piratefiction Chapter 18: The Night Thief
Chapter 18: The Night Thief
into the night.
"Whoosh~"
A basin of hot water was poured down at the doorway, splashing up a few mud flowers.
The figure flickered briefly in the orange candlelight before being hidden by the wooden door.
Wu He bolted the door and placed the wooden basin on the shelf next to him.
After soaking my feet in hot water, my fatigue was somewhat relieved, and I yawned softly as I felt sleepy.
Boom!
He then patted the new, soft cotton quilt on the bed, stuffed Tang Hengdao under the pillow, dried his feet, and crawled inside.
With a casual wave of his hand, he extinguished the candlelight on the table four feet away.
A dark atmosphere prevailed.
Goodnight, old man.
……
It was late at night.
I slept soundly.
Until, in his hazy state, Wu He seemed to hear some rustling sounds, instantly pulling his soul back from his light sleep.
His eyes opened, and his ears twitched slightly.
There were indeed some slight rustling sounds.
Thief!
My heart skipped a beat subconsciously, and at the same time, the rustling sound behind me disappeared.
Wu He felt a chill run down his spine and quickly adjusted his heartbeat and breathing back to their previous state.
This is no ordinary thief.
With his current cultivation level at the late stage of Skin Tempering, he could clearly feel the breathing and heartbeat within a few meters around him, but at this moment, he was completely unaware of it.
This thief was clearly concealing his presence, possibly employing some kind of turtle-breathing martial art.
Furthermore, the fact that the other party could sense the change in his aura further demonstrates that he is a master.
Wu He frowned slightly and quietly gripped the hilt of the knife beside him.
Then, he suddenly drew his sword!
Swish!
The glint of the blade cast a chilling shadow over the entire room, and a burly, dark figure was close to the bedside!
Wu He's thunderous strike clearly caught his opponent off guard, and his left arm was directly slashed.
Blood splattered, and a dagger flew out from his waist!
Wu He dodged the attack and held his knife horizontally in front of him, but the dark figure had already rushed out of the room, clutching his injured arm.
The wind and snow blew in, howling loudly.
By the time he rushed to the door, there was no trace of the shadowy figure outside. Looking at the few fallen tiles in the distance, it was clear that the figure had escaped using light-footed skills.
"Come kill me?"
Wu He raised his hand, looking at the crimson bloodstains on his knife, his brows furrowed deeply.
No, it shouldn't be here to kill me, otherwise I would have been killed in my sleep without making a sound.
The sound I just heard was more like someone rummaging through things.
Wu He turned around in confusion, lit a candle, and saw the messy scene inside the room, which further confirmed his guess.
Both of his wooden crates were wide open, the wardrobe was in disarray, and even the tables and chairs had been turned upside down.
What puzzled him even more was that the dozens of taels of silver he had left in the box were still there, and not a single tael was missing.
"If you're not stealing money, then what are you trying to steal?"
He scratched his head.
Everyone loves silver, but the thief didn't take it, probably because he was afraid that the metal would make a noise when he carried it.
This further proves that the target he wanted to steal was very important to him.
But besides the silver, the most valuable thing in Wu He's room was his knife.
Numerous doubts were revealed, leaving Wu He feeling as if he couldn't catch his breath.
"grass."
He swore, never expecting to encounter a thief on his very first night in his new home.
Then, as if remembering something, he picked up the candlestick, covered the candlelight with his left hand, and walked to the door.
In the damp, not yet completely frozen mud, I indeed saw a footprint that didn't belong to me. Its pattern was peculiar, and judging from its size, it couldn't possibly be a woman's.
After noting down the pattern, Wu He sighed softly, closed the door again, and, unable to sleep any longer, sat on the bed and closed his eyes to rest.
Until the next morning, when slivers of light peeked in from the east, the sounds of Old Zheng going out to buy groceries could be heard from the courtyard.
Wu He dressed, slung his knife over his shoulder, and walked out.
The snow has gotten heavier again.
This year's snow has been exceptionally long and frequent, with goose-feather-like snowflakes falling gently, creating a silvery landscape. The icy air rushing into my nostrils has invigorated me considerably.
"Master Wu! Getting up early to practice your skills."
Old Zheng walked up from a short distance away, beaming, to say hello.
"As you instructed last night, the ten catties of spirit deer meat were put into the pot to cook early this morning. I just glanced at it, and it's thoroughly cooked. I added some fuel to the fire, and it's keeping it warm!"
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, you're being too polite. We've spent half our lives working around the stove; it's just something we do by default!"
After saying that, he craned his neck and walked closer, chuckling as he said, "There's a small cup of wine by the pot, a daughter's red wine that I've treasured for many years. I'll save it for you to relax."
Seeing his helpful manner, Wu He asked, "Is something the matter?"
"Uh, it's nothing!"
Old Zheng sniffed, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Well, from now on, if you need to buy meat, you don't need to go yourself, I'll run the errand for you."
"Don't let Erguaizi go. That guy's ruthless. After he's done with a girl, he always sneaks a few more gropes. Think about how honest he can be. He's swindled a lot of money!"
Erguaizi washes dishes in the kitchen and also does the grocery shopping every afternoon.
If you say Erguaizi is black, how can he be white?
Wu He didn't care about this trivial matter and nodded, saying, "Okay, you go ahead with your work."
"Okay, okay! I'm going now."
Old Zheng pulled his handcart and jogged off, humming a little tune, looking quite relaxed.
Wu He now understood what it meant for someone to be successful to be surrounded by good people.
Old Zheng used to bully the original owner quite a bit, often using leftovers as leverage to force her to do this and that.
Now, they're as obedient as grandsons.
He stopped thinking about it and went to the kitchen. He took the ten pounds of deer meat out of the pot, sprinkled it with coarse salt, and then ate it with gusto.
This beast meat is truly extraordinary. It's only sprinkled with a little salt, yet it's incredibly delicious, not dry at all, and has a wonderful texture.
It's definitely more delicious than any meat Wu He has ever eaten before.
Most importantly, its effects are amazing. After eating just two pounds, Wu He felt hot all over and had a strong feeling of fullness.
Of the ten pounds of meat, only two pounds were eaten, which was enough. The rest of the meat was saved for lunch.
The rest of the morning was spent practicing swordsmanship and the Python Pattern Kung Fu.
After filling their stomachs with the meat of the treasure beast, their cultivation efficiency increased significantly. During the three hours of cultivation in the morning, both of them made considerable progress.
[Progress Completed (Python Pattern Technique Mastery): 31/400]
[Progress completed (Minor Mastery of Blade Splashing Technique): 15/200]
"Okay, let's eat!"
After lunch, Wu He rushed to Xichun Hall to ask Wen Qiaoniang to brew medicine for him.
Today she was brewing a potent tonic, and she squatted in front of the fire, gently fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, as steam rose from the earthenware pot.
"This medicine is very potent, and its medicinal properties are also valuable. You can stand downwind and inhale the medicinal properties to practice your skills."
"Does inhaling also help?"
Wu He found it quite novel and immediately put down his knife, standing downwind and taking a deep breath.
A strange medicinal smell filled my nostrils, and I did feel a bit of warmth.
He then began practicing the Python Pattern Kung Fu.
In a short while.
[Progress Completed (Python Pattern Technique Mastery): 32/400]
The progress has indeed increased rapidly!
Wu He was overjoyed and became completely absorbed in the practice.
Once the medicine is brewed, let it cool before drinking it and then continue practicing.
In just two hours, the progress of completing the Python Pattern Technique had increased dramatically to eighty percent!
Such speed is truly delightful.
After leaving Xichun Hall, Wu He looked at the darkening sky in the west, pondered for a moment, and then headed toward the nearest clothing store.
The clothing store not only sells clothes, but also various styles of shoes and boots.
He examined the soles of each shoe one by one and actually found a boot that matched the footprints at the door last night.