Chapter 282 - 199: The Female Thief Full of Perverse Tastes (Part 2)

After dinner, Zou Feng didn’t take Tian Yun back into the room to continue their Cultivation.

Instead, he prepared to visit Murong Yunhai.

After all, before coming here, he had accepted a mission from Biyou Palace to investigate and capture the Grass Thief.

The time limit was one month, otherwise the mission would fail.

Failing wasn’t a huge deal, but the problem was that it probably wouldn’t be so easy to get such a suitable mission again in the future.

He followed the familiar path to the City Lord’s Mansion. After he stated his purpose, the guards, who already recognized him, let him pass without delay.

Before long, Zou Feng was in Murong Yunhai’s bedchamber, where he saw the heavily injured son of the City Lord.

The moment they met, Zou Feng could immediately tell that Murong Yunhai had indeed reached the Fifth Grade.

However, he had none of his former splendor now. He looked like he only had half a life left in him.

As for why Murong Yunhai had suffered such severe injuries...

He had, of course, almost been ravaged by the Grass Thief. He had resisted with all his might and was nearly beaten to death in the struggle.

Thankfully, the many expert guards in the mansion arrived in time. Otherwise, Murong Yunhai’s fate might very well have been to be found dead and naked in the street.

"Brother... Zou..." Seeing Zou Feng enter, Murong Yunhai struggled to prop himself up.

"Brother Murong, what are you doing? Quick, lie back down!" Zou Feng hurried forward and stopped Murong Yunhai from trying to get up.

Zou Feng couldn’t do much for Murong Yunhai’s injuries; after all, it wasn’t a case of poisoning.

But despite the severity of his wounds, Murong Yunhai was the City Lord’s son and had already received the best treatment. He wasn’t in any real danger.

He just needed a long time to rest and recuperate.

"Brother Zou... This time... I was completely humiliated..." Murong Yunhai said with a pained expression.

Zou Feng frowned. "How many innocent men has that Grass Thief victimized?"

"At least twenty!" Murong Yunhai said through gritted teeth. "Lately, it’s like our city is under a curfew. Almost no man dares to wander about at night."

’The Grass Thief has only targeted handsome men so far,’ Zou Feng thought. ’Most men in Qingchuan City don’t actually need to worry about their safety at night.’

"To be honest, Brother Murong, the reason I’m here is because I’m on a mission..."

The fact that Zou Feng had become an Honored Guest Elder of Biyou Palace was public knowledge. As the son of the Qingchuan City Lord, Murong Yunhai couldn’t possibly be unaware.

So, Zou Feng directly explained that he was under orders from Biyou Palace to investigate and deal with the Grass Thief.

"Please, Brother Murong, tell me in detail what exactly happened that night!"

At these words, Murong Yunhai was involuntarily lost in the memory, and he soon shivered with lingering fear.

"She... She’s not a person, she’s a monster!"

As Murong Yunhai told his story, Zou Feng began to get a general idea of what had happened.

It was simple enough: Murong Yunhai had gone out for his routine visit to the brothel. When he was finished, he swaggered back to his carriage to head home.

It was on the way back that a masked woman appeared. In the blink of an eye, she took out Murong Yunhai’s guards.

Since Murong Yunhai was a Fifth Grade Expert himself, and he was on his home turf in Qingchuan City, his security detail wasn’t at its maximum.

Murong Yunhai, of course, attacked in a rage. But when he discovered his opponent was most likely at the Fourth Grade, he immediately shifted to a tactical retreat.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

After the Grass Thief caught up to him, he was defeated in just a few moves.

Then, his opponent began toying with him like a cat with a mouse, tormenting him in all sorts of ways.

As for how she tormented him...

The fact that Murong Yunhai was lying on his stomach was a telling clue.

He couldn’t lie on his back, which clearly meant the injuries around his rear were not light.

One could also tell from the look of utter shame on Murong Yunhai’s face.

This immediately confused Zou Feng.

"Wait a minute, Brother Murong. Didn’t you say she was a woman?"

Murong Yunhai said, full of grief and indignation, "That monster used... used a weapon!"

"What kind of weapon?"

"I was injured and restrained at the time... I couldn’t see it clearly..."

Zou Feng was left speechless. ’That’s just sick,’ he thought.

Zou Feng quickly changed the subject, not wanting to upset Murong Yunhai further. "Did this thief use a Biyou Palace Cultivation Skill?"

Murong Yunhai shook his head. "I’m not sure about that, but that monster is... really powerful!"

He asked for more details, but Murong Yunhai had been in such a state of panic that he was completely unable to calmly recall what type of Cultivation Skill his opponent had used.

He wasn’t even sure if his opponent had used poison.

And while Zou Feng could confirm that Murong Yunhai wasn’t poisoned now, that didn’t mean he hadn’t been poisoned during the attack.

After all, the effects of many poisons don’t last long. Once they serve their purpose, they quickly dissipate.

Or perhaps Murong Yunhai just happened to have an unusually high resistance to certain poisons, which was why he wasn’t afflicted.

Seeing that he couldn’t get any more information, Zou Feng made small talk with Murong Yunhai for a little longer before taking his leave.

’It can’t be helped,’ he thought. ’There are too few clues. I’ll probably have to use myself as bait.’

’But the problem is that no men dare to go out at night anymore. If I go strolling around with this handsome face of mine, swaggering about...’

’Even a fool could tell something was up.’

’The Grass Thief couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to take such obvious bait.’

’However, setting bait at night is too obvious. But during the day...’

’The Grass Thief still has to do her "grass-thieving," after all.’

’If she can’t operate at night, she can scout for a suitable target during the day, follow them to find out where they live, and then break in at night to do the deed.’

Zou Feng decided then and there to go out and walk around more during the day. Furthermore, it would be best not to be seen returning to the martial arts hall where the Hongxing Gang was staying. He would have to find another house to live in.

’If there are too many Martial Artists around, no matter how skilled and audacious the thief is, she’ll likely give up on the target.’

’After I find a new house, I can even have Tian Yun come live there with me.’

’And just having Tian Yun live with me won’t stop the Grass Thief from targeting me.’

Zou Feng had learned before accepting this mission at Biyou Palace that some of the previous victims had been violated and killed by the Grass Thief right in front of their own wives...

So it seemed this monster had a particular kink for that sort of thing.

After returning to the martial arts hall, Zou Feng immediately got Tian Yun, and they moved to another house he had purchased earlier.

When Bian Yixia heard they were going to catch the Grass Thief, she wanted to come along. But Zou Feng persuaded her not to, explaining that having too many Martial Artists around might be counterproductive.

After they had settled in, the next morning, Zou Feng tidied himself up, changed into the clothes of a wealthy young master, and took Tian Yun out to parade ostentatiously through the streets.

This was to show the Grass Thief, who might be hiding and scouting for targets, that he perfectly met her criteria. Not only that, but he already had a partner, which would surely satisfy her twisted tastes.

After they went out, Zou Feng felt something was still missing. He used his "Hair Gel Hand" skill, slicking his hair back smoothly.

This one small change altered Zou Feng’s entire demeanor. Combined with his new clothes, anyone who didn’t know him well would have a hard time recognizing him as the same Zou Feng who had just entered Qingchuan City the day before.

"Zou Lang, are you sure this method will work?"

Tian Yun had no objection to wandering around with Zou Feng, but she clearly thought the method was unreliable.

’After all,’ she thought, ’if that thief really is a top-tier Fourth Grade Expert, then no matter how well Zou Feng and I conceal our auras, she’ll be able to tell with a careful look that we’re both Martial Artists of the Gang Qi Realm.’

’The thief would see through me as a Fifth Grade practitioner without any trouble. As for whether she could see what Grade Zou Feng is... that’s hard to say.’

’After all, Zou Feng cultivates so many Evil Skills. He can switch between the tells of different Cultivation Skills at will, and his aura concealment is far more profound. It’s truly hard to be certain of his level.’

’But in any case, she’d definitely be able to tell that Zou Feng is a Gang Qi Realm expert and not someone to be trifled with.’

’So under these circumstances, would the Grass Thief really dare to take the bait?’

In response to Tian Yun’s doubt, Zou Feng said casually, "We don’t have any other options right now. Let’s try this for a few days and see what happens."

Though he said that, Zou Feng couldn’t help but wonder, ’What is that woman really after? She’s already a Fourth Grade Expert, yet she insists on doing this sort of thing. Is it purely to satisfy her own sick desires?’

’Is she an Evil Cultivator who has Fallen into Demon and lost her sanity, or does she have some other motive?’