If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The sword is drawn three inches.

The cold light shone like water, spilling across the ground.

Commander Chen stared at the severed sword blade, his smile freezing on his lips. He hadn't expected Zhou Yang to actually dare to barge in, much less to dare to brandish his sword in front of a hall full of guests.

Zhou Yang.

Chen Qianhu's voice deepened, as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

"This is the wedding banquet of a commander of the Imperial Guard. You have trespassed into the inner quarters and come forward with a sword. Are you trying to rebel?"

Zhou Yang didn't say anything.

He simply pulled the sword outward an inch further.

"Click."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent waterside pavilion. Some of the guests instinctively took a half-step back, their chair legs scraping against the ground with a jarring sound.

Qin Shuang stood still, without moving.

Her gaze fell on Zhou Yang, and a glint of light flashed in his usually cold and hard eyes. But it quickly dimmed again, and her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately she remained silent.

Zhou Yang's gaze swept across Chen Qianhu's face and landed on the woman in the red wedding dress next to him.

The phoenix crown is crooked.

A patch of rouge on her face was smudged, revealing a small expanse of pale skin. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying, and she stood there blankly, like a clay doll.

Zhou Yang withdrew his gaze and looked at Commander Chen.

"Lord Chen, you haven't handled this deal very ethically."

"What kind of deal?" Commander Chen narrowed his eyes. "Zhou Yang, where do you think you are? This is Chen family territory. What kind of trouble do you think you can cause by yourself?"

He raised his hand and clapped three times lightly.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Before the applause had even subsided, dozens of figures emerged from the shadows along the corridors surrounding the waterside pavilion. They were dressed in uniform blue robes, with long swords at their waists, and their faces were icy cold.

The guests began to stir.

"Lord Chen, what's going on?"

"Wasn't this supposed to be a wedding banquet within the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Why are there weapons involved?"

"Who is this young man?"

Chen Qianhu ignored the guests and just stared at Zhou Yang, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Zhou Yang, you're a smart man. A smart man knows when to advance and when to retreat. Today is my big day. If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened."

He paused, then added, "Qin Shuang is already mine. You can't save her, and you have no right to save her."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it betrayed a cold indifference.

"Lord Chen, you've made a mistake."

"What?"

"I never came here to save people."

Zhou Yang's voice was calm and unhurried, and everyone present could hear it clearly.

"I'm here to do business."

Commander Chen frowned: "What kind of deal?"

Zhou Yang didn't answer immediately. He first glanced around, his gaze falling on the moonlight outside the waterside pavilion, before turning back to Commander Chen.

"I've heard that Lord Chen put a lot of effort into this marriage. The betrothal gifts amounted to 1,200 taels of silver, the banquet was set up with 30 tables, and the most famous opera troupe in Anyang Prefecture was invited to perform."

He paused, his tone playful.

"Unfortunately, the bride wasn't too willing."

Commander Chen's expression changed.

Zhou Yang continued, "Forced relationships are never sweet; Lord Chen should have heard that saying. Rather than staying with a woman who doesn't love you, it's better to..."

He paused briefly.

"Give him to me."

The waterside pavilion fell silent suddenly.

Then came whispers. The guests exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock and confusion. Who was this man? What did he just say? Was he offering him the bride?

Commander Chen's face darkened completely.

"Zhou Yang, are you crazy?"

"I am fully conscious."

Zhou Yang's tone remained calm, as if he were discussing an ordinary business deal.

"Lord Chen, look at this. You've spent money and effort on this marriage, and what's the result? The bride is unwilling, the guests are confused, and you yourself are unhappy. No matter how you look at it, this is a losing proposition."

"Now there's an opportunity for you to turn a loss into a profit."

As he spoke, he pulled a heavy money bag from his pocket.

"Give me the bride, and I'll give you money. That way you save yourself trouble and get something for nothing—isn't that a win-win situation?"

Commander Chen stared at the money pouch, his eye twitching slightly.

"You want to buy Qin Shuang?"

"You could say that."

"Zhou Yang!" Commander Chen's voice suddenly rose, "Who do you think Qin Shuang is? A girl from a brothel? You think you can buy her with a few stinking coins?"

"Does Lord Chen think that's not enough?"

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Yang sent the money pouch crashing to the ground. It rolled a few times before coming to rest at Chen Qianhu's feet.

"There are eight thousand taels of silver notes inside."

Zhou Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Is buying you, my bride, enough?"

Dead silence.

Utter silence.

The pavilion was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; not even a breath could be heard. Everyone stared blankly at the money bag lying on the ground, then at Zhou Yang, who stood in the center with a nonchalant air.

Eight thousand taels.

That was more money than an average family could spend in several lifetimes. He just casually threw it on the ground, like a piece of junk.

Commander Chen's face went from ashen to flushed, then to deathly pale. His hands clenched into fists in his sleeves, so tightly they seemed to pierce his palms.

This is an insult.

Naked humiliation.

In front of a hall full of guests, someone offered money to buy his bride. If word got out, how could Commander Chen maintain his standing in Anyang County?

Zhou Yang.

Chen Qianhu's voice was squeezed out from deep in his throat, chilling to the bone.

"You're asking for it."

Zhou Yang seemed not to have heard those words. He simply turned his head slightly and looked at Qin Shuang beside him.

Qin Shuang was also looking at him.

Eyes facing each other.

Zhou Yang saw a complex mix of emotions in her eyes: shock, confusion, and something else he couldn't quite understand.

He winked at her.

"Commander Qin, eight thousand taels is no small sum. Your current worth is far greater than that of some commanders of a thousand."

Qin Shuang pursed her lips and remained silent.

Commander Chen could no longer contain himself. He abruptly waved his hand and shouted sharply, "Take him down!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the figures in blue robes on the surrounding corridors moved simultaneously. Blades flashed as they surged from all directions toward the black figure in the center of the waterside pavilion.

Zhou Yang stood still, motionless.

Until the very moment the first knife fell.

"Clang!"

The longsword was drawn.

In that instant, everyone only saw a blur before their eyes. By the time they reacted, Zhou Yang was no longer in his original position.

He stood three steps away, his sword pointing diagonally at the ground, a line of blood slowly sliding down its blade.

Where he had stood, a man in blue robes clutched his wrist and staggered backward. His knife fell to the ground with a clang.

"Who else?"

Zhou Yang's voice was very soft, yet it sent a shiver down the spine of the crowd.

The men in blue exchanged glances, hesitant to step forward. That sword strike had been too fast; they hadn't even seen how it was executed.

Commander Chen's face was extremely grim.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

He drew a long sword from the waist of a nearby guard and charged towards Zhou Yang himself. The sword strike was fierce, accompanied by a whistling sound, aimed straight at Zhou Yang's face.

Zhou Yang neither dodged nor avoided.

He simply shifted his body slightly just as the blade was about to touch his face.

The blade grazed the tip of his nose, severing a few strands of hair.

Zhou Yang's sword had already pierced Chen Qianhu's shoulder.

"puff."

A muffled thud.

Commander Chen froze. He looked down at the sword tip protruding from his shoulder, his eyes wide open.

"you……"

Zhou Yang flicked his wrist and drew his sword.

Blood splattered out, landing on the red wedding carpet on the ground, quickly seeping into a dark stain.

Commander Chen staggered backward, clutching his shoulder, his face contorted in pain. He opened his mouth to say something, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Yang did not pursue.

He simply stood there, pointing the tip of his sword at the money bag on the ground.

"Lord Chen, eight thousand taels for a bride."

His voice remained calm.

"Are you going to do this deal or not?"

Commander Chen raised his head and stared at Zhou Yang. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was full of resentment.

"Zhou Yang...you'll regret this..."

"I have no regrets."

Zhou Yang bent down, picked up the money bag, and weighed it in his hand.

"Since Lord Chen is unwilling to do this deal, then I'll have to find another way."

He put the money pouch back into his pocket and then looked at Qin Shuang.

"Commander Qin, your worth has increased again."

Qin Shuang stared at him blankly, her expression dazed.

"Zhou Yang...you..."

"Don't speak."

Zhou Yang interrupted her and reached out his hand to her.

"Come with me."

Qin Shuang looked at the hand. It was stained with blood, yet it unexpectedly gave her a sense of security.

Without further hesitation, she reached out and grasped the bloodied hand.

Zhou Yang pulled her forcefully and brought her to his side.

Then, he looked at the guests in the hall, and then at Commander Chen, who was clutching his shoulder and had a face full of resentment.

He suddenly smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for disturbing you today. It seems this wedding banquet will have to be attended by a different groom."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took Qin Shuang's hand and strode out of the waterside pavilion.

The people in blue along the way all retreated, and no one dared to stop them.

The black figure pierced through the moonlight, casting a long shadow on the ground.