The next day, the skies were overcast, and night had just fallen.

In the west of the city, at Tongren Old Pawn.

Two beggars stealthily avoided detection as they crept into the pawnshop. They slipped past the garden and entered a refined and elegant building.

Inside, the lamps were brightly lit. Cheng Yaojia—charming, demure, and delicate in demeanor—sat accompanied by a group of maids dressed in martial attire, all armed with blades and swords. Together, they welcomed the two members of the Beggar Sect.

«I wonder what names the two valiant heroes of the Beggar Sect go by?» Cheng Yaojia asked gently.

The older man cupped his fists and answered, «My surname is Li, given name Sheng. This is my junior nephew, Yu Zhaoxing.»

Cheng Yaojia nodded politely. «So it’s Senior Li and Brother Yu. Heroes of the Beggar Sect are known far and wide for upholding justice. It is an honor for this humble girl to meet such distinguished guests. Please, have a seat.»

Though her words were typical of martial world pleasantries, her timid and bashful expression gave them an entirely different flavor. She paused after each line, speaking with coy awkwardness. Just saying a few stock phrases like «known far and wide» made her blush all over.

What no one in the room knew was that high above them in the night sky—beneath the moonlight and cloaked in optical stealth—Xuan Yuan   stood aboard his luan carriage, overlooking the entire scene at Tongren Old Pawn.

In front of him, a holographic display had unfolded, clearly showing everything happening inside the elegant building—including the ongoing conversation, audio and all.

Mu Nianci stood at Xuan Yuan  ’s side, still feeling as if she were trapped in a dream. It wasn’t until the cool night breeze brushed her face that she snapped out of it. She turned to look at Xuan Yuan   again, and in her gaze, he had already transformed into a completely different being—almost celestial in nature.

Then she heard the voices coming from the holographic screen. Only now did she realize that she didn’t need to personally warn Miss Cheng Yaojia about Ouyang Ke. The lady had already been informed, and now two heroes of the Beggar Sect had arrived to assist. They were clearly prepared to deal with that despicable Ouyang.

Mu Nianci gave a wry smile, followed by a wave of gratitude. Had it not been for her encounter the night before, she would never have met this man—this celestial-like gentleman.

Behind them, Li Mochou was mimicking gestures under Huang Rong’s guidance, mumbling lines under her breath.

«…Sister Rong’er, like this?»

Her cheeks were flushed red with excitement, eyes sparkling.

Huang Rong furrowed her brow, adjusting both her movements and words. She gave a final reminder: «Remember, once you reveal yourself, Mochou, you have to—»

«Aiya, aiya, I know already!»

Li Mochou had already heard these kinds of instructions many times. Now she was getting impatient, just itching to stir up some real fun.

Back inside the building, Cheng Yaojia had taken Li Sheng’s advice and retired to another room to rest.

Yu Zhaoxing had disappeared somewhere, while Li Sheng crawled into Cheng Yaojia’s fragrant bed, lifted the brocade quilt, and wrapped himself tightly from head to toe—completely concealing his identity.

The beggars’ plan was simple: let Ouyang Ke mistake Li Sheng for Cheng Yaojia and take him away, then launch a surprise attack. What they didn’t know was that everything they had done, from beginning to end, had been under Ouyang Ke’s watchful eye from the shadows.

Nor did Ouyang Ke realize that atop a tree just behind him, a small bird was watching him without blinking.

About an hour later, the timekeeper struck his clappers in the pawnshop out front—de-dok, de-dok, dang-dang-dang—marking the third night watch.

Suddenly—plink—a stone was tossed into the garden.

Moments later, eight figures vaulted over the outer wall and ascended the upper floor. They lit fire-starters to find their way, then snuffed them out again.

These eight were Ouyang Ke’s maidservants and concubines, all disguised as men in white garments. One pulled aside the bed curtain and threw a silk quilt over the fake “Cheng Yaojia,” holding him tightly. Two more opened a large cloth sack and lifted Li Sheng into it, pulling the drawstring tight to secure it shut.

At the same time, other maids had entered the side room where the real Cheng Yaojia was hiding. Before she could call for help, they had subdued her and her maids, dragging them away as well.

The impersonator Li Sheng was tossed into a sedan chair, which four maids carried over the rooftops using lightness skill. The group carrying Cheng Yaojia took a different route.

Watching this, Ouyang Ke smiled in satisfaction.

One Cheng family young lady and several of her maids… tonight… hehehehehe…

But then—

In the still night air, a thunderous shout erupted.

«STOP YOUR VILE ACTS!!!!»

On the luan carriage above, Li Mochou opened her eyes wide. «Someone stole my moment!»

Huang Rong was also dumbfounded. She had accounted for every possible variable—except someone else jumping in ahead of time to stop Ouyang Ke.

How had Ouyang Ke slipped up and allowed himself to be exposed like this? Wasn’t he supposed to be a seasoned pro at this?

The voice, so loud and commanding, echoed across the city, waking even some of the sleeping townspeople. The speaker clearly had deep internal force, and his voice traveled far.

In the dark, Ouyang Ke frowned.

That voice… it sounded familiar.

After a moment’s thought, his face darkened. «Guo Jing!»

From his perch above, Xuan Yuan   also heard the shout and immediately deduced the speaker’s identity.

It had to be Guo Jing.

He must have learned from Duan Tiande—just before killing him at Xingyun Manor—that the true mastermind behind the destruction of Niujia Village was Wanyan Honglie. Likely, Guo Jing had then set out northward to kill that Jin prince—and was now passing through here.

And if Guo Jing was here… then Yang Kang was probably nearby too.

Wanyan Honglie himself might even be close—because in the original plot, Mongol Khan Temujin had sent Tolui south to ally with the Song, and Wanyan Honglie had come here trying to stop it.

(If memory serves, wasn’t Hong Qigong also supposed to be nearby? It was around here that Guo Jing fought Ouyang Ke and officially became Hong Qigong’s disciple, learning the full Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.)

«Perfect,» Xuan Yuan   murmured with a smirk.

«Everyone’s here.»

He turned with a grin to look at Huang Rong—Rong’er really had chosen the perfect place to manifest a celestial miracle.

Guo Jing’s internal strength was no joke. Trained from childhood by the Six Freaks of Jiangnan, and later taught the orthodox methods of the Quanzhen Sect by Ma Yu, he had a solid martial foundation, even if he was a bit slow-witted.

Somehow, he must have still had the fateful encounter with Hong Qigong and managed to learn at least one move—Regret of the Soaring Dragon. Now, even though he hadn’t yet seen Ouyang Ke in person, just witnessing the man’s maids abducting innocent women was enough to enrage him.

He gathered his energy and leapt forward in pursuit.

Ouyang Ke’s maids were elite martial artists in their own right, but up against Guo Jing, they were overmatched. Several stepped forward to block him, but within just a few exchanges, they were all struck down by his powerful palms.

Realizing he could no longer stay hidden, Ouyang Ke let out a cold snort and emerged, stepping lightly onto a rooftop. With a leisurely flick of his folding fan, he smirked and looked down at Guo Jing.

«Well, if it isn’t you again, you damn brat. Trying to ruin my fun?»

«Ouyang Ke! It really is you! Still indulging in those perverse, wicked acts!»

«All those missing girls in the city these past few days—it was you who took them, wasn’t it!? TAKE MY PALM!»

Seeing Ouyang Ke, Guo Jing didn’t hesitate. With a shout, he launched his move—Regret of the Soaring Dragon—straight at him.