Mr. 07

Instantly, several pairs of eyes locked onto her.

Nightingale realized she had misspoken and quickly added, "I mean, two large chests of jewelry must be incredibly heavy, right? Who could possibly carry all that?"

A townsman looked her up and down. "That shows what you know. Legend has it that the Thousand-Hand Guanyin is eight feet tall with the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear. Forget two chests—if she wanted to, she could tear me in half with her bare hands!"

The thing Nightingale hated most was people insulting her appearance; criticizing her actions came a distant second. She had tolerated the previous comments, but she couldn't stomach this.

"Nonsense! Everyone knows the Thousand-Hand Guanyin is a righteous thief! A chivalrous bandit! How... how could she possibly look like that..."

"Seize her!" someone suddenly shouted.

Nightingale was startled; she knew she’d slipped up.

However, relying on her martial arts skills, she managed to dodge the surging crowd and nimbly flipped onto a nearby roof eave. "You ungrateful lot! You don't know what's good for you! No wonder you're poor!"

"You petty thief, you have the nerve to speak! Do you have any idea how many people you've hurt?" someone cursed.

Nightingale was fuming. She wanted nothing more than to leave this baffling little town, but just as she was about to move, an object flew toward her face with incredible speed. She didn't even have time to react.

The moment her face made contact, she realized what it was: a shoe. The sole slapped viciously against her face, causing her to lose her balance and tumble down.

What followed was her being hog-tied and hauled off to the police station.

Having heard Fang Zhiyi's deduction, Yan Wushuang identified Nightingale as the cat burglar the moment he saw her. She fit the profile: a woman who had recently arrived in town, loved the spotlight, and was beautiful... well, there was a shoe print on her face, so it was hard to tell if she was beautiful or not.

When Nightingale recovered and caught a glimpse of her own face, she was furious. She remained steadfastly silent during Yan Wushuang's interrogation, leaving him no choice but to lock her up. He decided to consult Fang Zhiyi on how to proceed.

However, as he walked into Fang Zhiyi’s home, he nearly tripped over a half-dead figure lying in the doorway.

Looking at the fellow with the pale face and emaciated frame, Yan Wushuang asked, "Master, who is this?"

Hearing him address Fang as "Master," the skeleton-like Li Huaian shot him a glance. His eyes held a trace of resentment; he opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Fang Zhiyi remained calm. "Ah, that’s my former disciple. However, as of today, he is no longer my student." As he spoke, he displayed what he had just written: a notice terminating their master-disciple relationship.

Yan Wushuang merely glanced at it. "Your handwriting is excellent." He suddenly recalled Fang Zhiyi mentioning that Taoist priests had to learn many skills; now, he was truly starting to believe it.

Li Huaian struggled to speak. "Master, you can't refuse to help me... How can you abandon your disciple..."

Fang Zhiyi looked at him coldly. "I have no disciple with such poor conduct—molesting women and strip-dancing in public. Furthermore, you have violated the grand taboo of our sect by consorting with a demon. You’re lucky to be alive; I'm surprised you haven't been sucked dry."

Without Fang Zhiyi’s interference this time, the snake demon had fed to her heart's content. Li Huaian only thought to return and ask his master for help when he realized something was wrong. Who would have guessed that Fang Zhiyi’s first move would be to sever their relationship and expel him from the sect?

"Sect taboo... You're lying!" His voice was weak and lacked confidence. "Ah Qing isn't a demon..."

Fang Zhiyi had sharp ears. "I'm not lying. Look." He held up a piece of paper with the sect rules written on it.

Yan Wushuang pointed hesitantly. "The ink hasn't dried yet."

Fang Zhiyi turned his head to look, then blew on the paper. "Close enough."

"You! You're slandering me... You’re leaving me to die..."

Fang Zhiyi put his hands on his hips. "I am leaving you to die. What are you going to do about it?"

Li Huaian stared at Fang Zhiyi. How had his master become like this?

Yan Wushuang spoke up. He didn't believe in snake demons. "Master, you should help him. If he dies, it’s another homicide case, and you won't be able to clear your name." There was a teasing tone in his voice; Fang Zhiyi always seemed to have the upper hand, so seeing this unfold gave Yan Wushuang a vague sense of satisfaction.

Fang Zhiyi glanced at him and smiled. "Fine. Why don't you come with me? Let your master broaden your horizons."

"But what about the cat burglar..."

Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "One thing at a time."

Yan Wushuang thought about it and agreed; indeed, he couldn't do much if the thief wouldn't talk.

Fang Zhiyi kicked Li Huaian. "If you're not dead, get up and lead the way!"

Li Huaian shot him a resentful look, but thinking of his own predicament, he reluctantly struggled to his feet and walked unsteadily toward the door. He knew deep down that there was something wrong with Ah Qing, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope.

Meanwhile, in the police station holding cells, Nightingale looked at Lin Adai in the next cell with a mischievous smirk. "Hey, little dummy, call me 'beautiful' and let me hear it."

Lin Adai looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "Master said I mustn't tell lies."

"What is that supposed to mean!" Nightingale snapped.

"You have stripes all over your face. It's not pretty."

"You!" Nightingale felt her sanity fraying. Even the village idiot was saying she wasn't good-looking.

"I can't stay here. What a hellhole—people are poor and there's so much drama!" She cursed under her breath, scanning her surroundings.

Then Lin Adai spoke up. "Master said there is treasure here."

"Hmm?" Nightingale’s eyes lit up. Pulling one last job before skipping town didn't sound like a bad idea!

Fang Zhiyi dragged Yan Wushuang down to crouch in hiding until a young woman appeared. She looked at Li Huaian with concern, and although Li Huaian was weak, he still wore an ingratiating smile when he saw her.

"It's just a woman. She looks a bit flighty, but she's hardly a snake demon," Yan Wushuang muttered.

Fang Zhiyi grinned. "Oh?"

He leaped out into the open. "Hey there, demon!"

The snake demon looked up, stunned to see Fang Zhiyi. Then she saw the apologetic look on Li Huaian's face.

She panicked and immediately revealed her true form. A snake as thick as a bucket appeared right before their eyes, large as life.

Yan Wushuang was completely stunned. Was the world this crazy? He could write off seeing the ghost earlier as a hallucination, but this snake... He pinched himself. Yep, a real snake.

He looked at Li Huaian. This kid was something else—first taking a ghost strip-dancing, and now hooking up with a snake demon. A true warrior!

Fang Zhiyi stepped forward, but Li Huaian suddenly changed his tune. "You can't hurt her!"

Yan Wushuang’s mind was full of question marks. Wasn't he the one crying for help just a moment ago?

Fang Zhiyi, however, seemed to have anticipated this and showed no surprise at all. "Fine!"

Li Huaian hesitated slightly, but that didn't stop him from establishing his persona as a devoted lover. "Ah Qing, I won't let anyone hurt you..."