Night Infiltration of Li Manor

Yicheng, on a street near the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Guild.

By now, Gu Sheng had already "changed outfits with one click." He had pasted on two small mustaches and darkened his face, making himself look like a middle-aged man.

Smiling, he said to Teng Qingshan, "Qingshan, Old Wang has done plenty of business with our village. He gave us a decent price this time. Those animal hides sold for more than three hundred and fifty taels of silver altogether!"

"Mm."

Teng Qingshan nodded, but his gaze kept drifting around. This street was completely different from the one they had just passed through. The people here appeared peaceful, but in truth, every one of them seemed able to "smell" blood. None of them were simple characters.

"No need to be so tense!"

Gu Sheng patted Teng Qingshan's shoulder, signaling him to relax. "This black market is White Horse Gang territory. With them backing the place, anyone who dared make trouble here has already died." He did not mean to mock Teng Qingshan either. Teng Qinghu had performed far worse than Teng Qingshan on his first visit to the black market!

Though Gu Sheng said there was nothing to worry about, he had already positioned the Jade Chill Blade where he could draw it at any moment. This was a black market, not a bustling public street. If one was not careful, one might not even know how one died. Black-on-black robbery was rare, but when enormous profits were involved, someone would surely risk everything.

"We're here!"

Gu Sheng led Teng Qingshan to a busy pavilion. "Though this Windfall Pavilion is not as famous as Myriad Manifestations Pavilion, it is a local power in Yicheng. When it comes to certain local intelligence, they know more than Myriad Manifestations Pavilion.

"Besides, in information deals here, Windfall Pavilion merely acts as an intermediary. It connects us with intelligence brokers and does not learn the specific details of the transaction. As long as we pay that broker well afterward, there is little chance of the matter being exposed."

"Mm."

Teng Qingshan nodded. Gu Sheng's plan was already quite thorough. Even as a top assassin in his previous life, Teng Qingshan could find few flaws in it.

Gu Sheng and Teng Qingshan turned into a small alley. When they emerged again, their outfits had changed. Each wore a Ghost Face Mask. Teng Qingshan's shoes had been replaced with a pair several sizes too large, and by some unknown method, he had even grown a little taller. His entire physique had changed drastically.

"Welcome to our humble establishment, gentlemen! What can I get for you?"

The moment the two entered Windfall Pavilion, a sharp-eyed attendant came forward to greet them.

"We're looking for someone..."

Gu Sheng whispered several words into the attendant's ear. The attendant nodded repeatedly and led them upstairs with a beaming smile. Gu Sheng handled it all with perfect familiarity, revealing not the slightest flaw.

For the sake of completing this plan, he had used the system to rehearse it countless times in his mind. He had identified and corrected every possible mistake, so he now appeared like an exceptionally seasoned veteran.

Half an hour later, a streak of orange-red appeared on the horizon as two figures in black robes and Ghost Face Masks stepped out of Windfall Pavilion.

After turning left and right to shake off several tails, a "middle-aged man" led a teenage boy into a secluded small courtyard three streets away from the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Guild.

Gu Sheng sat in the courtyard study, reading a small booklet by the dim daylight. "The Li family of the Yangzhou salt merchants... Miss Li, Li Qingyu... Guard Qin San, a Second-Rate Expert—strength of three thousand jin—skilled in the sword art 'Flying Star Sword'..."

"Cousin! Dinner's ready!"

Teng Qingshan's voice came from outside the courtyard. Gu Sheng let out a soft breath and rubbed the sore pressure points around his eyes. With a surge of force in his hand, the booklet became scraps of paper.

Gu Sheng stepped out of the room. The stone table in the courtyard was already covered with meat. Internal Fist cultivation relied heavily on resources. If Teng Village had not been backed against Mount Dayan, where they could hunt for meat, the daily cultivation needs of Teng Qingshan and Gu Sheng would have been a major problem.

A tableful of meat like this would cost quite a bit of silver in Yicheng. It was manageable for a day or two, but eating like this every meal, every day, was truly beyond what an ordinary family could afford. The saying that scholars came from poor families while martial artists came from rich ones was not made lightly.

At the hour of Xu in winter—seven in the evening—the sky had already been veiled by night. The street where the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Guild stood was brightly lit. Two figures in black flashed past, and the guards thought their eyes had deceived them.

In a small alley outside the Li family's separate residence at the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Guild, two figures in night clothes stopped. One wore a tiger-faced mask, the other a wolf-faced mask.

"Qingshan!"

The figure in the tiger-faced mask spoke gravely. "I'll go in alone later. If I haven't returned before dawn, immediately head back to Teng Village and take the clansmen into hiding in Mount Dayan.

"Remember, no matter what happens later, do not act rashly. Do you understand?"

Gu Sheng instructed Teng Qingshan. He was fairly confident about tonight's operation, but with the protagonist at his side, unexpected complications could easily arise. If he had truly had a more suitable helper, he would never have let Teng Qingshan take part, even if it killed him.

"Cousin!"

Teng Qingshan wore a wolf mask, concealing all expression, but his emotions seemed far from calm. "You have to come back. Aunt is still waiting for you to return."

"Of course."

Gu Sheng nodded. His right foot landed precisely in a crack in the wall, and with a slight push, he launched himself upward with his left foot. In a flash, he had leapt onto the wall. Crouching low, he surveyed the surroundings before repeatedly using the Horizon Strider movement technique to dart swiftly through Li Manor.

Whoosh—

A faint breeze passed by as a blurry black shadow evaded the patrolling guards and continued deeper into the vast Li Manor.

Movement techniques really improve by leaps and bounds with every level. Proficiency and mastery were truly worlds apart!

Gu Sheng inwardly rejoiced that his earlier investment had not gone to waste. Before coming, he had spent heavily, using all of the hundred-odd Luck Points he had just obtained to gain insight into the Horizon Strider movement technique. That was why he now possessed such blinding speed, like a fleeting shadow.

"Mm."

Gu Sheng moved through the cluster of courtyards on the eastern side of Li Manor when he suddenly wrinkled his nose. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. After identifying the direction, he swiftly darted toward a brightly lit courtyard.

It was an enormous courtyard, with more than ten guards at the Third-Rate level carefully stationed around it. At the center stood a small building. Five or six delicate maids gathered by its entrance, holding various items as though awaiting a summons from inside.

Without making a sound, Gu Sheng circled to a blind corner of the small building. He leapt onto the roof, slid along the eaves to a skylight, and peered inside.

"Product displays... people moving around... open-air... models... and... Ah! I don't want to do this anymore! I want to go home!"

Inside the study, a pretty, adorable girl with a ponytail was bent over a desk, shaking her head as she muttered to herself and wrote something down.

Unfortunately, her enthusiasm seemed to last only three minutes. After letting out a cry, the cute girl flailed her limbs to vent her frustration, then collapsed limply over the desk like a dead fish, muttering accusations about some Lord God...