If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The shadows across the street were as dark as ink.

Zhou Yang glanced at Qin Shuang. She showed no expression, simply looking back at him calmly. The wind ruffled her hair, revealing a section of her fair neck.

This is the signal.

The two moved. Without a word, like two shadows blending into the night, they silently glided across the cobblestone street. Their footsteps barely made a sound. Their movements were light and steady, an instinct honed through countless training sessions.

The walls surrounding Pingxi Pawnshop were very high. Ordinary people simply couldn't climb over them.

Qin Shuang walked to the corner of the wall, and with a light step, her body leaped up like a swallow. Her hand landed on the top of the wall, her fingertips firmly gripping the tiles. Without the slightest hesitation, she flipped over the wall.

She squatted on the wall and stretched her hand down.

Zhou Yang tossed a burlap sack up the wall. Qin Shuang caught it with one hand and gently placed it inside the wall. Immediately afterward, Zhou Yang took a few steps back, took a running start, and also climbed up the wall. He wasn't as agile as Qin Shuang, but he was quick and nimble.

The two landed in the courtyard. This was the pawnshop's backyard, piled with abandoned shelves and firewood, exuding the damp smell of wood. The courtyard wasn't large; it could be seen in its entirety at a glance.

According to Zhou Yang's deduction, there are only four guards on the outer perimeter, two at the main gate and two at the back gate. At this moment, they should all be dozing off. The real trouble lies in the array within the courtyard.

Zhou Yang pulled Qin Shuang and hid behind a huge stack of firewood.

Moonlight shone through the clouds, spilling onto the ground. Zhou Yang could vaguely make out some patterns. The lines were very faint, almost invisible unless one looked closely. They crisscrossed, covering the entire backyard.

This is the fundamental principle behind protecting the treasury. It's the work of the Eastern Depot.

"The first node." Zhou Yang's voice was very low, almost only his lips were moving.

He pointed in a direction. There, at the corner of the east wall, was an ordinary bluestone brick.

Qin Shuang nodded. She took out three slender silver needles from her bosom. A small red thread was tied to the end of each needle, making it look almost alive in the dim light.

She moved.

Her body glided along the ground like a cat hunting its prey, without stirring up a speck of dust. She quickly reached the bluestone brick. She crouched down, pinched the silver needle between her fingers, aimed at a specific spot in the brick's seam, and precisely inserted it.

The movements were so fast that only afterimages remained.

She didn't stop, but returned the way she came, disappearing back into the shadow of the woodpile. The whole process took no more than a dozen breaths.

Zhou Yang kept staring at the patterns of light on the ground.

The moment the silver needle pierced through, he felt a barely perceptible pause in the aura of the entire formation, like a grain of sand being thrown into a rushing river.

"Very good," Zhou Yang said. "There are two more. Be careful, the backlash from the formation will get stronger the further you go."

Qin Shuang's expression remained unchanged in the shadows. She simply gripped the remaining two needles tightly.

"The second node," Zhou Yang pointed to the south wall directly opposite.

A worn-out lantern hung on the wall.

Qin Shuang set off again. This time, she moved even faster. But just as she approached the wall, the patterns of light on the ground beneath the lanterns suddenly lit up!

Zhou Yang's heart clenched suddenly.

He saw Qin Shuang's toes stop an inch above the ground. She was suspended in mid-air, as if supported by an invisible hand. This was the backlash of the formation. If she fell any further, it would trigger the alarm.

Zhou Yang's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Even the most meticulous planning cannot withstand the occasional unexpected event on the spot.

Qin Shuang hovered in mid-air, her body as steady as a rock. She showed no sign of panic. With a flick of her wrist, the second silver needle flew out of her hand.

It wasn't aimed at the ground, but at that broken lantern!

The silver needle pierced through the paper of the lantern and disappeared into the candle inside.

With a "poof," the candle went out.

The instant the lights went out, the illuminated patterns on the ground also dimmed. Qin Shuang's toes touched the ground lightly, without making a sound.

She pulled out the silver needle from the corner of the wall, stepped back, and returned.

Zhou Yang let out a long sigh of relief. His back was already soaked with sweat.

"The last one." His voice was a little hoarse.

The last point, and the most dangerous, is in the very center of the yard. It's an open area with no cover. Once exposed, they'll be doomed.

Qin Shuang looked at him, her eyes questioning.

Zhou Yang closed his eyes. The deduced information from burning his lifespan flashed through his mind rapidly. Time, angle, force, every gap in the flow of the formation.

He opened his eyes and looked at Qin Shuang very seriously.

"Listen to my command," he said. "I'll count to three, and you'll make your move. No matter what happens, don't stop."

Qin Shuang nodded slowly. She held the last silver needle in her palm.

Zhou Yang breathed very softly, as if in sync with the breathing of the entire night.

He was waiting. Waiting for the moment when the formation's flow slowed down the most.

"one."

His voice was deep.

The courtyard was quiet. Only the faint sound of the night watchman's clapper could be heard in the distance.

"two."

Qin Shuang's body was tense, like a fully drawn bow. All her attention was focused on the open space in the courtyard.

"three!"

Out!

Qin Shuang's figure shot out from behind the woodpile. No maneuvering, no flanking maneuvers, just the fastest and most direct straight-line sprint!

Just as she rushed out, the light in the open space in the courtyard suddenly intensified! Countless threads of light surged from the ground, weaving into a large net that enveloped Qin Shuang!

The formation was completely enraged.

Zhou Yang stared intently at the net of light. His pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints.

In the core area, the two guards who appeared to be dozing off opened their eyes almost simultaneously. Their hands were already reaching for the swords at their waists.

But Qin Shuang was faster than them.

Rushing to the center of the courtyard, she ignored the net of light above her head and instead plunged the silver needle in her hand into an inconspicuous spot on the ground!

At the same time, Zhou Yang made a move.

Instead of helping, he threw a small black porcelain bottle from behind the woodpile. The bottle traced an arc through the air and landed precisely at the feet of the two guards.

"Snapped!"

The porcelain bottle shattered.

A colorless and odorless gas instantly spread out.

The two guards, about to leap up, froze instantly upon smelling the gas. Their faces contorted in utter horror, yet they couldn't utter a single word. Their bodies went limp, and they fell straight backward, lifeless.

Meanwhile, Qin Shuang's silver needles had just landed.

The entire backyard's light network collapsed instantly, like a punctured balloon. All the light vanished without a trace in a second. The yard returned to its original silence, as if nothing had happened.

Qin Shuang landed, her breathing a little rapid. Even she felt a chill run down her spine from that moment of danger.

Zhou Yang quickly walked to her side and helped her up.

"Are you alright?"

Qin Shuang shook her head and looked straight ahead. "The wall."

Zhou Yang nodded and led her to the seemingly ordinary wall. He reached out and tapped the wall nine times in a row, following the positions he remembered.

The pressure and intervals of each strike were perfectly precise.

With the final tap, a soft "click" sounded from the wall. A dark crack appeared, slowly opening inward.

A strong metallic aura mixed with the stale air rushed towards us.

Behind the door, there was not the darkness I had expected.

Instead, it was filled with golden light.

The light was so bright it was blinding. Rows of wooden shelves held neatly stacked gold bricks, each reflecting the faint moonlight filtering in from outside, gleaming brilliantly. Beside the gold bricks were stacks of silver notes, thicker than bricks, wrapped in oiled paper. Several large boxes were piled in the corner, their contents unknown.

The space is not large, but it is like a cave that encapsulates wealth.

This is one of the Eastern Depot's treasuries in the capital.

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up. But it wasn't greed; it was the excitement of a hunter seeing his prey.

"Keep watch."

He only said two words before diving in.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Shuang turned and stood guard at the door. Her figure blocked most of the light and the only entrance. Like a guardian deity, she listened intently to every sound in the courtyard.

Zhou Yang's movements were incredibly fast.

He took out the large sack he had prepared and headed straight for the banknotes. He didn't have time to count them, so he grabbed stack after stack by feel and stuffed them into the sack. Then came the gold bricks. The gold bricks were heavy, and he could only carry a few at a time, stacking them into the sack.

Soon, the sack was half full. It had become very heavy.

He didn't stop, and went to rummage through those boxes again.

Open one of them, and inside are several thick ledgers.

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up; this was more important than money! He quickly stuffed the ledger into his pocket.

He then went to open the second box.

The box contained some jewelry and several unusual-looking weapons.

Zhou Yang glanced at it, then took out a short dagger with a unique shape and fine patterns, and used it to cut his finger.

This dagger is strange.

He tucked the dagger into his coat and zipped up the sack. The sack was already full and surprisingly heavy.

He glanced back at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang gave him a safe gesture.

Without further delay, Zhou Yang shouldered the sack and staggered out of the hidden door.

"Walk!"

He gave a low shout.

Qin Shuang took one last look at the mountain of gold and silver, then turned and followed.

The two returned to the wall, and Zhou Yang threw the sack away first. Then Qin Shuang went first and pulled him up.

They all understood that they couldn't stay here any longer.

Climbing over the wall, they returned to the shadows of the street. Behind them, the iron-beast-like pawnshop remained silent, as if nothing had happened.

Only the heavy sack on Zhou Yang's shoulder reminded him that they had just accomplished something that could cost them their heads.

Zhou Yang glanced at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang was also looking at him. Her eyes shone brighter than the stars in the night.

The two looked at each other but said nothing.

They vanished again as two shadowy figures, carrying enormous wealth, disappearing swiftly into the winding alleyways of Beijing. Night fell silent once more.