Lin Aoshan, upon hearing this, gazed intently at Li Xian, thinking this Military Officer was meticulous, cautious, clever, and thorough in his actions. Truly impressive.

The previous incident, she would never have thought of.

"Without his reminder, I might have already exposed my identity. By then... the Flower Cage Sect would have turned the tables and captured me. Wouldn't that be a completely baffling loss?"

A cold sweat arose, like being drenched in ice water.

It was noon, and still early. Li Xian found a restaurant, ordered two servings of tea snacks, a plate of seeds, and a dish of pastries. He sat quietly to pass the time.

Lin Aoshan pinched a pastry with two fingers, placed it in her mouth. The pastry was aromatic and sweet, but not to her taste, so she stopped after one bite and shifted to cracking seeds.

Feeling bored, she curiously observed Li Xian, her gaze moving from top to bottom, then bottom to top.

After a long look, her pretty face flushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. So she leaned on the table, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Li Xian cleared his mind, drank tea, ate pastries, cracked seeds, and listened to the tales. The storyteller at the teahouse narrated Jianghu stories with vibrant tones.

They sat leisurely until nighttime.

The full moon hung high.

Li Xian saw that the time was right, covered his face with a piece of cloth. He woke Lin Aoshan, and the two climbed over the wall, avoiding sight. Disguised as flying thieves, they infiltrated the Wang Family.

The Wang Family had abundant resources, the mansion was vast, and the night patrol was strict. After Li Xian sneaked into the backyard, he smelled the fragrance of cosmetics, guessing it was a woman's quarters, and followed the scent.

Passing several side rooms, inside there were lit candles, casting shadows of women doing their hair. Just as Li Xian was about to leave, he suddenly had an idea and decided to break in.

The woman in the room was dressed plainly, her long hair draped down. Just as she was about to scream, Li Xian stepped forward, grabbed her neck, and stopped her from making a sound. Lin Aoshan was taken aback, thinking: "Are you really here to steal?" but remained silent and closed the door.

Li Xian asked, "Who are you in the Prince's Mansion?"

The woman cried, "I am... I am Master Wang's concubine." She was only twenty, with clean and beautiful features, grooming herself in front of the mirror, her looks were certainly not lacking.

Li Xian said, "Oh? You're quite a beauty, how about following me in the future?"

Lin Aoshan felt greatly puzzled and a bit annoyed but didn't interrupt. The woman was terrified and flustered: "Sir... please... don't..."

"How dare you refuse me!?" Li Xian shouted fiercely: "Do you know who we are?"

"No... no, I don't." The woman shook her head and said, "Both heroes, you wear masks, I... I truly don't know."

"Good!" Li Xian sneered coldly, "We are the infamous duo, capturing and marrying beauties like you, as beautiful as flowers."

"The infamous duo?" Lin Aoshan's face turned dark.

"Today you are lucky to be seen by us." Li Xian said, "From now on, you are mine."

The woman felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, with no hope for the future. Tears started to fall. At this moment Li Xian said, "Unless... unless..."

"Unless what?" the woman asked.

"Unless you tell me, in this mansion, which woman is more beautiful. If I catch them, naturally, I won't catch you," Li Xian shouted fiercely.

"Speak, speak, sir, I will." The woman felt as if she had found new life, revealing all the beauties in the Prince's Mansion, whether married, awaiting marriage, or newly blooming... how they looked, their conduct, their talents, and where they lived...

Lin Aoshan suddenly understood but couldn't help muttering, "The infamous duo sounds too unpleasant, wouldn't martial couple be better? There are plenty of scoundrels in Jianghu, but 'notorious couple of thieves' is the first I've heard."

"Good, you are wise!" Li Xian noted everything down.

"Sir... sir, now... could... could you let me go?" The concubine could barely stand.

Li Xian noticed many exquisite jewels and ornaments on the dressing table, randomly picked them up, and put them in his pocket, fully committing to the act. He feared the concubine would spread the word, looked around and saw a wooden box under the bed. Upon opening it, he found items for intimate fun between couples.

Among them was a coil of red scented rope. Li Xian said to Lin Aoshan: "You do it?" meaning Lin Aoshan, being a woman, it wouldn't be offensive to tie up the concubine.

Lin Aoshan swore in her heart: "This shameless fellow, really wants to be a notorious couple thief? Does he... does he want to tie me up?" Embarrassed, her mind was muddled, leading her to think wrongly. She retreated a few steps and shook her head continuously.

Li Xian had to do it himself, tying the concubine securely with her limbs bound, throwing her onto the bed, covering her with a quilt, gagging, and blindfolding her, saying: "Tomorrow someone will find you. Sleep quietly, if you dare to reveal my whereabouts, I will come for you again."

Then he exited the room.

Lin Aoshan blushed with embarrassment, intermittently recalling the concubine's appearance. She walked a mile before regaining her composure, cursing: "You rascal!"

Li Xian said, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Lin Aoshan spat in disgust, gently fanned her face, the wind brushing her cheeks.

The two now knew the whereabouts of the Wang Family's women and acted separately, each went to investigate. At midnight, they met in an abandoned pavilion in the mansion.

Li Xian asked, "Did you find the missing women?"

Lin Aoshan shook her head, "No," glaring fiercely at Li Xian, the previous situation lingered in her mind, unable to disperse. During the investigation, she also encountered many intimate encounters, making her feel greatly flustered.

"I found one," Li Xian said, "The Wang Family head's third wife, she has disappeared. It seems... the Flower Cage Sect has indeed arrived."

This pavilion was long abandoned. Moss had grown on the stone benches, Lin Aoshan casually shook it off, before sitting, she asked: "Anything else?"

Li Xian said, "After I found out, I went to ask the Wang Family head. Learned that his third wife, disappeared ten days ago."

"The reason the Wang Family didn't express anything is entirely because they regard this as a scandal, and... the adversary can silently abduct women from the mansion. Their strength is not lacking; they might even kill him silently. Hence, he didn't make a fuss and swallowed the dumb loss."

"Ten days ago?" Lin Aoshan calculated the time. When she chanced upon the Flower Cage Sect at the Feiyun Cliff, she deliberately stayed for a few days to avoid encountering them again midway.

Afterwards, although she headed straight to Qingning, she encountered many incidents along the way, delaying her journey. Plus, she needed time to stay at inns, bathe, and rest without compromising. If the Flower Cage Sect traveled day and night, resting little and sleeping less, they could indeed be ten days ahead.

Possibly even more.

"What should we do next?" Lin Aoshan asked.

"With a ten-day gap, investigating is troublesome and might alert them." Li Xian pondered, "In Qingning County, there are the Zhao, Luo, and Lin Families. We should investigate them one by one to gather more clues first."

Lin Aoshan got up and said, "Alright! Let's act together."

The two investigated overnight and sneaked into the Luo Family, using the same tactics. Although there were clues, the harvest was not significant. By this time, dawn had arrived, and Li Xian had to stop and return to the Martial Captain Hall to rest.

Act again after dark.

Luo Xia asked, "Li Xian, you don't return home all day, aren't you afraid the madam will blame you?" Li Xian shook his head, telling Luo Xia that the madam was in isolation, allowing him to focus on the current task.

The next night. Li Xian and Lin Aoshan sneaked into the Lin Family. After searching for a stick of incense's time, they found a mourning hall deep within the mansion, suggesting someone had just passed away.

Upon investigation, they learned that the Lin Family's young lady, Lin Qingwan, had suddenly fallen ill and passed away last night. The aftermath was simplified, and the ceremony was held only within the mansion.

Li Xian pondered, "Last time, that Lin Qingwan almost became my concubine. I observed her with a glossy face and red lips, young and not looking like she had any strange illness. Did she really die of illness? Or... was she abducted by the Flower Cage Sect, and the Lin Family covered it up as a scandal due to Lin Qingwan's marriage engagement?"

He sensed he was close to the truth. Furthermore, they found out Lin Qingwan supposedly died last night and the funeral was held today. If true, the clues of the Flower Cage Sect were already before them.

They waited patiently for half a stick of incense. After the housekeeper finished crying, leaving one person to guard the hall, Li Xian sneaked into the mourning hall and knocked out the housekeeper.

Silently he thought, "If truly deceased, please forgive the disturbance."

Li Xian wanted to lift the coffin but found the coffin lid nailed shut. This urgent act by the Lin Family was undoubtedly covering a scandal, reinforcing the suspicion that something was amiss. He used "Vertical Cloud Hand" to remove the nails.

"Good skills!" Lin Aoshan praised. Although the martial arts quality was low, this display was of high caliber. Unwilling to be outdone, she also performed martial arts to remove the coffin nails.

She reached out to stroke them, and the coffin nails stuck to her palm. This was the Lin Family's "Star-devouring Skill," capable of absorbing an opponent's Inner Qi in combat, causing the opponent to deplete Inner Qi suddenly, disrupt Qi movement, and result in a severe defeat.

At full operation, its power is immense. At this moment, Lin Aoshan skillfully utilized it, already reaching the "Great Success" level, yet it felt like a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, hinting at showing off.

With the nails removed, the coffin was indeed empty. Lin Qingwan was nowhere to be seen.

"Just as expected!" Li Xian rejoiced. Lin Aoshan looked at Li Xian, instinctively inquiring about the next steps.

Li Xian closed the coffin, nailed it shut, and after a moment of deep thought, said, "Be cautious, the people from Flower Cage Sect must still be in the Lin Family. Observe the Lin Family's reactions, and we just need to pay attention to servants coming and going to find traces of the Flower Cage Sect."

"Sister Lin, you go to the east side gate and observe secretly. If you find anyone suspicious, find a way to notify me."

"I'll wander around to see if there are any more clues."

Lin Aoshan agreed, hiding beside the east side gate, holding her breath and observing quietly. Li Xian ventured deeper into the mansion, reaching Lin Qingwan's bedroom.

The boudoir remained unchanged.

The decor wasn't lacking, yet unfortunately, people were like chess pieces. After some searching, Li Xian suddenly heard movement from outside the door:

"That Lin Family head is also cold-hearted. His daughter disappeared, and he didn't even search for her, just assumed she died of illness."

"Only Brother Gu's divine scheming can see this. Look at these four families here; after suffering a dumb loss, who dares speak a word?"

"Enough, we've placed the threatening letter. Presumably, the Lin Family is too scared to pursue. Even if they investigate... hehe, we've moved on."

"I thought this Qingning County was quite chaotic. Who knew it was quite orderly, and Brother Gu found us a good next stop. It's just too rushed; we barely got a decent rest, and now we have to trek again."

...

The two passed by nearby, their voices fading into the distance. Li Xian quietly followed, seeing a tall and a short housekeeper leaving, relaxed from repeated success, carelessly lax.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Xian executed "Clear Wind Leg," landing silently, following like a gentle breeze, trailing far behind.

About ten zhang away, he saw the two exit through a side door, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

Lin Aoshan, ambushed by the gate, felt a rush and began to pursue. Li Xian held her shoulder and whispered, "Keep some distance." Lin Aoshan nodded; the dense night provided ample cover at such a distance.

Li Xian, relying on keen eyesight, kept a lock on the tall and short duo. Watching them crawl through a dog hole to exit the city gates and head into the wilds.

Lin Aoshan, eager for success, also wanted to crawl out. Li Xian pulled her back, pointing at the city gate: "At this hour, we can walk through the main gate."

Lin Aoshan laughed awkwardly, then glared playfully: "You act as if you're the smart one."

"Speaking of Heavenly Patrol Lord Xuan Hou..." Li Xian teased, "Isn't your position as Xuan Hou hereditary?"

Lin Aoshan blushed with embarrassment, realizing he had hit the mark.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.