Grave robbing? A beauty?

That night, only a sliver of waning moon hung in the sky, and the darkness made visibility extremely poor.

But for Zhao Er, a night like this made it easier to act.

Compared with his first trip to scout out the Longwind Gang, Zhao Er knew the ropes much better this time. Before long, he was back in that familiar tree, concealing himself while watching the courtyard below.

It was as lively as ever down below. The tavern's rear courtyard rang with gambling, drinking, and finger-guessing games, while inside, abacuses clattered away in a constant chorus.

Zhao Er was already used to it. Once he spotted the Longwind Gang Leader he had seen last time inside the room, he gently let go of the branch and settled in to wait.

He waited half the night. There seemed to be even more accounts to check than last time, and the tavern's rear courtyard stayed lively all night long.

"Sir~ It's already so late. Why not stay the night?"

"No, no. My old battle-axe is still waiting at home."

Only when the sky began to lighten and roosters started crowing did they finally finish sorting out the accounts at the Longwind Gang's headquarters.

Zhao Er perked up and watched the courtyard, waiting to see where the gang leader would go once the revelry below ended.

"Now... load everything onto the carts!"

But unlike last time, when the gang leader had simply dismissed his men, this time Zhao Er saw him enter the courtyard and wave a hand, ordering the chiefs to load an enormous quantity of copper coins onto carts.

Zhao Er was in no hurry. He simply crouched in the tree and watched in silence.

He watched them load the copper coins, but instead of taking them out of town, they hauled them to the only money house on the street.

Then he watched chest after chest of copper coins being carried inside. Before long, the Longwind Gang Leader emerged holding a wooden box and rode straight out of town with several gang members, heading toward County Town.

Zhao Er was not surprised. Just as the Longwind Gang's chiefs were eager to collect the protection money, their leader was eager to deliver that silver to his superiors.

Whether those superiors were the Red Tiger Gang in County Town, however, was something Zhao Er did not know.

Having returned empty-handed that first night, Zhao Er did not even go up the mountain that day. He stayed home practicing martial arts, but nothing happened.

When evening came, however, Zhao Er set out early and slipped over to the Longwind Gang's headquarters in town.

The tree was as familiar as ever, but the relentless clatter of abacuses was gone, and things downwind were even livelier than before. This time, it looked like a celebration banquet. Fine wine and food covered the tables, and several singing girls even danced in their midst, swirling their long robes and displaying their alluring figures. Even the Longwind Gang Leader was gulping wine from a bowl.

Zhao Er did not have to wait long before the Longwind Gang Leader stood, said a few words, and left the banquet.

With their leader gone, the Longwind Gang's members seemed to enjoy themselves even more. Zhao Er, meanwhile, slid down from the tree and followed in the direction the gang leader had gone.

The Longwind Gang Leader had left alone.

Unlike when he had followed the chief Li San, Zhao Er was much more capable now. Even so, he did not dare let his guard down and merely trailed far behind.

This time, he did not intend to wait for the man to relieve himself. Instead, he planned to wait until he went home, then seize the chance to assassinate him after he fell asleep.

Huh? Something's not right!

But as Zhao Er followed him, he began to notice something amiss.

After leaving headquarters, the Longwind Gang Leader showed no intention of stopping as he passed through the residential area. Instead, he kept glancing around while heading toward a patch of woodland behind town. He did not look as though he was going home. Rather, he looked like a thief off to do a job.

By now, the Longwind Gang Leader had left the residential area and was crossing a stretch of open ground.

Zhao Er did not dare follow too closely. He could only huddle beneath the eaves of a house and watch from afar as the man walked away.

There only seems to be a patch of woodland over there, with no houses nearby. At this hour, why is he sneaking around instead of drinking and watching the dancers at headquarters?

Watching the Longwind Gang Leader recede into the distance, Zhao Er racked his brains for what lay in that direction.

I'll find out if I follow him!

In the end, Zhao Er could not come up with an answer. He was still unfamiliar with the villages around town, but he had no intention of giving up. The more cautious the man was, the more important this matter had to be. Perhaps an opportunity would present itself.

Only after the man disappeared from the open ground and entered the woods did Zhao Er lower his body and hurry after him.

Which way did he go?

The moment he entered the woods, Zhao Er concealed himself. Having followed from so far away, he could not tell whether the Longwind Gang Leader was still among the trees or had already left in some other direction.

But just as Zhao Er was about to search the forest floor for footprints to determine which way the man had gone, he heard the faint sound of digging.

Over there!

Zhao Er was delighted to hear it. Once he confirmed that the sound came from the middle of the woods, he began creeping toward it.

The woods were dark, and Zhao Er moved with great care, not daring to make the slightest sound, so his progress was slow.

Fortunately, the sounds ahead never stopped. Before he had gone much farther, small points of firelight appeared ahead.

After reaching a clump of bushes and hiding behind it, Zhao Er stealthily peered toward the source of the sound and light.

But the moment he looked, a strange expression appeared on his face.

What lay ahead was not a place where treasure had been buried, as Zhao Er had imagined, but a grave.

More precisely, it was a newly built grave mound, as he could tell from the joss paper beside it and the faint traces of quicklime around it.

The digging sounds were coming from there as well.

A ring of candles surrounded the grave mound. Beneath their somewhat dim light, the Longwind Gang Leader was digging vigorously with a shovel he had found somewhere.

Have I stumbled upon a grave robber? No, that doesn't make sense. This is clearly a fresh grave, and in a little place like this, they couldn't have buried anything valuable with the dead. Besides, if he's robbing a grave, shouldn't the candle be in the southeast corner? What's with the whole ring?

Watching the Longwind Gang Leader dig with all his might, Zhao Er muttered inwardly, unable to understand the man's purpose.

But it did not matter if he failed to understand. He would find out if he kept watching. Although the man was digging, his eyes kept darting around, and he looked extremely cautious. Clearly, this was not a suitable moment for a surprise attack.

Late at night, beneath faint moonlight, someone was digging with a shovel in a graveyard by the dim glow of candles. The scene really was rather chilling.

Thud!

A martial artist could dig quickly. Zhao Er did not have to wait long before the sound of the shovel striking a coffin came from ahead.

"Hehe... Beauty, here I come. Don't blame me for drugging you, and don't blame me for only coming now. It's just that yin energy is strongest at this hour. Come help me break through to the bone tempering realm!"

The Longwind Gang Leader casually tossed aside his shovel. His face brimming with excitement, he rubbed his hands together and reached to lift the newly exposed coffin lid.