In the quiet darkness of the night, a feminine figure stood still atop a tall tree, her sharp gaze fixed on a distant room.
She blended so perfectly with the shadows that even a watchful observer would struggle to detect her presence. Her long robe swayed gently in the cool night breeze, but her eyes never left their target.
"So, this was the pathetic plan all along," she muttered, a dark smile spreading across her face. "Naive fools. Do you think you can outsmart this queen?"
Earlier that day, she had felt a strange gaze following her. Someone had been trailing her movements, trying to stay hidden but failing to escape her sharp instincts. Pretending not to notice, she had carefully scanned her surroundings and discovered the person watching her every move.
"This queen will watch your little performance... Hehe," she murmured to herself, her voice low and chilling, carrying an eerie quality more befitting a demon than a human.
---
Inside the room, Shadow Two cursed under his breath. "Damn it!" he hissed, rushing toward his comrade.
Shadow One weakly stood up.
"What's wrong?" Shadow Two questioned, glancing around nervously, but the room was still and quiet. He saw nothing unusual, no sign of danger.
"I don't know," Shadow One murmured. "But something's off. It feels... strange."
Shadow Two frowned. "What are you even talking about? There's nothing here. Just focus on the mission. It's got nothing to do with—"
"Forget it," Shadow One interrupted. "I'll handle it myself. No point wasting time when I can get this done quickly."
Without waiting for Shadow Two's reply, he turned toward the sleeping figure on the bed. Liam lay there, motionless, his chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of deep sleep. Shadow One raised his blade high, ready to strike.
But before his sword could descend, an invisible force slammed into him, sending him hurtling across the room.
Crack!
"Argh!" he screamed as the sound of breaking bones filled the air. Clutching his side in agony, Shadow One crumpled to the floor.
Shadow Two froze, his heart pounding in terror. His instincts screamed at him to run, and without hesitation, he turned and bolted toward the door.
Despite his injuries, Shadow One forced himself to his feet, staggering after him.
Just as they got close to the doorway, a cold, mocking voice echoed through the room, freezing them in place.
"Why end the fun so soon? I was just starting to enjoy myself."
From the shadows stepped a woman, her presence so overwhelming that it seemed to suck the air out of the room. Her crimson lips curled into a smile that promised no mercy. It was her—the 'Heartless Queen,' a name that struck terror into the hearts of the two.
The two assassins could only stare in horror. How had Shadow Three failed to warn them of her presence? Their thoughts raced, but no answers came.
Desperately, they tried to flee, pouring every ounce of strength into their legs. But their bodies refused to move—an unseen force held them in place like puppets on a string.
"Do you take this queen for a fool?" the woman mocked, her tone dripping with disdain. "Still trying to escape? How amusing."
With a lazy flick of her hand, an invisible gust of wind sent both men crashing through the window.
The woman turned, ready to leave. But her gaze fell on Liam's still form on the bed. She took a step toward him, her expression unreadable.
"Sleeping so peacefully, unaware of the danger around you," she murmured softly. But then, just as silently as she had arrived, she vanished into the night.
The room fell silent once more.
On the bed, Liam's lips curled into a faint smile. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
From the moment the assassins had entered, he had been awake, his senses on high alert. His hand gripped the *Soulpiercer* dagger hidden beneath his pillow, ready to strike if necessary. But he had chosen to stay still, watching and waiting.
"I knew that lass would be watching out for me," he thought with a smirk. "And now my thoughts are confirmed."
It had been a gamble in his mind. Liam had suspected Qian Mei would intervene, and she had.
If she hadn't, he would've found it difficult to fight against the two assassins.
"I'll start practicing with this dagger," he muttered to himself, pulling the shiny blade from under his pillow. Its sharp edge gleamed in the dim moonlight. "Next time, I won't rely on luck."
---
Thud!
Thud!
Far from the Qiao residence, the bodies of Shadow One and Shadow Two were repeatedly slammed into the ground. Their cries of agony pierced the night as their bones cracked under the relentless assault. Blood pooled beneath them, their strength draining with every second.
"You're not fun at all," a woman's voice rang out, light yet laced with menace. "I thought I could play with you for an hour, but you're too fragile."
Shadow Two tried to respond, but his broken jaw made speech impossible. His garbled sounds only deepened the mockery in her tone.
For the final time, they were thrown hard against the ground. As they lay there, too weak to move, their blurry vision caught sight of another body nearby. It was Shadow Three. The lifeless eyes of their comrade stared back at them, his face frozen in a mix of fear and regret.
The trio's gazes met briefly. If they had known the night would end like this, they wouldn't have dared attack Liam—not even with a hundred guts between them.
"It's been a long time since anyone tried something so foolish with me," the woman said, stepping out of the shadows. She was beautifully dressed in a pink robe, her delicate appearance hiding the monstrous power she wielded. This was Qian Mei.
"I don't care to know who sent you," she said as she walked closer to them, her steps unhurried. "I prefer to find things out on my own. It makes things less boring."
With a casual wave of her hand, the assassins were plunged into fresh torment. Their screams of pain echoed through the forest, each cry weaker than the last. The torture continued for several minutes until their bodies finally fell still.
Qian Mei stood over them, her expression calm. "Consider yourselves lucky I'm in a good mood," she said lightly, almost playfully. "Otherwise, I'd have kept you alive all night just to play with."
And with that, she vanished into the darkness, leaving behind only silence and three lifeless bodies.