Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector
Chapter 20 - 18: The Capital City is Shaken

Chapter 20: Chapter 18: The Capital City is Shaken

’Could it be a mortal enemy Wang Shun made? But if they were really after Wang Shun, they could have done it on his way home, or just snuck into his house. Why go through all the trouble of coming to the rice shop and causing such a huge scene?’

Just as Cheng Ming was racking his brains, the ever-silent Cheng Zhiwei suddenly spoke. "Grandfather, Patriarch Lin, the way I see it, since this person chose to strike at Fuman Cang and acted so flamboyantly, it’s probably not as simple as just venting his anger. If he can come and go from Fuman Cang so easily today, there’s no guarantee he won’t target the Lin Family’s other businesses tomorrow."

Lin Hong’s expression changed. "Miss Zhiwei, you mean..."

Cheng Zhiwei’s eyes were clear. "This person is highly skilled and daring, and he seems to harbor hostility toward the Lin Family. Why don’t we turn the tables on him?"

"Patriarch Lin, you can secretly bolster the defenses of your other important businesses. At the same time, you can intentionally leave a few openings elsewhere to lure him into striking again. As long as he dares to return, we can lay a Celestial Net of Heaven and Earth and wait for our prey. We’ll capture him in one fell swoop!"

"Brilliant!" Lin Hong’s eyes lit up at her words. "Miss Zhiwei, your plan is brilliant! Let’s do it!"

He immediately gave the order for his steward to gather all the experts in the residence and secretly strengthen the defenses of all the shops under the Lin Family, especially important businesses like the Silver Shop and pawn shops. At the same time, following Cheng Zhiwei’s suggestion, he slightly relaxed the security at some less important shops, setting them as bait.

In an instant, the entire Lin Family was mobilized. And it wasn’t just the Lin Family; other powerful and noble families in the Capital City who heard of the matter also felt threatened, and they all strengthened the security of their residences and shops.

As a result, an atmosphere of fear and paranoia descended upon the entire Capital City.

But the instigator of it all, Chen Ye, was currently sitting leisurely in his small room in the sprawling public courtyard, taking stock of his gains from the previous night.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Profession: Nightwalker (Level 3)]

[Talent: Shadow’s Son]

[Skills: Skillful Hand (Level 10), Fast Blade (Level 10), Roof Walking (Level 10), Stealth (Level 1)]

[Stealth]: An exclusive Nightwalker skill. Allows the user to actively merge with shadows, completely concealing their form and aura for a short time, as if vanishing into thin air. The higher the skill’s level, the longer the duration and the fewer the weaknesses.

In just one night, his Professional Level had risen from Level 2 to Level 3, and he had even gained such a useful new skill.

Chen Ye slowly exhaled, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes before vanishing.

’Looks like my guess was right.’

’To advance my Profession, just training hard in seclusion is too inefficient. The real shortcut is to do things that are closely related to the Profession itself.’

’A Flying Thief relies on stealing.’

’So a Nightwalker, naturally, relies on stealth and killing!’

Last night, he had infiltrated Fuman Cang, killed the wicked man, and distributed the grain. This series of actions perfectly aligned with the core of the "Nightwalker" Profession, which was why his experience points had shot up like a rocket.

Just then, Fang Tao’s voice came from outside the door.

"Xiaoye, come out and eat!"

Chen Ye composed his Heart Spirit and pushed the door open.

On the small square table in the courtyard, there were, uncharacteristically, several hearty dishes and even a pot of warmed wine steaming gently.

"Young Monarch, what’s the occasion? Such a lavish spread?" Chen Ye was a little surprised.

"Hahaha, a good day, of course!" Fang Tao’s face was flushed, and he looked exceptionally excited.

"You’ve all heard about what happened last night, right?"

"Heard about it? It’s all anyone’s talking about," a fellow sect brother next to him said with a look of glee.

"The whole city is buzzing with it. They say a masked hero snuck into Fuman Cang at night, killed that black-hearted Shopkeeper, and gave away all the grain the Lin Family was hoarding. Man, we’re talking about the Lin Family! What he did... it was so damn satisfying!"

Fang Tao proudly puffed out his chest. "Of course! I don’t know which senior expert it was, but who else besides our Rong Character Sect could pull something like this off? You know what this is called? This is called eliminating a pest for the people, the very model of a heroic thief!"

"Come on, everyone sit down. We have to have a good drink today to celebrate another top-tier master emerging from our Rong Character Sect!"

Everyone cheered and took their seats.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively, and every face beamed with vicarious pride and excitement.

Fang Tao personally filled everyone’s cup with wine, then raised it high. "Come! We may not have had the fortune of meeting this master, but the sentiment is there! As brothers of the Rong Character Sect, let’s toast him from afar!"

"To the master!"

"To the hero!"

Everyone raised their cups and drained them in one go, their faces filled with reverence and admiration.

Chen Ye also raised his cup and drank, the spicy liquor sliding down his throat and lighting a fire in his belly.

He looked at their excited faces and laughed to himself. ’If they knew that the "master" of vast Divine Techniques they were talking about was sitting right here among them, I wonder what they would think.’

With one cup of wine in his belly, Fang Tao’s floodgates opened.

"You guys have no idea," he said, lowering his voice with a braggart’s air. "First thing this morning, Uncle called me over and right away demanded to know if I knew who this senior was."

"Of course I don’t know, but Uncle told me to keep an eye out. He said if I could contact this master, I must treat him with the utmost respect. And when I came out from seeing Uncle, man, people from the other sects all surrounded me, asking for information. You should have seen how polite they were!"

Fang Tao spoke animatedly, spittle flying, as if he himself were the one being showered with attention.

"Our Rong Character Sect really made a name for itself this time."

The crowd’s blood boiled with excitement as they listened, as if they themselves had become the celebrated hero.

Only Chen Ye remained silent, still eating his food.

Fang Tao noticed him and clapped him heavily on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "Xiaoye, you have to work hard. With your Talent, if you’re willing to put in the effort, you could become a great figure like this senior someday. When that time comes, your big bro here can bask in your glory!"

Chen Ye looked up, met Fang Tao’s expectant gaze, and nodded seriously. "I will, Young Monarch."

The banquet ended, and night once again fell over the Capital City.

When the last light in the sprawling courtyard was extinguished and all was silent, a black shadow slipped quietly out of the small room, not disturbing anyone, not even stirring a breath of wind.

Chen Ye merged into the night once more.

Now, with his "Shadow’s Son" Talent, moving through the night was like a fish swimming in water—natural and completely silent.

His breath, his heartbeat, his footsteps—all merged with the darkness. An ordinary person might not notice his presence even if they were face to face.

He first arrived at a silk and satin shop owned by the Lin Family in the west of the city.

Looking from a distance, the shop’s entrance was brightly lit. Only two clerks were standing guard, yawning, their defenses seemingly lax.

But Chen Ye only needed a single glance from a distant rooftop before he let out a cold laugh.

In his vision, at least seven or eight experts with steady breathing were lying in ambush in the shadows around the silk shop. On the second floor of the teahouse across the street, a window was half-open, and he could faintly see the cold glint of a Crossbow Arrow flash by.

’Lax on the surface, tight underneath. Lying in wait for their prey.’

’The Lin Family isn’t entirely made up of fools, then. They know how to lay a trap and wait for me to take the bait.’

’Unfortunately for them, they got one thing wrong.’

’I’m not just targeting the Lin Family.’

’The only reason I hit Fuman Cang first was because it was closest to the refugees in South City, which made distributing the grain convenient.’

’How many of these powerful and noble families in the entire Capital City have clean hands? When it comes to committing evil and hoarding goods, the Lin Family isn’t even at the top of the list.’

’Since you, the Lin Family, have made your preparations, I’ll just find another target.’

With that thought, Chen Ye’s figure flickered and vanished completely into the darkness, like a fish returning to the sea, leaving no trace behind.