Let's start with Yanfei, a young girl from Liyue.
With her long pink hair and green eyes, she was not only strikingly beautiful but also cheerful and talkative. Compared to the disguised Qin Yu, she was a genuine, energetic beauty.
At the same time, she was Liyue's renowned legal expert. Any case related to the law could be entrusted to her for a fee.
Her professional knowledge and impartial attitude had earned her widespread praise and recognition.
She often boasted of being Liyue's "top legal expert, bar none," and no one ever objected, a testament to her skill, which Yanfei herself took great pride in.
Yet, even she received a bizarre quest request.
"To Miss Yanfei," the letter read.
"We wish to hire you to protect a woman named Qin Yu. She has recently gained some notoriety due to her unusual background as the adopted daughter of a private tutor. Information about her should be easy to obtain."
"There is no time limit. Payment will be monthly, at 5 million Mora per month. The 3 million Mora deposit should already be in your possession."
"If you can accept, that would be ideal. If not, please extend extra consideration to her in light of this sum of Mora."
The letter was unsigned.
What was going on? Yanfei had never seen a quest request like this before.
Previously, some clients had sent her letters seeking her assistance. But those cases always involved legal matters, family disputes, or contractual issues related to businesses.
Yanfei was utterly perplexed. Wouldn't it be better to entrust this kind of quest to the Adventurer's Guild? she wondered.
With enough Mora, people would scramble to do anything—not just provide protection, but even find lost cats or dogs, or clean every toilet in Liyue.
Even without an exorbitant sum, some eccentric adventurer would surely take it on.
"No wonder this box is so heavy... it's full of Mora," Yanfei muttered, hefting the ornate chest that had arrived with the letter.
This was strange, utterly strange...
The lack of a signature meant the sender wished to remain anonymous, but the tone of the letter, the accompanying chest, and the 3 million Mora all suggested someone of considerable status.
Why would a high-ranking noble conceal their identity and spend such a fortune to hire a legal expert to protect a woman?
It made no sense!
Something's not right. I have a feeling the sender knows something about me, Yanfei mused.
The fact that they mentioned this meant they knew she possessed a Vision and had combat capabilities. After all, who would entrust a protection quest to someone defenseless?
But her Vision wasn't a secret. Anyone could have heard about it through rumors.
The key was the sender's attitude.
"They seemed so certain I'd accept, as if even if I declined the quest, I'd still look out for this stranger. Though the payment is tempting enough to make anyone nod in agreement..."
"Could it be someone I know? But which of my clients would have the means and motivation to do this? Casually throwing around three million Mora... It's truly bizarre."
She couldn't make sense of it. The information was too scarce.
As a top-tier legal expert, Yanfei had handled cases ranging from ordinary citizens to the Liyue Qixing. She knew countless clients—how could she possibly pinpoint the sender?
Speaking of Qin Yu... Yanfei vaguely remembered the name.
She seemed to be a beautiful young girl who had recently gained some fame, but Yanfei didn't know much beyond that.
Tapping her head with the corner of a book, Yanfei muttered, "Hmm~ Strange, strange... Why choose me? The Adventurer's Guild has plenty of strong adventurers. Why not hire a professional?"
No, Yanfei decided to set that aside for now.
She still wasn't sure whether to accept the quest.
Bodyguard work? That wasn't her area of expertise. If she took it lightly and her charge got hurt, she couldn't bear the responsibility!
But she couldn't deny her curiosity.
From a personal standpoint, it was certainly intriguing... Since there were no cases at the moment, there was no harm in gathering some information first!
So Yanfei went out into the street and asked a familiar acquaintance about Qin Yu.
"Qin Yu? Oh, you mean Little Yu. She's a wonderful person—always eager to help others and a great conversationalist. She's a truly good woman."
Hmm, a good woman... Sounds like a decent person.
"You want to know about Little Yu? You've come to the right person! Her hair is as smooth as silk, her lips are soft and luminous, her skin is as white as milk, and her voice is so gentle it could make you cry... Ah! She's simply the perfect young girl!"
"Ah, Little Yu... I can't imagine my life without her now... Even though we're both women, let me quietly watch over her from afar!"
What's going on? This is terrifying!
Is this client really like this? I had no idea! She's acting completely deranged just from mentioning Qin Yu's name. How bizarre!
Yanfei forced a smile.
"Little Yu? She's a very interesting person, I quite like her. Ah, but there's someone who's been pestering her relentlessly. I wonder if he's given up... You've reminded me, I should go visit Little Yu soon."
This remark piqued Yanfei's curiosity.
She shifted her focus, inquiring about the man who wouldn't leave Qin Yu alone.
"That guy? He seems to be pursuing Little Yu, but she's not interested at all. It's practically harassment at this point. Recently, he even hired some hulking brute as backup. Could he be planning to force her...?"
"Hmph! If he tries anything like that, this old man will bite him to death with my new dentures!"
So that's it, Yanfei realized. This was why the mysterious client wanted her to protect Qin Yu.
But it still didn't explain why they had specifically chosen her.
If they were truly concerned about the girl's safety, with their wealth, wouldn't they have hired someone stronger? Was there a particular reason...?
Never mind, never mind, Yanfei thought. I've gathered enough information for now... Her interest had only grown stronger, and if someone really tried to forcibly take a woman like this, she wouldn't stand idly by!
Time to meet this girl called Qin Yu.
After learning Qin Yu's address, Yanfei immediately set out to visit her.
She knocked on the door, but there was no response.
"Is she out?"
Yanfei inquired about Qin Yu's whereabouts from others, but no one had seen her.
Strange. How could no one know? She's so striking and popular—it's impossible for her to have gone unnoticed.
Could something have happened to her?
Yanfei pondered, her thoughts suddenly shifting.
Perhaps the focus shouldn't be on Qin Yu's whereabouts, but on the man who was harassing her!
She inquired about the man's movements and learned he had left the city. Yanfei feared the worst, muttered "This doesn't look good," and swiftly headed outside the city walls.
Asking around as she searched, Yanfei eventually arrived at an empty clearing.
She should be nearby... Hmm?
Yanfei's nose twitched. She faintly detected an unusual scent lingering in the air—blood! As a half-adeptus, her senses were far sharper than ordinary humans, allowing her to pick up the faint metallic odor that others would miss.
"This is bad! I need to hurry!"
Following the scent, Yanfei stopped before a dilapidated house.
No mistake, the smell is coming from here... Thank goodness for my keen nose, or I'd have no idea where to start looking.
Yanfei prepared herself and quietly approached the window.
The sky had already darkened, perfect for stealth. Yanfei decided to observe the situation before acting, reminding herself not to rush. If the hostage got hurt, it would be disastrous.
Crouching by the window, she cautiously peeked inside.
Let's see... Hmm?
Yanfei blinked in disbelief. Inside the room were two living people and a corpse.
One appeared to be a slender woman. The other, judging by his features, was the man who had been relentlessly pursuing Qin Yu.
The corpse was a burly man, matching the intelligence she had gathered—the hired muscle the man had employed.
What was going on here? Where was Qin Yu, the most important piece of the puzzle?
Yanfei was thoroughly confused, unable to make sense of the scene. The only thing she could grasp was that someone else had intervened in this situation.
Could it be someone sent by the letter writer? If so, why would they still need her?
The black-clad woman splashed a basin of water onto the man's face.
"Ugh, what's happening... How did I end up here? Who are you?!" The man's eyes widened in terror as he realized his hands and feet were bound. His hired muscle lay lifeless at his feet.
The woman didn't reveal her identity. Instead, she stood behind the man and pressed a dagger against his neck.
"I'll state my demands. You'll agree and comply, or I'll send you on your way."
"Eek! I-I don't want to die!"
Could this be some kind of dispute gone wrong? Yanfei wondered.
"It's not your turn to speak." The dagger pressed deeper, drawing a thin line of blood.
The man could only shut his mouth, utterly unprepared for such a situation.
He had come hoping to claim the young girl of his dreams, but instead found himself facing a knife and a corpse.
"Good boy. That's right. My demand is simple—your entire family must leave Liyue. Do you agree? Or would you prefer to die?"
"I-I agree! But why? We've never wronged you..."
"You provoked someone by relentlessly pursuing them. You even hired thugs to force them to surrender their body. Do you think they would tolerate such behavior?"
"Because I wanted Qin Yu... Ugh! D-does that mean someone else has already claimed her? Did I cross the wrong person? Is that why you're here? The letter... that was your doing too..."
"Believe what you wish. But if you breathe a word of this to anyone, don't blame me for showing no mercy. Now, sleep."
The black-clad woman withdrew her dagger. Before the man could exhale in relief, she twisted her wrist and struck him on the head with the hilt, knocking him unconscious.
Then, she untied the man's restraints, dragged the corpse out of the dilapidated hut, and disappeared into the night.
Yanfei finally snapped out of her daze.
She understood now! It all made sense! This man had tried to force Qin Yu's hand, hiring thugs to do his bidding. But the letter had lured him into a trap, where the woman ambushed him outside the city.
One person was dead, and the mastermind had been knocked unconscious and brought here.
As for why they chose threats over direct action, it was likely to avoid escalating the situation.
Yanfei hesitated for a moment, then decided the man was no longer in danger and that she shouldn't interfere. Her gaze followed the direction the black-clad woman had taken.
Is this woman protecting Qin Yu?
She didn't seem to be sent by the letter writer. If the letter writer had planned to send multiple protectors, they would have mentioned it in the letter. Otherwise, the guards would suspect each other and get in each other's way.
Moreover, her willingness to kill so easily suggested her employer was no saint. The man had speculated she was sent by another party targeting Qin Yu, and she hadn't denied it, simply saying, "Believe what you will."
Hmm, perhaps that's exactly it.
Qin Yu had attracted the attention of more than one person. One was the letter writer, another was this man, and there was at least one more!
Hearing recent rumors, both sides had made their moves.
The letter writer had sent Yanfei to protect Qin Yu, while the other party had taken a more direct approach, eliminating potential threats.
It's truly intriguing. What kind of magic does this woman possess to ignite such a conflict?
Still, this didn't explain why the letter writer had chosen her. Could they be hoping she would use the Law to deal with the other party? It was utterly baffling.
The only certainty was that Qin Yu's immediate danger had passed.
Neither the sender of the letter nor the black-clad woman's employer seemed to have any intention of harming her.
Wait a minute! The sender had asked her to protect Qin Yu, which meant they might already know the other party's identity and believe they would take action. This was merely the calm before the storm.
"How could this happen?" Yanfei muttered.
Though she didn't know why the sender had chosen her, the fact that they had specifically selected a legal expert with minimal connection to the case might mean—"This is something only I, Yanfei, can do."
Only I can do it...? Yanfei closed her eyes.
I've made up my mind!