The Child Thief

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Quentin Lin.

Quentin Lin spoke up: "I, Quentin Lin, and Minister Warwick's young son Leo, met at the palace and became friends. Today, I heard my sister, Princess Lily Hayes, was coming to the Minister's Estate, so I begged her to bring me along. Once I arrived, I went to find Leo to play, but accidentally spilled food and soiled my clothes. Leo kindly lent me a set of his clothes and took my dirty ones next door to hand them to a maid for cleaning. While Leo was delivering my clothes, I was changing inside when suddenly, a man in a powder-blue robe jumped in through the window, covered my mouth, and tried to kill me. Just then, someone passed by outside. The thief, afraid of being discovered, muffled me and jumped out the window, leaving blood and clothes behind to make it look like I'd been murdered."

The thief wanted to take me out of the estate, but the Minister's Estate is heavily guarded. He was worried about being discovered with a child my size, so he couldn't get away and hid with me in the rock garden, waiting for a chance to escape.

As Quentin Lin spoke, he walked over and kicked Panther on the ground, sneering, "Too bad this idiot thought I was just the young master of the Minister's Estate and wouldn’t know martial arts. Who knew I’m the son of Dr. Rowan Lin—I've trained in medicine and martial arts since childhood! I took the chance to escape when he was distracted. The thief, relying on his skills, tried to catch me and kill me, but I used the hidden weapon my sister gave me to injure him. That’s when you all arrived."

"So, this thief is the child-stealing monster from the rumors?" Lady Warwick exclaimed in shock.

Quentin Lin nodded, "That’s right. Look at the blood and clothes he left behind—they match all the other cases exactly. He just had bad luck today and mistook me for the Minister’s son, but the hunter got pecked by the goose in the end."

As Quentin Lin spoke, he pulled out the firearm at his waist, looking quite pleased. "This thing my sister gave me is really amazing!"

Right now, nobody paid attention to Quentin Lin’s firearm; everyone’s focus was on Panther.

Bai Susu hadn’t expected Panther to fail, and she was utterly shocked.

Panther was a skilled martial artist. Even if Quentin Lin ambushed him, he shouldn’t have had a chance—except Quentin Lin had the firearm Princess Lily Hayes gave him!

Bai Susu cursed Su Li a million times in her heart, hating that damned firearm, and blaming herself for underestimating her enemy. She had never paid any attention to Su Li’s gun, even thinking it was a useless trinket not worth mentioning.

Yet it was this very thing that Bai Susu looked down on that helped seven- or eight-year-old Quentin Lin completely overturn the formidable Panther!

"Guards, take this child-stealing thief to the Six Doors for interrogation!" Minister Warwick ordered.

"Wait!" Su Li waved her hand and stepped forward. "Minister Warwick, if someone wanted to abduct the young master from your estate, it would be nearly impossible for a lone thief. There must have been an accomplice on the inside."

Everyone’s eyes fell on Bai Susu, making it clear she was the insider.

Quentin Lin had just saved the young master and caught the thief. Now Minister Warwick was very respectful toward Su Li, bowing and saying, "Princess Consort, you’re right. This fake servant must be in league with the thief. I believe the recent child abduction cases in the capital were all their doing!"