Chapter 102 Fire Gate Three Passes (3)

  The ghost dragon leaped from the giant stone, jumping towards a bell-shaped rock. In mid-air, it wrapped its arms around the rock column and hugged it tightly. The force of the impact was so great that it snapped the column in two. Holding onto the column, it continued to plummet downwards. The ghost dragon let out a loud cry, tossed aside the column, and stretched out a large hand to grab onto a protruding part of a nearby giant stone. Instantly, its downward momentum slowed. With a kick from its foot, the ghost dragon continued to fall towards the lower levels. In mid-air, it continuously changed hands, either hugging or grabbing, as its body crashed against the rocks with loud thuds. If an ordinary person had done this, they would likely have been smashed to death. Yet, the ghost dragon was like a monkey, leaping and bounding left and right, crashing downwards, causing large stones to fall and triggering non-stop shattering and crashing sounds within the cave.

  The ghost dragon jumped to the side of the four-sided clock, clapped his big hands, and seemed to be in a state of complete calmness, as if he were made of iron or steel. The ghost dragon shouted: "I'm right here, come on over! Those who are hiding are cowards!"

  "Damn it! I'm a coward, what can you do about it? I just won't come out!"

  "Hmph! Hmph! You're quite skilled, aren't you? But to me, you look like a woodcutter who's chopping firewood in the mountains. What kind of thief are you supposed to be? You must have stumbled upon good luck to make it this far! Stand still and don't move, I'll take care of you, you woodcutter! Hmph!" The cold laughter echoed from one side of the dark cave, filled with mockery and disdain, resonating throughout the cavern.

  The ghost dragon's face sank, and he cursed loudly: "If you're a good man! Don't hide and talk! Come out!"

  In the darkness, a flash of firelight, and another brazier was lit, with two braziers illuminating a large area. Fire Xiaoxiao took a glance, this cave is probably bigger than he imagined, although it's still winding and can't see the end. But couldn't help but admire the ingenuity of this cave, truly a rare sight in the world! The craftsmanship of nature, as if carved by divine axes, transformed this rocky cave into a seven or eight-story high theater, with layers upon layers, perfectly arranged.

  A person stood by the fire pit, pointing at the ghost dragon and laughing: "You this woodcutter! Don't shout randomly, I'm here!"

  This man is a bearded big fellow, who is indeed Kaifeng Liang Ba.

  Li Yao was not as tall as the Ghost Dragon at first, he just jumped down and found a few footholds, then jumped onto a stone next to the four-sided clock, standing upright and facing the Ghost Dragon.

  "Guilong scolded: 'Liang Ba, it's really you! I've had a bad feeling about you for a long time!'"

  Liang Ba hummed: "I never thought of letting you have your way! Hmph, how do you want to try? Whatever you like!"

  "Ha ha! Alright, let's have a thrilling match! Since this is the Thieves' Pass, we'll compete in thievery skills. Let's play a game of 'back-touching'! Come on! We'll tie our feet together and put the signboard behind our waists. Whoever gets it first wins! Do you dare to come?"

  Liang Ba snorted coldly: "Child's play! As you wish!"

  "Good!" Guī Lóng Dà Xiào exclaimed, pulling down a length of thin rope from his waistband. With a swift motion, he bit the rope in half with his mouth and handed one end to Liàng Bā.

  Liang Ba stretched out his hand to catch it, and the two of them crouched down in perfect sync, tying the rope around their right ankles. After securing the rope, they jumped off the rock and walked to an open area beside the four-faced clock, glaring at each other. Gui Long pointed with one hand, and the two of them jumped onto a nearby flat-topped rock, tossing one end of the rope in their hands to each other, then crouched down to tie it around their left ankles.

  Liang Ba tied up the rope, wordlessly took out his own number plate, flashed it in his hand, and slowly inserted it into his own back waist.

  The two men stood up straight, staring tightly at each other. Suddenly, they both let out a muffled hum and almost simultaneously pounced forward. With a "slap", their four arms intersected in front of their chests, and they froze in place, motionless.

  The little thief was watching from the crack in the small cave, and the two of them, Liang Ba and Gui Long, were facing each other with their feet tied together. They had to steal the sign from behind each other's back, which required quick eyes and hands. This was different from competing in martial arts, and even more difficult. It emphasized six body methods: twisting, hooking, drilling, coiling, sealing, and supporting. The focus was not on defeating the enemy, but on making them reveal their weaknesses. This art of stealing signs was a fundamental skill that could take one to the pinnacle of the thief's world.

  Huǒ Xiǎo Yé was in Fengtian, he also played with the Ràng Dé Bēn brothers, but every time his feet were tied up, it wasn't good for him to move around, very awkward. When others moved, you couldn't help but move too, so there were always wins and losses. The countless thieving skills in this game, their leader Qí Jiàn èr was a half-wit, can't say anything about it.

  Huǒ Xiǎo Xié saw Liàng Bā and Guī Lóng, two masters exchanging blows, his heart was stirred up, this was a rare sight to behold. He couldn't help but press his face against the rock crevice, watching with rapt attention. Just then, Huǒ Xiǎo Xié suddenly felt an itch under his arm, his arm was lifted by an irresistible force, and immediately his chest was empty, the token had vanished. Huǒ Xiǎo Xié's face turned pale with shock, he abruptly turned his head, a slender sharp knife was already pressed against his throat.

  In the darkness, only a gleaming knife tip and a blurry black figure could be seen. Who the opponent was, no one knew. The more critical the situation, the calmer Xiao Yan's heart became, unlike ordinary children who would have been frightened silly. This seemed to be something Xiao Yan had since childhood, plus his experience as a thief in Fengtian, where he often found himself cornered and on the verge of death, but managed to escape countless times due to his ability to remain calm under pressure.

  Huǒ Xiǎo Yī said lightly: "You've already taken away my number plate, you've won, so there's no need to kill me, right?"

  A black figure hummed a sound, suddenly drew near, and the tip of Xiao Yao's nose was only a palm distance from a cluster of black flames. From the light in the rock crevice, Xiao Yao could see that this person was wrapped in a layer of pure black gauze, even his eyeballs were invisible, vaguely resembling a human figure. The man breathed softly and slowly, but when he approached Xiao Yao's face, he suddenly took a long breath, hummed twice, retracted the knife tip, and immediately rushed out of the small cave like a puff of black smoke, disappearing without a trace.

  Huǒ Xiǎo Xié saw the person leave, then let out a long sigh of relief, and only felt that his whole body was sore and soft, his heart racing non-stop. He couldn't help but flash through all the people he remembered in his mind, but there wasn't any impression of such a mysterious and strange person. Huǒ Xiǎo Xié guessed, could it be that A Ding Yi who didn't show up?

  "Damn it, just got here and already lost the number plate! Must be some kind of monster who stole it! We're done for, can't hide anymore, only way out is to go out there and fight them to the death!"

  The little evil spirit's low hum was accompanied by a loud roar in his ear, and he couldn't help but lean over to look outside.