After Bai Ziyue and the others left, the man who was keeping watch took a few quick steps, swiftly darted from the street corner into the alley, and with a slight jump, leaped three meters high to the rooftop, light as a feather, showcasing excellent light body technique.
The man on the rooftop was startled, but relaxed upon seeing who it was, and whispered, "What's going on?"
"Two people just passed by."
"I noticed. They were waiters from the Ming Pearl Restaurant. They shouldn't have seen me."
The uniforms of Bai Ziyue and the others were distinctive, making them easily recognizable.
"That kid looked in your direction. I'm not sure if he saw you."
"Probably not... Dawn is breaking. I've investigated enough here, inform Xiaoliu, we're retreating."
"Alright!"
The two of them nodded slightly, flipped off the roof, and left quickly.
...
"Li's Pawnshop, I'm certain I've heard of this place before."
In his downtime, Bai Ziyue began recalling the name on the sign he saw earlier.
Even though he knew that the pawnshop was the target, he didn't intend to provoke them, much less warn anyone.
*With one misstep, he could be shattered to pieces.*
He merely remembered the name subconsciously and started recalling more deeply.
"Right, it was the first day I came to Qinghe Town—under the Beheading Platform."
Since Bai Ziyue hadn't been in Qinghe Town for long, it didn't take him long to remember where he'd heard the name before.
"Li's Pawnshop, Li Family, the Three Heroes of the Li Family, Fourth Village Chief Iron Arm Hand Wu Liang from Ghost Head Stronghold…"
Bai Ziyue suddenly paused as memories of the past conversations flooded back.
He suddenly thought of a possibility.
The two he met in the morning quite possibly… were bandits from Ghost Head Stronghold.
*"Could Ghost Head Stronghold be planning revenge on the Li Family?"*
Bai Ziyue's face turned slightly pale.
He had long heard of Ghost Head Stronghold's notorious brutality and vengeful nature.
Yet he hadn't expected them to be so bold, planning an attack on the Li Family in the bustling town.
Of course, this was all just his speculation. He wasn't certain if those two people were from Ghost Head Stronghold or actually planning revenge for their Fourth Village Chief, Wu Liang.
But the signs suggested that his hunch was likely correct.
Gathering his heart spirit, Bai Ziyue decided to keep this suspicion to himself.
...
The day quickly passed, and night fell, marking the busiest time for the Ming Pearl Restaurant.
Not only was the kitchen bustling with activity, but Bai Ziyue and the other waitstaff were also tirelessly working, not getting a moment's rest until nearly 8 PM when they finally had time to take turns eating dinner.
The Ming Pearl Restaurant always assigned a waiter to stand in the hall as they neared closing time.
Although new customers hardly came in that late, some stayed to drink and chat until late at night.
They needed to be ready for any calls to bring more wine or refill some small plates with cold dishes.
While it wasn't too demanding, they still had to stay on standby.
Today, it was Bai Ziyue's turn to stand in the hall.
He stood bored in a corner of the restaurant, near a table where a few people were drinking and chatting.
They were the last table of customers, and judging by the situation, they wouldn't be leaving until well past midnight.
Bored, Bai Ziyue was about to pull out the Illustrated Guide to learn a few more characters when their conversation caught his attention.
"Did you hear the Tang Family is haunted?"
"Which Tang Family?"
"Which else? The Tang Family of Tang Liansan from Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall."
"That's impossible! Tang Liansan himself is at the Peak of External Forging, his Qi and Blood are strong. What ghost would dare cause trouble at his house?"
"Heh, where there's smoke, there's fire.
Perhaps ordinary ghosts wouldn't dare to approach, but what about a fierce ghost? If even he can't handle it, how could such rumors spread?
I heard that two of his maids had their essence qi drained and died, and it seems now even his daughter is targeted, so he's panicked, and I've heard he sent someone to Wutong Mountain to fetch Daoist Wutong."
"Daoist Wutong is proficient in Immortal Techniques and specializes in dealing with ghosts and the like. With his intervention, it seems that the Tang Family's predicament will soon be resolved."
"Exactly… Let's continue drinking."
...
Bai Ziyue frowned. This was the first eerie ghost-related incident he'd heard since his encounter with the little ghost.
He had thought Qinghe Town so bustling and populated that ghosts would have no room to exist, but it seemed he had underestimated the situation.
Many things were actually hidden in the shadows. Having a ghost encounter wasn't a fortunate event, and it was normal for such occurrences to rarely come to light.
"However, what's this Immortal Technique that Daoist Wutong practices?"
Bai Ziyue suddenly became very intrigued by Daoist Wutong, or more precisely, the Immortal Techniques.
"What exactly is the difference between Martial Arts and Immortal Techniques?"
Bai Ziyue pondered. *This world was indeed more fascinating and mysterious than he had imagined.*
...
Despite working late into the night until midnight the previous day, he still woke automatically before 3:00 AM the next day to meet with Uncle Sunx.
Third day, fourth day…
Bai Ziyue thought that the revenge from Ghost Head Stronghold would come swiftly, anticipating trouble for Li's Pawnshop, but nothing happened, and the days remained calm.
Because of this, he even made a deliberate detour past the entrance of Li's Pawnshop during the day, finding that they were operating normally without any signs of trouble.
"Seems I overthought it."
Bai Ziyue frowned, yet a lingering doubt remained in his heart.
On the fifth day, Bai Ziyue naturally got up and effortlessly wheeled out the cart from the kitchen, placing down two baskets.
Uncle Sunx had just gotten up by then, praised him once, and the two set out again.
In the stillness of the night, only the sound of the carriage wheels echoed.
Perhaps due to the changing weather, dark clouds covered the sky, hiding the moon, making everything visibly darker.
Leveraging their familiarity with the road, Bai Ziyue and Sunx Neng navigated their way. Although it was dark, they could still see within a few meters, which didn't hinder their progress.
"Those two?"
Just as Bai Ziyue and Sunx Neng entered a street, two figures slowly emerged from the corner.
"There's no movement from the Second Village Chief yet, let them pass for now," one whispered.
The other nodded, if the two crossed without any action from the Second Village Chief, it would simply be their good luck they avoided disaster.
If the Second Village Chief acted during their crossing, then they would have to suffer their misfortune.
They had no qualms about killing indiscriminately, sparing none.
Then the two figures retreated back into the darkness.
"Ah…"
Suddenly, a scream pierced through the night, coming from the courtyard not far away.
And that courtyard happened to be the backyard of Li's Pawnshop.
Immediately after, a cold, murderous voice echoed, "Kill, leave no one alive."