Six days later, Lin Hao crested a hill to behold the capital—a monolithic fortress encircled by a moat wide enough to drown armies. Kung Fu Fly’s compound eyes scanned the battlements: archers patrolled every ten paces, ballistae hidden beneath tarpaulins.

  "Too flashy." Lin Hao patted the Flame-Scaled Tiger’s neck. "Time to hide the merchandise."

  Ding.

  The beast vanished into a holographic grid labeled Pet Storage. Xiao Bai—the horned primate disguised in a makeshift cap—chittered in alarm.

  "Relax," Lin Hao murmured. "You’re next once I rob a few banks."

  ———

  The city gates swarmed with merchants, mercenaries, and pilgrims. A rheumy-eyed carriage driver intercepted Lin Hao. "Young master! Ride with Old Zhang! Cheapest fare in Yancheng!"

  The man’s skeletal frame trembled as he gestured to a rickety cart. Lin Hao noted the driver’s threadbare robes, the horse’s protruding ribs. "Take me to the finest tavern."

  They’d traveled three blocks when disaster struck.

  A black stallion—eyes bloodshot, foam flecking its muzzle—careened down the avenue dragging a gilded carriage. Old Zhang’s nag froze mid-step.

  Crunch.

  Wood splintered. The elderly driver flew into a vegetable stall as the stallion trampled his horse. Lin Hao rolled clear, Kung Fu Fly mapping the chaos in real-time.

  "Who dares—?!" A silk-robed youth emerged from the wrecked luxury carriage, a courtesan clinging to his neck like human jewelry. His gaze swept the carnage. "Chen!"

  The black stallion’s driver—pockmarked and trembling—prostrated himself. "Young Master Qin, I—"

  Slap.

  Qin Yu’s palm left a crimson handprint on the lackey’s cheek. "Dock his wages. Compensate the old man double."

  Lin Hao arched an eyebrow. Nobles who punished their own? Either enlightened or scheming.

  ———

  The Azure Phoenix Inn’s lobby reeked of braised pork and ambition. Every table hosted sword-calloused hands gesturing toward the distant Tianyan Academy.

  "Full." The innkeeper’s apprentice blanched at Lin Hao’s milky eyes. "Unless… the third-floor suite?"

  The boy led him upstairs to a private dining nook. Purple silk rustled as a woman carved venison with a dagger. Moonlight glinted off the blade’s edge—Nightblade Steel, favored by assassins of the Nether Pavilion.

  "Join me." Zǐ Yè didn’t look up. Her voice carried the bored inflection of a poetry recital. "The lamb’s overdone, but the wine’s passable."

  Lin Hao sat. Kung Fu Fly landed on his shoulder, wings tuned to detect heartbeat fluctuations.

  "New pet?" Zǐ Yè flicked a bone at Xiao Bai. The primate caught it midair, fangs reducing the morsel to splinters.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "Stray." Lin Hao sipped rice wine. "Temporary."

  Their knees brushed beneath the table. A parchment scrap transferred from her thigh to his—coordinates for a weapons cache beneath the Ministry of Rites.

  The courtesan from Qin Yu’s carriage entered the inn, her perfume cutting through the grease-smell. Zǐ Yè’s blade twitched.

  "Patience." Lin Hao trapped her wrist. "Hunt during the Lantern Festival."

  Across the street, Qin Yu emerged from a brothel adjusting his sash. The courtesan rushed to him, whispers exchanged.

  Kung Fu Fly’s wings hummed.

  Target acquired.

  ———

  Nightfall brought fog and opportunity. Lin Hao scaled the Ministry’s outer wall, Xiao Bai clinging to his back like a living climbing harness. The primate’s horn pulsed faintly—a built-in cloaking field bending light around them.

  "Three guards. Rotating every seven breaths." Zǐ Yè materialized from shadow, her report crisp. "Basement vault requires a jade seal."

  Lin Hao grinned. "Or a hungry mutant."

  Xiao Bai’s claws extended, molecular edges vibrating. Some locks deserved more than picking.

  The moon hid behind clouds as the first scream echoed.

  By dawn, seventeen officials would be reported missing. By noon, their heads would adorn the city gates.

  The game deepened.

  The Parrot Prodigy

  The Azure Phoenix Inn’s private dining alcove reeked of roasted pheasant and tension. Zǐ Yè sliced venison with surgical precision, her dagger reflecting Lin Hao’s milky eyes in its polished surface.

  "New accessory?" She flicked a bone at Xiao Bai. The horned primate caught it midair, fangs reducing the morsel to splinters.

  "Temporary." Lin Hao ripped into a honey-glazed duck. "Unlike your taste in safehouses."

  Zǐ Yè’s blade stilled. "The Tianyan mission requires invisibility, not circus acts." Her gaze flicked to Kung Fu Fly camouflaged as a hairpin. "Ditch the menagerie."

  Lin Hao snorted. A crimson parrot squawked from its cage in the corner—"Sucker! Sucker!"—its beak clacking against the bars.

  ———

  The Beast Bazaar stank of desperation and guano. Lin Hao navigated stalls hawking malnourished peacocks and three-legged foxes. At "Feathered Delights Emporium," a green-plumed parrot heckled customers with machine-gun efficiency.

  "Welcome, walking wallet!" it screeched.

  The bald proprietor lunged, shaking the cage. "Shut your trap, Four Treasures!"

  Lin Hao’s fingers brushed the cage. Ding. Avian specimen detected. Initial combat rating: 10. Evolutionary potential: S-tier.

  "Name your price."

  "Ten thousand taels!" The shopkeeper’s eyes gleamed. "Rare talking breed!"

  Four Treasures ruffled its feathers. "Scam! Scam!"

  Lin Hao turned to leave.

  "Wait!" The shopkeeper blocked the exit. "Special discount—eight thousand!"

  "One thousand. Final offer."

  The parrot’s subsequent tirade—"Robbery! Daylight robbery!"—sealed the deal.

  ———

  Backstreet alchemy unfolded in a rented stable. Lin Hao dumped glowing spirit stones into the system interface. Four Treasures’ form warped—emerald feathers hardened into jade scales, beak lengthened into a golden scimitar.

  Ding. Evolution complete. Combat rating: 10,000. New skill: Thunder Tongue.

  The shopkeeper chose that moment to renege. "Changed my mind! Guards!"

  Two thugs charged with iron rods. Four Treasures spread wings crackling with static.

  Zap.

  The first attacker convulsed, skin blistering. The second swung—only to watch his weapon disintegrate under adamantium talons.

  "Metal Claw Upgrade: Complete," Lin Hao murmured as the thug crashed into a wall of birdcages.

  The shopkeeper scrambled for a hidden crossbow. Four Treasures’ beak snapped the weapon’s stock like kindling.

  "Mercy!" The man groveled. "Take it! Just don’t—"

  Crunch.

  The parrot perched on Lin Hao’s shoulder, cleaning blood from its talons. "Next target?"

  ———

  Nightfall found them at the Vermilion Pavilion’s rooftop garden. Zǐ Yè materialized from shadow, her purple robes blending with wisteria.

  "Sentimentality’s a luxury," she noted, eyeing Four Treasures. "That bird reeks of amateur theatrics."

  Lin Hao tossed a peanut. The parrot caught it midair, atomizing the shell with a spark-flecked tongue. "Meet my new surveillance system."

  Zǐ Yè’s nose wrinkled. "The academy’s anti-familiar wards will fry its tiny brain."

  "Upgrade pending." Lin Hao leaned against the balustrade. Far below, Qin Yu staggered from a brothel, courtesans giggling at his disheveled robes. "Speaking of brains—our Young Master Qin’s been busy."

  Four Treasures’ eyes glowed infrared. "Target acquired. Tracking protocol engaged."

  The parrot launched silently, vanishing into smog.

  Zǐ Yè’s dagger found Lin Hao’s throat. "If your feathered spy botches this…"

  He didn’t flinch. "Relax. I overclocked its processors."

  Somewhere in the labyrinthine slums, a drunken nobleman’s final scream blended with the clang of closing sewer grates.

  The hunt deepened.