618: Chapter 618 I'm just keeping it safe for you!

The girl's face instantly turned pale, and she subconsciously hid the wallet behind her back. "You... how are you here?"

Ye Chen jumped down from the eaves and landed steadily.

"My wallet is in your hands, so how do you think I'm here?"

The girl's eyes darted around, and she suddenly squeezed out a fawning smile, holding the wallet out with both hands.

"That..."

"Big brother, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"I was just keeping it safe for you!"

"I was afraid you'd accidentally drop it while walking!"

"Besides..."

"There's nothing in the wallet anyway!"

Ye Chen took the wallet and looked at her with a half-smile.

"Oh? Then I should thank you?"

"No need, no need!"

The girl waved her hands hurriedly, her face full of sincerity. "Helping others is the root of happiness; it's what I should do!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh.

This female thief was quite interesting.

Despite being caught red-handed, she could still say such things without blushing.

Her skin was as thick as a city wall.

Seeing that Ye Chen didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter, the girl's eyes lit up, and she turned to run.

"Then big brother, I'll be going now, let's meet again!"

"Stop."

Ye Chen spoke indifferently.

The girl's footsteps came to a sudden halt, and she froze in place as if a petrification spell had been cast on her.

She slowly turned her head, the smile on her face looking uglier than a crying expression.

"B-Big brother, is there anything else?"

Ye Chen looked at her, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "You were caught stealing; you think you can just leave like that?"

The girl immediately broke into a cold sweat.

"Then... then what do you want?"

"Call the police? Give me a beating?"

As she spoke, she suddenly puffed out her chest, looking like she was ready for death.

"I'm warning you, I have backing!"

"If you dare touch me, my master won't let you off!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Your master?"

"Yes!"

Seeing that Ye Chen seemed somewhat wary, the girl's confidence suddenly surged. She put her hands on her hips and spoke haughtily.

"My master is very powerful! He can kill a bull with one punch!"

"You'd better be sensible and let me go obediently, or else when he comes, he'll make you suffer more than you can handle!"

Ye Chen looked at her acting like a fox borrowing the tiger's majesty and couldn't help but laugh. "Oh? Then where is your master now?"

The girl froze for a moment, then spoke haltingly.

"He... he's... busy!"

"When he's done being busy, he'll naturally come to deal with you!"

Ye Chen nodded with a serious face.

"Fine, I'll wait here for your master to come."

"I'd like to see if his bull-killing fist can kill me."

The girl's face immediately collapsed.

She was just bragging just now!

Her master was just a scrawny old man; how could he possibly kill a bull with one punch?

She was all alone, with no relatives or even anyone to talk to.

She gritted her teeth and suddenly knelt down, hugging Ye Chen's leg and wailing loudly.

"Big brother! I was wrong!"

"I was really wrong!"

"I didn't mean to steal your wallet!"

"I really had no choice!"

"I haven't eaten for three days!"

Ye Chen looked down at the female thief who was hugging his leg and crying her eyes out, his mouth twitching several times.

"Get up."

"I won't! Unless you forgive me!"

The girl cried even harder. "If you don't forgive me, I'll just kneel here and not get up!"

Ye Chen looked at her expressionlessly and said indifferently, "Then just don't get up."

The girl's crying stopped abruptly.

She looked up, tears still on her face, her large, clear eyes filled with bewilderment.

Wait...

Why wasn't this person following the script?

Normally, when she looked this pitiful, shouldn't the other person soften their heart?

How could he still let her keep kneeling?

The girl's mouth puckered, and the tears in her eyes began to swirl again as she cried even harder.

"Wah—you're bullying me!"

"You're a grown man bullying a weak woman like me, do you have no shame?"

Her voice echoed in the deep alley, sounding as miserable as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Ye Chen looked impatient and waved his hand.

"Enough, stop acting."

"With your acting skills, you'd only get an extra's lunch box at best; your crying isn't sincere at all."

The girl's crying stalled again.

This guy...

How did he seem to see through everything?

Ye Chen crouched down to look her in the eye and spoke indifferently.

"The death penalty may be avoided, but living punishment is hard to escape."

"You have to do me a favor."

The girl was stunned for a moment.

"What favor?"

"Is it to help you... steal a wallet?"

Ye Chen's face instantly darkened. "Why do you think I want you to steal a wallet?"

The girl looked at him as if it were obvious.

"You're so poor; there's not a single cent in your wallet, not even a bank card."

"You look like the type who lives from hand to mouth."

"It's quite reasonable to want me to help you steal some money to improve your life, right?"

Ye Chen: "..."

What the hell was 'hand to mouth'?

What the hell was 'improving his life'?

When did he, Ye Chen, become so poor that he had to rely on a thief to steal money to survive?

Seeing that he didn't speak, the girl thought she had guessed correctly, and the vigilance in her eyes turned into sympathy.

"Big brother, it's not easy for you either."

"Although I stole your wallet just now, I really only did it because I had no choice."

"If you're really in trouble, should I share some with you?"

She pulled out a few crumpled bills from her pocket and handed them over with a pained expression.

"Here, this is all I have, don't look down on it for being little."

Ye Chen looked down at the few bills, then at the girl's sincere face.

He was silent for two seconds.

Then.

He took a deep breath and spoke word by word.

"I don't need you to steal things for me."

"And I don't need your money."

"I just need you to use your connections in the Stealing Sect to help me find out if any suspicious people have appeared in the ancient town recently."

When he entered this Phoenix Ancient Town, he had already used [Earth Vein Tracking] to look for people.

But...

He couldn't find Bai Shanshan's whereabouts.

This was very strange.

Therefore.

He thought of letting the Stealing Sect, which was mixed into this area, help him find the person.

The girl was stunned, and her expression changed drastically. "You... how do you know about the Stealing Sect?"

Ye Chen looked at her and smiled.

"Naturally, the Dragon Group told me."

"The Stealing Sect is everywhere in Phoenix Ancient Town."

The girl's face instantly turned white.

She subconsciously took two steps back, her back hitting the cold green brick wall, her whole body stiff.

"Dragon Group?"

"Who... who are you?"

Seeing her terrified look, Ye Chen directly stated his identity. "Ye Chen, Chief Instructor of the Hidden Dragon Pavilion of the Dragon Group."

As soon as he finished speaking.

The girl's pupils contracted sharply, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

The next second.

Her eyes rolled back, and she fell straight backward like a piece of wood.

"Bang—"

The back of her head almost hit the bluestone floor.

Ye Chen was quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbing her waist and pulling her back.

He looked down.

The girl's eyes were tightly closed, her face was pale, and her breathing was weak; she had really fainted, not faked it.

"So timid, yet you dare to steal things?"

Ye Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He supported her back with his right hand and pressed his left thumb on her philtrum, pinching it with moderate force.

"Mm..."

The girl let out a soft groan, her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Ye Chen's half-smiling face.

Her pupils contracted again, and she subconsciously wanted to scream.

Ye Chen acted quickly and covered her mouth.

"Don't scream. If you scream again, I'll really send you in."

The girl's eyes widened, and she nodded desperately.

Ye Chen let go.

The girl gasped for air, leaning against the wall, her legs as soft as noodles.

"You... are you really the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group?"

"Yes."

"So... I stole from the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group Hidden Dragon Pavilion?"

"Yes."

The girl completely broke down, even looking a bit like she had lost the will to live.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"I believe... I believe..."

The girl nodded hurriedly.

"No one dares to impersonate the Dragon Group; that's a capital offense..."

"Why am I so unlucky..."

"My first attempt and I stole from the Dragon Group. What sins did I commit in my past life???"

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and tears pitter-pattered down.

Ye Chen sighed.

"Alright, stop crying."

"I said, help me find that group of suspicious people, and I'll spare you."

The girl's crying stopped abruptly, and she looked at Ye Chen with teary eyes. "You... are you serious?"

Ye Chen nodded.

The girl wiped her tears away and scrambled up from the ground.

"Isn't it just finding a group of people?"

"I, Shi Xiaonian, will definitely give you an answer within half an hour!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll wait for you to give me an explanation."