Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Miracle-Handed Thief

“So you’re President Si Jin!”

Si Jin—that’s not a surname from Great Liang. Seems this branch President of the Baiyu Merchant Guild hails from Great Xiao.

“I’ve heard much about you. What a fateful encounter!”

Si Jin Haoran glanced at the horses behind Yuan Zhao. “Miss, are you here to sell horses?”

Yuan Zhao nodded. “I am.”

Si Jin Haoran immediately smiled.

“Perfect timing! I was just looking to buy a batch of good horses. It’s like getting a pillow when you’re sleepy. How about selling them all to me?”

Yuan Zhao wasn’t sure if he genuinely needed horses, but since he made the offer, there was no reason not to sell.

“As long as President Si Jin offers a fair price, I have no objections.”

She shot a quick glance at the horse trader from earlier.

The horse trader caught the look and immediately felt his legs tremble. He nearly lost his balance, only managing to stay upright with help from his companion.

Si Jin Haoran beamed. “Naturally.”

He held up three fingers. “These are fine horses. Thirty taels each!”

The price was fair, perhaps even slightly generous. Yuan Zhao had no reason to decline.

Of course, if he had offered something outrageous—say, a hundred taels per horse—she would’ve backed away.

In such cases, one never knew if the buyer had ulterior motives. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

But if it was just a slightly high price, it likely meant the buyer simply wanted to establish friendly ties.

Si Jin Haoran waved at his subordinates. Two well-dressed men in brocade uniforms stepped forward and took the horses’ reins from Yuan Zhao.

Judging by their outfits, they were probably his bodyguards.

Si Jin Haoran wasn’t a martial artist himself, but he was surrounded by powerful martial experts loyal to him.

He gestured again, and another man in brocade stepped forward, handing him a small ornate box.

Si Jin Haoran presented it respectfully. “Miss Yuan, they are twelve horses in total which means 360 taels. Please count it.”

Yuan Zhao took the box, nodded, and opened it. Inside were thirty-six plump silver ingots, each worth ten taels, just the sight of them brought joy.

What Yuan Zhao didn’t know was that, not far away on the second floor of a brothel, a flashy young man with slick hair was watching her with narrowed eyes.

More precisely, he was eyeing the ornate box in her hands.

“Heaven-Prison Blade… Yuan Zhao… interesting.”

He rubbed the wine cup in his hand with his fingers, murmuring softly.

Si Jin Haoran chuckled, patting his round belly.

“No need to be so polite, Miss Yuan. Now that we’ve met, let’s consider ourselves friends. Let’s meet again another time—I’ll take my leave for today. Until we meet again!”

“Until we meet again,” Yuan Zhao responded with a nod.

Once Si Jin Haoran and his people had left, Ah Qing looked at Yuan Zhao in amazement.

“Sister, that uncle was so kind!”

Yuan Zhao said calmly: “Ah Qing, remember: the hustle and bustle of this world is all for profit; the comings and goings of people are for gain.”

Ah Qing blinked in confusion. “What does that mean?”

Yuan Zhao explained: “It means no one is kind to you for no reason. Sudden goodwill often hides intentions you don’t see.”

“Oh~” Ah Qing nodded, half-understanding.

Yuan Zhao patted her on the head with a smile. “You’ll understand more as you grow.”

***

Then the sisters went on a shopping spree at the marketplace.

Aside from ingredients, spices, and tools for the noodle shop’s grand opening, Yuan Zhao also bought new clothes and hair accessories for Ah Qing, things the girl had never owned before.

Naturally, Yuan Zhao also treated herself.

Now that they had money, they didn’t have to wear coarse, rough hemp clothes anymore. They bought garments made of finer linen.

Those were the everyday clothes used for chores.

They also bought fur coats and silk garments.

The fur was for nighttime, since the temperature drop in Tianmen Town was significant after dark. The silk was for underclothes.

It had to be said, silk in Tianmen Town was incredibly expensive, even more than most furs.

Ah Qing had never spent money so freely, nor had she ever owned so many nice things. She smiled like a blooming flower the whole way home.

Once they finished shopping, they picked up Ah Qing’s hidden weapons from the blacksmith.

Then the sisters happily returned home.

As soon as they got back, they boiled water and enjoyed a nice bath, then changed into their brand-new clothes.

As the saying goes, “Clothes make the person; saddles make the horse.”

The moment they changed, they looked completely different.

Even Ah Qing, who had always been scrawny and small, seemed a shade fairer.

She wore a silk flower in her hair, one Yuan Zhao had just bought, and twirled in her new outfit.

“Sister, do I look pretty?”

“So pretty! Very pretty!” Yuan Zhao praised nonstop. “Our Ah Qing is growing into a beautiful young lady!”

Since they usually did physical labor, they both wore trousers instead of skirts.

But the new colors were far brighter than what they used to wear.

Ah Qing wore light blue, and Yuan Zhao wore pale yellow.

“Hehe~” Ah Qing blushed at the praise. “Sister, let’s get to work!”

“Alright, let’s get moving!”

The sisters threw themselves into their tasks, preparing for the noodle shop’s grand opening.

Ah Qing had already decided: the shop would officially open tomorrow.

Just in time, the tomatoes in their garden had ripened. She planned to add a new dish to the menu: Tomato and Egg Noodles!

But that name was too plain—she’d think up something more eye-catching tomorrow.

The two stayed busy until nightfall. After dinner, they returned to their room as usual to cultivate.

***

Late at night.

A familiar scene unfolded again.

A shadowy figure quietly crept into Yuan Zhao’s courtyard.

Once he landed, he looked around to ensure no one had spotted him before sneaking toward the house.

He moved silently once inside, rummaging through boxes and cupboards.

Eventually, he locked eyes on a specific cabinet.

It was secured with a large lock.

But—it was only a lock.

With a bit of fiddling, Click!

A crisp sound rang out and the big lock was opened.

At this moment, the shadowy figure hadn’t noticed that someone was quietly watching him from outside the window.

With a face full of excitement, the intruder opened the cabinet and quickly pulled out a small wooden box. Upon opening it, rows of gold ingots glimmered faintly in the dark.

“Ooooh~”

The intruder gasped, eyes lit up as he gently stroked the gold.

Jackpot!

Filled with excitement, he closed the box and stood up to leave with it…

Only to look up and see someone watching him from outside.

“Holy ****—!”

He was almost scared out of his pants.

“I was wondering who came looking for trouble again… turns out it’s just a petty thief,” Yuan Zhao said with a soft laugh.

The shadow didn’t take that kindly. “Who are you calling a petty thief? You think someone like me is on the same level as some small-time crook?”

Yuan Zhao sneered. “So, a petty thief and full of himself too.”

“I told you I’m not some petty thief!” he barked back, furious.

“Then why don’t you introduce yourself?” she said coolly.

The shadow gave a little laugh. “Well, it’s not like I can’t say. I’m Kong Kong.”

“The Miracle Handed Xiao Kong Kong? So you do have a bit of a reputation. Still a thief, though,” Yuan Zhao replied, her tone dripping with contempt.

Xiao Kong Kong laughed in anger. “You brat! Don’t think you’re something just because you’ve killed a few people. I was already famous when you were still crawling around in some remote corner of the world!”

“Enough chit-chat. I’m off to enjoy life with your money!”

With that, he leapt into the air, aiming to make his escape.

And he wasn’t bluffing—Xiao Kong Kong really was famous in the martial world. Though his martial arts skills were mediocre, his lightness skill (qinggong) was unmatched. Even elite first-rank masters had trouble catching him.

Using this ability, he’d built a reputation as a master thief, leaving behind a trail of enemies.

Eventually, too many people wanted him dead, and even he couldn’t keep outrunning them all, so he fled to the chaotic border between two nations to lay low.

But old habits die hard. The moment he arrived in Tianmen Town, he set his sights on Yuan Zhao, now flush with cash.

What he didn’t expect was that today he would suffer a humiliating defeat at Yuan Zhao’s hands.

Just as he activated his qinggong to leap away…

Thud!

He fell flat on the ground, mouth full of dirt.

He then realized, to his horror, that his feet were deeply embedded in the ground, stuck fast no matter how hard he struggled.

Too late.

Yuan Zhao had used an acupoint-sealing technique embedded within her martial art “Heaven-Sweeping Hand.”

If the “Hellgate Blade” was a style known for open and forceful attacks, “Heaven-Sweeping Hand” took a different route—softness overcoming strength, using minimal effort to control great power. Acupoint striking was one of its core techniques.

As for why his feet were stuck in the ground, that was Yuan Zhao’s manipulation of the forces of nature. Otherwise, why else would she have wasted so much time talking to him?

In the desert, she could easily control sand because it was loose and easy to manipulate. Ordinary ground, however, required much more effort and time to manipulate.

Yuan Zhao’s elemental control was highly dependent on the environment. Here in Tianmen Town, earth was the easiest element for her to work with. Fire was next easiest. Water was the hardest.

If she lived near a lake or river, her water control would probably be just as easy as sand manipulation in the desert.

As for wood and metal, she had not yet gained the ability to control them.

Once she cultivated the Tongxin technique to higher levels, her control over the natural elements would no doubt grow even stronger.

Yuan Zhao yanked off Xiao Kong Kong’s face scarf and gave his soft, fair face a couple of hard slaps. “All that bragging, and this is the best you can do?”

“Shameless!”

“Still talking tough? Just wait, you’re gonna suffer for this.” She gave him another solid smack.

Then she stood up and went to fetch some rope.

Xiao Kong Kong lay on the ground, humiliated beyond words.

But he didn’t know—his humiliation had only just begun.

***

The Next Morning

Yuan Zhao’s noodle shop officially opened for business, and quite a few familiar faces showed up to support her.

But as they arrived at the shop entrance, they were stunned by what they saw.

A young man, wearing only a pair of underwear, was hanging from a pole in front of the shop.

The man wanted to scream for help, but his mouth was gagged and his acupoints had been sealed. All he could do was blush furiously as passersby gathered to stare.

Ah Qing stood at the entrance greeting guests.

Since the shop had just opened, Yuan Zhao was worried that people might not know it was open, so she had Ah Qing stand outside to welcome and inform them.

Previously, this had been called Zhao’s Noodle Stall. Now, it was Zhao’s Noodle Shop.

Yuanzhao hadn’t changed the name. She kept the name her grandfather had used for decades—as a tribute to him.

At that moment, a group of men arrived at the shop.

They were long-time customers of Zhao’s stall—guards for hire, or bodyguards for transport caravans.

There were many similar guards in Tianmen Town. Most weren’t from big security agencies and couldn’t get high-paying jobs. They barely scraped by.

The lead guard grinned and called out: “Miss Ah Qing! We’re here to support your business!”

They happened to be free today, most of the time, they were on the road. Only when they finished a delivery did they come back and eat here.

To their surprise, they made it back just in time for the grand opening.

Ah Qing smiled brightly. “Uncles! Please come inside, come inside!”

Just then, the guards noticed Xiao Kong Kong hanging at the entrance.

One of them asked in shock, “Miss Ah Qing, why’s there a scrawny chicken hanging outside your shop? That’s a bit unsightly!”

Ah Qing spat toward Xiao Kong Kong. “Peh! That shameless scoundrel tried to sneak into our house and steal stuff last night!”

The guards, hearing that, spat as well. “Peh! Serves him right. I hate lowlife thieves like that.”

“Exactly! Serves him right!” The others chimed in and joined in the spitting before following Ah Qing into the courtyard, chatting cheerfully along the way.

They had practically watched Ah Qing grow up.

“It’s all thanks to my sister,” she said.

“Miss Yuan is a good person.”

“Ah Qing, you look great today.”

“Really?”

“Really! That flower in your hair is beautiful too.”

“Hehe~ I thought so too!”

…

As time passed, the noodle shop filled with more and more customers.

Ah Qing fluttered around like a happy little bird, tending to everyone.

Likely thanks to Yuan Zhao’s growing reputation, the shop was extra busy today, most of the customers were new faces.