Seeing the copper mirror tremble and hum, Wei Yutian’s eyes narrowed. He immediately turned around and grabbed the unconscious Xiao Yu, knocked out by a palm blade, his figure flickering as he dashed out the door.

Wei Yutian was carrying Xiao Yu. Just as he reached the main hall entrance, Zhu Xiaoqi, dressed in her nightclothes, emerged from the opposite wing.

At a glance, she saw Xiao Yu being abducted by a man in black, rushing outside.

In a panic, Zhu Xiaoqi screamed and immediately used Cloud Serpent Step.

At this point, Wei Yutian had already leaped onto the courtyard wall. He hadn’t expected a maid from the Xiao family to possess lightweight skill. Just as Zhu Xiaoqi tapped the threshold with her toes, leaving behind residual shadows, she had already jumped into the air...

Wei Yutian hadn’t anticipated such a series of twists and turns this time, but regardless of how many changes occurred, the beauty was now in hand, and any ordeal was worth it. What he needed to do now was to retreat quickly.

Standing atop the courtyard wall, Wei Yutian flicked his right hand, shooting two flying blades towards the airborne Zhu Xiaoqi.

Almost simultaneously as the flying blades were released, Wei Yutian’s figure flickered, already carrying Xiao Yu down from the wall and into some shadowy place outside the courtyard.

In midair, Zhu Xiaoqi found herself almost unable to evade the swiftly moving flying blades. The two blades hit her solidly, one piercing her calf, the other her shoulder.

Her figure skewed, and she plummeted down...

With his robe draped over him, Xiao Zongting limped out from his wing room. By then, Wei Yutian had already vanished from the courtyard, leaving him only to witness Zhu Xiaoqi falling from the sky.

"Xiaoqi, what happened?" Xiao Zongting exclaimed.

With tears in her eyes, Zhu Xiaoqi bowed and cried out, "Master, Miss Xiao has been abducted!"

"Yu’er?!" Xiao Zongting was thunderstruck. The trembling sound of the copper mirror just now had clearly originated from Xiao Yu’s chamber. Standing in the courtyard, Xiao Zongting shouted, "Shang Hongye! Shang Hongye! There are bandits!"

Shang Hongye was the captain of the patrol guards in the central courtyard.

Xiao Zongting yelled at the top of his lungs, his sorrowful voice echoing in the night sky!

It immediately alarmed the guards patrolling in the Martial Arts Arena.

Shang Hongye, the Second Level of Inner Breath Realm, promptly rushed towards Xiao Zongting’s courtyard in large strides. He didn’t use the main gate but directly leaped over the wall into the backyard where Xiao Zongting’s shouts echoed.

Shang Hongye, armed with a saber, jumped in, looking at Xiao Zongting, and asked, "Elder Xiao, what’s happened?"

"Shang Hongye! Xiao Yu has been abducted. Quick! Stop them! Don’t let them escape!"

"Xiao Yu?" Shang Hongye’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately jumped onto the rooftop, scanning around. But aside from a patrol team heading there, no human silhouette was visible in the pitch-dark night.

Moreover, Xiao Yu was at the Third Level of Inner Breath Realm, and was still abducted. Even if he did spot someone, could he truly stop them?

Duan Rong had just gone to bed when he vaguely heard commotion outside. His mind moved, and Divine Sense immediately expanded outward!

Divine Sense covered the vicinity of the Martial Arts Arena, right at the hundred-meter edge. Shang Hongye suddenly turned his head toward Xiao Zongting’s courtyard, exclaiming, "It’s Elder Xiao calling!"

Immediately, Shang Hongye led the patrol team in a rush towards Xiao Zongting’s courtyard.

"It’s Elder Xiao!" For some reason, Duan Rong felt an uneasy premonition. He threw off the quilt and suddenly jumped out of bed, his figure flickering as he exited the courtyard gate. He moved swiftly, passing through courtyards, tapping the wall-side willow tree with his toes, and directly leaped over the courtyard wall.

Swift as a phantom, Duan Rong entered Xiao Zongting’s backyard. Shang Hongye stood on the roof of the main hall, with Zhu Xiaoqi and Xiao Zongting standing in the yard.

It had only been mere seconds since Xiao Zongting’s initial call.

Duan Rong’s eyes showed concern as he asked, "Elder Xiao, Xiaoqi, what happened?"

"Young Duan, Xiao Yu has been abducted."

"Foolish boy, save Miss Xiao Yu." Zhu Xiaoqi’s voice choked with sobs.

Duan Rong’s eyelid twitched, and Divine Sense suddenly expanded, finding no abnormalities within a hundred meters.

Duan Rong leaped and stood on the rooftop, quickly scanning and headed in a direction where the tree shadows were thickest and lights dimmest.

With Divine Sense projected outward, Duan Rong sprinted through the shadows, but even upon reaching the street outside the Escort Agency, seeing only an empty street, he noticed nothing amiss.

Duan Rong’s heart pained. "Xiao Yu?"

Suddenly, Duan Rong’s eyes brightened, remembering the flying blade seemingly embedded in Zhu Xiaoqi’s shoulder earlier.

Duan Rong immediately returned.

Xiao Zongting, witnessing his return, urgently asked, "How did it go? Did you see anyone?"

Duan Rong shook his head and was about to walk towards Zhu Xiaoqi.

But suddenly, Xiao Zongting’s face turned pale, unable to catch his breath, and he fainted to the ground.

"Master..." Zhu Xiaoqi cried out. She had been standing, leaning against the stone table. Now as she moved, she suddenly felt dizzy, her vision darkened, and she too collapsed abruptly.

By this time, Shang Hongye had already left, and Duan Rong had chased after, so he couldn’t keep watching from the rooftop.

Duan Rong looked at Xiao Zongting and Zhu Xiaoqi, who nearly fell simultaneously, feeling a headache.

He first crouched before Xiao Zongting, checked his pulse, finding it was an attack by anxiety, a sputum surged up, stifling him. Duan Rong flipped his hand and opened a porcelain bottle, feeding Xiao Zongting a medicine pill.

After confirming Xiao Zongting was merely unconscious and not seriously harmed, Duan Rong moved towards Zhu Xiaoqi and swept his gaze, noticing flying sabers embedded in her shoulder and leg.

"This girl, only fretting over others..."

Seeing Zhu Xiaoqi’s flushed face, Duan Rong realized she had a fever. This indicated something Duan Rong understood well.

He pulled out the flying blade from Zhu Xiaoqi’s shoulder, and immediately several drops of black blood dripped from the blade.

"Indeed, poisoned!"

Duan Rong then tore open Zhu Xiaoqi’s shoulder garment, revealing an infant fist-sized black patch of skin. At its center, the wound was oozing black blood...

Duan Rong immediately drew out the Cow Tail Saber, standing there, his wrist flicked, slicing away the black skin at Zhu Xiaoqi’s shoulder. She groaned faintly in pain.

Then, Duan Rong sliced away the black skin on Zhu Xiaoqi’s calf too, and after simply bandaging her wound, he carried her to the bed.

Duan Rong covered Zhu Xiaoqi with a quilt, then opened the porcelain bottle and fed her a medicinal pill. His hand brushed Zhu Xiaoqi’s lychee-like soft lips, her eyes half-opened to look at him before she fainted again.

Duan Rong quickly walked out of the room, picked up a flying blade dropped in the yard, thinking, "Read the Artifact Spirit."

Artifact: Autumn Fish Flying Saber

Artifact Spirit Tier: Tier Two

Devouring Requirements: Host’s Spiritual Power Level 2

Devouring Effect: Thousand Leaves Three Transformations Minor Success

Duan Rong looked at the data before him and immediately thought, "Devour."

This Thousand Leaves Three Transformations was evidently a technique of hidden weapons.

After the devour, Duan Rong discarded the flying blade in his hand, glanced at Xiao Zongting lying on the ground, and directly flipped out of the courtyard.

Before he had checked Xiao Zongting’s pulse, he found Xiao Zongting wasn’t seriously harmed, his inner blood heated, lying there for a while wouldn’t do him any harm.

As soon as Duan Rong vaulted over the wall, Shang Hongye came rushing from that side, looking at Duan Rong, asking, "You just chased out, did you find any trails?"

Duan Rong shook his head, his eyes flickering.

Shang Hongye said, "The shopkeeper and Chief Leader aren’t here, it’s the end of the year and the guards have duties to patrol, they can’t leave without permission. How about I report it to the government office?"

Duan Rong looked at Shang Hongye, asked, "Chief Leader Master Luan isn’t here?"

"Ah, Master Luan and Sun Huang have gone to Lin County on an escort task." Shang Hongye replied.

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong’s eyes flashed. Suddenly, he moved like a wildcat, darting into the shadow at the corner of the wall, vanishing without trace...

Shang Hongye was slightly surprised seeing Duan Rong’s rapid speed. Duan Rong’s cold reaction to his proposal clearly indicated he had other thoughts, but none of this concerned him.

Shang Hongye still exited the Escort Agency heading to report to the government office, since when the shopkeeper returns, he’ll definitely inquire about it, as the captain of the central courtyard’s guards, he must have an explanation, right? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Shang Hongye was completely different from Duan Rong.

Duan Rong genuinely wanted to rescue Xiao Yu, while Shang Hongye was merely playing along.