Sighing again.
He stepped forward, not as though he were to challenge them, but for conversation.
"She's not worth the trouble."
The squad leader narrowed his eyes at the stranger walking up to him.
"Who are you? All these pockets are getting lighter, and you haven't contributed yet." The squad leader extended a gloved hand. "Why don't we fix that?"
Feng Ye narrowed his eyes, but his expression remained calm. The enforcers were trying to extort him and loot everyone. He needed a smart angle.
Feng Ye smirked. "I was actually about to make things easier for you. I would rethink bringing this woman away."
He let those words hang to allow for doubt to creep in.
"Why do I care?"
Feng Ye tilted his head slightly, glancing toward the other enforcers.
"Because she didn't come alone."
Anne froze. The enforcer's smug grin faltered just slightly.
"This girl? She's with a group. And not just any randoms," Feng Ye continued.
"An adventurer party. One with real backing."
The enforcer's brow twitched.
"You expect me to believe you?"
Feng Ye smirked. "You think that a lonely adventurer with no backing would call out a fake Guild warrant in front of an entire audience without having people watching her back? Only a fool would do that!"
The other enforcers exchanged looks. `Seemed reasonable.`
Anne narrowed her eyes at the word fool. However, she immediately caught on and played into the bluff. She lifted her chin slightly, eyes narrowing.
"If you take me now, you're making more enemies than you can handle."
A nearby enforcer holding one of Anne's arms hesitated.
"If she really has connections here, it might not be worth the effort."
The squad leader paused momentarily lost in thought.
Feng Ye struck while the iron was hot.
"You already angered quite a crowd tonight, you want more on your tail?"
The squad leader was still not convinced. He wanted Anne, but he also wanted power and security.
Feng Ye reached into his pocket. He took a pouch of beast cores between his hands.
"Let's make this easy." Feng Ye calmly continues.
"You can waste more time dealing with an adventurer group tracking you down or enjoy a night elsewhere."
The squad leader stared at the beast cores. Greed was an easier motivator than lust.
"You're smart, aren't you? Since you're so eager to help her, why don't you prove how much her life is worth?"
The grin widened.
"Double the price."
"You are pushing too far. Keep this up and you can't sweep this under the rug." Feng Ye loosened his grip on the pouch of beast cores and made it look as though he were to pull back the bribe altogether. His right hand gripped a blade that was sheathed. The squad leader saw this action and immediately could tell that Feng Ye was hinting that he wasn't afraid of a fight.
Feng Ye continued. "Is it really worth to get yourself into the political arena? Just take these and enjoy your night."
The other enforcers exchanged looks.
This was too much trouble. The bribe was still decent, and pressing the issue further could backfire. The squad leader wasn't stupid. He could feel the audience's eyes on them. The longer this went on, the harder it would be to sweep under the rug.
He snorts contemptuously.
With a flick of his wrist, he gestured for his men to release Anne. "Fine. Get out of my sight."
He yanks Anne forward roughly before shoving her toward Feng Ye. Anne stumbled forward as the enforcers let go.
Anne stumbles, but Feng Ye catches her by the arm before she can fall. He then tossed the pouch forward.
"Pleasure doing business."
The squad leader caught it midair. He locked his gaze with Feng Ye.
"Smart move adventurer."
Without a word, he stepped beside Anne and exited the encirclement.
The squad leader watched them go but didn't stop them. Not this time.
"Continue the search." The other enforcers continued to search and extort the rest of the attendees.
Bribery worked wonders here, but Feng Ye knew this wasn't the end. He'll see this face again in the near future.
They stepped away and moved away from the auction house. Neither spoke. They stepped into an empty alleyway a few blocks away. Here Feng Ye loosens his grip on Anne. Anne takes a few steps back leaving a gap between them.
Anne exhaled sharply. "You didn't have to do that."
Feng Ye kept his gaze ahead. "Yes, I did."
They stop here in the empty alleyway.
Anne studied him for a moment before tilting her head slightly. "Why?"
Feng Ye's locked eyes with her. He stared into space as though he were lost in thought for a brief moment.
"I like to make problems disappear before they become mine."
Anne scoffed softly, shaking her head. "How pragmatic."
Feng Ye didn't respond.
She wasn't a fool. He didn't do this out of pure kindness. But whatever the reason, she wasn't about to question it further.
"Thanks," she muttered.
Feng Ye finally turned fully to face her. "Don't thank me yet."
Anne narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
Feng Ye exhaled and crossed his arms. "Because you need to leave tonight."
A puzzled look spread on Anne's face. "Why do I need to do that?"
Feng Ye reached into his cloak and pulled out a rolled-up parchment. The edges were slightly curled from being handled multiple times. He unfolded it slowly and turned it toward her.
Anne scanned the parchment. It was a list of names. Her eyes stopped on a name.
Her expression turned cold.
It was her name on the list. Her body tensed.
"…Where did you get this?" she whispered.
"From someone inside the Guild," Feng Ye replied. "A ledger. A purge list."
Anne's fingers clenched. Her voice was dangerously low. "This… is a death list."
Feng Ye nodded.
"That's a little bit part of the reason I stepped in. If they took you, you were as good as dead."
Anne inhaled sharply. She calmed herself before muttering.
"I knew something was off here. But this?"
She looked up at Feng Ye. "Who else has seen this?"
"Me and one other."
Anne thought for a brief moment before continuing to ask. "And the Guild here doesn't know you have it?"
Feng Ye smirked. "Not yet." He took the parchment back and put it in his robes.
Anne closed her eyes for a moment and forced herself to think. The Guild had already started cleaning house. That meant there was no time.
"This branch has gone insane. Way too far." Her voice was bitter and filled with frustration.
"Tell me something I don't know."
Anne clenched her jaw. "I was planning to leave after my meeting at the auction house, but when I saw the enforcers blocking the exit, I knew I'd be in more danger if they did a full search. I had to draw attention in my own way."
"Risky move. However, why are you on the list?" Feng Ye probes.
"It worked though. Perhaps, they wanted to remove me due to my relations with the capital." Anne calmly replied. As Feng Ye had shared this information, she felt that it was okay to divulge this information.
A moment of silence.
Feng Ye sighed and glanced toward the far end of the alley.
"If you were planning to leave, you might want to rethink that plan."
"Why?"
Referring to the distant streets which were filled with enforcers patrolling around, Feng Ye continued.
"Enforcers are everywhere. They are locking down all the exits."
Anne clenched her fists.
"D*mn."
Feng Ye nodded. "They don't want you escaping Redwood. They are also searching for this name list. But it seems that you are a target regardless of your stunt or not."
"We'll have to stay hidden," Anne whispers.
Feng Ye sighed. "That was my next point."
Anne glanced around toward the buildings around them. "There's an abandoned potion maker's storefront near the eastern market. No one goes there anymore."
"You sure are informed."
Anne crossed her arms. "That's the power of networking."
"Okay, lead the way." Feng Ye nods.