Xiao Duo was initially taken aback but immediately showed a defiant expression and said, "I didn't use much force at all. If I had used real force, his hand would be useless by now..."
This little girl has a wild temperament.
She doesn't reason and doesn't follow the rules.
Just based on my few words, there's no way I can make her accept it.
I slowly walked towards her.
Xiao Duo has a high level of vigilance. When she saw me approaching, she immediately stared at me with alertness and asked, "What do you want?"
I shook my head and calmly said, "Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on you."
Actually, even if I wanted to, I might not be her match.
After all, anyone would be wary of that sharp blade as sharp as a surgical knife.
Xiao Duo also knew that in this situation, I definitely wouldn't resort to violence.
She stood still in her place.
And I raised my hand and patted her shoulder.
Despite my appearance resembling a beggar, Xiao Duo was still a girl.
With my pat, a trace of disgust appeared on her face.
She raised her hand and pushed mine away.
In the instant between my pat and her push, Xiao Duo's expression suddenly changed.
She stared at me and shouted, "Give me back my things!"
Saying that, she rushed towards me.
Lao Hei was completely dumbfounded.
He had no idea what had just happened.
On the other hand, Lao Niu, seeing Xiao Duo's movement, immediately spoke sternly, "Xiao Duo, stop right there. You dare to act recklessly even after stealing someone else's meal. You have no discipline at all!"
As he said that, Lao Niu looked at me.
He raised his thumb, pointing at the knife blade between my two fingers, and said, "This sleight of hand with the blade is truly impressive. Just for this skill, I, Lao Niu, should address you as 'Ye,' the Lord of the Sixth Day!"
On the day when I separated from Liu Ye (Sixth Lord),
He said that within three years, I must make a name for myself.
In the realm of the martial arts world, I must have the reputation of being the Lord of the Sixth Day.
Lao Hei and Chen Xiaoxue used to call me "Sixth Master" in a gambling context. However, that was our gambling game, and I was the winner.
Today, it's different. Lao Niu sincerely admires my skills and expresses it from the bottom of his heart.
The "Moving Flowers, Connecting Wood" that Lao Niu mentioned is the framing and scapegoating technique in the art of deception I mentioned earlier.
In card games, sometimes it involves stealing and hiding cards.
And once you hide a card, it means you have to keep the stolen item on you.
There is a risk of exposure if someone searches you.
But "Moving Flowers, Connecting Wood" and scapegoating technique are about stealthily transferring the cards to someone else without their knowledge.
When the time comes to use that card, you silently retrieve it.
Liu Ye once said that this technique of framing and scapegoating evolved from the art of theft in the Rongmen School.
He warned me many times not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
Because when scapegoating happens, it often implicates the innocent.
"Now, shouldn't you give my friend an explanation?" I continued to look coldly at Xiaoduo and spoke slowly.
Xiaoduo seemed like she wanted to say something, but Lao Niu spoke first, with a hint of anger in his voice:
"Kneel down and apologize to this black brother!"
Xiaoduo was still angry, looking at me with defiance in her eyes.
However, since Lao Niu had spoken, she didn't dare to defy him.
She glared at Lao Hei and was about to kneel down.
Lao Hei quickly stopped her, waving his hands repeatedly:
"No, no, no, don't kneel, no need to apologize. I forgive you, it's fine..."
Everything that just happened left Lao Hei in a state of confusion and bewilderment.
I knew he had many questions to ask me.
No rush, I will tell him everything tonight.
As I left with Lao Hei, I placed the small but incredibly sharp blade on the bed.
Then I turned back to look at Xiaoduo.
She had a rebellious look on her face, still refusing to submit.
This girl is really wild!
On the way back, Lao Hei bombarded me with one question after another.
Of course, there was one main question.
Am I really a con artist?
Standing under the dim streetlight, looking at Lao Hei, I coldly nodded.
"Yes, I am a con artist!"
Although I was mentally prepared, my answer still shocked Lao Hei. He held his head in his hands and muttered to himself.
"No wonder, no wonder..."
Finally, he understood everything. Hou Jun, Wugong, all the wins and losses, he had figured it out.
But what happened next...
Lao Hei's actions made me secretly admire him. He took out the remaining 19,000 yuan and handed it to me, saying:
"This money is what you won, it should be yours..."
Lao Hei's integrity was beyond doubt.
I didn't take the money, instead, I said:
"You keep the money. Lao Hei, have you heard of the Eight Great Generals?"
Lao Hei nodded, saying he had seen them in movies.
I asked again:
"Would you be willing to be my fire general?"
Lao Hei still looked confused.
He had no idea what a fire general was.
So, I explained to him one by one what each of the Eight Great Generals did.
After I finished explaining, Lao Hei's expression became serious.
After a while, he solemnly said:
"From now on, I, Lao Hei, will only recognize one boss, and that's you, Chu Liu Ye!"
I nodded slightly, patted Lao Hei's arm, and said:
"It's Chu Ye, but also brothers!"
The world of the Eight Great Generals is intricate and complex.
In major gambling games and casinos, con artists always work in teams.
After all, a single tree does not make a forest.
Of course, there are often individuals who cheat in small games outside.
But these people can hardly be called members of the Eight Great Generals.
...
The following days were no different from usual, just like peaceful times.
I still went to work and came back, slept and had insomnia.
The underground gambling dens, on the other hand, were open for business.
Of course, the opening of the gambling dens didn't involve any loud drums or firecrackers for publicity.
But I could feel that there were plenty of gamblers.
Even the business of the bathhouses had become bustling.
I never went to the gambling dens, nor did I see the legendary beautiful female owner.
I did see Su Mei twice, though. She seemed busier than usual.
But every time I saw her, even though we were on different paths,
she would intentionally or unintentionally walk by my side, but wouldn't speak to me.
She would only talk to the person next to her about how busy she was and how well the gambling business was doing.
I knew she was showing off to me.
Implied that even if I didn't participate in the dark dealings,
it would have no impact on the gambling dens, and the business would still thrive.
Hou Jun had also quit his bathhouse job.
I heard from my colleagues that he had been transferred to the gambling dens.
I'm not sure exactly what he does there.
In the meantime, Chen Xiaoxue did invite me twice.
She said she wanted to play cards with her friends and asked me to join.
Naturally, I refused directly, without agreeing to it.
That day, I was on the day shift.
Towards the end of my shift, I was planning to call Lao Hei (Old Black).
Recently, I had been asking Lao Hei to keep an eye on the gambling scenes outside.
I was preparing to find a couple of good games to make some money.
After all, I was broke.
And in this world, being broke meant being unable to take a single step forward.
But before I could make the call, a waiter entered the supply room.
He told me that Sister Mei was looking for me and asked me to go directly to her office.
Since the last time I called Su Mei to ask for leave,
we hadn't spoken a word to each other.
Even when we saw each other, her attitude towards me was cold.
And now suddenly she was looking for me. I guessed it must be related to gambling.
I tidied up and went straight upstairs to Su Mei's office.
(End of chapter)