Urban Martial Saint

Making sure there was no one around, Ye Qing quietly climbed up the drainpipe at the back of the building, all the way to the top floor. Due to his light movements and the darkness of the night, no one noticed him.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Ye Qing first surveyed the surrounding area, and only when he determined that there was no problem did he walk slowly to the edge of the building, observing the situation inside Wan Yan Manor.

From a high vantage point, he could see inside Wan Yan Manor. The setup of Wan Yan Manor was not much different from Shen Family Manor, with several small yards possibly housing key members of the Wanyan Family in separate villas. However, the building Ye Qing stood on was not ideally positioned; many parts of Wan Yan Manor were obscured, making it difficult for him to see the specific details.

After making a rough observation, Ye Qing quietly moved to the adjacent building. This building was two stories higher than the one he was currently on, making the climb over challenging. Yet, Ye Qing was not daunted; he climbed up level by level via the windows of the tall building's residents, reaching the rooftop.

The view from this building's rooftop was similar to that of the previous one. Thus, Ye Qing did not linger and continued climbing to the next adjacent building. This building was one story higher than the previous one, but this time, Ye Qing did not climb upward; he started descending instead.

The building Ye Qing had chosen was behind this tall building. To see clearly inside Wan Yan Manor, Ye Qing needed to reach this building's top floor. However, fearing an ambush inside that building, he chose this approach, bypassing the direct path to avoid alerting anyone.

The building he was climbing was several stories higher than his chosen building, so Ye Qing had to climb down to reach the rooftop of the selected building. Fortunately, late at night, no one noticed him, so Ye Qing easily climbed to the rooftop of the chosen building.

Just as he stepped onto the rooftop, before he could regain his footing, a dark figure suddenly lunged at him, pinning Ye Qing to the ground.

Ye Qing smelled a foul odor and knew something was wrong, quickly raising his arm to fend off the attack. He was timely; as soon as his arm was lifted, it was bitten by an unknown object. Fortunately, Ye Qing was wearing thick clothes, so the object didn't bite through. Despite this, the pain made Ye Qing inhale sharply, revealing the strength of the creature.

Without any hesitation, Ye Qing raised his hand and punched the creature in the head. Ye Qing's punch was powerful enough to knock the creature out. At this moment, Ye Qing could see clearly; the creature was a full-grown Leopard.

Ye Qing's expression changed; he hadn't expected anyone would keep such a beast on the rooftop. He's seen dogs before but never a Leopard. However, this confirmed his earlier suspicions; it seemed the Wanyan Family was indeed prepared for intrusions. Otherwise, why would there be a Leopard guarding the rooftop? This Leopard might just be for Wan Yan Family's defense.

Realizing this, Ye Qing felt a surge of relief. If the Wanyan Family placed Leopards on the rooftop for security, who knew what might be arranged downstairs. Thankfully, Ye Qing climbed from the rooftops of those buildings; otherwise, he might have confronted Wanyan Family members directly.

Seeing the Leopard was knocked out, Ye Qing attempted to stand. But as he was halfway up, he heard the sound of chains from the Leopard. Ye Qing's expression changed, immediately freezing his movements. He looked closely and indeed saw a chain around the Leopard's neck, the other end secured to a wall, crucially, with a bell hanging from it.

If anyone failed to notice it and stood up, tossing the Leopard aside, it would definitely pull the chain, triggering the bell. If this bell rang, it might alert the Wanyan Family, and they'd certainly check it out. The presence of a Leopard, chains, and a bell indicates how serious the Wanyan Family is about security, guarding this rooftop strictly. If not for Ye Qing's cautiousness, the Wanyan Family might have been alarmed by now.

Ye Qing cautiously placed the unconscious Leopard down without moving the bell; naturally, the bell did not ring. After settling the Leopard, Ye Qing breathed a sigh of relief, narrowly avoiding triggering the mechanism.

Ye Qing now realized that this small building might have been intentionally left by the Wanyan Family. Anyone thoughtful enough would discover that this building offers the best vantage point for observing Wan Yan Manor. If someone has ill intentions towards the Wanyan Family, they'd certainly climb this rooftop to scout Wan Yan Manor.

By setting up tight security on this rooftop, the Wanyan Family ensures that anyone who dares come here would be noticed. This way, the Wanyan Family will almost certainly catch their adversary, or at least stay alert, thereby strengthening their security indirectly. After all, not setting up this building would mean those intending to spy on Wan Yan Manor would find other methods, leaving no defense, which is less secure.

Thanks to Ye Qing's cautiousness, avoiding those traps, he finally reached the building's edge, beginning a careful observation of the conditions inside Wan Yan Manor.

The situation inside Wan Yan Manor was precisely as Ye Qing perceived earlier, quite similar to Shen Family Manor. The reception hall, main building, and individual villas were distinctly marked. Moreover, each villa housed people, indicating that the Wanyan Family was thriving. Outside infiltration seemed difficult.

What's most attention-grabbing to Ye Qing was a pavilion deep inside Wan Yan Manor. This pavilion's situation was distinctly different from other villa buildings—almost resembling a fort, with no windows and just one door. Furthermore, it held the most guards outside, far exceeding those of other villas.

Without doubt, something important was inside this pavilion; otherwise, the Wanyan Family wouldn't station so many guards. However, Ye Qing was too distant to discern the internal setup, only catching an overall view. Around twenty guards constantly guarded outside the pavilion, making infiltration virtually impossible.

The more tightly guarded the place, the more certain it holds secrets, Ye Qing's attention honing in on the pavilion's details. He scrutinized the pavilion's structure and security arrangements, grasping everything thoroughly.

Spending a full hour on the rooftop, Ye Qing devoted half the time studying the pavilion. During this time, guards shifted once, yet at no point did the number of guards outside the pavilion drop below twenty, underscoring how much the Wanyan Family valued this place.

The remaining time, Ye Qing both observed the architecture inside and the people moving about. Shortly, Ye Qing noticed an issue; within Wan Yan Manor, the area within five meters of the compound wall was covered with grass uniformly.

In this cold North, in winter, how could grass grow? What kind of grass was this? Furthermore, Ye Qing noticed clearly that when the Wanyan Family members walked, none approached these grass patches, as if wary.

Ye Qing speculated upon arriving here that since Prince Wan Yan dared to build Wan Yan Manor so flamboyantly, there must be hidden measures ensuring its safety. Outside, this building was set as a trap by Wan Yan Family, while inside, there seemed to be a second layer of preparations. These grasses might have issues; perhaps traps lay beneath, heightening Ye Qing's vigilance.

Suspecting problems within the grasses, Ye Qing dared not relax, carefully observing people's paths to determine if other traps existed within Wan Yan Manor. Luckily, besides the grasses, no other precautions seemed necessary inside Wan Yan Manor, calming Ye Qing somewhat.

After clarifying these observations, Ye Qing quietly retraced his steps back to the other side, without disturbing the building's inhabitants. As for the Leopard, merely knocked out, would soon awaken. When the Wanyan Family checks the rooftop, nothing would seem amiss since Leopards don't speak. They'd never dream that someone had already thoroughly scouted Wan Yan Manor's conditions from above.

Climbing down from the building, Ye Qing stealthily approached the wall near Wan Yan Manor from behind. Ye Qing had meticulously observed the layout while on the rooftop. Behind the wall lay an artificial hill, allowing Ye Qing some cover should he climb over. Furthermore, it's crucial; Ye Qing could utilize this hill to avoid stepping on the grass, wondering what traps lurked beneath.

As Ye Qing prepared to jump onto the artificial hill from the wall, a thought struck: Prince Wan Yan covered five meters with grass, laying traps for outsiders, displaying considerable defensive focus on the manor. It wouldn't make sense to leave such an obvious flaw; could there be hidden issues on the hill as well?

(With the chapter owed last night, a total of ten chapters remain due to readers. Six shall be repaid today, and more tomorrow; thank you all for your support.)