On the roof, Shengsi peeked through a hole to count how many thugs were inside, and learned that there were exactly twenty-eight, since the two guarding outside had already been dealt with and tied in a dark corner by the side yard. She also realized that her hunch had been correct, as the ragged child turned out to be the same one she had given twenty copper coins to while tidying up her shop before closing. 

Not only that, because the young nobleman seemed very familiar to her as well. He was the same customer who had swept away all her remaining products after Young Master Qin provoked him into tasting one loaf, which eventually led to him buying everything! But how did that young nobleman end up in this kind of situation in the first place?

Spotting someone whose clothes differed slightly from the others, though still dressed like a bandit, Shengsi narrowed her eyes. Unlike the rest, his robe carried darker patterns near the sleeves, and the hilt of his blade appeared more stylized than the others. 

“That one must be their leader.”

Tilting her head slightly, she gazed at the moon and thought about how she should execute her plan. In this kind of situation, creating chaos first would be the easiest method. Her aunt once taught her a tactic known as “luring the tiger away from the mountain,” a method used to divide enemies and scatter their focus before striking at their weakest point. She never thought she'd have to apply such teachings in real life.

“Aunt Li, are you watching from the moon you once admired?” she asked quietly, before sighing as the cold wind brushed past her. “How am I tied to these matters now...”

Ever since she saved Xie Chuanhu, she kept getting dragged into things she'd never done before. It had only been a few days, for heaven’s sake! Couldn't she catch a breath? Even the heavens rested after storms, so why couldn't she? 

Yet no matter how much she grumbled, she knew this was partly her fault. Had she simply baked the child some food instead of giving him twenty wen, perhaps none of this would've happened. Thinking about how the child was meant to die while the young nobleman was spared for ransom made her chest tighten.

That poor child had already suffered enough.

She couldn't allow such cruelty to happen.

And so, Shengsi leapt into the night like a shadow carried by the wind, vanishing into the dark without a sound. No one noticed that judgment was already descending upon the abandoned house, much like the tales of wandering heroes who upheld justice beneath the moonlight.

Perhaps, to those who'd witness it later, she'd resemble a dragon swallowing the moon before reclaiming the land beneath it.

The sleeping Xianquan heard the ragged child’s stomach growl and glanced behind him. “Dear child, are you hungry?”

The child, as usual, didn't respond, nor did he move.

But his stomach replied for him.

Xianquan looked at the sleeping guard and called out, “Hey.”

But the guard only continued snoring, making Xianquan’s expression turn sour.

“Hey!”

The guard flinched awake from the yell and glared at the young nobleman. “What do you want now?”

Xianquan tilted his head toward the child behind him. “The child is hungry.”

“And so?” the guard retorted sarcastically. “What do you want me to do about it, produce food out of nowhere?”

Xianquan calmed himself and fixed his posture. “Look, you slacking guard.”

The guard’s mouth parted in disbelief. “You!”

“You’re supposed to guard us.” Xianquan gave him a disappointed look from head to toe, enough to make the guard stiffen. “Yet you're sleeping while captives starve in front of you. Haven't you heard that even fierce beasts care for their young? Even the rain nourishes the earth when it falls, so why can't you spare us even water to fill our stomachs?”

“Then pray for rain!” The guard waved a dismissive hand as if brushing aside the nobleman’s rambling. “It's not my responsibility to be considerate. You two are captives, not honored guests.”

“Your mouth—”

Before Xianquan could continue, another thug approached the guard and leaned close to whisper something into his ear.

Then the guard looked at the captives. “Take the child. I don't care what happens to him.”

Xianquan’s eyes widened upon hearing that.

When he saw the other thug drawing closer, he shouted, “Stop right there!”

“Be quiet!” The guard rushed over and gagged Xianquan’s mouth tightly once more.

The child woke up and struggled as the other thug dragged him away.

“Hmp! Hmp!”

Xianquan desperately tried to fight against the ropes and gag, but they were far too tight.

Yet before the thug dragging the child could get farther—

Knock, knock!

Almost everyone looked toward the door.

Outside, only the wind could be heard brushing against the abandoned yard.

“Who’s there?” one thug near the entrance called out as he looked toward the table where their leader sat gambling with the others over dice and scattered coins.

The thug leader merely gave a small nod.

The thug near the door obeyed and stepped outside.

A moment passed, but he hadn't returned yet.

The room gradually quieted.

Two more thugs went outside after him, but they met the same fate.

It's like they simply vanished.

“Boss, someone's clearly playing tricks on us,” one of the thugs at the table muttered as he tightened his hold around his wine cup. “Do you think there are many of them?”

“It seems our hideout’s been discovered,” another said carefully.

The leader slowly lifted his eyes toward the one who pointed out the obvious, his face dry enough to make several nearby thugs avoid his gaze.

“Could it be that young nobleman’s family sent people to rescue him?” someone else suggested.

It was not impossible. In fact, among all the reasons they could think of, it was the most plausible one. That young nobleman carried himself too delicately to belong to an ordinary household, and even the cloth around his waist alone was enough to feed a common family for months. If such a person suddenly vanished from the streets, his household would surely mobilize servants, guards, or hired men to search for him through the night. And if silver truly flowed from his family like water, then dispatching people to rescue him would be no difficult matter at all.

“If they came by force, there should be many of them,” another thug reasoned as he stood up. “But this intruder's taking our men one by one instead of charging directly. That only means one thing.”

The others looked at him.

“This person is acting alone.”

Whispers spread among the room.

“Boss, let me take ten men and corner this rat,” the same thug proposed. “No matter how capable this person is, there's no way one individual can handle that many at once. Once surrounded, there'll be nowhere left to flee.”

The quiet leader waved a hand in approval.

And so the thug gathered ten men and charged out of the abandoned house.

However, when they entered the courtyard, there was no one there.

Not even a shadow.

The thug who seemed to be the leader’s right-hand man narrowed his eyes before turning toward the others. “I’ll search the left side. The rest of you sweep the right side of the yard and regroup at the backyard. That intruder’s still nearby. Once cornered, there'll be nowhere left to run.”

The others agreed and scattered.

Yet what welcomed them at the backyard made their expressions freeze.

Several unconscious bodies had been piled together near the wall like discarded sacks.

The men exchanged glances.

Then—

Crash!

Shouts erupted from inside the abandoned house, followed by the sound of breaking glass.

Only then did they realize what had happened.

They had been deceived!

By the time they rushed back inside, the entire room had already fallen into darkness. The oil lamps had been extinguished, leaving only pale moonlight spilling through the doorway and broken windows.

The eleven thugs stood there stiffly.

Then, as the lamps were lit once more, all their eyes immediately turned toward the corner where the young nobleman and the ragged child had once been tied.

The thug meant to drag the child away now lay unconscious against the wall, his head slumped sideways. The ropes remained abandoned on the filthy floor, cleanly severed.

But neither the young nobleman nor the child remained there.

Not even a silhouette was left behind.

The boss’s face darkened as he hissed, “They might still be somewhere nearby. Scatter and find the intruder. I don't care whether that person is captured alive or dead.” His gaze sharpened. “But bring that young nobleman back alive.”

“What about the child?” someone asked among them.

There was silence for a while.

Until the boss finally said, “Kill him as well.”

And just like that, the remaining thugs rummaged through every corner of the abandoned courtyard, even the narrow alleys beyond it, until groups eventually spread toward the sleeping marketplace itself. Beneath the moonlight, lanterns swayed in their hands as they moved between shuttered stalls, abandoned carts, hanging banners, and empty streets, turning the quiet market into a restless hunt.