TRWSB – Chapter 125 Becoming a Thief for the First Time

Feng Manor.

“Senior Feng Yuan, what do you mean by saying the young master and Young Master Zhuang are missing?” Mu Tingxuan asked anxiously.

“Originally, Qi Shaorong was supposed to inspect the spiritual herb garden today, but the steward there said they didn’t see him,” Feng Yuan sighed.

Mu Tingxuan furrowed his brow. “How could this happen?”

Feng Yuan looked at Mu Tingxuan and Yi Fan. “I’ve already sent people to investigate the situation. Once there’s any news, I’ll notify you immediately.”

Yi Fan frowned. “Thank you for your efforts, Senior.”

Feng Yuan looked at Yi Fan and Mu Tingxuan. “Don’t worry too much, maybe they were just enjoying the scenery along the way and decided to stay a little longer.”

Mu Tingxuan forced a smile. “I hope so.”

Mu Tingxuan and Yi Fan left, both of them clearly worried.

“What do you think is going on?” Mu Tingxuan asked Yi Fan.

Yi Fan shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I feel like Feng Yuan might be hiding something from us. This matter might require us to investigate on our own.”

Mu Tingxuan closed his eyes, looking tired. “I think the young master might have gotten caught up in the internal struggle of the Commerce Alliance.”

…

Inside Feng Manor.

Feng Yuan, hands behind his back, glared at the man in black. “You’re saying there are traces of the Sealing God Ring being used at the scene?”

“Yes, if Zhuang Hao and Qi Shaorong had their magic suppressed, then those two might already be in grave danger.”

“That bastard Feng He has gone mad! Not only did he steal the Sealing God Ring, but he also used it on Zhuang Hao!” Feng Yuan said, his voice filled with anger. Zhuang Hao had powerful Saint-level experts backing him, so Feng Yuan couldn’t afford to take him lightly.

“Master, if Qi Shaorong really is in danger, what about your promise to him?” the man in black asked.

“Even if Qi Shaorong is in trouble, I can’t abandon my promise to Mu Tingxuan,” Feng Yuan replied. “Qi Shaorong got involved in the internal conflict of my Commerce Alliance to save me. If I abandon him now, how will others view me?”

“Master is right. Actually, helping Mu Tingxuan deal with the Mu family wouldn’t take much effort.”

“Increase the number of people searching for Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao. Zhuang Hao must have some life-saving items on him. I don’t think these two would fall so easily,” Feng Yuan said.

…

Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao lay on a rooftop, looking at a clothesline in a yard below.

“Where do you think we were teleported to?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“This place is really backward,” Qi Shaorong said, clearly unimpressed.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Yeah.”

“Was that teleportation scroll a random one? Didn’t your grandfather worry that you’d end up in some desolate place?” Qi Shaorong asked in confusion.

“The scroll was originally meant to teleport us to the Zhuang family mansion, but now we’re too far from there. The teleportation scroll can’t reach the mansion, so the teleportation failed. I don’t know where we are now,” Zhuang Hao explained.

Qi Shaorong took a deep breath. “Alright, alright. Let’s talk about that later. Our immediate priority is for you to go down, steal two sets of clothes, and then we run.”

Zhuang Hao frowned. “Can’t we think of another way? This is so embarrassing.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuang Hao. “Don’t worry. You can trust my disguise skills. Even if you get discovered, they won’t recognize you. The worst that’ll happen is we get beaten up. It’s no big deal.”

Zhuang Hao frowned. “But…”

“No buts… didn’t you forget the pre-engagement agreement? It says that when we’re out, you’re responsible for my food, clothing, and shelter! Now I don’t have any clothes to wear, so of course, you have to figure something out for me,” Qi Shaorong said.

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and said with frustration, “I have to admit, that pre-engagement agreement of yours really covers everything.”

Qi Shaorong smiled. “As the saying goes, ‘The heavens are unpredictable, and people’s fortunes change in an instant.’ You have to consider all possibilities to handle emergencies. In situations like this, you can see the benefits of being prepared in advance.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuang Hao and said, “Alright, enough talking. Go downstairs and borrow some clothes, just two sets, no need for more.”

Zhuang Hao furrowed his brow and jumped off the roof. As soon as he landed, a series of loud barking noises filled the air.

“Grandpa, Grandpa, there’s a thief! A thief has entered the house!”

Qi Shaorong rubbed his forehead, silently thinking: Who would have thought that dogs in this world would be such effective guard dogs!

Zhuang Hao doesn’t seem suited to being a thief, Qi Shaorong thought, hesitating between staying behind to provide backup or escaping ahead of time.

“Brother, there’s another one over there,” a girl came running out, saying.

The boy suddenly shot an arrow at Qi Shaorong, causing him to fall from the roof.

Qi Shaorong’s face turned red with embarrassment; he hadn’t felt this humiliated in a long time.

“Grandpa, I caught the thieves! I caught the thieves! I caught two thieves!” the boy said happily.

Qi Shaorong bit his lip. As soon as the boy made his move, Qi Shaorong could tell he was a level two martial artist. In the past, he would have easily eliminated someone like him with a single wave of his hand, but now…

An old man slowly walked out. “Let me take a look,” he said. The old man looked Zhuang Hao over and then glanced at Qi Shaorong. Qi Shaorong sensed a probing spiritual power scanning him. “How strange, both of them are magic and martial arts invalid, they don’t have any magic or martial power.”

The boy placed his hands on his hips and looked proudly at the old man. “Grandpa, you always said I’m useless, but look at these two! They’re so old and don’t have any magic or martial power.”

The old man gave the boy a glance and said, “You’re already thirteen, and still a level two martial artist. You’re the one who’s useless.”

Qi Shaorong’s eyes widened. Thirteen? But the boy was already over 1.8 meters tall! The girl was only about 1.5 meters, and Qi Shaorong had been surprised when the girl called this boy “little brother.”

“Hey, you two, with such weak skills, you dare to be thieves? Are you asking for death?” the big fool said angrily.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

The old man puffed on his pipe and said, “Alright, it’s not easy for anyone to survive out here. These two are pitiful too. Give them two sets of clothes.”

“Grandpa, cloth is expensive! Two sets of clothes cost a lot!” the boy complained.

The old man puffed his pipe again and said, “Then make them stay and work until they pay off their debt.”

Qi Shaorong: “…” The saying is true, when the tiger falls, the dog becomes king. A lone phoenix is not as good as a chicken. Rumors are not wrong!

“Grandpa, these two are magic and martial arts invalids. What can they do?” Yun Hu said.

The old man leisurely said, “Better than nothing.”

Yun Hu rolled his eyes and said, “True enough!”

Yun Hu placed his hands on his hips and looked at Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao. “Hey, I’ll tell you two. Starting today, you’re responsible for all the chores in the house. I’ll be supervising you. If either of you slack off, I’ll beat you.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Yun Hu, silently thinking: What’s this brat trying to act all tough for? He’s only thirteen, just a little brat! But he’s as strong as a bear, I wonder what he eats to grow so big.

Looking at the night sky, Qi Shaorong furrowed his brow and asked Yun Hu, “Where are we sleeping tonight?”

Yun Hu froze for a moment and looked at the old man. “Yeah! Grandpa, where will they sleep tonight? We don’t have any extra rooms.”

Yun Ping slowly exhaled smoke and thought for a while before saying, “Well, they’ll sleep with you.”

Yun Hu was taken aback. “Sleep with me? Grandpa, my bed is so small, it’s only enough for one person!”

Yun Ping looked at Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao. “Then let them sleep on the floor.”

Yun Hu nodded. “That’s right! These two are thieves and are staying to work off their debt. No need to treat them too well.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

…

Zhuang Hao and Qi Shaorong followed Yun Hu into the bedroom. Yun Hu’s room was a mess, with several broken pottery jars piled up in the corner of the room. Zhuang Hao couldn’t help but frown.

“Here, for you,” Yun Hu tossed two blankets to Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao.

Zhuang Hao looked at the blanket in his hands, puzzled. “Why are there so many holes in this blanket?”

Yun Hu scratched his head and said, “Probably from rats chewing on it.”

Zhuang Hao immediately felt his scalp tingle. “Rats? Why would rats chew on blankets?”

“How should I know?” Yun Hu thought, “Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, I used to hide food in the blankets, and that probably attracted the rats.”

“This blanket stinks!” Qi Shaorong pinched his nose.

Yun Hu glared at them and said, “Take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, I’ll sleep under it myself.”

“Give it to me,” Zhuang Hao said.

“Recently, the weather’s gotten colder, and we don’t have enough blankets. You two can share one. That way, you’ll stay warmer,” Yun Hu said.

Zhuang Hao’s spirit lifted. Silently thinking: After all this time, just this one sentence is enough to comfort him.

Yun Hu soon lay down and began snoring.

Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao huddled together. Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong. “What do you think we should do?”

“Let’s feel it out for now,” Qi Shaorong said.

Qi Shaorong frowned. The sealing on them couldn’t be undone in the short term. If their location here was discovered, if their own side found them, it would be fine, but if the enemy found them, they were as good as dead.

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong. “Are you cold? If you are, you can cuddle with me.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuang Hao. “I’m not cold, I’m just suffocating from the smell.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“That idiot must be hiding under the blanket, sneaking food,” Zhuang Hao said.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Yun Hu’s snoring grew louder and louder, and Qi Shaorong felt his eardrums aching. “This little brat is really noisy.”