Chapter 56: The Fifth Sixth Chapter - Financial Scorching (1)

  Qian Zhanggui emerged from the ground, his body still in the underground, and he restored his true nature as a descendant of the underground dragon who was good at stealing gold and robbing tombs. His eyes shone with thieving light. The oil lamp Qian Zhanggui brought up from underground was very small, only the size of a palm, with a glass cover over a flame the size of a bean, emitting a faint light that was not enough to illuminate even one candle. But for Qian Zhanggui, a tomb raider, it was sufficient. At that time, flashlights were still rare and people had to rely on firelight. The underground dragon descendants were skilled at robbing tombs and often moved around in the dark, knowing that there was little oxygen in the tombs, making it hard for people to breathe, let alone light a larger lamp. Therefore, they always carried these lamps that consumed very little oxygen, known as "bean sprout lamps".

  Qian Zhanggui, also known as the Underground Mouse, was not a name earned in vain. Apart from his expertise in digging holes and tunnels, he was extremely cautious in his actions. After Qian Zhanggui emerged onto the ground, he remained still for a moment before standing up straight and silently making his way to the ladder. He had originally intended to climb up the ladder and exit through the kitchen, but his habitual caution, stemming from his mouse-like nature, led him to sniff the air deeply and unconsciously retreat back. He circled around the house once and quickly noticed something amiss.

  The oil lamp that was originally hung on the wall in the house is gone.

  Qian Zhanggui's heart tightened, and with a flick of his hand, he extinguished the bean sprout lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Qian Zhanggui had excellent eyesight, and after a brief moment of adjustment, he saw a faint light emanating from deep within the tunnel. He muttered to himself, "There's someone inside! Could it be that little wife and her companions?" Qian Zhanggui drew out the broad flat knife at his waist, grasping it firmly in his hand, calming his nerves, and took a moment to survey the interior of the tunnel before silently slipping inside, instantly merging with the darkness and disappearing from view.

  Huǒ Xiǎo Yè was digging with all his might, but didn't notice anything unusual. Shuǐ Yāo ér furrowed her brow slightly, feeling a bit uneasy, and kept looking back at the darkness. Huǒ Xiǎo Yè's arms were sore, so he stopped for a moment, relaxed his muscles, and saw Shuǐ Yāo ér's expression, asking: "Shuǐ Yāo ér, what's wrong?"

  The water demon child said: "I don't know what's going on either, I'm getting anxious in my heart, and I always feel like someone is staring at us."

  Huǒ Xiǎo Yé said: "Don't scare people, it's already scary enough here."

  "The Water Fairy said: 'We've been down in this cave for more than two hours, and no one has come to disturb us. Don't you think there's something wrong?'"

  Huǒ Xiǎo Yē wiped away his sweat and said: "It's possible that no one thought of it, let's go down together."

  Shuiyao'er said, "If someone comes down, I will definitely notice. But from just now, I feel very bad, always feeling that someone is staring at us in the dark, but nothing can be found."

  "What kind of person is so fierce?"

  Shuiyao'er said, "Perhaps it's just my misconception, after all, in the five elements, earth restrains water, and people from a water-based family are not good at moving around in underground tunnels. If we were to encounter someone with earth-based abilities, it would indeed be difficult to deal with."

  Hu Xiao Xie asked: "There won't be people from the Earth House here, will there?"

  Shuiyao'er looked around in the darkness, her voice growing louder as she spoke: "At first, I thought that this giant pit was a trap set by the owner of the inn and his men, who were probably disciples of the Tu family. But then I thought about it some more, and realized that the Tu family wouldn't stoop to such tactics against us. Just look at the layout of this pit - it's just like something a grave-robbing thief would come up with! Ha ha, grave-robbing is actually a branch of the Tu family's thieving techniques. When it comes to grave-robbing, the Tu family are the ancestors and masters of all thieves!"

  He stood up straight, his eyes wide open, and he also sensed that someone was present in the darkness. Huo Xiao's face tightened, just as he was about to speak, Shui Yao'er suddenly stood up, pointing into the darkness and shouting: "You thief hiding and eavesdropping! Come out!!"

  Someone chuckled in the darkness and said with a gloomy tone: "No wonder Zhang Siye was desperate to catch you, so you're people of the Water family!"

  A black shadow flashed out, but did not come forward, only leaning in the corner of the tunnel's bend where light and darkness intersected, it was precisely the owner of the underground mouse money. The water demon child raised the oil lamp and shone it on the owner of the money clearly.

  Originally, Qian Zhanggui had been following the faint light from the entrance of the underground tunnel, and after passing by the crossroads, he vaguely heard the sound of digging. Qian Zhanggui followed quietly all the way, not making a sound until he approached the place where Huo Xiaoxie and others were digging, then hid in the dark corner of the tunnel bend, curled up into a ball, adjusted his breathing to be extremely weak, and secretly observed their movements without being impatient to take action.

  To be a top-notch thief, excellent patience is one of the essential elements. As long as it's beneficial to oneself, even if hiding in a treacherous place for ten days or half a month, one can remain calm and unmoved. The aforementioned Hei Sanbian, one of the four great thieves of Northeast China, may seem impulsive and hot-headed, but his patience is actually top-notch. When he and Huo Xiaoxie were hiding on the roof of the Buddhist temple, waiting for Zhang Siye and others to arrive, they remained still and unmoving, even though the jade was right below them. Even Hei Sanbian's preparations before the heist were done with great patience, infiltrating Fengtian City for nearly a month, gathering information about Zhang Siye's household from Sanzhi Liu, and meticulously planning every detail without leaving anything to chance. Qian Zhanggui, ten years ago, was also a top figure in the underground world of Northeast China, and his patience surpassed even Hei Sanbian's.

  A thief has patience, not that they are slow-witted, but when it's time to act, they can be as swift as lightning. The opportunity is fleeting, and all their patience is for waiting for the moment to strike.

  With the skill of Qian Zhanggui, Shuixiaoer did not notice anything, but relied on intuition, which is also known as "thief's sense". In other words, if thieves have reached a certain level, under specific conditions and in specific places, they can feel each other's presence. This "thief's sense" is not feudal superstition or fantasy fabrication, but rather a verifiable fact. Among the masters of various industries throughout history, this phenomenon has been observed time and again. For example, in modern society, two top-notch "stock market experts" operating on the same thing, despite never having met, can always vaguely sense each other's presence.

  Shuǐyāoér's "thieving thoughts" rose, her mind was uneasy, and she spoke to Huǒ Xiǎoé, not only expressing her own feelings, but also answering Huǒ Xiǎoé's questions. In fact, many of the words were intentionally spoken for the people around her to hear.

  When Shuiyao'er mentioned the Water Family, Earth Family and tomb raiding, Qian Zhanggui hid in a corner, listening with a racing heart, his mind churning nonstop. He muttered to himself: "They're actually so powerful, and they even know about the Earth King's family affairs! Damn it, they're not simple at all!"