Xu Qi 'an sat on the big chair and took a sip of tea. He said slowly, "Tell me about it."
Miss Rongrong pursed her red lips and said, "Since your excellency Xu has heard of me, you must be familiar with the Thousand-faced Female Cat Burglar."
"I've heard of her." Xu Qi 'an touched his chin and looked at her. "You're saying that it was the Thousand-faced Female Cat Burglar who stole my treasure?
"Min Yinluo, help me find the information on the female cat burglar."
Min Shan turned around and ordered an official to look for it. After a while, the official came back with a booklet. He flipped to the corresponding page and passed it to Xu Qi 'an.
There wasn't much information on the Thousand-faced Female Cat Burglar. It only recorded that she was an extremely skilled thief. She was a loner, and no one knew her sect or background. She had committed countless crimes and had never been caught.
This record provided Xu Qi 'an two pieces of information. First, she wasn't an ordinary thief. She had committed many major crimes and had never failed.
Second, the female cat burglar's domain was limited to stealing. She didn't have much destructive power. Hence, the Yamen didn't pay much attention to her.
"She's a very professional cat burglar," Xu Qi 'an closed the booklet and returned it to the official. He then asked Miss Rongrong, who was tied up tightly.
"Why did the Thousand-faced Female Cat Burglar disguise herself as you?"
Miss Rongrong sneered. "Who knows? Maybe she's jealous of my power."
… It seemed like they had a fight, so she took revenge. Xu Qi 'an grabbed his saber and hung it on his waist. He said, "Min Yinluo, I'll hand her over to you. Don't let her go without my permission. It doesn't matter who comes."
After giving his instructions, Xu Qi 'an rushed out of the Yamen. He rode his beloved filly and galloped to the outer city.
He could only ask the Jinlian Taoist Priest for help. Fortunately, he knew where the Jinlian Taoist Priest lived, although he had never been there before.
The sun was gradually moving to the west. In another two hours, the curfew would begin. He had to find the female thief before the curfew and retrieve the fragment of the Tomes of the Earth. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to return to the yamen and beg Wei Yuan to sign an arrest warrant.
The Jinlian Taoist priest lived in the north of the city, in a small courtyard facing the river. The main feature of the house was the little scarecrow standing on the roof.
When Xu Qi'an arrived, he knocked on the door of the courtyard. It was quiet inside, and no one answered.
"Did the Taoist go out?"
Xu Qi'an climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard. He pushed open the door of the main house. The house was clean and tidy. On the bed, the Jinlian Taoist priest was lying peacefully, as if he had passed away.
Xu Qi 'an called out' Taoist Zhang 'a few times. Seeing that he was still asleep, he knew that the old man had gone out for a stroll on the cat.
Why did he suddenly develop such a strange habit … What should he do? He didn't know when the Taoist priest would come back … Xu Qi'an frowned and thought for a moment. He had an idea.
He strolled to the side of the bed, raised his hand, and slapped the Taoist priest's face with both hands.
As a mature senior in the martial world, the Jinlian Taoist priest should know how to protect his own body. He must have left a backup plan. As soon as his body was hurt, he would be able to sense it immediately, and even …
Slap slap slap!
Only the sound of slapping could be heard in the room.
After a long time, Xu Qi'an heard the Jinlian Taoist priest's emotionless voice coming from the door. "What are you doing?"
The slapping stopped immediately. Xu Qi'an regained his senses in surprise. He looked at the door and said, "Taoist Zhang, you're back."
An orange cat stood at the doorstep, quietly looking at him.
Seeing that the Jinlian Taoist priest wasn't saying anything, Xu Qi'an hurriedly explained, "I had an urgent matter to discuss with you, but you weren't in the courtyard. I guessed that you must have left a backup plan on your body, so I could only resort to this."
The orange cat's voice was still emotionless: "Then did you guess that I had already sensed you the moment you entered the courtyard?"
Not only that, the Jinlian Taoist priest had already sensed a guest as soon as I entered the courtyard … Xu Qi'an blankly replied: "I didn't know"
The orange cat nodded, gracefully walked into the room, leapt onto the bed, and asked: "What is it?"
"My fragment of the Earth Tome was stolen"
He then told the Jinlian Taoist priest about how he ran into the Thousand-faced female thief and how he mistakenly captured lady Rong Rong.
"After a fragment of the Earth Tome recognizes its owner, outsiders would not be able to see the Tome, nor would they be able to take out the items inside. You don't need to worry "the orange cat was very calm.
"Then when I obtained it from you, was it an ownerless item?"
"The Earth Sect's Dao Leader erased its mark"
Xu Qi'an nodded, he already knew about this. "There's no time to lose, let's go retrieve the fragment of the Earth Tome"
"Come with me"
The orange cat leapt off the bed and left the room. As Xu Qi'an chased after him, he found the cat sitting on the horse's back with its head tilted to one side, silently waiting for him.
Why didn't the Taoist priest use his body? Even if riding a cat is a hobby, this is a serious matter … could it be that for him, there's no difference between using his body and using his soul?
Doubtfully, Xu Qi'an untied the horse's reins, stroked the little mare's face, silently regretting that I've let another man ride me just this once.
Clatter clatter …
The little mare galloped along the wide street, all the passersby consciously retreated, no one was stupid enough to block the middle of the road.
This was an era where people let cars pass.
"Turn left!"
The orange cat suddenly said.
Xu Qi'an turned the horse around, controlled the little mare to perform a beautiful drift and turned left.
Under the guidance of Taoist priest Golden Lotus, Xu Qi 'an moved from the north side of the city to the east side of the city. When they arrived outside an inn, Taoist priest Golden Lotus said, "The fragment of the Nether Tome is inside."
As he spoke, Xu Qi'an felt a sense of connection, as if they were connected by blood. It was so mysterious that he was able to clearly sense the location of the Earth Tome fragment.
The Earth Tome fragment and the host would form a connection within a short distance.
…
In a certain room of the tavern.
A woman wearing heavy makeup with a pair of large almond-shaped eyes and a gentle gaze sat at a table, propping up her chin with one hand while playing with a small jade mirror with the other.
"Why can't I use this treasure?"
The fake Rong Rong carefully observed the Earth Tome fragment. At first glance, it looked completely normal, but as the sole successor of the Steal sect, she had a keen intuition towards treasures.
Searching for treasures was an innate skill of the Steal sect's disciples.
There were many strange patterns on the surface of the mirror. Chests, banknotes, military crossbows, silver ingots … through her many years of 'treasure hunting' experience, she quickly made some guesses:
This was a Dharma treasure that could be recognized by blood, and it also had a storage function.
The fake Rong Rong immediately felt excited. She didn't expect to catch so many big fish in one go. Not only did she obtain a treasure, but there was also a huge amount of wealth inside.
"How do I take the things inside …"
The fake Rong Rong held the Earth Tome fragment and knocked it on the table.
She had never seen a Dharma treasure that required blood to recognize its owner, so she was at a loss. Of course, there was a principle that did not change. As long as it was a storage artifact, once the artifact was destroyed, the items stored inside would automatically fall out.
However, this was a Dharma treasure that could be recognized by blood. Its value was immeasurable, so she definitely couldn't kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
The fake Rong Rong frowned. She didn't ask for hot water from The Waiter, and she still had enough money for the room.
"Check the water frame." A man's voice came from outside.
Hearing this voice, the fake Rong Rong's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, she grabbed the small jade mirror and put it in her pocket, then stood up and rushed to the window.
Clang!
She opened the window and was about to run away when she saw an orange cat sitting next to the window, his amber eyes staring at her.
The fake Rong Rong felt like her brain was being pierced by a steel nail, her soul was being ripped apart. She held her head, groaning as she sat on the ground.
The door was pushed open, and Xu Qi 'an, who had one hand on his saber, strode into the room.
The orange cat also jumped into the room from the window.
"So it really was you!"
Xu Qi'an drew his Black-Gold Blade and held it against the fake Rong Rong's neck, scoffing: "Thousand-faced female thief"
"Sir, what did you say?"
The fake Rong Rong's eyes moved around, seemingly thinking of a countermeasure.
Xu Qi'an reached his hand out and lightly grabbed. The Earth Tome fragment flew out from the fake Rong Rong's chest and fell into his hand.
The fake Rong Rong exclaimed, wanting to stop him, but feeling a sharp pain on her neck, she dejectedly gave up.
This man is so strong, even ten of me wouldn't be enough to kill him.
After checking the Earth Tome fragment and confirming that nothing was missing, Xu Qi'an sighed in relief, a huge weight lifted from his heart.
The gold and silver notes in the mirror were all from his family's savings. He had been in this world for half a year, going through all kinds of hardships to save them up.
They were all his savings.
He put the Earth Tome fragment back into his chest, then put away his Blade. He pulled a chair over and sat down, smiling as he looked at the disheartened female cat burglar.
"Huh, aren't you going to quibble?"
"I'm caught red-handed, what's there to quibble about?" The female cat burglar rolled her eyes and muttered:
"I've roamed the 9 provinces for so many years, I can't believe I've fallen in the capital. As expected of the kindest city in the world, it wasn't unjust …"
Her tone and demeanor showed that she was a veteran, a pain in the ass. She was completely different from the green tea attitude she showed at the restaurant.
She was pretending at the restaurant, but now she was showing her true nature.
Xu Qi'an was like a cat that had caught a mouse. He teased her, "Quibble a little, maybe I'll be soft-hearted and let you go."
The female cat burglar's face changed instantly, revealing a sad expression. She looked like she was about to cry.
"I've had a hard life. I was sold to a brothel by my parents when I was three, forced to serve customers when I was ten, and was taken in by my master as his last disciple when I was fifteen. I thought my hard life was finally over, but I didn't expect my master to be a beast in disguise. One dark and windy night, he, he …"
Perhaps her acting was too realistic, but Xu Qi'an couldn't tell if it was real or not.
"Alright, alright, I sympathize with what you've been through, but the law is merciless. I have a few questions to ask you, answer them honestly."
Xu Qi 'an said, "How did you manage to steal my treasure without anyone knowing?"
"This is my special skill. I can steal anything I want under the fourth rank."
"How did you disguise yourself?" Xu Qi'an bent over and pinched her chin. He looked at her carefully and said,
"It's not a human skin mask, but this face definitely isn't yours."
"This is the unique secret skill of the Steal Faction, called the Art of Deception. It allows you to change your appearance, which is incomparable to the ordinary disguise skill."
"Wait!"
The Jinlian Taoist priest suddenly interrupted and stared at the female cat burglar with his amber eyes. "What did you say just now? What faction are you from?"
The female cat burglar, who suddenly felt a strong murderous intent, said weakly, "The Steal Faction …"
The Jinlian Taoist priest looked at Xu Qi'an and said coldly, "This female cat burglar, just kill her."
This is the worst Taoism has ever been slandered … Xu Qi'an couldn't help but smile. He said seriously, "Do you know who this is?"
The female cat burglar shook her head.
"The boss of the Earth Faction from Taoism."
"From now on, the Steal Faction will be changed to the Thief Faction." The female cat burglar had a strong desire to live.
How can a faction be changed so easily? Xu Qi'an was stunned. Seeing that the Jinlian Taoist priest didn't say anything else, he continued, "Hand over the secret skill."
The female cat burglar looked pitiful. "This is the Virgin Skill. I've been practicing it since I was young. My master taught me step by step, so there's no secret skill. I started practicing it when I was four years old, and it took me more than ten years to finish. "
"Didn't you say that you entered the brothel at three years old, received customers at ten years old, and became my master's BQ at fifteen years old?"
"Maybe you heard it wrong, sir?"
Xu Qi'an thought to himself, You really can't believe a single punctuation mark in the words of such a wily old fox.
"Hand over the secret skill of disguise."
The female cat burglar nodded in resignation. "The secret skill is in the wardrobe. I'll go and get it now."
Seeing that Xu Qi'an nodded, she stood up and walked to the wardrobe. She took out a bag and said, "The secret skill is in here."
Xu Qi'an took the bag. The moment he opened it, a green mist gushed out. Caught off guard, he and the Jinlian Taoist priest took a few breaths and fainted instantly.
The female cat burglar, who had held her breath, took out a porcelain bottle from the bag and consumed the antidote. Then, she breathed calmly and said,
"You're still far from being able to fight with me."
As she spoke, she kicked Xu Qi'an a few times to vent her anger. She then reached into his arms and searched for a few times. She found the jade mirror that she had lost.
Suddenly, she felt something hard pressing against her buttocks. Then, she heard Xu Qi'an's voice from behind, "As expected, it's better to kill it."
"Rong Rong …" The lady lowered her head in shock and realized that the silver gong that she had been lying on had disappeared.
She didn't dare to move, knowing that there was a knife pressing against her buttocks.
"I've already reminded you, this is a big shot from the Earth Sect. You don't even know when you fell into an illusion." Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Your buttocks are quite perky."
The female cat burglar completely accepted her fate.
"Right, what's your name?"
"Ge Xiaojing."
…
Xu Qi'an sealed the female cat burglar Ge Xiaojing's acupuncture point, tied her up, and threw her on the back of a horse. Then, he bid farewell to the Jinlian Taoist priest.
The orange cat nodded slightly and said, "Be careful on your way back."
Then, he left with elegant steps.
Xu Qi'an untied the horse's reins and was about to ride on his beloved filly. However, the filly suddenly went crazy. She turned her horse around at a 45-degree angle and gave a beautiful back kick, sending Xu Qi'an flying.
Then, with a long neigh, she galloped away.
“？？？”
Xu Qi'an chased after her dejectedly and subdued her before she could run into the pedestrians. After a long time of comforting, the filly finally became docile again.
"Filly, don't you love me anymore? Ever since you were ridden by that old man Jinlian, you've fallen in love with the new and the old?"
Xu Qi'an sat on the horse's back and thought to himself, I won't play tricks anymore. After all, the older, the wiser.
…
Back at the night watchman's office, Xu Qi'an sent the female cat burglar to prison and warned the jailer not to do anything unnecessary. He still had use for this person.
At this time, the curfew had already started for half an hour, and the sky was already dark. But for a silver gong, the curfew was useless.
"I can release the Hand of Ecstasy, Rong Rong. But there's a curfew now, so she can't leave the inner city. I'll deal with her tomorrow …"
The next day, Xu Qi'an rode a horse to the night watchman's office. There was already an official waiting at the door. When he saw him, he trotted up to greet him.
"Your excellency Xu, there's a group of people from the pugilistic world coming to the office to redeem someone. It's the girl you brought back yesterday. She's with Min Yinluo."
Redeeming someone only now? If I were a lecherous bully, I would have filled my child's bedroom several times over … Xu Qi'an clicked his tongue.
"I understand."
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