The Barber

"Brother Qi, those people just now didn't look like good people to me at all. Especially that skinny, sharp-faced kid in the Daoist robe, hiding in the back. I could tell at a glance he was the kind of man who was rotten to the core."

A constable said this beside Constable Chief Qi Tongwei.

Another constable kept his head lowered as he added, "There were five of them in all. As the saying goes, 'With fewer than five, nothing blooms.' They're probably either robbers or thieves. Could be they're here to scout the place."

"Fewer than five, nothing blooms" was underworld jargon. When it came to pulling off something big, a group of fewer than five people generally couldn't get the job done.

Robbers were called "wind chasers," while thieves were called "crawlers."

The constables had sharp eyes, too. They could tell that Xiao Ran and his companions were no good.

Qi Tongwei adjusted the saber at his waist and sneered. "No matter how you dress it up, these martial-world types are only good at the ten trades: wind, horse, swallow, sparrow, porcelain, gold, commentary, skin, color, hook, and measure. They're certainly not capable of anything else. Keep your eyes peeled these next few days. The moment you catch them in the act, lock them straight in the dungeon."

"Yes, sir!"

The constables clasped their hands in acknowledgment.

Qi Tongwei sniffed, then looked toward the noodle shop up ahead and smiled. "Come on. We just got paid today. Let's go have a bowl of lamb-offal noodles."

As he spoke, Qi Tongwei instinctively reached into his robes. His smile abruptly froze, and his hand searched around inside his clothes.

"Where's my purse?!"

Qi Tongwei stared in disbelief when he realized his purse was gone. Unwilling to accept it, he hurriedly