When they got back to George's study, the party had cleaned up themselves though the lime dust still covered the ground, the drapes, and everything on George's desk. 

"Mayor Michaels," Bradley greeted. "I've got these two. Now I'll go to Johnstone Manor for the maiden."

George nodded. "Thank you, Knight Howell. I'll lead an army down there to search the manor at once."

"Hey, I'll come along Ge," Xiao said. 

Bradley barely spared him a look before leaving. "You're hurt."

"By the lime dust? Give me a break!" Xiao ran after him. "After this, you've got to tell me why you came this way."

"I am going back to Mount Huai, of course."

Xiao gasped. "You were in the area?"

"With all these kidnapping? Are you kidding?"

"What?"

Bradley sighed in exasperation and didn't answer. So in silence, they ran out of Castle Fei and to Guan Town. When they reached the edge of the town, Bradley put out an arm to stop him. 

"Where is your night clothes?"

Xiao looked down. "Oh right." He got out the black clothes from his bag and quickly changed. "Let's go."

"Wash your eyes again," Bradley ordered.

Xiao sighed but obliged. If he was honest with himself his eyes did hurt. He took the bottle of water Bradley handed him.

"I've been seeing these cases all the way east from Leslie City," Bradley told him while he washed. "I followed the cases until I reached here."

"Do you know the news in Guan Town then?" Xiao asked.

"The Zhan maiden?"

"Yeah, Linda. Did they run away from the city?"

"How do you know her?" asked Bradley suspiciously.

Xiao huffed. "How do you think? I saved her yesterday."

Bradley huffed too. "Yeah they did leave. A fruit seller told me so."

"Eric?" Xiao asked. "No wait. Jacob!"

Bradley snorted. "You make friends yet you haven't heard of the kidnapping cases?"

Xiao pushed the bottle into Bradley's hand forcefully, pushing Bradley back a step. "I came from the west."

Bradley rolled his eyes, done with him. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time."

"Who wasted time?" Xiao demanded as they started running again.

Bradley ignored him.

"They have a dog," Xiao told Bradley as they reached the big house with the lion statues.

Bradley cursed. 

"I escaped last night," Xiao told Bradley. "If we hurry, it should be fine."

"You know where he keeps the girls?"

"I saved one last night," Xiao answered.

"Alright, you lead the way."

So Xiao jumped over the wall and into the yard, then on top of the roof and towards the bed chamber, stopping once in a while to listen and glance about. Once he reached the now-familiar place and made sure it really was the bedchamber - which was empty, he went to the other side of the building. However, this room was empty too. Xiao cursed. Bradley looked at him. "Empty?"

"Yeah."

"Did he move the girl already?"

Xiao shrugged, ashamed. He had told Bradley that he knew what he was doing yet he didn't really. In his defense, he hadn't really got to know the set up of the place last night as he had to save Linda! "Let's look around and see."

They jumped to the next roof and split up to search. The first window he passed showed him a room with five servants. They were talking and eating. Xiao paused to listen. He could be considered a nosy person, but of course this was a professional affair.

"What can we do as servants?" one was saying, swigging down some alcohol.

"Exactly. We can't do anything except talking about it late at night."

"Speaking of, what time is it?" another asked.

"I think the clock sounded three in the morning," the first one said.

"We should head to bed," the second one that spoke suggested. "There's no point in talking about it." But despite his words, he kept on drinking and none of them made to leave the feast.

"Just wait until he get searched," the third one said. "It's bound to happen."

One huffed. "Who would search him? Guan Town isn't under the supervision of any of the castles nearby. Our shit town official just lets Johnstone be with some gold in his pocket. And that righteous Mayor George Michaels would never bother with us."

"All these maidens," the one facing Xiao said in contempt. "What is he even doing?"

The first one laughed. "What else?"

Xiao listened intently, hoping for the location of the maidens.

"It's good someone saved one last night," the third one said, "when she hasn't been moved. It was probably some vigilante."

"Where is the maiden today?" the fourth one asked.

"What are you going to do?" the second one teased and they all laughed drunkenly. Xiao scrunched his nose in disgust.

"I think she's in the wife's room," the third one said. "Heard crying this afternoon when I was sweeping the halls."

"You always get the easy job," one complained.

Xiao left the window and went along the building to find Bradley on his side of the building.

"What took you so long?" Bradley asked him. "I've already checked many of yours."

"I was listening to some servants talk. The girl is rumoured to be in the wife's room."

Bradley nodded. "Back of the manor then?"

Just then, they heard knocking on the front door and Ning's voice calling for entrance. Xiao grinned at Bradley. "Come on, change into our normal clothes."

"What why?"

"We can't be identified as vigilantes," Xiao explained impatiently, while stripping off his black clothes. "Then Johnstone will say that George tangles with us and you know the bad reputation that would bring."

Bradley nodded and changed into his day clothes as well, which was also black. Then they headed to the back. Down on the ground, servants were also running to the back.

"Quick, they are going to move her," Bradley hissed.

"We can't really stop them until George gets let in, though."

Bradley cursed. "We'll just keep an eye on them."

They followed the servants until they reached a room. They exchanged a look and Xiao went to the edge of the roof as a lookout and Bradley went to the window. Xiao smiled to himself. Even after two years of not seeing each other, they could still work together. He listened intently, his better ear pointed towards the front. 

George had brought along most of his advisors and officers and all of them were calling for entrance and pounding on the door. Being from a good town hall, they didn't invoke the no knock policy and barge in. They waited for about three minutes before Johnstone opened the door, still dressed in his night clothes. On his thin face was covered with a smile that could brighten up anyone's day. "I apologize for my lack of dress and the wait, Mayor Michaels."

George nodded, smiling politely. "I am sorry we are not meeting under a better circumstance, Mister Johnstone. I hope you would let us search your dwelling."

Johnstone's face instantly fell. "Can't this wait until the morning, Mayor Michaels? My dwelling consists of my wife and several other ladies. I don't think it would be polite to wake them all up for a search."

George smiled. "I'm afraid it cannot wait. We have some intelligence that there are currently a kidnapped maiden in your dwelling."

"Mayor Michaels! Are you accusing me of - "

George cut in. "No, Mister Johnstone. I am simply checking to make sure. If you let my men in, they would not harm anyone, nor would they steal anything. Then I could go into greater details about this." He was anxious to get into the place before Johnstone hid or moved the maiden.

"Help me!" someone in the manor screeched. It was a female's voice. Johnstone's face instantly paled and Ning took the opportunity to lead everyone into the place. The men split up so some went for the front of the manor and some to the back. "Come out to the yard!" they yelled as they went.

At the back, Xiao and Bradley was chasing after a man with a person-shaped bag slung over his shoulder. Xiao came from the left and Bradley right, ambushing him. Pulling out his sword, Xiao used the flat of his blade and hit the man's legs. He stumbled and Bradley got hold of him.

Xiao took the bag and laid it on the ground. Inside, as they expected, had an unconscious maiden.

"We found her!" Bradley yelled. 

Several servants were out in the yard and they stood far away from them. Xiao looked at them menacingly, warding them off. "Wake her up," he rasped to Bradley.

At his voice, Bradley gave him a hard look.

Xiao smiled, rolling his eyes. "I already hurt my vocal cords. What else do you want?"

"If you're hurt, shut up."

Xiao got the maiden out of the bag and poked at her shoulder with the tip of his finger. "Maiden."

Bradley had the man tied up on the ground and he kicked him hard. "Where were you going to take her?"

"Out of the manor."

"Where exactly?"

The man breathed hard and his whole body twitched. "To a farmhouse south of Guan Town."

"How many maidens are there, do you know?" Xiao rasped.

"I don't know. I'm only a servant. But there had been four other maidens in this manor."

"Why are they kept here?" Xiao asked.

"L-lord has to make sure they are up to some standard before delivering them to the farmhouse is what I've heard."

Bradley and Xiao exchanged a look.

"Do you know how to wake the girl up?" Bradley asked.

"The two knights have the cure," the servant told them in a trembling voice.

Bradley seemed shocked while Xiao sneered. "They call themselves knights?"

The servant shook. "That's what they said. Please don't hurt me."

Bradley huffed in impatience. Then, Ning ran up to them with several fighters and advisors. The yard was lit up with their torches. "You got the girl?"

"This one was going to smuggle her out in the bag," Xiao told them. "Where's George?"

"I'm here," George came up, Johnstone behind him.

Xiao looked at Johnstone. "Mister Johnstone, how do you explain this?"

Johnstone looked at the scene, aghast. "What is this?"

Still feigning innocence? Xiao nudged the servant. "Tell Mayor Michaels what you've just said to us."

"Wait, stand up first," George said generously.

Bradley helped the servant up and the servant repeated what he'd said, with some prompting from Xiao. He constantly glanced at Johnstone in fear but everyone from Castle Fei's town hall nodded him on. Johnstone tried to cut in a few times, but Xiao stared him down. When the servant was done, Johnstone bursted out "he is delirious!"

"There is evidence everywhere," Antoine said. "We will have to search your whole manor and arrest you."

"We will check out the farmhouse," Xiao told George, "unless we are needed here?"

George smiled at him assuringly and shook his head. "Take care."

Xiao and Bradley both saluted him and they left. But then, Xiao stopped. "George, you should also visit the Zhan's. Their daughter was a recent victim."

The disciple-brothers ran towards the farmhouse. It was already near daybreak. 

"Look at us running around all night," Xiao said.

"Tonight was rather exciting," Bradley agreed.

"Rather exciting? This is the most fun I've had in a long while!"

"Seriously, screaming like a vixen."

"How else would they be let in?"

"They haven't even asked who made the noise?"

"They probably assumed it was the maiden. Then she fainted afterwards."

"It would cause problems later on," Bradley warned him.

Xiao tsked. "What problems?"

"A mayor in association with vigilantes infiltrating commoners' dwellings? They could say you planted the evidence."

"Not when all of the servants could provide witness for the stolen maidens," Xiao argued. 

"Speed up. You slow down when you talk and run."

Xiao smiled, knowing he had won the argument. He might not be a genius but he could still manage to win almost every argument with Bradley, which in his definition, was the sign of a genius.

The houses along the street they were running along grew more and more sparse until they saw the farmhouse. It stood against the brightening sky, a dark silhouette. There was nothing around it for several miles except desolate fields. 

"I'll go to the back," Bradley told Xiao and left. 

Xiao went to the front door alone. He hit the hilt of his sword on the door. "Anyone home?"

Instantly, there was the sound of footsteps. He took a step back and warily watched as the door opened a crack. An old man was peeking out. He had dark skin with wrinkles, moles, and stark white hair. Evidently, he had been farming out in the sun for a long time.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a hoarse voice.

"Where are you keeping the maidens?"

The old man's bloodshot eyes widened. "Young knight ... "

"Let me in," Xiao ordered.

He obliged. 

"Lead the way."

The old man trembled and walked shakily into the house. Xiao followed with a safe distance between them. They went up a rickety staircase. Xiao observed that the house was old. The handrails had countless wooden spikes on it and paint was peeling in several places. The old man led him to the first door to the right. "Here, young master."

Xiao looked at him sideways. "Are you playing any tricks with me?"

"I'm not. I'm not, young master," he half squeaked.

Xiao pursed his lips. "You open it then."

He did and Xiao saw four maidens slumped against the wall. "Do you have any cure for them? Did the two knights leave any?"

The elderly shook his head. Xiao sighed. "Bradley!" he yelled. "I got them!"

Bradley came in with only a few seconds' delay. "George should send people to get them," he said.

Xiao laughed. "What for? Sir, do you have any carriages we can use?"

"The two knights left me one," he said. "You can use it."

"Sir, you should come with us to Castle Fei," Xiao said. "We will need you to provide evidence for this."

"You work for the government?" the old man asked, his hands shaking.

Xiao smiled. "You won't be hurt, sir. If anything, you'll be safer with us than with some criminal."

Bradley nudged him after they loaded everyone to the carriage and they sat down at the front. "He was probably more shocked that you work for the government with your hair."