Chapter 113: The Shen Family's Little Sister

Today, the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall is exceptionally lively, with people coming and going in a bustling stream.

The cause of the matter stems from the Flower-Plucking Thief failing at the Shen Jia Dazhai, exposing his tracks and nearly being cornered by the Hunting Team.

Although the Flower-Plucking Thief was not captured, he was exposed to everyone's sight, leaking a great deal of information.

With a Lightness Skill that moved like a ghost, he swaggered away right in front of the Hunting Team, arrogant beyond measure.

The person involved, Shen Sijing, broke into a cold sweat afterward; if not for the Hunting Team, his little sister would not have escaped the villain's clutches.

Given the Flower-Plucking Thief's Lightness Skill, there is no guarantee he will not return.

He immediately returned to the martial arts hall to seek help, asking the old master Wang to uphold justice.

Wang Jianxiong is truly a local powerhouse who can hold his own; he immediately made the decision to let the young lady of the Shen family move into the martial arts hall, and with a martial arts master like him sitting in command, the Flower-Plucking Thief would have to be insane to dare show up.

As the person who personally crossed swords with the Flower-Plucking Thief, many people want to pry information from Shen Sijing.

Most of the guests who came today are here for him.

"Zhou You, what are you carrying in your hands?"

Zhou You was holding a huge copper tray, turning a corner, when he was suddenly called out to.

Looking back, it was the weary-looking Senior Brother Shen Sijing.

He had not slept all night, and after dawn, he had rushed to escort his little sister to the martial arts hall; now he had to deal with visitors, and he was exhausted.

"Tea to help the guests refresh themselves."

"Give me a sip; I haven't had a drop of water for a whole day and night!"

Shen Sijing gulped down three cups of strong tea in a row and let out a comfortable breath.

Zhou You looked at the empty cups, calculating that he couldn't deliver them anymore and would have to return to the tea room for another trip.

But he was stopped by Shen Sijing, "Don't go, let's have a chat."

It was clear that this Senior Brother had been holding it in all night and had a lot he needed to get off his chest.

The two left the corridor, hid behind a flower bed, and sat down on two stone stools.

"One by one, two by two, they've had their eyes blinded by the bounty, thinking the Flower-Plucking Thief is just a head of cabbage?"

"It's simply insane!"

Shen Sijing complained incessantly, "The Flower-Plucking Thief's Lightness Skill is shocking; I attacked more than fifty times and didn't even brush the corner of his clothes."

"He was toying with me, wanting to wear me out before abducting my little sister—a true beast!"

"If not for Senior Brother Qi bringing reinforcements, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Speaking of this, Shen Sijing snatched another cup of tea and drained it, his face full of hidden worry.

He suddenly thought of something and asked Zhou You, "How is your footwork practice going?"

"It's alright..."

Shen Sijing nodded, "Pity, you haven't reached the Blood Qi realm yet."

He then comforted Zhou You, "Just focus on guarding Wang Yan; there won't be too much danger."

"This Flower-Plucking Thief matter is very difficult to handle; I vaguely suspect he has a vicious method he is keeping in reserve."

"Once he is driven to a corner, he will inevitably cause massive and tragic casualties."

"Don't look at how boisterous these people are; if they really face the Flower-Plucking Thief, heh heh!"

Zhou You's heart trembled; this casual chat today actually yielded unexpected gains.

Shen Sijing is the first survivor to have fought the Flower-Plucking Thief and holds first-hand information.

The Flower-Plucking Thief has a notorious record, and the world thinks he only has powerful Lightness Skill, not knowing he has other secrets.

Zhou You had close contact with Yang Xi, who was killed by the Flower-Plucking Thief; the human skull, the hardest part of the body, was shattered completely, verifying the 'vicious method' in Shen Sijing's words.

By comparison, unless Zhou You cultivates the Seven Step Poison Sand to the Blood Qi realm, he won't have the confidence to face the Flower-Plucking Thief directly.

"By the way, my little sister has a gentle temperament; she will be living in the martial arts hall for a while, please help me keep an eye on her."

Shen Sijing put down the last empty cup and asked Zhou You before getting up to leave.

Zhou You immediately understood; the Senior Brother dotes on his little sister and fears she will be bullied by Wang Yan.

It seems he knows the eldest young lady's temper all too well.

"Senior Brother, rest assured, I will keep an eye on her for you." Zhou You patted his chest to guarantee it, and thus learned the name of Senior Brother Shen's little sister: Shen Siying.

That is a lovely name! Shen Sijing asked Zhou You because, firstly, he is a trustworthy little brother, and secondly, because of Zhou You's role as Wang Yan's guard.

In the inner residence of the martial arts hall live the family members of Wang Jianxiong; apart from several concubines, the eldest young lady Wang Yan has the highest status.

Shen Siying is living under someone else's roof, so she would inevitably suffer grievances if no one looked after her.

Since Zhou You has been entrusted with the task, he naturally has to pay more attention.

After all, he knows a thing or two about how young girls behave.

Over the next few days, martial artists throughout the city were searching for the Flower-Plucking Thief with great fanfare, but with little effect.

Shen Sijing had already compared notes with the Hunting Team, and by synthesizing various characteristics, they ruled out the possibility that the Flower-Plucking Thief was a local or from Su Cheng.

This guy is a drifter, a loner with no ties.

The problem arises again: how could an outsider hide so well in the city? In recent days, Gongliang City has been turned upside down several times, yet no trace can be found.

At the height of the tension, Wang Yan still couldn't help herself and wanted to go out to visit friends again.

It was Zhou You's duty, so he had to accompany her closely, entering the inner residence for the first time.

Taking this opportunity, he also saw Shen Sijing's little sister, the Shen family's Miss Siying.

The first impression this Shen family young lady gave was that of a soft and weak little white flower; her waist was like a slender willow, her fingers were delicate, her eyebrows and eyelashes were long and fine—in short, there was nothing about her that wasn't delicate, and her skin was so white and thin it was almost transparent.

Zhou You didn't even dare to breathe deeply in front of her, for fear of blowing her slender waist over.

"You must be Brother Zhou, my brother has mentioned you; thank you for your care."

"Siying thanks you."

After finishing her pleasantries, Shen Siying naturally took out a cloth pouch embroidered with gold thread.

Is she tipping me? Zhou You didn't react at first, but then he suddenly realized.

Inside the pouch were exquisite pure gold plum blossom ingots, weighing about a dozen taels when hefted.

"Many thanks!"

Zhou You accepted the item, his expression unchanged, and cupped his hands toward Shen Siying.

Shen Siying frowned slightly; this was different from the feedback she usually received when giving tips.

The servants and laborers in the great mansion would always be moved to tears and kowtow in gratitude upon receiving a tip.

The youth before her was very calm, and his attitude toward the gold was ordinary and indifferent.

She suddenly felt as if she had done something wrong; her older brother had clearly told her that the youth named Zhou You was a little brother worth valuing, and definitely not to be treated like an ordinary martial arts hall Apprentice.

Could it be that she was wrong to tip him with gold?

"Zhou You, what are you still dawdling for?" Wang Yan was already urging him from outside the door.

Zhou You cupped his hands toward Shen Siying and turned to leave.

A moment later...

On the street, Wang Yan suddenly looked at Zhou You and asked out of the blue, "Did you take a fancy to the young lady of the Shen family?"

Crazy! Zhou You kept his mouth shut and shook his head, too lazy to explain to her.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing to have that idea; shall I help you?"

This sentence was overflowing with malicious humor; no matter how you looked at it, it was ill-intentioned!

"Eldest Miss, don't worry about these things. The market is not peaceful, let's hurry on our way."

Wang Yan refused to give up and continued to talk, "The Shen family has been in business for three generations and has vast wealth. If you marry the Shen family's young lady, even if you become a live-in son-in-law, you will never have to worry about food or drink and will enjoy wealth for a lifetime."

"A rare opportunity!"

Zhou You gave her a look of pity for the mentally challenged, "Eldest Miss, you are egging me on to marry above my station; are you trying to conduct an experiment?"

"In reality, you have taken a fancy to some man with an unattainable family background yourself. Tsk tsk, does the Hall Master know about this?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan was so embarrassed and angry that she didn't speak to Zhou You for a long time.

The other Apprentices only wished they had grown two extra ears, their expressions wooden as they pretended not to hear.

(End of this chapter)