Chapter 74: Theft in the Night
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Theft in the Night
The days slipped by peacefully.
One night.
The night was as cool as water, the moon veiled and the stars sparse.
Chen Li sat meditating on his bed, his aura as deep and still as water. Within him, his three hundred and sixty-five Profound Acupoints slowly circulated like a star chart, drawing upon the Five Elements Qi. The energy meticulously coursed through his organs, his Inner Qi slowly tempering them.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed.
Two extremely faint presences, bearing the clear marks of deliberate suppression, were silently approaching.
Even while cultivating, his Spiritual Sense was like an invisible, intricate net that naturally enveloped the entire estate, placing every blade of grass and every tree within his perception.
"Hm?"
Chen Li instantly snapped out of his deep meditative state and stood up, his Spiritual Sense locking firmly onto the two figures.
’Blood Refining Perfection, impressive Body Technique, deliberately hiding their tracks. Who are they?’
His mind raced as his figure vanished into the shadows, and he swiftly closed in on them.
The two dark figures expertly scaled the wall into the courtyard, moving like specters toward the wing where Chen Shouheng was staying.
Their footsteps were as light as a cat’s, making almost no sound.
A cold glint flashed from one man’s fingertips as he used some sort of tool to jimmy the window. It swung open a crack without a sound. In a flash, both figures slipped inside.
"Who’s there?"
Chen Shouheng’s eyes snapped open as he let out a low cry.
Although their movements had been extremely quiet, at such close range, his body had instinctively sensed the danger and jolted him from his sleep.
With no time to think, his body reacted on instinct. He sprang up, his fist whipping through the air with a savage force as he lunged for the shadow closest to the bed.
"Attack!"
The two clearly hadn’t expected Chen Shouheng to be so vigilant. Once discovered, they gave a low shout, dropped all pretense of stealth, and counterattacked in unison.
Perhaps because of his recent life-or-death battle, Shouheng’s training had become far more rigorous since returning home than it had ever been at the martial arts academy.
Just the other day, while practicing at home, he had even managed to comprehend the Tiger Subduing Fist Intent, causing his strength to soar.
Now, even fighting two against one, he was not at a disadvantage.
However, the two figures’ Body Technique was uncanny. Their bodies seemed soft and boneless, twisting into unbelievable positions, and Shouheng couldn’t seem to break through their defenses.
The dull thuds of fists and feet colliding and the splintering crash of overturned furniture instantly shattered the night’s silence.
"Shouheng?"
"What’s going on?"
"Intruders!"
Lamps and candles were quickly lit in the main house and the western wing. The sounds of alarm—Song Ying’s panicked voice, Mrs. Chen’s urgent cries, and Chen Shouyue’s screams—rapidly grew from a distant clamor to a nearby commotion.
"Retreat!"
Seeing their cover was completely blown, the two knew they couldn’t linger. They executed a feint to force Chen Shouheng back and retreated rapidly, about to bolt through the door.
However, just as they were about to burst through the doorway.
A figure appeared silently in the doorway, completely blocking their escape.
It was Chen Li.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching them with a calm gaze, yet his presence gave them a suffocating feeling, as if they were facing a beast from the abyss.
Horrified, the two acted without thinking, splitting left and right in an attempt to force their way through.
Chen Li threw a single punch. His boundless Inner Qi struck both of them indiscriminately, penetrating their bodies in an instant. Like a flash flood from a broken dam, it overwhelmed the circulation of their qi and blood.
SPIT!
Both men spat out a mouthful of blood at the same time. Their bodies convulsed violently, limbs going numb, and they collapsed limply to the floor, eyes wide with terror and disbelief.
Without a moment’s pause, Chen Li stepped forward, his gaze like lightning. The Power of his Divine Sense formed an invisible sledgehammer that slammed viciously into both men’s minds.
"Ugh..."
The two men’s bodies seized up. Their eyes went instantly vacant and dull, and drool trickled from their mouths. They had been reduced to mindless dolts.
Only then did Chen Shouyue arrive. Seeing the two men collapsed on the ground and her father looking perfectly calm, she froze for a moment. "Father, are you okay?"
Immediately after, Song Ying and Mrs. Chen rushed in, wearing their outer robes. The color drained from their faces when they saw the wreckage in the room and the panting Chen Shouheng.
"Shouheng, are you all right?"
Song Ying rushed forward to check on him.
"I’m fine, Mother," Chen Shouheng said, his breathing now steady. He looked at the two men on the floor with lingering fear. "Father, I think they were looking for something."
Just then, Liu Yun also emerged, having struggled to her feet to investigate.
She was six months pregnant, her belly growing larger by the day. Chen Li quickly had Shouyue and the maid, Nan Xing, help her back to rest.
He then sent Song Ying and Mrs. Chen to get some rest as well.
After everyone had left, only Chen Shouheng remained.
Chen Li turned his gaze to the two vacant-eyed captives on the floor. His voice was low, laced with a trace of the Power of Divine Sense that probed directly into their minds. "Who are you, and why are you here?"
Having learned his lesson from when the Two Immortals of Life and Death had committed suicide by poison, Chen Li had struck this time by immediately using his Divine Sense to reduce the two men to mindless fools.
The Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing did contain a secret technique called A Dream of Millet Porridge, which could be used for interrogation.
However, his Divine Sense was not yet powerful enough to cultivate it, so he had to settle for the next best thing.
The two men were already witless, unable to even form a complete sentence, but they managed to stammer out a few key pieces of information.
Manu, an account book, the Ten-Mile Tavern, Zhuoyan Collection...
But that was enough. Chen Li instantly recalled the account book he had taken from the bodies of the Two Immortals of Life and Death, the one that recorded daily liquor sales.
That account book, he suspected, recorded something of extreme importance.
Chen Shouheng realized it in the same instant. "The Ten-Mile Tavern, in Zhuoyan Collection. Father, it seems that place is one of their hideouts."
"Shouheng, go dispose of these two."
Chen Li nodded. Worried Liu Yun might wake in the night and the commotion might affect her pregnancy, he went to her room.
"Yes, Father."
Chen Shouheng nodded and knocked both men unconscious with a single punch to each.
After a thorough search that yielded nothing but a few taels of broken silver and a pair of ordinary daggers, he hauled them off toward the cattle pen in the backyard.
...
「Zhuoyan Collection」
The town owed its prosperity to river transport. While not as bustling as the county seat, it was still lined with shops and saw a considerable flow of people.
The market wasn’t large, and Chen Li easily found the Ten-Mile Tavern.
The facade was modest and looked rather old, its banner slightly frayed and faded.
Chen Li watched from a distance for a moment. Customers were sparse. Inside, a middle-aged Shopkeeper and two waiters were resting out of boredom, making the place look exceptionally desolate.
After a moment’s thought, he turned into a side alley and entered an inn called the Flying Goose. He booked a second-floor room facing the street, its window providing a perfect view of the Ten-Mile Tavern.
For the next several days, Chen Li kept to himself, taking all his meals in his room. He spent most of his time either in Cultivation or quietly observing the goings-on at the tavern across the street.
「The fourth day, at nightfall.」
The lanterns were lit, and the pedestrians on the street began to thin out.
A seemingly ordinary horse-drawn carriage with a green canopy stopped silently outside the side door of the Ten-Mile Tavern.
Chen Li’s gaze sharpened.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and a portly, middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes hopped out. He glanced quickly left and right, then lowered his head and scurried through the side door.
Despite the dim light and the man’s quick movements, Chen Li recognized him at a glance.