"I know! That’s why I absolutely cannot marry her!" Sherlock’s expression was highly agitated, his stance resolute, breathing rapidly, "Even now, I remember how badly she beat me up when we were kids! Back then, she was just a child, and now, she’s become a Second-level Wizard! If I marry her, I’ll be beaten even worse!"
"Don’t jump to conclusions so hastily," the old man sighed, persuading Sherlock with gentle reasoning, "People can change. The Kana family has said that Caroline has become much kinder now and won’t... ahem, won’t beat people on a whim anymore."
"I don’t buy it!" Sherlock had the look of someone you couldn’t fool, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "Why does it have to be me she marries? According to the order, Caroline should marry Ilo, right. Yes, she should marry Ilo. He was the one she bullied the most when they were kids, and maybe he still misses it. Let him marry her!"
A young man, nearly the same age and bearing a resemblance to Sherlock, suddenly stood up, first glaring fiercely at Sherlock, then said, "I can’t marry Caroline, because I have already planned to go on an adventure with Master Torre for at least a year. Adventure is dangerous, I can’t even guarantee my safe return, so naturally I cannot marry Caroline. In this case, it should be you who marries Caroline. Whether you like it or not, you will marry her because it concerns the family’s interests. You have never contributed anything to the family, now it’s time for you to make some sacrifices, my dear brother—Sherlock!"
"You!" Sherlock glared at the other, utterly unprepared for such a ruthless stance.
"Alright, alright," the old man, sitting at the head of the table, spoke again, as if deciding, and said to Sherlock seriously, "Sherlock, you’ve heard what Ilo said. As part of your duty to the family, you must marry Caroline. Oh, and just a reminder, the dowry the Kana family has prepared for Caroline has already arrived in Tuoke City, and will soon be delivered here. You don’t have much time left, so prepare well."
"I—" Sherlock pursed his lips and fell silent, his eyes darting around in their sockets, probably pondering some plan.
Roughly at the same time, Jia Lie, still swollen but with much of the swelling having subsided—though still with a battered face—arrived in front of a bustling city.
Looking up at the city gates, the words displayed were clear: Tuoke City.
Biting down hard, Jia Lie said fiercely, "I refuse to believe that I can’t make something of myself after leaving my birth city! The first failure was due to my lack of insight, and the second because I overestimated the courage of those cowards, but a third failure? No, it won’t happen! This city, this Tuoke City, will be where I rise! Yes, where I rise!"
Having said this, Jia Lie strode decisively into the city.
The Mans Four-color Flower sprouted from moist soil, breaking ground to reveal its first color—a small yellow bloom.
The air still carried a bit of chill, the cold of winter not yet fully dissipated, and the sound of horse hooves echoed along the road leading from the harbor to the land.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."
A young man, draped in a gray cloak, rode swiftly on horseback.
Behind a pile of stones by the side of the road, Jia Lie slowly lifted his head, revealing his eyes as he watched the approach of the rider, swallowing nervously.
It was necessary to be nervous since this was his first robbery, and also the first time to showcase his talents since leaving his birth city.
Come on, come on, let yourself be the first mark under Uncle Jia Lie. Rest assured, Uncle Jia Lie is kind-hearted—I only want your money, not your life.
Jia Lie thought to himself confidently, gripping his slightly rusty dagger tightly, his eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching horse and rider.
Twenty meters, fifteen, ten, five!
"Stop right there, this is a robbery!"
Jia Lie shouted at the top of his lungs and dashed out, making a threatening gesture through the air.
His actions had the intended effect: he saw the rider on the horse abruptly pull the reins and come to a stop, looking at him with a complex expression.
The rider must be scared, right? Of course, he’s scared!
Jia Lie thought this with great certainty, calming his heart.
The rider Richard, sitting on the horse, raised his eyebrows and watched the sudden appearance of the robber for a while, finally convinced that the other party was not joking with him.
In fact, he had seen the other party hiding behind the pile of rocks from a distance and was initially puzzled about what they were up to. He truly hadn’t expected that they were preparing to rob him—a wizard.
What was this all about? Did they think his journey was boring and wanted to spice it up a bit?
After parting ways with the incognito novelist on the ship upon arriving at the port, Sherlock immediately split from him. On one hand, it would take quite some time for the man to unload his cargo from the ship. On the other hand, organizing a caravan and hiring enough guards to escort him and his goods back to his family would take even more time.
He naturally wasn’t going to wait for him and so he set off on his own.
The first few days alone were indeed a bit dull, but it didn’t greatly affect him. These last few days, however, he was engrossed in an interesting and useful subject he had learned from the Black Spirit King, so he really didn’t need any diversions.
But still, the other party had appeared.
So... best to resolve this quickly, and not waste too much time.
Richard thought to himself as he looked at the robber stepping out.
The robber was dressed in coarse hemp clothes, trying to look fierce, but he wasn’t intimidating at all; instead, he was almost laughable.
Holding a knife, the robber approached slowly, talking non-stop. It was hard to tell whether he was making threats or simply explaining his reasons for the robbery: "Kid, don’t blame me, you’re just unlucky to have come across me; I must rob you! Because I’m very poor, but I don’t want to stay poor forever. That’s why I left my hometown to seek my fortune, and why I’m planning to make a big sum and go into business, so I must rob you!"
Upon hearing this, Richard’s eyes twinkled with amusement. He had never before encountered such a righteous robber. He had been ready to hurl a fireball, but now he decided to do something different.
The robber got closer and closer: "Kid, hand over your stuff quick! Don’t say you don’t have money, I can tell—you’ve got at least five... no, ten gold coins! Hand it over fast, and if you do, I’ll... whoosh!"
Richard suddenly made his move.
With a flick of his finger, the air’s moisture rapidly condensed into an ice cone as thick as a finger, swiftly passing between the robber’s legs and piercing a hole in his trousers.
"Huh?" The robber was startled, feeling a chill between his legs. He touched it instinctively, unable to respond in time, and looked at Richard, asking, "What did you do to me?"
Richard didn’t speak but flicked his finger again.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Three ice cones flew out, skimming the robber’s face and hitting the large rock behind him.
The stone cones shattered upon hitting the rock, but also left three deep holes in it.
The robber saw this, swallowed hard, turned to look at Richard, his face gone pale, and stammered, "You... you’re a wizard?!"
Richard didn’t answer but said to him, "You claim your vision is sharp, but choosing me as your robbery target proves otherwise; your judgment is poor. Besides your sight, your intellect could also use some improvement. How many robbers have you seen robbing alone? If there’s a next time, try to bring more people. Of course, that is if there is a next time."
The robber, looking ashen-faced, whispered tremulously, "Are you going to kill me?"
"I was planning to, but..." Richard glanced at the robber, his gaze lingering on the man’s trousers for a moment before speaking. "But now it seems there’s no need. Consider that ice cone a warning. I hope I don’t see you again because... believe me, the outcome will be quite unpleasant."
After these words, Richard spurred his horse and quickly rode off, disappearing into the distance.
It wasn’t until long after Richard had left that the robber Jia Lie dared to move. His whole body was drenched in sweat from fear. The wettest part was around the groin area of his trousers which kept dripping water to the ground, drop by drop.
Jia Lie roared in his mind, looking around to ensure no one was there, and quickly scuttled away with his neck retracted. He kept thinking about Richard’s words: Not enough men? Do you need more people to make a successful robbery? Was that why he had failed? So...