Chapter 212: Female Neighbor

He steals from many people every day; how could he remember He Lingchuan, whom he’d only met once?

“Give me back my stuff!”

“I sold it for food!” The boy patted his belly. “It’s all in here now!”

He Lingchuan smiled sinisterly, drew his long saber, and pressed the blunt edge against the boy’s stomach, sliding it upwards. “If you ate my things, then squeeze them out!”

The unique coldness of the metal made the boy recoil in fear, shouting, “There are laws in Panlong City! You can’t kill me!”

“If there are laws in Panlong City, why did you dare to steal?” Though young, this kid was an incorrigible repeat offender. He Lingchuan asked the woman, “What did you lose?”

“An IOU, and an Atonement Decree.”

An Atonement Decree? He Lingchuan was surprised. How could an ordinary family possess such a thing?

The woman shook the boy as if he were a small wooden puppet. “Who sent you to steal from my house?”

The boy shook his head. “Nobody sent me. I was hungry, so I looked for food. Your house is so poor, there isn’t even a single grain of rice, so I just took whatever I could find.”

“Can you read? Or did someone write the words ‘Atonement Decree’ for you to recognize beforehand?” The woman chuckled. “Otherwise, I have many books in my room; why didn’t you just grab any one of them?”

It would be strange for a six or seven-year-old thief to be literate.

The boy fell silent, his mouth clamped shut tighter than a clam shell, his eyes conveying, “What are you going to do?”

“Who did you give the Atonement Decree to?”

The boy blinked.

He Lingchuan took some silver fragments from his pocket and dangled them in front of the boy. But before he could speak, the woman pushed his hand away. “No need to ask. Just send him to the authorities; specialists will question him.”

“They’ll get answers?” It was the first time He Lingchuan had seen someone so confident in the efficiency of the authorities.

“An Atonement Decree is no small matter. Stealing it is an insult to fallen heroes, and the authorities will handle it severely.” The woman patted the boy’s head. “He’s too young to have his hand chopped off, so they’ll probably brand his face with ink characters to constantly remind others that he’s a thief.”

If his face were branded, would he still have a life in Panlong City? The boy was shocked, and his attitude immediately softened. “Sister... young lady, please be merciful! I didn’t mean it!”

He turned to He Lingchuan, tears welling up. “I have a three-year-old sister. If I’m arrested, she won’t have any food!”

He Lingchuan remained a cold observer. His loss was minimal, so he let the primary victim deal with the boy.

The woman was unmoved. “Where is my Atonement Decree, really?”

“In... in the hands of Liu Tailai, near Chenghu Lake on the west side of the city. Everyone calls him ‘Second Stick.’”

“So it was him,” the woman nodded.

Just then, a few constables walked by. The woman waved them over, pointed at the boy, and said the thief had stolen from seven households.

The boy was furious. “I told the truth! Why are you still sending me to the authorities?”

“If I don’t send you to the authorities, how can I recover my lost items?” she said calmly. “I’m a weak woman; do I have the ability to snatch the Atonement Decree back from Liu ‘Second Stick’?”

The two constables were immediately moved when they heard “Atonement Decree.” “This kid actually stole an Atonement Decree?”

“He confessed that Liu Tailai, ‘Second Stick,’ from the west side of the city, instigated it. That scoundrel runs a loan sharking business, and my brother owed him a large sum of money before he died. He wants me to continue repaying the debt, so he sent this kid to steal the Atonement Decree.”

He Lingchuan listened from the side, finding the story somewhat familiar.

The woman then pointed at He Lingchuan and said, “This young thief also stole from six other nearby households. This gentleman is also a victim; he lost a bundle of firewood and two fish.”

The constable carefully noted it down, then asked, “What’s your name?”

“Sun Fuling.”

“We’ll take him back first. If there are any questions, we’ll come back to you.”

He Lingchuan saw the expressions on their faces and knew they were only concerned about the Atonement Decree.

The two constables then escorted the boy away.

He Lingchuan watched the boy’s short, thin figure. “He begged so pitifully; I thought you’d be soft-hearted.”

Women tend to be soft-hearted, like Lady Ying.

“The city has its rules. If everyone were soft-hearted and prioritized personal feelings, it would be minor kindness without true righteousness.”

He Lingchuan was filled with respect.

The woman paused before continuing, “Besides, the last time he was caught stealing in Maliu Street, he used the exact same excuse.”

She turned back and pushed open the door next to He Lingchuan’s.

“You live here too?” Just a wall separated them.

Come to think of it, he had never paid attention to who lived next door, only seeing a child in his eastern neighbor’s house on the night of the Imperial Dew. Yet, the woman was his western neighbor.

Anyway, this was just a dream, wasn’t it?

“Yes, it seems we’re neighbors.” The woman glanced at his wooden door. “That kid came specifically for my Atonement Decree, but he took your things as well, incidentally. My apologies.”

As soon as she finished speaking, He Lingchuan heard a rumbling sound.

The woman covered her lower abdomen and took a step back. Although she wore a face covering, He Lingchuan felt he could sense her embarrassment.

Remembering the young thief’s earlier comment, “Your house doesn’t even have a single grain of rice,” He Lingchuan’s heart stirred. He casually took out an oil-paper package and handed it over. “Here, this is a thank-you gift for catching the thief.”

The woman wanted to refuse, but when she smelled the fragrant aroma emanating from the oil paper, she accepted it. “Thank you!”

After He Lingchuan had eaten and drunk his fill, he packed a lotus leaf chicken from Yixiang Restaurant, planning to enjoy it as a late-night snack. It was the restaurant’s signature dish, prepared with seven spices, including sand ginger powder—ingredients brought into the city by merchants from other regions. It was savory, fresh, and juicy. He Lingchuan himself hadn’t eaten enough after finishing a whole one.

The woman likely smiled, as He Lingchuan saw her almond-shaped eyes narrow into slits. Then they said goodbye and pushed open their respective doors.

All afternoon, He Lingchuan focused on practicing martial arts in his courtyard, while next door, it remained quiet as usual, with no sound whatsoever.

He didn’t pay much attention to it. The Panlong Wasteland was windy and sandy, with intense sunlight. Although Panlong City was located on the Chipa Plateau, it was not spared from these elements. Many people there had a habit of wearing face coverings when going out, leaving only their eyes exposed, to block wind, sand, and strong glare. He often saw this on the streets.

As the sun was about to set, he heard the woman’s door being knocked, and voices speaking.

He Lingchuan had excellent hearing and could hear the conversation from his own courtyard.

It was the constables, who had come to inquire about the details from the victim once more, assuring her that the case would be thoroughly investigated to bring justice to the family of the fallen hero.

Then they left.

He Lingchuan finished his practice, took a cold shower, and had just put on his trousers when the courtyard gate suddenly rattled.

Anyone he knew should have been drunkenly lying at home by now.

He opened the door and saw a girl of seventeen or eighteen standing outside. Although dressed in simple, undecorated clothes, she was still as pretty as someone stepped out of a painting.

A new face? He Lingchuan was slightly taken aback. “Excuse me, who are you looking for?”

The girl smiled at him, a small dimple appearing on her left cheek.

“I’m Sun Fuling,” she said, lifting her head gracefully. “Your neighbor.”

“Oh!” He Lingchuan looked closer and indeed, those almond-shaped eyes seemed somewhat familiar.

She was carrying a bundle of firewood in her left hand. Seeing He Lingchuan, she quickly offered it forward. “I heard water. You probably don’t have firewood or charcoal to heat water, do you? A gift in return.”

Since she called it a return gift, He Lingchuan accepted the firewood.

It was a large, heavy bundle.

“The lotus leaf chicken was delicious,” his female neighbor nodded to him. “It’s Yixiang Restaurant’s specialty; quite expensive, isn’t it?”

He Lingchuan blurted out, “How did you know it was from Yixiang Restaurant?”

“…There’s a mark on the inside of the oil-paper package.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know where his usual eloquence had gone. The “He Lingchuan” in reality could flirt with any young woman or married lady, speaking effortlessly.

A strange silence fell between them.

His female neighbor moved first. “Well, I’ll see you later…”

As if by some inexplicable impulse, He Lingchuan found himself saying, “Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”

Every time he entered the dream, he was either practicing or fighting, rarely engaging in proper conversation with ordinary residents of Panlong City.

Her almond eyes narrowed again.

“Okay.”

The woman followed He Lingchuan into the small courtyard, looking around.

The weather was very cold, but the room was too small. With the bed, there was no space for seating, unless both sat on the bed, which would clearly be improper. He Lingchuan moved the only stool out and casually said, “Please sit; I’ll get you a cup of water.”

After speaking, he froze. There had been no fire in the courtyard all day, so where would he get cool boiled water?

Should he offer the guest raw water?

There was also wine in the room, good wine. But if he offered wine, would it seem like he had ulterior motives?

His female neighbor thoughtfully waved her hand. “No need, really no need, I’m not thirsty.”

He Lingchuan still went into the kitchen, brought out a small stove, and began lighting a fire to boil water, also providing warmth for both of them. “Is your brother Sun Jiayuan?”

“Yes, do you know him?” Sun Fuling’s gaze shifted to him. “It seems you’re a patrol guard too.”

He thought to himself that Sun Jiayuan’s sister was truly beautiful, not resembling him at all, especially with her bright, expressive eyes that seemed to look straight into one’s soul.

“I was there when your brother sacrificed himself. In fact, I almost followed in his footsteps,” He Lingchuan said, poking the ashes in the stove. “Before his heroic death, he specifically asked us if becoming a fallen hero could cancel out his old debts.”

To his surprise, Sun Fuling’s expression and tone remained undisturbed. “He was indeed incorrigible, to think of such a method.”

The ashes were quite stirring, and He Lingchuan nearly sneezed. “He did manage to cancel the remaining debts, so you wouldn’t be implicated. By the way, does Sun Jiayuan live here too? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around.”

“No, he lived in an earth house,” Sun Fuling said calmly. “Someone burdened with so much debt has no right to live in a wooden house.”

Earth houses were the lowest class of dwellings in Panlong City, only slightly better than a slave’s hovel. The entire house was six square meters, barely enough for a bed, with not enough remaining space for an adult to stretch their legs.

If He Lingchuan’s wooden house was for commoners, then earth houses were standard for the poor.

“However, he would sometimes come here for meals,” Sun Fuling said, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. “I heard from Miss Liutiao that after my brother was killed, you also jumped into the den of the Spiders of the Abyss?”

“Yes,” He Lingchuan replied. The fire was lit, and he quickly placed the kettle on and added water.

The fire was burning too slowly.

“Then did you see Madam Zhu’er? The leader of the Spiders of the Abyss?” Sun Fuling extended her hands towards the fire for warmth. The firelight reflected in her eyes, sparkling and dancing, making them exceptionally playful.