The Assistant Magistrate’s Daughter and the Flying Thief

Xu Niantang’s words immediately drew the attention of everyone by the river.

Someone remarked:

“How can this girl not tell right from wrong? She’s actually siding with that great bandit!”

Another voice chimed in:

“This is bad! The ‘Flying Thief’ is known to take anything and is cunning and treacherous. Could it be that he’s also dabbled in seduction, charming this innocent young girl into a daze?”

With her sharp ears, Xu Niantang naturally didn’t miss such slander.

Instantly, she pursed her lips and shouted towards the source of the voice:

“Old Master Zhang from North Street, has your young master found a wife yet? And has his wife ever laughed at the coin-sized mole on his right buttock?”

Back then, Young Master Zhang had eagerly come to their door to propose marriage.

Xu Niantang had struck him left and right with a feather duster, leaving him seeing stars.

As he scrambled out of the main hall, he stumbled.

His loose trousers, unable to withstand the commotion, slid right down.

This revealed Young Master Zhang’s glistening, smooth buttocks.

At the time, Xu Niantang had laughed, covering her eyes with her hands.

Yet, through the gaps between her slender fingers, she had clearly seen that dark, “coin-sized” mole.

She had shaken with laughter, then feigned a prim voice, saying:

“Oh dear! I’ll get a stye, and then I won’t be able to get married! Someone, quickly, get this hooligan who’s flashing a girl out of here!”

Immediately, several guards, wielding wolf-toothed clubs, emerged from behind the courtyard gate.

Upon seeing the young master’s bare backside in broad daylight, their eyes immediately flared with rage.

With reddened eyes, they rolled up their sleeves and swung their clubs with fierce, whistling force:

“Miss, rest assured! We will not let this scoundrel take another step out of this courtyard, lest he spread rumors and tarnish your reputation!”

Xu Niantang waved her hand, smiling, her bird-like figure already skipping back into the house:

“No need. Given this young master’s courage, he wouldn’t dare to gossip about it anywhere.”

Events unfolded precisely as Xu Niantang had predicted.

Old Master Zhang from North Street, despite his immense wealth and rumored connections to a high-ranking official in the capital,

Dared not utter a word about this humiliating loss. After all, if the story spread, it would be his family’s disgrace, dimming the prestige of his ancestors.

Later, Xu Niantang had occasionally spotted Young Master Zhang on the street.

She would wave to him openly, but he would react as if he had seen a living Yama King.

His face would turn ashen, his legs trembling like noodles beneath his trousers, unable to support his two hundred-some pounds.

Ultimately, his accompanying servants would have to hoist the twitching young master, as if carrying him in a palanquin, before disappearing into the alley’s end.

Xu Niantang’s outburst completely diverted the crowd’s attention from the ongoing chase.

What unmarried maiden would publicly shout such scandalous nonsense?

Some sharp-eyed individuals began to discern the truth, exclaiming:

“That girl, could she be the daughter of Assistant Magistrate Xu?”

“Really?”

“Now that you mention it, there is a resemblance…”

“Oh, please! How could the Assistant Magistrate’s daughter ever show her face in public? A resemblance? The last living female you saw was probably that old sow your mother left you before she passed away!”

While the crowd chattered incessantly, Xu Niantang had already vanished.

Like a loach, she wriggled through the bustling crowd, finally emerging from its depths.

On the Jade Belt River, shimmering with ripples, the bandit and the constable were still locked in pursuit.

‘The guy this maiden favors can’t lose!’

She took a deep breath, then called out to the two swift figures under the night sky:

“Hey—don’t let him catch you—did you hear me? This maiden still has something to return to you!”

Her clear voice, as bright and charming as an oriole emerging from a valley, carried across the water.

He seemed to hear her, halting abruptly.

He glanced in her direction.

Xu Niantang was overjoyed, leaping with all her might and waving vigorously at him.

The moonlight, veiled by a thin haze, made his tall, slender figure appear even more elegant and otherworldly.

Xu Niantang’s heart pounded as she watched, her pretty face subtly flushing.

She couldn’t tell if it was from running so hard or for some other reason.

Ye Di had, of course, noticed Xu Niantang long ago.

He remembered this young girl he had met by chance.

He had indulged her whims for a while, taken some blame, and exchanged utterly boring words with her.

When she was willful, she would snatch a freshly bought candied hawthorn from a child on the street and run off.

This would leave the child crying “Waa!” at the spot.

Once her novelty wore off, she would then hand the half-eaten candied hawthorn to Ye Di.

Meanwhile, she would already be drooling in front of a hawker selling crystal soap pods.

‘This is quite nice,’ Ye Di thought.

Interacting with such a wild girl made him feel a genuine sense of being alive.

He reached out and flicked his hand, and the blade, glinting with cold light, paused in mid-air, stopping abruptly.

Constable Chen’s eyes, wide as brass bells, were fixed on the scene.

The hilt of the saber, gripped firmly between his thumb and forefinger, wouldn’t budge even an inch.

He exerted every ounce of his strength.

Sweat beads the size of soybeans appeared on his forehead, and veins bulged on his wrists.

Still, it remained completely motionless.

It was as if he faced not Ye Di’s hand, but a towering, craggy mountain piercing the clouds.

Constable Chen gritted his teeth, struggling to speak:

“You… what kind of sorcery… have you used…?”

Ye Di replied:

“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘One force conquers ten skills’?”

With a flick of his wrist, he casually brushed his sleeve.

With a “crack,” several fine, snake-like cracks instantly appeared on the gleaming blade.

The next second, the blade shattered into dust.

Amidst the scattered fragments, a shimmering light danced upon the Jade Belt River.

Along the riverbank, gasps of astonishment rose and fell, interspersed with whispers.

Only a faint, sudden cheer of “Cool!” from the young girl broke the silence.

Ye Di stated:

“Your weapon is gone. Will you still pursue this pointless struggle?”

With this display, Constable Chen knew he was no match.

Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly lowered his voice:

“I am under orders; I have no choice but to apprehend you! Surrender now!”

He had braced himself to be sent flying by a punch or knocked down by a kick.

Instead, the Flying Thief abruptly turned.

He simply ran, stepping on several river lanterns, causing the water to splash noisily.

Constable Chen paused in surprise, about to give chase.

A clear, cold female voice came from behind him:

“There’s no need. This fellow is deliberately toying with you. If he were serious, ten pairs of your legs wouldn’t catch him.”

Annoyed by the interruption, Constable Chen impatiently turned his head.

He was instantly so shocked that his mouth fell open, unable to utter a single word.

Murong Qihuang, clad in robes as white as snow, stood before him.

She had already shifted her gaze, looking out at the river beneath the night sky:

“Allow me. His martial arts are beyond your comprehension.”

Even if Constable Chen had never seen the White-robed Sword Immortal’s true face,

Witnessing her ethereal demeanor and immortal-like posture,

He knew it was the real Sword Immortal who had arrived.

He silently nodded, then without a word, quickly descended back to the riverbank.

****

The White-robed Sword Immortal had appeared.

This sight, witnessed by the crowd, ignited an even greater clamor than before.

“This… this is the Sword Immortal from Solitary Sleeve Peak, isn’t it? The Sect Master of the Thousand Bamboos Sect?”

“I heard the Prefect personally wrote a letter, begging the Sword Immortal to descend the mountain and capture the bandit. We’ve finally seen it!”

“Hey, Constable Chen, I was wrong, I was wrong… Don’t pinch, it hurts, it hurts… My Er’gou was just shouting for fun just now… Your daughter is safely at home…”

‘Oh no, why is Sister White-robe here too?’

Xu Niantang inwardly sensed trouble.

She slightly steadied her breathing.

Her delicate hands clenched into fists, resting before her softly rising chest, like spring mountains.

Her apricot-shaped eyes darted nervously, watching the situation on the river.

Just then, with a “splash,” water erupted.

Murong Qihuang, with a light step, glided across the shimmering surface of the water, swiftly rushing towards the bandit.

With her long sword held gracefully, she left a fleeting afterimage in her wake.

A cold glint, piercing the air, instantly reached its target, aiming directly for the bandit’s back.

The crowd on the riverbank, witnessing such skill,

For a moment, they forgot to praise, and silence fell all around.

“Watch out!”

Only Xu Niantang, in her urgency, blurted out.

Before her warning could fully register,

Ye Di had already sidestepped, and daggers shot from his sleeves, returning a few blows.

A series of crisp “clinks and clangs” rang out.

As sword light flashed repeatedly, Murong Qihuang parried every hidden weapon with her blade.

Without pause, she surged through the gaps in the rain of silver light, leaping to close the distance with Ye Di.

They moved across the water without leaving a trace, only occasionally stirring a few echo-like ripples.

After dozens of exchanges yielded no result, Murong Qihuang’s brows furrowed.

Her fair wrist extended lightly, and the tip of her sword pointed downwards, cleaving the Jade Belt River in two.

Instantly, a splash of water, several zhang high, erupted, as if stirring up a sky full of frost and snow.

Suddenly, someone cried out in alarm:

“Quick, look! What is that!”

Xu Niantang stared blankly, lifting her small face to look.

A sky-high, foam-crested whirlwind soared upwards.

Murong Qihuang ascended, treading upon the crest of the waves, her robes fluttering as a bright moon hung in the sky behind her.

‘So this is what a Sword Immortal is like…’

The thought spontaneously arose in Xu Niantang’s mind, then she was suddenly startled.

‘If they fight like this, what about her river lanterns?’

The waves, like ferocious beasts, leaped high, then crashed down as if pouncing on prey.

Lanterns bobbed precariously in the surging waves, swallowed in an instant.

Tears welled in her eyes from distress, and she shouted loudly:

“My river lanterns! Don’t ruin my river lanterns!”

Everyone who heard her turned to look, their gazes a mix of oddity and mockery.

For ordinary people, witnessing a Sword Immortal’s skills firsthand was a blessing cultivated over many lifetimes.

Moreover, the White-robed Sword Immortal’s actions were to capture a bandit.

At such a crucial juncture, everyone understood the stakes and priorities.

Who would still care about a young girl’s mere river lantern?

It wasn’t that Xu Niantang lacked understanding; she simply enjoyed being willful.

Watching another wave extinguish several dim river lanterns,

Xu Niantang’s eyes reddened.

This was her first time releasing river lanterns to honor her mother, and she never imagined encountering such a situation.

“What the hell is that thief doing?”

Someone exclaimed, having spotted Ye Di’s figure.

Waves surged, one after another, an endless torrent.

Yet, Ye Di, holding a river lantern, leaped through the tumultuous waves into the air.

Murong Qihuang narrowed her phoenix eyes, and with a shake of her long sword, immediately closed in.

To protect the river lantern, Ye Di no longer dared to hold back, fighting with all his might.

Sword light shimmered, and under the moonlit night, two silhouettes intertwined, reflecting each other.

The crisp clang of weapons striking each other rang out incessantly.

Xu Niantang’s clear, sparkling eyes were fixed on them.

Only after seeing clearly that the river lantern in Ye Di’s hand was hers,

Did she finally break into a smile through her tears, her rosy lips attempting to curl upwards.

Instead, she first let out a soft “呜” and cried:

“You bad person…”

Splashes of water flew everywhere, then fell back down like a curtain call.

Where sword energy surged, it cleaved waves and shattered currents, almost turning the entire Jade Belt River upside down.

Seizing the moment while Murong Qihuang paused for breath, Ye Di, carefully holding the river lantern, landed steadily on the river’s surface.

He gently placed it back into the gradually slowing current, allowing it to drift downstream.

It floated peacefully, obediently.

It was as if the fierce battle had never happened, belonging to another world entirely.

Suddenly, Xu Niantang felt she couldn’t look at him.

She let out a strange “aow” sound, covering her face with her sleeve and lowering her head.

Her chest pounded wildly, and her face burned intensely.

Even without a mirror,

She knew she must be completely red-faced, unfit to be seen.