"Ah Qing! There's a pickpocket after my bell!"
As one of the most popular tourist cities, Chang'an is bustling with people every day, and with such a dense population of outsiders, pickpockets tend to emerge. Romantic like the art capital, it's also a world-class pickpocket headquarters.
It's no surprise that there are pickpockets in Chang'an.
What truly shocked Ansheng was the fact that the pickpocket opposite seemed as large as a vat.
Ah Qing's backpack, left slightly open due to the little fox inside, revealed a white fluffy creature.
Even with a bio-security system in place, the pickpocket across dared to reach in and steal.
The entire fox Ansheng was stunned, staring dumbfoundedly as the thief's hand groped the backpack, while simultaneously pawing at Ah Qing to get her attention on this spectacle.
"Huh? Something in my bag was bothering the bell? But I didn't have anything hard in my bag!"
Hearing the little fox's shout, Ah Qing instinctively glanced down at her backpack.
Then.
Ah Qing was dumbstruck; a clearly masculine hand had somehow found its way inside her backpack, feeling around. Suddenly, it grabbed the little fox's paw, pulled it out of the bag.
Yet, when the pickpocket saw what he had yanked out, his movements noticeably froze for a moment.
It was obvious he had mistaken the fluffy white fox for something else.
"Th...there's a pickpocket!"
Ah Qing snapped back to her senses, quickly clutching the thief's wrist and shouting for help.
"A pickpocket!?"
Upon hearing Ah Qing's cry, the nearby passers-by instinctively backed away, their first reaction was to glance around and then instinctively check their pockets.
As the crowd parted, a clearing formed with Ah Qing at its center.
The pickpocket was revealed; he wore a baseball cap and a buttonless loose long-sleeve shirt, with a shoulder bag slung over him.
"Let go!"
Realizing he'd been exposed, the pickpocket grew anxious, trying to pull his hand back, but oddly, found he couldn't free his hand from the girl's grip.
The more he struggled, the more desperate he became, especially noticing the surrounding pedestrians closing in on him.
The pickpocket's face twisted in resolve; he lunged forward, using his shoulder as a spear, driving it forcefully toward Ah Qing's forehead.
"Ah—"
Ah Qing was terrified, instinctively letting go, her mind flashing back to the martial artist's advice at the dojo.
'Ah Qing...there's not much to teach you, just keep training your physique. If confronted, lift your hand and slap with all your might. But go easy during the martial arts exam; you eat a lot, so you've got tremendous strength.'
Faced with the aggressive opponent, Ah Qing acted on instinct, directly slapping the man's face with full force.
As her palm swung, Ah Qing's fingertips seemed to undergo strange changes, becoming pointed and thick, like a dog's claws.
"Smack—"
Ah Qing moved with lightning speed, delivering a heavy slap to the pickpocket charging at her.
The pickpocket's face met Ah Qing's slap, instantly distorting and twisting, leaving his mind blank and eyes wide from instinct, not understanding why he was descending despite jumping up.
"Holy crap! That's my Ah Qing, her physical strength is truly as mighty as a wild beast!"
From the backpack, Ansheng watched the pickpocket attempt to assault Ah Qing, but Ah Qing wouldn't budge, her slap as heavy as a thousand pounds sent the hundred-something pound pickpocket bouncing off the marble street, flipping sideways, face down, sliding several meters, motionless.
If not for the speed bumps along his path, Ansheng figured he might have slid even further.
"...The guy seems quite at peace?"
The confrontation between Ah Qing and the pickpocket was swift; clearly, the pickpocket was a repeat offender, failing that, he had no intention of lingering. He just wanted to flee.
Mo Yiqing, realizing what happened, hadn't even had time to grasp his car keys; he just hurled them at the thief's head, and the thief was promptly knocked over, rolling onto the ground as Ah Qing slapped him away.
"Lingren, call the police. Old Tang, call an ambulance." Mo Yiqing, startled for a moment, quickly took command.
This guy really had the guts!
Failing to steal, he tried to attack someone, and picked to attack Ah Qing, known as the 'human combine harvester.'
With that slap, he'd be lucky if all he did was drool.
"Wake up, stay conscious, don't follow your bad relatives crossing the river on a boat...they're all bad seeds..." Mo Yiqing hurriedly checked on the thief.
"Wow! Don't die!" Ah Qing, shocked at her own slap, quickly rushed to plea for the thief's life.
The surrounding crowd gathered into a circle, watching wide-eyed at the absurd spectacle unfolding before them.
At this moment.
Some parents shopping with their kids noticed something.
It seemed...the national 'green fitness classes' might actually have some impact.
Supposedly, an ordinary university girl had knocked out a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old man with a single slap.
Apparently, more PE classes really do work.
......
The absurdity on the street lasted until law enforcement and medical staff arrived to take control.
"Tsk tsk...fortunate that the slap hit his face directly. With the jaw dislocating to ease the impact, otherwise, he might have had a concussion..."
Getting off the ambulance, the doctor examined the thief, checked various nerve responses, and marveled aloud.
While the thief lay listlessly, staring into the sky, with gaps in his memory.
He vaguely remembered seeing a bright two-thousand-yuan Sunny Angel doll and wanting to secretly sell it on eBay, but couldn't recall anything else, only feeling his mouth aching intensely.
"Miss, did you train in martial arts since you were young?" the doctor asked, signaling paramedics to lift the man onto the vehicle, directing the inquiry at the girl sitting near the constabulary-decorated car, giving her statement.
"Huh? No, I was studying..." Ah Qing, holding the little fox, glanced at the doctor and replied.
Ah Qing's expression carried a hint of daze, as if she felt a bit tired, she instinctively held and petted the little fox slightly to regain some energy.
"......"
Upon receiving a scholar's response, the doctor wore a peculiar expression, study? The Six Arts of a Gentleman?
"They're all students from the Xinxing Agricultural Research Institute, so having a bit more strength is normal."
The constable finished taking statements, glanced at the doctor who came leisurely, and added:
"How's the suspect? Any sequelae?"
"Xinxing Agricultural Science College..." The name invoked an understanding expression on the doctor's face, who then waved dismissively:
"No big deal, just a few months on porridge and he's fine. You'll probably bring him over to the holding center once he's in hospital for a couple of days."
"Alright."
The constable nodded towards Ah Qing and the others, and said: "That's the end of this. However, your actions need to be criticized; when encountering an intrusion and having an escape route, the most crucial thing is your own safety."
"Even if you have self-defense capabilities, first consider your safety, then other matters. Because if the thief had a knife, you'd be the ones in trouble."
"Got it?"
"Yes, officer..."
"Alright, take care!" The constable finished his instructions and then followed the ambulance to the hospital.
"So...where are we going now?" Ah Qing asked, holding Xiaolan for some comfort.
"First, let's eat, then go shopping," Mo Yiqing suggested. "Even after dealing with that punk, a person needs sustenance; you can't skip meals just because of trouble."
"I still want to try the lamb soup with bread! I heard the lamb here in Chang'an doesn't have a strong taste, I need to taste it."
"I agree!" Lingren chimed in.
Tang You, disinterested in the mention of lamb soup with bread, gave a curious look to the three city folk.
If you want lamb...just give me a call; I can slaughter one fresh and ship it to you.
All that hustle for a bowl of soup and bread?