"That's me! That's me!" Zhu Cong stood up, his face beaming with a warm smile. He walked over and extended his hand, seemingly wanting to shake hands with Gao Jianfei. Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he stumbled, falling directly towards Gao Jianfei!
Gao Jianfei instinctively reached out and helped him up.
Zhu Cong smiled awkwardly and immediately stood up straight. "Sorry, sorry, I slipped."
"It's nothing, let's go sit down!" Gao Jianfei said with a smile as he and Zhu Cong sat down at the pear wood octagonal table.
Just as Gao Jianfei was about to say a few words to Zhu Cong, he noticed that Zhu Cong had suddenly produced a cell phone!
Of course, that wasn't his phone. Zhu Cong was just one of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," and there was no such thing as a mobile phone in that era or in the novel!
That's... Gao Jianfei's phone! Gao Jianfei's knock-off phone!
Gao Jianfei was horrified! He had clearly put his phone in his pants pocket, so how did it suddenly end up in Zhu Cong's hands?
"Could it be that Zhu Cong stole my phone when he fell just now? How come I didn't notice anything? And the time I helped him up was very short, the physical contact between us was no more than 2 seconds, how... how did he do that?" Gao Jianfei couldn't figure it out at all!
"What kind of iron box is this?" Zhu Cong looked at Gao Jianfei's phone over and over a few times, but found it uninteresting. He then threw the phone back to Gao Jianfei and said, shaking his head, "Sorry, sorry, I haven't tried this 'hide-and-seek' technique in a long time. Seeing you, Xiao Gao, I got a sudden urge to show it off. Please don't take offense!"
"A master thief? Aha! Interesting!" Gao Jianfei's eyes lit up immediately!
Chapter Forty-Six: Giving Back All My Knowledge
Chapter Forty-Six: Giving Back All My Knowledge
The art of stealing!
What does "skillful thief" mean? Gao Jianfei knew that in ancient times, the phrase "skillful thief" was used to describe a thief whose skills had reached a certain level. This should come from an ancient story about a master thief named "Kongkong'er" whose thieving skills were described as "so that no one could see his skill, and no ghost could see his tracks."
Zhu Cong, who sat next to Gao Jianfei, was not only a master of thievery, but also possessed several other unique skills...
Dislocating tendons and bones technique (township level), Empty fist technique (city level), Magic trick (provincial level), Theft technique (provincial level)!
"Xiao Gao..." Zhu Cong was obviously a talkative and quick-witted person, and now he took the initiative to start a conversation, wanting to chat with Gao Jianfei for a few words.
Gao Jianfei, seemingly unable to contain himself any longer, reached out to stop Zhu Cong from speaking. "Well, I'll come over and chat with you more often when I have time. Tonight, my main purpose in coming is to learn about your various skills!" With that, Gao Jianfei spoke directly to the AI program…
"I want to enter the learning space right now!"
The intelligent program immediately responded, "Dear user, I will diligently fulfill every request you make! Okay... Super Ghost Device, learning space activated!"
As soon as the intelligent program finished speaking, the environment in the room changed drastically... The furniture and furnishings in the room completely disappeared, and in their place was the environment of a farmhouse courtyard!
A fence, wooden railings, mud-walled houses, locust trees, and an old hen leading a flock of chicks to eat rice in the yard.
In the middle of the courtyard, a pot of boiling oil was set up.
The towering locust tree was filled with the chirping of birds; dozens, even hundreds, of sparrows perched on the branches, chattering noisily.
Zhu Cong stood lazily next to Gao Jianfei, stretched, and yawned. "Hehe, Xiao Gao, you're really impatient. I wanted to chat with you for a while to satisfy my craving, but I didn't expect you to be in such a hurry to learn your skills. You're really impatient, so impatient."
Gao Jianfei thought to himself, "Besides throwing knives, I have practically no other skills. No wonder I'm anxious!"
"So, what do you want to learn first?" Zhu Cong said, shaking his head. "To be honest, my martial arts skills are mediocre at best, nothing to mention. However," he said, flipping his right hand to reveal a greasy folding fan. Quickly, with a flick of his wrist, the fan vanished, replaced by a writing brush. "Well, this magic trick, this 'hidden hand' technique, is Zhu Cong's specialty!"
"Heh, this is really interesting!" Gao Jianfei found it amusing to see Zhu Cong holding a fan one moment and a calligraphy brush the next. "You're really fast! Let's learn this first!"
Although Gao Jianfei was completely clueless about the specific tricks and techniques of magic and theft, he knew that any illusion, trick, or magic trick, including pickpocketing, required speed as a fundamental skill! Only with fast and accurate movements could one pull off a heist!
"Correct!" Zhu Cong's brush transformed into a folding fan once more, and he tapped Gao Jianfei's shoulder with it. "The art of 'empty-handed trickery' and 'magic tricks' both boil down to two words... hand speed! Come with me!"
At this moment, the humorous and lewd expression on Zhu Cong's face had completely disappeared, and he was very serious and solemn.
The two walked up to the oil pot.
The oil in the pan was very hot, and bubbles burst open with a "pop" sound, billowing thick smoke.
Through the fumes, Gao Jianfei could vaguely see a yellow, soap-like block of material that bobbed and undulated with the boiling oil, like a small boat on the sea.
"Xiao Gao, to practice your hand speed, you first need to have a certain level of eyesight. Now, look closely at the object in the oil pan. If you can clearly see that object through the smoke, then we can start practicing our hand speed!" Zhu Cong said.
"Uh? I've already seen it... it's a yellow thing, about the size of a palm, right?" Gao Jianfei said directly.
"Huh? You saw it already? You have good eyesight! Have you practiced before?" Zhu Cong was stunned.
Gao Jianfei nodded thoughtfully, and two seconds later, it dawned on him...
Last time, when he was learning Li Xunhuan's throwing knife skills, he had actually developed some eyesight to a certain extent! However, Li Xunhuan's throwing knife skills mainly rely on his spirit and energy to lock onto the target, and the requirements for eyesight are not particularly high. But the eyesight he had developed last time was enough for Gao Jianfei to see objects in boiling oil!
"Alright, let's train our hand speed then!" Zhu Cong flicked his wrist, putting the folding fan back into his sleeve. "Xiao Gao, watch closely!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Cong's right shoulder twitched. There was no sound from the oil pan, and the yellow object was already in his right hand. Then, he threw the yellow object back into the oil pan. "Come on, Xiao Gao, you try it!"
"You...you're so fast!" Gao Jianfei exclaimed sincerely. To be able to scoop an item directly from a pot of boiling oil requires incredibly fast hands; even a slight delay would ruin your hand!
Gao Jianfei stood beside the oil pot, taking a deep breath. He could feel the scorching, magma-like temperature emanating from it. It seemed this oil pot wasn't a prop!
“That…” Gao Jianfei’s gaze was fixed on the yellow object that was moving with the oil and water. He reached out his right hand, but hesitated to grab it.
At this moment, the intelligent program's voice said... "Dear user, please do not doubt the learning function of the Super Ghost Device! Please do not be afraid!"
"Uh...right, last time I learned Gou Wei's lock-picking skill, I mastered it in no time; even when I learned Li Xunhuan's throwing knife skill, I mastered it in a flash...what's this oil frying thing?" Gao Jianfei immediately abandoned his fear and distracting thoughts, his eyes fixed on the yellow object!
Make your move!
"Whoosh!" Gao Jianfei flicked his wrist, and without making a sound from the oil pan, he had already grabbed the yellow object!
success!
"Haha!" Gao Jianfei couldn't help but laugh triumphantly, then threw the yellow object back into the oil pan.
Zhu Cong nodded. "There's nothing to be happy about! Catching things in a deep fryer is just a basic skill! Xiao Gao, go catch a chicken! Remember, don't catch the hen, catch the chicks!"
Zhu Cong pointed to the flock of chickens happily munching on rice in the yard. Yes, a hen leading dozens of chicks. Zhu Cong's rule was: no hen, only chicks!
"Okay! I understand!" Gao Jianfei was very confident. He realized that his hand speed was already very fast, even faster than professional pickpockets on the market. What difficulty would it be to catch a chicken?
Gao Jianfei immediately walked over, but... as soon as he reached the group of chickens and before he could even squat down, the hen started clucking, spread her wings to protect her chicks under her feathers, and stared at Gao Jianfei with wary eyes.
"Uh... you can only catch the chicks, not the mother hen." Gao Jianfei was taken aback. He realized the chicks were hiding under the mother hen's wings, and although Gao Jianfei was quick, he had no way to catch them!
"Haha! Xiao Gao, come back here! Stealing chickens and dogs isn't as simple as it seems!" Zhu Cong laughed loudly and beckoned Gao Jianfei over. The two waited a few minutes, and seeing the threat had subsided, the hen released the chicks to eat rice together.
Zhu Cong said, "Xiao Gao, watch me! Look closely... whether it's catching chickens or birds, there's a trick to it! Watch carefully!" After saying that, Zhu Cong walked directly towards the group of rice-eating chickens.
Gao Jianfei stared intently at every detail of Zhu Cong's walk!
In fact, Zhu Cong's walking posture was no different from usual, but Gao Jianfei still noticed something... Zhu Cong's footsteps were very light! He didn't make a sound when he walked!
And so, even as Zhu Cong squatted down and easily caught a chick, the mother hen still didn't notice!
"I understand!" Gao Jianfei grasped the idea immediately. He imitated Zhu Cong, walked over quietly, squatted down, and caught the chick... Success!
Then, Zhu Cong clapped his hands again, and dozens of sparrows flew down from the locust tree in the yard and walked slowly on the ground.
Yes, next, it's time to catch sparrows!
This time, Zhu Cong gave a demonstration first. He quietly walked to the vicinity of the flock of sparrows, squatted down, and then his hands moved swiftly, catching the sparrows one by one and stuffing them into his robe. With his extremely fast hand speed, he captured dozens of sparrows alive within a minute! Throughout the entire process, he did not disturb the other sparrows when catching each one!
The speed of his hands was astonishing!
Replace Gao Jianfei.
At first, Gao Jianfei could only catch 5 or 6 sparrows before the rest would notice and fly away in fright. Undeterred, Gao Jianfei practiced for half an hour until he finally reached Zhu Cong's level… catching 78 sparrows in a minute with both hands moving in unison!
Ten minutes later...
Gao Jianfei, with his hands in his pockets, casually walked towards Zhu Cong across from him. Zhu Cong also walked towards Gao Jianfei.
The two brushed past each other.
Throughout the entire process, the two of them moved and walked without pausing, just like ordinary passersby.
"Haha!" At this moment, Gao Jianfei turned around and smiled, holding Zhu Cong's greasy folding fan in his hand.
"Good lad!" Zhu Cong chuckled, then added, "And where's my calligraphy brush? Give it back to me too!"
Gao Jianfei first threw the folding fan back to Zhu Cong, then with a flick of his right hand, a calligraphy brush appeared in his hand, which he also threw to Zhu Cong.
By this point, Gao Jianfei had mastered Zhu Cong's two unique skills, theft and magic tricks... both of which were provincial-level skills!
After learning these two skills, Gao Jianfei wasn't satisfied. He checked his phone... It was 3 a.m.!
Gao Jianfei, however, showed no signs of sleepiness and shouted, "Since it's already past midnight, I'm not going home! Damn it, Brother Zhu Cong, teach me all your martial arts now!"
"Martial arts... martial arts... speaking of martial arts gives me a headache. My martial arts... are not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning," Zhu Cong shook his head. "However, since you want to learn, I might as well teach you everything I know. I am good at two martial arts, both of which I created myself. One is the Tendon-Dislocating Bone Hand, and the other is the Empty-Handed Fist. Which one do you want to learn first?"
Chapter 47 You've disappointed me so much!
Chapter 47 You've disappointed me so much!
Speaking of martial arts...
Zhu Cong is right. His martial arts skills are indeed not on the same level as his theft and magic tricks.
Dislocating tendons and bones technique (township level), empty-handed fist technique (city level).
On the contrary, Gao Jianfei became even more interested in Zhu Cong's martial arts skills!
In short, even if Zhu Cong's martial arts were terrible (well, indeed, judging from the characters in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan's martial arts were quite weak; it took all seven of them combined to fight Qiu Chuji of the Quanzhen Sect), Gao Jianfei, after learning Zhu Cong's martial arts, would at least be able to protect himself!
Immediately, Gao Jianfei, in high spirits, asked Zhu Cong to teach him martial arts. Learning Zhu Cong's martial arts didn't involve any sandbags, stone blocks, or stone locks; it was simply Zhu Cong explaining and demonstrating, followed by the two sparring with each other.
Zhu Cong's Tendon-Dislocating and Bone-Setting Hand technique is self-created. It belongs to the category of grappling and subduing techniques. There are no special moves, but one must be familiar with the joints of the human body and use swift and quick movements and skillful force to dislocate the opponent's joints! It is suitable for one-on-one combat!
The Empty Fist evolved from the traditional Eighteen Falling Techniques. Its essence lies in using minimal force to overcome great strength.
Withdraw and shift your position, take advantage of the situation, deflect and move, lure the opponent into emptiness, avoid the sharp edge and conceal your strength, dodge and turn, strike diagonally to attack the center, break through the center with the side, and use skill to overcome clumsiness. In actual combat, you must seize the fleeting openings and weaknesses, pull, force, lock, and lean, combine offense and defense, and unleash your power to throw the enemy.
It took Gao Jianfei a full four hours to finally master both martial arts techniques!
During practice, Zhu Cong not only taught Gao Jianfei by words and deeds, but also served as a live target for him...
When practicing the Tendon-Separating and Bone-Dislocating Hand technique, Gao Jianfei kept twisting and breaking Zhu Cong's arm again and again... When practicing the Empty Fist technique, Gao Jianfei threw Zhu Cong at least hundreds of times!
After a thorough ordeal, Gao Jianfei mastered these two martial arts techniques quite skillfully!
Fortunately, Zhu Cong was a ghost. If he were a living person, how could he withstand Gao Jianfei testing his body?
"Hehe, practicing with ghosts was so much fun!" Gao Jianfei left the ghost's den at 7:30 in the morning. He patted Zhu Cong on the shoulder, "Brother Zhu Cong, thanks to your patient guidance last night, I now consider you my teacher! Don't worry, I'll come over to chat with you and keep you company. If there's anything good to eat or drink, I can bring it in for you to enjoy! In short, I won't treat you badly!"
Zhu Cong nodded repeatedly, but then his gaze shifted, "Hehe, Xiao Gao, if you could bring my brothers and my eldest brother Ke Zhen'e here to keep me company, I would be extremely grateful!"
At this moment, the AI program's voice sounded... "Dear user, you can completely ignore any requests made by any ghost!"
Gao Jianfei nodded. "Of course I know that. But speaking of which, is it alright if I bring some food and drinks into this haunted house for the ghosts to enjoy?"
The AI program replied, "Dear user, that's no problem. However, ghosts don't actually need food; they are, after all, just ghosts. You don't need to bring anything in for them."