Chapter 1: The Entanglement of Fate and Enmity, Haicheng's Solitude

  A grand gathering of southern and northern demon kings is about to unfold.

  The morning of a big city is all the same. The smell of fried food fills the streets. People go for a run, hit trees, and practice qigong to seek longevity. Li Huqiu guesses that these middle-aged and elderly people are happy and content, otherwise why would they get up so early without needing to exercise? On the green space by the river, there is a group of people practicing qigong. The leader notices Li Huqiu watching them from the riverside and walks over to chat him up, praising the young man for having a good foundation in qigong. Li Huqiu pats the man's pocket and finds two condoms inside. He hands them back to the man, saying "You dropped something." The man is immediately stunned, and Li Huqiu laughs and walks away.

  Li Huqiu returned from his morning exercise and noticed that Gao Yufeng had arrived, practicing picking up copper coins in a basin of hot water under the supervision of Bao Wenjing. The water was very hot, and before putting the copper coins into the water, a layer of soap had been applied to them. After entering the water, a white foam appeared, and the trajectory of the coin's entry into the water became particularly erratic due to the lightness of the soap. This is considered basic training for picking up money from an oil pot, which Li Huqiu had not neglected when he was young and was forced to practice by Hao Qiu Zi. Gao Yufeng looked like she had just finished running, with sweat still on her nose, and her sleeves were rolled up high as she reached into a basin of white **. Li Huqiu knew that this was chilled milk, which was more effective than cold water and wouldn't damage one's hands, but this stuff wasn't something ordinary thieves could afford to use.

  Gao Chufeng withdrew her hand from the milk, and Bao Wenjing squeezed out a copper coin in the soap and threw it into the hot water basin. Gao Chufeng reached out to grab it, but her movements were not agile enough, and her eyes misjudged the distance, so the copper plate was pushed by the water flow to one side, and she grabbed nothing. Bao Wenjing was furious and wanted to whip her with a small willow branch, but hesitated and finally didn't take action. Li Huqiu found it interesting and smiled. Gao Chufeng heard this and glared at him, shouting: "Hey, what are you laughing at? Are you laughing at my slow movements? Comparing me to those two from last night?" Li Huqiu was walking into the house when he heard this and turned back with a smile, saying: "I wasn't laughing at anything. I just think it's strange that you're learning this skill. Most thieves are driven by poverty, but your family doesn't lack money, so why do you want to learn this? And you have to suffer so much."

  Gao Chufeng said that Li Huqiu's words were not sincere, and he was trying to avoid the heavy and take the light. He wanted Li Huqiu to reveal his skills. Li Huqiu had no choice but to smile at Bao Wenjing. Bao Wenjing also seemed to have no way to deal with this apprentice, so she nodded and said, "Go ahead and show off your skills." Li Huqiu walked over to Gao Chufeng and said, "The key to scooping up copper coins is not about being fast, but about being accurate. When you put your hand in the water, it's essential to be gentle, with two fingers in front. The moment you scoop up the coin, you must look clearly at its trajectory. When you pick it up, don't make too big a motion, or the coin will float away." After saying this, he signaled Bao Wenjing to toss a copper coin. Li Huqiu didn't even need to wet his hand with cold milk; he simply used his bare hand to scoop up the coin from the surface of the hot water. The entire action was neat and efficient, with only two fingers on his hand slightly damp. It's imaginable that if he had done this after getting wet and then putting oil in a pot, even the water vapor wouldn't have been scattered by the heat.

  Li Huqiu turned around and walked towards the house, with Gao Yufeng calling out behind him: "Wait a minute!" Li Huqiu turned back to look at her. Bao Wenjing gave Li Huqiu a displeased glance, resenting that he didn't know how to hide his clumsiness. She spoke unhappily to Gao Yufeng: "What do you want to do now?" Gao Yufeng said: "You're not teaching me properly, I'm only participating in this Thief King competition to lose face. Yesterday night, those two famous thieves don't count, but even that little thief's skills are a hundred times better than mine. I want to learn from him!!!!" Bao Wenjing covered Gao Yufeng's mouth and said: "This is your father's idea, you mustn't be willful, otherwise I'll go tell your father."

  She emphasized the two words "dad" with a heavier tone, and Li Huqiu's heart skipped a beat after hearing it. He felt something was off, and he had noticed yesterday that Gao Chufeng and Gao Longyu didn't seem to have any familial affection towards each other despite their physical resemblance. As someone who has been trained to observe people since the beginning of his career, Li Huqiu remembered what Lao Quezi once said: "Noble people are simple, while inferior people are extravagant." Truly powerful and influential individuals don't need fancy clothing to show off their dignity; they usually carry themselves with stability and composure, speaking in a gentle tone that still makes others feel distant. Gao Longyu had a strong air of gangsterism about him, and his entire demeanor seemed like that of someone who had been through the underworld - consistent with his identity on the invitation. However, Gao Chufeng gave Li Huqiu a completely different impression - not at all that of a spoiled rich girl. She looked sweet and innocent, spoke with a strong gangster tone, wore a butterfly knife at her waist, and constantly chewed bubble gum, intentionally putting on a rough exterior. Yet, the aura she exuded through her words and actions didn't have even a hint of coarseness. It was as if comparing diamonds to broken glass - they might seem similar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the difference in their luster and spirit is still quite large.

  Li Huqiu felt that Bao Wenjing seemed to be hinting at something, but it wasn't convenient for her to say it out loud. He guessed in his heart that it was probably related to Gao Longyu. He nodded at Bao Wenjing and smiled: "Her father is a big shot who says one thing and does another. Whoever can take out such a large sum of money and organize so many thieves to participate in the competition must not be a simple person."

  Gao Chufeng caught up with Li Huchiu from behind, and Bao Wenjing helplessly spread her hands. "Hey, Li Huchiu, aren't you a Northeasterner? Why do you have such a strange name?" Gao Chufeng asked, pushing Li Huchiu's shoulder.

  Li Huqiu glanced at her sideways and smiled, "Don't casually ask questions to people in the jianghu world, you never know which sentence might be someone's taboo. For example, my name, from what I can remember, has been called this way by others, so I just followed along with it. But that doesn't mean I like this name, and even more so, I don't know its origin."

  Gao Chufeng pouted and said, "What's the big deal? You're not very old, but you're quite particular. If I don't ask, I won't know. Did you learn your skills from Hao Zongzi or something? Can you teach me a thing or two?" Li Huqiu suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around, Gao Chufeng chasing after him, her footsteps quickening, but she couldn't stop in time and bumped right into Li Huqiu. Her bright red, fragrant lips landed squarely on Li Huqiu's chin. "Aiyoh, are you trying to get yourself killed? Why did you suddenly stop?" Li Huqiu's piercing eyes stared at Gao Chufeng's large eyes, the young man's face slightly flushed from their sudden contact. The mysterious scent and softness of the girl left Li Huqiu feeling amazed. He forgot what he was going to say - "You shouldn't trust a Jianghu vagabond so easily" - and instead blurted out: "Alright, as long as I'm in Shencheng, I can teach you anytime."

  Gao Chufeng happily said "too good, let's go now." Li Huqiu asked her: "Don't I need to eat?" Gao Chufeng stuck out her tongue and said with a smile: "Let's go, I'll treat you to Su Bei Shao Tian and Doufu Hua." As they walked out the door, Gao Chufeng asked Li Huqiu straightforwardly: "Little devil, why did your face turn red just now? Honestly, I've never kissed a boy before, and it's hilarious to see you look so shy." Li Huqiu frowned at the carefree girl beside him, his expression evil and threatening: "If you call me little devil again, I promise to take away the most private item of clothing from your body."

  Gao Chufeng burst out laughing: "You're originally a little devil, you're 17 and I'm 19, what's wrong with calling you a little devil? Is that right? Little devil!" Li Huqiu suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, spinning her around in a circle. A somewhat handsome face with a masculine aura leaned into Gao Chufeng's face and said: "I'm not a little devil, people in the jianghu don't like being called little devils, that means short-lived, I have nine lives, my name is Li Huqiu, if you still want to learn from me, call me Li Huqiu or Brother Huqiu, this is what I prefer to hear."

  Gao Chufeng was intimidated by Li Huchu's aggressive and evil intentions, and stammered: "You, can you please let me go first?" Li Huchu's large hands left her waist, his movements a bit sudden, Gao Chufeng was made dizzy by him, and suddenly lost her balance, falling forward. Li Huchu quickly supported her with his hands, but suddenly felt something soft in his grasp. Gao Chufeng let out a sharp cry: "You're going to die! What are you touching?!" She stood up awkwardly, hiding far away from Li Huchu, and only then said: "Just this short while, you first kissed me, then hugged me, and now you've even touched me. You shouldn't be taking advantage of me on purpose, should you?"

  Li Huqiu said it's always been you looking for me. Gao Chufeng nodded and said, "That's right, I won't count it as intentional, so I'll still call you Li Huqiu. You just said you wanted to take away the most private piece of clothing on my body, how do you plan to take it?" Li Huqiu smiled mysteriously and said, "Wait until you treat me to breakfast, then I'll tell you."

  When Li Huqiu was eating breakfast, he accidentally found Gao Chufeng staring at him in a daze. He asked: "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" Gao Chufeng furrowed her brow and said: "I suddenly realized that you took something from me, but don't worry, I'm not very angry, I just wonder how you got it." Li Huqiu's face turned bright red. When he was stealing, he was fully focused on his target and didn't think much of it before, but now that the little girl had seen through him, he couldn't help but blush brightly.

  A man with a red face is always especially lovely in women's eyes.

  Gao Chufeng laughed and pointed at him, saying: "Why do you always blush so much?" Li Huqiu quickly took the things he had taken from others out of his pocket and stuffed them into the girl's hands. He stood up and said, "I'm full," and turned to leave. Gao Chufeng caught up with him from behind and said: "Wait a minute, I have something to tell you. Your skills are amazing. If you can become this year's... Ah, never mind, I won't say it." She spoke halfway, then looked down in embarrassment. Then she said: "You go ahead, today is the day of the competition."

  Li Huqiu nodded and said: "Then I'll go back first, will you participate in the competition too?" Gao Chufeng stood with his hands behind his back, humming a response, without saying much.

  When he returned to the villa, others had just finished their breakfast. Gao Longyu was waiting for him and then began to announce the new rules of the game. Li Huqiu noticed that there were a few more people in the house, including a young man. Li Huqiu suddenly felt a little familiar with him. But he only took a glance at the man and didn't look again.

  Gao Longyu coughed and said, "Everyone is here, there are quite a few of you, so I won't introduce each of you individually. All of you present are top-notch thieves in the current Huaxia Thieves' Guild. It's an honor for me, Gao, to have all of you gathered together for this Thief King tournament. The prize money is already prepared. What I need to clarify with everyone here is that the registration fee was just a joke, intended to prevent those unskilled small-time thieves from ruining your reputations. So, we set a high threshold on purpose. Now that everyone is here, let's begin today. First, I'll take you all to a place, and once we arrive, each of you can show off your skills."

  Two vans took the thieves out of the city and arrived at a place with lush green trees, a lake reflecting the moon. Inside was a fairly large building. Gao Longyu pointed to the building and said: "You are all big shots, the package on the train is what small thieves do, if you want to talk about big business, it's got to be villas, safes, and insurance cabinets. This house belongs to me, from the outside courtyard to the innermost room, there are eighteen doors, each with ten locks, a total of one hundred and eighty locks. In the innermost part, there is a Soviet-made safe, inside which is a jewelry box. Whoever can get the jewelry box in the shortest time will be the King of Thieves of China!"