11. Making a Scene With an Apple

The day before, Mao Yin had followed his victim around for the better part of the day to better learn her behavioral patterns and habits. Although following her for only half a day couldn't provide too much information, it did give Mao Yin a stable foundation in which he could decide how to best begin their interactions.

His newest victim was a young girl named Shi Yao. She happened to be of a similar age to himself and extremely naïve. This was one of the main things that drew him to her. That as well as her lively green eyes. Eyes of that color were very unusual, especially in the region they were currently in, and Mao Yin would've definitely been disappointed if he was unable to add them to his collection.

She seemed to have a righteous, heroic demeanor and carried a sword at her side as if she was ready to jump into a fray at any moment. However, based upon his observations, she seemed inexperienced. It was more likely that she was just beginning to learn sword practice. Her reactions were too slow and her arms were thin with very little definition.

It also seemed as though she was of a prestigious household. She wore village clothes and a cloak to cover her face and sword from view, yet she carried herself with an air of nobility. In addition, although the clothes she wore were what the villagers would typically wear, they were brand new, of superior quality, and without a speck of dirt. She had several shadow guards following her around the village anonymously as well. This girl was truly unable to blend in.

In the end, by disguising herself as one of the common folk and trying to mix in with the others, she made herself stick out more. She was like a goose posing as a duck in the midst of chickens. It truly made one want to laugh. Mao Yin, who is someone seemingly lacking in emotion even felt a tinge of secondhand embarrassment on her behalf as he watched her strut around the street stalls with the utmost confidence in her shoddy disguise.

Mao Yin leaned against the corner of a building, eyeing the doors to a seamstress' shop down the street. Luckily for him, he didn't have to go far at all today to find the girl. Right as he left the inn, he conveniently spotted her entering the shop with none of her shadow guards nearby. Could this little fool have escaped them today?

Mao Yin felt somewhat pleased at her idiocy. She was unknowingly offering her assistance quite readily today. Perhaps if he sold her, she would also help him count the money. She seemed like the type of person to do that.

He fiddled with the stem of an apple that was given to him by a nearby shopkeeper as he pondered.

The question remains though; how should he go about approaching this victim without bringing about suspicion? He could find a situation in which he is 'helpless' but to approach her. For example, the typical 'saving a damsel in distress' scenario. However, given her personality it seemed that method wouldn't give him the results he was looking for.

With that in mind, then the most seemingly ideal way to go about it would be to make her come to him on her own volition. And given her characteristics, he knew just the way to go about doing it.

As he reached this conclusion, his fingernail scratched the skin of the apple, piercing it and leaving a tear in which a drop of its juice dribbled down his thumb.

His dark eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a good opportunity. His eyes brightened imperceptibly as he found it.

Once Shi Yao moved near the shops window, he struck. He shifted his positioning as to avoid being spotted and threw the apple high in the sky.

He watched as the apple flew upwards before falling on the overhang of a stall and rolling off. The force behind the throw propelled it to the other side of the road where it hit the head of a man who was attempting to enter the nearby tavern.

Being hit by an apple at the speed that this one was traveling at, would crack a normal man's skull effortlessly but the man that Mao Yin threw it at was of superior size. Not only was he tall, but he was stocky and heavily muscled with a bald head covered in tattoos. He was the type of person who would pick up a sword and make it look like a toothpick because of his sheer size.

When the apple hit the back of his head, the force caused his forehead to hit the top of the doorway, shaking the entire foundation of the tavern and attracting everyone's attention.

Behind him, there was a group of children playing who all simultaneously went silent upon hearing the loud 'bam' made by his head hitting the doorframe.

"Agh, f*ck!" He held his bleeding forehead and turned around. He roughly grabbed one of the children who happened to be holding a ball and lifted him up to his face.

"You f*cking think this is funny? Should I bash your forehead in to match mine now?"

The child struggled in his grasp, screaming and trying to loosen his fingers.

Mao Yin watched as Shi Yao's wide eyes took notice of the situation and she scrambled to leave the shop.

He would've liked to wait a little while longer before stepping in but he needed to get there before she did for things to pan out accordingly.

He removed his cloak with a sigh, exposing his handsome face before stepping out of the shadows.