A nearby constable quickly gestured and whispered solemnly, "Brother Ma, quiet! Don’t startle the thief. There are ten taels of reward silver waiting for us!"

"Sigh... fine!" Ma Zehua sighed. For ten taels of reward silver, he had no choice but to tough it out.

Ma Zehua was quite powerful, so Chen Cheng had assigned him to a district where wealthy families resided. Such areas were often prone to major cases.

Of course, Chen Cheng didn’t expect his constables to fight to the death. They were only required to be vigilant and call for backup immediately upon spotting a thief.

Thus, when assigning personnel, he paired the constables up according to their respective strengths.

Ma Zehua’s partner was none other than the Preparatory Constable who had questioned Chen Cheng earlier. His name was Xie Tao, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old whose strength was on the weaker side. He was only at the Beginner Level of the Skin Grinding Realm, though he had achieved Great Success in his Saber Technique.

Chen Cheng had partnered him with Ma Zehua to watch over such an important district precisely because he had a feeling about the boy. Xie Tao seemed highly motivated, with a strong desire for reward silver.

And Chen Cheng’s judgment seemed to be spot on. Xie Tao’s Martial Arts Power wasn’t high, but he was quite clever. As soon as their shift began, he had dragged Ma Zehua all over their assigned area to scout, eventually settling on this alley corner.

According to him, this spot offered a wide field of view and was downwind. They’d be able to detect any disturbance in the area immediately.

Ma Zehua thought it made a lot of sense, so he agreed. He just hadn’t anticipated that standing still would be much colder than walking patrol. ’I’ll just have to endure tonight,’ he thought. ’Tomorrow I’ll wear an extra layer of cotton clothes. Then I can wait for my prey in comfort.’

Just then, Xie Tao suddenly tugged on Ma Zehua’s sleeve and pointed toward a large estate in the distance.

Ma Zehua followed his finger and faintly saw a dark figure flash past a corner. Then, with a single bound, it leaped gracefully onto the compound wall.

’A thief, just as planned!’ Ma Zehua was overjoyed. He was about to charge out when Xie Tao yanked him back.

"Sun..." Xie Tao whispered, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s drone.

It only took Ma Zehua a moment to understand. That estate belonged to the Sun Family, headed by Gentry Sun. Gentry Sun himself was a formidable Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm, and he had over ten Hospital Martial Artists guarding his home.

Gentry Sun also had another identity: he was the first disciple of Wu Qingcheng, the Gang Leader of the Qingcheng Gang.

’With that kind of power on site, the thief won’t be able to get away with anything quickly. We can wait until he’s inside the Sun Family’s compound, then reveal ourselves and expose him.’

’That way, not only do we secure the ten taels of reward silver for spotting him, but if Gentry Sun and his Hospital Martial Artists get involved, they might even capture the thief. Then it wouldn’t be just ten taels, but a hundred taels! After all, Mr. Chen said there’s a hundred taels for the capture, he never said a City Guard Department constable had to be the one to do it.’

At this thought, Ma Zehua gently patted Xie Tao’s head, as if to say, ’Not bad, kid! Not bad at all!’

Xie Tao made another gesture. Ma Zehua understood completely. He held up his hand, ready to count. Once the thief was inside the Sun Family’s compound, he would time it just right and then make his move.

...

On the compound wall, the black-clad, masked, and slender Flying Thief Ren Fei was suddenly struck by a sense of danger. He held his breath and scanned the surrounding streets and alleys. He watched for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, but still detected no movement.

’Could I be overthinking this?’ Ren Fei wondered.

He was the one responsible for the two thefts last night.

As a professional Flying Thief, Ren Fei was always cautious and discreet. After every job, he would lie low in a different location, waiting for the heat to die down before striking again—always in a new place.

After all, these wealthy families all had powerful backers, and many were connected to Jianghu Gangs.

Ren Fei wasn’t afraid of investigations by the City Guard Department Officials; he could always hide out in the city’s gray areas, like gambling dens and brothels. The Jianghu Gangs, however, made him wary. They controlled those very gray areas, and a lone Flying Thief like himself could never completely evade their network of informants.

This time, however, operating in Qingshui Pier’s territory, he had no such concerns. The one pulling the strings was none other than the Tiger and Leopard Gang, the very gang that controlled this area.

Moreover, the Tiger and Leopard Gang Leader, Li Hu, had casually let slip that the gang had official protection.

As a renowned Flying Thief in Lishui District, Ren Fei naturally wasn’t one to believe things so easily. He had done his own investigation.

The Chief Constable of the Qingshui Pier area was an eighteen-year-old hothead whose power was nothing special—just a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm who spent his days patrolling the streets and alleys.

Considering all these factors, Ren Fei had grown bold and reckless while operating in this area.

’A hotheaded Chief Constable with no support from his superiors and no Jianghu Gangs for informants... If I, Ren Fei, don’t take this chance to make a huge score, I’d be an idiot.’

’Pull a few more jobs, rake in enough silver coins, and I can take it easy for a year or two.’

With this in mind, Ren Fei had excitedly set out for the night. To his great annoyance, however, the Qingshui Pier area was crawling with patrolling constables tonight. And these constables were like a pack of wolves, searching every nook and cranny of the streets. Even with his outstanding Qinggong and skill in moving through the dark, he had almost been discovered several times.

’This is insane!’ Ren Fei sensed the danger. His first impulse was to call off the operation and wait for another chance.

However, that notion changed when he reached this particular district.

This district seemed to be completely clear of patrolling City Guard Department constables. In fact, after nightfall, there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

Of course, Ren Fei understood why. This district was home to several influential families, each with their own Hospital Martial Artists on guard.

The family he was targeting in particular, whose Patriarch was Gentry Sun of the Qingcheng Gang, had even more Hospital Martial Artists.

The Tiger and Leopard Gang had already gathered all this information for him, and Ren Fei himself had cased the joint during the day.

An ordinary thief who tried to hit the Sun Family would have virtually no chance of getting away in one piece.

Perhaps for this very reason, the City Guard Department constables patrolling this area had let their guard down. ’They’re probably hiding in some corner, sleeping the night away,’ he figured.

’Other Flying Thieves might not be able to pull this off, but when I, Ren Fei, make a move, I never miss!’

After confirming that his surroundings were clear, Ren Fei thought with supreme confidence, then flickered out of sight, slipping silently into the Sun Family’s compound.

...

Back at the alley corner, Ma Zehua and Xie Tao both breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the dark figure disappear into the Sun Family compound.

"That thief is so cautious. I really thought he’d spotted us," Xie Tao whispered, his voice so low that Ma Zehua could barely hear him.

Ma Zehua ignored him and began counting on his fingers. "One... two..."

He counted all the way to thirty, then suddenly charged out, Long Saber in hand. As he neared the Sun Family compound, he flicked his wrist and fired a Whistling Arrow into the sky.

With a sharp CRACK, the Whistling Arrow exploded high above the Sun Family compound, bursting into a shower of red sparks.

"Hey, thief in the Sun Family’s home! Listen up, you’re surrounded!"

"Brothers, the thief’s in the Sun house! Surround the front gate, quick!"

"Hurry, hurry! Don’t let him get away! There’s a huge reward for his capture!"

"Come on, boys! This is our chance to get rich!"

Xie Tao joined in, banging the wooden clapper in his hand and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Ma Zehua and Xie Tao kept changing the pitch of their voices, creating the illusion that a dozen men were shouting.

Meanwhile, Ren Fei had entered the Sun Family compound and successfully crept to the door of the accounting office in the central courtyard. He was just prying open the window paper, preparing to release his Mist Smoke.

Suddenly, he saw a Whistling Arrow shoot into the sky and explode.

Ren Fei recognized it as a Whistling Arrow used by the City Guard Department to call for backup and was instantly scared out of his wits.

Hearing the shouts from Ma Zehua and Xie Tao, he knew his escape route was blocked. He immediately bolted in the opposite direction, hoping to cross the garden and flee over the far wall.

Just as he reached the edge of the garden, several Hospital Martial Artists burst out from the side buildings, blocking his path with sabers and swords.

"Insolent thief! How dare you trespass in the Sun Family’s home at night!"

"Brothers, get him!"

These few Hospital Martial Artists weren’t particularly strong. Ren Fei could have cut them down in a few moves, but he didn’t dare get bogged down in a fight. He quickly flung out several throwing darts.

"Darts!"

The Hospital Martial Artists either parried with their sabers or dodged aside, but two of them were still struck in vital spots by the darts and collapsed.

Seizing the opening, Ren Fei took several quick bounds to reach the compound wall. He vaulted onto the top and vanished from sight.

Gentry Sun and the other Hospital Martial Artists rushed over from the rear courtyard with torches, but they were only in time to see a dark figure flash over the wall and disappear.

Gentry Sun paused for a moment, but ultimately decided not to give chase.