The first time I met Qing Li, he was lying beneath the offering table of a dilapidated temple, his white robes stained with blood like a white plum blossom crushed into the mud.
At that time, I had just fled an arranged marriage, clutching half a cold sesame cake as I hid behind the altar table, listening to the temple doors creak open. Moonlight leaked through the broken window, illuminating the jade pendant at his waist—carved with a twin-fish tail-biting motif, identical to the one in my dowry box.
"Don't be afraid, miss." Blood bubbled in his throat, yet his smile remained gentle and refined. "I am Qing Li. Passing through this area, I was ambushed by scoundrels. Might I trouble you for a small favor?"
Chapter 50