This woman looks to be in her thirties, with an average figure and plain looks.

Xu Qi'an, who has seen many beauties of the same age, such as Chen Guifei, the Empress, and his aunt, knows that each of them surpasses this woman in terms of appearance and figure.

But she has a kind of momentum that these beautiful women do not possess.

Coquettish...yes, it's this kind of coquettishness.

It's rare to see this kind of temperament in an older woman.

Xu Qi'an knows it well in his heart, but he doesn't admit it verbally: "What purse?"

"A light green purse with twenty taels of gold inside." The woman pressed her hands on the table, looking down at Xu Qi'an, gritting her teeth and saying, "Give it back to me."

Gold...gold?! Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface, even puzzled: "Auntie, your purse is lost, what does it have to do with me?"

"Auntie?!" She screamed.

The woman's face turned red with anger, her ears even redder. She widened her eyes and glared at Xu Qi'an with anger.

What's with this reaction? Doesn't she know how old I am... Xu Qi'an waved his hand, dismissing her: "I didn't pick up your purse, so get lost."

The woman took a deep breath and shouted, "Come here!"

At the staircase, a child's face appeared, the same child who had been scared away by Xu Qi'an earlier, the child who had witnessed him picking up the purse.

"It's him, he picked up the purse and threatened me." The child pointed at Xu Qi'an and said loudly.

The surrounding customers turned their heads, and the seductive woman also looked over, smiling as if watching a show.

"Kid, come here." Xu Qi'an beckoned.

The child shook his head, staring at Xu Qi'an warily.

Xu Qi'an took out a piece of broken silver from his pocket, flicked it with his fingers, and the silver fell to the ground, rolling in front of the child. He smiled and said, "Say it again, I didn't hear clearly just now."

The child picked up the broken silver with a smile and said loudly, "I didn't see anything, I don't know anything."

Xu Qi'an laughed heartily, "Go buy some sugar-coated haws."

The child happily went downstairs.

The two copper gongs laughed along, mocking the plain-looking woman.

The surrounding customers also looked away, no longer interested, and continued to focus on the fights on the stage.

Even a rookie who just arrived in the capital knows that the Nightwatchers are not to be messed with. This woman, with her appearance and temperament, clearly doesn't know how powerful the Nightwatchers are.

Not to mention picking up your purse, even if they drag you into a private room for pleasure, if you don't have a background, there's nothing you can do.

The woman stared at Xu Qi'an for a moment, then suddenly smiled, with a hint of indescribable charm.

She sat down generously, picked up the chopsticks and bowl that Xu Qi'an hadn't used, and ate as if no one else was there. It seemed that she was really hungry, eating a bit hastily, but as soon as she filled her stomach, her eating habits immediately became elegant.

After she drank a cup of wine and looked at Xu Qi'an, she sneered, "Oh, why doesn't this gentleman arrest the little lady and take her to the yamen?"

Xu Qi'an calmly responded, "Auntie, it's just a few mouthfuls of food, not worth it."

This woman must be hungry at mealtime, and when she couldn't find her purse, she retraced her steps and found her way to him.

Auntie...she gritted her teeth again.

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"Hmph, I said he must be a pampered child listed on the elders' merit book. Otherwise, how could he become a Nightwatcher at such a young age?" A young man nearby lowered his voice and said resentfully.

The woman of the same age as the aunt heard this and provocatively glanced at Xu Qi'an.

"That's right, even a purse of an auntie is coveted by him. He's definitely not a good person." Another young man whispered.

The woman said expressionlessly, "As a Nightwatcher, don't you get angry when others gossip behind your back?"

This woman is quite petty... Xu Qi'an smiled and asked, "What do you think should be done?"

The woman angrily said, "Send him to the Nightwatcher's prison."

The young men at the neighboring table heard this, but they didn't argue, keeping silent out of tacit understanding. After all, they didn't dare to provoke the Nightwatchers.

"This is too much. It's just a few sarcastic remarks." After saying this, Xu Qi'an added, "Look at your poor appearance, you can't even squeeze out a few taels of silver, what a waste of energy."

The young men dared not speak out in anger.

The woman no longer paid attention to Xu Qi'an. She drank and ate with relish, while eagerly watching the fights on the stage.

The reason why Xu Qi'an didn't drive away this interesting aunt was because he felt that she was not as ordinary as she appeared.

To reiterate, her appearance is indeed very ordinary, without a voluptuous and attractive figure, without a beautiful and charming appearance.

But her identity should be extraordinary. Normal people wouldn't carry so much silver with them. Half a catty, twenty taels of silver is probably a little over a catty.

Not heavy, even a child could bear this small weight, but twenty taels of silver is equivalent to a year's savings for an ordinary family.

If it were gold, it would be an unimaginable fortune.

And this aunt, dressed in ordinary women's clothes, had black and beautiful hair tied up with a wooden hairpin. In Xu Qi'an's words from his previous life:

A stallholder's outfit, not worth more than a hundred yuan.

However, this ordinary aunt, when faced with a heartless Nightwatcher who found her lost fortune, only clenched her waist and glared at him, showing more anger than when she lost her fortune.

Is this the magnanimity that an ordinary person can have?

Twenty taels of silver, if it were Xu Qi'an himself, he would have fought to the death with the person who picked it up and didn't return it.

If it were twenty taels of gold, well, Jack Ma would have already called the police.

"Can this gentleman accompany this lady for a few drinks?" At this moment, the seductive woman walked over with a wine glass, her face charming, twisting her waist.

Only then did Xu Qi'an notice that she was wearing a tight-waisted long skirt, with a ribbon outlining her slender waist. This figure...tsk tsk...He subconsciously glanced at the aunt beside him. She was dressed conservatively in thick clothes. At her age, her figure was probably not good.

"Of course."

Xu Qi'an quickly gestured for the beautiful woman to sit, but there was a problem. All four chairs were occupied, and a charming woman with beautiful almond eyes looked around and refused to sit.

She didn't dare to offend the two bronze gongs, so she looked at the woman with a gentle gaze and smiled softly, "Auntie..."

The aunt suddenly turned her head and stared aggressively at the enchanting woman. But after looking her up and down, this aunt in her thirties disdainfully "hmphed" and turned her head back to watch the fight.

What kind of look was that just now? Her eyes were full of contempt and disdain... The enchanting woman narrowed her eyes. It was the first time a woman had looked at her with such eyes.

Wherever she went in the past, she was the focus of men's attention.

Her every move was seen as charming and soul-stirring by men, and it made their blood rush to their heads.

And women envied her, were jealous of her, and criticized her in their hearts.

But this middle-aged aunt just now had a naked look of disdain in her eyes.

Xu Qi'an looked at the bronze gong on his left. The bronze gong was very sensible and immediately picked up his sword, respectfully saying, "Master, I will patrol the streets."

Xu Qi'an nodded and smiled, making a gesture of invitation. "Lady, please sit."

The enchanting woman smiled charmingly and sat down, holding her skirt.

She had been observing Xu Qi'an for a long time. This man was a good target. First of all, he had a handsome appearance, with delicate features like carvings, and his eyes were bright like stars.

With a tall nose and thick black eyebrows, matched with a strong facial contour, he exuded a strong masculine aura.

Furthermore, what she was more interested in was Xu Qi'an's identity as a bronze gong. Being able to achieve this position at such a young age meant that he was either exceptionally talented or had a powerful elder in his family.

Either way, it was worth her getting to know and be close to him.

"I haven't asked for the master's name yet."

"Xu Qi'an... May I know the lady's name?"

"Rong Rong."

Miss Rong Rong, do you have a title... Xu Qi'an smiled, "A good name, a name like a heavenly immortal, matching a heavenly immortal-like beauty."

Miss Rong Rong covered her mouth and smiled, adding, "I also have a title, called the Soul-Stealing Hand."

Xu Qi'an put down his wine glass and looked at Miss Rong Rong repeatedly. She didn't mind being stared at so blatantly and even straightened her chest.

"I have heard of your name."

Xu Qi'an thought to himself, am I having good luck with women? I just heard my second uncle talk about the four most beautiful female heroes in the capital in the morning, and I met one at noon.

"Cough cough!"

He put down his wine glass and introduced himself, "So it's Miss Rong Rong, let's get to know each other again. I am Xu Qi'an, my uncle serves in the Imperial Guard."

Upon hearing that Xu Qi'an was from the Imperial Guard, Miss Rong Rong felt a bit disappointed.

Although the Imperial Guard was one of the five guards in the capital, its position did not guarantee power and was not considered a prestigious institution.

But Xu Qi'an's next words changed Miss Rong Rong's perception.

"I used to follow General Wei and made great contributions in the battle of Shanhaiguan. It is because of this relationship that I was able to secure a position in the Nightwatcher's office."

"The Duke of Yu is my uncle, and he had an unbreakable friendship with my father. My father was an earl, but unfortunately, he passed away early and couldn't secure the hereditary title. Now, I am only left with the title of a minor viscount."

Uncle was General Wei's trusted aide, father had an unbreakable friendship with the Duke of Yu, and he himself was both a bronze gong and a minor viscount... Miss Rong Rong was stunned for a moment and stared at Xu Qi'an without blinking.

She had heard that there were many noble and influential people in the capital, and it was possible to meet someone with an official position anywhere.

But no matter how high the official position was, could it be higher than General Wei? No matter how noble the identity was, could it be nobler than the Duke of Yu?

For a moment, Miss Rong Rong became even more enthusiastic.

In her past life, due to socializing, she had encountered many men and was skilled in seducing them. It wasn't because she was interested in their bodies, but Xu Qi'an reminded her of the feeling she had back then.

Occasionally saying some suggestive words and teasing, this woman who called herself Rong Rong and had the nickname Soul-Stealing Hand wouldn't get angry.

If it were a virtuous woman, she would have blushed and scolded him: "Shameless!"

If she had a strong personality, she would have slapped him with her 24k titanium alloy palm.

At this moment, Rong Rong looked at the arena and asked, seemingly inquiring and testing, "Mr. Xu, who do you think will win between these two?"

"Naturally, the swordsman." Xu Qi'an didn't hesitate.

"Even a fool can see that." The old aunt snorted coldly, showing her presence.

The swordsman had been suppressing the ax-wielding man from the beginning, casually displaying his swordsmanship, occasionally earning cheers from the audience.

"Before reaching the Qi Refining stage, the strength is determined by physique. The ax-wielding man is superior to the swordsman in terms of strength and physique. So why is he at a disadvantage? The swordsman's swordsmanship is just a show." Xu Qi'an said.

The old aunt ignored him but secretly pricked up her ears.

"I think it's all an act." Xu Qi'an revealed the truth.

"An act?"

Rong Rong had never heard of this term.

"It means putting on a show." Xu Qi'an explained.

Rong Rong suddenly understood and admired, "I see, Mr. Xu has sharp insight."

Saying that, her eyes showed admiration.

This guy... Xu Qi'an didn't expose her and cooperated with a proud smile.

Rong Rong had a deep aura and didn't reveal her true strength. She was not a weak opponent, and she had probably already seen through the tricks on the stage. Only the stubborn old aunt hadn't figured it out yet and was skeptical of Xu Qi'an's words.

At this moment, the swordsman on the stage parried the ax-wielding man's attack and kicked him in the chest, causing the ax to fly out of the stage.

After that, no one else went up to compete for a long time.

"I'm full, give me back my purse." The old aunt reluctantly withdrew her gaze and stared at Xu Qi'an.Xu Qi'an pretended not to hear, and she didn't persist, just looked at Xu Qi'an for a long time, then silently got up and went downstairs.

"His back view is actually not bad." The remaining gong player commented.

After saying that, he found himself being despised by Xu Qi'an and Miss Rongrong.

"Did you lack maternal love when you were young, lad?"

Xu Qi'an patted the young gong player's shoulder, then reached into his bosom, took out a light green purse, opened it, and saw bars of golden yellow gold.

"Wow, it's really gold." The gong player's eyes widened, showing a look of ecstasy: "Sir, we're rich, we're rich."

Xu Qi'an tied the tassel of the purse and said, "Don't think about this ill-gotten wealth."

With a light toss, he threw the purse out of the building.

Immediately after, a woman's scream came from downstairs. The purse had landed right on the old lady's toes. She squatted on the ground, her skirt spread out, her eyes filled with tears, she grimaced in pain while glaring hatefully at the second floor.

"Auntie, you'd better go home." Xu Qi'an kindly reminded.

The old lady bit her lip, picked up the purse, and limped away.

........

Xu Qi'an was still sparring with Miss Rongrong, both sides were committed to keeping each other in their own ponds. There were too many bad women in this era, they liked to flaunt their charms, and then cultivate young and handsome men into their own subordinates.

These women were the ancient version of green tea bitches.

It had been a long time since Xu Qi'an had encountered such a woman, so he happily sparred with her.

About fifteen minutes later, a roar suddenly came from the direction of the arena: "Xu Qi'an, get down here for me."

"???"

Xu Qi'an looked out in confusion and saw a man in coarse clothes standing on the arena. This man was eight feet tall, with a full beard, and eyes as big as copper bells.

He stood proudly on the arena, exuding a strong aura.

Even the spectators could sense the aura of this hero, which was different from those of the previous martial artists.

Xu Qi'an was somewhat baffled, thinking who the hell are you.

"Do you know this man, Sir Xu?"

Rongrong pursed her fiery red lips, looking at the man apprehensively.

Xu Qi'an shook his head: "I don't know him."

"Then don't bother." Rongrong said softly: "This man's body is shimmering with divine light, he is a master of the Copper Skin Iron Bone realm... Sir Xu, of course, is not afraid of him, but there are common people around, if you fight, you might hurt the innocent."

She spoke tactfully, saving face for Xu Qi'an. But Rongrong knew in her heart that ten Xu Qi'ans would probably not be a match for that master.

After all, he became a silver gong Nightwatcher based on his ancestors' achievements.

"Nightwatcher Silver Gong Xu Qi'an, get out here and kneel down to apologize, or I'll crush your balls today." The man shouted.

"Wow....."

The surrounding spectators and martial artists were in an uproar.

So that Xu Qi'an turned out to be a Nightwatcher, and a Silver Gong at that? Since the establishment of the Hero's Stage, finally, a martial artist was challenging a court master.

The young heroes at the same table were first stunned, then quickly turned their heads to look at Xu Qi'an.

Their faces were almost carved out of the same mold—schadenfreude.

"Come out and call me daddy, kneel down and kowtow, or I'll come up on stage and shout every day. Nightwatcher Silver Gong Xu Qi'an, son, get out here."

The man's full-bodied voice spread throughout the venue, and a large crowd of spectators poured out from the surrounding wine shops and teahouses.

........

PS: Update first, revise later.