Lu Yang, who had been waiting all evening amidst the trash in a deserted alley facing the eastern door of the Wu family's house, finally began to move as an even bloodier battle erupted in the town center and at the Wu family's house, compared to the previous conflict.
Moments earlier, Lu Yang, who was nearly dozing off despite the cold, had been startled awake by a sudden noise nearby. 'What was that? Sounds like something's happening again,' he thought as he looked toward the source of the noise, though he couldn't see anything from his position.
Stretching lightly as he yawned, Lu Yang tried to gauge the time. 'Looks like it's about time... shadow," he murmured, turning to check if his shadow was still where it normally sat behind him.
When he didn't see his shadow beside him among the trash, Lu Yang thought, 'Of course. The one time I really need it, it's gone again.' He wasn't surprised, as he'd come to expect this sort of thing.
Deciding to observe and listen for a few more minutes, he stretched his cold-stiffened body slightly and continued to wait in place.
But now, not even a full minute later, Lu Yang heard the sound of battle cries and the clash of metal coming from his left front diagonal. 'Yep, just as I thought, the fighting broke out again. It was obvious there wasn't a winner yet,' he thought as he slowly stood up.
Even though he didn't know the exact situation about the fighting families, Lu Yang's assumption was spot on. After all, a conflict between the town's powerful families wouldn't end as quickly as the previous battle.
The only thing that could disrupt Lu Yang's plan was if the warring families decided to continue their fight on another day, which would completely ruin his plan to sneak into the Wu house.
Stepping out from the trash where he had been hiding, Lu Yang pulled a black cloth from his chest and tied it over his face. Peeking cautiously out of the alley, and seeing no one around, he quickly darted toward the most deserted section of the eastern wall of the Wu family's house.
In just a few seconds, he reached his target and silently climbed onto a tree that appeared to be dying, its sparse, leafless branches extending from a trunk barely taller than the three-meter-high wall.
After surveying the area for a moment, especially the spots where he might land or escape to, Lu Yang thought, 'Hmm... that spot would be perfect for hiding or escaping,' as he gazed at a location about thirty meters away. It appeared to be a well with a wooden cover, sitting in the northeastern corner of the Wu house and bathed in the bright moonlight.
'This well is really close to the wall. I could use it to climb over, or even hide inside. If neither works, there's always the bamboo ladder leaning against the wall.'
For Lu Yang, who had already planned what to do once inside the Wu house, the most important thing was determining his escape route. Once he had that figured out, he'd know where to go if things didn't go as planned.
Memorizing every detail he could see from his vantage point on the tree, Lu Yang carefully stepped onto a thin branch. Taking care not to break it, he moved two steps forward before leaping onto the top of the Wu family's outer wall.
The triangular-shaped top of the wall shifted slightly as his foot landed on it. One of the thin, wide plates layered on the wall slipped free. Despite his attempt to grab it, Lu Yang couldn't stop it from falling three meters to the ground, where it shattered into pieces.
'This...' Lu Yang shivered at the situation but, after confirming no one was around, he let out a deep breath. 'Right, there's a battle going on tonight. Who'd be wandering around and see me at this hour?' he thought.
Without paying it any further mind, he turned his attention to where he needed to jump. After checking his landing spot, he leaped down into the courtyard, crouching slightly as he landed.
When he looked up, he fixed his gaze on a wooden walkway supported by posts, which ran alongside what seemed to be one of the house's side rooms. Then he quietly headed toward it.
A few seconds later, Lu Yang entered the dark area under the walkway, a shadowy corridor that barely received any moonlight. Silently following the long path, he made his way further into the northern interior of the house.
Taking advantage of the chaos within the Wu house, Lu Yang moved closer to the area where he believed the town lord resided. Meanwhile, Wu Lei, the Wu family's young master and someone Lu Yang frequently fight with, was growing increasingly anxious in his room due to the commotion.
'What's going on? Why hasn't anyone told me anything? There's a battle happening in the house,' Wu Lei thought nervously.
'Is this why my brother told me not to leave my room no matter what?'
About an hour earlier, while Wu Lei was lying in bed trying to sleep, his older brother had entered and said, "Wu Lei, nothing will happen, but if something does, don't leave your room. Don't even think about leaving the house. If anything happens, I'll send your servant with my name tag. Do whatever he tells you. But remember, don't step outside."
His brother had left as abruptly as he'd come, leaving Wu Lei with no chance to ask any questions. The warning had been enough to rob him of sleep.
The sudden noise and shouting from a few minutes earlier had only heightened Wu Lei's tension. Now wearing leather armor and holding an iron-tipped wooden spear, he paced aimlessly around his room.
Unable to wait any longer, Wu Lei thought, 'This isn't going to work. I need to go out and see what's happening,' as he headed for the door.
When he opened the door, Wu Lei briefly caught a glimpse of a figure passing behind the wall in front of him. 'Hmm... What was that? Did I just see someone, or is it just my imagination?' he thought, frowning as he paused for a moment, stopping himself from fully opening the door.
After thinking for a moment, Wu Lei realized he hadn't been imagining things. 'You've got to be kidding me. Even though the moonlight barely hits that spot, I could see them—a suspicious figure dressed entirely in black, with their face covered except for their eyes.'
Quietly but hurriedly, Wu Lei left his room, which was just east side of his father's. Following the figure he'd seen disappear behind the wall, Wu Lei thought, 'Whoever this is, they're up to no good. What are they doing in the area with my father's, brother's, and my rooms?'
While Wu Lei quickly walked to avoid losing sight of the suspicious figure he had briefly seen, Lu Yang was reflecting on the events of his brief time spent in the house's courtyard.'I didn't see any guards, and considering I only saw a few servants, mostly men, it seems like the battle is really getting bloody.'
Since Lu Yang had set foot in the courtyard, he had been circling around the central area of the northern part of the house, trying to locate the lord's room. As he walked, he was pleased by the lack of security, casually scanning his surroundings.
Unaware that he had been seen by Wu Lei and that he was wandering around the area of the house where the lord and his children's rooms were located, Lu Yang walked while pondering how he would find the lord's room.
'I've been wandering around for a few minutes now and haven't run into anyone, but if I keep this up, someone's bound to see me. I need to find the lord's room soon,' Lu Yang thought, stopping for a moment and glancing around nervously before continuing his search.
A short while later, he emerged into a square courtyard with a healthy-looking tree in the center. 'I ended up in the same place again,' Lu Yang thought, sighing in frustration.
Scratching his nose over the mask, he thought, 'This isn't working. I guess I'll just have to check the rooms one by one. Hopefully, I won't stumble into anything... inappropriate.'