Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 28: Praised by the People, Enraged in the Court

Yang Zhao acted this way because he was afraid.

The logic is simple: if this thief who dares to break into the Duke of Anguo's mansion and kill people today, will he dare to break into his palace tomorrow?

This thought made him extremely uneasy, which is why he was so angry.

The wrath of the emperor is naturally as powerful as thunder.

Although the nation's power was declining and it was gradually losing control of important towns, this was, after all, the capital, under the emperor's nose. Therefore, the order was conveyed to all sides before sunrise.

In an instant, the city gates were tightly shut, and the once bustling streets were now only filled with the cold sound of patrol armor clashing together, and even the air was filled with a murderous atmosphere.

At the same time, news of the shocking massacre at the Duke of Anguo's mansion spread throughout the capital at a speed far exceeding official expectations.

In the taverns and teahouses, although the constables patrolled back and forth, the customers would still lower their voices and talk excitedly about the earth-shattering case of the previous night after they had gone far away.

"Have you heard? The Duke of Anguo's mansion was almost burned to the ground!"

"That's not all. My second uncle's cousin works at the military patrol station. He said that Li Chunfeng's head was chopped off in front of the Six Doors by the Great Hero Tayue, and even Li Jun was almost blown up."

"That was great, really great! I have to have a couple more drinks today."

The people's words were full of admiration and longing for this great swordsman who treads the moon.

Those families who had been bullied and harmed by Li Chunfeng were overwhelmed with mixed feelings upon hearing the news.

In a courtyard in the south of the city, the girl who had been tormented by Li Chunfeng to the point of wanting to die was now staring blankly out the window.

Her mother walked in carrying a bowl of hot porridge, her eyes red-rimmed, but her voice filled with barely suppressed joy.

"Daughter, that beast is dead! He was killed by the Great Hero Tayue last night. Our revenge has been avenged!"

The girl's body trembled slightly, and she slowly raised her head, a glimmer of life finally returning to her empty eyes.

She looked at the complex expression on her mother's face, a mixture of tears and smiles. At first, she just silently shed tears, one by one, without making a sound.

She immediately threw herself into her mother's arms and burst into tears, her cries heart-wrenching.

It was as if they wanted to vent all their grievances and humiliations in this way.

The people praised it, but the court was furious.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye had already quietly returned to the tenement.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, a thought crossed his mind, and he brought up the system panel.

Name: Chen Ye

【Occupation: Night Stalker (lv4)】

[Talent: Child of Shadows (You are a darling of the shadows, born to blend into the darkness. Your aura, voice, and form are greatly concealed in the shadows, making you almost undetectable.)]

[Skills: Masterful Hands lv10, Swift Blade lv10, Leaping Over the Roof lv10, Shadow Step lv4]

[Shadow Stealth]: A skill exclusive to Night Stalkers, allowing them to actively blend into the shadows, completely concealing their form and presence for a short period, as if they have vanished into thin air. The higher the skill level, the longer the duration and the smaller the vulnerability.

[Throwing Lv1]: Passive skill. Greatly enhances the accuracy, power, and range of the user's thrown weapons. This skill is effective against all ranged projectile attacks, including but not limited to throwing knives, arrows, and concealed weapons.

He was promoted three ranks in a row!

The Shadow Step skill has jumped from level 1 to level 4!

The newly introduced throwing skill was an unexpected delight.

Chen Ye figured this was probably related to his use of the slingshot to throw the Molotov cocktail last night. This skill seemed tailor-made for him, essentially enhancing all his ranged attack methods.

Whether using throwing knives or crossbows in the future, it will be of great help.

In conclusion, the rewards of this adventure far exceeded expectations.

Chen Ye exited the control panel with satisfaction, lay on the bed for a short rest, and then got up and left the room.

In the courtyard, Fang Tao was sitting with a group of his brothers, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation as they discussed something animatedly.

"You didn't see that scene; the firelight turned the southern sky red."

"I heard that Cheng Ming, the old constable of the Six Doors, and his granddaughter, who was known as the number one expert among the younger generation, were both killed!"

"My goodness, this Moon-Treading Hero is too fierce. But this is good, those bastards in the capital will have to sleep with one eye open from now on."

Chen Ye calmly ladled out a bowl of porridge, squatted down, and slurped it down while listening to the others embellish his glorious deeds.

Finally, Fang Tao sighed, "This Master Tayue is indeed incredibly strong, but we still need to be careful. Things are very tense outside right now, with officials everywhere. So from today onwards, everyone should stay in the courtyard and avoid being mistaken for thieves and arrested."

Everyone agreed with a roar.

Chen Ye naturally had no objections, and after finishing his meal, he went back to his room to catch up on his sleep.

But he had only been lying down for a short while when the courtyard gate was pounded on loudly.

"Open the door! This is an arrest operation, everyone inside get out here!"

Chen Ye's eyes narrowed, and he immediately rolled over and got out of bed.

Soon the courtyard gate was opened, and a group of fierce-looking constables rushed in. The leader was Zhao An, the chief constable of the Arrest Division.

Zhao An's face was ashen, clearly forced into a corner by his superiors.

In his view, how could a master thief capable of committing such heinous crimes hide in the den of such petty thieves?
But the orders from above were absolute: a city-wide search, leaving no corner unchecked. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go through the motions.

"All of you, stand in line! I'll question you one by one! Tell me clearly where you were last night and what you did!"

The guards in the courtyard had never seen anything like this before, and they were all so frightened that their faces turned pale and they fell silent.

The questioning proceeded quickly. When it was Chen Ye's turn, he had a sudden thought and put on a nervous and somewhat awkward expression, stammering as he answered.

“Sir, I…I went to the Big Wine Vault with a friend last night, and then…I came back not long after that. All the brothers in the compound can testify to that.”

Zhao An glanced at Chen Ye and felt that he looked familiar. Then he remembered that this was the kid who was quite skilled at martial arts competition.

He was just a petty thief who roamed the streets.

The last vestige of doubt in his mind was completely dispelled, and he waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, next one!"

The investigation yielded nothing, and Zhao An left with a troubled mind. Not only him, but the three departments of the Arrest Bureau, the Six Doors, and the Military Patrol Station turned the entire capital upside down, questioning all the registered martial arts practitioners and interviewing countless ordinary people, but still came up empty-handed.

Forget catching anyone, they didn't even find a single hair on the Moon-Treading Thief's head.

For a time, the heads of the three government offices were so worried that their hair almost turned white. In fact, a bizarre rumor began to circulate in private—that Ta Yue was not a human at all, but a ghost or god!

Just when everyone thought they were about to face the emperor's wrath, a message arrived from the northern border by express courier.

The barbarians of the grasslands have once again marched south, their forces aimed directly at the capital!

(End of this chapter)