# 274. Thief!
Xu Qi'an stood up and approached the balcony. With one hand resting on the railing, he squinted as he scrutinised the man on the stage.
He was certain that he did not know this loudmouthed warrior, nor could he recall having an enemy at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones stage.
*Enemies don’t appear out of nowhere. I just can’t remember who it might be...* Xu Qi'an stroked his chin, pondering who might be targeting him.
As a person, he always upheld the principles of kindness and persuading others through virtue.
As an official, he adhered to the creed of being upright and just, serving the country and the people.
Such a good man shouldn't have enemies.
*Consort Chen is a devious woman. If she wanted revenge on me, she would prefer assassination, not such a grand spectacle... As for the court officials, while certain factions may wish me dead, this doesn’t seem to align with the style of the scholars…*
"He's scared."
"No shit. That’s a Bronze Skin and Iron Bones expert. With that skinny body of his, one punch would obliterate him."
"That’s why those pampered boys who rely on their family’s influence can strut around the capital, but when they meet real experts, they’re nothing."
To the young heroes at the table across from him, Xu Qi'an's "hesitation" seemed like fear and cowardice.
They immediately felt a sense of schadenfreude, their thoughts akin to bringing a stunning 9/10 beauty to a club, only for some rich Master Zhao to appear, declaring, "Tonight, Master Zhao will foot the bill!"
The 9/10 beauty, swayed by Zhao’s wealth, throws herself into his arms... And just as this happens, with a thunderous crash from the heavens, the real big boss descends, slapping Zhao across the face and saying:
"You’re not worthy!"
Although it wasn’t the young heroes delivering the slap, the scene still filled them with glee. Watching a silver-spooned officer from the constabulary get humiliated and lose face hit their sweet spot.
At this point, they all turned to look at Miss Rongrong, eager to see disappointment in her eyes, to witness the moment when a pampered noble lost his shine.
And then she’d remember that they were the true promising candidates, and switch her attention to them.
But Miss Rongrong clearly wasn't as shallow as the young heroes imagined. She showed a look of genuine concern, even though the Silver Gong, who was all but handsome and nothing more, had his back to her.
Just then, Xu Qi'an turned around, placing one hand on the hilt of his sword, and said, "This official shall meet him."
"Hey!"
Miss Rongrong suddenly moved closer, lightly tugging Xu Qi'an’s arm. Before he could frown, she released him, offering a sheepish smile. "Why bother with a mere commoner?"
Xu Qi'an ignored her, shaking his head as he made his way downstairs.
"Even if you have incredible backing, shouldn’t you at least get some help first? Going up there like this is just asking for a beating," Miss Rongrong muttered.
Leaving the tavern, Xu Qi'an walked towards the stage, lightly flicking his thumb, releasing a sliver of _Qi_.
The Bronze Skin and Iron Bones warrior, along with the Jianghu guests in the crowd, immediately sensed it and turned to look. Upon seeing Xu Qi'an in his Silver Gong uniform, they understood.
The main player had arrived.
They instinctively stepped aside.
But the common folk watching had no such awareness and continued to block the way.
"Move it!"
Xu Qi'an spotted a man in simple clothes and delivered a fierce kick, sending him fleeing in panic. Only then did the commoners shrink back in fear, creating a path.
"Move, all of you!"
Xu Qi'an removed his sword sheath, striking anyone in his way, regardless of age or gender.
“Everyone, back up ten _zhang_. Do not approach... Hey, old man, don't think your age gives you an excuse. Want to taste a slap from the younger generation?
"Whose brat is this? If no one takes him away, I’ll sell him... Why are you crying? Do you want me to kick you? Auntie, have you made lunch yet? Washed the dishes? Why are you here for the spectacle... What’s wrong with hitting you? If you were twenty years younger, I’d sell you to a brothel!"
Back at the tavern, on the balcony.
The young heroes, hands resting on the railing, watched as Xu Qi'an bullied the common folk, their faces filled with righteous indignation.
"This scum, taking out his anger on the people."
"If you have the guts, fight on the stage! Bullying commoners—what kind of Nightwatcher is he?"
"Just a weakling."
With Xu Qi'an gone, they could vent freely.
A young hero with fine features turned and walked over to Miss Rongrong, speaking softly, "Miss Rongrong, let's go back and drink. I’ll tell you more about my teacher’s adventures in the north, where he cut down countless barbarian tribes."
"Yeah, what’s the point of drinking with that pampered second generation? Look at him, only bullying the common folk," the other young heroes echoed.
Miss Rongrong, seated calmly, scanned the group of young men and smiled gently. "You think he's bullying the commoners?"
"Is he not?" they retorted.
Miss Rongrong blinked and asked curiously, "Haven’t you heard the Jianghu saying: when experts duel, bystanders retreat? It refers to the fact that the qi fluctuations of high-level martial artists can easily kill ordinary people. Surely, you knew that, right? Right? Right?"
... The young heroes' faces immediately flushed red.
"Then why not explain the situation outright? He’s clearly just using this as an excuse to vent his frustrations on the people," the young hero who had invited Miss Rongrong stubbornly argued.
Miss Rongrong lowered her head, sipping her drink to hide the disdain in her eyes.
The common folk are incredibly ignorant. Explaining things to them kindly, do you think they’d listen? Do they even understand the saying "when experts duel, bystanders retreat"?
Not only are the common folk ignorant, but there are also plenty of ruffians among them. They only fear the authorities. Dealing with them with kind words is far less effective than using a large stick.
These young heroes, who came from decent families or had respectable sects, may sneer at others for relying on their ancestors’ achievements, but they’re not even as capable as Silver Gong Xu.
…
After driving away the oblivious civilians around the stage, Xu Qi'an leaped onto the platform, resting his hand on his blade, gazing down at the man who stood a head taller than him. He asked, “Whose man are you?”
“I’m your mother’s man,” the eight-foot-tall man sneered.
*Oh, throwing insults at me? Fine, I’ll spare his life for now and drag him to the Nightwatcher’s dungeon. He’ll talk eventually...* Xu Qi'an hung his sword back at his waist, hand resting on the hilt, and said, “To deal with a mere sixth-rank ant like you, this official needs only one strike.”
How arrogant!
The nearby martial artists were stunned. A sixth-rank martial artist was no small figure in the Jianghu, and in some counties, they would hold the position of a sect leader or local overlord. Even though the capital was filled with experts, including the legendary first-rank Arcanist, a sixth-rank warrior was not someone to be easily dismissed.
“Hahaha!”
The eight-foot man, with his muscular frame, laughed menacingly, “Not only will I crush your pathetic bones, but I’ll also cut out your tongue and use it as a beer snack.”
Back at the balcony, Miss Rongrong glanced at the Bronze Gong who continued eating and drinking without a care. She frowned and said, “Aren’t you going to call for help?”
Even as his superior was about to be humiliated, he was still eating so casually. It was hard to believe he worked in the constabulary with such little regard for decorum.
“Relax!” The Bronze Gong waved dismissively. “It’s just someone at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones stage. You have no idea how strong our Sir Xu really is.”
“Is Sir Xu also at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones level?” Rongrong recalled, but quickly dismissed the thought. She had observed Xu Qi'an closely before, and he didn’t show the unique glow associated with that stage.
The Bronze Gong smirked at the young martial artists nearby, “Sir Xu isn’t at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones level, but there was a time when he was ambushed in the street by two Refining Spirit practitioners and one Bronze Skin expert. Want to guess what happened?”
Rongrong shook her head.
Obviously, nothing happened to him; Xu Qi'an was alive and well. She knew the Bronze Gong wasn’t just talking about that.
“One strike!” The Bronze Gong held up one finger.
“What?”
The seductive Miss Rongrong didn’t quite understand.
The Bronze Gong pointed outside. “See for yourself.”
Bang!
The sound of the white jade floor of the stage cracking echoed across the area. Rongrong whipped around to see the eight-foot man shattering the platform beneath his feet, turning into a black blur.
On the other side, Xu Qi'an bent his knees slightly and lightly flicked his thumb.
_Shing..._ The sound of the blade being drawn filled the entire space, clear and resonant.
With Rongrong's sharp eyes, she barely caught a glimpse of a dark-golden streak flash by, followed by a burst of sword energy scattering like invisible steel needles, puncturing shallow holes all over the ground and stage.
Had Xu Qi'an not driven the civilians away earlier, a good number of them would have been dead by now.
For the ordinary citizens and most martial artists watching, they only saw Xu Qi'an seem to draw his sword. When they looked again, the sword was already sheathed, firmly at his side.
But the towering man, who moments ago was full of swagger, had frozen in place—standing a full ten feet away from Xu Qi'an, staring down in disbelief at his own chest.
The next moment, a thin cut opened across his chest, blood gushing out.
The man slowly knelt to the ground, his face gradually paling.
Xu Qi'an coldly declared, “I said one strike, so it is one strike.”
“Wow!”
The crowd erupted in noise, exactly as the onomatopoeia described.
Cheers followed swiftly, the commoners loudly applauding, their voices deafening. A few called out to fetch a doctor from the clinic.
Martial artists with some cultivation, however, saw the deeper meaning. After the initial shock, they collectively fell silent.
One strike!
One strike to shatter a Bronze Skin and Iron Bones expert’s body. This Silver Gong’s strength was likely of the fifth rank, perhaps even higher.
“Nightwatcher Silver Gong Xu Qi'an…”
They silently committed the name to memory.
“Well? I didn’t lie, did I?” The Bronze Gong laughed as he stood, glancing at the stunned Miss Rongrong. He said, “This is a prodigy handpicked by Duke Wei. A mere sixth-rank warrior is nothing. Even the officials in the imperial court treat Sir Xu with the utmost respect.”
With that, he cast a mocking glance at the dumbfounded young martial artists and grabbed his blade, heading downstairs.
...
After cutting down the man, two Bronze Gongs immediately climbed onto the stage and asked for instructions. “What should we do with him?”
“Take him to the clinic to have his wounds treated, then bring him back to the Nightwatcher’s constabulary. Make sure to seal his acupoints with bull-hair needles. Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse,” Xu Qi'an ordered.
He glanced toward the restaurant but noticed that Miss Rongrong was gone.
“Where’s Miss Rongrong?” he asked.
“She was just here,” replied the Bronze Gong who had gone downstairs, turning around to check, only to confirm she was indeed missing.
*This doesn’t make sense. I put on such a great show, she should’ve been swooning by now…* Xu Qi'an thought with some regret.
*Oh well, I wasn’t really planning on anything happening anyway.*
Xu Qi'an led the severely injured man to a nearby clinic, had the doctor bandage him up, and then headed back to the Nightwatcher’s constabulary with the unconscious man in tow.
Halfway there, he suddenly felt something was off. He checked himself—his token, sword, and pouch were all still there.
Then he reached into his inner pocket and finally realised what was wrong.
The fragment of the Earth Book was gone.
“Sir, is something the matter?” asked the Bronze Gong riding alongside him, holding the unconscious man on horseback.
“Shut up!” Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, mentally retracing his steps.
His clothes weren’t torn, ruling out the possibility of losing the Earth Book fragment while walking. With his sharp hearing, he would have noticed it drop.
There had been no intense combat, only a single slash—so that wasn’t it either.
That left only one possibility: it had been stolen.
*That Auntie was too simple-minded to pull this off... the only person who got close to me was Miss Rongrong, and she grabbed my arm right before I went downstairs…*
Xu Qi'an snorted. *No wonder she left so abruptly earlier—it turns out she’s a damned thief! ‘Soul-stealing hands,’ huh? So that’s what it means.*
Since leaving the platform, half an hour had already passed. By now, she must have gotten far away. The capital was huge, and recovering his stolen item seemed a slim hope.
*Out of all the things you could steal, you choose to steal the Earth Book. Well unlucky for you, this little baby has GPS positioning.* Xu Qi'an smirked and instructed, “You take him back. I have something else to take care of.”
He needed to return to the scene and then seek out Daoist Jinlian.