It was the teenager who had been busking during the day.

The fall hit him pretty badly from the way he winced as he tried to get up. 

Bai Fanlu's body stiffened as he felt a certain part of his body touched by something soft through the thin layer of red tulle bed-curtain.

"..." Bai Fanlu blushed and exhaled deeply as he silently lifted his knee.

With a muffled cry of pain, the teenager rolled off him and onto one side. But unfortunately, the back of his head bumped on the hard collapsed bed-frame once again.　

Bai Fanlu lifted the bed-curtain and got up to straighten out his robes. He saw the way the boy's eyebrows and eyes were scrunched together like a prawn ball. His frustrations were gone and he broke into a chortle right away.

He was about to say something when a knock sounded at the door, "Sir, I heard a loud noise just now, is there something wrong?"

Bai Fanlu looked up at the big hole in the roof, then looked back down at the culprit who was clutching his chest with one hand and rubbing his head with the other. He took a few steps forward and opened the door.

"This-this is..."　

The first thing that caught the innkeeper’s eye was the messy room and the bed frame that had crumbled to the ground, before noticing that there was another person lying beside it.

Bai Fanlu could immediately tell what the innkeeper was guessing about this scene from those shocked and salacious eyes.　

"Look up there." Bai Fanlu was speechless and could not be bothered with an explanation for the shallow notions of this mortal world.

The innkeeper then noticed the large hole in the roof where he could clearly gaze upon the moon and stars, and although it did seem romantic and atmospheric...he was rational enough to point and asked, "Sir, did this young man fall from above?"

Uh-huh, just as you said. Bai Fanlu raised an eyebrow in response.

"Hey, young boy, are you okay?" The innkeeper walked up to the young man.

The young man held onto him for support and stood up shakily. His brows were still knitted, and he shook his head, saying, "Yes—no, no!

As if he suddenly recalled something, he exclaimed, "Oh no, we still have to go after the Flower ThiefIn this case it refers to someone who steals the virginity of young girls, not actual flowers. It's a not uncommon idiom across many cultures.!"

The Flower Thief? When Bai Fanlu heard this term, his mind adjusted subtly, as if he was watching a show.

The innkeeper had just put on a polite smile, but when he saw that the young man was about to run off, he hurriedly pulled him back, "Wait! You've damaged my inn and you're just going to just leave?"

The young man replied in urgency, "I must catch up with him or there’ll be trouble again tonight!"

Again? Bai Fan Lu pondered for a moment, "What kind of Flower Thief is this?"

Hearing the question, the young man turned towards Bai Fanlu and ended his attempt to leave. The innkeeper could tell that he didn't really seem to want to renege on his debt, so he didn't tug him any harder, but he still held onto his sleeve.

"It's the one wanted by the authorities. It's the fifth day now, and he rapes a girl every night..." it was the innkeeper who softly answered.

The young man became agitated at this response and raised his voice, "It's not as simple as rape, all the victimised girls committed suicide the next day. That man goes against the laws of nature and is a murderer!”

At this, the young man became even more anxious, “I have to hurry! I'm sorry, I'll be back tomorrow to pay you back!"

The young man then broke free from the innkeeper's grip and leaped out the door.

"This...hey! You—" The innkeeper scrambled in pursuit, but the young man was long gone.

"Th-th-this...Swindlers! All of them! Who is going to pay for these damages now?"

The innkeeper stomped his feet, but then remembered that there was someone else in the room. He softened his expression in an instant and walked up to Bai Fanlu with a calculating smile. "Sir, this..."

Bai Fanlu, for some reason, was extremely displeased with the term ‘swindlers’ in his passing remark. This agitation forced out a thoughtless action. 

He pulled off the jade pendant which hung on his waist and slapped it on the table. "Here's the collateral, I'll come back for it when the boy pays you tomorrow."

Seeing the jade pendant, the innkeeper’s eyes lit up and he reached for it with a grin on his face.

With a flick of his wrist, Bai Fanlu stopped the innkeeper's hand, which was about to grab the item with the hilt of his sword. It was not a forceful motion, yet it brought out a formidable intent.　

"Don't play tricks."

"..." The innkeeper's face stiffened and he chuckled, "I wouldn't dare! Young Master, you can't stay in this room. Follow me, I'll get you a new one."

Bai Fanlu shook his head in his heart. This innkeeper was a businessman through and through. He was pretty shameless, but it was understandable.

When he got into his new room, he lay down on the bed and recalled the ‘Flower Thief’ they had mentioned.

Should I help out?

Bai Fanlu was surprised at himself as soon as the thought came to him.

One of the principles he set in this world was to keep to himself and persevere until the end of the story. At most, he would take some action to advance the plot line but the Flower Thief was never mentioned in the book. So why should he, an outsider, partake in seeking justice for this matter?

It was better to stay out of this.

As for that jade pendant...Hai, it was a momentary impulse. If the young man really did not return, he would take it as payment for a lesson learned.

Bai Fanlu pulled the quilt over his head and forced himself to sleep.

When he finally got a little sleepy in the middle of the night and thought that he could get a good night’s rest, he was woken up at the crack of dawn.

"What's going on? Who's crying outside this early in the morning?" Murmurs could be heard.

Bai Fanlu opened the door to his room, as did several other guests who were staying at the inn, all looking at each other in confusion.

The innkeeper came upstairs and told the guests one by one, "Something has happened but it’s not the inn, it's the market across the street. The officials are dealing with it now." He assured the customers and urged them to return to their rooms.

When he arrived at Bai Fanlu's door, the innkeeper looked slightly more fidgety, and when Bai Fanlu noticed, he asked, "What happened?"

Most of the other guests at the inn were foreigners, who didn't know much about Dongchang City, and neither did Bai Fanlu. However, the look in the innkeeper's eyes told him that he had a connection to this matter.

Sure enough, the innkeeper lowered his voice, "It’s...it’s the Flower Thief."

"Was he caught?"

"No, there was another crime."

That is to say, the young man let him get away. But did he not manage to catch up to him? Or did he catch up, but lost the fight? Or was it...Bai Fanlu felt his chest tighten and decided to go down and have a look.

It was early when he left the inn, so most households and stores on both sides of the street still had their doors closed. Hence, Bai Fanlu could easily spot a group of officials across the street as they surrounded a woman who sat on the ground bawling.  

As he approached, Bai Fanlu saw that there was a little girl in the woman’s arms, her limbs were limp, her head hung back bonelessly and her eyes were open. It seemed like she was dead.

When he thought about what could have happened to the girl, Bai Fanlu felt like his heart had been sliced by a knife.

The innkeeper, who had seen Bai Fanlu go out, seemed uneasy and walked over at that moment, "Young Master?"

"Is that the girl?"

"This..." The innkeeper sighed, "Ay, yes..."

Bai Fanlu clenched his fists within his robe sleeves. Judging from the corpse’s stature, the girl was probably about ten years old.

Just ten years old...Bai Fanlu could hear his inner voice sneeringly condemn him.

Logically speaking, whatever happened here was not part of the main plot and it was a waste of his time to meddle. However, there were bound to be scumbags around and he happened to encounter the type he hated the most…

Looking up again, he caught sight of a prominent wanted poster pinned on the notice board across the street.　　

Didi!

At the same time as the inception of a thought, a beep sounded in his head.

[Unlocked the Side Mission 'Retribution For The Evil', Mission Goal: Kill The Flower Thief.]

[Mission Reward: ‘Reader's Brain Fragment' x 3, remember to activate hidden events to obtain additional rewards.]

[Mission Hint: Circumstances are determined by one’s perception. There is no truth in falsehood. Demons arise from the essence of one’s being. Beware of lies within the truth.”]

As Bai Fanlu listened to the system’s brief, he had already made his way in front of the notice board. He tore off the poster with one hand and surveyed the portrait on it.

Seeing this, the innkeeper couldn't resist asking, "Young Master, do…do you also want to catch that Flower Thief?"　　

The meaning of his tone is clear, you seemed civilised and weak, can you do it?

Bai Fanlu ignored him as he crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and disintegrated it into power with a gentle twist. He turned around and returned to the inn.

The innkeeper remained on the spot, staring at the snow-white powdered remnants of the poster on the ground. Despite being chilly in the morning, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

To catch the Flower Thief, Bai Fanlu would have to wait until the evening. He decided to stay another day and wait for the young man to return to the inn as well.　

Although it was said in the novel that the jade pendant was given to the book’s Bai Fanlu by Yun Zhan, it somehow magically remained on him even after he changed his clothes. In reality, the item was of little use to him.

It was, however, an authentic piece of jade, and he was reluctant to leave it with the money-grubbing innkeeper. He would rather pawn it for silver pieces.

When he regained his composure, Bai Fanlu felt a hint of regret. It was not for putting down the jade pendant as collateral, or ripping off the bounty poster, but for not following the young man last night.

If he hadn't been so stubborn about protecting himself, the girl from this morning wouldn't be...

He has indeed aged and pale in comparison to the young boy’s fervour.

What Bai Fanlu couldn't be sure of, was whether the teenager who chased the Flower Thief last night would return here today.

Thankfully, the young boy returned to the inn in the morning, and the innkeeper led him straight up to the second floor.

When Bai Fanlu saw that the teenager seemed to be intact, except for the bump on his head, he was relieved. On the other hand, seeing Bai Fanlu, the teenager scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Young Master, I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused you."

"Not at all," Bai Fanlu replied, "It is I who admire your chivalry and for keeping your word."

"I—" The young man lowered his head, "I spoke to the innkeeper earlier regarding the damages and I don't have enough money on me to pay for it. I don't have valuables to place as a collateral. Young Master’s jade pendant..."　　

The teenager raised his head and looked sincerely at Bai Fanlu, "The innkeeper mentioned Young Mater would only stay for two days, could you…please stay for a few more days? I will definitely gather enough money to redeem your jade pendant."

The youth's voice was like the murmur of spring water, and his eyes were bright, like the crescent moon’s reflection on the water surface. When the young man looked over, he seemed to be blushing due to his anxiety.

Bai Fanlu was momentarily dazed by looking at him.　

The young man had a stature that was clearly similar to his, and the pure innocence that his face and physique gave off was pleasant and balanced. The more he looked at him, the more amiable he appeared to be.

The strange familiarity which Bai Fanlu felt when he saw the youth’s side profile for the first time yesterday, came rushing back. 

Where have I seen him before?

"Young Master?"

"...It's alright". Realising that he was lost in thought, Bai Fanlu withdrew his gaze and took out his money pouch, "I still have silver pieces here. Innkeeper, how much more for the damages?"

"Ah! Not much, not much, just five taels." The shopkeeper hurriedly answered.

"But Young Master..."　　

Just as the youth was about to stop him, Bai Fanlu raised his hand and placed the remaining five taels of silver on the table, "I wish to redeem the jade pendant as soon as possible."

The young man looked down, clutched the corner of his sleeves, and did not say a word.

Bai Fanlu caught his reaction. Having received the jade pendant from the innkeeper, he examined it before tying it back onto his waist.　

The innkeeper then left with the silver taels, but the young man didn't follow. He bit his lip as if he had something to say but didn't know how to say it.

Bai Fanlu said, "Sit."

The young man complied and sat on the stool. Bai Fanlu poured him a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him, "You don't have to take it to heart, this amount is no big deal to me."

Although he did not know how the book’s Bai Fanlu earned his money, there was always a way.

The youth still shook his head and bit down harder on his lower lip, until teeth marks could be seen when he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"But I mind. Young Master, I must return you your money. Last night, I was too stupid and lost the Flower Thief in the chase, causing the girl to be harmed. I must catch the thief tonight. Once I catch him, I can earn the bounty and then I will have money to pay you back.."

Bai Fanlu could care less for the bounty or whatever. He was more concerned about something else, “How skilful are you?"

"I’m...not, not too bad."

That didn't sound very reliable.

"How did you find the Flower Thief last night?" Bai Fan Lu asked, and that was the biggest problem he needed to solve.

The culprit acted at night and selected his victims indiscriminately. Moreover, with the size of Dongchang City, finding the Flower Thief was like looking for a needle in a haystack.　

The young man grinned brightly, "I rely on Zhizhi!

"Zhizhi?"

The youth whistled, and the little white monkey, which had been playing tricks and busking with him yesterday suddenly scurried in through the window and leaped onto his arm, making a squeaking sound.

"This is him! That Flower Thief has a stench to him and Zhizhi can detect and track him! But if the chase runs too long, Zhizhi will not be able to accurately smell him and that’s how we lost him last night.” 

So that was it, Bai Fanfu nodded, "Then, let's do this together tonight. You track down the Flower Thief and I'll deal with him."

The young man's eyes widened in astonishment, "Young Master, you?"

Bai Fanlu didn't blame him for that reaction, for he did look a little too harmless on the outside, more like a weak scholar than an immortal cultivator.　

"More help is always better. Once we earn the bounty, I just need those five taels."

"How can that be?"

"It's all right, let's wait until we catch that man."

Bai Fanlu had already sharpened his sword. An imperceptible streak of determination and coldness flashed across his gentle eyes.　　

He may not have noticed the change in himself at this moment, but opposite him, the youth quietly observed Bai Fanlu's expression, and at this moment his face was dimmed and his lips pursed.