Pick up a princess to be your wife

In the morning, Li's Pawnshop opened for business.

Li Mu and Li Ertie were chatting upstairs.

"Brother Ertie, you used to be a bandit, do you know any people in the underworld?" Li Mu asked.

"Am I not just a figure in the underworld?" Li Ertie retorted.

“I mean, thieves and the like. In this line of work, if we know people in the underworld, we can make money faster by buying more illicit goods,” Li Mu said.

Yesterday, Li Mu learned from He Xianzhi that one could drastically reduce the price when buying counterfeit goods.

Even for rare treasures, the price can be reduced to less than 10%, while for ordinary antiques, it can be reduced even further.

Li Mu needs to exchange antiques for points in the system, without having to worry about the problems that might arise during the resale process.

Therefore, the more illicit goods Li Mu could acquire, the more he would earn.

"I'll have to think about it," Li Ertie said.

He did know the names of some people in the martial arts world, but whether they knew him was another matter.

“We need to make more friends with people like that,” Li Mu said.

If you go into this line of work, you'll probably have to compete with Ho Hin-chi for some business.

He Xianzhi had only been in Luyang County for a short time, and her foundation was not yet stable; she only had the prestigious name of Jubaoge.

Anyway, He Xianzhi will be Li Mu's woman eventually, so it's okay if she steals some business; He Xianzhi won't care about that little bit of business.

At this moment, Liu Qian arrived.

He had changed his clothes today, and Li Mu almost didn't recognize him.

"The boss is here." Li Mu smiled faintly.

"Yes, I've come to pick up the goods." Liu Qian yawned.

He stayed up all night yesterday and is now exhausted.

"Are the carriages and horses ready?" Li Mu asked.

"It's outside, Mr. Li, please."

How did you know my surname is Li?

“Your pawnshop is Li’s. If you’re not surnamed Li, are you surnamed Xu? Mr. Xu, please,” Liu Qian said with a smile.

Li Mu and Li Ertie followed Liu Qian out of the pawnshop, got into a carriage, and headed towards the outskirts of the city.

On the bus, Li Mu and Liu Qian started talking.

“Boss, this stuff of yours… since it’s illicit goods, you should know some people in the underworld, right? You should understand what I mean, right?” Li Mu asked.

"Ask whatever you want, I'm not interested in playing guessing games with you," Liu Qian said yawning impatiently.

"I just wanted to ask if you know any thieves or other江湖 (jianghu) figures? If you have any connections in that area, could you introduce me to them?" Li Mu asked.

"Telling you where your business comes from? You're dreaming." Liu Qian rolled his eyes and gave Li Mu a look that suggested he was an idiot.

“Then we can cooperate long-term. You can deliver goods to me, how about that? Or, if you have any other friends who have business opportunities, you can introduce them to me, just mention your name,” Li Mu suggested.

"I don't have many resources," Liu Qian waved his hand and laughed. "I wonder if you've ever heard of someone named Shi Jingqian?"

"Never heard of it," Li Mu replied.

"I know!"

Li Ertie immediately interjected: "Shi Jingqian, the number one chivalrous thief in Lingnan, has superb lightness skills. He can fly over rooftops and walk on walls without making a sound. He has also mastered the Turtle Breathing Skill, which allows him to hold his breath for at least an hour."

"You know Shi Jingqian very well?" Liu Qian asked.

Five years ago, he sneaked into the governor's mansion and, with his extraordinary skills, stole the birthday gifts that Lingnan Road was presenting to His Majesty.

Enraged, the governor sealed off the city and mobilized three thousand soldiers to capture Shi Jingqian day and night.

However, as time went by, he not only did not leave the city, but also dared to commit theft during the day and distribute all the stolen goods to the people at night.

For five whole days, the governor knew perfectly well that Shi Jingqian was in the prefectural city, but he couldn't catch him no matter what he did.

Shi Jingqian rose to fame overnight, becoming a renowned hero in the Lingnan region and earning the reputation of a chivalrous thief.

Li Ertie spoke eloquently.

"It seems you really know Shi Jingqian well?" Liu Qian asked with a smile.

"Hehe, do you want to know what birthday gift the great hero Shi Jingqian stole back then?" Li Ertie asked.

"What is it?" Liu Qian asked, his face full of curiosity.

"Ten thousand taels of gold, ten thousand bolts of silk cloth, and a pair of dragon pearls from the South China Sea. Just think, if Shi Jingqian didn't have the ability to steal the heavens and the earth, how could he have stolen such a huge amount of wealth from the governor's mansion all by himself?" Li Ertie said.

"Wow, that's amazing! Looks like you know the great hero Shi Jingqian, brother?" Liu Qian asked.

"That is!"

Li Ertie patted his chest and said, "I drank with Master Shi back then, but he disappeared without a trace after that. Although Master Shi has not been seen in the martial arts world for five years, his legend lives on."

"What does Master Shi look like?" Liu Qian asked.

"With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a face like jade, and a height of eight feet, he is truly a handsome young man," Li Ertie replied.

Liu Qian thought to himself, "I've stolen so many things, I know you, I've even drunk with you, and I'm so handsome, I didn't even know it myself."

Liu Qian's original name was Shi Jingqian.

The heroic deeds that Li Ertie described are indeed true.

He once sneaked into the governor's mansion and stole the birthday gifts intended for the emperor.

But what was stolen was not a fortune in gold, but thousands of bolts of silk cloth and a pair of Hainan dragon pearls.

With so many things, unless he truly possessed the ability to steal from the heavens and the earth, how could he possibly have stolen them all by himself?

He stole two things: the Ice Silkworm Jade Suit and the Qin King's Sword.

After that, he roamed right under the governor's nose, committing theft every day, robbing the rich to help the poor, and leaving behind a good reputation.

He was respectfully called the number one chivalrous thief in Lingnan by people in the martial arts world.

This matter had a significant impact, and Shi Jingqian became a wanted criminal. The imperial court offered a reward of ten thousand taels of gold for Shi Jingqian's capture.

After that, Shi Jingqian changed his name to Liu Qian.

Actually, he didn't really like the title of "heroic thief." It wasn't that he disliked chivalry, but rather that he felt the title lacked something.

The thought that he hadn't even managed to steal a few hundred pounds of salt last night made him feel like he was hardly worthy of being called a chivalrous thief.

"If you can get in touch with Shi Jingqian, you might just make a fortune," Liu Qian said with a smile.

He felt quite pleased after being praised, and even the frustration from his failed theft the previous night vanished.

"Unfortunately, Master Shi appears and disappears without a trace, and I don't know where to find him," Li Ertie said.

“That is indeed a pity. If he were willing to cooperate with you, he would be responsible for stealing and you would be responsible for disposing of the stolen goods. You would definitely be able to cooperate for a long time,” Liu Qian said.

“Master Shi is a chivalrous thief who regards money as dirt; he wouldn’t steal for money,” Li Ertie said.

Liu Qian: Brother, you really understand me better than I understand myself.

Why steal if not for money?