"Ah!"
Just as Xiao Chen left, a piercing scream filled with terror erupted from the woman's room, startling him.
The man in black was equally quick. Seeing him fly at full speed, Xiao Chen chased him all the way to the woods outside Hundred Flowers Town.
"Xiao Chen, the man in black has disappeared!" The Ancient White Tiger transmitted telepathically. Even its superior vision couldn't spot the man in black.
"What a skilled guy, his aura has vanished too!" Xiao Chen frowned as he moved slowly through the forest, carefully observing his surroundings.
"The man in black can't possibly vanish into thin air, he must be nearby. He's injured, so he can't have gone far! Search carefully," the Ancient White Tiger suggested.
"A Golden Core stage expert resorting to such despicable acts and now hiding like a coward. I wonder how your parents raised such a beast!" Xiao Chen cursed as he continued his search in the forest.
The man in black was indeed hiding nearby. Hearing Xiao Chen's harsh words filled him with rage, but he didn't dare to show himself. Though the shoulder injury wasn't severe, it had alerted the cultivators of Hundred Flowers Town. He couldn't afford to reveal himself rashly and angrily muttered to himself, "Xiao Chen! I won't let you off!"
"You coward! Oh, there's a saying: 'Like father, like son.' Since you're a flower thief, your father must not be any good either, to raise a beast worse than a dog!" Seeing no movement around, Xiao Chen continued to provoke the man in black, hoping to draw him out.
"Xiao Chen, it doesn't seem to be working. That guy doesn't care about your insults," the Ancient White Tiger communicated.
"That guy is hiding really well; I can't sense any trace of him." Xiao Chen frowned, feeling frustrated. Just when he was about to catch him, the flower thief managed to escape.
"Xiao Chen, let's head back. He might have already gone far," the Ancient White Tiger suggested.
Reluctantly, Xiao Chen left. As he flew up into the sky, he said, "Little White Tiger, did you hear that? That guy knew my name."
"I heard. I can't figure out who it could be either. You don't know anyone in Hundred Flowers Town," the Ancient White Tiger replied, also pondering but unable to come up with an answer.
Back in Hundred Flowers Town, many cultivators were alarmed and rushed to the woman's house. Seeing so many people gathered, Xiao Chen approached them.
"This flower thief is too arrogant! He commits crimes repeatedly in Hundred Flowers Town!" a cultivator said angrily.
"What are we going to do? If this continues, who would dare stay in Hundred Flowers Town? All our young women will be ruined!"
"I can't stay any longer. Tomorrow, I'm leaving Hundred Flowers Town with my daughter."
"Me too! I can't stay here any longer. The Xinglan Sect can't catch the flower thief; it's been a month without any leads!"
Listening to the anxious discussions, Xiao Chen stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, everyone. I already injured the flower thief earlier, but unfortunately, he got away."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Xiao Chen. One person, seeing that Xiao Chen was just a teenager, didn't believe him and said, "Young man, stop joking. You injured the flower thief? Then the disciples of the Xinglan Sect must be useless!"
"Young man, don't make things worse!" another cultivator said with a bitter smile.
"It was him who saved me just now. I saw him injure the man in black with my own eyes," the woman who was attacked by the flower thief pointed at Xiao Chen, her trembling voice indicating she was still shaken.
"What? This young man really injured the flower thief?" The crowd was shocked, staring in disbelief that a teenager had such skills.
"No way! The disciples of the Xinglan Sect are so powerful, and they couldn't even see what the flower thief looked like. How could a kid injure the flower thief?"
"Miss Li, are you sure you're not mistaken? Are you certain it was him? He's just a child!"
"Believe it or not, the flower thief was injured by me and fled towards the Xinglan Sect. As far as I know, the cultivators of Hundred Flowers Town suspect that the thief is a disciple of the Xinglan Sect. If it's true, we can go to the Xinglan Sect tomorrow. If we find a disciple with a sword wound on his shoulder, that's our guy!" Xiao Chen said calmly, not angered by the disbelief.
"Yes, we privately suspected the Xinglan Sect's disciples. It's been over a month without a single clue, and the flower thief isn't afraid of the Xinglan Sect's disciples. With the young man saying the thief fled towards the Xinglan Sect, and Miss Li saying the thief wore a jade pendant, it's clear the thief is a disciple of the Xinglan Sect!" one cultivator nodded in agreement.
"Hmph! If anyone dares harm my daughter, I won't spare them! Tomorrow, we'll head to the Xinglan Sect! If we find the culprit, I'll kill him myself!" An angry middle-aged man, obviously Miss Li's father, shouted furiously.
Xiao Chen calmly said, "Everyone, don't get too excited. Although the flower thief fled towards the Xinglan Sect, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a disciple of the Xinglan Sect. Let's wait until we uncover the truth before jumping to conclusions."
"Young man, we really have to thank you. Otherwise, my daughter would have been ruined!" Miss Li's father said gratefully to Xiao Chen.
"Just doing what's right. No need to thank me," Xiao Chen replied with a faint smile.
"Young man, what's your name? You don't look like you're from Hundred Flowers Town," a cultivator asked curiously.
"I'm Xiao Chen. I just passed through Hundred Flowers Town a few days ago. Hearing about the flower thief, I secretly investigated and waited several nights before the flower thief appeared. Now that he's escaped, everyone should go rest. Tomorrow, we'll go to the Xinglan Sect together," Xiao Chen explained with a smile.
The next day, the news spread throughout Hundred Flowers Town, and the cultivators began gathering to head to the Xinglan Sect. These were mostly cultivators in the Enlightenment and Fusion stages, totaling over thirty people.
The group walked ahead, with Xiao Chen following behind. Passing by the woods from last night, Xiao Chen stopped, thinking that daylight might reveal something the night hid.
"Little White Tiger, look carefully. The flower thief was injured last night. There should be blood traces," Xiao Chen said, starting to search carefully.
"Now that we know the flower thief is a disciple of the Xinglan Sect, why are you looking for blood traces?" the Ancient White Tiger asked, puzzled.
"I want to see if we can find any clues. It's not certain that the thief is a disciple of the Xinglan Sect," Xiao Chen replied.
After searching for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Xiao Chen found no traces of blood and had to catch up with the cultivators from Hundred Flowers Town.
"Xiao Chen, wait! I smell blood! It's on the left," the Ancient White Tiger suddenly communicated just as Xiao Chen was about to leave.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen quickly moved to the left. After passing several large trees, he found blood on one of them, already dried and surrounded by ants.
"This should be from the flower thief last night. But the blood is strange," Xiao Chen frowned. Something felt off, but he couldn't pinpoint what.
"What's strange about it?" the Ancient White Tiger asked, puzzled.
"Little White Tiger, this blood clearly didn't rub off on the tree. It looks like it seeped out from the inside. If it had rubbed off, the stain would be larger. But these bloodstains are like droplets, bit by bit," Xiao Chen explained, feeling increasingly uneasy.
"Xiao Chen, forget it. It's just blood. Let's go; they're getting far ahead," the Ancient White Tiger transmitted, not finding it unusual.
Two hours later, Xiao Chen caught up with the group as they arrived at the mountain range where the Xinglan Sect was located. At the mountain gate of the Xinglan Sect, two disciples, upon hearing the situation, immediately went to report.
Although the Xinglan Sect wasn't a major power, its palaces were grand and imposing. Built on the mountaintop, shrouded in celestial mist, it had a fairyland-like appearance.
The matter alarmed the sect leader and elders of the Xinglan Sect. In the grand hall, a white-haired elder in a white robe, with an immortal-like demeanor, spoke gravely, "Our Xinglan Sect disciples have always been well-behaved. It's impossible they would do such a heinous thing."
"Sect Leader, the people of Hundred Flowers Town are at our door. We should go out and see them," an elder suggested, as this matter concerned the reputation of the Xinglan Sect.
"Let's go and see," the sect leader nodded.
At this time, Xiao Chen followed the crowd to the square of the Xinglan Sect, where they were stopped by the sect's senior disciple, Ye Tian. Ye Tian coldly said, "You accuse our Xinglan Sect disciples of such a crime. Do you have any evidence? If not, I hope you won't cause trouble here!"
"Ye Tian, last night the flower thief was wounded by Brother Xiao Chen, and he fled in the direction of the Xinglan Sect. According to the information we have, the flower thief was wearing a jade pendant. Doesn't this prove that the thief is a disciple of the Xinglan Sect?" Old Li shouted angrily.
"You are Xiao Chen?" Ye Tian looked at Xiao Chen, his voice slightly cold.
"That's right," Xiao Chen replied calmly.
"You claim you wounded the flower thief. If the thief is indeed a disciple of the Xinglan Sect, do you think you are capable of wounding one of our disciples? Are you implying that our disciples are inferior to you?" Ye Tian asked coldly, clearly looking down on Xiao Chen.
"Ye Tian, don't think that just because your cultivation is high, you can look down on us! You don't have the authority to make decisions for the Xinglan Sect. Call your Sect Master out!" a cultivator shouted angrily.
"Those who are clean need not fear slander. If you are so protective of the Xinglan Sect disciples, could it be that you know who the flower thief is? Or are you the flower thief yourself? If the thief is not a disciple of the Xinglan Sect, why are you so worried?" Xiao Chen asked, his tone composed and fearless.
"You brat, how dare you slander me! You're courting death!" Enraged by Xiao Chen's accusation, Ye Tian's aura of the late-stage Bigu realm suddenly erupted.