Luocheng was the city closest to Qingfeng Valley and belonged to the Great Yu Kingdom.
The city was prosperous, and its people were relatively open-minded.
At dusk, Shen Chuyun rode into the city on Doudou, who was disguised as a dog, attracting curious glances from many passersby.
“What a beautiful big dog!”
“Is that really a dog? Why does it look a little like a wolf?”
“Are your eyes broken? Would a wolf let someone ride on its back? Of course it’s a dog!”
An elderly woman gathered her courage and approached Shen Chuyun.
“Little girl, your dog is incredibly handsome. You need to keep a close eye on it. Don’t draw too much attention by showing it off everywhere, or dog dealers might set their sights on it. A big dog as beautiful as yours must be worth quite a lot of money.”
“Thank you for telling me. I’ll be careful,” Shen Chuyun replied with an innocent, adorable smile.
She was tall and slender for her age, but her little face was round and chubby. Whenever she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, revealing a pair of tiny dimples. She had an innocent, pure beauty that made her look both harmless and kind.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of evildoers, she looked like an easy target—a soft persimmon anyone could squeeze.
After asking several passersby for directions, Shen Chuyun found an inn. She climbed down from the wolf’s back and let out a sigh of relief.
“Finally! No more sleeping out in the wilderness!”
She had been traveling for three days, spending every night outdoors. It was June, and the mosquitoes and insects were particularly vicious. Although she had insect-repellent medicine, sleeping in the wild had still been extremely uncomfortable.
She was just about to step into the inn when an attendant stopped her.
The attendant maintained a professional smile. “Dear guest, people are welcome inside, but your big dog isn’t allowed in.”
Shen Chuyun looked troubled.
“Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t just leave it outside, can I? What if someone steals it? Would you take responsibility? How about this? I’ll pay extra if you let me share a room with it. Big Brother, please make an exception!”
The attendant glanced back at the manager.
The stout, broad-waisted innkeeper took one look at Doudou, his eyes shifting cunningly. Then he immediately approached with a broad smile.
“Of course! It’s only a dog, after all. As long as you keep it under control and don’t let it frighten or bite the other guests, you can bring it inside.”
Shen Chuyun patted Doudou’s head.
“My Doudou is very well-behaved. I’ll keep a close eye on it.”
“So its name is Doudou! What a lovely name,” the innkeeper said with an amiable smile.
After entering the inn, Shen Chuyun booked a superior room. Under the attendant’s guidance, she went upstairs and ordered some food and bathing supplies.
Once the attendant had left, Shen Chuyun closed the door. While eating, she quietly said to Doudou, “The way that innkeeper looked at you earlier was a little strange. Be careful tonight while we’re sleeping.”
The night grew deep and quiet.
Shen Chuyun was sleeping soundly when a sudden scream jolted her awake.
“Ah! My wife! What happened to you?!”
She opened the window and looked in the direction of the commotion. In a nearby alley, a household had its lights on, and waves of crying could be heard coming from inside.
Moments later, the alley descended into chaos. More than a dozen people moved back and forth, carrying torches.
“It was the White-Faced Ghost, the notorious rapist! He’s out hurting people again! Physician Hu’s wife has been violated!”
“I saw someone running over there! The White-Faced Ghost fled in that direction! Hurry and catch him!”
“He’s already harmed twelve women this year! We can’t let him hurt anyone else. We must catch him!”
“Everyone, come out! We’re catching a rapist!”
A dark figure raced across the rooftops and walls toward the inn.
He was about to leap straight through Shen Chuyun’s window.
Shen Chuyun abruptly slammed it shut.
BANG!
The dark figure crashed headfirst into the window with a scream and plummeted straight down, landing hard on the packed earth below.
Someone spotted him and shouted, “The White-Faced Ghost is over there!”
Inside the room, Shen Chuyun clutched her chest.
“Could that man really be the notorious rapist, the White-Faced Ghost, whom Eldest Senior Brother told me about? Eldest Senior Brother said he was vicious and ruthless, possessed exceptional lightness skills, wielded hidden weapons with extraordinary precision, and was skilled in using poison. I have to be careful if I encounter him.”
As she spoke, a cold look entered her eyes.
“What kind of notorious rapist is he? He’s a serial sexual predator! He preys on women, destroys their lives and reputations, and even takes lives. A scum like him deserves to be hacked into a thousand pieces!”
“Doudou, if he dares to come back, we’ll attack together. We’ll give it everything we’ve got, catch him off guard, and kill him!”
BANG!
The window was smashed open, and a man dressed in black and wearing a white mask forced his way inside.
“You little brat! How dare you— Ah!”
Before the White-Faced Ghost could finish speaking, Shen Chuyun and Doudou attacked simultaneously.
Shen Chuyun launched a flying kick straight at his face, while Doudou pounced fiercely, aiming for his neck.
Shen Chuyun was closer, and her kick was faster. Her foot struck the White-Faced Ghost squarely in the face first.
She had assumed he would be as formidable as Eldest Senior Brother had described, easily blocking her attack. She had already prepared her next move and braced herself for a bloody fight.
Unexpectedly, the White-Faced Ghost went flying after just one kick.
He shot backward so quickly that when Doudou pounced, the wolf bit nothing but empty air.
The white wolf, having failed to catch its prey: “…”
Where did the prey go?
It looked at Shen Chuyun in confusion.
Shen Chuyun frowned.
“Wasn’t he supposed to be incredibly powerful? Why is he as fragile as paper? One kick sent him flying, and I haven’t even used my next move yet!”
She hurried to the window and looked down. After flying out through it, the White-Faced Ghost had crashed heavily onto the ground. Fortunately, he still appeared to be moving.
When your enemy is down, finish him off!
Shen Chuyun immediately used her lightness skills to leap out of the window. She picked up a stone and dashed toward the White-Faced Ghost.
“Pervert, prepare to die!”
Seeing its master jump out of the window, Doudou spun around anxiously and rushed toward it. But just as the wolf approached the opening, it suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Oh, dear! That’s so high! Doudou is afraid of heights. Doudou isn’t jumping out of the window!
It turned around and ran to the door. Moving its paws around the latch, it somehow managed to open the door before quickly rushing outside.
Hearing the commotion, the attendant got up sleepily to investigate. The moment he stepped out, a white blur flashed past his eyes.
“Huh? Wasn’t that the little guest’s dog?”
Recognizing Doudou, the attendant immediately shouted in alarm.
“Innkeeper! This is terrible! The dog has escaped!”
“What? Hurry and bring it back! Otherwise, we won’t be able to explain ourselves to Young Master Gao tomorrow morning!”
Following Shen Chuyun’s scent, Doudou rushed after her.
By then, Shen Chuyun had already beaten the White-Faced Ghost into a broken, unconscious heap.
She stared at her own hands in confusion.
“Why is this scoundrel so weak? He’s nothing like what Eldest Senior Brother described! He’s ridiculously pathetic!”
The townspeople searching for the criminal soon arrived.
“The White-Faced Ghost is over here!”
“Huh? Why is there a child here? And she looks like a little girl. Could she have been kidnapped by the White-Faced Ghost, too?”
“Something’s wrong! Look over there! The White-Faced Ghost is lying on the ground, and he’s covered in blood!”
The white wolf came sprinting to Shen Chuyun’s side. When it saw the crowd gathering around them, it immediately stepped in front of its master, baring its teeth at the people and revealing its full wolfish ferocity.
Someone recognized it and screamed.
“It’s a wolf! A white wolf!”
“Everyone, be careful! That’s a wolf!”
Seeing the crowd clutching their weapons with frightened expressions, Shen Chuyun worried that they might frighten Doudou and cause a misunderstanding.
She stepped forward, gently stroked Doudou’s head, and reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s not a wolf. It’s my pet dog, and it won’t hurt you.”
Then she pointed at the White-Faced Ghost, who was lying on the ground on the verge of death.
“The notorious rapist has already been beaten into submission by me. He’s no longer capable of escaping.”
Everyone present stared at her in disbelief.
“You’re the one who caught the notorious rapist?” a man wearing a hat asked.
Shen Chuyun smiled faintly.
“Who else is here besides me?”
She picked up the bloodstained stone from the ground.
“The wound on his head was caused by me hitting him with this stone.”
The crowd: “…”
What a fierce little girl! She actually beat the White-Faced Ghost into this state!
After remaining stunned for a moment, everyone finally snapped out of it and erupted into excited cheers.
“Wonderful! The White-Faced Ghost has finally been caught!”
“Little girl, you’re incredible! You’ve caught the notorious rapist. Just wait until you collect your reward!”
Shen Chuyun’s eyes lit up.
“A reward?”
An older man nodded.
“That’s right! The White-Faced Ghost is a Grade-D wanted criminal. The authorities issued a nationwide arrest warrant three years ago. Whoever captures him will receive a reward of one thousand taels of silver!”