I Work as an Assassin in a Brothel

[A beautiful woman with a hidden blade behind her smile × a cold-faced King of Hell]

The Mingyu Pavilion in the capital is a gathering place for the powerful. On the surface, it's a den of indulgence; beneath that, a slaughterhouse.

Qing Hengzhi is one of Mingyu Pavilion's three top courtesans. She is an elite assassin who survived a brutal death-training camp at the age of ten.

After several assassination attempts leave court officials dead one after another, Pei Yicen, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Investigative Bureau, is ordered by imperial decree to investigate. Every clue points to Mingyu Pavilion, and the two cross paths.

As they meet and spend time together, Qing Hengzhi gradually realizes that Pei Yicen is not the living King of Hell the officials make him out to be. He is mired in misery and covered in bloody scars, clinging only to the hope of clearing his family's name. His road has been full of hardship.

Qing Hengzhi is the only person in all these years to see through to his heart.

He is drawn to her and, though he knows it's dangerous, still approaches her. Their fates become intertwined.

At the time, Qing Hengzhi is completely at ease, often teasing him.

“Why don't you repay me for saving your life by marrying me, Lord Pei?”

“Pei Yicen, do you like me?”

Until Qing Hengzhi receives her assignment: assassinate Pei Yicen.

From then on, suspicion turns into love.

[Bonus Scene]

By the wavering candlelight, Qing Hengzhi draws a soft sword from her waist and points it at Pei Yicen.

Pei Yicen's eyes darken. He walks straight toward her, forcing Qing Hengzhi to take a step back.

He chuckles. “A Heng, how about a bet?”

“What are we betting?”

“That you can't bring yourself to kill me.”

*Reader's Guide

1. The leads are each other's first and only partners, one-on-one romance. The heroine performs but does not sell her body.

2. Lovers who are also rivals, intense push and pull, a combative couple, happy ending.

Theme: Even those living in darkness can find the light