Above the Spring Flower Courtyard...

A parachute swooped in, carrying its lone passenger over the wall of overgrown vines.

As it gradually descended into the courtyard, the parachute suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving the cloaked Bubai to drop down onto a sturdy bamboo stake below.

His landing caused the bamboo to sway ever so slightly, forcing him to crouch and grasp onto the stake. "Phew, made it."

Slowly standing upright, Bubai balanced himself and surveyed the area, “Well, let’s make this quick.”

Qian Bage had given him an hour, but he personally set a strict limit of half the time to avoid accidents. Now, there wasn’t much time left.

Kicking off from his landing point, Bubai’s black robe billowed behind him as he traversed from stake to stake, gliding effortlessly over the forest of bamboo towards the main hall...

Reaching the edge of the bamboo thicket, he leapt into the air, executing a flawless flip over the serene pond below before landing on the other side with barely a sound.

His divine sense immediately swept out to initiate a quick scan. “No traps. Coast is clear.”

A grin tugged at the corners of Bubai’s lips and he stepped into the hall, his cloth-wrapped footfalls muffled against the cool, hard ground beneath him.

Skirting around the screen, his eyes scanned the ornate furniture, resisting the urge to add them to his collection. They held no value if he couldn't sell them or put them to use without drawing attention.

Entering a side hall, Bubai continued forward along the corridor, his senses on high alert.

Eventually, he came to a stop before the door to the boudoir.

Glancing down the corridor, Bubai spotted the steamy glass door not far ahead, but he resisted the temptation to test his luck further.

Sending out his divine sense, he allowed it to partially extend through the bathroom door to serve as his spotter.

Then, with a light push, Bubai eased open the boudoir door and slipped into the bedroom.

When Bubai crossed the entry threshold and passed through the archway, his gaze settled on the sheathed dagger resting on the table. He let his divine sense envelop it, detecting the subtle spiritual brand etched within it.

"A refined magic tool." Bubai’s brow furrowed in thought. "It can't be stored unless the brand is cleared, but if I move it, she will sense it.”

It seems he'll have to look for other quest items.

His eyes scanned the room, noting the absence of a wardrobe but catching sight of a locked chest filled with neatly folded garments. He shook his head, dismissing the idea of wasting time on the lock-picking minigame.

His attention then turned to the outfit laid out on the bedside table, devoid of any distinguishing features. "Such a generic item, can it even be exchanged for any value?"

Nevertheless, his divine sense zeroed in on the uniform, and his eyes soon lit up.

Hurrying over to the bed, he sifted through the garments, quickly pulling out a stringy black undergarment hidden among them.

"Aha, leaving such a precious artifact unguarded is practically asking for it to be stolen." Bubai barely suppressed his excitement.

Using his usual trick, Bubai stuffed the treasure into his black robe, sending it into his storage without a second thought. The most profitable target has been acquired!

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Though Bubai did feel a twinge of guilt, he could only silently apologize inwardly to the lady. The temptation was too great to resist.

Bubai's gaze lingered on the disheveled uniform for a moment before he retrieved a jade slip from his pouch.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the slip onto the uniform, leaving it as a signature.

Hey, there was no way she would be missing this. Qian Bage will thank him for this… haha.

After a final scan of the room to ensure he hadn't missed any other easy, valuable loot, Bubai turned to leave.

He wasn’t going to linger for too long and wait for the cliché encounter with the beauty returning to her room after a shower.

Unlike a protagonist in an echhi story, the likelihood of him surviving such a scenario was... zero.

Well, it’s not like he will even get the chance.

In reality, the chance of such an unlikely random encounter was incredibly low.

With his divine sense in place, it would be exceedingly difficult for anyone, even a beauty, to catch him off guard... Unless, of course, he allowed his lower body instincts to cloud his judgment and set the scene himself.

But that was not his style. There would be no fan service here, only the cold efficiency of a mercenary on a “professional” mission.

Returning to the outdoor courtyard, Bubai shuffled backward a few steps onto the bridge, his keen eyes searching the exterior of the building for leverage points.

“Hey, if only all buildings were climbable, how nice would that be?” With a mocking grin, Bubai gathered his focus before springing into action.

Launching himself straight upward with a burst of strength, he reached for the ledge of the roof and barely hung onto the eaves, pulling himself upward moments later.

Clambering swiftly to the top, he peered down at the walls below, assessing the distance, "Should be enough...”

Taking a deep breath, with a few light steps to gain momentum, Bubai rushed off the roof, his body slicing through the air like an arrow in flight, arcing over the courtyard walls and toward the freedom beyond…

As the ground rushed up to meet him, Bubai suppressed the instinctive agitations, concentrating and bracing himself for the impact.

With a soft thud, he landed, rolling smoothly to break his fall.

Bouncing to his feet in one fluid motion, Bubai stumbled a bit when he felt the slight sting of pain.

"Oh, that was bad posture. I still need more practice."

Fortunately, his body is tough. Even if he had fallen flat, he would likely have survived… probably.

However, Bubai knew all too well that for a mortal body, even a minor misstep such as this could have resulted in serious injury.

"Kids, don't try this at home,” Bubai quipped silently to himself as he felt his body already beginning to recover from the slight injury thanks to its natural regeneration capabilities.

Fully recovered, Bubai cast one last glance back at the Spring Flower Courtyard before vanishing with a whoosh...

Barely half an hour had elapsed since the commencement of the mission, and already Bubai found himself vaulting back over the outer wall, exiting the Feng clan compound with the same ease with which he had entered.

In the stealth missions like these, getting in was often the challenging part, while slipping out after the deed is easy… unless he happened to raise the alarm and incite a full-scale manhunt.

Well, he wasn’t foolish enough to seek needless trouble when he can stably earn income for free.

Walking away from the compound, Bubai absently twirled the token in his hand, “Hmm, this can come in handy in the future.”

He stuffed it away into his robe, its final destination being his storage space... as usual.

Finding a location suitably obscured from prying eyes by towering walls, Bubai vigilantly scanned the area before he began removing his disguise, storing them into his storage space.

Hanging his inner disciple token back on his waist, Bubai’s thoughts roamed to his next destination, “I recall he said to rendezvous at Bai Hua Lou…”

Bai Hua Lou – he had never been there, but he had heard it was the haven frequented by the elite dandies of the Central District.

Unlike the typical brothels where flesh was the primary commodity, Bai Hua Lou was rumored to offer something different - talent, skill, perhaps even companionship without the cultivation-related nature of other similar establishments.

It was a refreshing departure from the norm in this dual cultivation sect where women were often shared and overused.

Alas… Bubai saw no benefits in indulging in such extravagance, knowing that the only meaningful return this “Bai Hua Lou” would give him was a hole in his wallet.

So, “saint” Bubai absolutely had no desire to visit such a place…

But now, he obviously had to go to claim his quest reward.

Yet, there was just one tiny problem…

The Central District was vast, and he certainly had not mapped out every corner, especially since his time and attention was consumed by other pressing matters.

The quest giver, Qian Bage, had also departed too early, leaving him without the opportunity to inquire about the brothel's whereabouts.

Reality wasn’t a game. There wasn’t an autopathing function. Thus...

“I have absolutely no clue how to get there…” Bubai could hear the crow cawing in his mind.

The situation made him feel a pang of nostalgia, reminiscent of the days spent immersed in old-school MMOs. Well, at least there was the internet to help him back then...

He let out a wistful sigh, “If only I had a guide.”

Scarcely had Bubai uttered these words when he felt a sudden, unexpected pat on his shoulder, causing him to stiffen in alarm with a chill running down his spine.

Someone was actually nearby?!