Ye Ming broke away from the patrol squad and bypassed the gatekeeper to reach the inner castle. He first searched the outer perimeter of the inner castle. Near a flower garden, Ye Ming received a notification from the system:
*Ding* [Congratulations, you have discovered a treasure chest!]
Ye Ming did not know its exact location, so he had to search the place carefully. He did that, but could not find the chest. The chest was obviously hidden very well. If not for the system’s assistance, who knows how many treasure chests like this one he would have missed.
Since he could not find it at the edge of the flower garden, of course he had to look deeper inside, so that was what he did. The flower garden turned out to be really big, but Ye Ming was determined. He kept searching among the knee-high flowers with his feet. Suddenly, his foot kicked something hard. Just to make sure, he kicked it a few more times. After he confirmed that there was no mistake, he bent down and used his hands to separate the flowers blocking his view. A treasure chest appeared in his vision.
*Ding* [Congratulations, you have discovered a platinum treasure chest!]
*Ding* [Would you like to open the treasure chest?]
“Duh. What else am I going to do with it? Keep it as a dowry for my future daughter? Open it!”
Ye Ming opened the treasure chest and saw a parchment scroll lying flat inside. He gleefully picked up the scroll and inspected it. It turned out to be a skillbook. Ye Ming was ecstatic. This was exactly the kind of loot he was hoping for. After so long, he had finally obtained a new skill! He carefully perused the scroll. It was a scroll to learn the {Thousand-Mile Bloody Escape} skill – a skill for fleeing.
Ye Ming wished to take a closer look at the skill, but the sound of footsteps suddenly came from afar. Afraid of being discovered, Ye Ming put away the scroll and left the garden in a hurry. After reaching a secluded corner, he opened the scroll again and started learning the {Thousand-Mile Blood Escape} skill on the spot. After all, the earlier he learned it, the earlier he would master it. Who knows when the skill might come in handy.
*Ding* [Congratulations, you have learned the basics of {Thousand-Mile Bloody Escape}. Level: (Beginner)]
Ye Ming contained his excitement and continued to look for treasure chests in the inner castle. He was still in a dangerous place after all, so he had to find all the treasure chests he could and evacuate as soon as possible.
Ye Ming carefully moved to a pool in front of the inner castle. The pool seemed to have been abandoned for a long time as it had dried up. It appeared that Marquis Bynum did not have as much free time as Marquis Ollier.
When he inadvertently glanced at the pool, he immediately caught sight of a treasure chest sitting in the center of it. The distance was beyond the system’s detection range, so he did not receive a notification. Ye Ming jumped into the pool without delay. He walked to the chest and opened it.
*Ding* [Congratulations, you have discovered a platinum treasure chest!]
“Another platinum chest!” Ye Ming was elated. The treasure inside turned out to be a vial of Count Blood Essence. He put it away with satisfaction and jumped out of the dried up pool.
After that, Ye Ming found another platinum treasure chest under a tree, which also contained a vial of Count Blood Essence.
Ye Ming had now finished searching the outside of the inner castle. He found the entrance to the inside of the castle and walked in unsuspectingly.
After searching both the downstairs and upstairs of the inner castle, Ye Ming failed to find anything. Finally, he pushed open the door to the last room and came into a spacious bedroom. This was obviously Marquis Bynum’s personal bedchamber.
Ye Ming came to that conclusion based on the high quality Blood Coffin sitting in the room. Just as he was about to conduct a thorough search, he heard some commotion outside. He went to the window and saw a large number of Malkavian Vampires gathering outside the ancient castle.
Ye Ming frowned. ‘Was I found out? It can’t be. I concealed myself pretty well. Besides, isn’t Marquis Bynum out? There’s no way anyone could’ve discover me.’
Ye Ming did not think much of it, but he also dared not be careless. After searching the room without finding anything, he went back downstairs.
When he arrived at the main hall on the ground floor, he looked out of the open front door and saw that the outside was filled with guards who were seemingly waiting for something.
Ye Ming suddenly had an ominous premonition, but the front door was the only exit. He could only rely on his {Stealth} skill to try and sneak out undetected.
He carefully walked towards the door while maintaining sharp vigilance. Sure enough, when he reached the front door, he did not attract the attention of the Vampires outside. Although the Vampires were all staring at the door with an aggressive stance, Ye Ming was unconcerned. As long as Marquis Bynum was not present, he was confident that he could slip away from under the very noses of these Vampires.
Ye Ming eventually reached the center of the guards. He thought that he would get away for sure this time, but suddenly, a crusader sword flew at him. The {Stealth} skill would lose its effect if Ye Ming was attacked. Ye Ming’s heart sank. He quickly took a few steps back. The crusader sword stabbed into the ground less than two meters in front of him and swayed back and forth a few times. Looking at the blade that was gleaming from reflecting the moonlight, a chilling thought crept into Ye Ming’s mind – all this was a well-planned trap. He had been tricked.
But it was already too late for regrets. Ye Ming was now exposed right in the middle of the guards. All the guards were staring greedily at the fool who had rushed headlong into their net. This was a guy worth a thousand gold coins in bounty!
Ye Ming could naturally sense the greed in their gaze. He was feeling as uneasy as a young woman surrounded by horny bandits.
The crowd suddenly parted behind Ye Ming. Marquis Bynum walked out of the crowd with a hint of smugness on his face.
“Bravo. Bravo indeed. I didn’t expect someone well-versed in the art of stealth. If I hadn’t sensed in advance that you’ve entered my castle, I would never have caught you.”
Ye Ming’s expression relaxed, no longer looking as tense as before. Since he had accepted the fact that he was caught by someone with superior skills, there was no point feeling so anxious anymore. That would only serve to unnerve himself.
“If you’ve discovered me so early on, why didn’t you send your men after me right away, but instead waited until I’ve entered the inner castle, Marquis Bynum?” asked Ye Ming calmly.
“You were too far away, so I couldn’t pinpoint your exact location. I had to lower your guard down first. I let my men spread the news that I’ve left the castle, then hid myself and tried to detect you in secret. I searched all over the outer castle, but you’ve actually gone to the inner castle instead! You must have stolen a lot of my things, haven’t you?”
“Don’t misunderstand, my lord. I didn’t come here to steal anything.”
Bynum scowled slightly. “Does that mean you came to assassinate me?”
“No. How should I put it? I just wanted to come here to take a look, that’s all,” Ye Ming shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Do you take me for a fool? Taking a look? Is that the best excuse you can come up with?”
“It’s true. I’m really here just to take a look. See?” Ye Ming pulled out the pockets of his trousers to show the Marquis that he had not taken anything.
“Looks like I’ll have to pry the secrets out of your mouth using brute force. Apprehend him.”
As a Marquis, of course Bynum would not do the dirty work himself. If he had to do everything himself, he would be laughed at.
Upon receiving the Marquis’ order, the guards pounced at Ye Ming.
In this moment, Ye Ming’s life was hanging by a thread.