Chapter Twenty-Six: The Hidden Formation

Chu Bing pulled Chu Wenyen along as she teleported through the city, but even so, she could hear the wind behind them growing ever closer.

Someone was following.

Her eyes narrowed. She ducked into a narrow alley, dragging Chu Wenyen with her. “Don’t make a sound,” she whispered, clapping a hand over his mouth. “I’ll check how many are on our tail.”

As she made to leave, Chu Wenyen caught her arm, voice low and urgent, “Sister, be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

She gently pried his fingers away and crept to the mouth of the alley. Peering out, she saw a single shadowy figure standing in the middle of the street. He was tall and imposing, exuding an ineffable aura even while standing still.

With a flick of her wrist, Chu Bing readied a hidden weapon, intending to probe the stranger’s identity, but the figure seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He spun around abruptly, staring straight toward her.

Chu Bing held her breath.

She recognized the familiar mask upon his face—it was the second young master!

Li Yuxi narrowed his eyes at the alley where she hid, then strode toward her with deliberate steps.

As he drew near, Chu Bing turned on her heel, seized Chu Wenyen’s arm, and teleported away as quickly as she could. But her range was limited, and Li Yuxi almost instantly discerned her new location, giving chase with unrelenting speed.

“Sister, who is that man?” Chu Wenyen sensed something was wrong. The black-clad men before had never come close to catching them, but this masked pursuer found them no matter where they hid.

Chu Bing gritted her teeth. They couldn’t keep running like this.

Glancing quickly around, she spotted an abandoned courtyard. She remembered the place—its owner had long since moved away but refused to sell, leaving it to the wild embrace of creeping ivy.

She pulled Chu Wenyen inside with her. “Hide in the house. No matter what you hear, unless I call for you, don’t come out!”

She suddenly recalled the formation manual the system had given her—it included a Concealment Array.

This array worked by manipulating visual perception, making those outside ignore whatever was within.

She had finally put enough distance between herself and the second young master to buy a few precious moments. She hurriedly began arranging stones and bamboo from the yard, weaving the array. Chu Wenyen, without a word, slipped inside the house, understanding he could only be a burden now.

Soon, Chu Bing finished her preparations and held her breath behind a tree.

A black shadow landed atop the courtyard wall.

He surveyed the yard, his gaze several times sweeping past the tree where she hid, but he never saw her.

Her own heartbeat thundered in her ears.

If she was discovered now, she feared there would be no escape.

The masked man stood on the wall, and when he seemed sure he’d lost her trail, he lifted his hand and removed his mask.

A face as gentle as jade appeared before her.

It was Li Haoran’s second brother.

She had suspected as much back at the Li residence—the red packet could not be faked—but seeing his true face beneath the mask was still breathtaking.

This second brother was truly too handsome.

A pity he was always at odds with her.

Standing on the wall, Li Yuxi frowned, his chiseled features somber in the moonlight, a melancholy air about him that was hard to look away from. He lowered his eyes, hesitated a moment, then with a flick of his sleeve, vanished into the night.

Chu Bing remained motionless.

The courtyard was so quiet she could hear only the rustling of leaves.

Not three minutes later, a figure reappeared atop the wall—Li Yuxi had returned.

“Heh, so you really did escape me.” He flexed his fingers, a glint of battle-lust in his eyes.

It had been too long since he’d met such an interesting woman. That she could slip from his grasp meant he ought to pay her even more attention.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside. A group of men in black leapt onto the wall beside him.

“Master, we lost her.”

“No matter. That woman is indeed something strange; it’s not surprising you couldn’t catch her,” Li Yuxi said coolly. “But she’s entangled in lawsuits. She won’t get far.”

A black-clad subordinate bowed his head, gritting out, “Next time, I swear I’ll catch her.”

Li Yuxi’s eyes flashed with mocking amusement. “I doubt you’d be her match.”

The man’s face stiffened, his head dropping even lower.

“Withdraw,” Li Yuxi ordered, casting a long look at the distant night before departing. The others followed, and at last the wall was empty.

On the road, one of the black-clad men quietly asked, “Master, that woman has some real skill. Why not recruit her? Then with regards to the third young master…”

Li Yuxi sneered, staring at him in silence.

The man quickly realized he had angered his master and felt a chill run down his spine, not daring to speak further.

A breeze stirred, and from the old abandoned courtyard came a sudden thud.

Chu Bing collapsed to the ground, her forehead slick with cold sweat.

Though she’d only crossed paths with Li Yuxi three times, his methods were uncanny and his vigilance unmatched. She had been sure he wouldn’t fully let his guard down after leaving, which was why she’d stayed frozen in place.

Luckily, her gamble had paid off.

Her sweat-soaked hair clung to her temples as she leaned weakly against the tree, her face pale.

She didn’t know how long she sat there before Chu Wenyen, who had been hiding inside, finally couldn’t bear it any longer. He peeked out through the door and was startled to see her slumped, drenched, and utterly spent. Rushing over, he cried, “Sister, are you alright?”

Only then did she remember she still had a younger brother.

Pulling herself up with the tree for support, she shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s get back quickly.”

She had set up a formation in their small courtyard—ordinary people would never break in—so she could rest easy there, at least for a while.

Leaning on each other, the siblings slipped away from the deserted yard, hiding in the shadows as they hurried home. Only when they reached the safety of their courtyard at last could their hearts finally settle.