"Truly, my mentality still falls short." Qi Zixiao muttered to herself, sensing her exhilaration and anticipation.
She had presumed that her mind had long since achieved serenity and was unchanging like an ancient snowy mountain, but it seemed that everything before was just an illusion.
Why else would her mood be so volatile in such a short time?
"I have to change this mindset as soon as possible, or else…"
"But… so sweet."
Qi Zixiao stared at the buns in the bamboo-steamer and could not help taking one out, and eventually took one out for a bite after some hesitation.
It was quite a small bite, and she only chewed through the outer layer to reach the meat inside.
The taste of the soft crust combined with the seasoned meat instantly filled the inside of her mouth….
Her eyes instantly widened. "What is this food?!"
So fragrant!!!
Oh?
She had calmed her mind after much difficulty, but she was ruffled again already?
Ah, who cares.
That could wait until she had her fill.
Being absolutely famished, now that she had her first taste of mortal food, and coupled with the fact that it was from a famous steamed bun shop…
How could she hold back with all these factors added together?!
***
Burp~
With six large steamed buns down her stomach, Qi Zixiao was finally not hungry.
But there were still many in the bamboo-steamer…
Throw them?
How could she throw such delicious food?
Qi Zixiao realized that she seemed to be held hostage by this mortal delicacy, and hence resolved herself that she couldn't dump them, and would bring them along!
Or what? Would she have to steal again the next time she went hungry?
Although it was an unchanging principle that the strong prey on the weak, she did not forget that she did not have a single ounce of innate qi—that she was a mortal as well. It would not be safe if she did things according to her whim.
Hence, hugging the bamboo-steamer, she fixed her sight eastward and kept walking.
Where was she going?
She did not know.
Still, it was apparent that she did not want to remain at a place like this, that had no Spirit Qi at all.
Even so, she was still alone. While her clothes were still clean, she was clutching a steamer-full of buns in the bustling city—she was eye-catching no matter how one went about it.
Therefore…
She was recognized soon enough.
Several uniformed individuals started pointing and gesturing when they saw Qi Zixiao in the distance, and raised their phones to crosscheck and monitor…
Then, one of them pointed at her. "Stop! Police!"
Clearly, the steamed bun restaurant had called the cops.
What era was this anyway? Did people actually still steal steamed buns?
However, the police did not ignore the incident since public security had improved considerably, and some of the police were feeling a little bored.
Though it was not an important case, they incidentally could use the training, could they not?
Hence, they rushed to the scene immediately.
***
Qi Zixiao: "…"
"Are they the officials of this world?"
Fight or flight?
Qi Zixiao turned and fled the instant that thought came to her head.
Although she had no innate qi now, her spirit sense as an immortal was still present, and she could clearly feel something that threatened her on the bodies of those officials.
That was why she ran!
"Freeze!"
"Stop right there!!!"
When the police saw her running away, all of them gave chase, yelling and unable to decide if they should laugh or cry while in pursuit…
They ended up chasing her through several blocks.
And although the police believed they would definitely catch up, they realized that they lost here! All of them were left panting and heaving like a dog, but that brat had somehow vanished from sight?!
"The kid must be born in the year of the rabbit, wasn't he?"
"So fast!"
"Not just a rabbit," the captain breathed difficulty, with his hands on his waist as he panted. "A glutton too."
"What?" One of the police was confused.
"Here!" The captain pointed, and only then did the patrol saw that he was holding the shoe.
"…Was that the kid's?"
"Who else's could it be?"
The captain breathed through laughter and years. "He lost his shoe, but still held on to the bamboo-steamer for dear life, and did not even drop a single bun. He definitely is a glutton!"
"Truly…"
"Maybe he's not just a glutton, but also a little touched in the brain, isn't he?"
"That's for sure. Who else would steal steamed buns?"
"Really… this case is so laughable."
Eventually, the captain turned serious. "Alright. We'll leave the laughing for after we solve the case."
"The kid might be wrong in the head, and because we don't know the extent of the brain damage. It would be a problem if he hurts someone. Now hurry, get the surveillance footage to identify him, and then contact his family."
"Yes, captain!"
The police went to work.
***
Meanwhile, Qi Zixiao was panting heavily too.
She could not help laughing when she realized that she had lost the officials.
Then, she also noticed that her shoe had fallen off.
Well, gone is gone—as long as the steamed buns did not fall off.
Moreover, it was certainly worth being pleased that she could shake off the officials' pursuit.
Right now, even Qi Zixiao herself did not notice that she no longer had the mindset to pursue perfection, and was slowly blending into the city.
To make that easier to understand… it was like a top Honor of Kings player had now fully immersed himself into bronze-tier, and fought as equals against other bronze players!
Even so, Qi Zixiao's bliss did not last too long.
Just a few hours later and even before the skies went dark, the officials were chasing her again.
They would have caught her if she did not run so quickly.
However, come nightfall, the officials found her again…
"They could get to me, even at this place?"
Qi Zixiao's expression turned somber. "Master was right. I can't afford to underestimate anyone."
"Even if this is a realm of mortals, the officials would have their own methods to find me in such a short time!"
"And then there are those things that threaten me on their bodies… it is a little extraordinary…"
She did not know what those things were, but it was enough that she knew she would not win against the officials.
Hence, in the next two days, Qi Zixiao was on the run.
When she finished her steamed buns, she simply stole from somewhere else…
Later, an urban legend spread across C City about a food plunderer…
[Shocking! A serial food thief escapes the police multiple times!]
[The charm of delicacies!]
[The food plunderer strikes again, multiple restaurants were robbed]
***
The Violet Manor.
It had been three days since Lin Fan arrived.
Here, he had used various excuses to learn much information from Chen Cheng…
Of course, those excuses were all over the place.
In the end, Lin Fan had no excuses left, not to mention that asking one too many times would easily expose himself, just as the information he could get was not much…
Then, he slapped himself in the head. "Got it!"
Keeping a long face, he opened the door routinely and with ease.
"Chen Cheng, ready a bath. This Saintess wants to take a bath."
Such a perfect excuse!