As though he was completely unaware that someone had arrived, the Scorpion did not look up in the man’s direction. He reached out to grab a youth's jaw, forcing him to lift his head, and examined his features closely--his looks seemed to be sculpted from jade and refined with powder, a shiny lustre brightening his eyes when he blinked. A pointy chin, and a petite, delicate face--he was born male, but had a feminine visage.

The Scorpion shook his head, and sighed in disappointment. "It's no good. They're too feminine, like rouge stains my hand when I grab them."

The masked man strode in like it was nothing taboo to stay away from. Hearing this, he cast a glance at that quivering pair of youths, and said, “They’re but two twinks. Aren’t they all this effeminate? What is so unordinary about this?”

The Scorpion waved a hand, and as though they had been relieved of a colossal burden, the two youths bowed, and scrambled out of the room. The Scorpion then slowly poured himself another cup of wine, and said, “It is precisely because it is ordinary that it is meaningless. If these men are like women, why should I whore boys? What a pity...that those two escaped the other time.”

The masked man sat down without care, and asked, “Oh? These little pets you keep can escape by themselves?”

The Scorpion looked at him, smiling, and continued slowly, “They aren’t mine, but two guests with dishonest intentions--speaking of which, you most probably are acquainted with one of them. Based on his manner, he looks to be a key figure on your side of things.”

The masked man froze. He paused, and asked, “Is it...him?”

The Scorpion said, “Who knows?”

The masked man was silent for a long while, then stood, as though he could not stay still any longer. He paced the room with his hands clasped behind his back, murmuring to himself, “He went missing all of a sudden a while ago, and has appeared here, at this moment...he said to capture that Xue Fang and repossess the key, best without attracting the attention of those major clans, but his own movements have become difficult to predict. What does this man mean by this?”

As though it did not concern him, the Scorpion repeated, “Who knows…”

The masked man halted in his tracks abruptly, interrupting the Scorpion with a raised hand. He said, "Let's not talk about this. Have you gotten rid of Sun Ding?"