Making sure no one was looking, Yang Jing moved, drifting like a wisp of green smoke to the base of the courtyard wall.

He bent his knees to gather power. With a pulse of hidden energy from his feet, he launched himself into the air, silently vaulting over the nearly ten-foot-high wall and landing steadily inside the courtyard.

Shen Lie’s home was even larger than he had imagined. The courtyard, paved with bluestone slabs, was spacious and tidy, with a few neatly trimmed pomegranate trees planted on either side. Between the main house and the side rooms, there were a good seven or eight rooms in total—equivalent to two of his own home.

Yang Jing’s gaze swept over the courtyard. ’This Shen Lie might look rugged,’ he thought, ’but he’s surprisingly well-off. He must have some valuable things hidden away.’

’Once I’ve taken care of business, I might as well relieve him of some of his things. I’ll consider it collecting interest.’

He suppressed his aura and stuck close to the wall, slowly scouting the courtyard.

He had done his reconnaissance thoroughly. Shen Lie was still single, not yet married.

On any given day, he either stayed at the Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall or returned to this house in Anxing Square.

He only employed an old woman to handle the chores. She lived in the neighboring Pingyi Square, came over during the day to clean and cook, and would lock up and go home at dusk. At night, Shen Lie should have been the only person here.

However, Yang Jing had always been cautious and did not act rashly.

Hugging the base of the wall, his steps as light as a falling leaf, he first circled the side rooms.

At each window, he paused to listen intently, checking for any sign of movement within.

The side rooms were all completely empty. He couldn’t hear the slightest sound of breathing or a heartbeat; they were definitely unoccupied.

Once he confirmed the side rooms were empty, he slowly moved toward the window of the main house.

This was Shen Lie’s bedroom, but the candles inside had already been extinguished, leaving only the swaying shadows of the trees outside.

Yang Jing held his breath and gently pressed his ear to the window lattice, listening intently.

After a moment, his brow furrowed slightly.

The room was unnaturally quiet. Forget Shen Lie’s typically coarse breathing; he couldn’t even detect the faintest stir of air.

’Normally, even if Shen Lie’s skills aren’t weak and he can suppress his breathing, there should still be some subtle sound. It’s impossible for it to be this deathly still.’

’There are only two possibilities. Either Shen Lie has detected an intruder and is holding his breath, waiting for me to show myself, or he isn’t in the room at all.’

Yang Jing considered it for a moment and decided the second possibility was more likely.

But just entertaining the first possibility conjured an image in Yang Jing’s mind: Shen Lie, inside the room right now, separated from him by nothing more than a thin sheet of window paper...

A shiver of revulsion ran down his spine, and he quickly shook his head. ’Impossible.’

’When I snuck in, I pushed my Surging Wave Legs Body Technique to its absolute limit. My steps were completely silent, and the night wind provided cover. With Shen Lie’s meager skills, there’s no way he could have detected me.’

’He’s not home?’

To confirm, he extended his right index finger, wet the tip with saliva, and gently poked the very edge of the window paper.

The paper wasn’t thick, and once moistened, it immediately gave way, creating a tiny hole.

Yang Jing pressed his eye to the hole and peered inside.

A single, blood-red eyeball stared back from the other side of the hole, locking gazes with him... Of course, the scene he had imagined didn’t materialize.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the crack under the door, he could make out the room’s interior.

A large bed stood against the wall, its covers neatly folded. It had clearly not been slept in.

The chair by the table was empty. On the table sat a teapot and a small dish of peanuts. There was nothing else.

The entire room was empty. There was no sign of Shen Lie at all.

Yang Jing’s brow furrowed even tighter. ’Did Shen Lie not come home tonight?’ he wondered. ’Did he stay at the Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall?’

At this thought, a wave of frustration washed over him.

He had thought he could eliminate this threat in one go tonight, but he had come up empty.

Judging by the state of the room and the late hour, Shen Lie probably wasn’t coming back tonight.

With no sign of him this late, it was almost certain he was sleeping at the Martial Arts Hall.

"Hmph. Guess the bastard’s lucky."

Yang Jing cursed under his breath, feeling a little resentful.

Shen Lie rarely spent the night at the Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall. Of all nights for him to be away from home, it had to be this one. It was as if fate itself had allowed him to escape disaster.

Since he wasn’t here, there was no point in staying.

Yang Jing suppressed his impatience and decided to leave.

He kept his steps extremely light, slinking along the base of the wall like a cat as he retreated toward the outer wall. Every few steps, he would pause to listen, only continuing once he was certain there were no unusual sounds.

When he reached the courtyard wall, he listened intently once more for any sounds from the alley outside. There was only the whistling of wind sweeping up fallen leaves, and nothing more.

Yang Jing didn’t hesitate. He bent his knees, leaped, and silently vaulted back over the wall, landing in the alley outside.

But the moment his feet touched the ground, he changed his mind.

’I’ve come all this way. It would be a waste not to wait a little longer.’

The thought flashed through his mind, and he again felt a pang of resentment at giving up so easily.

He silently calculated the time. ’I’ll just wait for two hours. If Shen Lie still hasn’t returned by then, I’ll give up for good and find another opportunity.’

His mind made up, his figure flickered, and he vaulted back into the courtyard.

...

「Meanwhile, in a gloomy alley in Pingyi Square.」

A fierce wind sent withered yellow leaves spinning along the bluestone path with a mournful howl, making the night feel all the more profound.

At the far end of the alley, a figure came staggering forward. It was Shen Lie.

He had drunk a great deal tonight. His face was unnaturally flushed, and he was muttering incoherently.

He had met up with a few good friends for drinks earlier. Over the table, he had announced his plan to teach Yang Jing a lesson, ranting and cursing his name for ages while spittle flew from his mouth, vowing that he would make that brat understand who he was dealing with.