Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 18 The Capital City Shakes (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Could it be a deadly feud that Wang Shun made outside? But if he really wanted revenge on Wang Shun, he could have easily taken action on his way home or gone directly to his house. Why go through all this trouble to come to the rice shop and make such a commotion?
Just as Cheng Ming was racking his brains, Cheng Zhiwei, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Grandpa, Patriarch Lin, in my opinion, since this person chose to make his move in Fumancang and acted so blatantly, it is probably not just a matter of venting his anger. He can come and go in Fumancang so easily today, so there is no guarantee that he won't target other Lin family businesses tomorrow."

Lin Hong's expression changed: "What does Miss Zhiwei mean..."

Cheng Zhiwei's eyes were clear and bright. "This person is highly skilled and daring, and seems to harbor hostility towards the Lin family. Why don't we turn the tables on him?"

"Patriarch Lin can secretly strengthen the defenses of his other important properties, while also leaving one or two openings to lure this person into making another move. If he dares to come again, we can lay a trap and wait for him to come to us, capturing him in one fell swoop!"

"Brilliant!" Lin Hong's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Miss Zhiwei's plan is brilliant! Let's do it that way!"

He immediately ordered his steward to gather all the best guards in the manor to secretly strengthen the defenses of all the Lin family's shops, especially important businesses such as banks and pawnshops. At the same time, following Cheng Zhiwei's suggestion, he relaxed the guard a little in some less important shops and set up bait.

In an instant, the entire Lin family mobilized. And it wasn't just the Lin family; other powerful and wealthy families in the capital who heard about this also felt threatened and strengthened the security of their mansions and shops.

The atmosphere in the entire capital city became tense and tense as a result.

Chen Ye, the instigator of all this, was now leisurely sitting in his own little room in the tenement, taking stock of last night's gains.

Name: Chen Ye

【Occupation: Night Stalker (lv3)】

[Talent: Child of Shadows]

[Skills: Masterful Hands lv10, Swift Blade lv10, Leaping Over the Roof lv10, Shadow Step lv1]

[Shadow Stealth]: A skill exclusive to Night Stalkers, allowing them to actively blend into the shadows, completely concealing their form and presence for a short period, as if they have vanished into thin air. The higher the skill level, the longer the duration and the smaller the vulnerability.

In just one night, his professional level rose from lv2 to lv3, and he even gained a new skill that was so useful.

Chen Ye slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

It seems that my guess is right.

Professional advancement is not efficient if you only study in seclusion. The real shortcut is to do things that are closely related to your profession.

Thieves rely on stealing.

So, the Night Stalkers, naturally, rely on stealth and killing!
Last night, he sneaked into Fumancang, killed the villains, and distributed money and grain. This series of actions perfectly matched the core of the "Night Walker" profession, which is why his experience points skyrocketed like a rocket.

Just then, Fang Tao's voice came from outside the door.

"Ono, come out for dinner!"

Chen Ye composed himself and pushed open the door to go out.

On the small square table in the courtyard, several hearty dishes were laid out for the first time ever, and there was even a pot of warm wine, steaming slightly.

"Young Master, what day is it today? Why is it so lavish?" Chen Ye asked, somewhat surprised.

"Hahaha, of course it's a good day!" Fang Tao's face was flushed with excitement.

"You've all heard about what happened last night, haven't you?"

“It’s more than just hearsay,” a fellow disciple said excitedly.

"It's all over the place now. They're saying a masked swordsman sneaked into Fu Man Cang at night, killed that heartless manager, and scattered all the grain the Lin family had stockpiled. Good heavens, that's the Lin family! That's incredibly impressive!"

Fang Tao patted his chest proudly, "That's right! Although I don't know which senior master it was, who else but our Rongzi Sect could do something like this? What do you call this? This is called eliminating a scourge for the people, the chivalrous spirit of a thief!"

"Come, everyone, sit down. Today we must have a good drink to celebrate that our Rongzi Sect has produced another top expert!"

The crowd cheered and took their seats.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively, and everyone's face was filled with pride and excitement.

Fang Tao personally filled everyone's glass with wine, then raised it high: "Come on! Although we didn't have the chance to meet this master, our friendship remains! We, the brothers of the Rongzi Sect, toast him from afar!" "To the master!"

"Homage to the chivalrous heroes!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp, their faces full of reverence and longing.

Chen Ye also raised his glass and drank the wine. The spicy liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, igniting a fire within him.

He looked at the excited faces of the crowd and chuckled inwardly. He wondered what they would think if they knew that the all-powerful "master" he had spoken of was sitting right among them.

After a glass of wine, Fang Tao started talking non-stop.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” he lowered his voice, with a hint of smugness, “this morning my uncle called me over first thing and immediately asked me if I knew who this senior was.”

"Of course I don't know, but my uncle told me to keep an eye out and that if I could get in touch with this expert, I should treat him with the utmost respect. When I came out of my uncle's place, wow, people from the other sects all surrounded me and asked me for information. They were incredibly polite!"

Fang Tao spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he were the one being fawned over.

"Our Rong family has really made a name for itself this time."

The crowd was filled with excitement, as if they themselves had become the hero admired by all.

Only Chen Ye continued to eat his food in silence.

Fang Tao noticed him, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Xiao Ye, you have to work hard. With your talent and willingness to put in the effort, you might just become a big shot like this senior in the future. When that happens, I'll benefit from your success!"

Chen Ye raised his head, met Fang Tao's expectant gaze, and nodded earnestly: "I will, Young Master."

The banquet ended, and night once again enveloped the capital.

When the last light in the courtyard went out and all was quiet, a dark figure silently slipped out of the small house without disturbing anyone or even stirring up a breeze.

Chen Ye once again disappeared into the darkness.

Now, with his talent as the "Child of Shadows," he walks in the night as naturally and silently as a fish swimming in water.

His breathing, heartbeat, and footsteps blended into the darkness, and even if an ordinary person were face to face with him, they might not be able to detect his presence.

He first went to a silk shop owned by the Lin family in the west of the city.

From a distance, the shop entrance was brightly lit, with only two shop assistants yawning and keeping watch, seemingly lax in their vigilance.

But Chen Ye only glanced at it from the rooftop in the distance before he couldn't help but sneer.

In his field of vision, at least seven or eight skilled fighters, breathing heavily, lurked in the shadows surrounding the silk shop. On the second floor of the teahouse opposite, the window was half-open, and he could vaguely see the glint of a crossbow bolt flashing by.

Openly pine trees, secretly tightened security; waiting patiently for a rabbit to run into a tree stump.

The Lin family wasn't entirely stupid; they knew to set a trap for him.

Unfortunately, they made a mistake.

I'm not just targeting the Lin family.

The reason why Fumancang was targeted first was simply because it was closest to the disaster victims in the south of the city, making it convenient to distribute grain.

Of all the powerful and wealthy families in the capital, how many have clean hands? When it comes to committing numerous evils and hoarding goods for profit, the Lin family doesn't even rank high.

Since your Lin family has already made preparations, then I'll choose another one.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye's figure flashed and completely disappeared into the darkness, like a fish entering the sea, leaving no trace.

(End of this chapter)