Chapter 1: Cherry Blossom Season in Kyoto

In Kyoto, during the month of April when cherry blossoms fall, the wooden floor echoed with hurried footsteps, causing the entire small building to creak as if it might collapse at any moment.

"Miss Li, congratulations on your freedom," said a voice.

Li Hanzhi lay on the damp floor, her yukata, now faded from many washes, loosely wrapped around her body. The plain, three-foot-wide obi accentuated her alarmingly slender waist.

In R Country, where organized crime is legal, imprisoning her for five years was no difficult task.

Five years of confinement had worn away all the edges of her personality, but her cold and detached demeanor remained, like a rich fruit wine that improves with age.

"Im inside," she spoke lazily.

Entering the dusty room, the man finally got a clear look at the woman before him.

She had extremely slender limbs and a striking, thin face full of world-weariness, as if she was unwilling to stoop to please anyone. Late-blooming cherry blossoms fell from the exquisite small window into the room, their beauty as vivid as a pool of blood.

"Miss Li, I wonder if this place can evoke any memories for you?"

Li Hanzhi hadnt heard her hometown dialect in over a decade, but looking at the shrewd man before her, she felt no sense of familiarity.

"I came to Lin Garden when I was eight; its like my second homeland. Sir, what is the purpose of bringing me here?"

The mans smile was faint: "Its not easy to get you here under Mr. Jis nose. My name is Toyoshida Hideta, and trust me, youll want to cooperate with me."

Li Hanzhi remained unmoved.

Ji Yanhan had been her nightmare every night since she was eighteen.

Seeing Li Hanzhis indifference, Toyoshida Hidetas smile became somewhat chilling.

"Of course, you can choose not to cooperate with me, but I cant guarantee that youll leave here alive."

Lin Garden was known for people disappearing without a trace every year, and Li Hanzhi, having lived here for a long time, was well aware of it.

She slowly raised her head: "Mr. Toyoshida, what do you think I can do?"

Toyoshida Hideta didnt speak, but bent down to pick up a cherry blossom from the floor and gently tucked it into her black hair: "You dont need to worry about that for now; well make arrangements."

Her slender fingers touched the cherry blossom in her hair, and every movement was full of charm. A decade of daily practice had set her apart from ordinary people.

"What do you want?"

Toyoshida Hidetas expression turned serious: "The Art Pavilion, we will destroy it bit by bit."

At the mention of that place, Li Hanzhis body broke out in goosebumps, and she admitted to herself that she was terrified.

The Art Pavilion had existed since the Edo period, with a history of over three hundred years. It used to be a palace for the nobility, luxurious and exquisite yet eerie and dreamlike. The empty corridors seemed to stretch on forever, and with every corner she turned, she feared encountering a ghost with white clothes and black hair.

She had lived there for four years and still felt a deep fear towards it.

"Its like an ant trying to shake a tree," she said indifferently.

"Rest assured, we have the strength to confront him," Toyoshida Hideta bowed to her, "However, we need a wedge that can get into the wall."

Li Hanzhi sat cross-legged on the ground, her eyes grayish, still not hiding the beauty of her eyes.

"I understand."

She also had a grudge to settle.

"Miss Li, congratulations again, you are free."