Eric Blake was utterly startled, but what surprised her even more was the other party’s attitude. Seeing the earnest look on his face, she was about to ask for an exorbitant price, but then, for some inexplicable reason, a certain old admonition surfaced in her mind. So, she had to give up on further probing and said straightforwardly, “I was the one riding the horse that day.”

“Huh?” The young man was stunned for a moment, then immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply, as sincere as could be. “Including today, I’ve actually offended you twice, miss. I truly apologize! I will definitely compensate you for your horse…”

“Stop, stop!” Eric Blake hadn’t expected him to believe whatever she said, and was honestly a bit afraid of this stubbornly principled fool, so she quickly cut him off, “Since you say you’ll compensate me for my horse, I should at least know—what’s your name? Where are you from?”

The young man answered without hesitation, “My surname is Pei, given name Yuan, from Tingzhou.”

So he’s from the Beiting Protectorate—no wonder his character is so different from people of the Central Plains… Wait, surname Pei? That’s a major surname in the Central Plains, how could he be from Tingzhou?

As Eric Blake was pondering this, she suddenly noticed Matthew Perry had frozen in place, a look of obvious regret appearing on his face, and she instantly understood. The Beiting Protectorate is far out in the Western Regions, surrounded by former Western Turkic lands. The most likely reason this foolish boy from Beiting has the surname Pei is that he’s probably a criminal exiled to the Beiting Protectorate! After all, since the Empress ascended the throne, many great clans have been exiled to the farthest corners of the realm!

Watching someone struggle with themselves isn’t exactly pleasant—at least, Eric Blake didn’t have such a perverse hobby. Besides, even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone this seemingly honest lad. She coughed lightly, feigned ignorance, nodded, and smiled cheerfully, “So you’re Young Master Pei.”

Matthew Perry was just thinking about how he’d gotten into trouble twice in a row, and in the end, had foolishly blurted out his real name without even using an alias. If his father found out, who knows how furious he’d be—he was naturally annoyed. But the girl across from him acted as if she didn’t understand anything, and simply called him Young Master Pei, which made him finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, his sense of relief was written all over his face, not hidden at all.

Eric Blake saw this and smiled inwardly, deciding not to fuss over her two silent losses: “My horse was running too fast that day, so I can’t entirely blame you. Today was my own carelessness as well, so let’s forget about compensating for the horse. It’s just that Chuqing is my beloved steed—if she’s hurt, that would be a real problem.”

Matthew Perry had just arrived in Luoyang, and thanks to his honest nature, he’d already suffered many losses these past few days. He hadn’t expected to meet such a reasonable girl this time, and was instantly overjoyed. After a moment’s thought, he came up with an idea: “My family actually raises quite a few horses, and I know a bit about treating them. If you don’t mind, how about I come to your house and take a look at your horse? Even if I can’t help, I’ve brought a few family members with me—they’ll surely be able to assist.”

Seeing Matthew Perry’s sincere face and sparkling eyes, Eric Blake couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing: “Don’t keep calling me ‘miss’—it sounds awkward. I won’t ask your age, but since your surname is Pei, I’ll call you Little Perry, and you can call me Little Eric.”

If it were someone else, they’d probably hesitate for ages. But Matthew Perry, being naturally honest, thought changing the form of address was no big deal, and actually felt more at ease, so he agreed without hesitation. This behavior, in Eric Blake’s eyes, made the honest boy seem even more endearing, and her gaze softened even more.

Chapter Eight: This Is How a Habitual Thief Should Be Punished

In the bustling South Market, moving quickly was no easy feat. However, with Matthew Perry clearing the way, Eric Blake immediately experienced what it meant to be unstoppable.

As long as that tall, lanky fellow was leading the way, a broad path would open up before her with ease. Not only that, but this newly acquainted, clueless boy would even turn back from time to time, as if afraid she’d get lost. But aside from this bit of thoughtfulness, he was completely oblivious in other ways—for example, when passing by vendors selling cosmetics favored by young ladies, or stalls with dazzling little trinkets, he ignored them all, never realizing that these little things could be used as gifts of apology.

Even with someone clearing the way, she still attracted attention. Today, she wasn’t dressed in her usual men’s attire; underneath, she wore a stone-blue padded robe, with a lotus-green brocade cloak on top, and a few pearl and jade hairpins in her hair, making her look like a plump sheep ready for the taking. Sure enough, as they walked, someone slipped past Matthew Perry and bumped into her from the side—clearly with ulterior motives.

If she were a sheltered young lady, she’d probably have fallen victim. But who was Eric Blake? She’d been a wild child since young, always running about outside, and her honest father could never keep her in check, so how could such tricks fool her? When she saw the skinny man in his thirties brush past and deftly swipe the purse from her waist, she sneered and was about to catch him red-handed—only to find someone else acted even faster.

“Where do you think you’re going, little thief!”