Unexpected

Miss Zhu stepped forward and said, "As for the three of you, I might believe the other two when they claim they are not thieves, but this fellow surnamed Qu has a sly and shifty look. Who would believe he didn't steal? My jade bracelet was definitely stolen by him."

Qu Buping thought to himself that this crafty little girl, despite her young age, was just as difficult to handle as a great beauty.

For some unknown reason, this mischievous little lass had pinned the theft of her jade bracelet on him. Although he had grabbed her delicate hand just moments ago, he had only looked at her snow-white hand and seen nothing else! Besides, judging by her unmarried appearance, how could she even be wearing a bracelet? This girl certainly knew how to fabricate stories.

Qu Buping said, "Little girl, stop talking nonsense. If you claim I stole your jade bracelet, you must produce evidence, otherwise I demand you clear my name."

Miss Zhu said, "You want evidence? That's simple enough—it can be found with a single search of your person! If you disagree, I can pull my jade bracelet right out of your pocket. Would you like to try?"

Qu Buping said, "Little girl, if you want to search me, there's a price to pay."

Miss Zhu asked, "What price?"

Qu Buping replied, "You can search my body, but if you fail to find the jade bracelet, I penalty-search your body as well! Who knows, maybe my own treasure was stolen by you too! Let's search each other—that's only fair."

Miss Zhu's face flushed red with embarrassment as she scolded, "You shameless scoundrel!"

Peach Blossom chimed in, "Brother Qu, so you're this shameless, always looking to take advantage of young girls."

Qu Buping shouted, "Who says so? For all I know, this little lass finds this young master handsome and wants to take advantage of me!"

Peach Blossom could not help but scold on the young girl's behalf, "Pfft! Not only is your face repulsive, but your words are utterly disgusting."

Qu Buping said, "If you want me to stop being repulsive, that's simple too—we go our separate ways. She doesn't come to search me, and I don't go touching her."

Hearing this, Miss Zhu stamped her little foot and said, "You wretch, truly shameless! You stole my things and yet you talk like this, attempting to slip away. There's no such cheap deal; I am definitely going to search you."

Qu Buping shouted, "You insist on searching? Very well, if you don't find anything, I will have an eye for an eye and search your body as well. Do you agree?"

Miss Zhu's face turned crimson, and gritting her teeth, she said, "Fine! I agree! But if my jade bracelet is found on you, you must obey my commands and run errands for me from now on."

Qu Buping said, "Having me obey you is out of the question. At most, I promise to do three things for you."

Miss Zhu thought for a moment and said, "All right! You must keep your word, though!"

Qu Buping said, "A man's word is my bond. By the way, little girl, don't try to back out later. But rest assured, when I touch you, I'll go easy. I'll be very careful and gentle on the important parts, so don't be afraid."

Peach Blossom could not restrain herself from scolding, "Pfft! You truly are a shameless little pervert."

In the days to come, fulfilling these three tasks would consume nearly half of Qu Buping's lifetime energy.

Miss Zhu walked up to Qu Buping, patted his pocket a few times, and as if by magic, she actually pulled a jade bracelet out from his pocket.

With a smile on her face and a glint of cunning in her eyes, Miss Zhu said, "Fellow surnamed Qu, how do you explain this to everyone now? Why would this jade bracelet be in your pocket? I wasn't wrongfully accusing you after all! Now, aside from yourself, no one will believe you didn't steal it."

Qu Buping lowered his head, cursing inwardly that he had capsized in a drainage ditch. He had been far too careless and fallen right into this little girl's trap. It seemed this mischievous lass was not to be trifled with; it was entirely possible she had intentionally slipped the jade bracelet into his pocket herself.

With no small amount of regret, Qu Buping said, "Fine, Miss Pig, you win. I don't feel like explaining anymore. Anything I say now is useless anyway; apart from myself, nobody will believe me."

Little Yun'er smiled and said, "I believe you. Brother Qu has taken a tumble again. Anyway, Brother Qu always has bad luck whenever he encounters beauties, and this time is no exception."

Miss Zhu said, "Now, with so many people present, you can't squirm out of it. You'd better obediently come with me and help me with my task, and I won't treat you unfairly."

Qu Buping teased, "Help you with what task? Is it helping you find a handsome and desirable husband? That should be easy enough; there are plenty of outstanding young men right here. Brother Chu, Young Master Yun, Young Master Hua—any one of them would make an exceptional husband. If I boast a little and include myself, there are four handsome young men right here, all qualified to be your future husband."

Miss Zhu covered her ears and cursed, "Pfft! You truly can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth—talking absolute nonsense."

At this moment, Hua Sanxiao grew slightly impatient and said, "Miss Zhu, your jade bracelet has been found. Shouldn't we be leaving?"

Miss Zhu replied, "My apologies, Young Master Hua. Earlier, I was afraid of running into bad people and wanted to accompany you, but now that this fellow surnamed Qu has agreed to help me, I no longer have to fear bad people. If I meet any bad people, I'll tell him to deal with them, so I won't trouble Young Master Hua any further."

Hua Sanxiao was startled for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter and said, "Very well, Miss Zhu, you are truly as clever as ice and snow. Earlier, when Hua wished to assist you, I was truly blind. Since Miss Zhu has Friend Qu to handle things for her, Hua will take his leave now."

Hua Sanxiao forcibly suppressed the displeasure in his heart. He was a clever man, yet he had been played for a fool by this young girl just now, which made him extremely furious. However, his self-control and endurance were exceptionally good. In front of Peach Blossom and the others, he did not want to make a fuss, so he feigned elegance and bid his farewells.

Peach Blossom glanced at Miss Zhu and said, "Little sister, you're really something."

Miss Zhu smiled and said, "Elder sister, please don't over-praise me."

By this time, Qu Chu had long since figured out what was going on. In their hearts, they could not help but admire Hua Sanxiao's cultivation and restraint. It seemed Hua Sanxiao was indeed a formidable character; if they wished to rise in the Jianghu in the future, he would be their most terrifying opponent. For the time being, however, Qu Chu was not yet qualified to be Hua Sanxiao's match.

What frightened Qu Chu and his companion even more was this young girl surnamed Zhu. Despite her tender age, her scheming mind was terrifyingly potent.

None of the people present just now were fools, yet they had been unwittingly manipulated by this young girl. A girl who could effortlessly make others dance to her tune without a sound—she was the truly terrifying one.