Ji Feihua gestured for him to keep quiet, only then noticing that Hu Xiaotian had already covered his face with a mask. The fellow really did plan thoroughly, though it also showed his guilty conscience. He already possessed the art of Changing Appearance, yet still took this unnecessary precaution.
The two hid in the crown of the tree without speaking. After roughly an hour, Ji Feihua lightly tapped his shoulder, then took the lead, soaring toward the Prosperity Treasure House. His toes touched lightly against the surrounding wall, and he rose into the air again, landing atop the three-story building in the back courtyard.
Although Hu Xiaotian's movements were not as light and graceful as Ji Feihua's, he landed without making the slightest sound.
No lamps were lit inside the building, but voices drifted out. Hu Xiaotian pressed his ear against the eaves and listened closely, faintly making out a man and a woman talking inside. The man's voice sounded familiar. After a moment's thought, his heart jolted. It sounded like his second sworn brother, Xiao Tianmu. Hu Xiaotian unconsciously clenched his fists. Being betrayed by his two sworn elder brothers, Xiao Tianmu and Zhou Mo, had been the most painful experience of his life, and he still could not let it go.
The room fell silent. Before long, footsteps sounded on the stairs, followed by the soft creak of a door opening. A woman emerged, and by the moonlight, Hu Xiaotian recognized his younger aunt, Xu Fengmei.
Just as Xu Fengmei appeared in the courtyard, two men entered through the gate. They approached her and saluted with cupped fists. The older man said respectfully, "Steward, we escorted him safely out of the city, as you instructed."
The other man pulled back the hood of his cloak. Hu Xiaotian's eyes