo in the shadows couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She stopped outside the door without entering, her hoarse voice transmitting inside: “Master, this subordinate knows where Physician Si is.”

The man inside the room seemed not to have heard, tightly clutching the inner garment, gaze vacant and unfocused as he stared at a certain spot.

Tears traced down from the corners of his eyes once more.

So what if he knew?

If he went to find her, and she really gave him a letter of divorce, what would he do then?

If so, how would that be any different from killing him?

The man’s tall figure curled up tightly in the corner, as if abandoned by the world.

Qingpo waited for a long time outside the door, but didn’t hear the man speak. Just as she thought the man wouldn’t acknowledge her anymore, the door opened.

It was the first time she saw her master in such a state – face pale and haggard, bearing a wretched appearance, no longer possessing his former noble air and pride. She even somewhat hated that woman. If not for her, how would the master allow himself to lose his composure this way?

Luo Shaoxuan’s eyes were overcast: “Go find her right now and tell her… tell her my health is deteriorating.” He finally lifted his gaze to look at this woman who had followed him for five years: “After completing this task, you need not follow me anymore.”

“You are free.”

Qingpo’s usually calm, waveless eyes abruptly widened. Forgetting her place, she blankly looked at him: “Why…”

“No need to ask, hurry and find her.” Luo Shaoxuan coldly cut her off, turning to head back inside the room.

He was gambling. He didn’t believe she could really be so ruthless.

Luo Shaoxuan washed his body clean and took out the perfectly preserved wedding robes from the chest in the bedroom, slender jade fingers tracing over the embroidery on the garments.

These wedding robes were the ones she had watched him sew stitch by stitch. Luo Shaoxuan pressed his face against them, the corners of his mouth curving up in a shy smile as he recalled their first meeting.

That sense of fluster and shyness, as if it had only happened yesterday.

He draped the bright red wedding robes over himself and sat before the bronze mirror to adorn himself, just like the day he wed her.

Quietly sitting on the bed, eyes fixated on the doorway.

Luo Shaoxuan didn’t know how long he sat there, didn’t know how long he waited. Only the emptiness in his stomach left his whole body sapped of strength. He didn’t feel hungry, only utterly exhausted. Weariness and fatigue assailed him.

When he arduously opened his eyes again, he weakly looked at the woman before him who tightly embraced him, sobbing so hard she couldn’t form coherent words.

He knew he had won the gamble.