The Heist

A Long wore a neat pale beige scholar's robe, his hair gathered into a glossy, slick topknot. He looked exactly like a scholar who had just passed the imperial examinations. Though the court laws were strict, and anyone without scholarly rank was forbidden from wearing such taboo attire, what was the Golden Dragon Gang's monthly tribute to Tiger Boss and his lot for? The officers of Suzhou Prefecture kept one eye open and one eye shut; who would seriously bother with such matters? Thus, A Long swaggered through the streets of Suzhou Prefecture, his thieving eyes rolling constantly as they fixed on the purses of passing pedestrians.

Li Feng wore a clean two-piece cloth outfit, dressed like the young servant of a wealthy household. He carried a basket containing more than ten osmanthus-and-lotus-seed cakes from First Grade Hall, looking every bit like a lowly servant taking advantage of an errand to wander the streets. He lazily followed several yards behind A Long, his large eyes darting around as he searched for anyone unpleasantly conspicuous.

Emperor Taizu had only recently ascended the Dragon Throne, and peace had not long settled over the land. But what sort of place was Suzhou Prefecture? "Above there is heaven; below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." Everyone in the Central Plains knew that saying. The chaos of war had only just subsided, yet Suzhou Prefecture was already bustling with people and crowded with merchants from every trade, gradually regaining the splendor of its most prosperous days a century ago. With so many traveling merchants, the Golden Dragon Gang, to which Li Feng belonged, had been presented with a wonderful opportunity. As long as they worked diligently, making money would not be a problem.

Li Feng had once proudly declared, "My goal is to become the best thief in Suzhou Prefecture." Indeed, the Golden Dragon Gang was a gang of thieves, one with fewer than fifteen members in total. The younger ones went out to pick pockets, while those slightly older knocked people unconscious, drugged them with knockout powder, laid traps, cheated and extorted them—nothing was beyond them. Their targets were wealthy merchants from other regions. Everyone in the Golden Dragon Gang worked with one heart toward the glorious prospect of becoming Suzhou's number one gang, while each person strove toward the wonderful future of becoming the finest thief, the finest club-wielder, the finest swindler, or the finest extortionist.

Kicking a small brick in front of him flying with some satisfaction, Li Feng snorted. "You're so capable, A Long? We've been walking the streets for nearly half an hour, and you still haven't made a single score. Hmph. Strange, though. Did all those fat cattle stay indoors today? Or are they all conserving their strength at the inns, preparing to screw girls at Chunyi Tower tonight?"

Li Feng blinked, then hurried forward several steps with a patter of feet. Following closely behind A Long, he whispered, "What are you doing? You haven't found a chance to make a move after all this time? If you're scared, can you stop bragging in front of Niu Boss?"

Ignoring the clothes he wore, A Long spat heavily onto the ground and muttered, "What are you yelling about? What are you yelling about? Can't you see that none of those big merchants came out today? I was just wondering why things feel a little off today. How about we try looking around where those Persian barbarians are?"

Li Feng shook his head repeatedly. "Are you crazy? Did you forget what that bastard Gu Cangyue told us? Anyone who dares work there gets one palm strike from him. Unless you, A Long, have become the greatest martial artist under heaven and can take that strike? He's the Cloud Mover, you know. One slap from him can sweep across half a street."

A Long gave a disdainful snort. "Expert? How can there be so many experts? If Old Tou'er were really an expert, would he have come to Suzhou Prefecture to be chief constable? Don't look at me, A Long, fooling around in Suzhou City today. One day, perhaps my time will come, and I'll truly take some martial arts master as my teacher. Then what the hell would the Chief Constable of Suzhou Prefecture amount to?"

Li Feng froze for a moment, then suddenly threw back his head and laughed three times in the middle of the street. "Ha, ha, ha..." He abruptly lowered his voice. "Do you think martial arts masters are all your sons? You wave your hand and someone comes to take you in? Pah! Stop dreaming. Be good, finish today's work, hand this month's silver over to Niu Boss, and then we can go enjoy ourselves. Hmph, I, A Feng, can't be bothered to go out working with you lot."

A Long flushed slightly and shot Li Feng an angry glare. "Enjoy ourselves? What do you know about enjoying yourself? You brat whose hair hasn't even fully grown in, what do you know about enjoying yourself? Hmph, let me tell you: true pleasure is finding a little woman and screwing her hard all night. That's what pleasure is. But tell me, A Feng, how old are you? Don't talk about things only adults can talk about, or the brothers will laugh themselves to death."

Li Feng grew angry. Humming through his nose, he walked several steps to the side and muttered curses. "Damn you, A Long. Have you even screwed a woman before? What are you bragging about in front of me for? In the entire Golden Dragon Gang, who isn't still a virgin? And you've got the nerve to brag in front of me? Hmph. Once I'm two years older, with my skills, filling my purse with silver will be easy. What trouble would it be to find a few beauties?" With that, Li Feng shot A Long a deeply disdainful glance and strode slowly onward with the leisurely square gait of a gentleman.

Seeing the usually insufferably arrogant Li Feng get rebuffed, A Long was delighted. Humming smugly, he said, "I haven't touched those women, but I've peeped at the top courtesans of Chunyi Tower bathing. Have you ever seen that, brat? Heh. But I'm afraid your lips aren't tight enough. If you sell me out before Niu Boss, I'll be beaten to death for sure. Hehehe, so I can't tell you."

Just as he was drunkenly imagining Cui Ruier's fair, tender skin, tall figure, and captivating charm at Chunyi Tower, A Long's eyes lit up. He saw a black-clad man in fitted clothes stagger into a side alley. A Long's poisonous eyes immediately noticed that the man's left hand kept reaching around his waist, where he clearly carried something valuable. After checking both sides and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, A Long quickened his pace and followed the black-clad man into the side street crowded with scattered little vendor stalls.

Li Feng frowned behind him. "Damn A Long, what did Niu Boss tell you? Didn't he say we weren't allowed to touch the belongings of people from the martial world?" Gritting his teeth, Li Feng followed after him and muttered, "If anyone's going to touch it, it'll be you. It'll be a miracle if you manage to steal that thing. And if you fail and get beaten half to death, I'll at least collect your corpse for the sake of brotherhood."

The fat ox A Long had set his sights on was none other than Yan Tao, who had escaped from a tight encirclement. After vaulting over the city wall in one breath, the true qi in his body could no longer sustain him. He crashed through the roof of a house and fell to the ground. After simply drawing his sword and killing several commoners inside, Yan Tao hurried onto the street. He left the signal he had agreed upon with his old partner, then prepared to find somewhere safe to treat his injuries. Gu Cangyue's ambush palm strike had nearly shattered half his ribs. Had his Sword Gang not automatically dispersed most of its force, Yan Tao would have vomited blood and died long ago.

Even so, the palm force of the Cloud Mover was no easy thing to bear. Yan Tao felt as though he had drunk a great cauldron of boiling oil, heat surging up from his throat. The blood and qi within him churned, and he could barely remain standing. He could only run toward the secluded lanes, hoping to find an abandoned house where he could hide briefly. So long as he could circulate his power and dissolve the stagnant blood within him, most of his injuries should fade away.

The discomfort within his body grew ever stronger, and Yan Tao could not help blaming his partner. Known in the martial world as the Thousand Illusions Divine Lord, not only could outsiders never discover what he truly looked like, even Yan Tao himself only knew that this fellow fond of disguises was currently enjoying himself in Suzhou Prefecture. He did not know his exact location. Everything depended on luck. In any case, the contact signals had already been sent. Whether he could find that man would depend entirely on luck.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Yan Tao vigilantly glanced back, already drawing up a breath of true qi. Swaying toward him from behind was A Long, dressed as a scholar. Seeing A Long's unsteady steps and vacant eyes, Yan Tao immediately relaxed and let out a long breath.

His vision blurred again. If the foundation of his cultivation had not been solid, Yan Tao knew he would have already spat blood onto the ground and collapsed unconscious. He gave a bitter smile. A seasoned man of the martial world, reduced to such a miserable state today... If the house whose roof I smashed through had not been too conspicuous, it actually would have been a fine place to hide and recover. A vicious glint flashed through Yan Tao's eyes as he hardened his heart. If I cannot find a suitable house, I'll just go to a residence at the end of an alley, kill everyone inside, and hide there.

Once he had settled on a plan, Yan Tao felt somewhat relieved. At that moment, another surge of blood and qi rose from his belly. Yan Tao coughed violently, his body staggering two steps to the left. Seeing his chance, A Long had already hurried forward until he was shoulder to shoulder with Yan Tao. As Yan Tao toppled toward him, A Long lightly flicked his right hand. The incomparably sharp little blade easily sliced open Yan Tao's belt and inner pocket. With a light hook of his finger, a small black leather pouch was already in his hand.

With a turn of his wrist, the blade slipped into the hidden pocket in his sleeve. At the same time, A Long forcefully tossed the little leather pouch backward between two fingers. Li Feng, following behind, caught it one-handed and casually tossed it into his basket, covering it with the cloth on top. He calmly passed the two men who had collided and walked straight out of the little side street.

A Long looked at Yan Tao's ash-gray face and put on the appearance of an indignant yet timid pedantic scholar. He staggered several steps aside, muttering affected words such as "Propriety, propriety." Not daring to look at Yan Tao again, he casually entered a nearby alley, twisted and turned through several lanes, and fled far away.

Yan Tao had capsized in a gutter. A top-notch expert of the martial world, yet because his injuries had greatly dulled his reactions and perception, he had been robbed by A Long—a petty thief whose skills were not even first-rate—of something he had won at the cost of his life.

After much difficulty steadying himself, Yan Tao snorted. "At least this pedantic scholar knows how to behave. If you had dared say another word, hmph." Yan Tao's temper had never been particularly good; otherwise, he would not have earned the name King of Hell's Sword by killing too many people. After bumping into A Long, his injured waist had erupted in sharp pain again. How could he not be furious?

Hurried footsteps came from ahead. More than a dozen constables suddenly appeared from the other end of the side street, accompanied by seven or eight burly men in black. The two sides came face to face. Yan Tao's reaction was truly swift. With one kick, he sent a roadside roasted sweet-potato stall flying. The wooden cart, charcoal brazier, and other items whistled through the air toward the constables, and Yan Tao turned and ran.

The entire side street instantly became a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping. The small vendors each snatched up the most valuable goods from their stalls and ran about in panic. For the moment, the constables could not push through the vendors and could only watch helplessly as Yan Tao escaped. Only two black-clad men struck ruthlessly, sending the vendors flying one punch at a time. Their bodies then rose into the air, using the heads of those on the ground as stepping stones, and they darted after Yan Tao in the direction he had vanished.

Li Feng had already taken the little leather pouch far away. Reaching a desolate corner with no one around, he untied the pouch and poured out its contents. Then Li Feng loudly cursed, "Damn A Long! I told you long ago not to touch the belongings of martial world people. How many of those wandering jianghu types even have money? What kind of damned junk is this?"

There were only four pellets in the pouch. One was a shiny silver ball the size of a thumb. Its material could not be identified, yet it weighed nearly half a pound. The other three pellets looked far worse. They were wrapped in a layer of gray wax and were utterly unremarkable. Li Feng casually rubbed off the wax seals, revealing three green pellets the size of little fingers. They gave off an icy, refreshing fragrance that penetrated deep into the heart.

The scent was like an arrow, shooting through Li Feng's nose and straight into his skull. His head buzzed. His untrained body could not even withstand the fragrance emitted by the pills. His entire body felt as though it had been plunged into ice water in the depths of winter, and he nearly froze stiff on the spot. An icy-cold current circled through Li Feng's body more than a dozen times. He could even feel a series of faint crackling sounds within himself. A painful sensation of swelling and splitting left Li Feng too frightened to react.

After a long while, Li Feng finally came back to himself. He casually tossed the three pills and the leather pouch into an abandoned well beside him. Only after hearing the sound of water from within did Li Feng lightly pat his chest and mutter, "Good heavens, my ancestors. This has to be poison. No wonder that fellow was so nervous about it. He must know how vicious this poison is and had to watch it carefully himself. My mother, I only smelled it once and my whole body felt terrible. If someone swallowed it, wouldn't they go meet the King of Hell on the spot?"

If there had been any knowledgeable martial artists nearby, Li Feng would surely have been torn to pieces by them. The Azure Spirit Pill, passed down from a Sword Immortal of seven hundred years ago—the Azure Spirit Pill said to grant a person an unmatched cultivation of three sixty-year cycles with just one pill—had been tossed into a filthy abandoned well like rubbish by Li Feng. If word spread, no one knew how many people would faint on the spot.

Even the medicinal scent of the Azure Spirit Pill, that tiny trace of fragrance it released, had already opened seven or eight tenths of Li Feng's never-trained meridians. If Li Feng had understood how to circulate qi, cultivating at that moment would have granted him at least ten years of cultivation. Alas, he was merely a street thief who understood nothing, and he had wasted this heaven-sent blessing for nothing.

Completely unaware of how precious the Azure Spirit Pills he had thrown away were, Li Feng tossed the silver pellet up and down in his hand and said with a bitter smile, "Still, I found one strange thing at least. It's so small, yet so heavy. Could there be purple gold inside? Possible. If I hand it to Niu Boss, perhaps he'll waive two months of my monthly silver... Hehe, A Long, you brat, you finally got hold of something unusual."

After looking around in every direction, Li Feng cautiously licked the pellet with his tongue—then suddenly let out a shrill scream. A thread of incomparably cold Sword Qi emerged from the pellet and mercilessly sliced a narrow cut into Li Feng's tongue. Blood immediately gushed out like a tide. Li Feng screamed and jumped about in fright. Fortunately, years of street brawls and beatings had taught him a little crude medicine. He took out a packet of wound medicine and smeared it heavily over his tongue, finally stopping the bleeding.

"Damn it, this thing definitely has something fishy going on." Furious, Li Feng grabbed the pellet and prepared to throw it into the abandoned well. Fortunately, he remembered the taboo against thieves returning empty-handed, and he reluctantly placed the pellet in his basket. Carrying the basket with a miserable expression, he headed toward the main street.

He grumbled curses through clenched teeth. "A Long, you bastard, what did you steal to hurt me? If I'd known, I wouldn't have partnered with you to receive the goods. Damn it, my tongue! If I can't speak in the future, just see how I deal with you... Damn it, I hope you run into Tiger Boss and get beaten black and blue by them. Fine, fine, fine. Looks like you brat have rotten luck. I, A Feng, should find work on my own. Hmph. I'll wait outside Chunyi Tower. Once it gets dark, those masters who want to play with girls should be coming out."

Cursing all the way, Li Feng lazily headed toward Willow Lane, where Chunyi Tower stood. He was still calculating. I might as well eat this whole basket of cakes myself. In the dead of night, how could there possibly be any servants coming out to buy things in Willow Lane? I should find another outfit to change into as well. Hmph, Chunyi Tower, I've got my eye on you. Didn't I go in and fish out a purse last time? You big old turtles actually dared drive this young master out. Just watch how I stir up trouble for you today.

While Li Feng made his way toward Willow Lane, Yan Tao, whose injuries were worsening by the moment, had already been surrounded by Gu Cangyue and over a hundred experts Cangfeng Fortress had placed throughout Suzhou Prefecture. More than forty women from Brocade Manor guarded the rooftops on both sides of the alley, forming a net of heaven and earth from which escape seemed impossible.

Gu Cangyue stroked his mustache and gave a hollow laugh. "Brother Yan, you have nowhere left to go this time, do you? Men die for wealth, birds perish for food, but Brother Yan, with your great reputation, you ought to consider whether it is worth it. Hand over the Sword Pellet, and we will leave immediately. We absolutely will not make things difficult for you, agreed? Otherwise, on this tiny patch of Suzhou Prefecture, I fear Brother Yan may be able to enter, but not leave."

Yan Tao sneered. Using his sword to brace himself against the ground, he steadied his body before saying darkly, "Unfortunately, this bird has taken a fancy to this morsel and can't bear to give it up... If you, Gu Cangyue, have the ability, send your people to deal with me. I'll take more than twenty of you down with me no matter what. Hmph. I heard that many people are already heading for Suzhou Prefecture. Whether your Cangfeng Fortress can keep hold of this Sword Pellet then may still be a question."

Gu Cangyue's expression changed slightly. Was that not exactly what he feared? Experts from Cloud Mist City in the Eastern Sea, White Emperor Gorge in the southwest, the Sword Sect in the north, Lost City in the southeast, as well as more than a dozen great sects such as Qingcheng and Emei, were all rushing toward Suzhou Prefecture. If he lost too many men now, even if he seized the Sword Pellet, he might not be able to keep it.

Flower Protector Young Master suddenly poked his head out from a rooftop and said with a grin, "Old Tou'er, if your people are worried about getting close, then mine aren't afraid of King of Hell's Sword making one last desperate display of power. We can kill him from afar with hidden weapons. Are we afraid he can take down several of our men that way?"

Gu Cangyue's expression relaxed, and he laughed aloud. "Indeed, indeed. Yan Tao, you are the one who refuses to recognize what is good for you. You cannot blame me, Gu, for being ruthless." He abruptly waved his hand. Thirty garrison soldiers stepped forward from behind, all raising powerful bows and crossbows.

Yan Tao's expression finally changed.