41: Chapter 41 A beautiful woman, why did she become a thief?

No questioning, no reprimands.

He merely stood there.

Yet he loomed like an insurmountable, Vicious Beast of a mountain before Qiu Shuzhen.

Qiu Shuzhen's pupils contracted sharply, the smug satisfaction on her face from her successful theft instantly freezing solid.

Her reaction was lightning-fast.

Almost the moment she felt his Aura lock onto her, her figure shot backward like a startled Essence Spirit cat.

Simultaneously, her wrist flicked, sending several points of cold, biting light streaking straight towards Ding Qing's face and the swaddled infant in his arms.

Strike where the enemy must defend—vicious and cunning!

Ding Qing snorted coldly. His left hand still cradled the sleeping baby steadily, while his right sleeve swept out casually.

*Clink, clink, clink!*

The faint sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Several fine needles coated with a dark blue sheen were deflected by an invisible, fierce wind, scattering to the ground with a rustle.

Seizing the momentary delay, Qiu Shuzhen's figure slipped past Ding Qing like a ghost, squeezing through the impossibly narrow gap beside him.

Her toe tapped lightly on the doorframe, and her entire body transformed into a pale green streak of light, shooting straight for the high wall!

'Do you think you can leave?'

Ding Qing's voice sounded as if spoken right beside Qiu Shuzhen's ear, icy and devoid of emotion.

He took a single step forward. The bluestone beneath his foot cracked silently, and his figure blurred into a shadowy streak, clinging to her trail like her own silhouette.

The raw speed of his Physical Body transformed into a supreme lightness skill, chasing stars and overtaking the moon, not the least bit inferior to Qiu Shuzhen's agile and elusive movements.

Two figures, one ahead, one behind, shot skyward from the depths of the Li Manor like meteors tearing through the night.

They skimmed over rows upon rows of tiled rooftops, racing towards the desolate outskirts beyond Panshi City.

The wind howled past their ears.

Qiu Shuzhen pushed her lightness skill to its limit, every twist, turn, and leap executed with exquisite precision.

She tried desperately to shake off the oppressive sensation clinging to her back like a persistent bone-deep affliction.

Yet, no matter how she changed direction, Ding Qing's solid, imposing figure remained like a towering mountain shadow, firmly fixed within three zhang behind her.

That fierce, malevolent Aura clung to her like maggots in the bone, tightening around her heart.

Her shock deepened.

Not only did this brute possess an indestructible, tempered Physical Body, but his lightness skill was also so formidable!

What made her heart palpitate even more was the clear sense she had.

That each seemingly ferocious pounce from the primordial Vicious Beast-like pursuer behind her held back at least thirty percent of its force.

Those mighty fist winds and palm forces would abruptly retract each time they were about to strike her back, as if... afraid of hurting her?

The thought was absurd, yet felt real, throwing her heart into inexplicable disarray.

Finally, pursuer and pursued burst into a withered locust forest on the city's outskirts.

The waning moon was sliced by branches and leaves, casting mottled, eerie shadows.

Qiu Shuzhen's breath was slightly ragged, her aerial twist slowing just a fraction.

A sharp glint flashed in Ding Qing's eyes.

His right arm, poised and ready, shot out like a venomous Dragon emerging from its cave. His five fingers spread wide, tearing through the wind with a sharp sound, aimed directly at Qiu Shuzhen's shoulder.

The grab looked fierce, but its power was held in check, its intent clearly capture, not harm.

Qiu Shuzhen gritted her silver teeth. Her body twisted in mid-air with impossible grace.

She avoided the claw's edge like a Essence Spirit snake, countering with a scorpion's tail strike. Her slender, jade-like foot, wrapped in a subtle, Yin-soft force, shot towards the 'Shenmen' acupoint on Ding Qing's wrist.

Ding Qing changed his grab to a brushing motion. His wrist turned, releasing a clever force—soft yet firm—that slapped diagonally, meeting Qiu Shuzhen's toe.

*Thwack!*

Qi forces collided. In the dull impact, Qiu Shuzhen felt a vast, irresistible force surge towards her, sending her figure floating backward uncontrollably.

Yet, in that subtle moment of entangled forces and lost balance, Ding Qing's brushing hand somehow hooked and pulled.

*Riiip!*

The sound of tearing cloth echoed through the silent locust forest!

Qiu Shuzhen felt a sudden chill on her shoulder.

Half of her pale green outer robe, along with the tight-fitting undergarment beneath, was torn away by that clever, hooking force.

Moonlight, like a cold stream, abruptly cascaded over her smooth, rounded shoulder, her elegantly curved collarbone,

and a glimpse of breathtaking, snowy-white skin.

The night breeze brushed her exposed skin, raising a faint shiver.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Ding Qing's movements also came to an abrupt halt.

He sharply turned his head away.

His gaze forcefully averted, fixing on the gnarled, twisted trunk of a withered locust tree beside them.

The hard, iron-cast line of his jaw seemed to tighten even further.

Qiu Shuzhen also froze in place.

One hand instinctively covered the torn garment at her chest, shielding that glaring white.

Initial shame and anger flashed through her eyes.

But it was quickly replaced by a more complex, more cunning light.

She watched Ding Qing's almost instinctive action of turning away to avoid impropriety.

She watched the tense profile of his face beneath his hat's brim.

She watched the infant in his arms, still sleeping soundly, utterly oblivious to the heart-stopping chase...

Her red lips suddenly curved into a bright, sly smile.

'Hey,'

Her voice broke the forest's silence.

It held less affectation, more genuine clarity and teasing, laced with a hint of languor from the exertion.

'Big guy, just now... were you deliberately holding back from hurting me?'

She took a light, graceful step forward. The moonlight outlined her beautifully contoured profile.

'Chasing me so relentlessly, yet unwilling to strike hard, and now...'

She paused, her eyes sparkling as they roamed, like a cunning fox eyeing its prey, her smile blossoming like a flower.

'Do you... like me?'

Ding Qing remained in his turned-away posture, silent as a mountain.

The night breeze stirred the stray hairs beneath his hat's brim, obscuring his exact expression.

The infant in the swaddling clothes in his arms seemed disturbed by the sudden quiet, its little mouth smacking, emitting a faint whimper.

He did not answer Qiu Shuzhen's bold, blunt teasing.

But it was undeniable. Under the moonlight, this woman's half-concealed state, her bold, spicy, yet clever and mischievous gaze, that radiant, cunning charm, that mature, full figure...

Qiu Shuzhen was indeed his type.

As for her stealing from the Li family...

Ding Qing's attention was caught by the plain handkerchief Qiu Shuzhen clutched tightly within her torn garment.

A few gold ingots, a few pieces of jewelry—to the vast Li family, it was a mere drop in the bucket.

This woman's thieving skills were exquisite, yet her purpose was unclear. Taking only a little, it seemed more like a... game?

Puzzlement hung like a thin mist, but it wasn't enough reason for him to detain her now.

'Get lost.'

Ding Qing finally spoke. His voice was colder, heavier than the forest's night wind, carrying an indisputable tone of dismissal.

He still did not look at Qiu Shuzhen, but the tautness of his Aura subtly relaxed a fraction.

The smile on Qiu Shuzhen's face deepened, like a cat that had gotten the cream.

She gathered her torn robes.

She took a deep look at Ding Qing's burly back, standing tall amidst the interwoven moonlight and shadows, and at the small bundle in his arms.

'Hah, blockhead.'

She gave a light snort, said no more. Her figure flickered, merging into the moonlight like a wisp of green smoke. After a few leaps, she vanished deep into the withered locust forest.

Only a faint, lingering scent—a mix of night dew and a woman's fragrance—hovered in the forest for a moment before finally being scattered by the night wind.

Ding Qing slowly turned his head back, his gaze sweeping over the direction where Qiu Shuzhen had disappeared.

'Her skills are quite good. A beauty, yet a thief...'

He lowered his head to look at the infant in his arms, once again sunk deep in slumber.

His rough fingers unconsciously rubbed the coarse fabric at the edge of the swaddling clothes.