Evening descended over the village, casting long shadows as lanterns flickered to life. The air carried the scent of warm broth from the teahouse, but outside, something far less comforting stirred.
Yue stood by the window, arms crossed, watching as the group of men finally made their way through the village streets. They moved like hunters, their eyes scanning every corner, their hands never straying far from their weapons.
Shen Xu, meanwhile, was doing the most infuriating thing possible, absolutely nothing.
He sat at the table, sipping his tea, as if the men looking for him were no more than passing strangers.
"You're really not going to do anything?" Yue finally asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Xu set his cup down with deliberate ease. "They haven't done anything yet."
She scoffed. "Yet?"
He met her gaze, unreadable as always. "Why would I act first?"
Yue stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. "Fine. When they start stabbing people, don't say I didn't warn you."
A knock sounded at the door.
Her body tensed instinctively, but Shen Xu remained still, only glancing at her before rising to his feet.
He moved to the door and opened it as if expecting nothing more than a friendly visitor.
Three men stood outside, their expressions guarded, their eyes flickering over him with poorly concealed suspicion. The tallest one, likely the leader, stepped forward.
"Apologies for the intrusion," he said, his voice rough. "We're looking for someone."
Shen Xu tilted his head slightly. "And you've come to my door because…?"
The leader hesitated, then pulled out the sketch. "You look a lot like this man."
Yue watched carefully from behind Xu, noting the way the other two men subtly shifted their hands closer to their hilts.
Shen Xu glanced at the drawing. Then, to Yue's surprise, he actually leaned in slightly, as if inspecting it.
"…I see." He nodded thoughtfully. "A rather unflattering sketch."
The leader's jaw tightened. "Is it you?"
Xu sighed. "What happens if I say yes?"
The leader's hand twitched. "That depends. If you come with us quietly, there won't be trouble."
Yue almost laughed. They really think they can take him?
Xu, to his credit, kept his expression mild. "And if I don't?"
The air tensed. The other two men shifted, fingers now openly resting on their weapons.
The leader's voice dropped. "Then trouble finds you."
Yue, sensing what was about to happen, took a small step back.
Shen Xu… smiled.
It was not a reassuring smile.
The moment stretched unbearably long before he finally spoke again.
"I'll give you one chance," he said, his voice quiet, but laced with something that made the leader's confidence waver. "Turn around. Walk away. Forget you ever came here."
For the first time, doubt flickered in the leader's eyes. He was beginning to sense it the weight of the mistake he had just made.
But it was too late.
The man standing before him was not a simple tea shop owner.
And soon, they would understand why.