Spirit Beast Companion

Chapter 6 — Hiding the Item

The search within the inn proceeded tensely and systematically. The Constables worked silently and swiftly, scouring every nook and cranny from the wood-storage room to the guest rooms upstairs, yet they found not a single trace of the suspect.

Head Constable Nan Hu stood still in the center of the establishment. His sharp gaze was calm yet harbored an invisible pressure. One of his hands rested on the head of Heiying, his trusted Spirit Beast, who was letting out a low growl in its throat... Its instincts whispered that the enemy was still nearby... very nearby...

"Reporting, Captain!" a Constable called out as he ran down from the upper floor. "Every room is empty; no traces found. There is only the last storage room at the very end of the hallway left, sir."

Nan Hu nodded slowly. "Let's go... search it to clear all doubt."

He led the team up the stairs in absolute silence. The footsteps of the Constables were nearly inaudible; there was only the sound of Heiying's claws lightly rhythmic scratching against the wooden floor. When they arrived before the door of the final storage room...

Creeak...

The faint sound of wood creaking echoed... it came from inside the room!

Heiying's amber eyes widened as it bared its fangs and let out a thunderous roar!

"He's in there!" Nan Hu shouted, hand-signaling his subordinates to take their positions.

But before they could even break down the door...

Whoosh!

The sound of something moving with unnatural speed was followed by the crash of a wooden window being slammed open, its hinges nearly torn off!

"He's escaping!"

"Break in!" Nan Hu roared. Without hesitation, he used his powerful frame to ram the old wooden door, bursting inside instantly as it splintered!

The sight before him was the silhouette of a man clad in pitch-black robes standing on the window ledge! The man turned back to glance at them for a fleeting second; the streaming light clearly revealed a long scar slashing across his left eyebrow!

'The Faceless Shadow!'

The criminal bared a mocking sneer before his body lunged out of the window, soaring like a bird in flight!

"Pursue him!" Nan Hu commanded, his voice echoing. He ran to the window and followed the figure with his eyes. The body of the Faceless Shadow did not fall to the ground; instead, he "glided" through the air for dozens of meters before his feet touched lightly upon the roof of another house, whereupon he lunged forward again with incredible speed!

'To move so swiftly and be this light on his feet... there is no mistake!' Nan Hu thought. 'He possesses Spiritual Power! And his bonded Spirit Beast must be augmenting him with wind-element power for certain!'

Crash! Smash!

The thunderous sounds of the chase atop the roofs awakened the nearby villagers, who scrambled out of their homes in a panic. People fled in every direction, gripped by chaotic terror.

At the washing area behind the establishment... Mulan, who was scrubbing a large pot, looked up in surprise when she heard the crashing sounds coming from the upper floor of the inn. In the next second, she witnessed a sight that made her mouth hang open...

The figure of a man in black... "floated" out from a second-story window!

He glided through the air as gracefully as a great eagle. Amidst the startled cries of the people, the figure landed softly upon the roof of the house across the way.

Mulan's eyes widened, shining with a brilliant light. She forgot everything else; fear did not cross her mind even for a moment. There was only profound awe and wonder!

'He jumped... that far!' she thought to herself. 'Just like a bird! I... I want to be able to jump that far too!'

Unconsciously, she rose to her feet, her eyes fixed upon the rare spectacle of the rooftop chase. Nan Hu's group of Constables lunged after him in close pursuit; though they could not glide as far, their speed was equally extraordinary.

Mulan was thoroughly enthralled by the sight before her... completely failing to notice that a large black shadow was hurtling straight toward her at high speed!

Heiying! It leaped out of the back door in hot pursuit of its master. Its entire concentration was locked onto tracking the enemy's scent; it wasn't watching the path ahead at all...

Thud!

"Ouch!"

Mulan's small frame was struck so hard she went flying like a shuttlecock. Losing her balance, she tumbled forward, face-planting straight into the large wooden basin she used for washing dishes!

Splash!

Dirty water splashed in every direction.

"Cough, cough!" Mulan quickly pulled her soaking head out of the basin. She choked on the water until her face turned red; her long hair was plastered wet against her face, with scraps of vegetables stuck to her head, making for a pathetic sight.

She whipped around to look for the culprit... but saw only the back of the black wolf as it vanished into the darkness.

The awe... the wonder... and the dreams she had just moments ago... vanished in the blink of an eye!

Now, only pain... breathlessness... and an anger that surged to its absolute limit remained!

The young girl slowly pushed herself up... she was soaking wet from head to toe... She placed both small hands on her hips, glaring in the direction the wolf had run, before drawing a deep breath and screaming at the top of her lungs...

"You crazy dog!"

The pursuit across the rooftops raged on. The 'Faceless Shadow,' also known as the 'Night Thief,' moved with the agility and swiftness of a demon. He utilized the complex rural environment to his advantage, leaping from storage shed roofs to wooden fences, and from fences to massive haystacks, steadily increasing the distance between himself and Nan Hu's group.

His objective was the Eastern Wilds at the edge of the community. If he managed to escape into the dense forest, the hunt would become a hundred times more difficult!

As he glided past the roof of the last house, his gaze caught sight of a small wooden home standing isolated at the very end of the path... and more importantly... in front of that house sat an old man and an old woman, peacefully basking in the soft sunlight with their eyes closed...

A ruthless smile appeared on the face beneath the hood... 'Perfect victims!'

His body dived from the roof as swiftly and silently as a shadow. He did not move to harm the elderly pair, but instead used all his speed to run around to the back of the house, vanishing into the chaos...

In less than a heartbeat, Nan Hu and the Constables leaped down to the ground. They looked left and right, but saw no further sign of the Night Thief.

"Where did he go!" one Constable cursed in frustration.

"Captain!" another subordinate pointed toward the old house. "That way! That is the last house before the Wilds!"

Nan Hu immediately narrowed his eyes at the house. "Surround the house!" he ordered in a harsh voice. "Don't let even a single mouse slip away!"

The Constables quickly fanned out to encircle Mulan's small home, causing panic for Grandfather and Grandmother, who had only just opened their eyes due to the clamor.

Grandfather and Grandmother looked at the group of formidable men in armor with alarm and confusion. Both tried to push themselves up, but their aged bodies would not comply; they could only sit there, trembling uncontrollably on their old wooden chairs.

Nan Hu strode forward and stopped directly in front of the two elderly people. His eyes were hard and filled with urgency; he had no time for politeness in such a situation.

"Just now! Did you see a man in black robes run past here!" he asked loudly and fiercely.

Grandfather and Grandmother were so frightened they nearly lost consciousness. Both shook their heads rapidly; their lips quivered so much they couldn't speak, only managing muffled sounds in their throats out of fear.

"Answer me!" Nan Hu barked. "Do not think to lie or harbor a murderous thief! The penalty is execution for seven generations!"

That terrifying threat caused Grandmother to burst into tears. Grandfather could only continue to shake his head in denial.

Nan Hu gritted his teeth in frustration. He didn't believe the two elderly people had seen nothing, but there was no time for further interrogation. "Go search the house! Every nook and cranny!" he turned to command his subordinates.

"Yes, sir!"

The Constables swarmed into the small house immediately. They showed no regard for care whatsoever; the rice jar was overturned, spilling white grains all over the floor. Vegetable baskets were kicked aside, straw bedding was ransacked until it was in tatters, and the old wooden chest containing Mulan's clothes was flung open with everything tossed out... The house that was once clean and warm was now a mess, no different from a rat's nest.

At the same time... in the wood-storage shed behind the house...

The Night Thief sat panting in the darkness. He knew well that time was running out. He reached into his robe and quickly pulled out a small black silk pouch. Inside was something hard and precious... the item he had stolen and the reason he was fleeing in such a desperate state.

His eyes swept around before stopping at a pile of firewood stacked in the corner of the room. He hurriedly crawled over, roughly digging into the pile, and shoved the silk pouch into the deepest hiding spot before placing several logs over it to conceal it seamlessly.

Once the important item was hidden, he sneered once more... 'You will never find it!'

With that thought, his body lunged toward the small window of the shed, smashing through it as he soared away into the adjacent Eastern Wilds!

"Captain! He's escaping through the back!" shouted a Constable who witnessed the event.

Nan Hu, who had just stepped out of the house, cursed in frustration. "Dammit! After him! I must drag him back today by any means!"

Upon the command, all the Constables chased the Night Thief into the forest, leaving behind only a ransacked home... and two elderly people sitting and weeping, trembling in terror... entirely unaware that now... beneath the firewood pile behind their house... an ill-omened treasure lay waiting... biding its time to bring the greatest storm of all into the life of their beloved granddaughter.