At daybreak.
He Zhi arrived with a troop of men.
"Lord Ye! Are you all right?"
"Do I look like I'm not?"
Ye Kang got to his feet and dusted himself off.
The previous night, he had left markers while pursuing the thief, allowing He Zhi to lead the men here.
Ye Kang had no intention of walking dozens of miles back by himself.
He swung into the saddle and laid the white-clad Female Thief across it.
The thief had regained consciousness, but Ye Kang had tied her up tight and sealed her acupoints, leaving her unable to use even a trace of true qi.
She tried to curse him out, but Ye Kang had also gagged her with a strip of cloth. All she could do was try to kill him with her eyes.
Before long, they returned to Jiangping City.
The Prefect and Zhou Ying had received the news and were already waiting at the City Gate with a troop of soldiers.
At the sight of Ye Kang, Prefect Zhou's face lit up.
"Lord Ye, have you captured the thief?"
Ye Kang pointed to the white-clad Female Thief on the horse.
"Thankfully, I haven't failed you. Lord He, she had a lodging slip from the Yunlai Inn. Hurry there and search the place."
He Zhi set off at once, while the rest returned to the Prefect's Mansion.
A while later, He Zhi hurried back, excitement on his face and a brocade box in his hands.
"Lord Ye, I found them! They were indeed at the Yunlai Inn!"
Ye Kang immediately took the box and opened it. Ten Luminous Pearls lay neatly arranged inside.
Everyone let out a long breath of relief.
Prefect Zhou collapsed into a chair.
"Lord Ye, these past few days I've been on tenterhooks, terrified we wouldn't recover the Luminous Pearls bestowed by Consort Jing. Now I can finally relax. You're young and accomplished, Lord Ye. I'll certainly report this to Consort Jing and request that she reward you!"
Ye Kang smiled and didn't refuse.
At the same time, the System Sound rang out.
[Ding] [Complete task: Recover the Luminous Pearls] [Reward: 2000 Comprehension]
At last, he had more Comprehension!
Without hesitation, Ye Kang began to spend it.
After pursuing the thief all night, he had felt keenly how inadequate his strength was.
He had already decided which martial art he would comprehend.
It had to be Hundred Flowers Sword Finger!
It was an Innate Martial Art, and the boost in strength it brought would be a massive leap forward!
He summoned the system and silently thought, "Comprehend Hundred Flowers Sword Finger."
[Ding] [Host expends 2000 Comprehension. Hundred Flowers Sword Finger reaches beginner level]
In an instant, knowledge poured into him.
Ye Kang closed his eyes halfway, as if he had returned to his childhood.
He had grown up amid the flowers, plucking blossoms and leaves, and roaming the mortal world, leaving affection in his wake. Winning the favor of beautiful women and the hearts of young maidens, day after day, he had finally cultivated a strand of rosy Sword Qi and returned it to its source...
Ye Kang opened his eyes and twitched a finger. A strand of Pink Sword Qi wrapped around it.
He hadn't even activated it, yet the powerful Sword Qi it held made even him feel a shiver of awe.
No wonder it was an Innate Martial Art!
Its power far exceeded that of White Tiger Slaughtering Blade!
But it really was expensive. Just reaching beginner level had emptied Ye Kang's Comprehension again.
Ye Kang opened his Attribute Panel.
[Host: Ye Kang] [Martial Arts: Hundred Flowers Sword Finger (Beginner), Wood Heart Sutra (Beginner), Flying Swallow Ascending Cloud (Beginner), White Tiger Slaughtering Blade (Great Perfection), Vajra Fury Intent (Great Perfection)] [Strength: Half-step Innate (suppressed by Internal Energy level)] [Remaining Comprehension: 500]
Just as expected, his strength was suppressed again.
If Wood Heart Sutra reached Great Perfection, he should be a true Innate Master by now, not a Half-step Innate.
But every loss came with a gain. There was no point rushing.
Ye Kang opened his eyes and found everyone around him staring intently.
Zhou Ying clutched the sword in her hands and murmured, "I don't know why, but the more I look at this guy, the more pleasing he seems..."
It was of course because of the Hundred Flowers Sword Qi. It naturally had the effect of attracting beautiful women.
Ye Kang smiled without comment.
He Zhi was quick to react and immediately cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Lord Ye, on advancing your strength once more. Your talent is truly beyond my reach."
He really was envious.
Just look at the man. He'd been drinking tea and drinking tea, and then he'd broken through! Now that was a martial arts prodigy!
After a round of congratulations, Ye Kang decided to visit the jail.
Though the Female Thief had a violent temper, her Lightness Skill was truly astonishing.
No matter what, he had to get his hands on it!
Ye Kang and He Zhi arrived at the jail entrance. Seeing that no one was around, He Zhi suddenly sidled up to him.
"Lord Ye, actually, when I went to the Yunlai Inn just now, I found more than the Luminous Pearls."
"Oh? Don't tell me you found something else?"
Ye Kang's interest was immediately piqued.
He Zhi discreetly drew a stack of Silver Notes from his sleeve.
"Lord Ye, there were five thousand taels in Silver Notes beneath the Female Thief's bed. I don't know where she got this stolen money. Given my low rank, I didn't dare make a decision on my own. In your opinion, should I report it?"
Ye Kang understood at once.
Lord He knew how to play the game!
He hadn't taken it out in front of the Prefect, but waited until they were alone. Wasn't it obvious he had something in mind?
Ye Kang thought of Zhu Cong after they had wiped out the White Tiger Gang. He still had a lot to learn from Lord Zhu in this regard.
Ye Kang gave a quick cough.
"Lord He makes a good point. I'll hold on to one thousand taels for you, you can keep another thousand, and the remaining three thousand can go to the brothers. They all worked hard this time. We can't leave them empty-handed."
He Zhi's eyes lit up as he listened to Ye Kang's arrangement.
"Lord Ye, this... this doesn't seem right, does it?"
"What doesn't seem right? I don't know anything. Didn't you only find the Luminous Pearls?"
"Right, right! I must have remembered wrong. The Female Thief only had the Luminous Pearls, nothing else!"
"Good. And don't forget to have the brothers return the things they stole earlier, one by one."
"Of course. I'll take care of it right away."
Watching He Zhi hurry off in high spirits, Ye Kang felt a rush of satisfaction.
Now that was a satisfying bit of money.
He arrived at the jail.
The white-clad Female Thief started shouting as soon as she saw Ye Kang.
"You dog! You dog! You dog! What did you do to me?"
"Miss, I was ordered to arrest you. What else would I have done?"
"Then how did you know I was a woman?"
"Don't overthink it, miss. You'll only make yourself ill with anger."
Ye Kang shook his head calmly.
The Female Thief could only snort in response.
Ye Kang continued, "You'll be coming with me to the Imperial City Department soon. Once you enter Death Prison, whether you live or die won't be up to you."
"So what? I, Dai Huanhuan, dared to steal the Luminous Pearls. I'm not afraid of some Death Prison!"
"So you're Miss Dai. Your Lightness Skill is truly impressive. Would you be interested in making a deal?"
Dai Huanhuan snorted. "Save it. I know what you want, but my Master said I can teach my Lightness Skill to anyone except a dog of the Imperial Court! Give it up!"
Being called a dog out of the blue left Ye Kang a little stunned.
But when he thought it over, she wasn't exactly wrong.
What could he do? He just liked being a dog of the Imperial Court.
Ye Kang knew he wouldn't get anything more out of her, so he said no more. She was going to Death Prison anyway, and he had all the time in the world.
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