Chapter 293: Don

“Aqing! Someone’s stealing my bell!”

As one of the most popular tourist cities, Changancheng has enormous daily foot traffic; with its dense population and high number of outsiders, petty theft thrives—and as a romantic art capital, it’s also a world-class hub of pickpockets.

It’s no surprise that Changancheng has thieves.

What truly stunned An Sheng was that the thief across from him was truly as large as a water jar.

Aqing’s backpack, left partially open due to the fox inside, revealed a small, white, fluffy creature visible from outside.

Despite the presence of a biological security system, the thief still dared to reach in and steal.

An Sheng was utterly shocked—his entire fox body froze as he stared dumbfounded at the thief’s hand fumbling inside the backpack, then instinctively raised a paw to tug at Aqing, urging her to come and see this miracle.

“Huh? Something in the bag is bumping my bell? I didn’t put anything hard in there!”

Hearing the fox’s cry, Aqing instinctively looked down at her backpack.

Then.

Aqing froze—a distinctly male arm had somehow slipped inside her backpack, gripping the fox’s paw and yanking the creature out.

But the thief’s movements stiffened the moment he saw what he’d pulled out.

Clearly, he’d mistaken the white, fluffy fox for something else entirely.

“Th-thief!”

The instant Aqing snapped back to reality, she seized the thief’s wrist and shouted for help.

“Thief?!”

At Aqing’s cry, nearby passersby instinctively stepped back, scanning the surroundings and automatically patting their own pockets.

As the crowd parted, a clear circle formed instantly around Aqing.

The thief’s figure was now exposed—he wore a baseball cap, a loose long-sleeved shirt without buttons, and carried a shoulder bag.

“Let go!”

Seeing his identity revealed, the thief panicked and tried to wrench his hand free—but strangely, he couldn’t pull it away from the girl’s grip.

The more he struggled to escape, the more frantic he became, especially as he noticed the surrounding pedestrians turning toward him, slowly closing in.

The thief’s face hardened—he stepped forward and slammed his shoulder into Aqing’s face like a spear.

“Ahh—”

Aqing gasped in shock and instinctively released her grip; memories of her martial arts master’s teachings flashed through her mind.

“Aqing. I’ve taught you nothing else—just keep strengthening your body. When you face an enemy, raise your hand and strike with all your might. Just be gentle during the college combat exam—you eat a lot, so you’re strong.”

Facing the aggressive attacker, Aqing struck instinctively—a palm shot straight at the man’s face.

In the instant her palm moved, her fingertips briefly twisted into an unnatural shape—becoming sharper, thicker, like a canine’s claws.

“Slap—”

Aqing’s strike was as swift as thunder, landing a heavy blow squarely on the thief’s face as he leapt toward her.

The thief’s face met Aqing’s palm and instantly warped and twisted—he went blank, eyes bulging in instinctive shock, unable to comprehend why, despite jumping upward, his body was now falling.

“Holy shit! No wonder she’s my Aqing—her physical strength is like a beast from the primordial wilds!”

An Sheng, peering out from the backpack, watched as the thief tried to attack Aqing—but she stood her ground, delivering a blow as heavy as ten thousand catties. The 120-pound thief bounced off the marble pavement like a basketball, flipped sideways, and slid several meters face-down, motionless.

Had there been no tactile paving to slow him, An Sheng guessed he might have slid even farther.

“...He seems pretty peaceful?”

The exchange between Aqing and the thief was over in an instant—the thief was clearly a repeat offender; after failing, he had no intention of fighting—he only wanted to flee.

Mo Yiqing, realizing what had happened, hadn’t even had time to grip her car keys before hurling them at the thief’s head—but the thief was already knocked flat by Aqing’s palm, rolling and flying away.

“Lingren, call the police. Lao Tang, call an ambulance.” Mo Yiqing blinked, then immediately took charge of the scene.

He really had the guts!

Failed to steal, then dared to attack—especially choosing to attack Aqing, known as the “Human Farming Machine.”

That slap might not heal him—he’ll probably drool forever.

“Wake up, stay conscious, don’t go off with your relatives—they’re all scoundrels.” Mo Yiqing rushed forward to check on the thief.

“Oh no! Don’t die!” Aqing, stunned after delivering the slap, rushed forward, begging him not to die.

Surrounding passersby spontaneously formed a circle, staring in stunned silence at the absurd spectacle before them.

In that instant,

Some parents with children realized something.

It seemed the national “Green Fitness Program” actually had some merit.

A seemingly ordinary college girl had just knocked out a 27- or 28-year-old man with a single palm strike.

Clearly, taking more PE classes really does help.

…………

The street’s absurdity lasted until security officers and medical staff arrived to take over.

“Tsk tsk... Thank goodness that palm landed right on the face—the patient’s jaw dislocated in time, absorbing the force; otherwise, he’d likely have suffered a concussion.”

The doctor stepped down from the ambulance, examined the thief on the ground, tested his neurological responses, and couldn’t help muttering in amazement.

The thief stared blankly at the sky, his memory fragmented.

He vaguely remembered seeing a two-thousand-yuan Yin-Qing Angel doll and thinking he could sell it as a cheap knockoff—but after that, he couldn’t recall anything, only that his mouth hurt terribly.

“Miss, did you train in martial arts since childhood?” The doctor directed medical staff to lift the thief onto the stretcher, then glanced at the girls sitting beside the security bureau’s patrol car, giving statements.

“Huh? No, I just studied,” Aqing, hugging the fox, replied to the doctor.

Aqing’s expression was dazed—she felt strangely tired, so she instinctively hugged the fox and inhaled deeply, feeling her energy slightly restored.

“.”

Upon hearing she was a student, the doctor’s face twisted in confusion—studying? Studying the Six Arts of the Gentleman?

“They’re all students from the New Agricultural Science Academy—stronger than average is normal.”

The security officer finished taking statements, turned to the doctor who had wandered over out of curiosity, and said:

“How’s the suspect? Any lasting effects?”

“New Agricultural Science Academy...” Hearing the school name, the doctor’s expression cleared—he waved his hand and said:

“No major issues—he just needs to drink porridge for a few months. Come along—we’ll admit him for two days, then transfer him to detention.”

“Understood.”

The security officer looked at Aqing and the others and said: “This case is closed. But we must criticize your actions—when facing an attack and escape is possible, your own safety comes first.”

“Even if you have self-defense skills, always prioritize your safety first. What if the thief had a knife? Then you’d be the ones in trouble.”

“Understood?”

“Yes, officer.”

“Alright, stay safe!” The security officer finished lecturing and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

“So where do we go now?” Aqing hugged An Sheng and inhaled the fox’s yang energy to calm herself.

“Of course we eat first, then shop,” Mo Yiqing said. “Even if we ran into a jerk, people are iron, rice is steel—we can’t skip meals just because something happened.”

“I want to try lamb soup with bread! I heard the lambs here aren’t gamey—I have to taste it.”

“I agree!” Lingren said.

Tang You, hearing “lamb soup with bread,” showed no interest, giving the three city folks a strange look.

If you want lamb, just call me—I’ll slaughter one at home and ship it to you.

Why squeeze through crowds just for a bowl of soup?

(End of Chapter)