Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 4 The Young Master of the Rong Family

The newcomer was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a slightly worn blue cloth short shirt. His face was ordinary, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. At this moment, he was scrutinizing Chen Ye with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze.

Behind him followed several burly men, each rubbing their hands together, their eyes filled with hostility.

Seeing this, the noodle stall owner wisely stepped aside, afraid of getting into trouble.

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm, quietly gripping the bench under the table and saying in a calm tone, "My friend, I don't know what kind of dock you're talking about."

The young man grinned, revealing two rows of slightly yellow teeth: "Friend, since you're in this business, don't pretend you don't know. The way you 'floated' in front of Yuebinlou just now, you stepped on someone's plate."

Floating? Stepping on the plate?
Chen Ye raised an eyebrow, vaguely understanding what the other party meant. The word "drift" probably referred to his action of "taking" the drunkard's money bag just now, and "plate" was probably a euphemism for territory or target.

"So he's a newbie, doesn't even know the slang of the underworld." A man with triangular eyes next to the young man sneered.

The young man in the lead waved his hand to stop his men's mockery, still looking at Chen Ye: "Friend, the drunkard you touched is a friend of mine. He went back and found his purse was gone. Although it wasn't much money, he was embarrassed, so he came to me."

Chen Ye's heart sank. He thought he had been discreet enough, but he didn't expect to be found so quickly.

He quickly considered his options. The other side had a large number of people, and if they were to make a move, his only way out would be to overturn the table and retreat to the stall to use the pot of boiling noodle soup to repel them...

Just as he was making his calculations, the young man grinned and said, "Don't be nervous. We have no ill intentions in coming to see you. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Fang Tao, the young master of the Rong family."

Rongzi Gate? Young Master?

Chen Ye was truly confused. Of course he knew this was underworld slang, but unfortunately, this young page had always been a servant in the Lin family and had never been exposed to such things.

Seeing his reaction, Fang Tao sighed, "Looks like you're really an amateur. You don't even understand the most basic ways of the underworld, yet you dare to come out and roam around. You've got some nerve."

Chen Ye remained silent, then suddenly took out the money pouch he had just swiped from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"The stuff is right here. After it got to me, I only ate a bowl of noodles and didn't touch the rest of the money."

Unexpectedly, Fang Tao didn't even glance at the money pouch, but instead looked at Chen Ye with great interest.

"I see you're quite skilled, but your techniques are very raw, and you don't understand any of the ways of the martial arts world. Did you learn it on your own?"

Chen Ye hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes!"

Although the talent was given to me by my job, it was also something I earned through my own hard work.

Fang Tao's eyes lit up even more. Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, according to the beggars, the kid had only taken a few moments from getting up to leaving, and they hadn't even seen his movements clearly.

It seems this kid does have some talent.

“I see you have potential. Are you interested in joining my Rong family? If you follow me, I can’t guarantee you’ll live a life of luxury, but at least you’ll have enough to eat and a roof over your head. You won’t have to risk your life for a meal like you do today.”

Chen Ye was somewhat surprised. He had thought that when the other party came looking for him, they would teach him a lesson, since he had stepped on their territory and broken their rules.

I never expected that they wanted to recruit me.

To be honest, Chen Ye was tempted.

It's not just because he has nowhere to go right now, but more importantly, if he wants to advance in his career, he has to keep doing this job.

Trying to figure it out on my own is too inefficient and too risky. If I hadn't been lucky today, I probably would have already failed.

Joining Fang Tao's camp would not only provide a place to stay, but also allow for systematic learning of this skill, making it undoubtedly the best choice at present.

But the premise is that you have to ask the questions clearly first.

"What does this Rongzi Gate do? And what is Shaojun?" Chen Ye pondered for a moment before asking.

Upon hearing this, Fang Tao and the men who came with him all burst into laughter.

"Fine, since you don't know anything, I'll explain it to you," Fang Tao said.

"There are many schools of martial arts nowadays, but they can be roughly divided into eight major schools: Jinpi Caigua, Henglan Ge Rong, and others. As for what each school represents, I will tell you slowly later. Just remember that Rong is the general name for our thief's school."

"As for the young master... the Rong family is also divided into four major factions: the Flipping Head, the Kiln Opening, the Wall-Following, and the Thread-Picking. I am the young master of the Wall-Following faction. Do you understand?"

Chen Ye finally had a general understanding of the current state of the martial arts world, and then asked very solemnly, "What are the rules after joining the sect?"

Seeing him ask that, Fang Tao knew things had gone well, and his smile became more sincere: "There are rules, and they are ironclad. Our Rongzi Sect has three rules against stealing!"

He held up three fingers.

First, do not steal money meant to save someone's life.

Second, do not steal the hairpin of a virtuous woman.

"Third, do not steal money given as gifts at weddings or funerals."

"These three rules are ironclad laws passed down from our patriarch. Anyone who dares to violate them will be punished according to the sect rules. At best, they will have a finger cut off; at worst, they will be crippled and expelled from the sect!"

By the end, Fang Tao's expression had become very serious.

Chen Ye felt a chill run down his spine, but this also meant that the other party wasn't too bad; at least they had a bottom line in their actions.

So he nodded, "Okay, I'd like to join."

"Alright!" Fang Tao laughed loudly, then patted him on the shoulder, "Come on, let me show you around the house first."

Fang Tao led Chen Ye through several dark alleys and arrived at a rather spacious courtyard.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and lights and the sounds of people could be heard coming from inside. Once the gate was pushed open, the courtyard was bustling with activity.

Many people live here, young and old.

At this moment, these people are gathered in twos and threes, some drinking and chatting, others playing chess and talking.

Besides, several middle-aged women were mending and washing clothes under the lamp.

The scene took Chen Ye by surprise. It didn't look like a den of thieves at all; instead, it resembled a lively family.

Upon seeing Fang Tao, these people all stood up, exclaiming, "Young Master!"

"Young Master is back!"

"Well, let me introduce you. This is our new brother, his name is..."

"My name is Chen Ye!" Chen Ye introduced himself.

"Yes, Chen Ye, we're all family now, so please take good care of each other."

"Yes, young master!" everyone responded in unison.

People seem to have gotten used to the arrival of newcomers, exchanging a few words of laughter before going back to their own business.

Fang Tao then arranged a small room for Chen Ye in a corner of the courtyard and gave him a not-too-old quilt.

"Take a good rest. I'll start teaching you your skills tomorrow."

After saying that, Fang Tao turned and left.

Chen Ye lay on the hard bed, listening to the noisy yet lively sounds from the courtyard, and then let out a long sigh.

At least we have a place to stay now.

…………

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

As night deepened, the courtyard remained bustling with activity.

"Hey Chen, let's go! A few new prostitutes have come to the alley. Let's chip in and have some fun!" A man with a scar on his face put his arm around Chen Ye's shoulder, a lewd smile on his face.

Chen Ye is no longer as thin and weak as he was six months ago.

In the past six months, he has been eating well and sleeping well. Although the meals have been simple, his body has developed rapidly.

He had not only grown taller, but his face had also matured, and he had a refined and scholarly air about him, making him seem somewhat out of place among this group of rough men.

He smiled and politely declined, "No, Brother Li, you guys go ahead."

"Are you worried about the money? Don't worry, I won't let you spend any. It's on me!" the scarred man laughed.

At this moment, a young man next to him joked, "Hey, with Chen's looks, why would he need to spend money? Just stand in that dark alley, and those girls would be begging to pay him!"

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Chen Ye simply smiled and didn't say anything more.

After everyone left, arms around each other's shoulders, the courtyard became much quieter. Chen Ye returned to his small house and closed the door.

The oil lamp in the room was dimly lit, but he didn't care at all.

He brought over a basin of freshly boiled water, steaming as it rose. Then he took a deep breath, pulled a copper coin from his pocket, flicked it with his finger, and the coin fell into the boiling water with a "plop," quickly sinking to the bottom.

Chen Ye's eyes narrowed, and he extended his index and middle fingers, swiftly inserting them into the boiling water to precisely pinch the copper coin at the bottom of the basin before quickly withdrawing them!
The whole process took only a blink of an eye; not a drop of water touched my fingers, let alone caused any burns.

This is a method specifically designed to train finger dexterity and speed, called "Pouring Money from Boiling Water".

He practiced dozens of times until the water in the basin gradually cooled down before he stopped.

Chen Ye then flipped his wrist, and a small knife, no more than three inches long, as thin as a cicada's wing, and incomparably sharp, appeared at his fingertips.

The knife moved nimbly and swiftly between his fingers, sometimes like a fish wagging its tail, sometimes like a snake spitting its tongue, its cold light flashing and dazzling.

He has never slacked off in the past six months. During the day, he learns techniques from the old thieves, and at night he secretly practices extra.

However, he always kept his true abilities hidden, only showing an above-average level in front of others, and never revealing his real strength.

Just as he was immersed in his practice, the familiar light screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Name: Chen Ye

【Occupation: Petty Thief (Level 5)】

[Talent: A lingering fragrance on the hands]

[Skills: Skillful Hands Lv7, Swift Blade Lv6]

[Hint: The Thief (lv5) level has reached the maximum. Do you wish to advance to the next class?]

(End of this chapter)