With the exchange made, Xue Lan left as quickly as she could, walking up the steps and leaving the store. Getting out of the main roads, she took refuge in the side streets, strolling through the quieter part of the city.
"Two hundred gold taels... That sort of amount, I never would've dreamed of having."
There was certainly a lot on her mind. Let alone the money she had just obtained, revisiting that wicked place left a sour taste in her mouth.
"But now that I have more money, getting rid of the Chen Clan might be easier. Though, it was wise to keep a few of those silver taels. I might not have the power to get rid of an entire clan but if I get them to challenge another clan, that might be better. I just need to pick which one."
With a plan in mind, she wandered through the city with no real destination in mind.
"Come on, spit it out! What did you do with him?!"
"We know that he took a fancy to you and the last thing he did was go to you! So Bai Hua, tell us what happened!"
"Right, nothing good will come from lying to us."
Not far from her, Chen Bao's guards all surrounded the young girl, threatening her. But she had no answer to offer them.
"Please, I swear I don't know what happened. One second she was there and the next he wasn't! That's it, I don't know what happened!"
Her back was against the wall and her legs trembled. Despite her pleas, the guards did not seem convinced. They narrowed their eyes while sharing a look with one another.
Watching from afar, Xue Lan hid in the shadows, her red eyes gently glowing in the darkness.
"Hmph, there's a rat with them."
Her gaze darted around, studying the surroundings before she retreated,
As for the guards, they revealed a mischievous grin, looking at Bai Hua in a strange manner.
"Mm, we still don't quite believe you but if you want us to let you go then. You'll just have to do us a little favor."
They slowly closed in on her, their hands began to move toward her clothes.
Bai Hua's eyes widened in realization as she timidly shook her head. Tears streamed down her face.
"Please, no, anything but this! Please, I beg of you!" she cried out.
As the guards moved to grab her, they suddenly stopped at the sound of something scraping against the stone wall. It was a screeching sound similar to a sword grinding against stone, sharp and loud.
It was a chilling sound.
Turning their heads, the guards looked at their surroundings, trying to pinpoint the source. One of them then noticed something, pointing it out to the others.
"Look, over there. Is there someone watching us?" they said.
The others furrowed their eyes, trying to see what was there. It was still the middle of the night, it was dark where they were. And then, someone walked towards them.
"Who is that?"
They could barely see a silhouette, only hearing the soft steps of a person. One of the took a small step back before meaning forward, shouting at this person.
"What are you doing here?! some out and show yourself! Do you not know who we are?!"
Despite the provocations, there was no change to those footsteps.
"Do you see that? Those two red dots.'
"They kind of look like eyes to me."
Still pushed up against the wall, Bai Hua watched from behind them, seeing the red eyes looking at this group.
As for the guards, they all had hesitant looks on their faces. An uneasy feeling slowly crept into their hearts as Xue Lan emerged from the shadows. By the looks of it, she was dragging something on the floor. The woman stopped just a dozen meters away from them and tossed the thing she had been dragging all this time.
It was quite large and the sound it made when it hit the ground was a heavy thud.
The guards leaned over to look at what she had thrown at them.
"This... is this a body?"
"Wait, isn't this one of the secret guards of the Chen Clan?!"
"But how?"
The fear grew on their faces when they recognized the body and they looked up to find Xue Lan gone. Each of them took a step back not knowing what to do. But then they all whipped out their weapons pointing at both sides of the road.
"Who is she?! What grudge does she have against us?!"
"Is she... could she be the one that killed Huai Lang?"
They turned to look at Bai Hua, who seemed just as shocked. In an instant, one of them pointed a sword at her.
"Was this all a trap?! Do you know that woman?!"
The young girl shook her head as tears streamed down her face.
"No, I don't know anything about this! Please, you have to believe me!"
But then one of them walked up to her, reaching out to grab her by the neck but they were stopped. Standing between them, Xue Lan grabbed the guard by the wrist, holding it tightly. Her claws dug into his skin, piercing it and letting the blood drip down.
His face twisted in pain.
Letting go of his weapon, he grabbed her arm, trying to pry it off his wrist but couldn't. The woman's grasp just tightened until a bone-chilling crunch was heard.
"Aghhhh!"
He screamed out in pain as she lifted him up by his broken wrist and smashed him into the floor.
The others watched as their comrade was beaten senselessly, looking at her while taking a few steps back. In their minds, running was the only option. They had to run, to return to the Chen Clan and return with reinforcements.
But they should've thought quickly for the woman looked at them with her glowing red eyes. And then she smiled, vanishing from her place.
As for Bai Hua, the young girl could only put her back against the wall, watching as Xue Lan beat them to a pulp.
Once the woman was done, a pile of unconscious bodies laid before the girl's eyes. Her fearful gaze was glued, unable to turn away from this terrifying scene.
A shadow overcame her.
She gasped, closing her eyes before feeling a hand on her head. It was a gentle touch, caressing her hair.
Bai Hua trembled but she opened her eyes, looking up at Xue Lan. The woman looked down at her before kneeling. She smiled at the scared girl, caressing her cheek and wiping the tears away.
"They won't hurt you anymore but I want you to promise me something."
Her voice was soft as she spoke, coaxing the young girl.
"I want you to run out of the streets screaming that there's been murder. And then lead them here, make sure that you inform the Chen Clan. That's all you need to do."
Bai Hua nodded, slowly getting up before running off.
The woman watched her figure disappear before looking at the bodies behind her. The smile on her face was sinister as she walked towards them, grabbing two by their arms. One of them was the one whose wrist she broke and the other was the so-called "rat" she killed.
"I wonder, where should I bring them?"
Their figures slowly melted into the darkness as she walked deeper into the side streets.
Far from this in the main streets, there were four people sharing a meal together on the second floor of a restaurant. There was no one else aside from them. Their table was filled with dozens of dishes, a feast big enough for a party.
But at this moment, these four ate in a quiet manner.
These four were none other than geniuses of the Noble Clans, eating in peace.
"Chen Bao, I hear that a caravan carrying silver taels had been ransacked on its way here. Have you found the culprit yet?"
A girl's voice spoke out with a curious tone, looking at Chen Bao with interest.
The young master of the Chen Clan, barely reacted, just taking another bite of the food.
"No, we haven't, Xu Jiu. My father has given me the responsibility of finding out whose responsible."
Xu Jiu giggled, she was the youngest of the four but still had the same air of haughtiness. In fact, hers might've been the worst case. Seeing him speak so quietly, she sneered before putting a hand on her chest.
"Well then, don't hesitate to ask anyone of us for help. If you need to interrogate someone, let me know. I'm more than willing to help your clan."
She continued to talk, while Chen Bao and the others kept eating. However, he could see the corners of their mouths just barely curl up into a smile, perhaps a mocking one.
But then, screams echoed through the streets, piercing through the hustle and bustle.
"Murder! There's been a murder!"