Chapter 4: Dark Moon, High Winds, a Night for Killing

"Damn it!"

"Where should I go now?" Tang Xin, having eaten her fill, wandered the streets and looked at her unfamiliar surroundings, unable to make up her mind for a moment.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a youth with a cold, handsome face in the crowd nearby, looking around as if searching for something. Their eyes met inadvertently. In that instant, a gaze cold enough to freeze a person locked onto her. She froze, suddenly remembering: wasn't that the youth who had given her the silver earlier?

"Looking at his expression, it's like he wants to kill me. Could he know I took his pouch? No, I have to run!" she muttered to herself. Seeing the youth striding toward her, she didn't care about anything else and dove into the crowd to make her escape.

*Still daring to run?*

Mu Chenfeng, like an enraged leopard, swept toward the fleeing small figure with wind at his heels. The chill he radiated made the surrounding townspeople tremble. Seeing the two chasing each other through the streets, the people automatically cleared a path, fearing they might be shoved or bumped.

"You've got to be kidding me? Still chasing? This is the ninth street already, is there no end to this?" Tang Xin panted as she ran on her short legs, looking back from time to time. Seeing that she was about to be caught, she panicked and, without realizing it, unleashed the "Ethereal Cloud Trace Steps" from her previous life.

Mu Chenfeng, who was chasing her, had thought he could catch her in a few moves. To his surprise, she was running faster and faster, as if her feet were greased. If he hadn't been using his light-body technique, he wouldn't even have been able to see her shadow. He was secretly astonished: what kind of background did this little beggar have?

"I can't do it! I'm exhausted!"

Tang Xin gasped. After running for so long, she was drenched in sweat, and her legs were aching terribly. If she kept running, she would definitely be caught. *No, I have to find a place to hide.*

Seeing a turn ahead, she ran even harder. If anyone had seen her then, they would have been extremely surprised, because her heels were barely touching the ground. With every light tap, her entire body would zip forward. Her incredibly fast figure moved like a ghost, leaving no trace behind...

When Mu Chenfeng turned the corner, he found it was a dead end. The little beggar's figure had vanished without a trace. He looked at the wall, which was over three meters high, and his sword-like brows furrowed.

*Where did she go? Can that brat really fly or burrow into the ground? How could she escape right under my nose?*

Thinking of that prescription, he took a deep breath to calm his anger. Then, gathering his energy, he leaped onto the three-meter-high wall and stood there, scanning the surroundings.

On the other side of a few streets, Tang Xin was hunched over, hands on her knees, gasping for air. When she saw him leap onto the wall and realize he had spotted her again, she shouted at him, "Hey, are you that bored? You're not tired from chasing me, but I am! Please, stop following me!"

Mu Chenfeng gave her a cold glance and swept forward to chase her again.

Seeing this, Tang Xin’s face twisted into a bitter expression, and she turned and ran. *Who did I offend? How did I end up with such a persistent youth? If I had known he was this petty, I wouldn't have targeted him.*

As the sky gradually darkened, the two chased each other street after street like a cat and mouse. After running for so long, Tang Xin’s body was reaching its limit. Ignoring everything else, she desperately shook him off and slipped into a two-story pavilion.

"Phew! I'm exhausted!"

She sat down at a table and poured herself a cup of water. Seeing a small plate of pastries and fruit on the table, she didn't stand on ceremony and filled her stomach. Listening to the lively sounds outside—the giggles of women, the lewd voices of men, and the low, melodic sound of a zither—she paused.

"What kind of place is this? Why is it so lively?" She walked to the door, intending to open a crack to peek, but before she could, she heard flirtatious voices from outside.

"Oh, why are you in such a rush? The night is still long!"

"Hehe, looking at a delicate beauty like you, how could I not be in a rush?"

"Alright, alright. Cuihua, serve Master Zhang well. I'm going downstairs to get busy."

"I know, Mother. I will serve Master Zhang well."

The door was pushed open, and a woman dressed provocatively was brought in, embraced by an elderly, fat man. Tang Xin, hiding under the bed, really wanted to slap herself. *Of all the places to hide, why did I have to hide in a brothel?*

Suddenly, the man and woman lunged onto the bed. The bed groaned under their combined weight. Tang Xin, hiding underneath, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. *That fat old man and that woman must weigh at least three hundred pounds together, right? Can this bed handle them? If they start moving and the bed collapses, won't I be crushed into a meat patty?*

Lying under the bed, listening to the woman's charming moans and watching clothes being tossed onto the floor, she was speechless. *Could my first day of reincarnation get any worse? I, the dignified Heavenly Doctor, have actually been reduced to hiding under someone's bed?* Just as she was thinking of sneaking away while the two were busy, she twitched her lips upon hearing what was said above.

"Are you capable or not?" the woman asked, her voice a mix of complaint and seduction.

The fat old man blushed at this. Looking at the woman's charming face and sexy figure, he couldn't help but swallow hard. "What do you mean not capable? I'm just too nervous. Wait a moment, I'll take the pill I brought, and then you'll see if I'm capable or not!"

"What kind of pill is that?"

"This is powerful stuff. I spent a fortune on it. Just one pill will ensure you can't get out of bed tomorrow morning," the fat old man said proudly. After taking the pill, he lunged at the woman.

"Is it really that powerful?" the woman asked, half-believing.

"Hehe, whether you believe it or not, you'll know once we try, won't you?"

The bed began to shake violently. The woman's exaggerated, charming cries mingled with the fat old man's panting, filling the room. Tang Xin, lying under the bed, shook her head and slowly crawled out, preparing to leave. But just then, a cold, not-so-unfamiliar voice from outside the door made her shrink back.

*Damn it, is he a bloodhound? How did he track me all the way to this brothel?*

"Oh, little master, there really isn't the person you're looking for in here. Look, this is a place for pleasure; how could I let some little beggar sneak in here!" Outside the door, the gaudily dressed madam waved her red handkerchief and smiled apologetically, blocking the doorway for fear he would ruin her business.

Outside, hearing the heart-pounding panting from inside the room, Mu Chenfeng frowned. His cold, sharp eyes stared at the tightly closed door, as if trying to see through it to see if the brat was hiding inside.

The madam nervously guarded the entrance, terrified he would push the door open and ruin the fun inside.

Glancing at the madam blocking the door, he turned and walked away. He disliked the scent of rouge and alcohol that permeated the brothel; he wouldn't have entered if not for the brat.

However, there was nowhere to hide in the surrounding streets. If the brat wasn't here, where could she have gone?

He paused for a moment, half-turned to glance at the closed door, and a faint, enigmatic smile curled his lips. Without further delay, he turned and walked out.

Inside the room, under the bed, Tang Xin only exhaled after the footsteps outside faded away. She patted her chest and thought to herself: *That was close. If he had pushed the door open, I would have been caught red-handed. I was planning to sneak out, but looking at the situation now, how am I supposed to get out?*