Taking advantage of the moment, Eric Blake darted forward in a few quick steps, crouched down, and retrieved her own money pouch from the unconscious thief on the ground. She even rummaged through it vigorously before standing up and grinning as she cupped her hands to the crowd around her: “Fellow townsfolk, my cousin just arrived from the countryside and isn’t familiar with the law. That talk about chopping off hands was just a joke. I’ve already taught this thief a lesson. Judging by his appearance, he’s probably a habitual pickpocket—I even felt other money pouches on him just now, which must have been stolen from you all! Please, after retrieving your lost items, help deliver him to the authorities. I thank you all in advance!”

As soon as she said this, the crowd erupted, and countless people swarmed forward at once. Since the young lady said the thief still had stolen pouches on him, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the situation to both punish the thief and get their belongings back? Only a fool would pass up such an opportunity!

Amidst the chaos, Eric Blake quickly grabbed Matthew Perry’s hand and slipped out of the crowd in the opposite direction, making a swift escape. Meanwhile, the dark-faced young man, who had never expected his loyal rescue to backfire halfway through, was left dumbfounded. It wasn’t until he saw his two older brothers hurriedly chasing after the pair that he snapped out of it and hurried to follow.

Good heavens, just now he’d only tried to take advantage and got his hand smacked hard for it, but that thief was truly pitiful—by the time he was handed over to the authorities, he’d probably be lucky to escape with his life, and might even have his pants stripped off! Are all Central Plains girls as ruthless as that seemingly refined little beauty?

Chapter 9: The Wealthy Scion of the Pei Clan

Being dragged around by a woman was a first for Matthew Perry.

He had grown up in Tingzhou for as long as he could remember, surrounded by endless grasslands and countless nomadic camps. As a child, when he went out with others, he had seen young nomadic couples rolling around together in the wild. Out of curiosity, he once asked his father about it, only to be sternly reprimanded: this was wanton behavior, unacceptable to heaven, earth, or one’s parents. That early lesson quickly snuffed out any budding thoughts he might have had about the opposite sex.

After that, whether it was studying, learning to read, or practicing riding and archery, he never had any contact with girls his own age. Now, entering Chang’an and seeing the lively scenes his father had never tried to hide from him, he suddenly felt completely at a loss.

Once, he accidentally stepped on the foot of a delicate young lady and immediately compensated her with a jade pendant worth at least ten thousand coins. When he encountered a wealthy heiress riding through the streets, he was so bewildered that he nearly got whipped by her noble servants. As for overpaying the businesswomen when shopping, that was nothing new—it happened every few days. Not to mention the time he carelessly ran into the street near curfew and almost collided with the galloping Eric Blake.

If it hadn’t been for the three family members accompanying him to Luoyang being out visiting guests today, he never would have had the chance to take on the task of buying pearls, nor would he have accidentally run into the little Eric now dragging him along at full speed.

His mind was a jumble of thoughts, so much so that he didn’t even notice when Eric Blake suddenly stopped ahead. He kept charging forward until a flustered shout reached his ears, making him stop at last. Turning around and seeing the annoyed face behind him, he scratched his head in embarrassment, then remembered what had just happened.

“Little Eric, why did you let that thief go just now? I could tell from the calluses on his hands that he’s a seasoned criminal. Letting such a thief go will only bring harm to others, won’t it?”

After the commotion in the southern market, Eric Blake truly didn’t know how to judge this guy in front of her. If you said Matthew Perry was honest, the way he righteously grabbed the thief didn’t fit; if you said he was clever, he was also stubbornly principled at times. How could there be such a strange person in the world?

She shot him an exasperated glare, just about to say something to knock some sense into him, when a menacing voice sounded from behind.

“Young master, that unlucky thief probably won’t get the chance to harm anyone ever again! This young lady is even fiercer than you—after she stirred things up, the onlookers not only divided up all the stolen goods, but after that beating, who knows if the thief even survived!”

Needless to say, the trio had caught up, and it was the dark-faced young man speaking. Although the distance they’d chased wasn’t far, it was a winding pursuit rather than a straight run, so even with his stamina, he was a bit out of breath. It was one thing for his young master to be fit, but who would have thought that this seemingly delicate young lady could run so fast? After finishing his explanation and seeing her looking at him with a calm, unflustered expression, he couldn’t help but feel a faint pain in his right hand.

Damn it, he absolutely couldn’t let this ruthless, money-loving girl corrupt his honest and simple young master!

After hearing the explanation, Matthew Perry was left speechless and turned to Eric Blake to ask, “Little Eric…”

But Eric Blake cut him off with a smile, asking in return, “Little Perry, are they your family?”