When Zhao Qiang arrived at Liu Ming'an's house, night had fully fallen.
It was the end of the month, with no stars or moon in the sky. Liu Ming'an's house was pitch black and deathly silent, without a glimmer of light or a hint of sound.
Zhao Qiang approached the yard, easily vaulting over the fence and landing inside. He then crept stealthily towards the main house.
As he reached the passageway between the main house and another building, a rustling sound made his heart leap. He lit a candle he had brought and saw two large rabbits in a cage on the ground, munching on vegetables. The noise had come from them.
"Phew," Zhao Qiang exhaled, inwardly mocking himself for being as jumpy as a thief. Then he remembered the large packet of knockout powder he carried and felt his courage return. Shielding the candle with his hand, he pushed open the door to the main house.
The door creaked softly as it opened, and the faint candlelight illuminated a small area inside.
Zhao Qiang had already discreetly surveyed this room earlier in the day. It was sparsely furnished, and the most likely place for money to be kept was the large chest by the wall.
Eager to reach it, Zhao Qiang took a step forward. Suddenly, he heard the sound of something cutting through the air.
Someone was there!
Zhao Qiang's eyes widened in shock. His body reacted before his mind could, leaping back two steps to avoid a fist aimed at his temple.
"Who's there?" Zhao Qiang shouted, his heart pounding wildly.
The candle flickered violently, nearly going out. Zhao Qiang looked towards his attacker and saw a woman with disheveled hair, emanating murderous intent. In the night, she looked like a vengeful spirit risen from hell.
Before Zhao Qiang could make out her features, the woman lunged at him, her leg sweeping towards his face.
Zhao Qiang instinctively raised his arm to block, but the woman's strength was surprising. Unable to withstand it, Zhao Qiang stumbled back several steps until he hit the wall. His arm went numb from the impact, and he dropped the candle, plunging the room into darkness.
She's a formidable opponent! This was Zhao Qiang's only thought.
Unable to see anything, Zhao Qiang's heart raced as he strained to hear any movement in the darkness, every muscle in his body taut with alertness.
Zhao Qiang was confident in his own abilities. His attacker had caught him off guard at first, but now that he was prepared, he was sure he could overpower her if she dared to attack again.
She's coming!
Zhao Qiang heard rapid footsteps approaching and readied himself to counter-attack. But from the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of white, moving too quickly to evade.
A dagger!
The woman had planned two moves ahead - one to engage him head-on, and another to strike from the side!
Zhao Qiang cursed under his breath, making a split-second decision to choose the lesser of two evils. He abandoned his frontal defense to dodge the dagger coming from the side.
"Thud!"
Zhao Qiang retreated two steps, his knee hitting the edge of the bed. The dagger missed, but a fist connected solidly with his abdomen. It felt as if all his internal organs had been displaced. Zhao Qiang couldn't help but let out a groan of pain. But the woman gave him no time to recover, her next strike already whistling through the air towards him.
Thinking quickly, Zhao Qiang grabbed the blanket from the bed and flung it towards his attacker. Then, grasping the window frame, he leapt outside in one fluid motion and ran towards the yard exit without looking back.
"Damn it all to hell! Where did this infernal woman learn to fight like that?" Zhao Qiang cursed inwardly as he ran.
The person who had engaged Zhao Qiang in combat was, of course, Jiang Ning.
After Liu Ming'an had fainted, Jiang Ning had guessed that Zhao Qiang would likely come during the night, though she couldn't fathom his motives.
To uncover the truth, Jiang Ning decided to turn his plan against him.
Since Liu Ming'an was unconscious, Jiang Ning didn't want the scholar to witness these unsavory events.
Moreover, recalling Liu Ming'an's mention that Zhao Qiang had gotten his job as a martial arts instructor at the magistrate's office due to his fighting skills, Jiang Ning wanted to avoid accidentally injuring him during the confrontation. So she placed him on the bamboo bed in her spatial realm.
After settling Liu Ming'an, Jiang Ning thought for a moment, then also moved the box containing their money into her spatial realm. Then she sat quietly in the darkness, waiting.
As night fell, the intruder did indeed sneak in as expected. Jiang Ning had planned to catch him by surprise, but she hadn't anticipated his quick reflexes. He managed to dodge her attacks and even used the blanket to momentarily hinder her before escaping through the window.
"Heh!" Jiang Ning let out a cold laugh. Letting a tiger return to the mountain would only lead to future troubles. She never made such foolish mistakes.
Zhao Qiang thought he could escape, but he had only taken a few steps after jumping out the window when the woman followed, leaping out and chasing him down quickly, clearly not intending to let him go.
Zhao Qiang darted into the woods beside Liu Ming'an's house, with Jiang Ning in hot pursuit, dagger in hand, only five or six paces behind him.
As the two disappeared into the distance, a figure rose from beneath the fence outside the yard. Stroking his chin, he watched the direction they had gone, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a successful scheme.
This person was none other than Houzi.
He had tricked Zhao Qiang into coming to steal the money, but his true objective had never been those few coins. It was the woman with the veil.
"What a pity!" Houzi sighed softly, his eyes full of malice.
It was a shame that Zhao Qiang's knockout powder hadn't incapacitated the woman. Otherwise, today would have been her last day alive!
Houzi climbed over the fence and entered the yard, then made his way into the main house.
Like Zhao Qiang before him, Houzi lit a candle to illuminate the room.
The house was empty. Although Houzi was puzzled about where the man called "Liu Ming'an" had gone, time was of the essence, and he couldn't be bothered to investigate. He began ransacking the room.
Judging by Zhao Qiang's hasty retreat, he must have been discovered before he could steal anything.
A hundred taels was no small sum, and Houzi still hoped to take the money back with him.
However, the room was small, and even after thoroughly searching it twice, even looking under the bed, Houzi couldn't find where the money was hidden.
As time ticked away, Houzi grew increasingly anxious. He worried that the woman might return and catch him red-handed. She had spared his life last time, but there was no guarantee she would do so again. Who would dare to gamble with their own life?
Since he couldn't find the money, there was no point in wasting more time.
A gentle breeze from outside made the candlelight flicker, casting grotesque shadows on Houzi's face as it twisted into a sinister grin.
The candle flame inched closer to the cotton bedding. As it touched the fabric, a small flame sprang to life, quickly spreading along the fibers. The room gradually brightened as the fire spread from the bed to the wooden doors and windows...
Houzi left the yard and watched his handiwork from afar, muttering "what a pity" several times.
It was a pity that the woman wasn't in the house. Otherwise, today would have been a perfect day.
Humming a little tune, Houzi set off down the road leading away from Lotus Flower Village, a spring in his step.