Chapter 115: Join the Game
A day later, Li Nuo came to Chang'an County Government again.
The big thieves cannot be caught, but many petty thieves have criminal records in the county government.
If the performance of catching thieves in a certain month does not meet the target, at the end of the month, a few petty thieves with criminal records will be caught and thrown into jail to boost the performance. This is considered the default rule.
The detectives in the county government are well aware of these matters.
Li Nuo asked Pei Zhe to send people to capture a few thieves who were registered in the county government office to see if he could find a breakthrough through them.
As soon as these people arrived at the county government office, they started crying for their parents.
“It’s unfair!”
"I have long since turned over a new leaf!"
"Your Excellency is wise. I have not committed any crime in these days..."
…
Pei Zhe was annoyed by these people's noise and said angrily: "Shut up!"
He looked at these habitual thieves and asked, "Who among you knows how to steal the door?"
"Ah, what door?"
“Never heard of it.”
"I haven't heard of it either..."
The thieves looked at each other, all confused.
Pei Zhe's eyes swept across their faces one by one. Judging from their expressions, most of them really had never heard of it.
But one of the guys with a pointed chin and monkey face said that he had never heard of it, but his expression was a bit deliberate and exaggerated, which was obviously fake.
Pei Zhe has always envied Li Nuo's ability to identify criminals among hundreds of people at a glance.
So he later studied this ability specifically.
Although he has not yet practiced to Li Nuo's level, he can still accurately judge whether the other person is lying through some subtle expressions.
He pointed at the thin man and said to several yamen runners, "The others can go back now. Take him to the cell. I have something to ask him."
A moment later, in the cell, the thin man trembled and said, "Sir, I really haven't committed theft again, sir, please understand!"
Pei Zhe sat on the chair, crossed one leg, and said, "Tell me, what's the matter with the door thief?"
The thin man was stunned and shook his head, "What kind of thief door? I have never heard of it..."
Pei Zhe didn't ask any more questions. He took a soldering iron in his hand and put it in the stove. The fire was very strong and the end of the soldering iron soon turned red.
Pei Zhe didn't say anything either. He took the soldering iron and poked it here and there in the furnace, trying to make the flame more intense.
The thin man knelt on the ground, and beads of cold sweat began to appear on his forehead. It was unclear whether it was due to fear or the heat.
Clang.
The soldering iron in Pei Zhe's hand accidentally hit the iron sheet of the stove, making a crisp sound.
The thin man shuddered, then immediately raised his head and said, "My lord, it's like this. I just joined the Thieves' Sect, so I don't know much. I will tell you everything I know..."
…
Liu San was from Chang'an.
But it is the bottom of Chang'an.
Even worse than the bottom.
He is in his twenties and still unmarried.
Last year, he spent most of his fortune and finally got married to a wife. However, because he did not prepare the money for the bride's getting out of the sedan chair and the wedding night, he was locked outside the door and had to sleep all night.
When they woke up the next morning, the bride had already run away with all the house's belongings.
After being depressed for a long time, he finally cheered up and scraped together some money from relatives and neighbors, planning to start a business. However, he was not careful and his money was stolen.
After that, he completely gave up on life.
In order to survive, he often committed petty thefts, and if he succeeded, he could fill his stomach for a few days.
If you fail to succeed and get caught, the worst that can happen is a beating. Just protect your head.
But being beaten all the time was not a good thing, so in order to get beaten less often, he began to practice his skills hard.
Gradually, his skills improved, his success rate increased, and he was beaten less and less.
Until one day, he stole from someone and was caught on the spot.
However, the man did not beat him or send him to see the officials. Instead, he introduced him into an organization.
This organization is called Daomen.
Only after entering the thief's shop did Liu San realize that this was not just a simple matter of stealing.
Thieves are classified into wall-climbing thieves, wall-diggers, wall-blocking thieves, meddling thieves, tomb-robbers, thieves who eat cakes, abacus thieves, and so on and so forth…
People like him, who only steal from the pockets of passers-by on the street, are the lowest level of pickpockets.
The man asked him if he wanted to join the Thieves' Sect.
Once you enter the thief's door, you need to hand over half of the stolen property.
Correspondingly, there will also be experienced thieves who will teach him various new thief techniques, such as sneaking through doors and picking locks, climbing over walls and jumping through windows, finding dragons and dividing gold, exploring tombs and opening coffins, and feng shui...
It seems that giving away half of the property doesn't seem to be a good deal.
But before he became a thief, he could only steal a few hundred coins every month, barely enough to make ends meet.
After joining the gang of thieves, I learned so many advanced thief techniques, and with the help of the gang, I was able to do everything from selecting targets, scouting the area in advance, to carrying out the operation, arranging for support, selling the stolen goods and laundering the money. I earned hundreds or thousands of times more than before.
If it weren't for the fact that he was self-taught and had outstanding stealing skills, he would not have been able to enter the world of thieves.
Of course Liu San agreed to this good thing without even thinking about it.
Before he became a thief, he was an old bachelor who had no food to eat.
After he entered the thieves' family, he could eat out every day and be a bridegroom every night.
It was the thief who changed his life, so he would naturally not easily reveal the thief's identity.
But that red-hot iron is too scary. If it were to imprint on your body, wouldn’t it burn your flesh?
He is afraid of pain and cannot bear that kind of suffering.
Looking at the red-hot iron, he spilled out all the information he knew about the thieves.
After a while, Li Nuo and Li Anning left the county government office.
I got a lot of information from Liu San.
The Thieves' Sect has a strict hierarchy. It is said that there is one leader, two left and right messengers, four great protectors, sixteen chiefs, and sixty-four managers.
Managers are in charge of different areas, and each manager usually manages a few to a dozen ordinary disciples.
As an outer member, Liu San was not even an ordinary thief. He only knew what the person in charge of his own affairs looked like.
Because he had just joined and was not yet eligible to join the base, he had to wait for the manager to take the initiative to find him every time.
It seems like a waste of time to arrest a useless member of the thieves' gang.
But Liu San is not completely useless.
Li Nuo learned from him that the managers of the major blocks would often recruit talented newcomers.
There is also performance appraisal within the company. Managers who fail to meet the performance standards each month will have half of their benefits deducted.
If a manager's performance is unsatisfactory for three consecutive months, he will be directly demoted to an ordinary member. Ordinary members have no guaranteed benefits, and how much they earn depends entirely on their own abilities.
Under this policy, managers work very hard to recruit as many talents as possible to improve their performance.
These managers are almost equivalent to scouts of the thieves' sect.
In addition, Li Nuo also got an important message.
Three days later, the Thieves' Sect will hold an internal competition.
More than two months ago, a protector of the Thieves' Sect was unfortunately arrested and may never get out.
One of the four great Dharma protectors was missing, and was replaced by a chief monk, while his original position became vacant.
Originally, the position of the chief was vacant and should have been filled by a steward.
Thieves never look at qualifications, only ability.
The performance of many managers is similar. If a chief is directly appointed, I am afraid many people will be dissatisfied.
After two months of discussion, the top management finally decided to hold a fair competition. Whoever wins will be the new leader.
Not only the manager can participate in this competition, but also those disciples with outstanding performance are eligible to participate.
If the manager himself does not want to participate, he can still recommend a candidate.
The promotion process within the Thieves' Sect is extremely strict.
From ordinary members to managers, and then to the chief, protector, and messenger, there is a very complete assessment process, and one needs to be promoted step by step and layer by layer.
And there will be no chance of promotion until there is a vacancy above.
The vacancy of the first seat this time will surely attract competition from many masters of thieves.
Li Nuo stood at the gate of the county government office, pondering this information.
More than two months ago, the guardian of the thieves' sect was arrested.
More than two months ago, Li Nuo caught a thief with a goatee in the county government office and obtained a miraculous stealing skill...
That plain-looking guy is actually one of the guardians of the Thieves' Sect?
You are the protector of the law, but you have to do it yourself to steal dozens of taels of silver?
It seems that the guardian of the thieves' sect is not doing well either...
However, if you think about it carefully, an ugly appearance is not a disadvantage but an advantage for a thief.
If I were as handsome as him, I would attract attention wherever I go. How could I carry out my theft work under the watchful eyes of so many people?
The more ordinary your appearance and identity, the more suitable you are for this line of work.
The man with the goatee was sentenced to three years in prison and exiled three thousand miles away.
The sentence was not to wait until he had served three years in prison before being exiled, but to first be exiled three thousand miles away and then serve three years of hard labor.
Judging from the time, he must have already reached the place of exile by now, and it is unlikely that he could be brought back for investigation.
At the gate of Chang'an County Government, Li Anning tilted his head to look at Li Nuo and asked, "What should we do now?"
Li Nuo thought for a moment and said, "Find a way to sneak into the Thieves Sect. In three days, many thieves will gather together, including some of the sect's top brass. Even if we can't find the murderer who killed the Huang couple, if we can find out where they are gathering and catch them all, it will be a great achievement and should help us improve our cultivation."
Li Anning was a little distressed and said, "You just heard it. Only those thieves with superb skills can be recruited into the thieves' house. In the next three days, we must not only find such a powerful thief, but also make him listen to us..."
Li Nuo asked, "Is it hard to find?"
Li Anning rolled his eyes at him and said, "Just find someone and try..."
Li Nuo stretched out her hand, holding a pink purse embroidered with a phoenix pattern.
Li Anning looked at the familiar purse, slightly stunned, and subconsciously touched his waist, but found nothing.
She looked at Li Nuo, her eyes wide open and asked, "When did you take it?"
Li Nuo said: "Just when you said you would find one to try."
On the code, a dim portrait has lit up.
There is only one chance for the thieves to gather together. Once missed, there is no telling when the next time will be.
If we can catch all these thieves in one fell swoop, we can at least add a hundred days to our lifespan.
This is a rare big deal.
Compared with the huge harvest, the loss in the one or two days of lighting the portrait is not worth mentioning.
Looking at Li An Ning who was looking at him with a strange look, Li Nuo said: "Why are you looking at me? You don't know how bored I have been at home for the past 18 years. I might as well practice all my skills. Isn't this a use?"
Li Anning hung up the purse and said, "Try again."
This time it was Li Nuo's turn to roll his eyes at her.
To steal something, besides the skill of hands, the key is to grasp the timing.
The key is to take advantage of the enemy when they are least prepared.
As long as the timing is right, even high-level warriors like Butler Wu and my wife would find it difficult to detect.
Of course, this is the case when they have not released their true Qi. Once a warrior releases his true Qi, even the slightest air fluctuation will not escape their perception.
But unless in combat mode, no warrior would keep his Qi alert all the time, which gave Li Nuo an opportunity to take advantage.
Li An Ning just looked at him like that. Even if he was a thief saint, it would be impossible for him to succeed under her gaze.
Li Nuo did not meet her request and said, "Get in the car and go somewhere with me first."
Li Anning really wanted Li Nuo to show off his magical stealing skills, but business was more important at the moment, so he got into the carriage with him as soon as possible.
As soon as she sat down in the carriage, she saw Li Nuo extending her hand to her, in which was her purse.
Li Anning touched her waist and, as expected, the place where she hung her purse was empty again.
The carriage started slowly. Inside the carriage, Li Anning looked at Li Nuo from time to time.
Since she met him, Li Nuo had never ceased to surprise her.
Incredible observation, divine intuition, playing the piano so beautifully, even the stealing skills are so advanced, not to mention that with just a little guidance from Li Yun, he can directly break through...
She didn't know how much else he knew.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of Yuyin Pavilion.
Li Anning jumped off the carriage and asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Li Nuo came to Yuyin Pavilion, of course he had his reasons.
Now that he has decided to do it himself, he must transform himself.
The clothes he was wearing now were made by top tailors using the finest silk, and each piece was worth hundreds of taels of silver.
The hairpin on the head and the pendant hanging around the waist are also priceless treasures.
The important thing is that he is so good-looking. Who would believe that such a person could be a thief?
Shouldn't he ask Phoenix to help with the transformation?
Although Li Nuo could transform himself, if he lit up the portrait of Zheng Yuanwai's concubine, he could easily achieve the effect he wanted through her superb makeup skills.
But that would cost him his life.
It’s better not to spend your life on things that can be done for free.
Yuyin Pavilion is full of women, and makeup is their livelihood. Even if they are not as good as Zheng Yuanwai's concubine, it is good enough.
Fenghuang was very surprised by Li Nuo's arrival.
I was even more surprised by his request to do his makeup myself.
When people put on makeup, they all want to look better and better. Who wants to look uglier?
Although she was confused, she still obediently completed Li Nuo's request.
Who made me owe him a favor?
Putting this aside, he was the one who found the backer for Yuyin Pavilion.
Even though he himself doesn't know it.
As long as he comes to Yuyin Pavilion a few more times, he can intimidate countless villains hiding in the dark.
On the second floor of Yuyin Pavilion, inside Fenghuang's room.
Li Nuo sat in front of the dressing table with his eyes closed, letting Fenghuang play with his face.
Fenghuang looked at the face and thought to himself that although his vision was a little poor, this face was indeed pleasing to the eye.
She used her fingers to pick up some powder from the bottles and jars on the table and smeared it on Li Nuo's face.
As she moved, the handsome young man gradually disappeared in front of the dressing table.
Instead, there was a young man with somewhat dark skin and only decent looks.
Li Nuo opened his eyes and expressed his approval of Fenghuang's craftsmanship.
Although he is still a bit handsome after the transformation, he is not as eye-catching as before.
If he changed his clothes, no one would doubt his identity.
Butler Wu came in from outside, put a piece of coarse cloth on the table, and said to Li Nuo: "Master, what you want is ready."
When he left, he looked at Li Nuo twice more, wondering what the young master was up to.
While Li Nuo was changing clothes, Fenghuang walked out of the inner room and closed the door.
She glanced at the woman sitting outside in strange clothes and subconsciously straightened her chest.
Li Anning looked into her eyes, noticed her little movement, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Fenghuang saw the curve of her lips and felt a little embarrassed.
This was the first time she was slightly inferior in a body comparison.
The point is, apart from figure, she doesn't dare to say that she is better than others in other aspects.
Squeak.
The door to the inner room opened and Li Anning looked over first.
She was startled when she saw the figure coming out.
Although he could vaguely recognize that this was Li Nuo, he had changed too much from before.
In the past, no matter where he was, he was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one.
But now, although he looks decent, he is just ordinary. Mixed in the crowd, I'm afraid no one will pay much attention to him.
After coming to her senses, she reminded Li Nuo: "You are on your own, be careful, and always put your own safety first."
Butler Wu was stunned and asked, "What are you being careful about?"
After hearing Li Nuo's intention, Butler Wu's face turned pale with fear, and he immediately said, "Master, this is absolutely not allowed!"
The master has countless enemies, and those people are so cruel that they will use any means possible to take revenge on him.
On weekdays, they provide close protection, so it is inevitable that there will be omissions.
If the young master were to act alone, wouldn't that be like sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth?
Li Nuo was not worried about his safety at all.
With a lifespan of more than 200 days as a guarantee, he would be able to deal with it safely even if something unexpected really happened.
If this order is completed, it is possible that your lifespan may be doubled.
It is worth taking a risk for this.
After a heated argument, the two decided to take a step back.
Butler Wu agreed to Li Nuo's request.
The condition was that enough people must be arranged to protect him secretly. Li Nuo did not refuse. After all, Butler Wu was doing it for his own benefit.
The competition of the Thieves' Sect will be held in three days. Time is tight and the task is heavy. He must break into the Thieves' Sect as soon as possible.
In order not to attract attention, Li Nuo left through the back door of Yuyin Pavilion.
Before leaving, he looked back.
Fenghuang and Li Anning stood side by side.
Li Nuo always felt that the two of them were about the same.
Now it seems that Her Royal Highness the Princess is still better.
Phoenix minus one more point.
…
Chang'an.
At a street corner somewhere.
Several streets intersect here. On weekdays, there are heavy traffic and crowds of people, and a market is naturally formed.
"Take a look!"
"Hot tofu soup, fresh from the pot!"
“Fresh vegetables, cheap!”
"You can't tell my marriage or fortune without paying!"
On both sides of the street at the intersection are various shops. The dazzling stalls carry a wide variety of goods. Vendors push their carts through the crowd. The sounds of shouting, talking, asking for prices and bargaining are intertwined, making the place noisy and lively.
On the streets, the crowds surged like waves.
Zhao Wu squatted in the shade on the street, smoking his pipe intermittently, his eyes fixed on the passers-by.
To be precise, he was staring at a figure in the crowd.
He was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old, with dark skin and plain looks. Mixed in the crowd, he was very inconspicuous and could be easily lost if one was not careful.
However, his stealing skills are not as low-key as his appearance.
A pot-bellied man just passed by him, and the bulging bag of money around his waist disappeared.
There are rules for stealing doors.
This intersection is under the jurisdiction of Zhao Wu. Thieves who are not his subordinates are not allowed to steal here.
The reason why Zhao Wu didn't drive him away was because he had been watching this kid for two and a half days and found that this kid had made hundreds of attacks during these two and a half days and had not failed once.
A hundred thefts are always successful.
What a horrible success rate!
Horses may stumble, and people may make mistakes.
Even an experienced thief can make mistakes sometimes.
But if this kid doesn't take action, it's fine. But once he does, he will definitely get something in return.
There were many times, even if Zhao Wu stared closely, he couldn't see clearly how he made his move.
Although he was only a small manager of the Thieves' Sect, he was promoted to the position based on his skills, not through connections or backdoors, and his skills were not weak either.
But even if he were allowed to do it, he wouldn't be able to do it to this extent.
He is so skilled at such a young age, and the key point is that he has an extremely precise control over the timing of his attack.
This kid is undoubtedly a genius.
If he entered the Thieves' Sect, the protectors wouldn't dare to say anything, but under normal circumstances, it would be almost certain that he would be promoted to the chief within two to three years.
By then, as his guide, wouldn’t he have a backer in the Daomen?
This is still normal.
If you can win the internal competition of the Thieves' Sect to be held tomorrow, you will be promoted to the top immediately and reach the top in one step.
Zhao Wu didn't dare to think about winning the competition.
He himself does not have the ability, and none of the new recruits under him are up to par. Even if he recommends them forcefully, it will be his own people who are let down.
If we can recruit this person, not only will we not have to worry about future performance, but we will also be able to give him face in tomorrow's competition.
Having made up his mind, he put down his pipe and slowly stood up.
At the same time, on the street, Li Nuo was waiting a little anxiously.
Two and a half days...
Why hasn’t the scout from the thieves’ house appeared yet?
During this period, he had consumed three days of his life in order to maintain these skills.
This street has a huge flow of people, and is a perfect place for thieves.
Stealing money here is like picking it up.
With his professional vision, Daomen would never let go of such a place.
Li Nuo did see quite a few thieves here.
But because he had more important things to do, he took no action.
But the thief saw a lot of fish, but didn't see any big fish.
In more than two days, Li Nuo himself didn't know how many times he had taken action.
The key point is that every time they stole something, they had to ask Butler Wu and his men to return the money afterwards.
If no fish is caught today, his three days of life will probably be wasted.
Just when Li Nuo was feeling a little discouraged, his arm was suddenly held by someone, and a voice whispered in his ear: "Little brother, I've been paying attention to you for a long time, can I have a word with you?"
Li Nuo turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance looking at him with a smile.
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Chen Yi traveled to a fantasy world full of demons and monsters. At the beginning, he was forced to beg on the street. Fortunately, he got a stone tablet that could add points once a day. No matter whether it was a profession or martial arts, he could learn it at the fastest speed. With this, he used his fists to open up an invincible speed pass.
(End of this chapter)
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