Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 14 The Buddha of the Thieves
The short young man's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, stammering, "B-Big brother, let's talk this out..."

"Give it back to you."

Han Yun flicked his wrist and swung the knife, its cold light striking the ground between the young man's legs with a clanging sound. The young man froze like a puppet, his crotch visibly soaked.

"Now, can we talk properly?"

Han Yun sheathed his scalpel, leisurely pulled up a chair and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the two men as he said mockingly, "Two Venerable Ones!"

"Buddha" is a Kyoto slang term, a homonym for "Buddha," originally a self-deprecating term used by thieves and pickpockets.

"拂" means to brush lightly.

The thieves thought the term "three hands" was rather unrefined, so they adopted the word "拂" (fú), which means "a gentle breeze," to describe the act of quietly stealing valuables. They also used the old Kyoto dialect word "爷" (yé), which is a homophone for "佛爷" (fó yé), to refer to themselves.

Because it was easy to remember and pronounce, it gradually spread.

Outside the window, night was deepening, and a few barks came from the alley.

Han Yun's gaze fell on the bowl of overturned noodles on the table, and he suddenly sighed: "What a pity, such good noodles, now dirty."

He looked up at the middle-aged man and said calmly, "Now, it's time to talk about your business."

A few beads of cold sweat appeared on the middle-aged man's shiny bald head. He swallowed hard, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, we uncle and nephew have been defeated today."

"What are the terms? Just name a price, and my son and I will do it for you. What do you think?"

Han Yun chuckled, kicked the short young man at his feet, and said coldly, "This kid cut me off at the subway station and stole my wallet. Logically speaking, since I, the victim, have come to your door, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to cripple him."

The middle-aged man hurriedly said, "No, please! He's my only successor. Please be lenient!"

Han Yun ignored him and instead asked, "What's your name?"

"what?!"

The middle-aged man didn't react for a moment.

"Please tell me your name."

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "My surname is Li. Because of my age, people in the underworld call me Uncle Li. Sir, you used jargon earlier, and your movements were quite agile. Could it be that you are also a member of the thief gang?"

"The thief's door?"

Han Yun frowned slightly, then performed a divination in the inner space to obtain the relevant information.

Since ancient times, wherever there are people, there is a world of its own. From the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks to the Five Lakes and Four Seas, from the imperial court to the common people, all are part of this world of its own. All the skills and techniques used to navigate this world are considered martial arts.

In general, they are divided into eight major schools of martial arts, which refer to eight ways of making a living in the martial arts world.

The eight gates of the martial arts world are divided in different ways, including the upper eight gates, the lower eight gates, the open eight gates, the hidden eight gates, the orthodox eight gates, the side eight gates, the outer eight gates, and the inner eight gates.

The most prominent of the Eight Outer Gates is the Thieves' Gate, which is the largest of the eight unorthodox sects.

As the old saying goes, among the thirty-six trades, the thief's world is king. Many businesses that require no capital are classified as thieves.

Whether it's the thief who frequents hundreds of households, the bandit who occupies a territory and raises a flag, or even the tomb raider who digs up graves in the wilderness, all of these can be considered members of the thief's sect.

There are also red, black, and white thieves. The so-called red thieves are those who specialize in stealing gold, silver and precious items from wealthy families to rob the rich and help the poor. The black thieves are those who specialize in robbing bandits, bullies and thugs of their ill-gotten gains, acting as righteous thieves. Yanzi Li San is one of them.

The term "white path" refers to tomb raiders who plunder and steal treasures, commonly known as "tomb raiders." Historically famous figures such as Cao Cao, the founder of the "tomb raiding" school, Wu Zixu, the founder of the "grave excavation" school, Xiang Yu, the founder of the "unloading" school, and Sun Dianying also belong to this category.

Legend has it that the Thieves' Guild is the most secretive sect in China, hidden in the world of martial arts and above the mundane world of right and wrong. It has many branches, and each branch worships a different patriarch.

The only one worth mentioning is the Kongkong Sect of the Tang Dynasty, which unified the various branches of the Thieves' Sect, forming the largest force among the Eight Gates.

However, during the Ming Dynasty, the thieves' guild split up again, forming two forces in the north and south.

The historical figures known as "Chicken Crow and Dog Thief," who were also retainers of Lord Mengchang, were indeed from a family of thieves. Later, Shi Qian, a master thief in the Water Margin, also belonged to this family of thieves.

It encompasses a wide range of issues and is deeply intertwined, but to truly call oneself a member of the thief's world is both easy and difficult.

First, you need to find someone with a lineage of thieves to become your apprentice. Then, after going through the master's examination, the entry test, and other rules, you can truly begin your apprenticeship.

Take Shi Qian, the flea on the drum, for example. His entry test was that his master locked him in a cabinet in a house, with the lock on the outside, and then made him come out of the house unharmed.

Keep in mind that Shi Qian at that time had no martial arts skills and was still a novice.

Finally, Shi Qian punched himself in the nose from inside the cabinet, painted his face red, and then made strange noises, calling himself a god, before narrowly escaping.

This step tests the apprentice's boldness, meticulousness, and adaptability.

Han Yun neither denied nor nodded at Uncle Li's words, but said with a stern expression, "What business is it of yours what my background is? You just said that you want me to come up with a plan, right?"

Uncle Li's face fell: "Yes, my nephew has offended someone he shouldn't have. He has no choice but to accept his bad luck and do his best to help you within our capabilities."

Han Yun's lips curled slightly upward: "What if I want your methods?"

The short young man immediately shouted, "You think you can make a living off us? You son of a bitch, you're dreaming!"

Han Yun's eyes immediately sharpened. Before Uncle Li could react, he grabbed the young man's drooping hands, stacked them on the table, and then scalpel pierced through the back of his hands.

The blade pierced through flesh and embedded itself deeply in the wooden table. The short young man let out a pig-like scream, his entire arm convulsing violently as if electrocuted, blood dripping down the edge of the table.

"little six!"

Uncle Li lunged forward, but Han Yun slammed him back into the corner with a knee strike.

Evil people will be dealt with by other evil people, and Han Yun will not be soft-hearted when dealing with this kind of person.

Then, Han Yun bent down, pulled out the blood-stained scalpel, and used the tip to lift the young man's chin: "Your mouth stinks. Now you know who the grandson is?"

The young man, his lips white with pain and tears streaming down his face, nodded.

"This gentleman is doing us a favor by wanting to learn his craft."

Uncle Li, panting heavily, pulled out an unopened pack of Peony cigarettes from his pocket and handed it over with trembling hands: "But it's a rule of the thieves' guild that it can't be taught to anyone but those who share the same path, what do you think?"

A flash of light, and the cigarette was cut in two.

Han Yun flicked the blade, then looked at the short, bloodied hands hanging limply at his sides, and said, "If you take him to the hospital now, his hands can still be treated. If you keep dawdling, I can't guarantee anything."

(End of this chapter)