The Way of Thieves

The pollution from trains is not serious, and since it's a mobile emission source rather than a stationary one, the pollution is negligible compared to the transportation convenience it provides when spread out evenly.

Although using True Qi is more environmentally friendly, to provide the kinetic energy to keep a train running for its entire journey, one would need to be at least a top-tier master with Internal Cultivation at level twelve. Considering that people get tired, shift work would also be necessary.

Having several top-notch experts do nothing but stay on the train as "carriage foremen" would undoubtedly be a waste of human resources. Therefore, the trains in the Su State use a combination of internal combustion engines and True Qi engines, with the latter serving as an emergency alternative in case of an accident.

Because it was a long trip, Si Ming didn't skimp on the fare and booked a small private compartment so he wouldn't have to squeeze in with others or endure noise and odors.

After putting their things away, the two sat by the window and watched the scenery rushing past them.

Si Ming was already used to this kind of scene. In terms of speed, this train was only going 120 kilometers per hour, far slower than the high-speed rail in his previous life. On the contrary, Murong Qing showed an enthusiastic expression, looking at the scenery outside the window with curiosity.

The most common sight along the train journey is the endless expanse of rice paddies, a silvery expanse that glitters under the sunlight, though it's unclear what kind of grains are grown there.

Because it was harvest season, you could see people standing in the fields with sickles, bending down and gently swinging them to cut the grain within a three-meter radius in half.

This is a True Qi Scythe. By injecting True Qi, it can extend into a three-meter-long pseudo-blade aura. This pseudo-blade aura is very thin and brittle, and can only be used to cut rice stalks. It will break when it comes into contact with anything slightly harder, and it is easily interfered with by other True Qi. If used as a weapon, it is not as good as a kitchen knife.

An ordinary person using True Qi Scythe can work for a maximum of half an hour, but their efficiency is astonishing; they can easily harvest ten acres of land in half an hour.

The farmer harvesting rice moved swiftly through the field in a manner reminiscent of a ninja's running, cutting wherever he went with his True Qi scythe.

A radius of three meters means a diameter of six meters. Once he reached the end, a six-meter-wide passage appeared, and all the grain in the passage was cut down to the ground.

Si Ming compared it with the industrial and agricultural systems of his previous life and felt that the efficiency here was higher. Moreover, the True Qi Scythe was very convenient to carry. However, people eventually get tired, while machines can keep working as long as they are fueled.

This is a difference in philosophy. In Earth's industrial civilization, machines are the ones who actually do the direct labor, while people are only responsible for control. In the Sea Continent, however, tools are always used to assist human labor, and people are the main actors.

Do you think we might run into robbers on this trip?

Murong Qing asked in a tone full of anticipation.

Si Ming sighed, "Just because of your anticipation, the robbers wouldn't dare show their faces."

In the days before firearms were readily available, robbers could only use melee weapons. There were very few martial arts masters on Earth who dared to catch a blade bare-handed, but here they were a dime a dozen. No one could guarantee that there might be a martial arts master sitting in a certain train carriage.

The robber dared to target the train, but the passengers quickly taught him a lesson.

In a world without martial arts, people are used to protecting themselves; in a world with martial arts, people are used to not feeling the urge to use their skills.

Seeing that Murong Qing was somewhat disappointed, Si Ming said, "There are no robbers, but there should be quite a few thieves. The train carriages are the Liu School's exclusive territory."

Murong Qing's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Perfect! Let's have a match with the experts from the Liu School!"

"... Do you want to play 'A World Without Thieves'?"

Chapter 107 The Way of the Thief

Murong Qing's sense of justice erupted, Si Ming could not stop him, nor did he intend to. Since he had established his moral principle of punishing evil and promoting good, he would naturally punish theft, and support Murong Qing's actions.

Because the police in Su State are equipped with the position of fortune teller, local thieves cannot survive in the system. Once multiple victims report a crime, the fortune teller can calculate the identity and location of the thief by combining multiple clues as calculation factors, and can immediately dispatch police forces to arrest the person. Zhang Dixian's fortune telling level is equivalent to that of an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while most fortune tellers are only at the undergraduate level. The difference between the two is vast, and the performance of the former cannot be used to judge the latter.

Based on this, only itinerant thieves can survive in Su State. Their constant movement of coordinates, coupled with the huge flow of people, will interfere with the accuracy of the divination. That's why Si Ming said that the train is the main battlefield of the Liu School.

Sometimes, even if a fortune teller pinpoints the thief's location, the cross-state and cross-county manhunt wastes more public resources than the recovered valuables, and thus the case often ends without resolution.

Of course, if the stolen property is worth tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan, the police will deal with it seriously and will no longer turn a blind eye. They will pursue the person to the ends of the earth, which is a real achievement.

The theft gangs are also aware of their own limitations and will not target valuables. Even if they steal something, they will return it to avoid bringing disaster upon themselves. Therefore, they usually target items worth less than a thousand yuan. This is a tacitly agreed-upon rule that is not openly discussed but followed by both parties.

Murong Qing wandered between the train carriages, observing the various passengers with great interest while keeping an eye out for potential thieves.

However, there is ultimately a difference between amateur and professional. Murong Qing was only pursuing spiritual values, while others were making a living from their skills. She wandered around the carriages for two hours and still didn't find anyone acting suspiciously. On the contrary, her looking around and pacing back and forth aroused suspicion in others.

After receiving the report, a female flight attendant in her forties stopped Murong Qing: "Excuse me, could you please show me your ticket?"

Murong Qing was stunned for a moment, then realized what was going on, and could only helplessly hand the ticket to the other party.

After confirming that everything was correct, the female train attendant returned the ticket and reminded the passengers, "The train is a mixed bag of people, so please keep your valuables safe and try not to walk around the carriages."

Murong Qing knew that the other party had not said anything wrong, but she still felt unwilling to leave empty-handed. She thought about it for a while and suddenly a bold idea popped into her head.

If she were in her hometown where she knew everyone, she would probably hesitate for a while and then go to Si Ming to discuss it. But perhaps because she had left her hometown and let go of many concerns, she felt a sense of liberation. Murong Qing did not think about it for long before putting the idea into action.

She channeled her Internal Cultivation and shouted loudly inside the carriage, "I know there are definitely thieves on this train, perhaps even disciples of the Liu School, but it's nothing special. They're just a bunch of rats who only know how to sneak around in the dark, rotting and unable to stand the light. Good people don't like them, and bad people despise them too. You're the kind of low-class thieves I'm talking about."

The flight attendant was stunned; she had never encountered such a situation before and was unsure whether to intervene. All the passengers in the carriage turned their attention to Murong Qing, and even some passengers from other carriages heard the commotion and leaned out to join the fun.

Murong Qing, already accustomed to being stared at, showed no stage fright whatsoever. She pulled out a ticking pocket watch and continued her provocation, "This is a handcrafted Dragon Diagram Time Wheel Meter, worth at least six thousand. If you bunch of thieves have any backbone at all, try stealing it from me. Although I don't believe you have any backbone whatsoever, come to think of it, anyone with a modicum of self-respect probably wouldn't stoop to such despicable behavior. Cowardly rats, isn't that exactly what you are?"

After unleashing her ultimate taunt, Murong Qing ignored everyone's reactions, put the Dragon Diagram Time Wheel Meter back into her bosom, suppressed the thrill of challenging taboos, recalled and imitated her father's sculpted face, and turned to leave.

After she stepped out of the carriage, the passengers came to their senses and began to discuss her with varying degrees of confusion, anticipation, or curiosity, as if the place had suddenly turned into a marketplace.

In the last row of seats in the carriage, an ordinary-looking young man said to the elderly man next to him, "I'm going to the restroom."

Just as he was about to stand up, the old man pressed down on his shoulder. The hand was withered and thin like a chicken claw, yet it made the young man feel as if he were imprisoned and unable to move.

The old man said in a hoarse voice, "You're not allowed to go. Hold it in."

The young man clenched his fists in resentment and said using Secret Voice Transmission technique, "Master, this is a blatant insult, and it happened on our turf! No one has ever dared to do this before. I'm going to teach this arrogant brat a lesson and show her what she can and cannot say."

The old man's withered face, as dry as tree bark, remained motionless. His cloudy eyes seemed to see nothing. In a calm, unwavering tone, he said, "I told you, keep it to yourself."

"Master! We absolutely cannot let this girl get off the car unharmed, otherwise, if word gets out, we'll become a laughingstock!"

"If this hadn't happened, wouldn't we be a laughing stock?"

The old man countered with a question that left the young man speechless, "Master, this is different."