璧玉之輪 | Fortuitous Jade

Chapter 3 - Obsession

Chapter Notes:

Recap: On a lunar eclipse night, Bai Feng managed to stop Xiao Tian's assassination ploy. Despite not knowing each other's identity, they both caught a glimpse of the other's key trait: bright golden eyes and a unique mask.

So what happens when Xiao Tian fails his mission for the first time?

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Deeming that tonight's mission was a failure, Xiao Tian hastily retreated to the headquarters. As the onyx-haired assassin entered the organization's building, an equally dark-dressed man greeted him.

"You're back."

"I'll go back tomorrow night" hearing Xiao Tian's unexpected request that he would need another attempt at the mission, the man narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Another night? Have your blades become dull HeiLi?"

Xiao Tian kept his silence and kept his gaze unwavering on the intimidating man.

"Not talking huh? Let's see how long you can keep this up.. Forget about retrying, I'll assign someone else." warned the organization's boss.

"Someone has requested you to take up a bounty involving a noble family. Make sure you succeed this time, they paid a pretty penny for his head." he continued.

Xiao Tian nodded and took the scroll containing information about his next target. Even though it was the short-haired assassin's first time in a long time to fail a mission, he didn't feel disappointed. Instead, he felt giddy that someone had put on a good fight. Usually, one fatal strike was enough to bring down his targets and he would just return to the headquarters to report his kill.

Then Xiao Tian's mundane cycle would repeat again and again.

But tonight was different.. For once, he felt a sense of thrill. He unconsciously wished that he would be able to meet that person a second time. And for some reason, Xiao Tian's mind kept recalling those beautiful eyes he had seen earlier that night. With strong perseverance and a hint of curiosity gleaming in those golden eyes, they were truly stunning.

⊱ ━━━━.⋅❈⋅.━━━━ ⊰

On a clear afternoon, Bai Feng was seen walking with his attendant through the market. Once he spotted a stall selling crystals and rocks he stopped and picked up a beautiful amber stone.

"..Put it back" mumbled the stall vendor. But Bai Feng continued to observe the jewel, inspecting for any imperfections.

"Put it back! We don't want anything to do with—" the seller started. Then the golden-eyed man gave a pouch to his attendant and left without a word.

"How much for this stone?" Bai Feng's attendant asked sternly.

"I rather lose this sale than people finding out that we sold to—"

Xiao Mei then slams the pouch of silver ingots onto the table while gripping her spear tightly.

"It would be a personal purchase from me, it has nothing to do with him. Do you have a problem with that?" glared Bai Feng's most trusted underling.

"N-No of course not.. I will pack the goods immediately.." replied the vendor as he hurriedly put the stone into a beautiful lacquer box, intimidated by the glint of her weapon.