Fang Han left Elder Fang Yuan's courtyard, found a secluded corner, and took out the folded scroll he was carrying, slowly unrolling it.
On the scroll, sketched in a remarkably realistic style, was the face of a man with shifty, rat-like eyes.
His features were captured so accurately that they were instantly memorable.
Beside the portrait were a few lines of small text, briefly describing the man's height, build, and his trademark pair of short daggers.
Below that, an address was clearly marked: Abandoned Courtyard C-7, Kuhuai Lane, Liangshui City South District.
"Black Rat..."
Fang Han glanced over the portrait, searing Black Rat's features into his mind. Then, he rolled up the scroll and strode out of the Fang Mansion.
"Hm?"
Not long after leaving the Fang Mansion, Fang Han suddenly stopped and glanced behind him.
A moment ago, he had sensed something strange, but looking back, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
He resumed walking, heading briskly toward Liangshui City South District.
The South District of Liangshui City was a stark contrast to the East District, where the Fang Family resided.
The farther south he went, the narrower the streets became. The roads were no longer paved with smooth flagstones, but were rutted dirt paths instead.
The houses lining the road were low, densely packed, and mostly dilapidated. The air was filled with a faint, complex odor—a mixture of coal ash, sewage, and the general bustle of daily life.
The pedestrians were mostly dressed in simple, even patched, clothing, which stood in stark contrast to Fang Han's own well-tailored Fang Family training uniform, made from high-quality fabric.
Walking down a street like this, dressed as he was, made him stick out like a sore thumb.
Curious, reverent, and somewhat listless gazes were constantly cast in his direction, landing on him from all sides.
'These clothes are a bit too conspicuous!'
Fang Han frowned slightly. 'My mission is to capture Black Rat. If I'm this conspicuous, word of my arrival will probably reach him before I do.'
His eyes scanned the street and fell upon a small shop with a "Clothing Store" sign.
He went inside.
When he emerged a moment later, he was wearing a dusty-gray, coarse cloth outer robe over his clothes.
It was a garment he had purchased for twenty copper plates.
Although it couldn't completely conceal the distinct bearing of a Martial Artist—his Essence, Qi, and Spirit—at least he was no longer so dazzling. As expected, the number of stares he received dropped by more than half.
'Kuhuai Lane, C-7...'
Following the address, Fang Han weaved through streets and alleys.
Finally, at the end of an even more remote alley, nearly devoid of pedestrians, he found the abandoned courtyard. The number on its gate was faded and illegible, but the layout matched the address's description.
The courtyard walls were low and crumbling in several places. The wooden gate was ajar, covered in a thick layer of dust.
Fang Han paused to listen. The courtyard was silent, save for the mournful sound of wind whistling through a broken window lattice.
Without further hesitation, he took a deep breath and kicked!
BANG!
The already rotten wooden gate flew open, smashing against an inner wall with a tremendous crash.
Moving like a flash of lightning, Fang Han charged into the courtyard, his hand gripping the hilt of his Cyan Blade Sword. His sharp, hawk-like gaze scanned every corner.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds and littered with broken pottery and rotting wood.
The door to the main house stood wide open, revealing an empty interior with nothing but a few pieces of broken furniture.
The roof of the side building had caved in on one side.
A single glance was enough to see there was nowhere for anyone to hide.
'No one's here?'
Fang Han's brow furrowed, and his heart sank.
'Was the information wrong? Or... is that Black Rat just too cunning? Did he sense something and leave ahead of time?'
He carefully scanned the yard and found signs of recent habitation, which meant Black Rat had indeed been staying here.
'It's possible he's just out getting food, but it's more likely he sensed something was off and has already fled.'
'What now?'
Fang Han's brow tightened.
He had started his martial arts training at fourteen. His studies had focused exclusively on Pile Skill and Swordsmanship; he had never learned techniques for tracking or investigation. In that regard, he was completely inexperienced.
'I need to track him, but without any training, I don't even know where to begin.'
'Is my first mission going to end in failure?'
Just as Fang Han was frowning and wondering what to do next, he heard an extremely faint footstep from the direction of the gate behind him.
Instantly alert, Fang Han spun around. The qi and blood within him surged as he fixed a sharp gaze on the entrance and demanded in a low voice:
"Who's there?!"
A sharp-featured, middle-aged man in plain clothes was standing at the entrance.
Seeing Fang Han's guarded posture and the faint sense of pressure emanating from him, the man quickly halted. A respectful expression appeared on his face as he spoke in a hushed, hurried tone:
"Young Master Han, please don't be alarmed. I am a servant from the Fang Family's External Affairs Division, designation D-97. I am here to assist you on Elder Fang Yuan's orders."
As he spoke, he took a wooden token engraved with the Fang Family insignia from his robes and carefully presented it.
"I saw you enter from a distance a moment ago, Young Master Han. When I heard no sounds of a fight, I surmised that Black Rat had likely escaped, so I decided to show myself."
Hearing the man state his identity and present his token, Fang Han relaxed slightly but did not let his guard down completely. The surging qi and blood in his body simply settled a little.
"Were you the one following me?"
Fang Han immediately recalled the strange sensation he had felt upon leaving the Fang Mansion.
It must have been this man tailing him that triggered his Spiritual Sense as a Martial Artist, making him feel that something was amiss.
"My apologies, Young Master Han. It was Elder Fang Yuan's order. He instructed me not to reveal myself unless absolutely necessary."
The sharp-featured servant said respectfully.
As a Fang Family servant, he was well aware of how highly the family regarded the young master before him.
"It's fine."
Fang Han mulled it over for a moment before asking,
"Black Rat might have sensed something was wrong and fled. I'm not skilled in tracking or investigation. Since Elder Fang Yuan sent you to help, can you find any tracks and follow him?"
A hint of confidence appeared on the man's face. "I've dabbled in Tracking Techniques. I'm willing to give it a try for you, Young Master!"
With Fang Han's approval, the man sprang into action.
He began meticulously examining the base of the walls, the direction in which the weeds were bent, and other subtle, barely perceptible traces on the ground.
Soon, he stopped at the base of a low section of wall in the northwest corner, where the dust on top showed signs of a fresh scuff mark.
"Young Master, look here!"
The servant pointed to a few blurry, almost unrecognizable footprints at the base of the wall, as well as an inconspicuous mud smudge on the wall itself.
"The tracks are fresh. Black Rat must have gone this way!"
The two of them climbed over the wall and emerged into another alley.
The man crouched down to carefully examine the direction of the footprints. Then he stood, pointed deeper into the alley, and said with conviction:
"Young Master, he went this way! The trail is still clear; we should be able to catch him!"
"Lead the way!"
Fang Han's spirits lifted, and he said with delight.
"Yes, sir!"
The man acknowledged the order and immediately took the lead, quickly following the almost imperceptible trail in pursuit.
Fang Han followed close behind.
The alley was narrow, with mottled gray walls rising on both sides, casting sinister shadows.
The sharp-featured man led the way, with Fang Han following three paces behind.
Just as they sped past a section of peeling wall—
A ghostly figure vaulted over the wall without warning, descending silently behind Fang Han like a Night Owl.
Twin daggers, gleaming with a sinister light, silently cut through the air, stabbing straight toward the center of Fang Han's back!