The female thief

Xu Qi'an stood up on the observation platform, placed his hand on the railing, and squinted as he scrutinized the man on the arena.

He was absolutely certain that he did not recognize this boastful hero, nor did he recall having any enemy with the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm.

Enemies don't appear out of nowhere; I just hadn't thought of any. Xu Qi'an stroked his chin, pondering potential enemies targeting him.

In his conduct, he has always adhered to the principle of being kind to others and winning people over with virtue.

In his official career, he adhered to the principles of integrity, uprightness, and serving the country and its people.

Such a good person shouldn't have any enemies.

Consort Chen is a treacherous woman. If she wanted revenge on me, she would have chosen assassination first, not made such a fuss. As for the officials in the court, although many factions wish I were dead, the current situation doesn't suit the style of scholars.

He was scared.

"Nonsense, that's a master of the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm. With his small frame, one punch would be enough to take him down."

"Therefore, these spoiled brats who rely on their ancestors' influence may act arrogantly in the capital, but when they encounter a true master, they are nothing."

Xu Qi'an's "hesitation" was perceived as timidity and cowardice by the young heroes at the opposite table.

The young heroes were immediately thrilled. Their feelings at that moment were like taking a 90-point beauty to a nightclub, only to have a young master Zhao come along and shout, "Tonight, the bill is on me, young master Zhao!"

A stunningly beautiful woman, a perfect 90 out of 100, was captivated by Young Master Zhao's extravagance and fell into his arms. But just then, a deafening roar echoed from the sky, and the true tyrant descended, slapping Young Master Zhao across the face and saying:

You don't deserve it!

Although it wasn't the young heroes who were slapping him, it was still very satisfying. Watching a young master with a silver spear and a wax haircut get humiliated and lose face hit the young heroes' sweet spot.

Thinking of this, they all turned to look at Rongrong, hoping to see disappointment in her eyes, to see the splendid appearance of these privileged young men.

Then I remembered that they were the ones with the most potential, so I switched my allegiance to them.

Miss Rongrong's skill level was clearly not as shallow as the young heroes thought. She showed a caring look in her eyes, even though the silver gong, who was good for nothing except being handsome, had his back to her.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an turned around, placed one hand on the hilt of his sword at his lower back, and said, "I'm going to have a look."

"Why!"

Miss Rongrong suddenly came closer, pulled Xu Qian's arm, and let go before he frowned. She smiled apologetically and said, "Why bother competing with a common man in the world?"

Xu Qi'an ignored him, shook his head, and went straight downstairs.

"Even if you have a powerful background, you should at least find some help first. Going up like this is just asking to get beaten up," Rongrong muttered.

As Xu Qi'an left the restaurant, he walked towards the arena, flicking his thumb lightly, releasing a wisp of energy.

The burly man with a bronze skin and iron bones, along with the martial arts practitioners in the crowd, immediately noticed and turned around to look. After seeing Xu Qi'an's silver gong uniform, they understood.

The main character has arrived.

They consciously stepped back.

The ordinary people, however, lacked this awareness and continued to gather outside.

"Get out of here!"

Xu Qi'an grabbed a man in cloth clothes and kicked him hard, sending him fleeing in a sorry state. Only then did the common people back away in fear and make way for him.

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Xu Qi'an took off his sword sheath and started hitting anyone he encountered, regardless of age or gender.

"Everyone, step back ten feet and don't come any closer! Hey old man, don't act like you're so important just because you're old. Want to experience the slap of the younger generation?"

"Whose brat is this? If no one takes him away, I'll sell him. What are you crying for? Why are you forcing me to kick you, auntie? Have you made lunch? Have you washed the dishes? You just run here to watch the show. What's wrong with hitting you? If you were twenty years younger, I'd sell you to a brothel."

Restaurant, lookout tower.

The young heroes, their hands pressed against the railings, watched with righteous indignation as Xu Qi'an bullied the common people.

"That bastard, he actually took his anger out on the local people."

"If you're so capable, go up on stage and fight! What kind of night watchman are you, only good at Nightwatchers ordinary people?"

"What an incompetent fool."

With Xu Qi'an gone, they could hurl their insults freely.

A handsome young swordsman turned around, walked to Rongrong's side, and said gently, "Miss Rongrong, let's go back and have a drink. I'll tell you more about my master's travels in the north and his experiences slaying barbarians with his sword."

"Yes, what's the point of drinking with this good-for-nothing second-generation rich kid? Look at him, Miss Rongrong, all he knows is bullying ordinary people," the other young heroes chimed in.

Rongrong sat upright, glanced at the young heroes, and said with a smile, "Do you think he's bullying the common people?"

"Isn't that right?" the young heroes retorted.

Rongrong blinked and asked curiously, "There's a saying in the martial arts world: 'When masters clash, bystanders retreat!' It means that the aura of a high-level martial artist can easily kill ordinary people. You don't even know that, do you? You can't possibly not know that, can you?"

The young heroes immediately blushed.

"Then just state the facts directly. Isn't it just an attempt to bully ordinary people and vent their emotions?" the young hero who invited Rongrong retorted unwillingly.

Rongrong lowered her head and drank, using this to hide the disdain in her eyes.

How ignorant are the common people! If you try to explain the pros and cons to them with kind words, will they listen? Do they even know what it means to "when masters clash, bystanders should stay away"?

The common people in the city are not only ignorant, but also many scoundrels and ruffians. They only fear the officials, so dealing with them is less effective than using force.

These young heroes, who come from well-off families or belong to good sects, call others parasites who live off their ancestors' merits, but they are actually not as good as Xu Yinluo.

After fighting his way around the arena, finally driving away the ignorant civilians, Xu Qi'an leaped onto the stage, leaning on his sword, looking down at the man a head taller than him, and asked:

"Whose side are you on?"

"I'm your mother's man," the eight-foot-tall man sneered.

"Swearing at me? Fine, I'll spare his breath. We'll teach him a lesson in the Nightwatchers's dungeon. I'm not afraid he won't behave." Xu Qi'an hung his sword back at his waist, gripped the hilt, and said:

"To deal with an ant like you, a mere sixth-rank official, I only need one strike."

How arrogant!

The surrounding martial arts practitioners were shocked. A sixth-rank martial artist was a figure of importance in the martial arts world, and in some counties, that was the status of a martial arts alliance leader, a local overlord.

Even though the capital city is full of Warlock, including the legendary first-rank sorcerer, a sixth-rank martial artist is still not someone that can be easily manipulated.

"Ha ha ha ha."

The eight-foot-tall, muscular man grinned maliciously, "I'm not only going to crush your head, but I'm also going to cut off your tongue to eat with my wine."

In the observation deck, Rongrong glanced back at Tongluo, who was engrossed in drinking and eating, and frowned, saying, "Sir, weren't you calling for someone?"

His superior was about to suffer a setback and get hurt, yet he was eating so heartily. It's hard to believe he works in a government office; he doesn't understand a thing or two about human relationships.

"Hi!"

Tonglu waved his hand. "Just a mere Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm cultivator, what's the big deal? You have no idea how powerful our Lord Xu is."

"Is Lord Xu also made of steel?"

Rongrong recalled for a moment and then dismissed her guess. She had observed Xu Qi'an before, and his body did not have the divine light unique to the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm.

Tongluo glanced at the young heroes and sneered, "Of course Lord Xu isn't at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm, but you know, he was once assassinated in the street. The assassins were two at the Spirit Refining Realm and one at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm. Guess what happened next?"

Rongrong shook her head.

Of course, nothing happened afterward. After all, Xu Qi'an was alive and well, and she knew that Tongluo wasn't what he wanted to say.

"One strike!"

The gong raised one finger.

"What?"

The alluring and charming Rongrong didn't understand.

Tonglu pointed outside and said calmly, "See for yourself."

Bang!

The sound of cracking came from the surface of the arena. Rongrong turned around abruptly and saw the eight-foot-tall man smash the white marble beneath his feet and turn into a black afterimage.

On the other side, Xu Qi'an lunged forward, lowered his knees, and flicked his thumb lightly.

A clang. The sound of a blade being drawn echoed throughout the arena, clear and resonant.

With Rongrong's eyesight, she only saw a thin, dark golden line flash by, followed by a burst of sword energy, like invisible steel needles shooting in all directions.

Shallow pits were pierced into the ground and the surface of the ring.

If Xu Qi'an hadn't driven the people away, at least a lot of them would be dead by now.

To the onlookers and most martial arts practitioners, all they saw was that Xu Qi'an seemed to have drawn his sword, but upon closer inspection, they found that the sword was steadily sheathed.

However, the burly man who had been so aggressive just moments before stopped. He stood a few feet away from Xu Qi'an, head down, staring incredulously at his chest.

The next moment, a thin, long knife wound appeared on his chest, and blood gushed out.

The burly man slowly knelt down, his face gradually turning pale.

Xu Qi'an said coldly, "I said one strike, and I mean one strike."

"Whoosh!"

The cacophony of noise erupting from the crowd, at first glance, just looked like a loud "whoosh."

Cheers erupted, and the onlookers cheered loudly, creating a deafening clamor. A small number shouted that they should hurry to the clinic to fetch a doctor.

Those martial arts practitioners with cultivation levels understood the intricacies of the game, and after the initial uproar, they collectively fell silent.

One cut!

With a single strike, he cleaved through the body of someone at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm. This Silver Gong's cultivation level is probably at the fifth rank, or even the fourth rank.

"The Nightwatchers, Xu Qi'an, wields a silver gong."

They silently memorized the name.

"See? I wasn't lying, was I?" Tongluo smiled as he stood up, glanced at the dazed Rongrong, and said:

"This is a genius promoted by our Duke Wei. What is a mere sixth-rank military officer? Even the officials of the court have to treat our Lord Xu with utmost respect."

After saying that, he gave the dumbfounded young heroes a cold laugh, grabbed his sword, and went downstairs.

After Xu Qi'an finished killing the man, two gong players immediately went up on stage and asked, "What should we do with this person?"

"Carry him to the doctor to treat the wound, then take him back to the Nightwatchers's office. Remember to seal the acupoints with acupuncture needles; even a starved camel is bigger than a horse," Xu Qi'an instructed.

He looked towards the restaurant and realized that Rongrong was gone.

Where is Rongrong?

It was just here a moment ago.

When the gong went downstairs and looked back, it was indeed gone.

This doesn't make sense. I've put on such a big show, shouldn't she be throwing herself at me and giving me flirtatious glances? Xu Qi'an thought regretfully.

Oh well, I never expected anything to happen anyway.

Xu Qi'an took the seriously injured man to a nearby clinic, where the doctor bandaged his wounds. Then, he took the unconscious man back to the Nightwatchers's office.

Halfway there, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He carefully checked himself and found that his waist badge, sword, and purse were all still there.

He touched his chest and finally realized what was wrong.

The fragments of the Earth Book are gone.

"Sir, what are you looking for?" The man with the gong, who was carrying the unconscious man on horseback, reined in his horse and asked.

"Shut up!"

Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, reviewing his recent experience.

His clothes weren't torn, ruling out the possibility that he lost the fragments of the Book of the Earth while walking, and given his hearing, he would have noticed immediately if he had.

He only used his sword once during the fight; there was no intense exchange, so he can be ruled out!

Then there's only one possibility left: it was stolen.

"That old lady is a bit simple-minded; she doesn't have that ability. The only person who's ever had contact with me is Rongrong; she pulled me back before I went downstairs."

Xu Qi'an chuckled. "No wonder you left so illogically earlier. So you're just a petty thief. Is that what you mean by 'Soul-Stealing Hand'?"

Half an hour has passed since he left Haoxiatai. Logically, he should have already escaped far away. The capital city is so big that the chances of recovering the lost items are very slim.

"Of all the things to steal, why did you have to steal the fragments of the Earth Book? These things have GPS tracking!" Xu Qi'an ordered.

"You take your men back first, I have other matters to attend to."

He wanted to go back to the scene to take a look, and then go find Master Jinlian.

PS: I'll update first and revise later. I just watched a few episodes of The Lost Tomb, which delayed my writing. I admit I was wrong.