Seizing Wealth

Nine Stripes Ward.

North Street.

This was the northernmost area of Nine Stripes Ward. In terms of prosperity, it might not compare to the several streets at the heart of Nine Stripes Ward, but it lay closer to the Inner City, making it likewise a place where some wealthy and powerful families resided.

Night had fallen. Walking along the broad North Street, one could see nothing but walled estates on both sides. Some courtyards were still brightly lit, as though they belonged to a world entirely different from the pitch-black slums.

The roads here were level, and the bluestone courtyard walls were spotless.

Inside one such grand estate.

Several burly men stood there. One of them carried a burlap sack in one hand. The sack kept writhing, as though some living thing was inside, yet he carried it with effortless ease all the way to the inner courtyard, where he knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing a young master dressed in silk and brocade, around twenty or thirty years old. He asked indifferently,

"Did you bring her?"

"We did."

The burly subordinate grinned, set the sack on the ground, and opened it.

What emerged was not some beast like a wild boar, but a terrified girl of around thirteen or fourteen. Her clothes were ragged and patched upon patched, clearly marking her as someone from a commoner's household. Her complexion was slightly sallow, and while she was not especially beautiful, in times like these, among poor families, she was already a rare sight.

"Mm, not bad. Prettier than the last one."

Wei Lun forcefully pinched up the girl's chin and gave her an appraising look. Then he released her, apparently satisfied, and nodded.

The burly men laughed. "We spent quite a few days finding this one. Those mud-legged families really can't raise much worthwhile stock."

"Fine, I'll mark this down as a merit for you."

Wei Lun chuckled. "Once I'm done playing with her, she'll be yours. But be gentle. If you kill her like last time and don't get the chance to sell her to East City for money, the silver will be deducted from your monthly pay!"

"Of course, of course. We'll definitely be careful this time."

The burly subordinates all smiled ingratiatingly and rubbed their hands together, their faces showing anticipation.

As for the girl, whose hands and feet were bound and whose mouth had been stuffed with white cloth, the terror in her eyes gradually turned into despair as she listened to Wei Lun and the guards talking.

Wei Lun reached out, grabbed the rope around her body, and hauled her up before dragging her toward the room. The girl struggled desperately, kicking hard against the ground with both feet, but how could she match Wei Lun's strength? She was soon dragged inside.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

The guards outside chuckled as they moved farther away, each trading filthy remarks while waiting for the reward to come.

However.

What happened inside the room was not the fragrant, erotic scene the guards had imagined.

Wei Lun had only just entered the room with the girl and shut the door, about to say something, when his words abruptly died in his throat.

A crude iron sword had somehow been placed against his neck.

Cold sweat instantly poured down his body. His hand loosened involuntarily, releasing the girl, and he did not even dare raise his voice. "Sir... Great Sir, what do you want? If it's silver, I'll fetch it for you at once..."

Wei Lun was terrified beyond measure.

There were clearly so many guards outside, yet in the brief moment it took him to open the door, a masked bandit had appeared in the room and put a sword to his throat. Since when had security in the Outer City become this terrible?!

"Hand it over."

Behind Wei Lun stood a man in a black cloak and mask, who spoke in a cold voice.

"Yes, yes."

Wei Lun repeatedly agreed, cautiously walking into the inner room. He opened a chest and took out around thirty Gold Leaves, along with roughly one hundred taels of silver.

The man in the black cloak said coldly, "That's all?"

Wei Lun pulled a long face and said, "That's all I have. That old bastard only cared about enjoying himself. When he died, he didn't leave me more than a few coins. I saved all this by scrimping and pinching. The other young masters go to the flower district every day to have fun, but I couldn't even bear to go..."

"Oh."

The man in the black cloak nodded. Then, suddenly, the iron sword in his hand flashed loose and stabbed straight into Wei Lun's throat, cutting off his words at once as blood sprayed out.

Wei Lun had clearly not expected that the bandit would still kill him after he had handed over all his money. An unwilling look appeared on his face. Hoarse sounds came from his mouth as he tried to call the guards outside, but no sound could emerge.

Thud!

His entire body fell to the floor. After twisting and struggling a few times, he gradually stopped moving.

The girl who had been kidnapped stared at the scene in terror. She did not show the slightest joy at what had happened. To her, whether it was Wei Lun or the bandit before her who killed and robbed, both were terrifying villains.

"..."

The man in the black cloak did not look at the girl beside him. He merely gathered up the silver and Gold Leaves piece by piece, weighing and calculating them. Altogether, they were worth only around four or five hundred taels of silver.

Only after gathering all the money did he glance at the girl beside him. But that was all. He ignored her, picked up the iron sword, lifted the nearby window, and climbed out through it.

The girl, still bound hand and foot, remained collapsed beside Wei Lun's corpse, gasping violently.

About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later.

A burst of chaotic commotion came from outside. It sounded as though fighting had broken out, but it lasted only a short while—perhaps a dozen breaths—before everything fell silent again. No one had even managed to cry out.

The girl remained curled up there in terror and fear beside Wei Lun's corpse for the entire night. At dawn the next day, the door was kicked open with a bang, and a group of Yamen Runners entered.

"Huh, there's still one alive!"

Liu Song showed a trace of surprise.

Li Tie looked over the scene in the room with a thoughtful expression. He walked over and used his Yamen Saber to pick away the cloth stuffed in the girl's mouth.

Having spent the entire night trembling in terror and fear, the girl looked at the officials before her and suddenly burst into tears, wailing loudly.

After a while.

City Guard.

Inside Chen Mu's office, Liu Song and Li Tie quietly reported the matter.

"...She is the daughter of a Zhao Family on Down River Street. Wei Lun had his men abduct her at night, intending to commit evil deeds, when bandits raided the estate. He and more than a dozen estate guards were all killed cleanly."

"Runner Office Lord also went there personally. After examining the corpses, he said they were all sword wounds. The swordsmanship did not seem especially accomplished, but the strength behind it was astonishing. It differed somewhat from the incidents of recent days, yet it should have been done by the same person. It was likely either some notorious, ferocious bandit or someone from the Inner City who came over to 'uphold justice and punish the wicked.' He told us to let this matter end here."

Liu Song and Li Tie recounted the incident in detail.

Chen Mu listened with a calm expression, then waved them off. "Alright, I understand."

Min Baoyi had already made the decision on this case: it would end here, with no further investigation. There was no need to inform him, but Liu Song and Li Tie's usual task was to tell him about all the large and small matters that occurred while he was absent from the City Guard.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going. Carry on as usual."

Chen Mu stood and walked out.

Liu Song and Li Tie both saluted.

Before long.

Chen Mu returned home alone and entered his bedroom. From beneath several floor tiles at the bottom of a chest tucked inside the bed, he took out a bundle containing around sixty or seventy Gold Leaves and two or three hundred taels of silver.

There was also a crude iron sword without a scabbard, planted upright in the ground.

"I've finally become well-off. Mm, I should send Yue Er some more silver as well. She needs money for expenses over there now too."