"Stay in your quarters, trash," one guard muttered, shoving Gu Fan into his designated courtyard before turning back to his post.
But who could stop Gu Fan now?
Within an hour by midnight, he was crouching on the curved, tiled roof of a nearby side-chamber, casually dusting off his coarse grey uniform. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. There wasn't a single scratch on him.
"That was incredibly satisfying," Gu Fan chuckled, his glowing green eyes cutting through the darkness of the estate.
He leaned back against the sloping roof tiles, a predator's grin taking over his features.
"Not only did that fat idiot swallow some of the wine when I splashed his face, but the 'Bone-Softening' poison is currently seeping directly into his open pores through those ruined Cloud Silk robes," Gu Fan whispered to the night.
Gu Fan crossed his arms. The clock was ticking. In a few moments, the arrogant cultivator wouldn't even have the strength to lift a teacup, let alone defend his Storage Ring.
[System Notification: Reminder - Quest 'The Midnight Heist' is active.]
[Objective: Steal Chen Long's Storage Ring and sabotage his plot to sleep with Gu Ling.]
[Reward: 50000 Yin Cultivation Units, 2x Random Spins, 1 King-Tier crate.]
Gu Fan's green eyes got into thought as he looked at the glowing blue text again. He remembered the plunder 10x multiplier of the system as his heart rate spiked.
If he stole 5,000 low grade Spirit Stones... would they become 50,000? Or would they become 5,000 Medium-Grade stones? If he stole that Earth-Tier Spirit Sword... would the system upgrade it?
"Sorry, Gu Chen," Gu Fan whispered, blending seamlessly back into the shadows of the rooftops, "But your starter pack just got an upgrade. And it belongs to me."
The night air was biting, carrying the chill of the mountains, but Gu Fan felt none of it. His blood was running hot, fuelled by the anticipation of the hunt.
He huddled in the darkest corner of the ornate roof overhang. Deciding to keep the stolen grey servant uniform on, he pulled the coarse collar high to disguise his profile slightly.
He tore a few strips from the uniform's hem to bind his hands and feet, muffling his movements against the tiles.
Over his shoulders, he pulled a makeshift cloak he had fashioned from a heavy black tarp used to cover grain wagons. In the darkness of the Gu Clan estate, it was effectively invisible.
"Disguise check," he whispered, rubbing a mixture of charcoal and grease over the exposed skin of his neck and eyelids.
He fashioned a mask from the remaining black cloth, tying it tight around his face until only his glowing, green eyes were visible.
He looked down at his hands. He didn't have any flashy illusion techniques or magical smokescreens. But he was pragmatic. He reached into the roof's stone gutter and gathered a handful of dry, dead leaves.
He channelled his focus, pushing the Corrosive Qi from his Ancient Venom Physique into the brittle foliage.
The leaves sizzled slightly, turning a sickly blackish-purple as the highly toxic energy soaked into them. He then pulled out a simple flint and steel from his pocket.
"Corrosive Qi mixed with a little fire," Gu Fan muttered, a dark grin under his mask, "A homemade choking hazard. Irritating to the eyes and lungs. Perfect for a kidnapping."
He stood up, his joints cracking silently, "Chen Long. Your ring is mine. And your dignity... Well, I am taking that too."
The Guest Courtyard was a world away from the servant slums. Here, the paths were paved with white jade that glowed softly under the moonlight. Manicured bamboo groves whispered in the wind, and small streams trickled melodically into koi ponds.
It was peaceful and serene.
Gu Fan moved across the connecting rooftops like a snake. He didn't step heavily; he moved from shadow to shadow, his grip strength allowing him to traverse the steep tiles without making a sound.
He reached the roof of the most luxurious room, currently occupied by the visiting Chen Long.
The lights inside were on. Shadows danced against the paper windows.
Gu Fan perched near the open skylight, peering down into the room.
Inside, Chen Long wasn't humming a happy tune. He was cursing vividly.
He had been hauled to the infirmary earlier, but his arrogant pride and sheer, unadulterated rage had forced him to limp back to his suite.
His lower half was heavily bandaged, and he stood awkwardly by the table, his legs spread wide to avoid aggravating his crushed manhood.
He was still heavily hungover, his face flushed red and his breath likely reeking of premium spirit wine.
"Fuck that cripple! Fuck the Gu Clan!" Chen Long hissed, wincing sharply as he shifted his weight.
"And fuck that hypocritical bastard Gu Chen!"
"Cousin Long, stay your hand," Chen Long mimicked Gu Chen.
"My ass! He just sat there sipping tea and let me make a fool of myself! I will slaughter them both!"
Despite the ungodly pain he was clearly in, he reached out and tapped his Storage Ring. With a faint shimmer, a small, crystalline vial appeared in his trembling, fat hand. He swirled the glowing, pink liquid inside.
"But first..." Chen Long giggled, a dark, wretched sound, "I'll take their precious Ice Bitch right under their noses."
"Just a few drops of this Pink Passion Potion in your dear sister's tea... I will feed it to her in small doses all day tomorrow."
"By tomorrow night, the drug will be completely woven into her meridians. She will be begging on her knees for my 'brother' to cool her down!"
He set the vial down on the table next to his Storage Ring, which he had taken off to wash his greasy hands.
Gu Fan's eyes narrowed, "Aphrodisiac. Classic young master villain move. Lazy writing on my part, but effective."
He prepared to move. He would drop the smoking leaves, grab the ring, grab the potion, and break Chen Long's legs for good measure.
But just as he coiled his muscles to spring, a chill ran down his spine.
It wasn't the wind, but it made Gu Fan froze.
[Warning: High-Grade Cultivator Detected.]
[Location: 50 Meters away.]
Gu Fan slowly, painfully slowly, tilted his head up to peek at the uninvited guest.
On the tiled roof of the suite directly opposite Chen Long's room, a figure sat cross-legged.
He wore white robes that fluttered silently in the night breeze. He had a longsword resting on his knees. His eyes, glowing with a faint blue light, were fixed intently on Chen Long through the open skylight.
Gu Chen!
'What is he doing here? And why didn't he make a move on me? Did he not sense me?' Gu Fan thought, his grip tightening on the roof tiles.
Gu Chen was at the 7th Stage of the Spirit Realm. He had senses sharp enough to hear a leaf fall from across a courtyard. So why was he ignoring him?
But then Gu Fan realised his own advantage, 'My meridians are ninety-nine percent blocked. I emit absolutely zero Qi fluctuations. To a Spirit Realm cultivator's spiritual sense, I am just a rock on this roof.'
Gu Chen wasn't meditating in silence. He had a clear view of Chen Long preparing the drug. He could hear Chen Long's monologue about drugging Gu Ling. He had the power to drop down, execute justice, and stop the plot before it began.
But he didn't move.
He just watched, a small, calculative smile playing on his lips.
"He is letting it happen."
Gu Fan pieced together the 'Hero's' plan instantly. In the original plot, Gu Chen was supposed to steal Chen Long's Storage Ring when he crippled him at the banquet. But because Gu Fan had masterminded Chen Long's nut-crushing 'accident', the plot never happened.
Gu Chen had lost his chance to claim the ring. So, the 'Hero' had come creeping in the dark to find another way. And now that he knew Chen Long was planning to drug Gu Ling, Gu Chen had found the perfect opportunity.
So why stop him now? If Gu Ling was drugged, she would be vulnerable. She would need saving. And who better to 'heroically' use his Yang energy to detoxify her, or at least protect her while she suffered than her beloved righteous 'brother'?
It was the ultimate scumbag strategy wrapped in a holy package. Create the crisis, or allow the crisis, then swoop in as the saviour.
'You sick unlucky bastard,' Gu Fan hissed internally, 'You are willing to let your 'sister' be poisoned just so you can indebt her to you, and snatch this ring as 'punishment' later? You are a predator with good PR, Gu Chen.'
Gu Fan looked back down at Chen Long, then up at Gu Chen, 'But I am sorry! I have to steal yet another chance from you.'
But this was not going to be easy. If Gu Fan attacked openly now, Gu Chen would see him. Gu Chen would likely intervene, claiming he "caught a thief," and kill Gu Fan to silence the witness and claim the loot for himself.
He couldn't fight Gu Chen. Not yet. One strike from a 7th Stage Spirit Realm expert would turn Gu Fan into paste.
"I need a distraction. Or... I need to be faster than his eyes."
Gu Fan looked at the handful of corrosive-soaked leaves in his hand.
"You want to watch the show, Gu Chen? Fine. I will give you special effects."
Gu Fan struck the flint and steel.
Spark.
The corrosive-laced leaves instantly caught fire, but instead of a normal flame, they produced a thick, acrid, blackish-green smoke that smelled like burning sulphur and rotting meat. It was heavy, choking, and highly irritating to the eyes.
Gu Fan did nothing. He let the wind currents sweeping through the courtyard between the suites.
Within seconds, the dense, toxic fog billowed upwards, completely swallowing the rooftops. Through the rising veil of smoke, Gu Fan saw Gu Chen frown, his blue eyes narrowing in annoyance as the sudden, unnatural smokescreen completely blinded his line of sight.
With the 'Hero' temporarily blinded, Gu Fan tossed a second, smaller smouldering bundle directly through the open skylight into Chen Long's room.
At the same time, he moved.
He didn't smash through window. Any loud noise would give Gu Chen a physical target to strike through the smoke.
Instead, using the strength of his 3rd Stage Body Tempering physique, Gu Fan gripped the wooden window lattice and pried it open with silently.
He slipped through the gap like a ghost, landing silently on the jade floor.
The room was already filling with blinding, toxic smoke.
Chen Long shrieked, coughing violently as his eyes watered, dropping the potion vial onto the table, but he heard a faint sound and felt someone's presence in the room.
"Who?!"