Night Raid on the Granary

"Knock, knock, knock."

Not letting the seventeenth place go to his head, Midnight Cui Hao was cultivating in the courtyard when three not-too-light, not-too-heavy knocks sounded.

His right hand silently gripped the hilt of the Chopping Knife leaning against the wall. "Who?"

There was a moment of silence outside the door, followed by a gentle, clear male voice. "Brother Cui, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. I am Lou Ziming, from the Wusheng Sect."

Wusheng Sect? Cui Hao's heart suddenly tensed.

He walked to the wooden gate, pondered for a moment, and then pulled it open with a "creak."

A man stood outside, around thirty years old, dressed in a blue scholar's shirt. His face was fair, his features delicate, and a faint smile played on his lips. He looked like a failed scholar, except for his eyes, which seemed exceptionally deep under the moonlight.

He held no weapons and appeared relaxed.

Cui Hao sized him up and asked in a deep voice, "Is there something?"

"Brother Cui, let's be direct," Lou Ziming's smile remained unchanged, his tone gentle and straightforward. "Miss Lingdang has been staying with you for quite some time. It's time for us to take her back."

Looking at Lou Ziming, Cui Hao was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright."

The smile in Lou Ziming's eyes seemed to deepen.

Cui Hao immediately added, "Five taels of silver."

A fleeting look of malice flashed in Lou Ziming's eyes, but his smile didn't falter. Instead, he cheerfully reached into his robes, pulled out a silver ingot weighing about five taels, and tossed it to Cui Hao. "Brother Cui is a sensible person."

Cui Hao caught the silver, weighed it. "Wait a moment."

He turned back into the house, heading straight for the west room. Lingdang was fast asleep.

Cui Hao didn't hesitate. He brought his fingers together like a blade and gently pressed the back of her neck. Lingdang's body went limp, and she fell into a deep sleep.

He wrapped her in a thin blanket and slung her over his shoulder.

As he walked out of the west room, Su Yun was already standing at the entrance of the main hall, wearing a coat. Her lips moved, and she shook her head, silently mouthing, "Brother Hao... no..."

Cui Hao looked at her, his gaze calm, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Don't speak, don't come out."

Su Yun bit her lip but ultimately didn't make another sound, only tightly clenching the hem of her clothes.

Cui Hao carried the unconscious Lingdang back outside the courtyard gate and handed her over to Lou Ziming.

Lou Ziming took her with one hand, nodded to Cui Hao, "Thank you, Brother Cui. We'll meet again."

With that, he turned and left, his steps light, quickly disappearing into the shadows along the village road.

Judging by his direction, he was heading deeper into the village.

Cui Hao slammed the courtyard gate shut with a "clang" and, like a leopard, silently and swiftly rushed towards the west room!

He grabbed the hard bow and quiver hanging on the wall, then pulled a dark old cloth used to cover the medicine furnace from the corner of the wall, and covered his face, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes.

With a short sprint, he agilely leaped over the courtyard wall like a cat, landing silently. He identified the direction and gave chase!

The [Stealth] skill was in full operation, his presence almost vanishing, his footsteps inaudible.

Su Yun stood at the entrance of the main hall, watching her husband's figure expertly disappear over the wall. Her heart pounded, and she clasped her hands together in prayer.

The crescent moon hung in the sky.

Cui Hao held the iron bow, a short blade tucked in his embrace. The soles of his shoes made no sound on the ground as he walked in the shadows, his figure completely hidden.

He followed Lou Ziming, one visible and one hidden, through the village, past a wheat field, and into a granary of a farmstead.

A dim yellow light still flickered inside the house late at night, accompanied by the clinking of cups and bowls, and the muffled sobs of women.

It wasn't uncommon for cults to take advantage of widows and respectable women for their pleasure. Some widows in financial hardship even offered themselves willingly, hoping for help.

Qiu Hui, an elder of the Wusheng Sect, was embracing a disheveled woman, his voice hoarse as he slammed the table. "Has Lou Ziming returned yet?"

"Elder, I've returned..." Before Lou Ziming could be seen, his voice was heard. Moments later, Qiu Hui saw Lou Ziming walk in with a woman on his shoulder. "That Cui Hao is quite greedy. He extorted thirty taels of silver from me."

"Thirty taels of silver is nothing. Once he's dead, we'll get the money back," Qiu Hui wiped his greasy mouth with his sleeve, then quickly stood up and reached out his hands. "Quickly give me the beauty."

"Elder, selling this one to the prefectural city could earn a lot of money."

"I know... I know..." Qiu Hui's desire was palpable. "I'll just touch her."

"Just touch, not eat." The entire room erupted in laughter.

In the corner, several girls with their hands and feet bound trembled.

At this moment, they didn't know that a carriage bound for the prefectural city awaited them, and guests who would never cease.

"Forget it," fearing he wouldn't be able to control himself, Qiu Hui handed Lingdang to a woman. "Keep an eye on her."

The woman responded.

"Let's keep drinking!" Qiu Hui shouted. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The group raised their cups and drank, and soon the two jars of rice wine were empty.

The room was filled with the heavy smell of alcohol, and everyone's faces were flushed with an unnatural redness.

"Can't hold it... gotta go relieve myself..." Lou Ziming staggered to his feet and stumbled out.

"Let's continue," Qiu Hui raised his large bowl, his eyes blurry with drink, and laughed, "Once this batch of goods reaches the prefectural city, we'll have them servicing customers day and night. The money will flow in like water!"

A member named Tao Da fawned, "Brother Qiu is truly brilliant, to come up with such a clever way to make money."

"Brilliant my ass! The Tu family has been doing this for ages. Who do you think takes in those sold women?"

Tao Da blinked in surprise, "The Tu family does this too?"

"In this world, no one is clean..." Qiu Hui paused. "Keep your mouths shut. This is just a side hustle, not our main business. Don't spread it around."

The group quickly agreed.

Outside, Cui Hao pressed himself against the granary, using the shadows for cover. He heard the sounds of debauchery coming from inside and remained motionless.

When Lou Ziming stumbled out to relieve himself, Cui Hao attacked from behind like a leopard, covering his mouth with one hand and precisely plunging a short blade into the back of his neck with the other.

Before the body hit the ground, another staggered out to relieve himself.

Cui Hao, using Lou Ziming's corpse as cover, closed in. A flash of steel, and the second man fell, clutching his throat.

The second man sobered up, his eyes wide in disbelief as he held his bleeding neck, unable to comprehend his imminent death.

Time passed. Fifteen minutes later, Qiu Hui suddenly realized two men were missing. His heart leaped. Years of experience in the martial world made him sense danger.

"Grab your weapons!" Qiu Hui slammed the table and roared, "Everyone, out with me!"

The group flung open the door and rushed out, scanning the dark night with wary eyes. They completely failed to notice Cui Hao slipping along the wall, boldly mixing in at the back of their group.

A flash of steel! Cui Hao's attack was swift and decisive. A strike to the back of the neck, straight into the brain, while simultaneously muffling the victim's mouth.

He gently set the body down and continued, dispatching the second, third... sixth man. By this time, their focus was all on the front.

It wasn't until one member unexpectedly looked back that he screamed in terror, "Behind us!"

Discovered, Cui Hao hurled the short blade in his hand. With a thwack, the blade buried itself in a man's chest.

Accelerating forward, his iron fist struck, and another member's ribcage let out a crisp cracking sound.

The remaining four men shivered, their drunkenness largely dispelled. Qiu Hui stepped forward, demanding, "Who exactly are you!?"

Having killed multiple people, Cui Hao's fighting spirit surged. Killing intent boiled within him, his blood and qi erupting. He became terrifyingly calm and launched a fatal attack directly at Qiu Hui!

Qiu Hui narrowly dodged the fierce punch, sidestepping while simultaneously swinging his saber in counterattack.

The blade cut through the air, its sharpness evident. Clear Force early stage!

Dodging the slashing blow at the last possible moment, Cui Hao's nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. The enemy had consumed a large amount of alcohol, numbing their senses, making them slightly slower. But Clear Force was Clear Force; it was worlds apart from Mortal Martial.

Making a decision in an instant, Cui Hao turned and ran.

Qiu Hui was stunned. He was actually a little intimidated when the man didn't run. Running meant fear, so what was there to say? He gave chase with all his might!

As he pursued, he extended his sleeve, and three flying needles appeared in his calloused palm.

Swish, swish, swish.

The needles, arranged in a triangular formation, tore through the night, flying towards Cui Hao's back.

In the past, Qiu Hui had survived countless perilous situations with his flying needle projectiles. It was his signature skill.

Now, in the dead of night, being pursued – it was the perfect time to use his hidden weapons.

Hearing the rustle of his sleeve, Cui Hao became alert. Just as the needles were about to hit him, he shifted his position.

"You're dead!" With his flying needles having failed, Qiu Hui strode forward, "I'll rip your head off!"

A cold smile curved Cui Hao's lips. The next instant, he rolled onto the ground, springing up with a bow and arrow in hand. He drew the bowstring with practiced ease and fired!

Qiu Hui's heart was filled with terror. He tried to dodge, but his momentum was too great, and the alcohol also hindered him. He could only watch as an Iron Arrow pierced his body.

Stamping his foot, the quiver stood upright. Cui Hao's movements flowed seamlessly as he loosed a second arrow, a third... an eighth.

Including the three men chasing behind, he killed them all in one go.

"Hh... hh..." Qiu Hui's throat, pierced by an arrow, leaked air. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.

He stomped on the throat of the Clear Force expert, breaking it. His standing meditation technique progress increased by 60 points!

Including the other lackeys, his progress increased by about a hundred points. It was worth the risk!

He picked up the steel saber used by the Clear Force expert. Glancing at it under the moonlight, he saw it was a good weapon, but unfortunately, he couldn't fence it.

He retrieved the Iron Arrows and dragged the four corpses to the entrance of the granary.

There were more bodies inside. He finished them off.

Entering the granary, he was met with the aroma of wine and meat. In a corner, some bound girls were held captive.

Not revealing his possession of a bow, Cui Hao deliberately went out to hide his bow and arrows before re-entering the granary.

Lingdang woke up, held captive by a woman with a sharp weapon pressed against her neck.

"Don't come any closer!" The woman pressed the dagger tightly against Lingdang's throat. "Or I'll kill her!"

Disregarding the hostage's safety, Cui Hao deliberately lowered his voice and asked the woman, "Where is the money hidden?"

The woman momentarily lost focus. Cui Hao threw the long saber in his hand. With a thwack, as precise as Archery, the saber pierced through the woman's body.

"Untie them!" Cui Hao ordered Ling Dang. "Flee for your lives."

Ling Dang was still in shock, frozen in place...

"Go quickly!"

Her wits returned, Ling Dang took a deep breath and went to help the trapped girls.

Cui Hao strode forward three or four steps, pulled his long saber from a corpse, and glanced at the granary. It was empty, not looking like a place where money would be hidden. He moved outside to search the bodies. The first yielded a reward: three taels of silver.

The second corpse had nothing.

Finally, he searched the leader of Clear Force's body. The money pouch was heavy, yielding over thirty taels of silver!

All together, it amounted to over forty-five taels.

Besides the silver, Clear Force's body had a piece of beast-skin parchment and six Qi and Blood Pills. He took it all.

By this time, all the girls had fled.

For added safety, Cui Hao didn't leave immediately. He piled all the corpses into the granary, doused them with lamp oil, and lit a match. The flames quickly surged.

The granary was soon engulfed in a blaze, consuming all evidence. And Cui Hao... it was as if he had never been there.