Severing All Five Limbs

Severing All Five Limbs

After inspecting Night Manor and making a series of arrangements, Bai Yan took up station there, waiting for the Flower Thief to deliver himself into their hands.

Given the Flower Thief's habit of striking once every two or three days, he would come tonight.

After nightfall, Night Manor prepared dinner.

Ye Youcai and Madam Ye forced themselves to remain calm as they toasted Bai Yan several times. Ye Lingdang kept her head lowered and said nothing, only stealing a few glances at Bai Yan from the corners of her eyes.

After the meal, Bai Yan had them return to their rooms to rest. He assigned people to protect Ye Youcai and Madam Ye, as well as Ye Lingdang, ensuring that the Flower Thief could not abduct them as hostages.

To lure him into the trap, Bai Yan deliberately withdrew a squad from outside the courtyard, leaving only two men watching the street entrance. He intentionally made the defenses seem lax on the outside but tight within. Against such an arrogant man, they had to make him believe there was an opening to exploit.

At midnight, in the Hour of the Boar, the pitch-black night shrouded the earth.

It was not a full-moon night. A waning crescent hung in the sky like a sharp, curved blade, casting its cold radiance over Night Manor's glazed tiles and reflecting an icy chill.

Bai Yan sat alone in the garden pavilion at the rear of the manor. On the stone table sat a pot of huadiao wine, a plate of soy-braised beef, and a dish of peanuts.

The huadiao was a thirty-year-old vintage treasured by Ye Youcai. Its fragrance was rich and mellow. Bai Yan poured himself a cup and sipped it slowly, pairing it with the braised beef and peanuts. Drinking alone had its own charm.

On the surface, Bai Yan appeared relaxed, but in truth, his six senses had been heightened to the extreme.

Any slightest disturbance within Night Manor would be noticed by him in an instant.

The night was as dark as ink, utterly silent.

The entire Night Manor had fallen into a deathly stillness, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Outside the courtyard, the night watchman's voice began to ring out.

Accompanied by the crisp clacking of his wooden clappers, a distant voice called, "The air is dry and the things are parched. Beware of fire and candles."

It was already deep into the Hour of the Boar, when a person was at their most exhausted.

The two guards keeping watch outside Night Manor had long since been overcome by drowsiness. Their heads bobbed like pestles pounding garlic, while their eyelids felt as heavy as if weighed down by lead.

Even though they slapped their own cheeks hard, trying to drive away their sleepiness with pain, their upper and lower eyelids continued to battle. Before long, both of them slumped against the gateposts and began to snore softly.

The watchman's clappers gradually faded into the distance. Only the deep darkness remained around them. No one noticed as a shadow slid along the base of the wall like a ghost. With a light tap of his toes against the gaps between the bricks, his body flipped over the high wall like a willow catkin and landed soundlessly inside Night Manor.

Under cover of darkness, the Flower Thief vaulted over the wall. He bounded and leaped across the rooftops, passing through the front courtyard and past the artificial hills without hindrance, evading every Imperial Guard's line of sight before arriving in the rear courtyard where the women lived.

He knew this place as well as the back of his hand, as familiar with it as if he were returning to his own home.

"Heh, so these are the Imperial Guards?"

He landed in the shadow of the grape trellis in the rear courtyard and glanced down at the two Imperial Guards staring intently at the ground by the wall. A contemptuous sneer curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Just as expected—good-looking but useless blockheads!"

He had long known that Imperial Guards were stationed at Night Manor, but he had never taken them seriously. He had absolute confidence in his Lightness Skill and movement techniques, certain that the Imperial Guards could not discover his whereabouts.

Tonight, he was determined to succeed right under the Imperial Guards' noses.

Imagining himself breaking through layer upon layer of encirclement and taking Ye Lingdang's virginity amid a clash of blades, the thrill sent his blood boiling. It made him itch with anticipation more than any previous crime.

"Little beauty, I'm coming."

The Flower Thief licked his lips, flipped onto the roof of Ye Lingdang's boudoir, and revealed an evil grin.

He was just about to reach into his robes for the Aphrodisiac Incense when a cold voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"What are you looking for?"

The Flower Thief's entire body stiffened. He whipped around and saw a figure sitting on the eaves several feet behind him. The man wore a Flying Fish Robe, and moonlight happened to fall across his face. His brows and eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

It was Bai Yan.

The instant the Flower Thief had vaulted over the wall, Bai Yan had already discovered him. The Flower Thief believed his movements flawless, but in Bai Yan's eyes, he had been exposed without the slightest concealment.

With Bai Yan's internal cultivation and movement techniques, the Flower Thief could not detect him at all. Even when Bai Yan was close enough to touch, the Flower Thief had remained unaware.

The Flower Thief's instincts, honed through years of committing crimes, left him no time to think. He swung around and chopped backward with his hand.

Hidden between his fingers was a small diamond-shaped blade, no more than two inches long.

This weapon was called the Finger Blade. It was a type of concealed weapon. Though inconspicuous, such a small thing could often produce unexpected results in close-range ambushes.

He was fast, but Bai Yan was faster.

Before the Finger Blade could touch Bai Yan's robes, Bai Yan's figure had already closed in like a ghost. Both his hands shot out, transforming into claws as they locked precisely onto the Flower Thief's shoulder blades.

"Crack!"

Two crisp snaps rang out almost simultaneously. The force of his fingers crushed the Flower Thief's shoulder blades and crippled both his arms.

Before he could cry out, Bai Yan's right foot shot forward like a gust of wind. In the space of a breath, three heavy strikes landed precisely on his knees and between his thighs.

The crisp sound of shattered kneecaps mixed with a muffled groan. The Flower Thief's legs, along with his fifth limb, were crippled by Bai Yan.

Before he could recover from the agony, Bai Yan spun and appeared in front of him. His right palm, carrying thick internal force, landed flatly against the Flower Thief's lower abdomen.

"Boom!"

The domineering palm force surged into his body like raging waves, directly shattering his dantian and qi sea.

The Flower Thief felt the true qi within him collapse in an instant, like air rushing from a punctured skin bag. The strength vanished from his entire body in the blink of an eye.

The entire process took place in the time it took lightning to turn.

The Flower Thief flew backward like a torn sack, fell straight from the roof, and crashed heavily onto the ground with a bang, sending dust billowing into the air.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his organs sprayed out. He curled up on the ground, letting out a miserable shriek like a slaughtered pig. The veins on his forehead bulged, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his night clothes.

"You... you crippled my martial arts!"

The Flower Thief raised his head and glared hatefully at Bai Yan, who was slowly rising to his feet on the roof. Blood vessels webbed his eyes, and his venom seemed ready to burst from their sockets.

"I won't let you off even as a ghost! You'll die a horrible death!"

The Lightness Skill he had prided himself on, the martial arts he had relied upon to survive, and the very foundation of his evil deeds had all been utterly destroyed in that instant.

Bai Yan looked down at him from above, his gaze utterly undisturbed.

The Imperial Guards, alerted by the commotion, emerged from the darkness. Two strongmen stepped forward, placed their blades against the Flower Thief's neck, and captured him on the spot.

In truth, drawing their blades had been somewhat unnecessary. Bai Yan had not only crippled the Flower Thief's martial arts but had also broken all four of his limbs.

The Flower Thief was now worse than useless. Aside from breathing and speaking, he was nothing but a lump of living rotting flesh.

"Only a scum like you deserves a death worse than death."

"I promise you, your fate will be more miserable than you can imagine."

Bai Yan's icy gaze swept across the Flower Thief's venomous face.

"Once you enter the Imperial Prison of the Imperial Guards, you'll learn what true agony worse than death means. The women you tortured suffered through unbearable pain. I'll make you repay it a hundredfold, a thousandfold."

Simply killing him with a single slash would have been far too merciful.

This case had already reached the Son of Heaven's ears. With the emperor enraged, the Flower Thief was destined to become an example used to deter petty criminals—a chicken killed to frighten the monkeys.

By Bai Yan's estimate, his final fate would certainly be Lingchi, allowing him to repay his blood debts amid endless suffering.

Hearing the commotion, Ye Youcai and Madam Ye hurried over carrying lanterns. When they saw that the Imperial Guards had bound the Flower Thief securely, Ye Youcai's voice trembled with excitement as he repeatedly bowed to Bai Yan.

"Many thanks, my lord, for capturing this villain! If you had not been here, my daughter... my daughter truly would have fallen into his clutches tonight!"

"Please accept this bow from my wife and me, my lord!"

With that, Ye Youcai and Madam Ye were about to kneel.

Bai Yan hurriedly reached out and supported them both, his tone calm.

"Capturing criminals is simply part of the Imperial Guards' duty. There's no need for such formalities."

"Even if it's your duty, you must still be thanked!"

Ye Youcai hurriedly said, "Although I, Ye Youcai, am a merchant, I understand the principle of repaying kindness. It's too late tonight, so I wouldn't dare impose on you. Tomorrow, I'll prepare a modest banquet at the restaurant. I sincerely ask all of you officers to honor me with your presence. Please, do not refuse!"

Bai Yan nodded in agreement.

"I'll attend the banquet. However, tonight we must take the prisoner back to the Pacification Bureau to report. We can't stay any longer, so we'll take our leave now."

"That's only right, only right!"

Ye Youcai had originally wanted to use this opportunity to build a connection with the Imperial Guards. In Yongtang City, being on good terms with the Imperial Guards could spare him countless troubles in his future business dealings.

But when he glanced at the Flower Thief on the ground, bloody and mangled yet still moaning, a chill rose in his heart. He truly did not dare let this vicious criminal remain in the manor for even another moment.

"Since you must report back, my old bones wouldn't dare detain you. I only ask that you absolutely come to the banquet tomorrow!"

"Of course."

Bai Yan smiled, raised his hand, and led the many Imperial Guards away.

Ye Youcai and Madam Ye escorted Bai Yan and the others all the way to the manor gate.

At that moment, beneath the covered corridor in the rear courtyard, Ye Lingdang had somehow already appeared outside the door of her boudoir.

She wore a plain-colored shawl and stared blankly in the direction Bai Yan had left.

Bound by the proprieties of etiquette, she could not step forward to see him off. She could only lean against the doorframe and quietly watch the tall figure in the Flying Fish Robe disappear from her sight.