Chapter 12: The Fire Element and Banditry (1)

  Qijian Er was leading Huo Xiao Xie and the others to quickly leave when they heard Hei San Bian shouting from behind, startling them. Qijian Er thought to himself, "What's going on now?!" His footwork faltered, almost causing him to fall to the ground.

  Qijian hastily turned his head and bowed: "Hei Ye, is there anything else you'd like to instruct?"

  Hei San Bian smiled and said: "This one, leave the chatty doll behind! From now on, follow me to get things done!"

  Qī Jiàn èr's heart relaxed, and he said: "Alright, alright!" He then pulled Huǒ Xiǎo Xié to the front and instructed: "Huǒ Xiǎo Xié, you stay here and listen to your Black Grandfather's orders!"

  Huǒ Xiǎo Xié was unwilling in his heart, he saw that Hei Sān Biāo was absolutely not a good person, and he was also afraid in his heart. He couldn't wait to leave early. But Hei Sān Biāo asked him to stay, and Qí Jiàn èr didn't dare to let him go, what could Huǒ Xiǎo Xié do?

  Huǒ Xiǎo Yè was pulled out by Qí Jiàn's second brother. Làng Dé Bēn, Lǎo Guān Qiāng and Biě Hóu saw him and thought that if Huǒ Xiǎo Yè stayed here, it would be like being in a den of tigers. Although Làng Dé Bēn, Lǎo Guān Qiāng and Biě Hóu were young, they had been through thick and thin with Huǒ Xiǎo Yè since they were eight or nine years old. They played, fooled around, got beaten and stole things together. Even though they didn't formally swear brotherhood, in their hearts, they already considered each other to be close brothers.

  Qijian pulled Rang Derun, Lao Guanqiang and Bi Houzi along, scolding: "Get going! Get going!"

  Young people don't have so many worldly concerns, their emotions are genuine. Huo Xiaoye is also their elder brother. Lang Debao doesn't care about anything else and grabs onto Huo Xiaoye's clothes, refusing to let go. Lao Guanqiang and Bi Hou are on the verge of tears. Qi Jian'er tries to pull them away but the three of them won't budge, unwilling to leave. Qi Jian'er is anxious and furious but doesn't dare to make a scene, so he can only slap their faces with his large palms.

  The fire was small, but the waves were rushing forward. They looked at each other like this, and their hearts felt sour. Thinking that since they met, they had hardly been apart for a day, sleeping together every night, now they would have to part ways. Their eyes turned red, but their mouths remained hard: "It's okay, it's okay, I'll come find you after I'm done."

  "Hei San Bian snorted and said: 'You four little rascals are quite a bunch of brothers!'"

  "Black Master, let's go, let's go!" Qi Jian'er hastily said. He stepped forward and pulled again, and in the end, his strength was greater, and he almost pulled Lang Deben away. Lang Deben couldn't help but cry: "Big brother, big brother, I'll go with you."

  They knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, crying out: "Hei Ye, Hei Ye, we don't want to leave Big Brother behind, please take us with you too."

  Lao Guan Gun immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly. In an instant, the three dolls were all kneeling on the ground, their heads knocking against the floor with a loud thudding sound, rising and falling in succession.

  Hei San Bian was amused and said: "I'm surprised, I'm not the King of Hell, why would I be afraid of taking his life away?"

  Huǒ Xiǎo Xié saw the situation and also knelt down, pleading in a sorrowful voice: "Hei Yéyé, we several have been together since childhood, never apart for a day. We usually do things together every day. Hei Yéyé, please let them stay too! You must need us!"

  Hei Sanbi frowned and turned his head to glance at Liu Sanzhi.

  Sanzhi Liu thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "These four kids are indeed the best among the lower five rings. They cooperate well with each other and can be trusted. Hei Xiong might find them useful."

  Hei San Bian smiled and said: "Alright! You four kids, get up, all of you stay!"

  Lang got a burst of applause, Lao Guan gun, soft monkey all cheered, this book reproduced on ⑥com

  "Thank you, Hei YeYe! Thank you, Hei YeYe!" Huo Xiao Xie turned his head and glanced at the three of them. It's truly a case of "youth is ignorant of troubles", this little thing that can't be said to be good or bad has already made them harmonious again.

  Sanzhi Liu said: "Qier, you little rascal, leave these few small bells for Hei Ye to use for now."

  "Yes, yes."

  Liu said with a wave of his three fingers: "Then go! If there's anything, I'll find someone to call you!"

  Qijian Er responded with a double "yes", looked at Huo Xiaoxie and the others with a sullen expression, turned around and quickly walked out of the hall. The old woman outside had been waiting for him and led Qijian Er away.

  Actually, Qi Jian'er's heart wasn't feeling good either. After all, Huo Xiao and the others had been following him since they were young, and could be considered to have grown up together under his care. Moreover, they had also learned a lot from him. Seeing the four of them leave his side at the same time, he didn't know if they would come back or not, and his expression was gloomy. His heart felt as if it had been poured with half a bottle of vinegar, sour and aching.

  Hei San Bian saw Qi Jian Er walk away, and with a flick of his sleeve, he sat down in the guest seat beside Liu San Zhi, chuckling to himself, looking quite pleased.

  Hei San pointed at Huo Xiao and said: "You four, from youngest to oldest, say your names! What each of you can do, also say it all together!"

  The four of them looked at each other, and Xiao Hui, the timid one, stepped forward and said: "Hei YeYe, my name is Xiao Hui. Now I can blow whistles." The meaning of blowing whistles was that when several people collaborated to steal, one person would intentionally attract or distract the "horse" (the person being stolen from) in order to facilitate others getting away with it, and also to keep watch, look out for wind, and give early warnings.

  Lao Guanqiang, ranked third among the four, said after hearing Huan Hou's words: "Hei YeYe, my name is Lao Guanqiang. I can follow the wind and untie three bells." Following the wind refers to following the horse after determining the level of "wangzi" (wealth, etc.) on its body, and taking action when convenient. Uniting three bells refers to the level of ability to steal things, that is, if someone's body has a bell, you go to steal something, but can't let the bell make a sound. The highest master is said to be able to untie twenty-four bells.

  "Speaking of Master Hei's words, my name is Lang Deben, and I'm best at picking locks. I can open the Four Rings Lock." Picking locks means that a thief must first determine where the lock is located on the horse's body, how big or small it is, and how heavy or light it is, in order to figure out what method to use to open it.

  Finally it was Fire Little Evil's turn. Fire Little Evil thought for a moment, then said: "In response to Hei Grandpa, my name is Huo Xiao Xie, and I can already hold the tray."

  Hei San listened carefully to the conversation between Pu Hou, Lao Guan Qiang and Lang De Ben in front of him. He didn't feel surprised at all, it was just a normal topic. But when he heard Huo Xiao Ye say "take the plate", he couldn't help but be shocked!

  Hei Sanbian asked skeptically: "Huo Xiaoxie, don't talk big in front of your grandfather! You're still young, can you even hold a tray?"