The Search

Gather all the guards at the estate tonight.

Butler Tang went to the estate's storeroom and took out two hundred and fifty taels' worth of Silver Notes.

Taking the estate's guards and the two hundred and fifty taels' worth of Silver Notes, he went to find the five Martial Arts Hall masters in Dongsheng Town.

He promised each of the five fifty taels of silver to help "Mister Li" with one task: bring someone back.

Worried this might be a hot potato, none of the five masters reached out to take the Silver Notes he offered.

Seeing this, "Butler Tang" cursed inwardly. A bunch of old foxes. They won't spread their wings until they see the rabbit.

He smiled and said, "The five masters have nothing to worry about. The person you're being asked to deal with is just a hunter's son from town. He turned sixteen last month. With the five masters on the job, you'll have him in the palm of your hands."

Hearing that the person they had to catch had only just turned sixteen last month—a little brat who hadn't even grown his first hairs—the five masters cheerfully accepted the Silver Notes Butler Tang offered and tucked them into their robes.

"Let's go, Butler Tang!"

"Anyone who opposes Mister Li is opposing our five Martial Arts Halls. Such a person must be severely punished."

Listening to their righteous words, Butler Tang rolled his eyes.

Worried that something else might go wrong, he stopped wasting time and led the guards and the five masters straight to Luo Yi's home.

The group arrived in the alley beside Luo Yi's home in a great clamor. Butler Tang motioned for everyone to be quiet, so they wouldn't alert their target.

Once everyone had quieted down, Butler Tang turned to the guards and the five masters behind him and said:

"These old bones of mine won't be going up there to make a fool of themselves. I'll leave the rest to you. Be sure to bring him back to the estate. The master will reward you handsomely."

With that, Butler Tang signaled for them to move, then slowly slipped into the alley beside them.

The five masters and the guards exchanged glances. Not knowing what lay beyond the wall and fearing danger, none of them wanted to go first. They ended up in a standoff outside the courtyard.

Watching from a distance, Butler Tang was so furious he felt his lungs might burst.

He hurried over to the group and pointed a finger.

"You—you, the burly fellow who keeps looking around! Go pick the lock."

The burly man he'd singled out pulled a long knife from his waist with a miserable look on his face and wedged it into the gap in the door.

He was just about to force the bolt when the courtyard gate opened on its own.

"Get in!"

Thinking Luo Yi had spotted their group from inside, Butler Tang shouted to the people behind him.

At his shout, the five masters and the guards charged inside, steeling themselves.

Once inside, they found the entire courtyard deserted. They couldn't see a single ghost of a person.

Seeing no one in the courtyard, they rushed into the rooms and searched every corner, but found nowhere someone could be hiding.

The five masters and three guard captains found Butler Tang hiding in the neighboring alley.

"Butler Tang, there's no one in the courtyard. We checked the rooms too, turning over every place someone could hide, but we didn't find the young man you mentioned."

Hearing the captains and masters' report, Butler Tang rushed into the courtyard.

Aside from the firewood and straw piled in a corner, there wasn't a single valuable thing in sight.

They found no clues in the courtyard.

Butler Tang entered Luo Yi's room. Apart from a hole in the roof, it was completely bare! It looked as though bandits had ransacked it—not even a bed remained.

Roughly half an hour had passed since Qi the Third returned to ask for help. It was now nighttime, when demons and Evil Spirits roamed outside town. Even if the two had fled, they wouldn't dare go too far from town.

"Everyone, assemble!"

At Butler Tang's call, everyone gathered.

Looking at the people in the courtyard, "Butler Tang" said, "Those two must still be in town. Start with the neighboring alleys."

"Split into groups of three and search every house, one by one. I refuse to believe those two would dare leave town at night."

"Yes, Butler Tang!"

Luo Yi and Wang Meng were crouched atop the courtyard wall, secretly watching the situation outside, when they heard a commotion coming from the neighboring alley.

"Uncle Wang! It sounds like they're searching every house. They'll find your place sooner or later. I'm worried..."

Wang Meng looked at Luo Yi's worried face.

"Don't worry, Xiao Yi. As long as I don't give permission, no one in Dongsheng Town would dare barge into my courtyard. Go inside and look after Xiao Xi. Leave everything else to me."

Looking at Wang Meng's confident expression, Luo Yi thought of the armored man he'd seen that day.

Luo Yi nodded, went back inside, and locked the door. Gripping the Dao in his hand, he hid beside the door, ready to strike as soon as it opened.

As the group continued searching, they soon arrived in front of Wang Meng's courtyard.

But no one went to knock. The five masters all turned to look at Butler Tang.

"Butler Tang, we won't get involved in whatever is going on between Mister Li and Captain Wang. We'll search the houses nearby. We'll leave this place to you." Without waiting for Butler Tang to answer, the five walked straight off.

Butler Tang wasn't surprised by their behavior at all.

Staring at the courtyard before him, he thought of how increasingly violent the Lady had become lately. If he failed to complete the task, would he end up like Qi the Third? A shiver ran through him.

Butler Tang gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and went up to knock with the guards.

"Thud." "Thud." "Thud."

"Captain Wang, sorry to bother you so late at night. We're looking for someone." As he spoke, he peered through the crack in the gate into the courtyard.

When no one inside answered for a long time, Butler Tang gave the three guard captains behind him a look.

The three captains were just about to climb over the wall when the door creaked open from inside.

Wang Meng stood in the doorway, his expression stern.

"Butler Tang, why have you brought so many people to my home in the middle of the night?"

At Wang Meng's questioning tone, Butler Tang put on a smile and explained that they were looking for Luo Yi.

"There's no one you're looking for in my home. And you're not government officials. Be careful, or I'll report you for trespassing."

With that, Wang Meng slammed the door shut from inside.

"Butler Tang" hadn't expected Wang Meng to refuse him so bluntly, without giving him any face. His expression turned ugly.

Thinking of Wang Meng's standing, Butler Tang felt a headache coming on.

Neither the Lady nor Wang Meng was someone he could afford to offend. He'd better return and ask his master what to do before making another decision.

He sent the guards to search the nearby houses and left two of them on watch near Wang Meng's home, to stop anyone from slipping away.

Butler Tang returned to the estate at the eastern end of town and found Mister Li, then recounted what had happened.

"It's that Wang Meng again! That Wang Meng again!" He'd ruined my plans time and time again.

"People went missing in town before, and he went to the county seat to report me. The government nearly discovered the Lady. And now he's ruining my plans again." Mister Li was so furious he pounded the table, his eyes full of venom.