Chapter 109

The sky gradually brightened, and pedestrians began to increase at Xiaoyao Cave.

Linghu Qingmo stood at the alley's entrance, holding an oiled paper umbrella, occasionally turning to gaze into its depths, his eyes shadowed with worry—fearing Xie Jinhuan might be harmed inside, yet also fearing he might succumb to temptation…

Pfft, pfft, pfft…

Thinking of the hungry stares those five or six men had fixed on Xie Jinhuan, Linghu Qingmo couldn't help lifting Meiqiu by the scruff, his expression stern:

"You were supposed to find thieves—what kind of den did you lead him to? Are you trying to get Xie Jinhuan to become a courtesan?"

"Gujī?"

Meiqiu's eyes were full of innocence—clearly meaning: What else was I supposed to do?

Fortunately, the wait wasn't long before Xie Jinhuan stepped out, frowning.

Linghu Qingmo hurried forward, eyeing him suspiciously:

"You… you're done?"

"Huh… huh?"

Xie Jinhuan blinked, then pinched Seeing Mo Mo's curious little face.

"What do you mean 'done'? How could I possibly finish that fast, fast, fast, fast~~~"

Ssssshhhh—

Linghu Qingmo, struck on the cheek, immediately seized his wrist as Lightning Flash erupted—but remembering their wager of "Don't get angry," he hastily stopped, then instantly regretted it!

Xie Jinhuan paid no mind to Seeing Mo Mo's domestic violence, still holding the umbrella over Seeing Mo Mo's head:

"This is a branch of Blood Rain Tower—information brokers who also take jobs beating up young masters. Nothing special."

"Does Blood Rain Tower dare open a branch in Jingcheng?"

"What's that? Even the Nanjiangwu Alliance has branches here—just hard to find. Blood Rain Tower's intel is better. Keep it on standby; might come in handy."

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, his gaze drifted toward the fur shop in the distance.

But he'd just had them dispose of stolen goods last night—they're probably busy. Better to return tonight to inquire about Zui Gu Xiang.

The two walked back toward the inner city together. Halfway, Linghu Qingmo suddenly noticed a crowd gathering by the roadside, gossiping about last night's strange event:

"Did you hear? The Thief Saint went to Eunuch Li's mansion last night…"

"The Thief Saint? What did he steal?"

"Hey! Breaking into Eunuch Li's house to beg for handouts is called 'pleading for the people'—how can you call it stealing…"

"Fair enough. What did he 'beg' for?"

"You should ask what's left! I heard the whole mansion was stripped bare—just four walls and a roof remained. Even the maids and concubines were taken. Li Gongpu was so furious he spat blood three pints and fainted on the spot…"

"Beautiful…"

…

Linghu Qingmo slowed his steps, listening closely, eyes wide with astonishment:

"Really? Who's got the guts to ransack Li Gongpu's house clean?"

"Gujī~"

Meiqiu thought he had a point—but before he could turn, he was pinned down.

Xie Jinhuan's expression remained calm as he chuckled lightly:

"The Li family hoards wealth without mercy. Probably some righteous hero couldn't stand it and pulled off a big job."

Linghu Qingmo was still curious, listened closely, then sniffed:

"Li Gongpu flatters power and hoards wealth—he deserves this. But this Thief Saint sounds formidable. Shouldn't we investigate?"

"?"

Xie Jinhuan had no intention of investigating himself—he shook his head:

"It's a minor case. Focus on the demon bandits first. You didn't sleep all night—go rest. I'm heading to the East Market. I'll be back soon."

"Oh…"

—

Soon after, Wang Fu.

At dawn, autumn rain pattered softly across the vast estate, where countless colorful maids hurried through the corridors, preparing meals for their lord.

In the outer courtyard, Liu Qingzhi and Yang Dabiao carried a large iron pot into the cluttered yard, still chatting:

"Old Liu, what's the Princess up to? Bringing a pig to Jingcheng to celebrate? I thought we didn't even keep pigs here…"

"How would I know? Just follow the Princess's orders…"

…

In the guest courtyard corridor, Head Steward Hou shook his fan, standing before Xie Jinhuan's door, staring at the plaque reading "Upright Gentleman," his eyes shifty with confusion:

"Big Sparrow, why is my plaque hanging in Xie's room?"

"Gujī?"

"Not delivered yet? No matter—I'll take it back myself… Hey?"

"Jījījījī…"

Meiqiu, just returned home, saw this shameless thief trying to steal—and spread his wings with a "Bird Leg Strike," chasing Head Steward Hou all over the place.

The rear courtyard, by contrast, was far quieter.

A few young maids huddled together, whispering gossip about "Wife vs. Concubine," with the main characters being Miss Linghu and Lin Da.

Princess Changning, dressed in a golden-threaded robe embroidered with wine gourds, sat drowsily before her mirror as the lively and nimble Duoduo helped her dress, still chattering:

"Young Master Xie is truly His Highness's pillar—he's only been in Jingcheng a few days and already made waves. The day before yesterday, he helped His Highness win three thousand taels at the Golden Pavilion. We should've come with him—we missed so much drama…"

Princess Changning studied her reflection in the mirror, secretly feeling regretful:

"The Empress Dowager's birthday required too many preparations—we arrived late. But Xie Jinhuan hasn't even shown three percent of his true ability. Later, I'll take him traveling—there'll be plenty of chances for him to shine."

"What other skills does Young Master Xie possess?"

"Heh~"

Princess Changning recalled the wild, stormy dance and even the 'Great Qian Electronic Music', and found herself missing that little rascal.

Just as the mistress and servant were chatting idly, they noticed a white figure walk in.

Princess Changning thought Xie Jinhuan had arrived and quickly turned her head to look, but the moment she realized it was her bosom friend, she instantly lost interest:

"Why did you come back alone? Where is Xie Jinhuan?"

Linghu Qingmo dared not say she had spent the entire night with Xie Jinhuan, so she replied:

"We went to investigate a case last night. Xie Jinhuan wasn't with me; uh... it seems he went to accompany a beautiful confidante."

Princess Changning stood up and put on a wide-sleeved outer robe, her eyes showing a look of disdain mixed with frustration, as if scolding iron that refused to become steel:

"You came along with a man, yet you were busy investigating a case?"

Linghu Qingmo couldn't exactly brag to her bosom friend about kissing cheeks and such things, so she frowned slightly:

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"..."

Princess Changning was too lazy to lecture her workaholic best friend and asked:

"Did you go to investigate Li Gongpu's case too?"

Linghu Qingmo entered the room, put down her sword, and was slightly stunned:

"Did the Thief Saint really deal with Li Gongpu?!"

Duoduo nodded enthusiastically:

"Absolutely true. The only person I admire most in my life, aside from Young Master Xie, is this great hero, the Thief Saint.

"I heard that while the Li Fu claimed externally that only over two hundred taels of silver were stolen, in reality, the entire study and bedroom were emptied. Now the Red Scale Guard, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and the county government office are all watching the show, yet Li Gongpu won't let the government office investigate..."

Linghu Qingmo was indeed interested in this matter; she came forward to help tie up her hair:

"Something was stolen, so why won't Li Gongpu let the government office investigate?"

Princess Changning snorted lightly:

"Li Gongpu is no honest official or virtuous clerk. If he were to display the list of lost items, I suspect even the Emperor would be shocked. How would he dare to make a grand spectacle and let people investigate?"

"That's true..."

——

Mist shrouded the imperial capital; the vast city was outlined by the autumn rain into a landscape painting of ink and wash.

In the outer city streets, numerous pedestrians moved back and forth, some holding umbrellas, some wearing bamboo hats; from above, they looked like floating lotus leaves drifting along an ink-wash long street.

Xie Jinhuan held an umbrella and walked along the street; fine raindrops struck the umbrella surface, making a 'sha-sha' soft sound, while his gaze swept over the coming and going crowds.

Because he arrived too early, most shops on the street had not yet opened; he had intended to go directly to the Eastern Market, but when he walked near the ward gate, he discovered a woman standing inside a shop that had just opened on the street side.

The shop was a musical instrument shop, filled with zithers, lutes, and pipa; a woman dressed in black stood among them selecting items, wearing a black gauze veil hat on her head and carrying a sword on her back.

Although she looked like a female knight-errant common in the Jianghu from a distance, the woman's demeanor resembled an immortal banished to the mortal world; existing within the mortal realm, yet something seemed to isolate her figure from the worldly dust.

Hmm... a woman with a very special temperament...

Xie Jinhuan unconsciously glanced a few times, feeling that this woman in the black dress was very special, yet he couldn't say where exactly she was special.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Wife, who followed like a shadow, reminded him at this moment:

"This female knight is not simple; she seems to carry a high-grade magical artifact that blocks spiritual pressure, making it impossible to see through her interior."

"Oh?"

This was the first time Xie Jinhuan had seen someone the Ghost Wife couldn't see through, so he asked:

"Is she very powerful?"

Although Ye Hongshang couldn't probe the interior, she could still observe external details like aura and the movement of surrounding spiritual pressure:

"Her cultivation should be only slightly higher than yours, not yet reaching the Supra-Grade realm. She is tall with a big rear; one look tells she is fertile. Dare you go strike up a conversation?"

"?"

Xie Jinhuan had no such plan originally, but how could he tolerate the ghost questioning his courage?

At this hour, the Yang Medicine Shop had not yet opened; investigating this female knight's background wouldn't delay matters, so Xie Jinhuan thought for a moment, turned around, and arrived outside the musical instrument shop, putting away his oil-paper umbrella.

The shopkeeper was an old man wearing reading glasses, sitting behind the counter and using tools to repair a zither.

Judging from the goods displayed in the shop, they were all fine items, yet the shopkeeper's treatment of customers was far from polite; seeing Xie Jinhuan enter with a weapon, he muttered:

"So early in the morning, why is it always Jianghu folk coming? We don't sell magical artifacts."

"Hehe, I'm just looking around casually."

Xie Jinhuan did not mind the old shopkeeper's attitude; he came to stand beside the female knight in black, only to unexpectedly discover that this black-clad female knight was actually about the same height as him, her figure comparable to a supermodel—not thin or gaunt, but tall and plump, with dramatic curves, looking like she would consume much oil...

Being strangers, Xie Jinhuan hadn't paid attention to her figure; he first looked at the musical instruments on his own, then his gaze fell on the seven-stringed zither the other party was studying:

"This zither is excellent; it uses paulownia wood from Fengzhou. The climate there is dry; wood used for zither bodies produces a sound still as trickling springs when calm, and like rolling thunder when active..."

While speaking, he pressed the strings with one hand and lightly plucked them with the other.

Dang, zong-zong~~~

A deep, melancholy melody echoed within the musical instrument shop.

The old shopkeeper repairing the zither lifted his reading glasses upon hearing the sound, his eyes filled with surprise:

"'Asking the Moon at Solitary Mountain.' I didn't realize, Young Master, you are actually an expert."

"I know a little; I wouldn't call myself an expert."

Xie Jinhuan smiled modestly and looked at the woman in black beside him, preparing to chat for a moment.

However, the woman in the veil hat reacted with extreme coldness; she didn't even look at him, walked to the other side of the shop, and began selecting other instruments.

"..."

Xie Jinhuan seemed to be ignored by a Miss for the first time, feeling slightly awkward in his heart.

The old Shopkeeper shook his head, smiled, and bent his head to continue repairing the zither strings...

(End of this chapter)