My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 23: Sneaky

The violent scene earlier left Xu Qing somewhat frightened.

In an instant, a single hand had grabbed an adult man by the neck and slammed him to the ground so hard he nearly passed out. Even now, there were visible red marks on the man’s neck.

It was brutal.

Standing still to calm himself, Xu Qing turned to look at the young man sprawled on the ground like a helpless chick, not daring to move. Clenching his fists, he said, “Don’t move. Let me call a friend from the police to come over.”

“Cough, cough… Brother, spare me this time,” the young man begged upon hearing the word “police.” He raised his head from the ground, glanced fearfully at Jiang He, then turned back to Xu Qing, pleading, “You’ve already beaten me… cough, cough… Let it go this time. I just had a lapse in judgment. I won’t dare to do it again.”

“You deserved the beating! You have hands and feet—why not use them for something worthwhile? Do you think my money just falls from the sky?” Xu Qing spat on the ground but paused in his motion to return to his room. Turning back, he asked, “Is this your first time?”

“Yes, yes, it’s my first time… cough, cough… Don’t call the police. I swear there won’t be a next time.”

The young man tried to get up, but when Jiang He moved her head slightly, he immediately froze and obediently stayed prone.

What rotten luck. He had heard rumors that this place was haunted, so everyone in the area went to bed early. After much hesitation, he had finally mustered the courage to come and take a look, only to be nearly beaten to death the moment he began.

Was this woman part of the national team or something?

“….”

Xu Qing appeared deep in thought, though in reality, he was merely pretending to be. Stroking his chin as he scrutinized the young man, he inwardly wanted to avoid involving the police at all costs.

“Apologize.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Forget it. Let’s call the police anyway. I’ll first ask my friend if this counts as self-defense. If something happens to you from that slam, I might have to accompany you to the hospital.” Xu Qing turned to pick up his phone.

“No! I’m fine! Brother, please spare me this time… cough, cough… I fell by myself, really.”

“So scared of the police… is it really your first time?”

“It’s my first, I swear!”

“How you got in is how you’ll leave.”

“Huh?”

The young man froze for a moment, then, realizing his luck, he was overjoyed. He quickly got up but winced from the pain in his body. Lowering his head and suppressing his discomfort, he climbed out through the window.

Late at night, with the living room brightly lit, Xu Qing waited until the young man had left, then went to tidy up the window. Turning back, he glanced at Jiang He.

“Trying to steal from this place? He must be blind.”

“And you’re just letting him go?” Jiang He asked.

“What else can I do? Reporting it might lead to an investigation of the punch you threw earlier—and your identity,” Xu Qing replied, shaking his head. “It’s just too much trouble.”

“He came to steal, and they’d still investigate me?”

“It depends on the injuries. Anyway… why aren’t you asleep? And why are you still dressed?”

Xu Qing found it odd. In the middle of the night, Jiang He was still fully clothed. Was she planning to sneak out again?

“I’m used to sleeping in my clothes.”

“Oh, you weren’t thinking of sneaking out, were you?”

“No. I just wanted to hear what you were doing, and then…” Jiang He trailed off, having assumed earlier that the noise was from Xu Qing. She had thought he was up to something in the middle of the night.

“As if. You think everyone is like you, sneaking out at night. Go back to sleep. I’ll get someone to fix the window tomorrow.”

As Xu Qing headed to his room, he stopped at the door and turned back. “If I ever sneak around in the middle of the night to… you know…”

Jiang He stared at him, expressionless. “To what?”

“Uh… never mind. Just go to bed.”

“…”

The living room lights went out again, followed by the sound of Xu Qing’s door closing. After a moment, Jiang He glanced outside the window before returning to her room in the dark.

---

The next morning, Xu Qing woke up early. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he saw Jiang He, already dressed and ready, coming out of her room.

“Are you secretly training in your room?” he asked, noticing the sweat on her forehead. Every time he woke up early, she looked like this, and he never heard a sound.

“Mm,” Jiang He admitted without hesitation. Training in the cold of winter or the heat of summer was part of a martial artist’s discipline.

“Could you leave the door open next time? I’d like to see how you train.”

“Sure.”

Her straightforward agreement caught Xu Qing off guard, but he didn’t comment further. He returned to his room to grab his phone and keys. After Jiang He finished tidying up, he gestured for her to follow him.

“Let’s go grab breakfast. We’ll also look for someone to fix the window.”

“You’re bringing me along?”

“Of course. I thought it over last night. Staying cooped up at home theorizing won’t work. You have to learn to live, and the best way is to experience life.”

As they exited the building, Xu Qing took a deep breath of the morning air, contributing to Jiang City’s carbon dioxide levels.

“Observe, listen, and learn,” he said, sweeping his gaze around the surroundings. “Life is everywhere. Do you know how to learn?”

“How?” Jiang He asked, intrigued.

“Abandon your old way of thinking and forget the place you came from. Treat everything as brand new.” Xu Qing strolled leisurely with his hands in his pockets. “Freedom, equality, civility, harmony; prosperity, democracy, justice, the rule of law; dedication, patriotism, integrity, and kindness. Memorize these twenty-four words and repeat them.”

“…”

Jiang He opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything. How was she supposed to memorize all that after hearing it once?

“If you encounter another thief like last night, you can subdue them but don’t go overboard. Were you trying to snap his neck last night?”

“No, I held back a lot.”

“That’s good. Hurting someone here can be very troublesome. No matter how bad someone is, as long as they aren’t trying to kill you, you can’t kill them. Leave it to the authorities.”

After a pause, Xu Qing added, “Besides, with your strength, no one here can threaten you. So no matter what, don’t go for the kill.”

“How far can I go?”

“It depends. For example… why would you hit someone?”

“What if you were sneaking into my room at night? How hard could I hit you?” Jiang He asked.

“...That’s basically impossible. Pick another scenario.” Xu Qing rolled his eyes. “Do I look like that kind of person?”

“You do.”

“…”

Xu Qing was outraged at the assault on his character.

“I’m a righteous hero, upright and virtuous! Got it?”

Jiang He pressed her lips together. “I’ll believe it… for now.”

“What do you mean, ‘for now’? Wait, why would you even imagine me sneaking into your room at night?” Xu Qing asked, puzzled. He didn’t think he looked like a bad guy.

And he hadn’t done anything questionable… except maybe picking up her shoe from the trash can, but that was it.

“You said it last night.”

“Last night?” Xu Qing scratched his head, recalling his joke from the previous night. “That was just a joke… If I really wanted to do something like that, would I even say it out loud?”

Jiang He didn’t respond. She had spent a long time last night agonizing over what she would do if something like that actually happened. She couldn’t very well beat him half to death.

“Speaking of which, what would you do if it really happened?” Xu Qing asked.

“I’d punch you.”

“One punch?”

“One punch.”

Xu Qing glanced at her hand. That one punch might just be fatal.

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