The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Lin Xiao took Little Fatty to the restaurant across from the alley and found a window seat.

Little Fatty said nervously.

"B-brother, let's go. This is Black Street. If our identities are exposed, who knows how many people will want us dead as soon as possible."

Lin Xiao glanced at him and said blandly, "If you want to leave, then leave. Anyway, if we don't solve the case, we won't keep our heads either."

After hearing that, Little Fatty no longer wanted to leave.

Lin Xiao was not wrong. If they failed to solve the case, their heads would roll all the same. They might as well gamble on it. If they solved the case, not only would they keep their heads, they would earn merit as well.

As Lin Xiao watched the entrance to the alley, he suddenly sensed something and looked toward the rooftop opposite the restaurant.

The Six Doors prodigy Li Yue, whom he had seen outside the Prince's Manor earlier, was unexpectedly there as well.

Inside the Venomous Snake Gang's main hall, the Prince's Manor steward was speaking with someone.

"Has everything been taken care of? Has the Night-Shining Pearl been hidden?"

The man opposite the steward replied, "Everything has been arranged. We're just waiting for the next step of the plan."

"Very good. We are one step closer to revenge."

Just then, Li Yue, hidden on the rooftop, heard their entire conversation clearly.

Li Yue's eyes narrowed, and he stomped his foot fiercely.

Boom!!!

The roof exploded apart. With one hand behind his back and a longsword held upside down in the other, Li Yue appeared inside the Venomous Snake Gang leader's room.

Inside the room.

The Venomous Snake Gang leader and the steward, Wu Zhengfeng, had been plotting together. Li Yue's sudden appearance gave them both a fright.

"So it really was you. It seems my guess was correct."

"As a prince's trusted confidant and the steward of his manor, you have glory and wealth beyond measure, yet you were willing to become a thief. I truly don't know what you were thinking," Li Yue said mockingly.

Upon seeing Li Yue, Wu Zhengfeng knew the matter had been exposed and no longer concealed anything.

"A prince's trusted confidant?"

Wu Zhengfeng slowly rose to his feet and sneered.

"Do you know that I have endured humiliation and borne heavy burdens for ten years, all for this very day?"

"Unfortunately, Ji Wuqing was lucky. I failed to ruin his reputation this time. What a tremendous regret."

"If I get another chance in the future, I will make sure he dies a miserable death."

Li Yue frowned. "You will have no such chance. Today, I will capture you and send you to the Ministry of Justice for trial."

"The crime of stealing an imperial bestowal alone is enough to have your nine clans exterminated."

"Big Brother, stop wasting words on him. Since he ruined our plan, kill him."

"Only he knows about this anyway. If we kill him, we can continue with our plan."

At that moment, the Venomous Snake Gang leader abruptly stood up and spoke viciously.

"Then kill him."

Wu Zhengfeng was a decisive man as well. He immediately developed murderous intent.

Wu Zhengfeng and the Venomous Snake Gang leader were both at the ninth level of the Acquired Realm.

As they attacked, forceful energy shot in every direction.

The Venomous Snake Gang leader wielded a steel saber, its sweeps roaring like a tiger in the wind—fierce and incomparably powerful, broad and open. He actually caught Li Yue, an Acquired Realm peak expert, off guard.

Once the fight began, a flexible sword somehow appeared in Wu Zhengfeng's hand as well. Seizing the moment, he attacked from the flank.

The commotion inside the room drew the attention of the Venomous Snake Gang members outside, and chaos erupted at once.

Lin Xiao slowly stood from the restaurant across the alley. "Wait here. Something has probably happened inside."

"I... I can help too."

Little Fatty's hand around his saber hilt was trembling.

Little Fatty was at the third level of the Acquired Realm. His strength was decent enough, but seeing him like this, it was better to forget it. Otherwise, Lin Xiao would have to spare attention to protect him once the fight began.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiao leaped straight out the window and charged toward the Venomous Snake Gang.

With a few sideways shifts and several swift bounds, he vanished from sight.

At this moment, Li Yue was being beaten into a state of extreme frustration by Wu Zhengfeng and the Venomous Snake Gang leader, the two brothers.

Although he was a notch stronger than the two of them, his carelessness had allowed them to press him into a beating.

The Venomous Snake Gang leader's saber technique was incomparably fierce. Coupled with his desperate efforts, his momentum had reached its peak.

With Wu Zhengfeng assisting from the side and launching sneak attacks whenever he saw an opening, even though Li Yue was one minor realm above them, he could not find an opportunity to counterattack for the moment.

However, though Li Yue was young, his combat experience was extremely rich.

He knew that the Venomous Snake Gang leader's style of fighting could not last.

The moment the man's strength weakened, it would be time for Li Yue to strike back.

But the two men were no fools either. They knew they could not drag things out for too long. If they could not deal with this constable as quickly as possible, they would have to flee first. Otherwise, once the court's reinforcements arrived, they would not be able to leave even if they wanted to.

"Go!"

Seeing that things could not be done, Wu Zhengfeng shouted, flicked his sleeves, and threw out two hidden weapons to block the pursuing Li Yue before turning to flee.

Watching the two vanish into the night, Li Yue's face turned livid with anger.

It was not that he did not want to chase them.

Their strength was not far from his own, and the hidden weapons had delayed him. It was already impossible to catch up.

"So close, yet they still got away."

Just as Li Yue fumed, a figure silently followed behind Wu Zhengfeng and the other man.

That figure was Lin Xiao.

He had arrived during the three men's battle earlier, but he had not rushed to intervene.

If he had acted, he certainly could have captured Wu Zhengfeng and the other man.

But with Li Yue present, if he captured them, dividing the credit would become troublesome.

He had no background.

Li Yue, meanwhile, was the disciple of a Six Doors Divine Constable. When the time came, Lin Xiao would be lucky to get even a sip of the soup.

Although he only needed to complete the system's mission and did not care much about merit.

Lin Xiao did not want to remain a lowly Jinyiwei forever. If there was an opportunity, he did not mind climbing higher.

Moreover, he was confident that dealing with Wu Zhengfeng and the other man would be easy. He only needed to make sure he did not lose them.