Hunting?

'Long Wind Tavern'

From what he had learned from the diners' conversations, it was one of North Ye City's famous restaurants. Many dignitaries from Qingzhou's provincial capital came specially to taste the game served here.

What he ordered was not particularly expensive, just ordinary dishes in rather large portions. Still, some mountain delicacies and game dishes cost over ten taels of silver each, and one meal came to no less than a hundred taels.

While eating, he saw quite a few people in ornate robes and fine hats heading up to the private rooms on the second floor. From the diners in the first-floor hall, he learned that the second floor was where officials and nobles came for entertainment.

He needed to get some money.

Xu Yunfan rubbed the silver in his hand and let out a soft breath. Half-squinting, he looked toward the sky as night drew near.

Hunting?

There was no way he was going hunting.

That night, the eastern part of North Ye City was where the wealthy lived. There were many rich people there, and just as many who were rich yet heartless.

At the very least, while eating and drinking at the tavern, he had heard several scholar-like men at the next table get roaring drunk. One of them, emboldened by the alcohol, loudly cursed the Hu Family.

"This Hu Family is truly rich and heartless! So many commoners in the city have frozen to death—who knows how many of those deaths were sins committed by the Hu Family!"

His words echoed through the tavern, drawing sidelong glances from everyone around. Then the scholars at his table swiftly covered his mouth, paid the bill, and hurried away.

Whether it was true or not, for scholars to condemn them so harshly, the Hu Family's reputation was clearly utterly rotten.

Hu Residence.

Xu Yunfan stood quietly in the darkness of a distant alley and watched. He had asked around and learned that the Hu Family had a martial arts master. In this small city of North Ye, he was considered among the first-rate experts.

The residence before him was built with extraordinary grandeur. Its tall, thick Blue Brick walls stood over twice a man's height, their glazed tiles blanketed in snow.

Xu Yunfan slowly circled the estate, posing as a passerby. The surroundings were silent, with only the Cold Wind howling past.

His hunting skills allowed him to remain extremely cautious and avoid drawing attention. After making a full circuit, almost no one had noticed him.

Sometimes, hunting animals and hunting people were the same. These hunting skills proved equally useful.

After careful observation, he found that only the front and back gates had a few servants standing guard. All of them were wrapped in thick cotton clothes, shoulders hunched and necks tucked in, stamping their feet now and then to keep warm. They had no mind to spare for their surroundings.

They really could do nothing but watch the gates.

Having reached his conclusion and confirmed the situation around him, Xu Yunfan came to a section of wall. He drew a deep breath, bent his legs slightly, then exploded upward in a powerful leap, forcefully soaring three meters into the air.

He stretched out one hand and steadily braced himself against the wall. Nimble as a night cat, he silently climbed onto the roof built against the wall.

Only then did Xu Yunfan realize how incredibly useful Fleet Foot was in this sort of environment. Combined with the effects of hunting, it was simply perfect.

Fleet Foot's effects of being light as a swallow and treading peril as level ground, paired with Silent Footsteps from hunting, made his current weight of over two hundred jin feel like a feather. He moved without making the slightest sound.

He remained silent on the roof for nearly half an hour, sorting out the night patrol routes of the Hu Residence guards. Just as he was about to move, he suddenly froze.

In the courtyard ahead, a burly middle-aged man slowly emerged from the inner residence. His face was weathered, and the scar slanting from the corner of his eye across his cheek looked especially vicious in the firelight.

Beneath his broad frame were wide shoulders and a narrow waist. The lines of his muscles showed faintly beneath his brocade robes, and every movement made them swell with explosive power. The knuckles of his lowered hand were exceptionally large and distinct.

A martial arts master at Tendon Training Great Accomplishment, and one skilled in boxing.

He should have been the Hu Family's martial arts master.

Xu Yunfan narrowed his eyes, even slowing his breathing. An expert like this was extremely sensitive to his surroundings. The slightest disturbance could alert him.

Snowflakes drifted slowly into the courtyard. With his hands behind his back, the middle-aged man leisurely paced in a circle before his voice rang out unhurriedly.

"Come out. Climbing onto someone else's roof in the middle of the night isn't very appropriate."

Xu Yunfan's heart jolted, but he made no move. He remained concealed in the darkness, maintaining his dormant state. He was certain he had made no mistakes. Besides, this fellow might have been bluffing. He had to stay calm first.

Just then, his gaze shifted as he looked toward the roof on the other side.

A slender black silhouette suddenly darted out like an agile wildcat. Light as willow fluff, she was about to leap out of the courtyard in the blink of an eye.

"Trying to run?"

The middle-aged man snorted coldly. Taking a large stride forward, he moved as swiftly as the wind, like an arrow leaving the bowstring as he shot forward in an instant.

He was so fast that a fierce gust of wind rushed at the face as he moved, causing the surrounding torches to sway violently.

In the blink of an eye, he had caught up to the slender figure just as she was about to leap out of the Hu Residence.

The middle-aged man's arm snapped out like lightning. A whooshing sound rang through the air as his fist tore through it with a shrill howl. Carrying the force to split steles and shatter stone, it smashed viciously toward the woman in black.

The woman in black was no ordinary person either. Seeing this, she fiercely tapped her toes against the ground, actually leaving a shallow dent in the tall wall.

Borrowing that force, she soared like a diving falcon. Her waist twisted sharply, and as one long leg exerted force, the muscles beneath her tight black clothes bulged into defined contours. It snapped upward with savage speed, kicking straight at the middle-aged man's groin.

With his family jewels at stake, the middle-aged man naturally did not dare to be careless. He immediately withdrew his attack to defend himself, but his objective had already been achieved—he had blocked the woman in black's path.

The two instantly fell into a fierce fight. Fists and feet flew, producing dull whooshes whenever they collided. In an instant, they had exchanged more than a dozen moves.

The middle-aged man's fists were heavy, each one carrying the strength of an ox. Though the woman was at a disadvantage when meeting his attacks head-on, she moved like a wildcat, her footwork remarkably agile.

In the end, the woman in black seemed unable to match him, but she had actually borrowed the force of one of his punches. Her body drifted rapidly backward, and in the blink of an eye, she landed outside the Hu Residence.

Naturally, the middle-aged man would not let it go. Fury covered his face. This woman's attacks were vicious, every strike aimed at vital points, and his lower body had been attacked several times in succession. His anger burned fiercely as he snorted coldly.

"Where do you think you're going!"

With that, he leaped over the high wall and gave chase.

Watching one flee and the other pursue, Xu Yunfan immediately realized this was an excellent opportunity.

At that moment, the entire Hu Residence's attention had been drawn to the woman in black. Everything was in chaos, the perfect time to fish in troubled waters.

Since someone was already there to take the blame for him, he no longer had any reservations.

Xu Yunfan quickly made a circuit of the Hu Residence rooftops, only to soon run into a problem.

"Where the fuck is the storeroom?"

Xu Yunfan's gaze settled on a maid passing below, her face full of panic. His body moved, and he landed in front of the pretty-faced maid.

Because a burglar had entered the Hu Residence, the delicate Little Maid had been walking along tremblingly when a Masked Strongman suddenly dropped down before her.

His eyes were like cold stars as he stared fixedly at her.