Qin Jian walked down the brightly lit, bustling street, humming a modernized version of the "Eighteen Touches," pondering his next destination, when he suddenly felt a hand silently slip into his pocket.
"Damn their ancestors! They dare target me?"
Turning around, he saw a man in a suit and tie, looking quite respectable, standing behind him.
These days, even thieves care about their image, Qin Jian sighed inwardly, feeling a myriad of emotions.
A strange smile spread across Qin Jian's face. "Find anything?" he asked.
The thief clearly hadn't expected to be discovered so quickly. After ten years of diligent practice, he could snatch slippery marbles from boiling oil; his two-finger technique was highly praised in the industry. How could he have been exposed so fast?
"Not yet!" The thief showed no trace of embarrassment as he slowly withdrew his hand from Qin Jian's pocket, even smoothing out the wrinkles in Qin Jian's shirt. His expression was friendly, as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
Qin Jian curled his lip. His hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the thief's retreating wrist. With a twist and a sharp crack, the sound came from the thief's hand.
"Ahhh..." Cold sweat instantly beaded on the thief's forehead as he cried out in pain. His wrist was grotesquely twisted, clearly broken.
Pedestrians on the street were startled by the scene and quickly gathered around to watch.
"Kid! Daring to steal from your grandpa? Tired of living?" Qin Jian still held the broken wrist, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he watched the thief's contorted face.
Ah, a thief, the onlookers realized, enlightened.
"Which eye saw me stealing?" The thief, relying on his fresh clothes and respectable appearance, stubbornly denied it.
"Caught red-handed and still mouthing off!" Qin Jian wasn't angry; instead, he found it somewhat ridiculous. He lashed out with his foot, kicking the thief squarely on the knee.
"Ah!" Another cry of pain. The sensitive nerves in the knee transmitted intense agony. The thief's legs buckled, and he crashed to his knees.
Qin Jian stood a head taller than the thief. Holding the thief's wrist now, he lifted half the man's body off the ground. Pain, burning like fire, seared through the thief's body.
Desperation flashed in the thief's eyes. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "Get him! Cripple him!"
Four men suddenly burst from the crowd, gleaming daggers in hand. They charged at Qin Jian from four directions.
The onlookers collectively took several steps back. Real knives and bloodshed were more than they could handle.
Qin Jian was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected society to decay to this point—a thief caught red-handed on the street dared to resort to violence?
His hesitation was brief. Qin Jian kicked the thief in the stomach, sending him tumbling backward. Using the momentum, Young Master Qin lifted the thief and executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw, hurling the thief's body hard at his companions.
Screams of pain erupted as the thief crashed onto two of his partners, all falling to the ground.
A chill swept over Qin Jian's back. He shifted his body slightly to the left. A gleaming dagger flashed past his cheek, appearing right in front of him.
Qin Jian was furious.
Judging by the dagger's trajectory, the thief's accomplice had clearly aimed for the back of his head. If he hadn't dodged, his skull would have been pierced.
His left elbow jabbed backward sharply. The powerful impact drew a muffled grunt from the attacker. Qin Jian freed his right hand, grabbed the hair of the man behind him, and simultaneously kicked backward with his foot, sending the assailant crashing to the ground.
Qin Jian performed the series of movements with dazzling speed and brutal simplicity. By the time he'd floored that man, the thief's other accomplices had scrambled up from the ground, their faces vicious as they lunged at Qin Jian.
Young Master Qin wasn't made of steel. Facing gleaming daggers sent shivers down his spine. Luckily, he'd practiced a bit as a kid. Without weapons, Qin Jian could easily take them down one by one. But with daggers in hand, it was a different story.
The skill of disarming an armed opponent barehanded was beyond Qin Jian's current ability.
Glancing left and right, Qin Jian didn't hesitate—he turned and ran.
Only an idiot would fight them head-on!
He vaulted over the roadside barrier, landing on the street. Looking back, he saw the thief's accomplices weren't giving chase. Instead, they wore expressions of malicious glee.
Following one man's gaze, Qin Jian saw a bus hurtling straight towards him.
Horns weren't allowed in the city, and Qin Jian, focused on escaping, hadn't noticed.
"Screeeech..." The sound of brakes was piercingly sharp, assaulting Qin Jian's ears.
Young Master Qin desperately lunged sideways, but his foot found only empty air. His body plummeted downward.
Years of training paid off. Qin Jian reacted instantly—he was falling into a hole! His strong, powerful hands shot out, gripping the edge of the pit, anchoring his body.
"Whew~~" Qin Jian exhaled involuntarily. That was close.
But the next moment, Young Master Qin wanted to cry.
This wasn't just any hole—it was a sewer with its manhole cover stolen. A pungent stench surged up from below, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Before Qin Jian could climb out of the sewer, the relentless thieves had already reached the edge.
Looking up at their sinister, leering faces, Qin Jian felt his luck had hit rock bottom.
"Boss! How do we handle him?" one of them, with dyed yellow hair, asked, turning his head.
A somewhat handsome face appeared over the sewer opening, though it was twisted with pain. Qin Jian recognized him as the man who had tried to steal from him.
What goes around comes around? Qin Jian now understood the saying profoundly.
"Cripple one of his fingers!" the thief gritted out. "Do it fast, then get out!"
"Got it!" The yellow-haired man wore a vicious expression as he crouched down, extending his dagger. Qin Jian, hanging by both hands, desperately clinging to the edge, provided the perfect opportunity.
"Pah!" Young Master Qin spat a mouthful of saliva, hitting the yellow-haired man squarely in the face. Then, he released his grip, letting his body plummet downward.
The yellow-haired man wiped his face, listening to the triumphant laughter echoing from the sewer. He turned to his boss. "He fell down himself. What now?"
"Get out of here! What else? You want to go down?" The thief was clearly frustrated, but considering the commotion, retreat was the best option. He could send someone to watch the spot later and settle the score properly when the kid crawled out.
To be precise, Qin Jian was a traveler.
When he was twelve, his father gave him a large sum of money to travel the world, and Qin Jian began his journey.
Even now, Qin Jian didn't understand how his father could bear to let him travel alone at such a young age, especially carrying such a large amount of money!
But gradually, Qin Jian became somewhat grateful for his father's decision.
Over the years, traveling north and south, Qin Jian had witnessed countless sights and experienced all facets of society. Mentally, he was far beyond his peers. As time passed, the young boy slowly grew into a tall, sturdy man. Years spent outdoors had bronzed his skin to a deep, coppery wheat color, gleaming faintly.
His rugged appearance gave him a wild, unrestrained aura. Though tall, he wasn't brutish, conveying a sense of security.
Qin Jian struggled to recall his father's face, but it always felt blurry.
This sewer is damn deep! He'd been falling for minutes without hitting bottom.
The rapid descent made Qin Jian dizzy. The wind whistling past his ears hurt, and his clothes puffed up. The pungent smell churned his stomach.
Moments later, the irritating odor vanished, replaced by the fragrance of grass and the fresh scent of earth. Qin Jian was puzzled.
Since when did our country's sewers get landscaped?
As he pondered this, an invisible resistance suddenly appeared beneath him, as if a giant hand was firmly holding him up. Qin Jian's body jerked to a sudden stop.
The violent change in speed forced a grunt from Young Master Qin. All his blood surged towards his nose, mouth, and ears. In the blink of an eye, Qin Jian was covered in blood, his vision blurred, seeing nothing.
Qin Jian felt his bones were about to break. He didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
Before he could form another thought, a strange, wondrous power descended from the heavens, enveloping his entire body.
It was a peculiar sensation. Qin Jian felt like he was in a sauna, his whole body soft and limp, yet incredibly comfortable.
A series of melodious, incomprehensible syllables sounded in his ears, jolting his spirit.
It was no exaggeration to call this voice heavenly music. The beautiful sound was like a lover's soft whisper, stirring every drop of blood in Qin Jian's body, gradually bringing it to a boil.
Despite the beautiful voice, Qin Jian felt a chill in his heart!
How could such a beautiful voice exist in a sewer? Am I encountering a ghost?
Qin Jian desperately wanted to turn his head and see whether the voice's owner was human or ghost, but he frustratingly discovered he couldn't move at all.
The aftereffects of the high-speed impact left Young Master Qin with only enough strength to roll his eyes.
Before Qin Jian could think further, the wondrous power surrounding him suddenly surged into his body.
He couldn't see it, but Qin Jian was certain something had just entered him.
His head felt like it was splitting! Qin Jian couldn't help but scream, his whole body convulsing. His bloodshot eyes seemed ready to burst. Countless things flooded his mind in that instant—many things Qin Jian didn't know.
The pain passed quickly, but Qin Jian still had the illusion that it was continuing.
In those brief moments, his clothes were soaked with sweat. Young Master Qin stared wide-eyed upwards, gasping for breath, his chest heaving. His throat felt parched. Two sticky trails slid down from his nose into his mouth, bringing a salty, metallic taste to his tongue.
Blood! Will it hurt? A ridiculous thought flashed through Qin Jian's mind.
In over ten years, this was Qin Jian's first time bleeding.
A sharp, urgent sound, beautiful and rapid, identical to the earlier voice, echoed in Qin Jian's ears.
The darkness before his eyes slowly dissipated. Qin Jian's vision gradually returned.
But when Young Master Qin saw the bright sky, he froze.
Wasn't I falling into a sewer? How did this scene appear?
Qin Jian turned his stiff neck, looking towards the source of the sound.
With one glance, Qin Jian was completely stunned.
Could there really be such a beautiful woman in this world?
Her green hair cascaded down past her knees, soft and smooth. Short bangs framed her forehead. Her small face was adorably round. Large eyes brimmed with confusion, fear, and expectation. Long eyelashes even held a few blades of grass, making her look even more pitiable and lovely.
She wore no splendid gowns or bright clothes, only dark brown, unknown animal hides!
Yes, animal hides! Qin Jian could tell.
The form-fitting hides perfectly outlined the girl's graceful curves. Her chest, heaving rapidly from tension, stood proudly high. Though not overly large, it was pert and shapely.
The hide wrapped around her waist was torn in several places, faintly revealing her fair, slender thighs. Qin Jian even caught a glimpse of the girl's inner thigh...
The girl held a small curved bow in her hand. Smudges of dirt on her face didn't hide her beauty; instead, paired with the hides, they gave her a bewitching aura.
"Danger!" The girl shouted at Qin Jian, her eyes filled with panic.
Before Qin Jian could react, the ground violently shook. Lying on the ground, caught off guard, he was thrown high into the air before crashing down face-first into the dirt.
"Damn it!" Qin Jian cursed hatefully, spitting out the fragrant earth in his mouth. He pushed himself up with his hands.
The previous weakness had completely vanished. Qin Jian suddenly felt immensely powerful, as if an unknown force flowed within his body, surging everywhere.
"Kill it! If we don't act now, we'll both die here!" The green-haired girl shouted again, her panic evident on her delicate face.
Qin Jian was utterly bewildered. Kill who?
Before he could ask, a gust of fierce wind swept towards the back of his head.