'Changfeng Tavern.'
He'd learned from the talk among the other patrons that it was one of the most famous establishments in Beiye City. Its wild game was so renowned that even nobles from as far as Qingzhou State City made special trips just to taste it.
His own order wasn't expensive—just common, home-style dishes, though he'd ordered a large amount. Some of the more exotic mountain delicacies and wild game cost more than ten taels of silver per dish, and a full meal there could easily run over a hundred taels.
While he ate, he saw many richly attired people heading to the private rooms on the second floor. He gathered from the chatter of the patrons in the main hall that the second floor was the exclusive domain of dignitaries and nobles.
'I need to get some money.'
Xu Yunfan felt the silver in his hand and exhaled slowly. He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the sky as it began to darken.
'Hunting?'
'No, hunting is out of the question.'
「That very night.」
The eastern district of Beiye City was the residential area for the wealthy. It was home to many rich people, and many of them were cruel and heartless.
Case in point: while he was eating at the tavern, a few men who looked like scholars at the next table had gotten completely drunk. One of them, emboldened by the alcohol, began loudly cursing the Hu Family.
"That Hu Family is truly heartless! So many people in this city have frozen to death. Who knows how many of those deaths are their fault!"
His words echoed through the tavern, drawing glances from all around. His companions quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, paid their bill, and scurried away.
'Whether it was true or not, for a scholar to revile them so publicly, the Hu Family's reputation must be atrocious.'
The Hu Mansion.
Xu Yunfan stood in the shadows of a distant alley, observing it quietly. He had made some inquiries and learned that the Hu Family employed a Martial Master, who was considered a first-rate expert in a small place like Beiye City.
The mansion before him was built on a grand scale. Its high, thick brick walls stood more than two men tall, their glazed roof tiles covered in a blanket of snow.
Xu Yunfan slowly circled the estate, posing as a casual passerby. The area was utterly silent, save for the howling of the frigid wind.
His Hunting Skill allowed him to be extremely cautious and avoid drawing attention. By the time he completed a full circuit, almost no one had noticed him.
'Sometimes, whether hunting animals or people, it's all the same. This Hunting Skill is incredibly useful for both.'
A careful observation revealed that only the front and back gates were guarded, and only by a few house guards. They were all bundled in thick, padded clothing, their necks pulled into their collars, stomping their feet every so often to stay warm. They had no mind to pay attention to their surroundings.
'They're really only capable of guarding the gate itself.'
Having made his assessment and confirmed the situation, Xu Yunfan approached a section of the wall. He took a deep breath, bent his knees slightly, and then exploded upward in a powerful standing jump, launching himself a full three meters into the air.
He reached out a hand to steady himself on the top of the wall, his movements as agile as a cat in the night. Soundlessly, he clambered onto a roof that abutted the wall.
'It's at times like this,' Xu Yunfan thought, 'that a Light Body Technique like Flying Leg is so incredibly useful. Paired with the special abilities from my Hunting Skill, it's a perfect combination.'
The Light as a Feather and Walking on Thin Ice abilities from Flying Leg, combined with Silent Landing from his Hunting Skill, made his two-hundred-plus-pound body feel as light as a feather. He moved without making the slightest sound.
He remained motionless on the rooftop for the better part of an hour. After he had mapped out the night guards' patrol routes in the Hu Mansion, he was just about to make his move when he suddenly froze.
In the courtyard below, a burly, middle-aged man was slowly walking out from an inner yard. His face was weathered, and a scar slashing diagonally from the corner of his eye across his cheek looked particularly menacing in the torchlight.
He had a powerful build with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The lines of his muscles were faintly visible beneath his silk robes, and his every movement caused them to swell, radiating a sense of explosive power. The knuckles of his dangling hands were unusually large and prominent.
'A Martial Master who has achieved Great Mastery of Muscle Training, and an expert in Fist Techniques, no less. This must be the Hu Family's First-Level Martial Artist.'
Xu Yunfan's eyes narrowed, and his breathing slowed. An expert of this caliber was extremely sensitive to their surroundings; he could detect the slightest disturbance.
Snowflakes drifted down into the courtyard. The middle-aged man clasped his hands behind his back and paced a slow, deliberate circle. Then, his voice echoed calmly through the night.
"Come on out. It's not very proper to be climbing on someone's roof this late at night."
A jolt went through Xu Yunfan, but he didn't move. He remained concealed in the darkness, lying in wait. 'I'm sure I haven't made a single mistake,' he thought. 'He could just be bluffing. I need to hold my nerve.'
Just then, his gaze flickered, shifting to the rooftop on the other side of the courtyard.
A slender black figure shot out like an agile wildcat. Her form was as light as a willow catkin, and in the blink of an eye, she was about to flee the courtyard.
"Trying to leave?"
With a cold snort, the middle-aged man took a great stride forward. He moved with incredible speed, shooting forward like an arrow released from its bow.
He moved so fast that the force of his passage created a gust of wind, causing the nearby torches to flicker violently.
In the blink of an eye, he had caught up to the slender figure just as she was about to leap from the Hu Mansion.
The middle-aged man's arm shot out like a bolt of lightning. The air whistled as his fist tore through it, carrying enough force to shatter a stone stele as it smashed viciously toward the woman in black.
But the woman in black was no slouch either. Seeing the attack, she jabbed her toes hard against the high wall, leaving a shallow crater in the solid brick.
Using the force of that push, she twisted in mid-air like a falcon. The muscles of her long, slender leg bulged beneath the tight black fabric as she launched a swift, vicious kick straight at the middle-aged man's groin.
With his family jewels on the line, the middle-aged man naturally didn't dare be careless. He immediately retracted his fist to defend himself. He had achieved his goal, however, which was to block the woman's escape.
The two instantly fell into a fierce exchange. Fists flew and kicks were traded, their clashes making low whistling sounds. In a mere moment, they had already exchanged more than a dozen blows.
The middle-aged man's punches were heavy, each one carrying the force of an ox. Although the woman was at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation, she was as nimble as a cat, and her Body Technique was incredibly fluid.
Finally, the woman in black appeared to be losing, but she was actually using the force of one of the man's punches to propel herself backward, drifting away to land just outside the Hu Mansion.
The middle-aged man, seeing this, refused to let her get away. His face was a mask of fury. The woman's attacks had been vicious, with every blow aimed at a vital point, and she had targeted his lower body several times. Seething with rage, he let out another cold snort.
"Where do you think you're going!"
With that, he vaulted over the high wall in hot pursuit.
Watching the two figures—one fleeing, the other pursuing—disappear into the night, Xu Yunfan immediately realized his chance had come. 'This is the perfect opportunity.'
'Right now, everyone in the Hu Mansion is distracted by the woman in black. The whole place is in chaos. It's the perfect time to fish in troubled waters.'
Since someone was already taking the blame for him, he cast aside his remaining inhibitions.
Xu Yunfan moved quickly across the rooftops of the Hu Mansion, but soon ran into a problem.
"Where the hell is the treasury?"
Xu Yunfan's gaze settled on a young woman who looked like a maid passing below, her face etched with panic. With a single movement, he dropped down and landed directly in front of her.
The delicate-featured young maid was already walking on eggshells because of the intruder in the Hu Mansion. When a large, masked man suddenly dropped from the sky in front of her, she froze.
The man's eyes were like cold stars, staring intently at her.