The people at the next table were discussing the Flower-Picking Thief that had stirred up Huayang County recently. It was said that this thief was exceptionally brutal, unlike ordinary thieves who just stole and left; this one would mutilate the victim’s crucial body parts after the deed, incredibly cruelly.
As of now, the incidents had occurred five times, with victims including secret prostitutes, widows, respectable women, and young unmarried girls. No matter who the victim was, their tragic deaths were enough to cause great alarm.
Yet, despite such heinous crimes happening, the Yamen hadn’t been able to catch anyone, nor did they have a clue about the perpetrator’s appearance.
Thus, any household with women was afraid to let them live alone, fearing they might inadvertently become the next victim.
With such a dangerous individual in the county, the Lord County Magistrate was naturally expected to take action; yet, capturing the criminal remained elusive, and now they had even posted notices offering a reward for his capture.
No wonder as I walked around the streets, there seemed hardly any women walking alone; if there were any, they were always in pairs or small groups.
Wufu picked up his tea and took a sip, thinking to himself that this was a severe psychopath, stealing, then killing, and even cutting off the women’s critical parts.
Just hearing this alone, it was clear the person was mentally disturbed, perhaps even a major psychopath, and such mental states usually stemmed from someone close to them.
It was pitiful for those victims; the sight of the girls in such horrific conditions must have been heart-wrenching, practically a fate worse than death.
Especially considering how the ancients were superstitious about incomplete corpses, believing that without a complete body, one couldn’t even reincarnate; it showed how vile and terrifying the situation was.
"... Brother Lu, if you are capable, go for that notice and claim the reward," said one of the persons at the next table.
The one called Brother Lu replied, "If I had the ability, would I need you to tell me? For the sake of the people, I should indeed rid them of this scourge. But whoever it is hasn’t shown his face; how can we catch him?"
"That is true, it’s a pity all the victims are dead, and their families haven’t seen anyone suspicious."
When Wufu heard about the reward, he was intrigued and asked, "Brother, how much is the reward?"
The two were interrupted in their conversation and, seeing a young girl, said, "One hundred taels of silver."
Just one hundred taels, too little, Wufu clucked his tongue.
"Little girl, are you thinking of going for that notice?" the one called Brother Lu laughed, "Don’t think too much. It’s getting dark; you better head home quickly. There are too many wicked people around these days."
The man just said it casually, assuming Wufu was just curious and not seriously considering tackling the bounty.
Wufu smiled and said, "Okay."
The two continued their conversation while Liu Jin, already scared pale, whispered, "Miss, maybe we should just buy our things and go home?"
The Flower-Picking Thief was too frightening; being outsiders, they could become targets.
"No worries, if he comes our way even better, we might earn those one hundred taels of silver," Wufu shrugged. As for actively going after the bounty, forget it; one hundred taels of silver was simply too little for her effort.
Liu Jin, hearing this, stared blankly at his lady, blinked a few times—had he heard wrong? It almost seemed like she was regretting that the man wasn’t showing up as if she had lost her senses from fear?