Zhou Xin (1)

Kou held a fluttering paper talisman and a single jasmine petal between two of his fingers. It was the same ones he used to track down the mage earlier.

The paper and the petal both glowed a faint blue, which meant the effect of the spell hadn't quite faded yet.

"Time to do your job again," he mumbled.

He flicked the paper and the petal into the sky as they started to float towards a certain direction.

Swish…

Kou walked leisurely, as the pieces weren't gliding as fast as they had been before. 

At times, the paper stuck to windows of buildings. It seemed to be an incense burner on the other side using jasmine flowers as the fragrant substance.

However, with a simple click from his fingers, the paper slid off and searched for a different course.

Kou was led out of Chunfeng Alley. He started to enter a place with fewer people.

It appeared to be a more run-down neighborhood. The buildings were considerably older than what was required for a reconstruction of the walls and roof. It was obviously a place where the lower class lived.

There were empty houses, likely abandoned.

Then, he walked into a small path.

The path was no longer pavement, it was just sand and dirt.

Kou stopped walking.

…Where are you?

The paper had stuck onto the side of a bamboo wall of a shabby house.

Kou approached the house and placed his palm on the bamboo wall. With every light push, the wall shifted with a 'creak'.

He went around and searched for a door.

The door he found couldn't even be called a proper door anymore. The lower half was tattered and the handle didn't quite work.

Inside, the house was in worse condition.

It had no floor.

A dusty straw mat was the only furniture there.

Other than that, the house was completely empty.

Perhaps, the former dweller brought everything else with them.

Although most people would not call this house a pleasant home, Kou had a sense of familiarity with it.

He clapped once to call forth the paper and petal that were stuck outside the house.

It steadily floated in and started poking the corner of the bamboo wall on the right side.

The wall was so worn down that even a small child could peel off the bamboo to create a hole big enough for them to crawl in.

He tapped the bamboo with his knuckles.

Hm?

The walls were hollow.

Discovering a loose piece of bamboo, Kou grabbed the edge and another piece next to it. Then, he ripped it out with a considerable amount of strength.

The bamboo wall came crashing down along with a part of the roof. It made a hole large enough for a grown man to walk through.

It was a storage room.

A small and narrow compartment, not even a big stray dog could fit in.

On the ground, a skinny little girl sat curled up.

"There you are!" Kou exclaimed cheerfully.

It was the girl from earlier.

Without making any sound, the girl scrambled out of the compartment, crawling past Kou.

"Wait!"

He stretched out his arm trying to grab the girl's collar, but instead yanked a lock of her hair.

The girl yelped in pain.

"Sorry- Ugh!"

He let her go as she kicked his leg.

For a little girl, she was quite strong! What was looking so skinny for?

Kou grabbed her shoulder, and she bit him.

He grabbed her wrist, and she hit him, multiple times, aggressively.

He grabbed her leg, and as she fell, she grabbed a handful of dirt, throwing it at his face.

"Pweh!"

As Kou tried to spit out the dirt, the girl got back up and was on her way to run out of the house.

"Alright! That's it!"

Kou held out a new paper talisman.

As soon as it glowed red, he flicked the paper towards the girl.

But just in time, the girl looked back.

Her eyes widened by surprise, but her hand quickly made a few gestures. Right before the paper reached her, it went up in flames.

Kou grinned.

"Ho! A young mage?"

He quite admired the child.

It was one thing to successfully counter an offensive spell that quick.

It was another thing to accurately guess which spell was thrown out at her. Especially since Kou didn't pronounce the spell out loud nor made any obvious gesture.

His attack was a binding spell of land magic.

The girl had countered it with the correct sky magic.

Kou was quite amused and decided to play around with a little magic instead of taking out his sword. 

The girl had run out, but Kou took his time to walk out of the house.

"Let's see what else you can do."

He stomped his foot and a bunch of dust lifted off the ground, moving like a gust of wind towards the girl. It was harmless, but very much annoying and disrupting.

The girl didn't pay it any mind, let alone try to counter it.

Kou took another step.

This time, the pebbles on the ground started shaking.

Noticing this, the girl looked around and ran towards a streamlet in the more empty part of the neighborhood. Along the way, she grabbed a slightly bigger bamboo piece off the ground.

Upon reaching the streamlet, she whipped the bamboo piece over the water surface, creating a big splash.

At the same time, the pebbles that were shaking lifted off the ground and flew towards her.

The girl mumbled something quickly under her breath, and the droplets of water hung around her in the air.

Then, she crouched and lowered her head, covering it with her hands.

The pebbles crashed into the water droplets and only the smaller ones managed to reach her thin body. It was as if the droplets protected her.

It lasted for barely a second until the pebbles stopped and the water droplets fell back to the streamlet. The girl survived unscathed.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

Only to find the thief grinning down right in front of her.

She gasped in response.

Kou asked, "You know sea magic? What a dangerous little girl!"

In a hurry, she tried to make another gesture.

But before she could finish the spell, Kou simply waved his hand.

Swish!

A rope that came out of nowhere encircled her body and tied her up.

The girl tried to wiggle out of it.

Kou crouched down to her level with a smile on his face.

"I bet you wouldn't know how to counter that, didn't you?"

The girl didn't answer and only glared at him.

"Now, you're a smart little thief…"

He started to search her pockets and sleeves.

"...Where did you hide it?"

"Get away from me! Ah! Help! Help!"

The girl screamed, and as her legs were quite free, she tried to kick him off.

"Shut up, I'm not going to do anything to you."

He placed a paper talisman on her mouth, sealing her lips.

"Hmph! Hmph!"

After a short while of searching, Kou fished out a small pouch from her.

He opened to check its contents.

There was a jasmine flower that was no different than any other regular jasmine.

He carefully tied the pouch back and bounced it in front of the girl mockingly.

All of a sudden, his smile looked evil.

Ha! I got the flower! was what his eyes seemed to say.

The girl's glare was stabbing daggers at him. At the same time, her eyes looked like they were about to cry.

As he felt uncomfortable around crying people, Kou immediately stood up and walked away. Behind him, the girl was kicking her feet and twisting around to get the rope off.

"...Hmph!"

The sounds she made resembled a wailing, but it was somehow quieter than before. It was now desperate and pitiful. If anyone else had heard her, they would have their heart strings pulled.

Kou didn't turn back.

Instead, he said, "The ropes will loosen up in no time. It was nice meeting you, kid. You have talent."

He didn't need to worry about the little girl. She was smart and strong. Kou knew the place, and there wasn't anything dangerous around anyway.

Within a few minutes, he was back in Chunfeng alley.

The commotion from the fight earlier had died down. Both clan leaders, Shin Minji and Chen Rongguang, had left the place.

Kou thought to himself, It's such a shame. It has been a while since I last saw Minji.

Although he didn't expect much as he was now just a thief, it wasn't what he had in mind for a reunion.

I wonder if she recognized me.

As Kou had left sneakily during the duel between Shin Minji and Chen Rongguang, he did not hear the bit about Shin Minji enacting the clan branding upon him. And so, he did not realize that she, in fact, had recognized him.

Ignorant of the slowly spreading news of his bounty going up about sixty four times the original amount, Kou entered a luxurious looking, high-class brothel.

The Jade House. It was as lively as always.

He strolled confidently, familiar with the layouts of the establishment.

"Welcome back, master Kou!"

"It has been a while, master Kou!"

The courtesans of this house were friendly with him.

Kou, in turn, smiled kindly at them.

"It is nice to see you all again. Is Su Xia here?"

One of the courtesans giggled shyly.

"Madam Su is in her office."

"Thank you."

He went deeper into the house, entering an office at the end of the hallway.

Despite the extravagance of the establishment, the office of Madam Su Xia, owner of the brothel 'Jade House', was quite simple.

The room was decorated in silks, tapestries, and carved wooden panels. Their designs were less elaborate than the ones that could be found in the chambers.

In one corner, a traditional tea set rested on a low table.

A wooden desk was placed in the center of the room. On the desk were neatly arranged scrolls, inkwells, and a single quill pen.

Behind the desk, dressed in fine green silk, sat a woman with delicate features and a sharp gaze.

The woman is Madam Su.

"Su Xia! I brought gifts," he declared cheerfully.

Kou pulled out the jewelry and perfumes he swiped from the merchants and placed them messily on the desk.

The wide grin he had on his face seemed to show how proud he was of himself.

Madam Su's stare pierced through him as she replied completely deadpan.

"Where did you get these cheap things?"

"If you don't want them, I'll sell it to other brothels."

"What are you doing here? What did you do?"

Kou dramatically kneeled in front of the desk as he lazily collected back the trinkets he laid out.

"Haa… I didn't and am not going to cause any troubles!"

"Says the one who provoked two clan heads at once."

Madam Su stood from her seat to prepare tea as she had a guest in her office.

The so-called guest was now slumped on the carpet.

"It wasn't intentional," the guest explained.

"Of course."

Kou really did not expect Shin Minji to show up during the fight, let alone for Chen Rongguang to come roam the streets.

"No one got hurt."

"Of course."

Madam Su continued to pour the tea without lifting her head once to look at him.

Kou lifted himself off the ground and sat cross-legged at the other end of the low table.

"I did achieve my goal!"

"Of course."

Madam Su had no doubt of her friend's ability. As far as she knows, he is the most cunning thief not only in the Peninsula, but across the five lands.

"And nothing happened yet!"

"..."

He might be the brightest when it comes to sly tricks and swindling, he could also surpass mages in magic, but in other aspects… He was quite slow.

"Well, Chen Rongguang might raise hell in the Peninsula if he found out that his package is gone- Actually, he probably knows by now."

"..."

Madam Su, as a brothel owner, had quite the connections and influence in the network. Her skills and quick thinking helped her get to where she is standing today.

And words in the streets spread fast enough for her to figure out most of what happened today.

Based on all the information, Chen Rongguang was the least of her dear friend's problems.

"I'll just flee to the west before he catches me. Su Xia, you must have heard that I crossed swords with Shin Minji today! That's why I want to go west!"

Madam Su's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Could it be… that he doesn't know?

"It was fun today. Why are you quiet? Am I talking too much? Anyway, how is business?"

As she placed a cup of tea in front of him, Madam Su finally looked at him right in his eyes. He still had the same grin on his face.

He really doesn't know. His bounty went up to 77,600 gold bits.

He doesn't know the Shin Clan had claimed a clan branding.

Should I tell him?

"Business is fine."

"That's great! Did any big shots come to the house? Who gained the biggest profit? My bet is on the Crimson Temptress! Hahaha!"

I guess not. Since it's him, it should be fine.

It's more fun if he finds out himself.

And so, Kou still had no idea of his incredibly large bounty placed on his head and its news spreading like wildfire across the five lands.