Chapter 327: Deep In The Alleyway (2/2)

He sighed in relief once she'd regained her balance. He took a step back, accidentally knocking into a jug. The sound was almost deafening in the silence.

Someone opened the door and rushed out, alerted by the noise. Nan Xun managed to pull Jun Huang to a corner and hold her close to stay out of sight. Another set of footsteps approached them.

”Who was it?” a man called out.

Nan Xun frowned and, struck with inspiration, mimicked the sound of a cat.

”Just a stray,” the other man said, patting his companion's shoulder. ”Alright, don't be so tense. We've remained undetected so far. We aren't going to be discovered so suddenly.”

The man nodded and returned to the building. Nan Xun and Jun Huang exchanged a knowing look.

”Jun Hao must be here,” said Nan Xun.

Jun Huang nodded. ”There must be more than two guards. We should find him quickly.”

”Alright, follow me.”

Nan Xun took her hand and carefully went through the different rooms. Both of them kept their breathing silent as they quietly navigated the house. Nan Xun took point and surveyed the rooms carefully. Many of them were empty. Some were occupied by a couple guards who were resting and killing time.

There were too many rooms. It wouldn't help for them to stick together. After some discussion, they decided to each take a side of the hallway and went in the same direction.

In one of the rooms Nan Xun went through, there was a woman breastfeeding a child. The child lay in her arms, their face obscured. Nan Xun averted his eyes from the woman's bare skin and kept going.

Jun Huang noticed Nan Xun's pause, but since he hadn't said anything, she a.s.sumed there was nothing unusual. She kept searching as well.

They'd gone through every room lining this hallway. Jun Huang was getting agitated. ”Let's check the other side.”

Nan Xun nodded and trailed after her, but then quickly turned back to where they'd come from.

”What's wrong?” Jun Huang turned to him in question.

”Something's not right,” muttered Nan Xun. He rushed back to one of the rooms he'd checked. Jun Huang didn't know what that was about, but she kept close to him.

Without hesitation, Nan Xun pushed the door open. The woman turned to the door when she heard the creak and widened her eyes, but Nan Xun knocked her out with a hit to the nape of her neck before she could make a sound.

The woman slumped on the chair. When Jun Huang entered the door, Nan Xun was carefully holding a boy in his arms. He looked to be seven, or at most eight. Something about the boy was familiar to her, but she couldn't remember anything.

Nan Xun gave her a glance. ”I saw her feeding the boy and didn't think too much of it, but upon reconsideration, it's odd for this room to be occupied by civilians when the others aren't. I get suspicious...”

Jun Huang didn't need him to continue. She made sure the woman was still breathing before s.h.i.+fting her focus to the boy in Nan Xun's arms.

Nan Xun looked at her, then at Jun Hao. He shook his head. ”We haven't been loud, but I don't want to risk alerting anyone by staying. Let's leave the compound first.”

Jun Huang nodded and followed after Nan Xun. They snuck to where the wall was the shortest. Nan Xun was holding a boy. It was better to be more cautious than they'd been when they entered

Nan Xun was going to take Jun Hao out and come back for Jun Huang, but she thought that was too much ha.s.sle, and she didn't want Jun Hao to be left alone. She shook her head and said she'd climb over herself.

Nan Xun didn't argue. Jun Huang was stubborn, and she had a point. It would be risky to leave Jun Hao outside unsupervised. He brought the boy to the other side of the wall.

Jun Huang took a deep breath and held her dress up so that she could step on the bricks and climb onto the wall. Up here, she could see everything happening in the compound. Just when she was going to jump down, she saw someone coming her way. Her pupils contracted.

Nan Xun could tell from her reaction that someone was coming. He quickly pulled Jun Huang down by her ankles and covered her mouth before she could yelp in surprise.

Jun Huang leaned against him with her heart in her throat. She could hear her blood pumping in her ears. They stayed close to the wall, listening for any unusual sounds. Only when the footsteps faded away did Nan Xun let go of Jun Huang. She gasped for air, knocking her own chest.