Yang Jing's gaze sharpened, and he followed without a sound.
He stepped on the soft earth, carefully avoiding the gravel, and maintained a distance of over thirty feet.
Scarface Li's mind was entirely on the sack, so he failed to notice the tail he'd picked up.
A strong gust of wind blew through the alley, lifting the hem of Yang Jing's robes. He pressed a hand to the short blade at his waist, his gaze locked on the brutish back ahead of him.
'The contents of that sack are most likely the silver coins and treasures accumulated by the Great Fortune Gang.'
'The Great Fortune Gang has been crippled by the Yiqi Gang, to the point they couldn't even defend their own headquarters.'
'The situation was so tense back then that in their haste, the Great Fortune Gang probably didn't have time to move their valuables.'
'Now that things have settled down, the Great Fortune Gang's Gang Leader might have sent a trusted subordinate to retrieve them.'
'However, I can't be sure yet. Was Scarface Li sent by Xu Tai, the Gang Leader of the Great Fortune Gang? Or did he see the gang was about to collapse and decide to act on his own greed? He could be using his position as a trusted subordinate to steal the treasures Xu Tai hid and make a run for it.'
Yang Jing didn't make a move just yet. He continued to tail Scarface Li quietly.
They left Guang'an Square and headed north.
Scarface Li moved secretively, weaving through the streets. Any ordinary person trying to follow him would have been shaken off long ago, but Yang Jing was the exception.
For the past month, he hadn't been idle.
On the contrary, he had been very busy.
Although the Liu Family Medical Hall helped keep an eye on the Great Fortune Gang, it was only a favor. They couldn't be expected to be as dedicated as if it were their own affair.
The truly critical part was Yang Jing's own surveillance; he had been lurking near the Great Fortune Gang's territory almost every night.
He paid the closest attention to Xu Tai, the Great Fortune Gang's Leader.
Whenever Xu Tai left the Great Fortune Gang's headquarters, Yang Jing would tail him from the shadows.
In little more than a month, Yang Jing had tailed Xu Tai at least a hundred times, familiarizing himself with the places Xu Tai frequented as well as those he rarely visited.
'Scarface Li is heading in this direction. North of Guang'an Square are Fengle Square and Xinghua Square.'
'I've followed Xu Tai this way many times. He always went to one of three places.'
'Two are in Fengle Square, and one is in Xinghua Square.'
'Xu Tai visited the two locations in Fengle Square multiple times, but he only went to that remote courtyard in Xinghua Square once, and in secret.'
'If Scarface Li were planning to betray the gang and flee with their treasure, his best bet would be to head west and get out of the city as quickly as possible. Once he's outside the walls, there's nothing Xu Tai could do to him, and all that wealth would be his for the taking.'
'But Scarface Li isn't rushing for the city gates. He's heading north. It looks like he's following Xu Tai's orders, sent to retrieve something and bring it back.'
At this thought, a bold plan began to form in Yang Jing's mind.
Following Scarface Li should lead him to Xu Tai. However, Yang Jing had no intention of following him the entire way.
'I'll just watch a little longer and see where he's headed.'
The night was dark and the streets were nearly empty. Clouds obscured most of the moon, leaving only a few dim, yellow lanterns to sway in the wind-swept alleys.
Scarface Li, shouldering the sack, stuck to the most remote and narrow alleys.
The stone path beneath his feet was riddled with potholes, making his steps uneven. He glanced around from time to time, and seeing no one, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
He had already crossed through two districts since leaving Guang'an Square.
He had been so careful along the way that even if someone had spotted him, he should have lost them by now.
After one last check to confirm he wasn't being followed, Scarface Li stopped dawdling and quickened his pace.
After Scarface Li moved on, a dark figure emerged, hugging the base of the wall. It was nearly impossible to spot him unless you were standing right in front of him.
Yang Jing watched Scarface Li's retreating back, his eyes narrowed to slits.
'Any further and he'll be out of Fengle Square.'
'That means I can rule out the two locations in Fengle Square.'
'Xu Tai... is very likely hiding in that remote courtyard in Xinghua Square.'
Yang Jing considered this and concluded it was highly probable.
He recalled the one time he had followed Xu Tai to that remote courtyard in Xinghua Square.
That time, Xu Tai had only brought two trusted subordinates, Scarface Li among them. They had arrived secretly, didn't linger in the courtyard, and left quickly.
Thinking back on it, that remote courtyard was most likely a safe house Xu Tai had prepared for himself.
A sly rabbit has three holes to its burrow, let alone a crafty old fox like Xu Tai.
'Time to make my move!'
'Whether Xu Tai is hiding in Xinghua Square or not, I have to get my hands on the Great Fortune Gang's treasure!'
The thought of the sack on Scarface Li's back, which occasionally clinked with the sound of silver ingots, made Yang Jing's heart burn. He took a deep breath, held it, and quickened his steps.
...
「In a remote, narrow alley where Fengle and Xinghua Squares intersected.」
The depths of the alley were black as spilled ink. The only thing that moved was the wind, funneled between the high walls, carrying the damp smell of earth.
Scarface Li had stuck to all the little back-alleys and winding paths. Confident that no one could have followed him, he let his guard down. His mind drifted to the battle with the Yiqi Gang earlier that day.
He rounded a corner and suddenly tripped on something. As he started to curse and look down, a sharp, cold sensation struck the back of his neck.
It felt like a touch of ice, so fast he had no time to react.
He instinctively tried to turn, to draw his blade, but an explosive pain erupted from his neck, as if red-hot pincers were tearing through his veins.
The metallic taste of blood filled his throat, but he couldn't make a sound, only a wet, gurgling noise.
In the corner of his eye, he saw a dark figure standing against the wall. Something dripped from the short blade in its hand, which held a faint, cold glint in the absolute darkness.