The sight at Lady Qing’s residence was quite unusual tonight.
Eunuch Liu was standing guard outside the residence. It was an oddity. He had never done so before, even when there were no Shadow Guards protecting her. So, to see him standing guard tonight was certainly a strange sight.
Even stranger was the sight of him refusing to budge as the Emperor approached the residence.
The Emperor must have heard about the entire ordeal that went down. It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that the Emperor had decided to visit Lady Qing. The rumors of the Emperor beginning to favor the concubine was old news in the harem by now.
But no one expected that a young, wet behind the ears eunuch would stand in front of the Emperor.
It started out normally enough. Eunuch Liu bowed as the Emperor, with his own Eunuch and his entourage of servants, approached. And yet, his seemingly respectful stance blocked the Emperor’s way into the residence
The Emperor paused. “Lady Qing?”
The two words contained a world of questions.
Eunuch Liu answered. “She is asleep, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor made to step forward, but Eunuch Liu did not move.
“We wish to see Our Concubine.”
“She is asleep, Your Majesty,” he repeated. “And she has asked not to be disturbed by anyone.”
“Anyone does not include Us, Eunuch.”
The boy bowed deeper. “My lady is tired. She wishes to rest without any disturbance. This lowly one requests the Emperor to respect my lady’s wishes.”
“You insolent little-” Eunuch Li’s angry rant was interrupted by the Emperor raising a hand.
The man stared down at the boy for a long moment before sighing. “Is that why you stand here in Our path? We have noticed as much, you are unusually loyal to your lady. Have you forgotten to whom your loyalty belongs as part of this Palace?”
“Lady Qing is this one’s mistress, first and foremost.”
It was a very bold statement, essentially declaring that his loyalties lay with a concubine rather than the Emperor.
There was a tense silence, one which not even Eunuch Li dared to break.
It was only broken by the Emperor chuckling softly.
“Commendable.” He tilted his head for a moment before nodding. “Very well, if that is what Our Concubine wishes. Let her know that We shall be having lunch here tomorrow.”
Eunuch Liu bowed as the Emperor turned on his heel and left, taking his entourage with him. The boy exhaled shakily and stood. This was the very reason jiejie had asked him to stand guard. She was not here and it would be a disaster if anyone found out.
Ah-Liu hoped jiejie would finish her business quickly and come back.
Until then, he would stand watch.
A petite, hooded figure walked through the dead of the night, with only the light of the balconies of brothels illuminating its way. There was a certain skip to its step and if one listened closely, it was humming a tune that no one had ever heard of.
The figure walked past the Purple Pavillion and others of similar, if lower, repute. It was only when it walked past even the lowest ranking of the brothels that the figure turned a corner, coming to a stop in front of a tavern that had a bird sitting on a tilted branch as its symbol, looking as if the slightest wind would make it fall down.
It was quite easy to find once you knew what to look for.
Siwang was so obvious at times.
Samaya chuckled softly and opened the door, walking inside.
There was barely a break in the conversations and drinks flowing around. In a tavern where scumbags and nobles alike gathered, a petite hooded figure, with a mask covering its face, was not the oddest thing to be seen.
Samaya did not dally around, making a beeline towards the bar and sitting on one of the stools.
“Welcome to our humble tavern.” It was hard to discern whether the person manning the bar was a young man or a woman. Not even their voice was discernible. They were small, unassuming, and were most certainly capable of single-handedly protecting this tavern if needed.
“What can I get you?”
“Wu liang ye, with a side of roasted chicken.”
The bartender paused at that before giving a small nod. “Please, wait a moment.”
They went inside the backdoor for a moment and Samaya settled back. It wouldn’t take long for her to be called inside. And sure enough, the person came back.
They bowed and then showed them the same door. “This way.”
Samaya followed them through the backdoor. It was just a storage room with a dead end.
The bartender stepped back. “Madame Manager says that you must be able to find the access yourself.”
Samaya sighed. “Siwang’s employees have his penchant for dramatics, I see.”
She stepped forward and inspected the brick wall. Gently, she ran her hand over the bricks, looking for the slight engravings that you could barely see even in full light. Once she found the beginning of a pattern, she began to tap. One, two, three, diagonally downwards, one for each. On the fourth brick, twice. And then once again, one, two, three, diagonally upwards on the other side. In the pattern of a wing.
Siwang really wasn’t subtle.
The bricks folded in on themselves, opening a doorway and revealing a long corridor, with a few doors dispersed on either side.
“First door to the left. Madame Manager wishes to see you.”
Samaya sighed softly and stepped forward, following the instructions. The doorway closed behind her and she stepped into the first room to the left.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Cuojue,” she heard the call before she saw the woman.
A beautiful woman was sitting at a small, round table. She wore a flowing lavender robe with a blue overcoat and a semi-transparent veil covering her face, which was framed by a few stray strands of silver hair that were tied up into a high braided ponytail.
“I did not know my nickname preceded me,” Samaya said and sat down. “You must be the Capital Branch Manager. I believe my young helper has already commissioned your services.”
“Ah, yes. Quite the unusual services you demanded. A punishment for a nobleman. I must admit, it is terrifying what you have in store for him.”
“Yes, well, he should not have laid a hand on my people.”
In the dim candlelight, only their eyes were visible. Samaya held the woman’s gaze. No warmth in her own.
“Your reputation does you justice, it seems.” The woman averted her eyes and leaned back. “But then again, I would expect nothing else from the woman who started this ritual of punishment in the first place.”
“I would not go that far.” Samaya crossed her arms.
“And yet every slaver you caught was tied up in the middle of the underground and left for vultures with a vengeance to feast upon.”
“I just despise monsters who violate innocent people. It is only fitting that they go through the same pain they inflict. It is karma.”
“And just like there are monsters like them in the underground, there are also people who lost everything to such monsters.”
That was true. The underground was a place where everyone gathered. And that included men and women who had lost their loved ones to the lust and greed of monsters. Many of the times, these monsters came in the form of noblemen who thought the world owed them everything. There were many underground warriors who got stronger just to take revenge on noblemen. And when they saw such a nobleman offered up to them? They would tear him apart.
“You are counting on that, aren’t you?”
Samaya smiled.
“Where is he?”
The woman sighed softly and stood, leading her through another wall with another pattern. Samaya followed the woman through the hidden passage, the air becoming cooler as they descended deeper underground. The faint flicker of torchlight illuminated the narrow stone corridor, which carried the faint metallic tang of blood and rust. The silence was heavy, broken only by the soft click of the Manager's heels and Samaya's quiet footsteps.
At the end of the corridor, they stopped before a heavy iron door. The Manager produced a key from the folds of her robe and slid it into the lock, the grinding of metal against metal echoing ominously in the confined space. She pushed the door open to reveal a dimly lit room lined with instruments of torture—whips, branding irons, shackles, and more sinister tools that Samaya did not bother to name.
Tied against the far wall was Kang Yanxin, his once-pristine robes torn and his face a mask of sweat and fear. His wrists were bound above his head, and his ankles were shackled to the floor. The nobleman, who had always carried himself with arrogance, now looked like a terrified animal. The sight sent a pang of visceral satisfaction through Samaya’s body. His eyes darted to Samaya as she stepped into the room, narrowing as if trying to place her.
“Who … who are you?” His voice trembled, his usual confidence shattered.
Samaya approached him with measured steps, her hood still casting shadows over her face, activating the talisman that changed her voice. “You have no need to know,” she replied coldly, her tone devoid of warmth. Her voice seemed as if half a dozen voices of men and women were overlapping each other, coming from all sides.
Kang Yanxin's breathing grew shallow as he struggled against his restraints. “Listen, I don’t know who hired you or why you’re doing this, but I can make you rich. Whatever they’re paying you, I’ll triple it—no, I’ll give you ten times as much! Jewels, gold, estates—anything you want.”
Samaya chuckled softly, a sound that sent shivers down his spine. “You think wealth can erase the damage you’ve done? That it can restore the little girls you have killed? No amount of gold will make up for the lives you’ve ruined.”
“Did that upstart concubine hire you? That bitch!” His voice grew desperate. “Please, let me go! I swear, I’ll change! I’ll make amends, I’ll—”
“Spare me,” Samaya interrupted, her voice cutting through his pleas. She walked up and had to stand a bit on her toes to look him in the eyes at his level, her face inches from his. “You’re not here to bargain, Kang Yanxin. You’re here to pay.”
His voice cracked as he asked, “What are you going to do to me?”
Samaya smiled - a slow, predatory smile. “Everything you ever did to those poor, innocent girls. And more.”
The nobleman’s protests turned into panicked screams as Samaya reached for a scalpel. The first thing she did was take off his pants. Her eyes fell on the barely average, ugly-looking thing between his legs.
“All those lives ruined,” she said as she ran the scalpel across his length. “And for this ugly little thing? Is this thing so damn important to you?” She looked up curiously. “Very well, first of all, let us get rid of it, shall we?”
Kang Yanxin began to struggle, a stream of “please”s and “no”s falling off his lips.
“Feel free to scream. No one will hear you.”
She worked with precision, her movements unhurried as she began his punishment. Kang Yanxin's screams turned blood-curdling when she took a blade to his most prized possession, severing it without hesitation. Blood poured freely, staining the floor beneath him, and his cries echoed in the room.
Samaya remained calm as if she were performing a routine task. She picked up a heated fire poker from a bowl of burning coal, its tip glowing orange, and pressed it against the fresh wound to cauterize it. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, mingling with his agonized shrieks.
Samaya kept it pressed against his wound, a manic gleam in her eyes as she watched him writhe and scream in pain. It was music to her ears.
After a few moments, she pulled back, watching indifferently as the man screamed himself hoarse, no doubt the agony was too much to bear.
When the screaming finally subsided to pitiful whimpers, Kang Yanxin raised tear-filled eyes to Samaya, drooling as he panted from the pain. “Please,” he begged hoarsely, “let me go... I’ll do anything...”
Samaya wiped her hands on a cloth and leaned in close. “Oh, Kang Yanxin,” she whispered, her voice almost tender. “This is only the beginning.”
She straightened and walked to the door, her footsteps deliberate. Before stepping out, she turned back to him, her eyes cold as ice. “Have fun.”
Outside, the Manager was waiting, her expression neutral but her eyes betraying a flicker of curiosity. “I suppose it is time for the next phase?”
“Quite so,” Samaya replied. “Arrange for him to be displayed naked in a stock in the underground. Write his crimes on a plaque for everyone to see.”
The Manager bowed slightly. “Consider it done, Cuojue.”
Samaya tossed a bag of gold coins to her before she adjusted her hood and left the room, her steps steady and her expression unyielding.
“The Lord had been asking after you. Will you be coming back anytime soon?”
Samaya paused. “No. I have more important things to do. Let him know I do not intend to come out of my hiatus just yet.”
“And if he wishes to reach you …”
“He knows to send a message. However, it better be life or death for him to disturb the peaceful life I intend on living with my son.”
With that, she walked back down the corridor that would lead her outside.
Kang Yanxin’s cries echoed faintly behind her, but she paid them no mind. Her part was done. And soon, the vengeful vultures of the underground would have their turn.
Author's Note: This chapter was so painfully slow cause I wanted it to be PERFECT! The .... cutting part wasn't supposed to be in here. All of Kang Yanxin's sufferings were supposed to be behind the scenes only to be revealed later buuuuut I felt like that would not bring enough satisfaction to my readers so here it is! There is still more to come for him but you guys can probably tell what it is. That stuff will be behind the scenes, only for everyone to discover and be horrified at later lol.
If you want to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon! You can read upto two months ahead over there!
