Chapter 75 Theft

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Late at night, outside the She family courtyard in Xiahe Village.

Several people covered their faces with strips of cloth and hid furtively in the corner of the wall.

"Stay still and be careful," the man with his foot on one of the men said in a low voice, slapping the man beneath him.

The person acting as a support below couldn't help but roll their eyes in the shadows. They would always make him do hard labor. The boss really had no idea about his own physique. He weighed over 100 kilograms, and it was a miracle that he could even stand up.

But since he was the boss, he held his breath and endured the pain of being beaten. Being small and weak, he dared not refute. The skinny man tried his best to keep his body still despite the swaying.

"Boss, is this family really rich?" the man who was helping the person asked in a low voice.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his boss's decision, but this was a poor, remote village where even relatives wouldn't come to steal from. How much money could they possibly have? And judging from this family's circumstances, they were just average. Why would they travel such a long distance, crossing several villages, to steal from them?

"You're obviously someone who doesn't read books or newspapers." Clinging to the courtyard wall and stepping on the shoulders of the people below, Zheng San, the leader they called, glanced at them with some disdain.

The news of the She family's discovery of the treasure spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding area, and it was even reported in the newspapers. He simply couldn't believe that anyone could be so selfless and without desire as to leave such a huge treasure untouched.

Humans are creatures of desire; their family must have secretly hidden a lot of treasures and valuables before they reported it to the police station.

In this way, you gain fame and fortune.

"Go higher, and hurry up, or it'll be dawn." The She family's courtyard had been raised, making it difficult for them to climb over. After ten minutes, they still hadn't gotten in, and Zheng San was getting impatient.

The two people being scolded dared not utter a sound, silently straightening their backs and letting him grow taller.

Another ten minutes or so passed.

With a few soft "thumps, thumps, thumps," the person finally climbed into the yard.

"Wait, don't make a sound." After walking a few steps quietly, Zheng San, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and stretched out his hand to stop them.

He looked around warily, then stared intently ahead. The skinny and short men behind him, seeing this, peered closer, puzzled.

On a dark and windy night, in the courtyard, in front of them was a wooden board with a sentence written in childish handwriting.

#Beware of being bitten if you have a large, vicious dog at home#

The three people stared at the words, looking at each other, hesitant to move.

"Go over there and take a look, and get it sorted out," Zheng Laoda instructed, nudging the skinny man beside him with his elbow.

The skinny guy froze for a moment, then looked at his boss in shock. Good heavens, he's afraid of dogs!

"Go ahead," Zheng said impatiently.

The skinny man then looked at the short man beside him. The brother he usually called sworn brother was now looking away and not daring to meet his eyes.

"It's better for me to die than for my friend," the brotherhood, as hard as a rock, cracked. No one helped him. Deeply aware of this, the skinny man stepped forward, disheartened.

He cautiously circled around the wooden planks, picked up a stick from the ground, and nervously peered into the pigpen. Then, he stopped moving.

"Go on, what are you dawdling for?" After waiting for a while, seeing that he still didn't move, Zheng San, who was behind him, pushed him impatiently.

The skinny man turned around speechlessly and pointed towards the pigsty.

The two people behind him exchanged a glance, stepped forward in confusion, and then fell silent.

Inside the pigpen, a tiny puppy, no bigger than an adult's palm, was fast asleep with its belly up. Hearing a noise, it immediately rolled over and stood up. Upon discovering that the person outside the pigpen was a stranger, it lowered its legs, growled softly, and assumed a fighting stance.

The three thieves: ...

"Get to work, stop standing there like an idiot." After giving him a slap on each side, Boss Zheng turned and went into the house first.

The remaining two rubbed their sore heads, not daring to make a sound, and quickly followed.

A window in the east wing was quietly opened a crack, and a pipe was inserted, from which wisps of white smoke were about to emerge and slowly rise.

With a loud "bang," the outward-opening window was forcefully pushed open, and the heavy window sash slammed directly into their faces.

"Cough cough cough..."

The sleeping pills that were originally meant to be blown into the room were now inhaled by themselves. The three of them realized what was happening and coughed violently while waving their hands frantically to drive away the sleeping pills.

She Ning stood in the room, calmly watching the disheveled trio outside who had been knocked down by the window and were now sprawled on the ground.

Nourished by the spirit rice and the exquisite fruit, her five senses were heightened, and She Ning woke up long before they were outside the courtyard.

The crows perched on the peach tree in the yard, and she, through shared vision, saw everything they did.

"Big brother, what do we do? We've been discovered." Looking at the open window, the skinny man and the short man each grabbed one side of their boss, Zheng, and asked nervously.

Although he was known for petty theft, he was actually just idle and didn't do any farm work. The worst things he ever did were stealing corn from the neighbor's house, digging up sweet potatoes in the village, and snatching candy from children.

This was the first time I'd ever climbed over a wall to steal something, and I was already very nervous. Now that the homeowner had discovered me, I was thinking about being paraded through the streets and taken to the police station. But then I remembered the customary rule that thieves should be beaten up before the police are notified.

Oh no, my legs are shaking.

"You spineless cowards! What are you afraid of? She's just a little girl, she can't lift a finger. There are three of us, are you afraid we can't subdue her?" Shaking off their hands, Boss Zheng patted the dirt off his clothes on the ground, straightened the cloth covering his face, and then glanced disdainfully at the two men still sitting on the ground.

It's shameful. Even those who follow him can't bear the humiliation.

Boss Zheng is right. Besides, they're wearing masks. Even if they can't beat them, they can run away. They have long legs and arms, so they can definitely run fast.

Moreover, her house was at the end of the village, where houses were sparsely distributed, and farmland and forests were not far away. Thinking of this, a glimmer of light appeared in their eyes. They looked at each other, their legs stopped trembling, and they became more confident.

"Big brother, knock her out," the short man suggested obsequiously.

The skinny man standing on the other side nodded emphatically in agreement.

Boss Zheng also thought it was a good idea. He rubbed his fists together, eager to try it out.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong." The next second, he knelt on the ground, bowed his head and sincerely apologized.

The two people next to him stared blankly, their legs giving way and they collapsed to the ground.

One centimeter away from Old Zheng's foot, a short arrow pierced three feet into the mud, leaving only a small section of its tail on the ground.

Inside the room, the seemingly frail and helpless little girl they described raised her crossbow, the dark, sharp arrowhead aimed directly at them.

Behind her.

She Hongmei, who is over 1.7 meters tall, is carrying a shovel, while little She Ni is carrying a rolling pin. Even the old lady She came from the west wing at some point, holding her no-longer-used cane.

The three men gripped their weapons tightly, glaring angrily at the people outside the window.

Who said that the adults in their family went out to visit relatives today and wouldn't be back overnight? That's misleading! Meeting their angry gazes, the trio of thieves lowered their heads guiltily and uneasyly, not daring to meet their eyes.

"Speak, what are you doing here?" After tightly tying the three people to the trunk of the peach tree with thick rope, She Ning sat on a chair under the peach tree and asked.

"We were just passing by and wanted to come in and ask for some water." When he saw that it was She Ning who was asking the question, Zheng Laoda's eyes darted around. Seeing that she was young, he wanted to fool her and secretly tried to break the rope in his hand.

She Ning's eyes darkened slightly, and in the dim light of the kerosene lamp, her expression was unclear. Ignoring their subtle movements, she spoke calmly.

"Don't waste your energy. You can't get free from the ropes. To avoid suffering, I suggest you tell the truth."

Even if the legendary fishing net fails, it's still a high-quality product made by the system, easily cut and untied. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the system?

"Little girl, I'm not lying to you. We really just wanted to come in and ask for some water," Zheng San said shamelessly. His round face was so big that his eyes were barely visible, and he kept blinking his eyes, trying to get away with being cute.

“Yes, yes, we were just too thirsty, so we came in a bit roughly,” the short man said, turning his head to echo Zheng San’s words.

The skinny man didn't say anything, but his expression clearly conveyed the same meaning.

"Do they think we're all fools?" She Ni stood at the door of the main room. Upon hearing this, she grabbed a wooden stick and was about to rush out to teach them a lesson.

“It’s alright, watch over your sister.” Pressing down She Ni, She Hongmei looked at She Ning in the yard, her tone full of trust, “We’ll watch over her here, don’t disturb your sister.”

My daughter said she would handle it and told them to go back and rest. She wouldn't make things up; she was sure she could resolve the matter.

Moreover, they had also prepared a second plan: if their daughter really couldn't handle it, they could go up and solve it themselves. Didn't you see that the old lady hadn't slept at all? She was sitting in the middle of the main room, leaning on her cane, ready to take action at any moment.

Under the peach tree, She Ning scoffed softly, then looked up at them.

Does her face scream "brainless" and "easily fooled"? Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that, so you're trying to fool her.

This is a case of not shedding tears until the coffin is in sight.

She Ning deftly stuffed things into the mouths of the three people. She reached to her waist, pulled, and a black whip instantly appeared in mid-air. With a flick of her wrist, the whip made a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound as it cut through the air.

Then came the cracking sound of whips striking bodies, the "rain" falling evenly on everyone.

The whip produced by the system feels soft to the touch, but when it hits someone, every lash brings excruciating pain, a pain that seems to penetrate the skin and reach the bone marrow. Most importantly, this whip that hurts so much leaves no marks.

She Ning lashed them several times before stopping.

Zheng San and his men were sweating profusely and trembling from the beating. At this moment, their eyes were filled with fear as they looked at She Ning.

"Now can you say who sent you?" She Ning asked softly as she stood in front of them.

Hearing her gentle question, the trio of thieves couldn't help but shiver. The skinny man and the short man nudged Zheng San with their elbows.

They all came at Zheng San's behest; only Zheng San knows why they were sent.

Zheng San was already in pain, and being elbowed by those two idiots only made the pain worse. He couldn't bother to teach them a lesson, and he saw that She Ning's expression was starting to show impatience.

Fearing she would whip him again, he quickly made whimpering noises.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you can't speak." She Ning said sorry as she pulled the thing out of his mouth, but there was no trace of embarrassment on her face.

"Speak now, you can speak."

"Cough cough, I don't know who she is either. She was wearing a headscarf and covering her face with a cloth. I was wandering around town when I heard her talking to someone in a corner." After coughing a few times, Zheng San swallowed and spoke with difficulty.

He overheard that the adults of the She family would be going out today and wouldn't be coming back. He also heard someone talking to someone about seeing the She family secretly hiding gold and valuables in their home. He thought of the news in the newspaper and the recent news in town about the discovery of a landlord's treasure by the She family.

He was a little short of money lately, and in a moment of madness, he called some people to come and steal things.

Looking back now, could that person have deliberately set a trap for him, intentionally blocking his usual haunt and telling him something in order to lure him in to steal and harm the She family?

"I'm sorry, this is my first time doing something like this. Please let us go since we didn't succeed at all." Realizing he had been used as a pawn, Zheng San pleaded pitifully with a tearful face.

"What was that person's build like?" She Ning didn't say whether she forgave him or not; she continued to ask.

In order to gain forgiveness, Zheng San tried hard to recall the scene that day. "Not tall, thin and small. Judging from the voice, he was about the same age as your mother."

“Oh, right, I remember her headscarf, it was beige and embroidered with orchids,” Zheng San said excitedly.

Nowadays, many women in the countryside like to wear headscarves. Firstly, their hair won't be too messy when they're working; secondly, it keeps them warm and protects them from dust; and thirdly, it looks nice.

Most women prefer bright, colorful or vibrant colors, while beige headscarves are less commonly chosen.

The beige cotton headscarf reminded She Ning of something.

"Anything else?" After noting down the clue about the cotton headscarf, She Ning continued to ask.

what else?

Frowning, Zheng San tried desperately to recall.

The skinny man and the short man, who were tied to the same tree trunk as him, turned their heads and looked at him expectantly, hoping that he would remember something and help reduce their punishment. They never wanted to experience the whipping again.

But no matter how hard he racked his brains, until his head ached, he still couldn't think of anything.

Under the expectant gazes of the skinny and short men, Zheng San shook his head in shame. Seeing that he could offer nothing, the two turned away dejectedly.

She Ning looked at them calmly, without a trace of sympathy in her eyes.

They should have been prepared to be caught when they decided to come and steal.

If they had stolen from someone else's house instead of theirs, and that person hadn't noticed, wouldn't they have gotten away with it, leaving the victimized family to suffer the consequences?

They are not innocent at all, and they deserved the punishment they received.

Using Ya Ya's new skill, she applied an absolute domain to them and questioned them again about what they had said. Finding that they were telling the truth, she gagged them again and left them tied to the peach tree trunk. She planned to take them to the police station at dawn.

She fed Ya Ya a handful of spirit rice, instructing it to keep an eye on them, and then turned and lifted her foot to head back to the room.

There was a rustling sound coming from the pigsty, followed by a "thud" as someone jumped over the wall and landed on the ground.

She Ning paused in her steps, turning her head to look at the corner of the wall near the pigsty. A dark mass rose from the ground, clearly a person dressed in black.

Good grief, is this never going to end?