Yang Zhao reacted this way because he was afraid.
The reason was simple: if the thief Treading the Moon dared break into Duke Anguo's Residence and kill someone today, would he dare break into the imperial palace tomorrow?
The thought left him sitting on pins and needles, which was why he was so furious.
And when the Son of Heaven was angry, his wrath naturally struck with the force of thunder.
Although the nation was weakening by the day and he was gradually losing control of the major strongholds across the land, this was still the Capital, at the foot of the Son of Heaven. Before the sun rose, orders had already been delivered to all parties.
In an instant, the city gates were shut tight. The streets, usually bustling with activity, echoed only with the cold clatter of armor plates as patrols passed, and even the air was thick with a grim, murderous atmosphere.
Meanwhile, news of the shocking bloodshed at Duke Anguo's Residence spread through every street and alley in the Capital at a speed far beyond anything the authorities had imagined.
In taverns and teahouses, constables and runners patrolled back and forth, but whenever they had gone far enough away, the patrons still lowered their voices and talked animatedly about the earthshaking crime of the previous night.
"Have you heard? Duke Anguo's Residence was almost burned to the ground!"
"That's not even the half of it. My cousin on my second uncle's side works at the Military Patrol Office. He said the Moon-Treading Great Hero chopped Li Chunfeng's head off right in front of the Six Gates, and even Li Jun was nearly blown to death."
"Good! That feels wonderful! I've got to have a few extra drinks today."
The common people's words were full of admiration and longing for the Moon-Treading Great Hero.
The families who had suffered under Li Chunfeng's bullying were overcome with mixed emotions when they heard the news.
In a courtyard in the south of the city, the young woman Li Chunfeng had tormented until she wished only for death sat staring blankly out the window.
Her mother came in carrying a bowl of hot porridge. Her eyes were red, but her voice brimmed with joy she could not suppress.
"Sweetheart, that beast is dead. The Moon-Treading Great Hero killed him last night. We've been avenged!"
The young woman's body trembled slightly. She slowly raised her head, and a glimmer of life finally returned to her empty eyes.
She looked at the complicated expression on her mother's face, tears mingling with her smile. At first, she only wept silently, tears rolling down her face one by one without a sound.
Then she threw herself into her mother's arms and burst into heart-rending sobs.
It was as though she meant to pour out all the injustice and humiliation she had suffered in that way.
The people sang his praises, while the imperial court seethed.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye had long since returned to the shared courtyard without a sound.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and summoned the system panel with a thought.
[Name: Chen Ye] [Class: Nightwalker (lv4)] [Talent: Child of Shadow (You are the darling of the shadows, born able to become one with the darkness. Your presence, sounds, and form are greatly concealed in the shadows, making you almost impossible to detect.)] [Skills: Deft Hands lv10, Swift Blade lv10, Running on Eaves lv10, Shadow Concealment lv4] [Shadow Concealment]: A skill exclusive to Nightwalkers. You can actively merge into the shadows, completely concealing your form and presence for a short time, as though you had vanished from the world. The higher the skill level, the longer it lasts and the fewer openings it leaves. [Throwing lv1]: Passive skill. Greatly increases the user's accuracy, force, and range with thrown weapons. This skill applies to all ranged projectile attacks, including but not limited to throwing knives, archery, and concealed weapons.
He had gained three levels in a row!
Shadow Concealment had shot straight from lv1 to lv4!
And the newly appeared Throwing skill was an unexpected bonus.
Chen Ye reckoned it had something to do with his use of a sling to throw firebombs the night before.
The skill was practically tailor-made for him, strengthening every ranged attack at his disposal.
Whether he used throwing knives or bows and crossbows in the future, it would help him enormously.
All in all, the rewards from this adventure had far exceeded his expectations.
Chen Ye closed the panel in satisfaction and lay down for a short rest before getting up and leaving his room.
In the courtyard, Fang Tao was sitting in a circle with the other brothers. Excitement was written on every face as they chattered away, spittle flying.
"You should've seen it. The flames lit up the whole southern sky."
"I heard that old Six Gates constable Cheng Ming and his granddaughter, the one they call the strongest of the younger generation, were both killed!"
"Good heavens, this Moon-Treading Great Hero is incredible. Still, that's a good thing. Those bastards in the Capital will have to sleep with one eye open from now on."
Without betraying any reaction, Chen Ye ladled himself a bowl of porridge and squatted to one side, slurping it down as he listened to the others embellish his glorious exploits.
At last, Fang Tao said with a sigh, "The Moon-Treading Great Hero may be strong beyond measure, but we still need to be careful. Things are too tense out there right now, with officers everywhere. So starting today, nobody goes out. Stay put in the courtyard, or you might get arrested as a thief."
The others answered in a chorus of agreement.
Chen Ye naturally had no objections. Once he had eaten, he returned to his room to catch up on sleep.
But he had only just lain down when someone began banging on the courtyard gate.
"Open up! The Arrest Bureau is conducting an investigation! Everyone inside, get the hell out here!"
Chen Ye's eyes narrowed, and he immediately rolled out of bed.
The courtyard gate was soon opened, and a pack of fierce-looking runners swarmed in. At their head was Zhao An, Commander Zhao of the Arrest Bureau.
Zhao An's face was ashen. Clearly, pressure from above had left him with no choice.
As he saw it, how could a master thief capable of committing such an outrageous crime possibly hide in a den of petty thieves like this?
But the orders from above were absolute: search the entire city and leave no corner unchecked. He could only grit his teeth and go through the motions.
"Stand up straight, all of you! We'll question you one at a time! Tell me exactly where you were and what you did last night!"
The Brushing Walls in the courtyard had never seen anything like this. Every one of them turned pale with fright and fell silent as cicadas in winter.
The questioning proceeded quickly. When Chen Ye's turn came, a thought occurred to him. He put on a nervous, slightly awkward expression and stammered out his answer.
"Officer, I... I went to eat at the Big Wine Jar with a friend last night. Then... not long after that, I came back. The brothers in the courtyard can all vouch for me."
Zhao An looked Chen Ye over and thought he looked familiar. Then he remembered: wasn't this the lad with fairly decent skills from the skills competition?
Just a petty thief scraping by in the streets.
The last trace of doubt in his mind vanished. He waved impatiently. "All right, next!"
The search naturally turned up nothing, and Zhao An left with a head full of troubles. It was not just him: the Arrest Bureau, the Six Gates, and the Military Patrol Office had practically turned the entire Capital upside down, questioning every registered member of the martial world and visiting countless commoners, yet they still found nothing.
Forget catching him; they hadn't even found a single hair of the Moon-Treading Great Thief.
For a time, the heads of the three offices were so worried their hair was nearly turning white. An absurd claim even began circulating in private: Treading the Moon wasn't human at all, but a ghost or a god!
Just as everyone thought the Son of Heaven's thunderous wrath was about to descend, a message arrived from the northern border by eight-hundred-li express.
The grassland barbarians had once again marched south, their spearheads aimed straight at the Capital!