Text-based martial arts: A nighttime rendezvous with the gang leader's wife in a dilapidated te

The night was dark.

The south side of Jinling City is the absolute center of the city.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, large red lanterns, their glow still faintly visible, illuminated the southern part of the city.

Most of the restaurants along the Qinhuai River had already closed, except for the brothels and red boats, where pink candlelight flickered and the occasional sweet whispers of courtesans still lingered.

You glanced at it.

This place is almost a completely different world from the desolate East City and the impoverished North City.

The Qinhuai River carries the perfumes and cosmetics of its courtesans, the riches and gold of powerful noblemen, but never the simple fare of ordinary people.

You let out a soft breath and glanced at her with a hint of envy.

"Damn it, if we robbed all these guys, how much silver would that be?"

Unfortunately, as you know, these businesses either have a stake in the Golden Dragon Society or are simply owned by the Shen family.

At this point, none of these are people you can afford to offend.

You walked briskly along the inner bank of the Qinhuai River, onto the street leading to the private residence.

Compared to the brightly lit riverbanks, the streets surrounding these private residences were much quieter.

Your gaze is searching for one of them.

Soon, you found your target.

Two small stone lions stood guard in front of a courtyard, not at all out of place.

[Perhaps no one would suspect that this courtyard is the private residence of the Shen family steward in Jinling City!]

You glanced around and, finding no one paying attention, then...

With a mere tiptoe and a sudden leap, he cleared the ten-foot-high wall.

Before you came, you had already allocated all your attribute points to agility through the "Fate-Defying Alteration" technique.

[Now, your agility has returned to a high level of 8. Although you don't possess any special lightness skills, your speed is no less than that of some body-refining martial artists!]

Under the moonlight, your gaze quickly swept across the courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large; it was a single-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), but it looked like the home of an ordinary wealthy family.

The courtyard was quiet and still; clearly, Shen Fu wouldn't trust anyone to come to this secret residence where he was lining his own pockets.

You breathed a sigh of relief, your gaze sweeping around before quickly settling on the location of the main house (north-facing room) of the compound.

You tiptoed into the main hall, constantly watching your surroundings, and after observing the room for a moment to make sure no one was there, you pushed open the door and cautiously went inside.

The room was pitch black, with only slivers of moonlight filtering in through the window.

You breathed a sigh of relief. You have to admit, it was your first time doing something like this, and you were definitely a little nervous.

However, rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find old things doesn't require much talent or experience.

You rubbed your hands together and began searching through the various cabinets and drawers in the room.

[System notification: You have received 100 taels of silver.]

[System notification: You have received 6 taels of loose silver.]

[System notification: You have obtained 1 piece of mutton fat jade.]

[System Notification: You have obtained 10 Golden Melon Seeds]

[System notification: You have obtained one Ivory Jade Hairpin.]

[System notification: You have obtained 1 scroll of an anonymous ancient painting.]

【…】

"We've struck it rich!"

Off-screen, Chen Xuan, barely daring to breathe, clenched his fist and a smile crept across his lips. Damn, it's still about plundering the landlords and rich folks.

Shen Fu has been lording it over the Shen family for so many years, and the wealth he has accumulated is indeed quite substantial.

I wonder if there are any secret chambers or mechanisms hidden within them, like those in the classic novel?

Chen Xuan didn't know that all he knew was that he only needed to click around in the "Shen Fu Residence (Main Hall)" square on the map in the upper right corner!

[While you're looting, you suddenly notice a very unusual sandalwood box on a bookshelf in a side room of the main hall.]

The box was secured with an intricate iron lock, clearly indicating that it contained something quite valuable.

You tilted your head, glanced at the size of the wooden box, compared it to your backpack, and decisively picked up the paperweight hammer next to you, smashing it directly onto the wooden box.

Since it's not yours, of course you don't care.

In no time at all, you smashed that valuable sandalwood box to pieces.

However, what you find inside will greatly disappoint you.

This is just a key.

Moreover, judging from its appearance, this key is extremely new, seemingly just recently made.

Although you didn't know what this thing was for, after thinking about it, you still put it in your backpack.

You continued your looting.

In the study drawer, you find another book, also placed in a brocade box. Upon closer inspection, you realize it's a martial arts manual!

[System notification: You have acquired the Yellow-level martial art "Snake Tongue Palm".]

[System notification: You have received 100 taels of silver notes]

[Another unexpected bonus? Your face grew even more excited, wishing your backpack were bigger.]

However, in the end, Shen Fu's true identity was nothing more than a steward who lined the Shen family's own pockets.

In no time at all, your ransacking has left the main hall and surrounding areas almost completely searched.

[You glanced at the chaotic room, showing no intention of paying it any attention. Carrying a pile of packages, you tiptoed back into the main hall and opened the door again.]

Looking at the other two side rooms under the moonlight, you rubbed your hands together.

[As you also know, such an opportunity only comes once. Once Shen Fu discovers the theft, he will definitely take strict precautions, and there will certainly be no next chance.]

You glanced at your backpack. While it couldn't hold much else, you could easily fit a few silver notes in it. You decided…

[1. Know when to stop: We've done enough; it's time to go. If Shen Fu suddenly comes back, things will get really bad.]

[2. Continue to plunder: Such a good opportunity is rare; how can we be satisfied if we don't make the most of it?]

Looking at the screen in front of him, Chen Xuan thought for a moment and decided to stop while he was ahead.

[You are cautious by nature, and ultimately did not continue your exploration and search. People die for wealth, birds die for food; Shen Fu's collection is not worth wasting any more of your time on.]

You approached the courtyard wall you had just leaped over with light steps, your feet barely touching the ground, just as you were about to jump up.

However, at that moment, in the deep darkness, a deep, undisguised sound of footsteps and conversation rang out outside the door, which was only separated by a wall.

Your body suddenly stiffened...