CHAPTER 271: CHAPTER 266: REFINED SCOUNDREL?

Yun Ran delivered a swift kick to knock down the little thief and felt the strong wind rushing from behind. Her agile figure swiftly shifted to the side, dodging the rapidly lashing whip.

The owner of the whip missed the first strike and immediately swung for a second one.

Yun Ran’s eyes hardened as she grabbed the incoming whip with a reverse grip, channeling her inner strength into her palm and pulling forcefully.

The owner of the whip let out a startled cry, tumbling off the horse and stumbling forward a few steps, nearly falling flat on her face.

As soon as she regained balance, she reprimanded Yun Ran, "How dare you! Committing violence in broad daylight! Release your grip at once!"

Yun Ran raised her eyebrows and scrutinized her. The young girl was about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a fiery red dress, resembling a phoenix ablaze. Her daring and free-spirited attire was completely different from the usual clothes worn by Tianchu women.

She wore a red tassel garland in her hair, red string and silver bracelets on her wrists, and a delicate gold bell hanging from her waist, tinkling with her every movement.

Yun Ran lightly curled her lips, "You tell me to let go and I do it? Wouldn’t that be losing face?"

"You pretty boy! You may be good-looking, but bullying the weak in the streets! Have some dignity? Today, I’ll break your dog legs!"

The girl stared angrily at Yun Ran, struggling to reclaim her whip.

Yun Ran was wearing a moon-white brocade outfit today, with her hair tied up high with a jade belt. The breeze blew, making the jade belt flutter; no matter how one looked, she was a charming, dashing young man.

Upon hearing the girl threaten to break her legs, Yun Ran rolled her eyes.

"You talk big! If I knock out your teeth later, don’t cry home to mommy!"

The girl’s face turned red with anger upon hearing this. "Arrogant pretty boy! Today, I’ll show you who’s boss!"

No sooner had she spoken, the little thief whom Yun Ran had knocked down immediately kowtowed to her. "Heroine, goddess, please stand up for this poor civilian! He tried to rob me of my money!"

"I sold two pigs, three sheep, and a cow from my family to earn this money! I have an eighty-year-old mother and a two-year-old child to support; my whole family’s livelihood depends on this money!"

"It was this person who tried to rob me! When I refused, he beat me! Please, goddess, stand up for this poor civilian!"

The girl, moved by the little thief’s tearful plea, furiously glared at Yun Ran, gritting her teeth and cursing:

"Heartless! Disgraceful wretch! A beast dressed as a gentleman! You’re nothing but a monster!"

"I, today, will execute justice on behalf of Heaven and eliminate evil!"

Yun Ran: "..."

She silently glanced at the indignant girl and sighed quietly, "Such a nice girl, too bad she lacks brains, and her eyes are a bit blind, truly pitiful!"

"What did you say?"

The girl was very angry and, seeing she couldn’t retrieve the whip, suddenly tapped a few times on the gold bell hanging at her waist.

Three plum blossom needles shot out from the gold bell, flying towards Yun Ran.

Yun Ran nonchalantly raised an eyebrow and flicked out three golden needles with a reverse motion.

Only a few crisp "ding ding—" sounds were heard; the plum blossom needles fell to the ground, while the golden needles continued their momentum, rapidly flying towards the girl.

The girl’s face changed, and she quickly bent to dodge.

Although she narrowly avoided the golden needles, she was swept towards Yun Ran by a strong force of inner strength.

The nine-section whip coiled around her several times, binding her arms and body tightly. Yun Ran held the whip’s tail with one hand and lifted her chin with the other.

With a teasing look, she examined her, "Tsk tsk tsk! What a pretty little face you have! Taking you back as a wife of the stronghold sounds nice, right?"

The girl was both shocked and angry, glaring at Yun Ran with a pale face, "How dare you! Who do you think you are! Do you even know who I am?"

"Of course I do! You’re soon to be the chieftain’s wife!"

As Yun Ran spoke, she touched her face and added, "Such smooth skin! I’m having some good fortune today!"

The girl was terrified by her rogue behavior, her words quivering, "You, you, how dare you! M-my brother is nearby! He won’t let you off!"

Yun Ran perked up instantly, "Your brother? What does he look like?"

"Speaking of which, there are quite a few heroines in the stronghold! Why not bring your brother along to be their sweetheart?"

"How many brothers do you have, little beauty?"

"???!!!"

The girl stared in disbelief, her eyes wide, both shocked and furious at Yun Ran, her small mouth slightly open, but unable to utter a word for a long time.

The thieving little thief, seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, softly cursed the girl, "Pah! Pretty but useless! Made me kowtow for nothing! Damn woman! Hopefully, that bandit takes you up the mountain and gives you a good lesson! A scourge!"

After cursing, he clenched his silver bag tightly and quietly moved a few steps to the side before sprinting away at a speed comparable to a wild hare.

Yun Ran’s beautiful eyes narrowed as she lazily flicked her sleeve, sending a brick flying out. It struck the little thief who had run thirty meters away with the speed of a storm.

"Bang——"

A dull thud sounded, and the little thief fell flat on his face, with arms and legs sprawled out, unconscious.

The girl watched this scene, her eyes wide with shock, "You, you, you..."

Yun Ran snorted coldly and dragged her by the whip to the side of the little thief.

She kicked the thief, flipping him over, and retrieved her silver bag from his hand.

With a hint of disdain, Yun Ran wrinkled her nose and poured the silver coins into her sleeve, tossing the silver pouch back onto the thief’s forehead.

"You, you, you killed him and took his money! This is murder and robbery!"

Although the girl was very scared, her deeply-buried sense of justice made her unable to resist accusing Yun Ran.

Yun Ran bared her teeth at her, with a sinister smile, "Not only did I rob you of your money, but I also plan to rob... your heart! Tonight, you’ll be keeping me company!"

"My, my... brother! Brother, save me!"

The girl turned pale with fear and cried out with a "wah," crying loudly while calling for help.

Yun Ran: "..."

[With such little courage, you dare venture the martial world dispensing justice?! Whose little girl is this? Why isn’t she being better looked after?]

The girl’s cries attracted a slew of onlookers who stopped to watch. They glanced at Yun Ran, then at the bound girl, and whispered, speculating about the identities and relationships of the two.

Seeing the situation, the girl immediately exposed Yun Ran’s misdeeds to the bystanders.

"He committed violence in the street! He not only injured people but also stole their money! That poor person has an old mother and a little child to nourish! Please, help him! Go fetch a doctor!"

Yun Ran whispered in her ear, "Did you forget? I’m also going to steal your heart! Why not ask them for help with that too?"

At that moment, the girl’s chestnut horse really brought her brother over.

"Who dares be so bold! To abduct Princess Beili!"