The old woman knelt beside the corpse of the man in the triangular headscarf, offering silent prayers to the heavens, thanking fate for repeatedly sending "heavenly soldiers and generals" to protect her whenever she found herself in danger. When she finally rose, her demeanor shifted to one of palpable self-satisfaction. Seeing Xiao Shu running towards her, looking utterly subservient, the old woman waited until he was about two or three meters away, then abruptly extended a hand laden with five gold rings, making a halt gesture toward him—a clear message: Do not come closer; I am not ordinary.

“Are you alright?” Xiao Shu, breathless from running, stopped exactly where the gesture indicated, giving the signal no further thought beyond checking if she was unharmed.

But this time, the old woman was entirely different from moments before. Moments ago, she was just a common junk collector; now, she suddenly seemed to have transformed into Empress Wu Zetian herself. She addressed Xiao Shu in an imperious tone: “I am protected by my heavenly soldiers and generals. You must maintain a distance, and watch your tone when you speak.” With that, she hoisted her burlap sack onto her shoulder and marched off with her head held high, leaving the triangular-headscarf man’s severed body sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood spreading across the pavement.

Though Xiao Shu was aware that abilities beyond the mundane existed in the world, he absolutely could not accept the concept of heavenly soldiers and generals. There is no love without cause, nor hatred without reason. The triangular-headscarf man had died, naturally, because he had coveted the five gold rings on the old woman’s hand. But who had killed him? He and the old woman had been so close just moments ago; she must know who this "righteous avenger" was, or at least have glimpsed their appearance.

So, Xiao Shu followed the old woman as she walked, panting, “Who killed the man with the triangular headscarf just now? Did you see what they looked like?”

At his question, the old woman suddenly froze, her eyes widening, and she spoke with a tone of rebuke: “They are my heavenly soldiers and generals; of course, I know what they look like. You need to stay further away from me. If my bodyguards mistake you for a robber, it wouldn’t be good if you were hurt.” After delivering this warning, she clutched her sack and began jogging away, vanishing quickly out of the square toward the street most crowded with jewelry shops.

Xiao Shu shook his head in resignation. He thought that this old woman was truly ungrateful; relying on repeated divine protection, she had grown haughty and arrogant, clearly intending to return and scavenge more gold trinkets. But then again, who was acting as the righteous vigilante? Who was playing the temporary police officer in this chaotic city, and what kind of secret weapon did they possess to instantly sever an enemy’s head from their body?

To unravel the mystery, it seemed he would have to shadow this greedy old woman. With those conspicuous five gold rings she wore, she could attract a horde of robbers without lifting a finger. From another perspective, Xiao Shu felt uneasy leaving her unattended.

With no other choice, Xiao Shu quickened his pace, sprinting until he caught up with the old woman in less than half a minute. Seeing him close to her again made the elder furious. She stopped and jabbed a finger toward his nose, scolding him, “You ungrateful wretch! I told you not to follow me; how can you not understand?”

“I…” Xiao Shu stopped himself mid-sentence. Faced with such unreasonable accusation, he couldn’t immediately formulate a reply. Arguing back would surely result in a shouting match he couldn’t win, and an explanation might be lost on her, or worse, unappreciated even if understood. It was the classic helplessness of a scholar confronting a shrew.

After a long pause, Xiao Shu finally stammered out, “I admire you greatly; I wish to meet your heavenly soldiers and generals.”

“Oh…” The old woman smiled radiantly; it was obvious that this statement had struck the precise chord of her rapidly expanding vanity. “Then follow carefully!” With that, she clambered onto the roof of the largest jewelry establishment and began her treasure hunt.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.