The Hunt

Gather all the guards at the manor tonight.

Butler Tang walked to the manor's storeroom again and took out two hundred and fifty taels of silver notes.

Taking the manor's guards and the two hundred and fifty taels of silver notes, he found the five martial arts hall masters in Dongsheng Town.

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

Fearing this would be a hot potato, none of the five hall masters reached out to take the silver notes when they were handed over.

Seeing this, Butler Tang cursed inwardly: "These old foxes won't move without a reward."

Smiling, he said, "Please rest assured, masters. The person you'll be dealing with this time is the son of a hunter in town. He just turned sixteen last month. With the five of you, it'll be a piece of cake."

When the five hall masters heard that the person they were to capture had just turned sixteen last month and was still a snot-nosed kid, they happily took the silver notes from Butler Tang and put them in their robes.

"Let's go, Butler Tang!"

"Opposing Mister Li is opposing our five great martial arts halls. Such a person must be severely punished."

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

Fearing further complications, he didn't waste any more words. He led the guards and the five hall masters straight to Luo Yi's house.

The group arrived majestically at the alley next to Luo Yi's house. Butler Tang signaled for everyone to be quiet, to avoid alerting their target.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Butler Tang looked back at the guards and the five hall masters and said:

"Everyone, my old bones can't do the heavy lifting. I'll leave the rest to you. Make sure to bring the person back to the manor, and the master will reward you handsomely."

With that, Butler Tang signaled for them to act and slowly retreated into the nearby alley.

The five hall masters and the guards exchanged glances. Unsure of the situation inside the walls and fearing danger, no one was willing to step forward, leading to a stalemate outside the courtyard.

Butler Tang, hiding in the distance, was so angry he felt like his lungs would explode.

He rushed back to the group and pointed, "You, yes, you, the strong man looking around, pry open the door."

The strong man pointed at looked dejected. He drew the long saber from his waist and inserted it into the door crack.

Just as he was about to use force to pry open the door bolt, the courtyard gate opened on its own.

"Go!"

Thinking they had been discovered by Luo Yi inside the courtyard, Butler Tang shouted to those behind him.

Hearing the shout, the five hall masters and the guards braced themselves and rushed in.

Upon entering, they found the entire courtyard empty, not a soul in sight.

Seeing no one inside, they rushed into the rooms and searched every corner, but found no place to hide.

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

"Butler Tang, there's no one in the courtyard. We searched the rooms too, and every possible hiding spot. We couldn't find the young man you mentioned."

Listening to the report from the captains and the hall masters, Butler Tang rushed into the courtyard.

At this moment, the entire courtyard, apart from firewood and straw piled in the corner, had nothing of value in sight.

No clues were found in the courtyard.

Butler Tang entered Luo Yi's room. The entire room was empty except for a hole in the roof! It looked like it had been ransacked by bandits; there wasn't even a bed.

It had been about half an hour since "Qi the Third" returned for reinforcements. It was nighttime, and with demons and evil spirits roaming outside the town, even if they ran, they wouldn't dare go too far.

"Everyone assemble!"

Hearing Butler Tang's voice, everyone gathered.

Looking at the crowd in the courtyard, Butler Tang said, "These two are definitely still in town. Start from the alley next door."

"In groups of three, search house by house. I don't believe these two would dare to leave town at night."

"Yes!" Butler Tang.

Luo Yi and Wang Meng, who were peeking at the situation outside from atop the courtyard wall, heard the commotion from the adjacent alley.

"Uncle Wang! These people seem to be searching house by house. They'll find you sooner or later. I'm worried..."

Looking at Luo Yi, who was full of worry.

"Don't worry, Xiao Yi. As long as I don't agree, no one in Dongsheng Town dares to break into my courtyard. Go back to the room and look after Xiao Xi. Leave the rest to me."

Looking at Wang Meng, who was full of confidence, Luo Yi remembered the armored man he saw that day.

Luo Yi nodded, returned to the room, locked the door, gripped his Dao, and hid by the door.

As the group continued their search, they soon arrived in front of Wang Meng's house.

However, no one knocked on the door. The five hall masters looked at Butler Tang simultaneously.

"Butler Tang, your Mister Li and Captain Wang's business is not our concern. We'll go search the neighboring houses. We'll leave this place to you." Without waiting for Butler Tang's reply, the five of them walked straight towards the side.

Butler Tang was not surprised by their actions.

Looking at the courtyard before him, he thought about how Lady was becoming increasingly violent lately. If he failed to complete the task, would he also end up like Qi the Third? He couldn't help but shiver.

The butler gritted his teeth and, steeling himself, led the guards to knock on the door.

Bang, bang, bang.

"Captain Wang, I apologize for disturbing you so late. We're looking for someone." He peered through the gap in the door into the courtyard.

Seeing no response from inside for a long time, the butler signaled to the three guard captains behind him.

Just as the three captains were about to climb over the wall, the door creaked open from the inside.

Wang Meng stood at the entrance, his face stern.

"Butler Tang, why have you brought so many people to my house so late at night?"

Listening to Wang Meng's questioning, the butler forced a smile and explained that they were looking for Luo Yi.

"I don't have the person you're looking for in my house. Besides, you're not from the authorities. Be careful, or I'll report you for trespassing."

With that, Wang Meng slammed the door shut.

Butler Tang hadn't expected Wang Meng to refuse him so decisively, giving him no face at all. His expression turned very ugly.

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

"Lady" and Wang Meng, he couldn't afford to offend either side. He decided to return and ask his master's opinion before making a decision.

He arranged for the guards to search nearby houses first, leaving two guards to watch near Wang Meng's house to prevent anyone from escaping.

Butler Tang returned to the mansion at the east end of town and recounted the events to Mister Li.

"It's this Wang Meng again, always this Wang Meng!" He's ruined my plans repeatedly.

"A few people went missing in town before, and he ran to the county town to report me, almost getting 'Lady' discovered by the authorities. Now he's ruining my plans again." Mister Li slammed the table in anger, his eyes filled with venom.