Young Master System: My Mother Is the Matriarch-Chapter 201 - 200: The Heist Part 4
Li Wei sat alone in an empty street in the middle of two market plazas, while he contemplated the next few hours. The night time was already proceeding rapidly, and he did not have a great deal of resources at his disposal.
Nevertheless, he intended to conclude the affairs he had traveled all this way for. The young master had every reason to believe that the final phase of preparations would have to be completed tonight, in the event that his foes put their plans into motion.
Despite the just cause, Li Wei was not doing due to a sense of loyalty or belonging to the nation. As a human being that had the opportunity to study history during his previous, he was fully aware that the consequences of widespread conflict would affect the general populace severely.
He did not know the tenure of his stay within this plane, thus burning bridges and eloping elsewhere would not be the wisest course of action. The young man had no intentions of spreading calamity to an obscure corner of this world, as it would have a detrimental affect on his karma.
To make matters worse, he had only recently found out that his actions in the past compounded into an obscure hazard that threatened his life. The threat was intangible, but that did not mean the danger was either.
If this was his life prior to reincarnation, he would have labeled this as paranoia or hysteria. However, in a reality that permitted humans to manipulate forces of nature such things were rather simple.
After close to an hour of contemplation, Li Wei was finally greeted by the person he had been waiting for. "I hope you did not wait long," A simple merchant emerged from a worn down establishment like dew in a rainstorm, the middle aged man was garbed in blue martial robes and a white parasol hat. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"That is not important, our window is closing," Li Wei took the liberty of closing the distance between him and his contact, "I do not have to tell you the cost of failure…"
The young master kept his words brief, after all his colleague might have been followed.
"Very well, am certain that our host will send his regards at dawn." This cryptic statement left an uncomfortable silence between the pair, which only highlighted the dreary setting. It appeared his suspicions had been confirmed, due to the choice of words from his contact.
The host in question was the imperial council, and the regards the merchant was talking about were actually warriors trained under the chief magistrate. Li Wei had to act fast, because those warriors were not coming at dawn.
No further words had to be said, the young master vanished from the spot and fled into an alleyway nearby leaving his compromised ally behind. Li Wei had to lose his pursuers, as his business had yet to be concluded.
A faint shadow could be observed slipping through the alley without breaking stride, shifting from open street to a narrow passage in the blink on eye, while sounds of the market muffled at once by stacked crates and sagging awnings.
Damp stone pressed close on either side, and the smell of stagnant water clung to the air. The young master's sandals struck uneven ground as he moved forward, ~scuff~
His contact had done what he could without condemning himself outright. Li Wei turned sharply and vaulted over a low clay wall, landing in a refuse yard littered with broken baskets and torn cloth.
A rat scattered at his arrival. ~skitter~ As he crossed the space in three steps and slipped through a half-collapsed door into a storage shed, ducking behind a row of barrels. Heavy sets of footsteps echoed faintly from the alley he had just left. ~step… step~
Li Wei slowed his breathing and pressed his palm against the cool wood of the barrel and closed his eyes for a brief moment, extending his awareness outward.
'What do we have here…' The rhythm of the city returned to him in fragments like voices carried on by the wind, clattering of distant carts and fervent pulses of lanterns being lit street by street.
A shadow passed just beneath the gap in the shed door.
Someone paused outside before moving on, Li Wei waited another minute before shifting positions. The young master eased toward the back wall and slipped through a narrow opening where the boards had rotted away, emerging into a service corridor barely wide enough for a cart.
He broke into a sprint as the corridor opened into a network of side streets unfamiliar even to long-time residents. Laundry lines hung overhead, brushing his shoulders as he passed. ~flutter~
"My goodness!"A woman shouted in surprise as he nearly collided with her carrying a basket of linens. Li Wei twisted aside and kept moving, offering no apology.
Behind him, a sharp whistle cut through the air. ~whistle~
"My whereabouts have not gone unnoticed,' Li Wei thought. 'No matter….' The young man veered left into a stairwell leading up the side of a tenement and took the steps two at a time.
Li Wei reached the roof and crossed it at break neck speed, leaping the narrow gaps between buildings without hesitation. Tiles shifted under his feet, clattering down into the dark. ~clack~
From this height, the city looked deceptively calm.
Lanterns dotted the streets like fallen stars and just to the east, a bell rang to mark the midnight hour. ~dong~
Li Wei dropped down onto the next roof and crouched low, scanning the lanes below before spotting movement near the market plaza.
Dark figures were spreading out, cutting off predictable routes. This caused him to change direction again, descending through an abandoned loft and exiting through a rear door that spilled him into a butcher's yard.
The smell of old blood hung heavy, but it masked his trail.
Li Wei ran past a drum and manipulated a stream of water to splash over his sleeves and cloak, then vanished into another alley.
His pulse steadied as he ran. 'They are a step to late in stopping this campaign, he thought. 'My time here is nearly up…' Somewhere in the city, vaults were being inspected and doubly guarded.
On the top floor of a pavilion, men congratulated themselves on foresight. Meanwhile, in quiet corners of gambling dens favors were already being called in. Li Wei slipped through yet another passage and emerged onto a bridge overlooking a narrow canal.
The young master vaulted the railing and dropped to the walkway below, landing hard and rolling once before coming up in a crouch. ~thud~
The water below flowed dark and slow, reflecting nothing.
He allowed himself one breath, then straightened and walked on at a measured pace, becoming just another shadow along the canal.
His next stop would be the last on this extravagant night tour of the capital, it was the parliament building. One of the most heavily guarded sections of the entire city aside from the imperial palace.
The canal narrowed as Li Wei followed it north, stone walls rising higher on either side. Moss clung to the lower bricks where the waterline kissed them, and iron rings meant for mooring boats jutted from the masonry at uneven intervals.
One of them creaked softly as the current tugged at an old rope left behind. ~creee~
Ahead, the canal curved and disappeared beneath an arched bridge of pale stone. Beyond it, the silhouette of the parliament complex rose above the surrounding roofs, its outline unmistakable even in low light.
Unlike the palace, it did not rely on height alone. Its walls were thick and steadfast, set far back from the main roads by broad courtyards that discouraged casual approach. Li Wei slowed his pace and blended into the rhythm of the walkway, matching his steps to the distant footfalls of a night patrol somewhere above.
He reached the underside of the bridge and paused beside a pillar darkened by age and moisture. From this vantage point, he could hear his surroundings cearly
Boots crossed stone in steady intervals. ~step… step~ a shift of armor followed afterwards, intertwined by leather rubbing against metal. ~scrape~ Muted voices carried from above, clipped and largely restrained.
He rested one hand against the pillar and tilted his head slightly, focusing on the parliament guards. These warriors were not as complacent as the city watch, most of their routes overlapped deliberately, with pauses for observation.
Anyone watching long enough would notice the pattern change every quarter hour. 'They are clearly on high alert,' Li Wei thought for a moment and moved on once the patrol passed, slipping just beyond the bridge and up a narrow stair carved directly into the embankment.
The stone steps were worn smooth from decades of use, likely meant for maintenance rather than ceremony. His left palm brushed the wall as he climbed, feeling the faint vibrations of activity above.
At the very top, he stopped short of the courtyard and remained motionless.
