Power Up, Artist Yang!

It was only until Yujia began running that she realized she wasn't exactly sure where she was running at and how far away the thief had made it during the time it took for Yujia to take action. Still, she continued to run, although still unsure of the purpose of running and what she would do once she was reunited with her supplies.

Back in the modern world, Yujia was not the biggest fan of running— it was too much work and by all means, she was lazy. On the other hand, in this current body, she was still quite incapable of running. Not even five minutes have passed, yet she was already breathing heavily, her heart pounding.

Perhaps it was because, according to Hui'er, she was only "just starting to recover" from an illness that supposedly stuck with her for years and years. It was reasonable for a patient recently cured to be still physically weak, so how did Yujia expect to catch up with the thief? Even if he was famished and underfed, judging by his appearance, he still seemed more athletic.

After a few more minutes of very slow running— or more like jogging— Yujia stopped, attempting to catch her breath as she stumbled through the crowd. She looked back and at her surroundings, realizing how far away she was from Hui'er, and instantly began regretting her decisions.

This was an unfamiliar world with strangers and a different environment. Making rash decisions like these, such as running after the thief, would only bring her more trouble in the future.

Yujia added "rash decisions" to her list of things she needed to personally improve on, right next to "heeding other's warnings".

While she walked, debating whether she should keep going or turn back, her eyes looked all around until a set of movement in the corner of an alleyway hidden by shadows of a few tall walls caught her attention. Yujia focused on the area, seeing a few familiar colors she swore she saw a moment ago on the thief.

Without another moment of hesitation, she walked in that direction, putting the little voice in her head to "think wisely before doing so" away. She would think about those things later. Right now, for the sake of her beautiful pencil molds, she would simply have to stick with her favorite rash decisions.

…

Fu Yushang swore that he had better things to do, but he could care a little less. It was simply too boring in the palace, so he had to run out and do something productive with his life, whatever that meant.

At this moment, it meant that he was running to catch thieves and cornering them up against the wall.

"So," he pressed his elbow up on the wall, flashing a smile at the thief, "how's the weather?"

The thief, simply a boy hoping to get some money to buy a few pieces of steamed bread, looked confused. Was this extravagantly dressed man asking him what the weather was like? He decided to stay silent for now.

Clearly, Fu Yushang was not satisfied with the silence. He sighed deeply, repeating his question, "I asked, how do you feel about the weather?"

"The weather… is good?" The thief looked up at the sky. The weather was nice, and the sun was out. It definitely was a pleasant day.

"Exactly. Then, if you have eyes on your head and you can see the sun shining down on your head, then what compels you to steal in broad daylight?" Yushang grabbed the arm of the thief, raising it upwards. "And from young girls, much less?"

He pulled the bag out of the thief's hand, and although the thief struggled to take it back, Yushang's strength was simply greater. With his spare hand, he pulled out the contents, which consisted of mostly of art supplies and nothing much of value.

Yushang looked at the art supplies for a few moments, wondering what the world had become for people to steal paintbrushes and inkstones from young girls on the street. Were people that desperate for anything and everything? Perhaps it was because of his father that things had deteriorated into something like this, but what catching a thief revealed to him about the current state of society was simply too disappointing.

He looks at Si Shen, his personal guard of a sort, who was standing quietly behind him, nearly unnoticeable because of his hushed presence, and tossed the bag to him. "Here, keep these away." Then, Yushang looked back at the thief, stepping back and putting his arm on the shoulders of the boy.

The thief was expecting a violent beating to take place where these so-called righteous people harmed those lower than them for the sake of being righteous and "reducing crime". Instead, the man in front of him seemed more willing to give him some honest advice.

"Look, I get that you need food or money to buy medicine for your sick baby sister or something— I hear those excuses all the time— but you have to know who to steal from and when the right time is. I suggest nighttime. There's a reason why all the crimes happen at night. Your best target is drunk, rich men too, not young girls who buy art supplies."

Yushang gave a kind smile to the thief, expecting a very grateful reaction yet getting none. Did he say something wrong? Or… oh, right. There was always that one phrase he had to include to get a reaction from these thieves.

"I understand that you're going through a hard time, so I'm not going to hold you accountable for your actions. I'm trying to do good deeds for society, so I redeem you and will release you. Next time, learn to steal the right way and don't let me catch you a second time." Yushang took his hands off of the other boy's shoulders, continuing on with his smile.

Unlike the others that Yushang has dealt with, this thief didn't act extremely appreciative with the wisdom he was just bestowed with. Skeptically, he moved to the side a step and asks, "Why are you doing this?"

"For my good deeds." Yushang gave another wide grin. "Plus, I do think that thievery is a needed thing in this world. Who else can we blame when we lose an important object? I just don't agree that innocent people should be harmed, like girls who buy art supplies or old grandmothers buying things for their grandchildren, and typically rich men are not very innocent, since they're usually corrupt politicians. So, by giving you what I think is quite a well worded lesson, I believe I am doing good for the world and I like that."

The thief looked at him for a few more moments. He must think of Yushang as a very peculiar person, but Yushang didn't mind that too much. It was always fun to mess with the minds of others to make them think that he was a crazy man when even he himself didn't understand half the things that were coming out of his mouth.

Yushang gave an encouraging wave towards the exit of the alley, and very, very deliberately, the thief backed away. But then, before he could leave, someone with a look of extreme anger appeared in the opening of the alley, her face contorted and red while she breathed heavily, looking as if she just ran miles and miles.

While she neared Yushang, his eyes widened and he noticed that she really was quite a beauty, with dark hair messily hanging down her back and long eyelashes. He always thought hair was the most attractive feature of a woman. In a trance, he stared at her for a few seconds, his mind a little fuzzy until a sudden thought cleared it up.

Why was such a beautiful— though furious— person walking into such a dark alleyway?

Was Yushang honestly so attractive that all the beautiful women just came flocking to him? That would explain a lot. Except then, why did she have that outraged look on his face? Was it because she thought that she was the most beautiful individual in the world until she met Yushang and realized she truly wasn't as excellent compared to his charming and quite handsome features?

He looked towards the thief he just let go, realizing that the girl had clutched onto the head of the boy, practically dragging him with her. The thief carried a fearful look which made Yushang confused again.

When she reached him in a span of seconds, her voice was cold yet strong.

"I didn't know that the thief had accomplices."