Hardly had Xushu stepped out of the Black Market when he acutely sensed something amiss behind him. A series of soft yet deliberately muffled footsteps followed him like a ghost, and upon closer listening, he realized it was certainly more than one person. His heart tightened, but he scanned his surroundings calmly.
The street was lined with houses and dotted with sparse, flickering lights. Occasionally, the bark of a dog broke the silence, but there were very few pedestrians. This open, exposed area was ill-suited for a confrontation; any commotion would easily invite unwanted trouble. Xushu pretended to be oblivious, maintaining a steady, unhurried pace. While he appeared to be walking aimlessly forward, he was actually steering his pursuers toward a secluded alleyway.
The alley was deep and winding, flanked by towering walls. Moonlight struggled to pierce the darkness, casting mottled shadows on the ground. As Xushu ventured deep into the alley, he suddenly stopped. Turning around, his gaze piercing like a torch, he shot a look into the shadows behind him and called out, "Alright, quit the hide-and-seek. You’ve been following me for a while now—aren’t you tired?"
Chapter 44