Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Change Inside the attic. Silent, with all lights extinguished. This attic was specifically built by Han Lu for Li Yu as a ’golden cage.’ It appeared luxurious, but in reality, it was nothing more than a prison. Li Yu had a peculiar habit—she never allowed any servants to stay in the loft during nighttime. Gu Sheng moved stealthily through the corridors, like a cat. He wasn’t sure if the faint noise from earlier had been heard by Li Yu, but it didn’t matter much. Li Yu was just an ordinary person, incapable of causing significant trouble. As for calling for help? The attic was situated quite far from other locations, and sound wouldn’t carry easily. This was one of the reasons Gu Sheng dared to come alone for the kill. With his keen senses, Gu Sheng quickly caught the sound of even, steady breathing. He crept closer without making a sound, climbed over the window lightly, and in the faint light saw a beautiful woman reclining behind the screen, apparently asleep on her side. Kill intent flickered in his eyes as Gu Sheng reached for the short axe at his waist. Suddenly. A sharp, whistling sound pierced through the air from behind the screen, and a crossbow arrow flew straight toward Gu Sheng’s face at high speed. But Gu Sheng was unfazed. With a slight swing of his short axe, the crossbow arrow shattered into two. Such crossbow arrows were effective against common folk but posed no threat to armored Martial Artists. More importantly, Gu Sheng had long known that Li Yu had been awake! "Your vigilance is impressive, but unfortunately, the sound of your heartbeat betrayed you." Just as Li Yu finished firing the crossbow arrow and leapt to the doorway, she felt a pair of powerful hands clamp down on her neck from behind. Her feet lifted off the ground, and breathing became increasingly difficult. Fear filled Li Yu’s eyes. Since betraying Du Jiangbo, she had remained constantly on edge. Not only had she driven away the servants from the attic and avoided contact with the outside world, but she also never slept deeply, always keeping a miniature crossbow she had begged for from Han Lu beneath her pillow. Gu Sheng’s movements outside had been extremely subtle, yet she had still detected them. "Who... who are you? Don’t kill me! I can give you whatever you want!" Li Yu forced out the words with difficulty, her throat strained and agonized, tears glimmering in her pleading eyes as she struggled to turn her head. All she could see was a masked figure dressed in black. Gu Sheng stayed silent. The sight of the alluring woman before him, with her seductive charm, made it clear why even a brute like Han Lu had fallen completely under her spell. "You were sent by Du Jiangbo?" Li Yu continued to probe, but Gu Sheng simply increased the pressure. Suddenly, realization dawned upon her. "No, you... you’re the one who killed Xiao Yan!" Gu Sheng’s right hand hesitated for an instant, giving Li Yu greater confidence in her guess. Fear and hatred filled her eyes as she began to struggle violently. Gu Sheng sneered coldly, ceasing his hesitation. Power surged through his grip as he tightened his hold. Crack! A crisp sound of breaking bones echoed, and Li Yu’s neck twisted unnaturally, her life extinguished instantly. Her eyes remained filled with hatred and resentment. She had devoted herself to mastering bedroom arts and, after much effort, won Han Lu’s favor to get him to track down her brother’s killer—only to find herself slain by that very killer. Gu Sheng stared at Li Yu’s lifeless body crumpled on the ground, his gaze devoid of any emotion. He exhaled deeply. The mission was accomplished; Li Yu was dead, and the source had been eliminated. But the task wasn’t over. If he didn’t redirect suspicion away from himself, Han Lu might easily link her death to him. A diversion was necessary. Only then could he focus entirely on refining his martial skills in peace. "Du Jiangbo..." Gu Sheng’s eyes darkened deeply. Without delay, he crept out of the attic, dragging the bodies of the two previous kills into the loft. Once he burned it all to the ground later, the matter would be fully settled. He rummaged through their belongings as well as Li Yu’s chamber. Altogether, he found only about ten taels of silver. Li Yu did own some precious jewelry and ornaments likely worth over a hundred taels, but those were impossible to sell at the moment lest the Black Sand Gang find out. Gu Sheng kept them for now, with plans to handle them later depending on the situation. After a quick inventory, Gu Sheng looked toward the night sky and headed for Du Jiangbo’s residence. A few hundred meters was not far for Gu Sheng. Soon enough. He arrived at a secluded courtyard. Gu Sheng had already scouted the area in advance. Normally, two other Martial Artists of the Black Sand Gang followed Du Jiangbo closely, keeping vigilant watch over him. Du Jiangbo remained here. First, to satisfy Han Lu’s peculiar fetish, and second, because Du Jiangbo was still the strongest fighter of the Li family’s fort on paper. Keeping him in charge preserved appearances. If the Black Sand Gang managed the fort directly, it would look disgraceful. However, if Du Jiangbo ever became disobedient, replacing him with someone else wouldn’t be out of the question. Inside the courtyard. Three distinct breathing rhythms could be faintly heard. The breathing of Martial Artists was noticeably different from that of regular people. Gu Sheng listened outside for a moment and confirmed the three individuals were positioned not far apart. The knockout powder purchased on the black market could now come into play. Gu Sheng gently poked a small hole in the paper window and blew the knockout powder inside. Moments later. The sounds of breathing from inside grew noticeably heavier. Gu Sheng calculated that the powder had taken effect and swiftly vaulted into the room. By the dim light, he surveyed the scene. Du Jiangbo lay on the innermost bed while the two Black Sand Gang Martial Artists were positioned—one lying down, and the other seated at the table. Both were now deep asleep; the knockout powder was potent. Gu Sheng’s gaze turned sharp, and he acted without hesitation. He crept toward the seated Martial Artist at the table. Drawing his short blade, power surged within his arm, veins bulging as the blade pierced deeply into the Martial Artist’s heart, blood splattering. His other hand firmly covered the man’s mouth and nose to prevent any sound. Only when the convulsing body stilled completely did Gu Sheng slowly release his grip. After killing four people, Gu Sheng was almost lost in the fury of the slaughter. He repeated the same tactic. The Black Sand Gang Martial Artist lying on the bed was effortlessly dispatched, and Gu Sheng took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Only one target remained—Du Jiangbo. Du Jiangbo’s breathing and heartbeat maintained an unnervingly steady rhythm. Clutching his short blade, Gu Sheng closed in slowly, prepared to replicate his earlier moves. Suddenly, Du Jiangbo, who had been lying on his side, flipped over abruptly. Springing to his feet in a swift flowing motion, he evaded Gu Sheng’s blade and instead advanced toward him, slamming his shoulder fiercely into Gu Sheng’s torso. "You vile assassin! How dare you sneak into the Li family’s fort at night!" Du Jiangbo shouted coldly, though sweat soaked his back. He had narrowly escaped death. Constantly under surveillance by the Black Sand Gang Martial Artists, Du Jiangbo was perpetually cautious. As soon as he noticed the knockout powder taking effect, he bit his tongue hard and held his breath, barely keeping himself conscious. Gu Sheng’s movements as he killed the two Martial Artists were all perceptible to Du Jiangbo. He endured silently. In fact, his heart was racing with excitement—slaying this assassin might finally grant him an escape from this oppressive confinement. The present situation was, in his mind, an opportunity bestowed by the heavens! Du Jiangbo thought to himself: If this guy needs such low-level tricks like knockout powder, his strength can’t be overwhelming. My sudden counterattack will surely succeed!