No one is born a thief, so the child naturally came from an unhappy family and had a miserable childhood.
At present, he belonged to one of the small gangs in Wei Province capital that specialised in petty theft. Day after day he carried out minor crimes of stealing chickens and touching dogs, never quite full yet never quite starving.
What could be done?
Nothing.
At least Yan Hongxia could do nothing, and neither could Lu Zheng. In the modern era, thieves had been largely eradicated only because surveillance cameras were everywhere and everyone used mobile phones.
In ancient times?
Better to wash and go to sleep.
But while large-scale rescue was impossible, saving one individual was still feasible. The child appeared to be only about ten years old, not yet fixed in his ways, still redeemable.
Knowing he had not eaten, Yan Hongxia tugged his ear and dragged him back to the Li residence.
Once back at the Li residence, after hearing Yan Hongxia’s explanation, the Li family quickly located the child’s widowed mother and employed her as a servant in the rear courtyard, providing her with steady income.
The child knew the difference between right and wrong. Upon hearing the news, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed frantically, then was held by his mother as both wept bitterly.
…
In the afternoon, Yan Hongxia lost all interest in further shopping, so she returned to her room and shut the door to cultivate in seclusion. Meanwhile, Lu Zheng and Shen Ying sought shade in an unoccupied tea pavilion in the rear courtyard.
The Li family served a pot of tea, a local variety of mid-to-upper quality. Though not equal to February Fragrance, it was not far behind.
Lu Zheng took a sip, sighed with contentment, then, having nothing better to do, took out the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror.
Shen Ying blinked and asked, “What does my husband mean by this?”
“That man earlier seemed odd. I am rather bored, so let us take a look.”
“Which man?” Shen Ying asked.
Lu Zheng replied, “The one whose money pouch was stolen.”
“Him?” Shen Ying recalled the scene. “What was odd about him?”
“Do you not think his expression, when he realised the pouch had been stolen, was rather forced?”
“Ah? Was it?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “For acting that requires an emotional outburst, his performance was poor. The expression was contrived, slightly exaggerated. In truth, he had known all along that his pouch was taken.”
“Really? I did not notice.”
Shen Ying naturally trusted Lu Zheng and asked, “Then why did he not seize the child? Could it have been deliberate, knowing the child’s hardship, and giving money on purpose?”
Before Lu Zheng could answer, Shen Ying shook her head herself. “No, that cannot be. There were plenty of copper coins in the pouch. Even if he wished to give money out of kindness, he would not hand over the entire pouch.”
Lu Zheng nodded in agreement.
“That is strange…”
Shen Ying frowned in thought but could not work it out. She looked up at Lu Zheng. “Has my husband figured it out?”
Lu Zheng smiled. “I have not. I only guess he did not wish to cause a major disturbance.”
“Oh?” Shen Ying raised an eyebrow.
Lu Zheng had once had a police officer girlfriend, and he had heard a similar tale.
Two officers in disguise were surveilling a target, sitting not far from the target in a public place, when a pickpocket spotted them.
To avoid alerting the target, the two officers endured it, allowing the pickpocket to take one of their wallets while pretending naturally that they had noticed nothing.
“Not wishing a major disturbance. Is he engaged in some shady business, or is his own identity problematic and unable to face officials?”
“I do not know!” Lu Zheng shrugged. “But we have nothing else to do, so let us see.”
With that, he cast the spell. Clouds and mist appeared on the surface of the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror, then dispersed layer by layer, soon revealing a view of Wei Province capital.
Looking at the overhead image in the mirror, Shen Ying asked Lu Zheng, “Wei Province is so vast. How do you intend to find him?”
Lu Zheng smiled, turned his palm, and a teacup lay there. It was the very one the man had used that morning at the tea stall.
Shen Ying shook her head speechlessly. “You truly are bored. You even prepared in advance.”
Lu Zheng laughed. “If he is planning something harmful, as a land deity of Great Jing, would you not have to intervene?”
Shen Ying gave him a charming eye-roll. “I can only manage my own small patch in Taohua Ping.”
Lu Zheng laughed heartily, formed the seal, grasped a strand of aura from the teacup, and infused it into the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror.
The next instant, the mirror surface shifted and instantly moved to the second floor of a restaurant.
This restaurant lay in another direction from the Li residence.
“Hmm?” Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow.
But the next moment, Lu Zheng saw the man suddenly look straight at him. Lu Zheng could not help feeling a tightness in his chest, his face paling.
At the same time, the mirror surface instantly blurred, covered by layers of cloud and mist, no longer able to show the man’s face or location clearly.
Then…
A strand of demonic qi, faint yet pure, rose into the sky from about one li north of the Li residence.
“Unintentional True Desire demonic qi!” Shen Ying cried out in shock.
“Deeper than the demonic qi of the Black Heart demon who ambushed Yi Qingtian!” Lu Zheng stared wide-eyed, thinking, could this be the true body of the Great Black Heaven Unintentional True Desire Demon Ancestor? Had he stirred up trouble?
The next moment, the source of the demonic qi flickered once, then vanished.
“Demon!”
“Where do you flee, demon!”
“A disciple or grandson of the old Unintentional True Desire demon, bold indeed! To scheme right under this old beggar’s nose?”
“Amitabha!”
Four distinct voices rang out. Then streaks of light flashed across the sky. The old beggar Liu Zong was fastest, appearing in mid-air in the blink of an eye.
His piercing gaze swept the area. He sneered, extended his right hand, and beckoned.
“Boom!”
A thunderclap on a clear day. Shaoyang divine thunder descended from the heavens. Where the air had been empty, ripples suddenly spread, revealing a figure. It was the middle-aged man whose pouch had been stolen.
The next instant, Lin Yi, Jinye Zen Master, and Xingfeng Zen Master arrived in unison, surrounding him from four directions.
The middle-aged man’s face was dark and twisted with malice. He glanced at the four, pure black flashing in his eyes, then turned his gaze toward the Li residence beyond them.
…
In the Li residence courtyard, Lu Zheng and Shen Ying hovered in the rear courtyard, watching from afar. When they saw the man look their way, both instinctively shrank their necks.
Ao Qi and Yan Hongxia also rose into the air, joining Lu Zheng and Shen Ying. The four gathered together to observe the battle.
Yan Hongxia recognised the man’s appearance and exclaimed in shock, “It is him?”
Ao Qi blinked. “Who?”
Yan Hongxia was stunned. “This fellow, was his pouch not stolen this morning? And now this afternoon he is possessed by a demon?”
Lu Zheng turned back. “Have you not considered that he was already possessed this morning?”
Yan Hongxia was dumbfounded. “Ah?”
…
“Amitabha! Such profound demonic qi!”
Jinye Zen Master intoned a Buddhist proclamation, golden light gleaming in his eyes. “When the Great Black Heaven Unintentional True Desire Demon Ancestor fled the Central Plains, he took his four great disciples with him. If this old monk’s senses are correct, you must be the Profound Heart Demon, are you not?”
“So what if I am?”
The Profound Heart Demon, in the middle-aged man’s form, spoke coldly. “This time you were lucky, but next time you will not have such good fortune!”
Liu Zong laughed upon hearing this. “You think there will be a next time?”
At the same moment, Lin Yi pointed a finger. A golden light flew from his sleeve, instantly forming a three-chi sword.
This sword differed from ordinary flying swords, possessing both edge and hilt. Pure Yang qi filled heaven and earth, enveloping all directions, then shot irresistibly toward the Profound Heart Demon’s chest.
