Chapter 41: Robbery

However, Zhou Qing had barely relaxed when the young man came back.

Outside, hailstones the size of pigeon eggs began to fall.

Where could he run to?

Raising his hands above his head, the young man wore a bitter expression and tilted his head apologetically, "I was wrong."

As he spoke, he picked up a rope from the ground.

It was originally Zhou Qing’s rope used for tying baskets, which had fallen when Zhou Huailin smashed the basket earlier.

"I-I'll tie myself up for you."

The young man lifted the rope, speaking weakly.

Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Huailin, who said, "Throw the rope over here."

The young man immediately complied and threw the rope over.

Zhou Huailin quickly and efficiently tied the young man who was pinned to the ground. After finishing, he turned to the other young man and said, "Come here."

The young man, though confused, obediently stepped forward.

Once he got closer, Zhou Huailin tied him up as well.

Zhou Qing, fearing they might break free, gave each of them an extra cut.

"Ah~"

A scream echoed, and Zhou Qing and Zhou Huailin exchanged a relieved glance.

"Good thing you brought a knife." Zhou Huailin, still in shock, kicked Wang Qiang. "You're really worthless."

After kicking him, Zhou Huailin looked at Zhou Qing.

Thankfully, it was Qing today, who has always been bold and brave. If it were Yao, Wang Qiang might have succeeded.

Raising daughters with a bit of fierceness is definitely beneficial.

After such an ordeal, Zhou Qing felt a bit exhausted and sat on Wang Qiang's back to rest.

Wang Qiang, struggling to breathe, pleaded, "Lady, I can't run. Can you please get off me?"

Zhou Qing rolled her eyes. "Who's afraid of you running away? It's just that the ground is cold in this rainy weather!"

Wang Qiang...

While Zhou Qing and her companions were sheltering from the rain in the temple, the sound of rain and wind drowned out the noise of the fight.

Shen Li, searching for Zhou Qing with his men, followed the cart tracks to the abandoned temple.

Before entering, he sensed something was wrong.

A group of people was getting off their cart, also seeking shelter.

Leading them was Zhou Wang, an advisor from the Duke of Zhen’s household.

The Duke of Zhen held military power, and since the Emperor ascended the throne, there had been many open and secret conflicts between the emperor and the duke.

The emperor wanted to reclaim military authority.

The duke, aiming to maintain his power, sought to force the emperor to abdicate in favor of his nephew, the second prince.

Now...

The emperor had tasked Shen Li with training a shadow guard in this area, but Zhou Wang’s presence was too coincidental.

With a swift decision, Shen Li raised his hand and issued a kill order.

"Leave Zhou Wang alive, kill the rest."

At Shen Li's command, his five men attacked Zhou Wang’s group like lightning.

The heavy rain and Zhou Wang’s group exhaustion from continuous travel put them at a disadvantage.

Shen Li, with a sharp sword in hand, moved swiftly towards Zhou Wang.

Zhou Wang, seeing Shen Li, trembled slightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent, "So you are here."

That single phrase revealed everything.

Without a word, Shen Li launched his most lethal moves.

Shen Li had been trained in martial arts since childhood, following the path of an assassin, while Zhou Wang was merely an advisor, who was no match for him in single combat.

His men were preoccupied with Shen Li's men, and within a few moves, Zhou Wang was captured.

Seeing Zhou Wang caught, his followers were momentarily distracted, allowing Shen Li’s men to kill them swiftly.

"Take him back, and clean up the area."

Leaving these instructions, Shen Li entered the temple.

Seeing the cart outside, he was sure Zhou Qing was there.

Inside, Zhou Qing was crouching in front of Wang Qiang, tearing open his clothes.

Wang Qiang shivered and looked at Zhou Qing in horror, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Qing patted Wang Qiang. "Do you have any silver?"

Wang Qiang... "Yes...yes."

"Where?"

"Around my waist."

Shen Li leaned against the doorframe, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Zhou Qing found a piece of silver on Wang Qiang and was about to speak when Zhou Huailin, spotting Shen Li, exclaimed, "Shen Li? What are you doing here?"

Zhou Qing turned quickly, seeing Shen Li soaked and leaning tiredly against the doorframe.

"Why are you here?"

Zhou Qing walked towards Shen Li.

Looking at Zhou Qing, Shen Li couldn’t help but smile. "The sudden change in weather worried Master. He sent me to find you."

Glancing at the men on the ground, Shen Li asked, "What about them?"

Zhou Qing spat. "They came to be robbed. They're scum, ignore them."

Zhou Huailin moved his lips but said nothing.

Wang Qiang had targeted Zhou Qing. Although he failed, the rumor would tarnish Zhou Qing’s reputation.

Seeing their silence, Shen Li didn’t press further and turned to Zhou Qing. "You robbed him, what about the others?"

Zhou Huailin was stunned.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly righteous Shen Li supported such actions. Impressive!

Zhou Qing approached the other two, but Shen Li stopped her. "I’ll do it."

The two young men...

Both spoke in unison, "At our waists, at our waists."

Kneeling, Shen Li took the silver, tossing it to Zhou Qing. "Catch."

Zhou Qing caught it perfectly.

"About ten taels in total. Who knew sheltering from the rain could be so profitable? Let’s split it."

Shen Li smiled indulgently. "Sure."

Zhou Qing laughed, "You, a young boss, are quite comfortable with robbery."

Shen Li replied, "You earned it, I share it. Why not?"

Zhou Qing laughed heartily, patting Shen Li’s shoulder, "You've got potential."

After a brief moment of laughter, the rain outside lessened, and the sky brightened.

"We can’t wait for the rain to stop completely. Let’s go while it’s lighter."

Zhou Huailin, worried about their roof, started to pull the cart outside.

"What about them?" Shen Li asked, looking at Wang Qiang.

"Let them fend for themselves."

Without looking back, Zhou Qing followed Zhou Huailin out.

People like Wang Qiang were harmful by nature.

But she couldn't bring herself to kill him. After all, it was a human life.

But if there was someone else did, it would be a service to the community.

The rain had washed away the blood outside, leaving no trace of the fight.

Once the cart was ready, the three of them left.

Before leaving, Shen Li left a message for his subordinates.

Knowing Wang Qiang’s nature and guessing what had happened, he couldn’t let such a person go unchecked.

How could he let such scum trouble the girl he cared about?

The muddy road made travel difficult. Zhou Huailin pulled the cart while Shen Li pushed. It was late at night when they finally reached Qingyang Village.

"Daughter! Daughter!"

Seeing shadows in the distance, Zhou Huaishan rushed forward.

As soon as Shen Li left, Zhou Huaishan had also gone out.

But with the heavy rain, he was clueless.

Not knowing where to search or being able to wait at home, he had been standing at the village entrance all this time.

Zhou Huaishan had been standing there after Shen Li left.

_____

I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! I wanted to let you know that due to my current schedule, I won't be able to keep up with updating 3 chapters. From now on, I'll be updating 2 chapters every Mon and Fri.

Thank you for your understanding and support!