Chapter 126: Playing With Us

Black Rat stood at the elevated end of the subterranean hall, his dark leather armor creaking slightly as he rested his heavy hands on the iron railing.

Below him, gathered in the damp, torchlit shadows, stood a fresh unit of eight scout operatives. They were men trained specifically for low-profile tracking, wearing dark indigo garb designed to blend into the evening shade, their faces partially obscured by cloth masks.

The atmosphere in the underground chamber was quiet, filled only with the crackle of burning resin and the distant, echoing drip of groundwater.

Black Rat leaned forward, his scarred face illuminated by the flickering orange light. His cold eyes swept across the line of operatives, measuring each man’s posture.

"Two days ago, three of our senior trackers—Ghost Eye and his pair—were assigned to monitor the perimeter of the newly purchased estate near the northern gates," Black Rat began, his raspy voice cutting through the stillness like a jagged blade. "They were experienced men. They knew how to move through shadows without leaving a footprint. Yet, for the past few days, not a single one of them has returned to report."

He stepped down the stone stairs, his heavy boots clicking against the damp floor until he stood directly in front of the lead operative.

"No bodies have been found in the gutters. No distress flares were lit. No signal was sent either," Black Rat continued, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. "A man does not simply vanish into thin air inside Crimson Vale unless someone makes him vanish. I am assigning your unit to finish what they started."

The lead operative bowed his head slightly. "Lieutenant, where was their last known location?"

"The area around that newly acquired estate," Black Rat replied coldly. "You are not to engage anyone inside. Your sole objective is to investigate the exact ground where Ghost Eye’s trail went cold. Find out if they were taken, killed, or if they fell into a trap. Move out."

"Understood!"

Without another word, the eight operatives melted into the surrounding shadows, exiting through the hidden drainage tunnels that led toward the surface.

An hour later, the sun had fully dipped below the western hills, leaving the northern district cloaked in the deep, indigo hues of twilight.

The stealth unit moved with practiced speed, leaping silently across the pitched tile roofs of the surrounding merchant properties before descending into the dense bamboo grove that buffered the rear wall of Lu Feng’s estate. They kept their breathing light and their spiritual signatures strictly suppressed, moving like quiet gusts of wind.

When they reached a high ridge overlooking the property, the lead operative raised a hand, signaling the unit to halt behind a row of thick bamboo stalks.

"Hold," he whispered, unslinging a brass scrying glass from his belt. "We are within two hundred paces of the rear wall."

He brought the lens to his eye and focused on the quiet courtyard below. From a distance, everything appeared completely peaceful. The stone paths were clean, a faint light shone from the main living quarters, and the soft rustle of leaves filled the night air.

"This is the spot," another operative whispered, pointing to a patch of disturbed earth near a stone lantern just outside the perimeter wall. "Scratches on the bark of that cedar tree. That was Ghost Eye’s primary vantage point."

The lead operative lowered his glass and motioned for two men to advance. "Move in closer. Check the dirt for lingering blood or residual Qi signatures."

The two operatives nodded, dropping low to the ground. They darted forward, gliding across the grass without making a sound as they closed the distance to the outer boundary wall.

However, the moment their boots stepped within five paces of the estate’s stone foundation, the air before them suddenly warped.

BUZZ...

An intense, translucent ripple flared into existence out of thin air, expanding into a towering, dome-shaped barrier of concentrated spiritual force that completely enclosed the entire property.

The surface of the barrier hummed with a subtle, icy-blue radiance, pulsing with a pressure so dense that the two approaching operatives were instantly thrown backward, their feet skidding through the dirt.

The remaining scouts behind the ridge gasped softly, their hands instinctively flying to their weapons.

"A defensive formation?!" one of the operatives hissed, his eyes widening in shock. "Since when does a simple residential estate near the northern gates possess a high-grade barrier?"

The lead operative rushed down to join the two frontline scouts, staring at the translucent wall of light in sheer disbelief. He extended a leather-gloved hand, pressing a specialized Qi-dissecting dagger against the surface of the barrier to test its strength.

The moment the steel touched the light, a sharp spark erupted. A violent back-surge of spiritual force traveled straight up the blade, cracking the reinforced metal into tiny fragments and sending a numbing shockwave through the operative’s arm.

"It is an integrated grand array," the lead operative muttered, his heart thumping rapidly against his ribs as a cold sweat broke out across his back. "The energy flow is completely seamless. Not even a team of experts stronger than us could breach this without making enough noise to wake the entire northern district."

He looked up at the quiet walls of the estate, realizing the terrifying truth. Ghost Eye and his men hadn’t just been sloppy—they had unwittingly walked straight into the perimeter of a heavily fortified fortress.

"Withdraw!" the lead operative commanded in a harsh whisper, backing away from the glowing wall. "We cannot get any closer. Report back to the Lieutenant immediately!"

Deep within the subterranean hideout, in a secluded room far removed from the main halls, the air was thick with the scent of burning incense and stale iron.

White Horse sat behind a dark stone desk, slowly wiping the gleaming edge of a long, narrow blade with a silk cloth. His expression was calm, almost detached, but his sharp eyes flickered upward the moment the heavy door creaked open.

Black Rat stepped into the room, his face dark and heavy with anger. He gestured to the scout leader standing behind him, who quickly recounted everything their unit had discovered at the northern estate—the total disappearance of Ghost Eye’s team, the sudden activation of the high-grade defensive barrier, and the absolute impossibility of breaching the perimeter quietly.

Once the scout finished his report, Black Rat waved his hand dismissively. "Get out. Double the guard on the surface entrances."

The scout bowed low and hurriedly retreated, closing the thick door behind him.

Silence returned to the stone chamber.

Black Rat walked over to a small table, poured himself a cup of strong spirit liquor, and swallowed it in a single gulp before turning back to face White Horse.

"A grand defensive array," Black Rat rasped, slamming the empty clay cup onto the table. "An estate that was bought just over a week ago by a nameless newcomer suddenly has a barrier capable of shattering a Qi-dissecting blade with passive backlash. White Horse, do you still think this boy is just a lucky merchant’s client?"

White Horse slowly placed his blade back into its black scabbard with a soft, metallic click.

"A high-grade barrier requires two things," White Horse said softly, his voice smooth and calculating. "A massive amount of spirit stones to maintain the core, and a skilled array master to lay the foundation. Neither of those things comes cheap, nor can they be hidden easily."

"Exactly!" Black Rat snapped, leaning against the edge of the stone desk. "And where did a massive amount of spirit stones just appear in Crimson Vale yesterday afternoon? The Treasury Pavilion! One hundred and fifty thousand gold coins worth of pill sales!"

White Horse’s eyes narrowed slightly as he absorbed the connection.

"You think Ghost Eye and his men aren’t dead," White Horse said quietly.

"I am certain of it," Black Rat sneered, his scarred cheek twitching. "Ghost Eye was cautious. If he were attacked outright, he would have triggered a distress signal. The fact that all three vanished without a single sound means they were captured cleanly before they could even react. Lu Feng didn’t just build a wall around his house—he built a prison. Our three men are almost certainly being held captive inside that estate right now."

White Horse leaned back in his carved chair, steepling his long fingers together as he contemplated the situation.

"If Ghost Eye is inside, it means Lu Feng already knows that someone is watching him," White Horse mused, his tone growing colder. "Yet, he hasn’t reported this to the City Lord’s guards, nor has he made a public scene. He simply locked them underground and activated a grand array to shut us out."

"He is playing with us," Black Rat growled, his hand gripping the pommel of his sabre tightly. "He thinks that behind that barrier, he is completely untouchable. But if our men talk under torture, he will know the full layout of our surface operations."

White Horse remained silent for a long moment, the quiet flickering of the torchlight reflecting in his dark pupils.

"We do not strike blindly against an estate protected by a grand array," White Horse finally spoke, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy murmur. "If he wants to hide behind his barrier, we will let him feel secure. But no barrier stays up forever without fuel. Keep a shadow guard posted outside his perimeter at a safe distance. The moment anyone steps out of that estate—be it his guards, his maid, or Lu Feng himself—we take them."