Jian Yi said nothing, looking down for a while.

Feng Jiu’er kept her eyes fixed on him until he finally looked away.

“Well?” Feng Jiu’er mouthed the words without making a sound.

Jian Yi nodded slightly, his gaze dropping again.

Suddenly he rose, stepped quickly to one side, and in the blink of an eye vanished without a trace.

Even Feng Jiu’er had to admit that Jian Yi’s lightness skill could truly be called masterful.

Two soft cracking sounds rang out, like branches snapping underfoot.

The burly men around the house all heard the noise from behind at once, and in an instant all sixteen of them had gathered behind the building.

“Go check it out,” one of them said.

“Yes.” Two of the men clasped their fists and turned to leave.

But before the rest could even disperse, another disturbance sounded from the other side.

Two more men were dispatched to investigate.

After several such disturbances in a row, only four men remained guarding the front of the house.

“Boss, something’s off here. By rights, no outsider should be able to get into this place. Why haven’t they come back yet?” one of the burly men said, turning around.

“I think we should report this to the captain. What do you say?”

“You two go together,” the leader said, looking at the two men beside him.

“Yes, Boss.” The two men accepted the order and left.

Suddenly, a shout rang out from not far behind them.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

The remaining leader and the last man exchanged a glance and both strode off toward the sound.

At the same time, on the roof of a building on the other side, a dark shadow closed in at great speed.

The small house’s open window shutters fluttered slightly in the wind, and inside the room, a slender figure appeared beside the bed.

Feng Jiu’er got a clear look at the bed — there was indeed a child sleeping there.

The child looked to be about eight or nine years old, his face somewhat dirty, still marked with tear tracks.

Even so, one could tell beneath the disheveled state that his fair skin didn’t belong to a poor family’s child.

Perhaps sensing something, his small, thin body curled instinctively into a tighter ball.

He clutched the blanket tightly, brow furrowing slightly, and drifted back into a deep sleep.

Feng Jiu’er stepped closer, confirmed there was nothing questionable about the child’s face, then turned and left.

She leapt up, vaulted over the window, and retraced her path back.

Several burly men dragged a man back from behind the house.

The rest of the men had also returned.

The leader, ahead of the others, pushed open the door of the small house.

He walked over and yanked the boy on the bed roughly, and finding nothing amiss, tossed him back down carelessly.

The boy woke with a start, clutching his blanket, curling into the corner of the bed and staring at the man before him in terror.

The leader swept his gaze around the room before it landed back on the boy.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped irritably. “Hurry up and sleep! There’s plenty waiting for you tomorrow, hmph!”

The leader gave a cold snort, turned, and slammed the door shut.

“Waaah…” The boy looked at the closed door and began to sob.

“Grandfather, where are you? Xi’er is scared! Waaah…”

In front of the small house, the two burly men threw the captured man to the ground.

There was a loud smack, followed immediately by the man’s anguished cry.

“Ow! It hurts, it hurts so much!” The man, aching all over, regained some of his senses.

He sat up on the ground, raised his head, and looked at the men surrounding him.

“You’ve got some nerve! Don’t you know who your grandfather here is?”

“You dare lay hands on someone of my standing? I…” No sooner had the man tried to stand than his body swayed, nearly toppling over again.

He reached out to grab one of the burly men for support, but the man simply stepped aside, dodging his touch.