He Nu had vanished. Gu Shenwei expanded the search to South City and spotted a few suspicious details, but every trail went cold after only a few steps.
He knew He Nu's hiding tricks as well as he knew his own next moves. Then, all of a sudden, she seemed to change every habit, leaving him unable to figure her out, much less follow her.
At dawn, the guards finally found the Dragon King alone. Gu Shenwei led them to Moonlight Hall. It was his last attempt, though he was quite certain He Nu would not be there.
Moonlight Hall was falling apart. The moment Gu Shenwei turned into the alley, he saw Moonlight Hall disciples fleeing in disarray, men and women alike.
He left the guards at the mouth of the alley and went in alone.
The courtyard was a mess. Weapons, clothes, boxes, and all kinds of scraps littered the ground. Without the Master of the Masses, Moonlight Hall looked no different from ordinary people in a panic: everyone snatched up anything valuable and fled without a thought, as if man-eating demons were hot on their heels.
But no one was chasing them. Even Old Man Mu had passed up this golden opportunity and had yet to show himself.
A group of Moonlight Hall disciples still held their ground in the main hall, perhaps forty or fifty of them, all women. Their presence was the only thing that still allowed this residence to be called "Moonlight Hall."
Even their numbers were dwindling. If the Dragon King had not walked in, there might have been only a few left by daybreak.
Han Ling had dragged over a chair and sat beside the spot where the Master of the Masses usually sat. The room was unlit, her whole face lost