Chapter 33: The Most Heroic of Maidens

"Oh? It's you?"

Tao Qianqian scanned the crowd and suddenly spotted Xu An in the corner.

"Greetings, Officer Tao!" Xu An said with a polite bow and a smile.

"Little Young Master, why are you here? Are these people bullying you?" Tao Qianqian asked.

The corner of Xu An's mouth twitched. What was wrong with this woman? "Young Master" was fine on its own—why add "little" to it? Didn't she know that for a man, that prefix was quite taboo? However, hearing her ask, he immediately replied, "Officer, please judge for yourself. They are abusing their power to bully others; I hope you will uphold justice for me."

"Miss Tao, don't listen to this brat's nonsense. He owes money and refuses to pay, so we are here to collect," the leader of the burly men interjected.

"Is 'Miss Tao' what you call me? Address me as Officer Tao!" Tao Qianqian snapped at the man.

"Yes, yes, Officer Tao," the man stammered. He seemed to know Tao Qianqian and held her in great awe.

"Hmph!" Tao Qianqian huffed at the man, then turned to look at Xu An with a smile. "Young Master, could you tell me exactly what happened? Don't worry—I, this lady... ahem, I, this officer, will see justice done for you!"

Looking at the somewhat scatterbrained young woman, Xu An felt a strange sense of friendliness and briefly explained the situation.

"Hmph! Truly overbearing! You go ahead; I'll handle this!" After listening to his account, the girl angrily slammed the butt of her spear onto the ground. Sparks flew!

"Thank you, Officer!" Xu An bowed in gratitude and turned to leave without a moment's hesitation. The little girl was waiting for him at home; he could not afford to waste any more time.

"Stop him! Don't let him go!" the leader shouted in a panic. If Xu An got away, he would not only be berated upon returning, but he would also lose three months of his salary.

"I'd like to see who dares to move!" Tao Qianqian roared. A terrifying aura erupted from her, instantly freezing those who intended to give chase.

The leader’s face turned grim. "Officer Tao, this is favoritism! We can report you!"

"Heh, I'm so scared! Go ahead and report me if you have the guts!"

Tao Qianqian clearly knew this group and said with disdain, "Don't think I don't know who is behind you. Go back and tell that old turtle to lay low, or he’ll regret it."

"You..." The leader’s chest heaved with rage, but he was helpless. It was not just the weight of Tao Qianqian’s background that deterred him, but also a healthy fear of her combat skills. Despite her usually careless and airheaded demeanor, if she started a fight, none of them—not even all of them combined—would be her match.

"Scram, all of you. I'll let you off this time since you haven't laid a hand on anyone yet. If I catch you using your status to bully people again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Seeing the situation, the leader realized there was no point in staying. He led his men away, his face twisted in fury.

Just then, one of his subordinates leaned in and whispered, "Boss, I feel like that Tao woman misspoke."

"Misspoke how?" the leader asked.

"She said we were 'using our status to bully people,' but I recall the saying is 'a dog using its master's power'?"

The leader stopped in his tracks, paused, and suddenly roared at him, "Get lost!" He then turned and stormed off.

The man stood there, clueless. He was sure he was right; the phrase was definitely "a dog using its master's power." Why were the boss and everyone else looking at him like he was an idiot?

"Boss, what do we do now? We didn't catch the kid. We aren't really going to lose our salary, are we?"

"Yeah, Boss, that's three months of pay! What are we supposed to do, eat air for three months?"

"Boss, think of something!"

As the leader walked away, others kept coming up to ask.

"There's a reason for this. The kid ran off, and it's not entirely our fault. I'll explain it to Manager Kou. We'll put all the blame on that woman, Tao Qianqian. Manager Kou shouldn't make things difficult for us. After all, even the Manager knows how troublesome she is. Even if our boss himself came, he probably wouldn't want to clash with her," the leader said after a moment of thought.

The men thanked him in relief.

...

"That old turtle’s men went to the young master's house to cause trouble. I fear something might happen. I should follow them and check," Tao Qianqian thought after driving them away. She leaped a few times and vanished into the alley.

A moment later, a girl in red, carrying a long spear on her shoulder, galloped out of the city on horseback.

At the same time, Xu An and Li Erhuang were riding a donkey cart, hurrying toward Qinghe Village. Xu An’s face was filled with anxiety. Those debt collectors were brutal and unreasonable; how could the little girl handle them alone? Though she had money, he knew her well enough to know she would never hand it over unless she was certain it was from him. And if she couldn't produce the silver, he shuddered to think what those men might do to her.

"Hey, Little Young Master!" A crisp voice suddenly called out from behind.

Xu An turned to see a figure in red on a white horse galloping toward them. It was Tao Qianqian! She was vibrant, her red robes fluttering, her ponytail dancing in the wind. She was truly a dashing young woman in red! The white horse she rode was magnificent and fast; in a blink, she was beside them.

"Officer Tao? Why are you here?" Xu An asked, puzzled.

"Didn't some fellows go to your house to collect debts? As an officer of the yamen, I naturally have to follow and check," Tao Qianqian said, head held high. She looked spirited and heroic, not at all like a typical official, but more like a wandering swordswoman of the jianghu.

"Then I am deeply grateful, Officer Tao." Although this was part of a bailiff's duty, Xu An remained polite. These days, most officials were lazy, and some even used their positions to exploit the people. Someone like Tao Qianqian, who hadn't forgotten her duty, was rare.

"Little Young Master, if you hadn't saved me today, I might have been seriously injured. From what I can see, you’re not a bad guy—worth making friends with. So, don't call me Officer Tao anymore. Just call me Little Tao or Qianqian," she said with a hearty laugh.

The young scholar before her, though thin, was gentle and refined. He was also fair-skinned and handsome, and she felt quite drawn to him.

Seeing this, Li Erhuang couldn't sit still. He kept winking at Xu An and even tugged at his sleeve, reminding him to seize the opportunity and not be a fool.