It's broken, and was picked up by a femme fatale

"Clap clap clap!"

The pickpocket's open palm was slapped hard three times by the pretty girl.

The thin bramble leaves a blood-red mark,

Ten fingers connected to the heart,

The little pickpocket grimaced in pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

But he didn't dare cry out loud, as that would bring more punishment.

"Does it hurt?"

Pretty little girl,

As if he was the incarnation of the devil and the angel, he actually asked the little pickpocket with a smile.

"Remember this: if jade is not polished, it cannot become a useful object!
If it doesn't hurt, you will never learn your lesson!"

Three or four half-grown children nodded in agreement.

"Wang Er, Zhang San, Li Si,
Teach Zhao Wu again, if he fails to steal, he won’t be allowed to eat!"

"Yes! Senior sister!"

The pretty girl no longer responded,

Turning around and walking into the relatively intact room.

The four remaining children gathered together and discussed pickpocketing techniques with the teacher.

"Look at me, don't look at others.

Like this, sneak a peek with the corner of your eye, it won’t be easy to be discovered… Try it!”

The pickpocket Zhao Wu learned it once and muttered softly:
"That's how I peeked, but that person somehow found out... It's really weird!"

Another child said:
"It must be because you are making too much noise. I can't follow you too closely.

You have to slow down from time to time, even if you go to the front.
Just wait a little longer, and everything will be fine..."

Zhao Wu sighed.

He did the same, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but still missed.

"What you said is not the key, the most important thing is to take advantage of the opportunity,

You have to be able to predict and strike when he is distracted, and you will definitely be able to steal him accurately..."

Zhao Wu licked his lips and asked, "Did you succeed today?"

According to the rules of the old thief master,
Every apprentice had to steal something every day, otherwise he would be beaten.

"Hey, of course! I stole a big fat chicken!"

"I stole half a bag of rice..."

"Tsk, these are all useless things.
I stole a purse with lots of copper coins in it!"

Zhao Wu's eyes widened with envy, and he quickly asked for advice.

"Brother, how did you steal it?"

Wang Er was very proud and said with a smile:

"Didn't I just say that we should take advantage of opportunities...

So, the three of you pretend to be pedestrians on the street, and I'll show you secretly!"

Seeing that the second brother was about to show off his unique skills,

The three younger brothers immediately moved away and walked around the yard casually.

Wang Er approached from the side with a smile, and followed them slowly.

When Zhao Wu and the man opposite passed by each other,
He pushed Zhao Wu towards the man suddenly, and then dodged to the side of another person.

The two children were caught off guard and fell to the ground together.

Zhao Wu and the man quickly got up.

I felt around in my arms, but didn't find anything missing. I was wondering...

But Wang Er smiled and spread out his hand, which contained half a pancake.

The child who didn't fall,

He immediately reached into his arms, horrified.

"Hey, when did my second brother steal my cakes?"

"That's when you stare at them falling!"

Zhao Wu woke up from his dream:

"Ah! So that's how it is.

I thought you were going to steal me and Lao Si,

I didn’t expect that the person you were targeting was Third Brother…”

Wang Er nodded and said:
"Master always says 'Practice makes perfect'.
I just realized it recently, you need to practice more to improve!"

"Uh-huh!"

The three younger brothers nodded in agreement.

After practicing three, four, and five for a while, Wang Er said:

"Well, try again!
Be braver and move faster.
Don't be afraid, even if you get caught, the worst you can do is get beaten up, just be patient and it will pass."

Zhao Wu regained his spirits:

"Okay, I'll go right away..."

Seeing Zhao Wu go out, Wang Er said to Li Si, "You go and keep an eye on the back."

Li Si agreed.
Slipped out of the yard and followed Lao Wu quietly.

Zhao Wu had not walked far when he discovered that
There was an old man with a hunched back and a crutch, walking towards me with a unsteady gait.

He felt that the elderly,

It must be relatively safe for the elderly with blurry eyesight and difficulty in moving their hands and feet.

Zhao Wu approached slowly and calmly.
When the old man reached the door of a house,
He quickly threw a stone and hit the big yellow dog on the head in the dog hole.

"Woof~~"

The yellow dog jumped up suddenly and barked loudly.

This scene immediately attracted the attention of passers-by.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when the old man looked at the dog from the side,
Zhao Wu quickly stretched out his little hand and touched the other person's arms.

Finally succeeded!
Zhao Wu was overjoyed and immediately stepped back.
Then he slipped away along the corner of the wall like a mouse.

Li Si saw everything.
Nodding with satisfaction, Zhao Wu was smart.

After making sure no one noticed, he caught up with his brother.

"Old Five, Old Five!"

Zhao Wu turned around and found it was Li Si. He raised his purse with a smile on his face.

"Fourth brother, look! I succeeded!"

Li Si stepped forward and put his arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Ha, I saw it all from behind, good job!"

Only then did Zhao Wu realize that Li Si had been following him.

But, Li Si casually asked, "Is there any money in it?"

"It's heavy, there must be..."

The two men talked as they walked. Zhao Wu untied the knot of his purse, pulled it open and took a look.

He froze in place.

"what!"

Li Si leaned over to take a look and also showed a shocked expression.

"Oh my God... Hurry, go back!"

The two of them trotted back to the shabby courtyard.

Wang Er saw them coming back and asked, "So soon? Didn't you fail again?"

"I got a purse, but... I'm afraid it'll be a bit troublesome!"

Zhao Wu hurried a few steps and came to the door of the hut.

"Master, I got something, please take a look..."

Soon, the pretty girl came to the door,
I took the purse, took a look at it, and was very surprised.

She stuck her head out, looked around, and asked:
"Go outside and see if anyone is following us..."

After saying that, he hurried into the inner room.

On the grass bed in the corner, there lay a skinny old man.

Less air in, more air out, cloudy eyes, golden complexion...

Judging from his appearance, he might be suffering from some disease.

The little girl in brocade clothes hurried to the front of the shop and showed the small purse to her master.

The old thief turned his eyes around.

His eyes fell on the shining gold coin in his purse.
The only commemorative gold coin issued by the Chinese imperial court is the Chinese Era Change Ceremony Gold Coin.

Each guest invited to the ceremony was given one.

The commemorative gold coin weighs one ounce and has a relief dragon on the front.
On the back is the name of China and the national flag, as well as the words "Commemorating the Ceremony of Changing the Era".

Commemorative gold coins are of great significance.

Most of the guests kept their works at home or collected them by collectors, but they were rarely circulated.
People call the commemorative coin the "Big Golden Dragon" and it is hard to get one!
The old thief immediately understood.

The owner of the lost items was either rich or noble, not a big shot they could afford to offend.

There are two options now. One is to escape immediately.

Second, the item is returned to the original owner, hoping that the owner will forgive the misdeed.
However, the latter path is unlikely to end well.

While he was hesitating, Wang Er, Zhang San and Li Si came running back.

"Master, Master... the owner is here..."

The old thief's expression became even uglier.
They came to our door so soon, most likely with bad intentions.

I'm afraid I won't be able to escape if I'm in this state... I might as well just admit defeat!
"Ahem! Help me up..."

"Dad, you're not well yet..." "Girl, cough, hurry up...

Give it back to them... ahem, kneel down and admit your mistakes... accept the beating and the punishment..."

The hunchbacked old man, leaning on a cane, slowly walked into the courtyard and went straight to the wing room.

The four little pickpockets, with terrified looks on their faces, stepped back involuntarily.

The pretty girl was forced by her thief daddy,

He came out, and pulled his four fellow apprentices together and knelt down.
She raised the purse above her head, handed it to the other person, and said softly,
"Sir, we were blind and offended you.
I'm so sorry, please forgive us..."

The old man took the purse with a laugh and asked:
"The court provides free porridge and rice.

Medical treatment is free, and there are plenty of jobs that can earn money, so why do you still steal?"

The little girl was stunned and didn't know how to answer.

Her thieving father lay on the straw and said as loudly as he could:

"I asked them to do this, so blame me..."

The hunchbacked old man smiled slightly and walked into the inner room.

"I'm curious, why did you do this?

If there is a legitimate reason, I can not punish them!"

The old thief lay on the bed secretly, smiled bitterly and said:
"Well, I'll just tell the truth!
The younger one is called Shi Qian, he is the eighteenth generation descendant of the "Thieves' Sect" and his nickname in the underworld is "The Flea on the Drum".

The rules set by the ancestors are: "Drink the water from the stolen spring, eat the stolen peaches".
Therefore, we, the little ones, do not want to accept charity.”

The hunchbacked old man asked with great interest:

"I didn't expect that the founder of the thieves,

He is also a learned man. Who is he?"

Shi Qian replied respectfully: "The thief's ancestor Dongfang Shuo!"

Huh?
In his impression, the historical Dongfang Shuo,
He is a well-known figure, how could he be the "ancestor of thieves"?
"Well, tell me, how did your ancestor become a thief?"

Shi Qian did not waste time and slowly told a folk story.

It is said that in the past, the Queen Mother of the West met Emperor Wu of Han, and Dongfang Shuo was peeking through the window.

After the Queen Mother of the West found out, she said to Emperor Wu of Han:
"That person stole my peaches three times at the banquet!"

As we all know, peaches ripen once every three thousand years.

Queen Mother of the West said that Dongfang Shuo ate it three times.
Based on this calculation, Dongfang Shuo must be at least several thousand years old.

Therefore, Emperor Wu of Han regarded Dongfang Shuo as a god who had descended to earth.

This story spread among the people.
The people then regarded Dongfang Shuo as the "ancestor of thieves."

The hunchbacked old man nodded and asked:

"You may have had no choice but to enter the Dao.
But why do we need to recruit these children to be thieves?

China is about to enter a prosperous era, and they could have had a better future..."

The pretty girl interrupted:

"They lost their parents when they were very young and were starving to death.
My father was kind enough to take them in, and as they grew up, they begged to become my disciples and learn skills..."

"Oh!"

The hunchbacked old man understood.

These little pickpockets joined the gang during Gao Jianwu's time.

At that time, no one cared about their life or death.

He nodded, then looked at the pretty girl and asked:

"You have a father to take care of you, why do you want to enter this sect?"

"My father is sick. If I don't steal money to buy medicine for his treatment, he will die..."

Oh, it turns out to be a filial little girl...

Children from poor families have to grow up early, which seems to be not bad.

The old man smiled and said, "I guess you have inherited your father's true teachings. Can you show it to me?"

The pretty girl was stunned and didn't understand what was going on.

"What does Master mean?"

"The purse is on me, you sneak it to me!"

This request was so strange that the girl couldn't help but look at her father.

The old thief didn't understand, but, as he was at the mercy of the other party, he had no choice but to give in.

"Girl, do as the master asks."

It is extremely difficult to steal openly nowadays.

The girl gritted her teeth and nodded:

"Okay! If I steal it, please let my father go!"

"No problem, come on!"

The girl circled around the old man for a few times, and suddenly dropped her handkerchief at his feet.
Then he came up to the old man, bowed to him, and said softly:
"Master, I'm sorry, the handkerchief is mine..."

After saying this, the little girl bent down to pick up the handkerchief.
After picking up the handkerchief, she shook off the dust on it in front of the old man.

Amid a cloud of dust, the old man blinked slightly.

The next moment, a purse appeared in the little girl's hand.

Hey, what a great hand!
The old man nodded slightly: "Not bad! What's your name?"

Shi Qian said: "Dog girl, Shi Zhuangxiu."

The old man almost broke through his defense and revealed his true form, and he managed to hold it back with great difficulty.

Shi Zhuangxiu handed the purse to the old man again: "Master, your purse!"

"It's your purse!"

what?
The pretty chick was confused again.

This is gold coin!

Isn’t this strange old man in front of me too generous?

Shi Qian's heart tightened.
I have traveled all over the world and have heard many rumors about the "Yangzhou Skinny Horse".

He immediately struggled to stand up sideways, crawled over and begged:

“Ahem, please, please have mercy, Master… ahem, ahem… let go, ahem, this little bitch…”

Before he could finish his words, he collapsed to the ground, covered in beads of sweat and barely breathing.

Several disciples gathered around him.

"Master, Master...what's wrong with you...Master, wake up..."

Shi Zhuangxiu was startled and quickly ran back to his father.

While helping, they begged, "Master, please forgive us?"

The old man was stunned, then he understood.

Shi Qian was so eager to protect his daughter that he misunderstood that he had ill intentions.

"Girl, open it and take a look first!"

Shi Zhuangxiu opened her purse in a daze, and a fragrance wafted out.

She opened her eyes wide. The yellow gold coin actually turned into a green pill.

The old man said, "Give it to your father quickly!"

Shi Zhuangxiu took the pill and just as he put it to his father's mouth, he hesitated again.

What kind of medicine is this?

Can you believe what the old man says?

The next moment, black blood flowed from the corner of Shi Qian's mouth.

The disciples were all terrified and cried out loudly.

The old man said quietly, "If you wait any longer, you'll be dead!"

Shi Zhuangxiu made up his mind and decided to give it a try!
She decisively took the green pill.

She stuffed it into her father's mouth and stared at it intently.

At this moment, Shi Qian was in an unconscious state and had no swallowing function at all.

But this pill seems to have magic power.
Not only does it melt in your mouth, but it also flows down your throat automatically.

It penetrates into the digestive tract, is then quickly absorbed and diffuses throughout the body.

Shi Qian's breathing became heavier and gradually stabilized.

The complexion also improved rapidly and became more rosy.

Yeah!

This is truly a magical elixir that can bring the dead back to life!

Shi Zhuangxiu and several of her fellow apprentices immediately dragged her father back to the bed.
Then he ran to the old man, knelt down again, and kowtowed three times.

"Thank you for saving my life, sir!"

The four fellow apprentices followed suit and came over to kowtow and express their gratitude.

The old man smiled and said, "No need to thank me. In China's prosperous times, good deeds will be rewarded!"

Shi Qian, who was lying on the bed, recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After a short while, he miraculously sat up.

He tried it, and, feeling his youth restored, he stood up with ease.

Surprised and delighted, Shi Qian knew that he had met a master, so he came over obediently and prepared to kowtow.

The old man waved his hand.
Suddenly, a huge force lifted Shi Qian up, and he couldn't bow any further.

“You’re welcome!
Let's make a deal. I'll find a way out for these kids!"

Shi Qian was stunned and asked hesitantly:
"Master, the country has its own laws, and the sect has its own rules...

Once you enter the world of thieves, you will be a thief for life, and you can never wash away your guilt..."

The old man laughed and said, "That may not be the case!"

Shi Qian asked in confusion: "What does the master mean?" (End of this chapter)