The thief seemed not to have expected Fang Ming to discover him, and the hand that had just reached out immediately retracted.
"Lucky for you."
The thief muttered.
Then he intended to leave and find his next target.
The thief's real name was Jiang Caiying. He was originally a down-and-out person from a village. However, in this world where martial arts were highly valued, martial arts manuals were abundant.
A few years ago, Jiang Caiying had the good fortune to obtain a martial arts classic. Coupled with his somewhat talented aptitude in a small place, he managed to cultivate several streams of true qi and open a spiritual aperture to store it, thus stepping into the threshold of martial arts.
With this newfound strength, Jiang Caiying was no longer content with being a nobody. He wanted to improve his life.
Not born into a noble family, nor possessing the talent to truly make a name for himself in the martial arts sects, Jiang Caiying, with his ordinary aptitude, would at best become a common disciple even if he joined a sect.
Knowing this, he chose another path: theft.
In various places, whenever Jiang Caiying saw people dressed extravagantly and with money on them, he would steal their money and flee.
He dared not resort to murder and robbery. Any involvement with human lives would inevitably lead to the authorities investigating and apprehending him, and with his current strength, he was not confident in dealing with them.
However, petty theft was not taken very seriously by the authorities. Jiang Caiying had committed many such minor offenses over the years. It was precisely through continuous theft that he escaped his impoverished state and began to live a life he had never enjoyed before.
Relying on his martial arts strength, Jiang Caiying could usually commit theft without being discovered. Even if he was occasionally caught, a few threats were enough. The victim, though furious, could do little to him.
They dared not confront him and would endure it silently.
This increasingly smooth path of petty theft and extortion made Jiang Caiying thrive. He rarely made mistakes. When he acted, he would carefully select his targets, observing their appearance to confirm they were not martial artists before making his move.
Fang Ming's extravagant clothing immediately told Jiang Caiying that this child must be from a wealthy family. Furthermore, observing that Fang Ming showed no signs of being a martial artist and had no guards, Jiang Caiying decided to act.
Although it was unexpected to be discovered by this child, Jiang Caiying was not flustered.
He had done this sort of thing so many times that he was not afraid even when adults discovered him.
And a child, without guards and not a martial artist, what could he do even if he discovered his actions?
However, since he had been discovered, and considering it was in a bookstore, Jiang Caiying did not escalate the situation from theft to robbery. He grumbled, "Lucky for you."
Jiang Caiying subconsciously believed that the other party would not resist and would endure it silently. He even thought that it was already good luck for the child that he had stopped stealing.
But that was his thinking.
Fang Ming's thoughts were entirely different.
Fang Ming's reaction was completely contrary to Jiang Caiying's expectations.
Fang Ming let out a cold snort: "You think you can just leave after stealing? Don't you have to pay a price?"
Hearing this, Jiang Caiying was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't heard such words in a long time.
Then, he burst into laughter.
"Kid, that's right, I stole. But what can you do to me?"
"Report me to the authorities? Do you think the officials will bother with such petty theft? Even if they investigate, it's just a formality. Once I leave, who will care? Which officer truly cares about these things?"
"As for hoping for someone to act heroically..."
Jiang Caiying scanned the surrounding people. The bookstore owner seemed oblivious, still counting his abacus. The other customers merely watched, with a hint of amusement in their eyes, but not a single one stepped forward to help.
Jiang Caiying laughed heartily: "This is how people are. No one will step forward to help you. Why don't you try begging them now and see if anyone is willing to help you?"
The surrounding people were indifferent.
The authorities would not truly care, only go through the motions.
Thieves like Jiang Caiying were brazen, speaking openly as if he were not a thief but on the side of justice.
He deserves to die.
Fang Ming made this definition in his mind.
Then he said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I never rely on others. I neither report to the authorities nor beg for rescue."
"I only rely on myself."
"Since you have the audacity to offend this young master, then leave one of your hands behind."
Fang Ming, with his innocent child's appearance, uttered cruel words.
Before Jiang Caiying could react to this change.
Fang Ming gathered his spiritual energy into a force and ruthlessly severed Jiang Caiying's right arm.
"You!"
Jiang Caiying first let out a scream, not yet comprehending what had happened.
In the next second, he looked in horror at his severed right arm.
The martial artists of this world had no means of organ transplantation. Unless one reached the level of an "Unblemished Golden Body," there were only rudimentary methods for regenerating severed fingers. But Jiang Caiying was clearly not at that level; he was someone who had just stepped into the martial arts realm and opened a spiritual aperture.
A hand held immense importance for Jiang Caiying. Losing his right arm was akin to a lifelong disability.
Clearly, Jiang Caiying, who had previously believed Fang Ming was not even a martial artist, had not anticipated Fang Ming would be so ruthless, severing his arm without a word or even a threat.
Even less did he expect Fang Ming to possess such power, capable of instantly severing a part of his body, despite being a martial artist.
In his eyes, what was a simple theft had turned him into a lifelong cripple. This shattered his emotions completely.
He shouted, "How dare you do this! How dare you!"
"I only wanted to steal some of your things, and I didn't even succeed. According to the laws of the Great Yi Dynasty, I am innocent!"
"And you, for such a trivial matter, have crippled me, causing lifelong disability. This is a grave offense!"
"You are finished! According to the law, those who cause permanent injury will be imprisoned for at least ten years. You are doomed! Your life is ruined!"
The onlookers, who had been watching the commotion, had now completely shifted their stance.
Some were discussing how Fang Ming, at such a young age, possessed such formidable martial arts skills.
Others lamented, saying that although he was skilled in martial arts at such a young age, he clearly did not understand the law. Harming someone and causing permanent disability was a major crime in the Great Yi Dynasty.