Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 464 - 462

Chapter 464: Chapter 462

Upon hearing Xiao’er’s words, Zhuge Meiyu grew even more furious: "Are you implying that I have bad character?"

"I didn’t say that, you did." And it turns out this woman wasn’t completely useless; at least she had some self-awareness, thought Xiao’er.

At this moment, the staff placed the two pieces of jade into separate boxes, wrapped them in cloth, and handed them to Shangguan Xuanyi.

Seeing this, Xiao’er said: "Brother Shangguan, let’s get going! We’ve been out all day, I’m tired."

"Alright." Shangguan Xuanyi held the parcel in one hand, and with the other, guided Xiao’er out of the room.

"Hold on!"

"What now? Want to keep gambling with me? I wouldn’t mind winning a little more silver. How about raising the stakes to 3,000 taels this time?", Xiao’er said with a defiant look back at her.

"3,000? I..." Zhuge Aiyu seriously wanted to gamble one more time, but Zhuge Jinquan stopped her, covering her mouth. Any further betting, and their family’s reserves would be gone.

"Nevermind, the only thing we wanted was to say goodbye," said Zhuge Jinquan with a smile towards Xiao’er.

Having glanced at the clearly upset Zhuge Aiyu, Xiao’er nodded: "What a pity. Next time you want to gamble, remember to find me. Goodbye!"

After they had walked away, Xiao’er said to Shangguan Xuanyi: "It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone as foolish and wasteful as them!"

Zhuge Aiyu was so pissed off she nearly spat blood.

Not long ago, she had thought Xiao’er was being wasteful, but the tables turned quicker than she expected.

The news that Xiao’er had bought a massive piece of imperial green jade for just 100 taels quickly spread throughout Yunshi County.

At night, the ringing of a gong and the distribution of watchmen’s voices echoed in the air: "Second watch of the night! Please lock your doors and windows to prevent theft!"

Xiao’er was still in a daze from between sleep and consciousness. She glanced at the tightly closed windows, turned over and fell back into a deep sleep.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the bell rang again and the watchmen said: "Third watch; the night has proceeded peacefully."

By now, most people were in their deepest stages of sleep and could no longer hear the ringing bell.

Xiao’er turned and bundled herself entirely under the quilt to block out the outside noise and continued sleeping.

The worst part about staying in an inn was the noise. Because it was located by the road, the sounds in the night were too hard to ignore, especially for light sleepers like her.

After a while, when Xiao’er was almost back asleep, a strange, intoxicating scent wafted in, followed by slight sounds from the window.

Her body stiffened instinctively upon smelling the scent, hurriedly popped an antidote pill, dressed herself, and silently took out a whip, a dagger, and her golden python from her storage ring.

"Little Huang, if I can’t handle them, then you can take over. This will be good for me to gain some practical experience," she whispered to a sleepy golden python in her bed.

Two men in black leaped inside, rummaging through her stuff as stealthily as they could, making the slightest of noises possible.

What the hell? They saw them carrying the objects into this room during the day – where had everything disappeared?

Xiao’er couldn’t resist confronting them: "What are you looking for? Need any help?"

"We’re looking for the imperial green. Do you know where it is?" One of the thieves subconsciously responded.

The other thief immediately slapped him on the back of his head: "Idiot! We’re exposed! Let’s go!"

After speaking, he grabbed his partner and ran towards the window.

Xiao’er stood and said: "The imperial green is right in my hands! Don’t you want it?"

Hearing this, both men turned back and indeed, they could see Xiao’er holding a piece of jade in her hand.

Greedy glints flashed in their eyes.

"Kill!" The two men looked at each other and shouted in unison.

They then rushed forward with their swords, aiming straight at Xiao’er.

Xiao’er put the jade back on the bed and swung her whip, but one of the thieves quickly grabbed it.

Rolling with the movement, she gathered her inner strength, swung her whip with all her might, trying to mimic Shangguan Xuanyi and throw her adversary out of the room.

She was unfortunately not strong enough, and the thief was not weak either. He jerked on the whip instead and successfully pulled Xiao’er towards him; had she not managed to grab the window frame just in time, she would have been launched out of the room.

Sigh. Why did I overestimate myself?, thought Xiao’er in despair.

Meanwhile, the other thief lunged straight for the bed.

Steadying herself, Xiao’er threw two darts at the two thieves simultaneously.

But the throwing knives were deflected by one of the thief’s swords.

Just then, Shangguan Xuanyi kicked open the door and stood at the entrance.

One of the knives was flying straight toward his forehead.

"Brother Shangguan, watch out!", Xiao’er cried out in alarm.

Shangguan Xuanyi calmly extended two fingers, catching the dart just before it hit and, turned around, threw it at one of the men.

Seeing Shangguan Xuanyi appear, one thief instantly shouted to his accomplice by the bed: "Retreat!"

He then wielded his sword and rushed towards Xiao’er, who was still by the window.

Xiao’er sidestepped to dodge, leaving the window just as Shangguan Xuanyi dashed in, like a lightning bolt, engaging the thief in a struggle.

Seeing an opportunity, the other thief rushed to the bed and tried to lift up the stone. However, Xiao’er’s whip lashed out and hit him directly in the arm. The pain caused him to lose his grip on the stone, which fell and landed on his foot. He screamed in agony, clutching his leg.

By this time, Zhao Yong, Yang Liu, and Jingrui had rushed over.

Zhao Yong stepped forward and knocked the howling thief out with a single palm strike.

Shangguan Xuanyi had also apprehended the other thief.

By now a crowd had gathered outside the door, including the innkeeper. Shangguan Xuanyi asked the innkeeper to fetch a rope, and they tied up both men tightly.

Suddenly, government officers arrived on the scene. Someone in the crowd identified the two thieves as notorious bandits who’d been wanted by the government for two years.

Anyone who captured these bandits would be rewarded with 100 taels of silver!

The guests at the inn had also seen the announcement on the board and were aware of the situation - all proclaimed the good fortune of Xiao’er and her party.

Buying the priceless jade for only 100 taels was something, but to have notorious bandits come to rob them, only to be captured and earn a reward of 100 taels was something else!

"Please meet me at the Government Office tomorrow so that I can bring you to the officials and you can receive your reward," said the Constable.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded in agreement.

After the officers and crowd dispersed, Jingrui quickly stepped forward and looked Xiao’er up and down. "Were you injured?" he asked.

Xiao’er shook her head: "No, I wasn’t. As soon as the fight started, Brother Shangguan arrived. Now, the thieves have been caught and dawn is still an hour away. You should all go back to sleep."

"Today’s news of you acquiring the imperial green jade has spread throughout the city. Money and valuables can awaken people’s desires, and who knows if there are other thieves waiting in the shadows. Brother, I’ll stay here with you," Jingrui insisted.

Xiao’er again shook her head: "Dawn is almost here, which thief would be foolish enough to commit a crime at this hour? Just go back to your room."

"Better safe than sorry," Jingrui still said, not reassured enough.

"I’m staying with Miss, that should be enough," Yang Liu said.

"No need, just go! If you don’t leave soon, the sun will rise and no one will get any sleep!" Xiao’er feigned impatience.

"Yang Liu, you stay. Let’s all go," Shangguan Xuanyi intervened and walked out of her room.