Chapter 14: Making a Move

Chapter 14: Making a Move

The night was dim.

The sounds of slaughter and shouting drifted from the distance on the night wind, clearly audible.

In the narrow alleys, all doors and gates were tightly shut; not a single person ventured out to watch the commotion.

Even if there were curious souls, at most they would be like Su Mu, peeking out secretly through the cracks in their doors.

In these times, curiosity could kill a person; the common folk knew well which spectacles were not to be trifled with.

"It's coming from the direction of the South City Bureau."

Su Mu pricked up his ears to listen to the disturbances from afar, feeling a secret surge of alarm in his heart.

Though the world was in chaos, what kind of place was the South City Bureau?

How could someone dare to attack it?

Who possessed such audacity?

As he was thinking, Su Mu suddenly saw a figure burst into the alley.

By the dim moonlight, Su Mu saw clearly as that figure dashed into the outermost household of the alley with a swift movement.

"It's the Liu family!"

Su Mu's heart jolted, and he instinctively moved to pull open his door and rush out.

His hands were already on the door bolt when he paused.

Could he, with his fledgling saber techniques, actually fight off a criminal daring enough to raid the South City Bureau?

If he rushed out like this, he wouldn't just fail to save the Liu family; he would likely throw his own life away as well.

"Perhaps they are heroes robbing the rich to aid the poor. They might not necessarily harm Liu Hai and the others; after all, Liu Hai is just an ordinary cook, not from a wealthy family," Su Mu reasoned to himself.

Despite these thoughts, a sense of unease lingered. He quietly retreated into his house and grabbed the mulberry wood longbow kept by his bedside.

Slinging his quiver over his shoulder, Su Mu carefully climbed onto his roof.

Just as Su Mu reached the rooftop, a sudden scream rang out from the Liu family's courtyard.

Lying on the roof, Su Mu saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen run out from a room, only to be violently grabbed by the hair by a large hand and dragged back inside.

Su Mu recognized her as Liu Feng's cousin; her name was Liu Hongyu.

His heart sank.

"Help!"

Just as Su Mu was hesitating whether to act, a woman came running out of the room, screaming.

Before her body could even fully clear the threshold, a blade pierced through her chest.

The scream cut short. The woman collapsed against the doorstep, her blood instantly staining the ground crimson.

"Bad luck! I just wanted to hide for a while, but you're forcing me to kill."

A lean figure stepped over the woman's corpse, appearing in the courtyard while holding a disheveled young girl.

The girl struggled desperately, and her frantic movements inevitably caused her clothing to slip, exposing her form.

The lean man, who had a terrifying blue birthmark on his face, licked his lips.

"Don't panic, little wench. Once I've dealt with that Xing fellow, I'll take you back to the stronghold. I didn't expect to run into such a beauty on this trip; you'll do just fine as my camp mistress."

As he spoke, his large hands unceremon