Wuling.
South City.
Under the hazy moonlight, a figure drifted into a courtyard like a wisp of smoke.
The courtyard was neat and tidy; clearly, its owner was a diligent person.
The figure landed in the courtyard, as nimble as a cat, without making the slightest sound.
He was a young man in his twenties or thirties, dressed in silks and satins that were clearly expensive, with a peach blossom tucked into his hair.
He broke into a silent grin, his pale, ashen face looking rather unsettling in the moonlight.
The next moment, a bamboo tube about half a foot long appeared in his hand.
With a flicker of movement, he silently arrived before the window, gently poked a hole in the paper pane with the bamboo tube, and then put his mouth to it and blew.
Instantly, a wisp of pink mist shot out from the bamboo tube, spreading through the room with extreme speed.
Inside the room, a young woman slept on the bed, clutching her quilt. The pink mist seeped into her mouth and nose.
Her breathing gradually deepened. Her body went slack, her hands fell to her sides, and a large expanse of her skin was exposed.
Outside the window, the young man saw this and couldn't help but lick his lips.
"It's rare to find such a beauty in a common household. How could such a young body let a fine night go to waste?"
The young man murmured to himself, "Let me be the one to dote on you."
CRACK!
With a soft snap, the young man shattered the door bolt with a palm strike and then pushed the door open without a care.
'Once they're hit with my knockout smoke, they won't wake up no matter how loud the commotion. I can do whatever I want, and she'll just go along with it.'
The thought of the young woman's youthful body made him agitated, and his own body began to react.
However, just as he had one foot across the threshold, a sudden sense of danger flared in his heart.
The next moment, Du Qian's body shot backward as if spring-loaded. WHOOSH—he recoiled several feet in an instant, his body seemingly weightless.
Right where he had just been standing, a Feathered Arrow was now embedded three inches into the ground, its tail still trembling slightly.
Du Qian's pupils contracted sharply.
"Who?!"
he hissed in a low voice.
The surroundings were dead silent, with only the whoosh of the blowing wind.
Du Qian's body was tense as he warily scanned his surroundings.
TWANG!
With a soft sound, a Feathered Arrow shot out from the darkness.
'Found you!'
Du Qian snorted inwardly. With a flicker of his body, he dodged the Feathered Arrow and was about to pounce in the direction it came from.
'This bastard who shot at me from the shadows and ruined my fun… I'll make him understand the consequences of offending me, Du Qian!'
He had just begun to move when another Feathered Arrow suddenly shot at him from a different direction.
If he continued forward, he would be throwing himself right onto the Feathered Arrow.
Du Qian stopped abruptly, breaking out in a cold sweat.
'More than one person!'
'Could the South City Bureau or the City Guard Army have discovered me and set up an ambush?'
A thought surfaced in Du Qian's mind.
But the next moment, he dismissed the idea himself.
'If it were the South City Bureau or the City Guard Army, they wouldn't be this stealthy. The whole place would be in an uproar by now.'
'These ambushers are just like me—they seem to be afraid of being discovered.'
Feathered Arrow after Feathered Arrow came from different directions, making it difficult for Du Qian to tell just how many people there were.
He was agile, dodging the incoming Feathered Arrows, but he had no way to counter-attack for the time being.
His opponents' archery had clearly reached the level of military Archers. Moreover, they were too far away for his knockout smoke to be effective, rendering more than half of his skills useless.
"Who might you be? If you've also taken a fancy to this girl, I will yield her to you," Du Qian said in a low voice.
There was still no response, only two Feathered Arrows shooting at him from the front and back.
Du Qian's body swayed. He dodged one, but the other tore through his trouser leg, leaving a shallow gash on his calf.
Du Qian was both shocked and enraged.
"Are you after money or pleasure? Do you really want to fight me to the death?"
Du Qian said through gritted teeth.
The whooshing night wind blew past, but still, no one answered.
Du Qian snorted coldly, his figure flashing like a phantom to a spot over ten feet away.
Two Feathered Arrows crisscrossed and struck the ground where he had been.
With a flip of his wrist, a round ball appeared in Du Qian's hand.
He fiercely slammed the ball onto the ground.
BANG!
Pink mist instantly filled the air. In the space of a single breath, it had already enveloped the entire courtyard.
The pink mist was extremely thick. Looking in from the outside, one could only see swirling clouds of pink. The people and objects within the courtyard were completely shrouded, indiscernible to the naked eye.
Su Mu's heart sank.
'As expected of a notorious criminal from the wanted list. Even for a flower thief, he's truly formidable.'
'He and Yang Jin had ambushed him, using bows and arrows that should have been the perfect counter.'
'Yet after so many arrows, they had only managed to inflict a mere flesh wound.'
'Now that the pink mist had risen, he and Yang Jin had lost their target. Today's operation was likely a failure.'
Just then, Su Mu suddenly saw a figure dart out of the red mist. It seemed to be able to step on air, taking six or seven steps mid-flight as it was about to escape into the darkness.
Su Mu subconsciously drew his bow and fired an arrow, having already given up hope of catching Pink Wolf Du Qian.
It all happened in an instant.
A net suddenly appeared right in front of Du Qian!
The threads of the fishing net had all been dyed black with ink, making it practically invisible in the darkness.
If Du Qian hadn't crashed into it, even Su Mu wouldn't have noticed a fishing net was hidden there.
PFFT!
Du Qian clearly hadn't seen the fishing net and had slammed right into it unprepared.
The impact cost him the chance to dodge Su Mu's arrow.
The arrowhead broke through Du Qian's skin and pierced his body, instantly spattering blood.
A look of surprise flashed across Su Mu's face. He had simply done his best and left the rest to fate; he never expected that arrow to actually hit Du Qian.
Though surprised, Su Mu's reaction was not slow in the slightest.
TWANG!
TWANG!
The sound of several bowstrings echoed in the dark of night.
Accompanied by a series of soft thuds, several Feathered Arrows instantly found their mark in Du Qian's body.
Some were from Su Mu, others from Yang Jin.
Two of them pierced straight through Du Qian's thighs.
By the time Su Mu and Yang Jin cautiously approached, Du Qian had already slid down from the fishing net.
He lay on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with indignation, frustration, and an intense hatred.
"Just who are you people? Why did you ambush me?"
Du Qian tried to ask.
But Yang Jin gave him no chance to speak, stepping on his chest and drawing his bow.
PFFT!
A Feathered Arrow pierced Du Qian's throat.
At that moment, Du Qian's arm fell limp, and a small, round ball rolled from his hand.
Su Mu was secretly alarmed. 'If Yang Jin hadn't been so decisive, Du Qian might have managed to turn the tables on us.'
'These wanted men are truly insidious and cunning.'
'Compared to Yang Jin, my experience is still lacking. I didn't even notice that subtle movement Du Qian made with his hand.'
'But even a man this insidious, cunning, and powerful died here because of one careless mistake.'
'The Jianghu is a treacherous world. You can never let your guard down, not even for a second.'
Su Mu was jolted by the realization, silently taking the lesson to heart.
He glanced at Yang Jin. If anyone ever claimed Yang Jin was an ordinary Hunter again, Su Mu would spit in their face.
How could an ordinary Hunter kill so proficiently?
He even set up a fishing net. He was treating Du Qian like prey.
'I wonder how long he's been planning this.'
Su Mu was now even a little unsure whether cooperating with Yang Jin was the right choice.
He was genuinely afraid he couldn't outsmart the man.
"Du Qian has ruined who knows how many decent women. Since I found his trail, I naturally had to find a way to take care of him."
Yang Jin seemed to notice Su Mu's look and offered an explanation. "Even without our partnership, I would have made a move. This way just kills two birds with one stone."
"When did you set up this net?"
Su Mu asked noncommittally.
"I told you I wasn't alone,"
Yang Jin said, cupping his hands to his mouth and letting out two calls like a Night Owl.
Several figures quickly emerged from a nearby alley. Acting as if they didn't even see Su Mu and Yang Jin, they silently rolled up the fishing net and vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
Su Mu was speechless.