Old Hei and I stealthily approached.

Once we reached the door, Old Hei suddenly kicked it.

With a “bang”, the wooden door fell down.

In the small room, an old man and a young one were staring at us.

The old one was lying on a bed made of cardboard.

Despite it being summer, he was covered in a filthy thick quilt.

The young one was a little beggar, standing by the bed, holding a bottle of water.

Seeing us suddenly enter, a hint of panic flashed in the bright eyes of the little beggar.

The unkempt old beggar, however, remained calm.

Without wasting any words, Old Hei raised his rolling pin, pointed at the little beggar, and cursed:

“You stinking beggar, dare to steal my money, give it back to me…”

I thought the little beggar would be scared and obediently hand over the money.

Unexpectedly, the little beggar stiffened her neck, glared at Old Hei, and said:

“You big black ghost, you’re the stinking beggar…”

Her words took Old Hei and me by surprise.

We looked at each other, both taken aback.

We had assumed that the little beggar was a boy.

But when she spoke, it turned out she was a girl.

“You’re not a beggar, you’re a thief, a scoundrel, a female thief!”

Old Hei continued.

I couldn’t help but feel amused.

This Old Hei, although he looked fierce and terrifying, sometimes he was quite naive.

But after interacting with him today, I found that he was also quite talkative.

These characteristics were completely inconsistent with his fierce exterior.

The little beggar didn’t back down and immediately retorted.

“I may be a thief, but I’m better than you. You swindle people’s money, don’t think I don’t know…”

The little beggar’s words startled me.

I thought my Swindler techniques were quite sophisticated.

Ordinary Swindlers would not be able to see through them.

But as soon as the little beggar spoke, she revealed my identity.

Could it be that she saw through my actions?

Old Hei didn’t know that I was a Swindler.

He was stunned at first, then immediately said:

“Nonsense! I won the money by fortune. If I were a Swindler, I would have gone to the casino to make a fortune, why would I still be hanging around this ghost place?”

In Old Hei’s eyes.

A Swindler should be omnipotent.

Entering and exiting gambling rounds and casinos, winning whenever they say so.

But the real Swindler is always cautious and careful.

They have to keep an eye on the card table, guard against experts in the same round, and beware of all kinds of traps.

Because once they make a mistake, it’s game over.

“Hmph!”

The little beggar looked disdainful, pointed at me and said:

“He is the Swindler. He first waited to be the dealer, then won two rounds against that blockhead Centipede. He was afraid that Centipede would steal his money, so he deliberately dealt you a Leopard 3, transferring the money to you…”

Old Hei was shocked.

The little beggar’s words were spot on.

He couldn’t help but turn his head to look at me.

His face was full of confusion.

I can now confirm that she didn’t see my actions clearly.

But I was still amazed.

For so many years, except for Master Liu.

No one has ever been able to see through my plans so clearly.

The old beggar had been quietly listening all along.

When he heard about us being Swindlers, he suddenly stood up.

He made a fist with his right hand, placed his left hand on top.

Then, he raised his left thumb to the sky and asked:

“West Mountain North Peak, ten thousand flowers, Golden Spear and Blue Glory are one family. May I ask, young brother, which path do you walk, and which sect do you belong to?”

Old Hei and the little beggar were completely confused.

I also made a fist, raised my left thumb, and replied:

“All rivers flow into the sea, the four directions and five elements form the Eight Diagrams. I walk the Blue Path, and belong to the Swindler Sect. Although it’s a side path, it’s also a left path…”

What we were saying was the secret language used by those who roamed the world in the old days.

The Golden Path refers to fortune-telling.

The Spear Path refers to street performers and jugglers.

The Blue Path refers to people like me who make a living from gambling.

The Glory Path refers to thieves.

I don’t know much about this secret language.

I have seen Master Liu use it when talking to others.

I wanted to learn it from Master Liu.

But Master Liu shook his head and sighed.

He said that in today’s world, money is the most important thing, and interests are paramount.

These old rules of the world are no longer useful.

The old beggar immediately asked:

“Five lakes and four seas, ten thousand rivers, carried on the back of the Supreme Old Lord. May I ask the name of this brother of the Blue Path?”

The old beggar’s previous sentence was telling me that his surname was Niu.

The mount of the Supreme Old Lord is a green ox.

I replied:

“My father gave me my surname, my mother gave me my name, my humble name is Chu Liu. Greetings to Mr. Niu…”

Upon hearing this, Old Niu slightly bowed.

Then, he turned around and scolded the little beggar:

“Although we are not from the same sect, we are on the same path. Little Duo, you are not skilled in your craft, you took someone’s property and got caught. You should quickly apologize, return the money…”

The girl called Little Duo frowned and stubbornly said:

“No, if I return this money, what will I use to buy your medicine tomorrow…”

Upon hearing this, I understood.

No wonder Old Niu was covered in a thick quilt in such hot weather.

And when he was talking to me, his body was always involuntarily trembling.

It seems that he was sick.

Old Niu’s eyes widened, and he immediately said:

“Without rules, even if you live a hundred years, you’re just an empty shell. Although we are thieves, there is a code among thieves. When the benefactor comes to the door, you must return the money. If you talk back again, be careful I’ll break your legs…”

Old Niu was serious.

Little Duo puffed up her cheeks in anger.

But she didn’t dare to go against Old Niu’s opinion, so she took out the stack of ten thousand yuan.

She handed it to Old Hei and said angrily:

“Here you go!”

Old Hei was a bit stunned, he turned to look at me.

I slowly shook my head and said lightly, “Forget it, you don’t have to pay back the money.”

As I spoke, I took out another ten thousand yuan from my pocket and placed it on the bed next to me.

“Old Niu, as you just said, we may not be from the same sect, but we are on the same path. I can’t help much, but this is enough for a few meals. Please accept it as a token of my goodwill.”

Old Niu and Little Duo were clearly taken aback.

Even Old Hei looked at me with some surprise.

I’m not a saint.

Nor am I overflowing with sympathy.

It’s just a lesson from Master Liu.

In the world, whenever you encounter someone at their wits’ end,

Help a little if you can.

Not for good karma, but for conscience.

Old Niu is a straightforward man. Seeing me say this, he didn’t refuse. He said directly, “Alright, I’ll take the money. I’ll remember this favor, brother Chu. I will definitely give you a big gift in the future!”

I helped him purely out of camaraderie.

I never thought about any big gift in return.

But while I help, I still have to be particular about certain things.

I turned to look at Little Duo, who looked like a beggar, and said with a cold face, “The matter of the money is settled, but what about you hurting my friend?”

Perhaps Little Duo stole our money out of filial piety.

But no matter what, when she was caught, she actually hurt Old Hei.

This is unacceptable, both morally and by the rules.

Helping them is one thing, but seeking justice is another.

This is called keeping things separate, each to its own.