Chapter 18: A Fortuitous Mistake

“All right, I’ll buy them,” Shen Qingyun finally spoke, but then turned her head and added, “But look at their injuries—just treating them will cost quite a bit of silver. I’m afraid I’ll be taking a loss here. You’ll have to lower your price.”

The trafficker was surprised that this young lady truly wanted to buy these two. They were difficult to handle; when first brought in, both were unconscious, and upon waking they’d injured someone and had to be locked up. He thought he’d encountered an easy mark, so his smile grew all the more obsequious. “Of course, of course, as you wish. Just fifty taels of silver, miss.”

“Fifty taels?” Shen Qingyun sneered. “Do you take me for a fool? Ordinary servants fetch ten taels each, and that’s when they’re healthy. These two are injured. Fifteen taels for both—if that doesn’t suit you, I’ll just leave.”

With that, she made to walk away.

The trafficker hadn’t expected Shen Qingyun to know the market so well and hurried to block her path. “Don’t go, miss! All right, fifteen taels it is. I’ll consider it an act of charity and won’t make any profit off you.”

Shen Qingyun couldn’t be bothered with further argument. She paid the money, took the two men’s indenture contracts, and left with Zhenzhu.

The younger of the two brothers silently helped his elder to his feet and followed behind Shen Qingyun without a word.

Once they had left the trading house, Shen Qingyun chose a small nearby clinic and paid the doctor to treat the pair.

Perhaps they were tenacious, or perhaps some rough medicine had already been applied, but their wounds were not difficult to tend. Their weakness was mainly due to long-term hunger and malnutrition.

At that moment, Zhenzhu returned with several meat pies and handed them to the two men, who devoured them ravenously, grease smearing their lips. The sight amused Shen Qingyun somewhat.

She beckoned the younger one, whose expression seemed somewhat better, to one side and looked at his indenture contract. “Your name is Hanyu?”

Hanyu nodded.

She studied him for a moment. Now that his face was clean, aside from his pallor and frailty, his features were sharp and coldly handsome, unexpectedly striking. Beneath his thick brows, his eyes were clear yet deep as obsidian, and at this moment, he stared at her unblinkingly, as if he had locked onto his prey.

Shen Qingyun coughed lightly, slightly unnerved. “I’ll see your brother is healed. You do understand I’ve bought you both—you belong to me now. From this day forth, you are my bodyguards.”

Hanyu nodded again.

At least he was obedient.

Shen Qingyun had her own designs. She could tell these two were not ordinary men—their bearing was different, and though their injuries might bring some trouble, what she lacked most right now was someone capable of protecting her from the shadows.

“How skilled are you?” she probed.

Hanyu hesitated, glanced around, and in a blur, vanished from her sight.

Shen Qingyun was startled, nearly crying out in alarm.

Suddenly, Hanyu reappeared before her, holding a branch of red camellia.

Shen Qingyun recalled that there was a camellia tree in full bloom in the clinic’s courtyard. Though Hanyu’s face was tense, there was a hint of pride in his eyes, as if to say, “See how capable I am? Surprised, aren’t you?”

A storm of astonishment surged in Shen Qingyun’s heart. She hadn’t expected to stumble upon such a treasure. With skills like his, he would be more than qualified to serve as a covert guard in any high-ranking household.

Yet her demeanor remained composed, a slight smile curling her lips. “Very good. Since that’s the case, you and your brother will recover here for now. In a few days, I’ll send Zhenzhu to fetch you.”

She paused, then continued, “I imagine your past must be unusual. If, after a year, you and your brother no longer wish to serve as my bodyguards, you may come to me and I’ll return your contracts. But for this year, you must acknowledge me as your master.”

After hearing her words, Hanyu pressed his lips together, then knelt on one knee and replied softly, “Yes, master.”

With his skills, being trapped there was only for his brother’s sake—a temporary hardship. If he wished to leave, she could not have stopped him. But for now, he seemed willing to accept her as his mistress.

Shen Qingyun nodded in satisfaction, mischief glinting in her eyes as she tucked the red camellia into Hanyu’s hair before walking off, leaving him dazed where he stood.

Hanyu took out the camellia and carefully placed it inside his collar. In the dim light, the tips of his ears were flushed red.

In the inner room, Zhenzhu was helping to gather medicine.

The clinic was small, run by a grandfather and grandson. Shen Qingyun surveyed the surroundings; tucked away in an alley, it mostly served the neighbors for minor ailments. The location was discreet enough. She paid her dues and left with Zhenzhu.

The two of them returned to the dress shop, bought a set of robes, and rejoined the household guards.

Although they were gone for some time, the guards suspected nothing—young ladies always took their time shopping, so long as they returned safely.

What Shen Qingyun did not know was that, just after she returned home, a group of men in black tracked her steps to the trading house. But when they inquired, they found the two people they sought had already been purchased.

With no other options, the men in black continued their investigation, eventually tracing the trail to the Duke Shen’s residence. But even there, they found no trace of the brothers and could only return to report.

“You say they were bought? By whom?” A man stood with his hands behind his back, shrouded in shadow. His face was hidden, but the low, cold voice betrayed his displeasure.

“Master, from what I discovered, it seems it was the Duke Shen’s second daughter, Shen Qingyun, who bought them, but…” The oppressive air made the black-clad man sweat.

“But what?” the man prompted.

“But after my investigation, I found no trace of the two at the Duke’s residence. It seems… they are not there.”

“It seems?”

“…I will continue to investigate, sir.”

The man in the shadows pondered for a moment, then stepped forward. His face was breathtakingly handsome, features sharp as if carved from marble, sideburns like knife strokes, brows painted with ink, his indifferent gaze dark as an abyss, though for a fleeting moment, a trace of thought flickered in his eyes.

Shen Qingyun—the name echoed silently in his mind. Wasn’t she the woman he had seen in the bamboo forest that day?

It was her again. He recalled that misty silhouette. She was just an ordinary young lady from a noble family, so how did she possess such words and means, even venturing to such a remote place to secretly buy two dangerous-looking men?

What was she planning?

“No matter. Keep watch on the Duke Shen’s residence. If those two are found, do not act rashly. Wait and see.”

“Yes!”

“You may leave.”

At his low command, the black-clad men vanished into the night without a trace.