Chapter 8: The Little Thief of Fengtian (3)

  Several men responded with a shout and charged forward with their clubs at the ready.

  "Hey, slow down! Slow down! Haven't you guys ever seen a young master before? My name is Napolion! If you guys make me angry, none of you will have a good ending! I'll return all your stuff, but if we fight again, don't think about hanging out in Fengtian City anymore!"

  The young man spoke with great confidence and without any sign of fear, the clubs of several companions had been raised, hearing him shout like this, they also hesitated a bit, all looking at Liu Guan's family.

  Liu Guan's family was furious: "What a heavenly robbery! Robbing his ancestors' heaven! Beat him for me!" The apprentices saw that Liu Guan's family was backing them up, so they swung their sticks and were about to beat him down.

  "It's all over, we didn't fool them. I reckon the few of us will have to go see Old Yama today!"

  The young man closed his eyes, covered his head with both hands, and waited for a beating. The young man kept his eyes closed for half a day, but the stick didn't fall, so he opened them slightly to take a look. He saw that the apprentices had put down their sticks, and a small, beautifully dressed girl was whispering something in Liu's ear.

  Liu Guan's family nodded repeatedly, pointing at the young men and scolding: "You're lucky today! Zhang Siye is having a good day and doesn't want to see bloodshed! Get out of here quickly, we'll meet again soon, and every time we do, there will be a fight! Let this be a lesson for you! Bah!"

  Liu Guan spat and waved his hand, put on a group of accountants, and followed the little maid who had just arrived to hurry back.

  That young man muttered to their backs, "Damn it, wait until I'm successful, all the women will be sold to brothels, and all the men will become cannon fodder!" The young man spat on the ground after finishing speaking. Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared before his eyes, he saw that the cloth bag he had thrown out was still lying on the street, and he couldn't help but feel delighted, hastily taking a step forward to pick it up.

  "Wow, what a beating! I thought I was going to die!"

  Lao Guan gun also climbed up, rubbing his shoulders and face, saying: "If you have the ability, then fight one on one! A group of people holding big sticks to beat someone, what kind of skill is that?" The dwarf monkey also stood up with some fear, saying: "Big brother, Lao Lang, Lao Guan, it's all my fault for wrestling, it's all my fault!"

  That young man stepped forward, patted the thin monkey's shoulder and laughed: "What are you talking about! Good fortune is shared together, difficulties are faced together!" Lang Deben also squeezed over, with a playful smile on his face, said to the thin monkey: "Haha, those sticks of theirs were all used for grandpas' massage!"

  The young man slapped a palm on Lang Debao's head and scolded, "Lang Debao, is it you again who made everyone come find me? Didn't I say not to look for me?"

  He rubbed his sore spot, touched his head and said: "Still, big brother's fist is powerful! So painful! Cough! I'm also afraid that something will happen to big brother." Old Guan Gun also squeezed over and said to the youth: "Big brother, please forgive us."

  The young man laughed and picked up the bag, saying: "Although it's a bit miserable today! White suffered a beating! But my brother promised to steal the best pastries for you, and it's worth satisfying your appetite!"

  Lang got Ben, Lao Guan gun, and the monkey stared at the bag in the young man's hand, all of them swallowing their saliva, cheering: "Big brother is a hero! Big brother is a hero!"

  This young man is the leader of these four vagrants, with no name or surname, and has been wandering in Fengtian for a long time. He even got a nickname, originally an extremely unrefined name "Huo Xiao Xie", but this young man changed his own nickname to - Huo Xiao Ye.

  These four vagrants often suffered bullying, and being beaten up every other day was a common occurrence for them. They had developed the ability to withstand beatings and knew how to protect their vital parts. So, although they were battered with sticks, their whole body ached all over, but it was only superficial injuries, nothing serious. The four of them pinched and rubbed each other, stretched their legs and pulled their hands, and considered themselves fine. They supported each other and quickly left the place.

  The four of them got their bearings, picked up the small path by the ditch, and quickly made their way to a secluded spot, avoiding people. They didn't stop until nightfall, when they arrived at a few dilapidated thatched huts in the desolate area outside the North City. After looking around and making sure no one was there, they slipped inside. By this time, they were all starving, their stomachs growling loudly. Lang Tui, Lao Guan Gun, and Cu Hou couldn't help but stare at the bag in Huo Xiaoyu's hand, swallowing hard. They all understood the rules: as long as Big Brother Huo didn't speak up, no one dared to eat.

  In the Northeast, around Fengtian City, there is a rule for thieves: if you steal something valuable from elsewhere, you can't divide it or show it off on the road. You must quickly return to your hideout and avoid people before you can split it up. As the saying goes in the thief's world, "When you first get your hands on stolen goods, you're thinking of the old owner, and you want to run away with them. If you don't find a safe place to stash them, who knows what kind of trouble will arise."

  Even if the great thieves of Northeast China steal something, they will tie it up tightly and run away with all their might, never daring to take it out halfway to show off.

  They've been stealing to survive since they were young, so they naturally understand the rules. As soon as they came out, they got beaten up and didn't dare make a move all the way back, even though they swallowed a bellyful of saliva from hunger. Only when they returned home did they think about how to enjoy their spoils.

  Huoxiao Ye looked at Lang Deben, Lao Guanqiang and Bi Hou, also understanding in his heart. He let them shrink to the corner of the house on the grass bed, and then went to light the oil lamp before returning, squeezing together with them. Huoxiao Ye threw the bag containing pastries into the middle, bowing his head and muttering: "It's not that I stole you, but we have a fate, since you've already come, please be at ease, I'll definitely treat you well."

  The little thief's self-talk is also a rule of the thieving world, that is, everything stolen carries resentment. The person who steals must appease it first before they can enjoy it; otherwise, these stolen things will still bring disaster if their resentment is not resolved. Those who steal money generally need to "beat the money", as there's a saying that money has the hardest energy, and gentle words won't work, so you have to "beat" it with your teeth, slap it with your shoe sole, expose it to the sun, roast it in fire, soak it in water, doing these things at the right time. If you steal food or clothing, you need to coax them gently, only then can you eat without harming yourself and wear without being caught.

  So Huo Xiaoyi and the others were like a group of puppies, eagerly waiting for the pastries. After half a day's wait, Huo Xiaoyi finally shouted: "Alright! Let's eat!" The others cheered in excitement. Huo Xiaoyi opened the bag and handed out one piece to each person.