Chapter 41 The Thousand-Hand Divine Thief

After my master told me he had to leave for a while, only An Mingshan and I were left at home. An Mingshan went to the kitchen and cooked a few dishes, though there wasn't even any rice. I just took a few casual bites and stayed at home with her. I found a quiet room to cast a divination for the upcoming zombie incident, and the result indicated a calamity would strike tomorrow night.

I came to the living room and saw An Mingshan watching television. I said, "Shall we go check out a hotel?"

An Mingshan turned her head to look at me and said, "If you want to go, you go; I'm certainly not going. You know what? I checked the calendar, and it says today is not suitable for traveling."

I said, "What if I insist on going out today?"

An Mingshan replied, "Well, it's not like I can control you. Do as you please." As soon as she finished speaking, she stood up to pour some water, and a jade pendant slipped from her body. Since I was standing very close to her, I immediately caught the pendant in mid-air. It was fine until I looked at it, but one glance reminded me of someone.

This jade pendant was shaped like a counterfeit Thousand-Handed Guanyin, closely resembling the signature left behind decades ago by a wanted mysterious master thief known as the Thousand-Handed Thief. However, many years ago, after the Thousand-Handed Thief vanished from the pugilist world, this jade pendant had disappeared along with them. Seeing this jade pendant today, I could conclude with certainty that it definitely belonged to the Thousand-Handed Thief. As for why it ended up in An Mingshan's possession, that remained a mystery.

Holding the jade pendant, I asked An Mingshan, "What is this?"

Upon seeing the pendant, An Mingshan looked somewhat startled at first, and then gradually grew nervous, as I noticed her subconsciously wiping the sweat from her forehead.

An Mingshan said, "It's just a jade pendant. Not worth much."

I said, "You know this is the jade pendant of the Thousand-Handed Thief, don't you?"

An Mingshan said, "What Thousand-Handed Thief? I've only ever heard of the Thousand-Handed Guanyin."

I said, "Based on my understanding of you, you're not very good at lying. Look, your face is even blushing."

An Mingshan grew flustered and said, "It really is just an ordinary jade pendant. Have you said enough? Why are you so suspicious?"

I said, "Do you have any idea that the Thousand-Handed Thief is a wanted felon? All the things he stole are worth at least this much." With that, I held up three fingers.

An Mingshan said, "Three thousand?" I shook my head.

An Mingshan continued, "Thirty thousand?" I shook my head again.

An Mingshan tried again, "Three hundred thousand?" I still shook my head.

An Mingshan was growing impatient and asked, "Well, how much is it, ultimately?"

I said, "Three billion."

An Mingshan gasped sharply and said, "It can't be that much, right? At most, he only stole a few thousand or tens of thousands. There's no way it's that high; you must have gotten it wrong."

I said, "How do you know about it in such detail?"

An Mingshan panicked and hurriedly said, "I guessed! I just guessed!"

I said, "Your guess was remarkably accurate, sounding just like someone who experienced it firsthand."

An Mingshan said, "Uhm, let's go check out a hotel!"

I said, "Didn't you just say today wasn't suitable for traveling?"

An Mingshan said, "Did I ever say such a thing? By the way, give me the pendant!" I secretly used a spy camera to snap a few photos of the jade pendant before finally returning it to her.

I looked at the bowls on the table and said, "An'an, look at the table..." Because of the earlier commotion, the table was still a complete mess and hadn't been cleaned up.

Guiltily, An Mingshan said, "I'll wash the dishes." With that, she tidied up the table and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Only after seeing that An Mingshan was genuinely washing the dishes did I sit down on the sofa and use my phone to search the Paranormal Bureau's internal network for the case files of the Thousand-Handed Thief from back in the day.

"The Thousand-Handed Thief: real name unknown, male. Earned his moniker because he always left a mark resembling a Thousand-Handed Guanyin after every crime. He primarily operated around the Jin, Ji, Lu, and Yu regions. However, because the stolen amounts were relatively small and the victims stated they would not pursue charges, it failed to draw much attention. Nevertheless, due to the high frequency of his offenses and the fact that he never missed, he ended up on the Class-B Wanted List. His targets were mostly corrupt officials, local tyrants, and evil gentry, and he frequently made anonymous donations, earning him the title of a chivalrous thief among the common folk. Also, it is worth mentioning that this fellow's hands supposedly possessed—no fingerprints!"

I was so engrossed in reading that I didn't even notice when An Mingshan sat down beside me.

An Mingshan said, "You guys will never catch him."

Only then did I notice her sitting next to me, and I asked, "Why?"

An Mingshan said, "Because..."

I said, "Because of what?"

An Mingshan said, "Because... because... because your divination is so miraculous, why don't you calculate it yourself and find out?"

I said, "If I could actually calculate it, we wouldn't need a wanted poster for him."

An Mingshan said, "Oh, it seems you're nothing special after all." With that, she wore a triumphant expression.

I said, "Who says so? Just you wait!" Having said that, I returned to the previous room and cast another divination, only to discover to my astonishment that the Thousand-Handed Thief was right beside me! I walked back into the living room and saw An Mingshan sitting on the sofa, watching me.

An Mingshan said smugly, "Well? Can't find him, right?"

I said, "I found him."

An Mingshan instantly grew tense and stammered, "Ho—how is that possible? How could you possibly find him?"

I said, "Why would it be impossible?"

An Mingshan said, "He has already..."

I said, "He has already what?"

An Mingshan said, "He... he... Oh, why do you care what happened to him?"

I said, "I've calculated it. That master thief is right beside me."

An Mingshan said, "You're making this up, aren't you?"

I said, "It's you!"

An Mingshan said, "How could it possibly be me? You must have made a mistake, right?"

I said, "No mistake at all. It is definitely you."

An Mingshan said, "Then tell me, why?"

I said, "First, the jade pendant. This pendant is the token of the thief, and he wouldn't easily hand it over to someone else for safekeeping. Second, your previous behavior; whenever the Thousand-Handed Thief was discussed, your reactions were highly abnormal. Third, you once mentioned that you used to live in a family of hereditary thieves. Are you still not going to admit it?"

An Mingshan said, "I am truly not any master thief! Besides, have you ever seen me steal anything?" I was left speechless by her question. Indeed, ever since I had known her, she had never engaged in any petty theft.

I said, "Well, about that, I..."

An Mingshan said, "What? Cat got your tongue?"

I said, "Fine, you win! By the way, remember to come with me to the wedding tomorrow!"

An Mingshan said, "Why should I? What relation am I to you that you can order me around like this?"

I said, "Oh ho, getting a bit bold now, are we?"

An Mingshan said, "Not going, not going, I simply am not going!"

I said, "Let me tell you, tomorrow I will tie you up and drag you there if I have to!"

An Mingshan said, "You... Hmph!" With that, she jerked her head to the side and refused to pay me any more attention. Realizing I was getting nowhere, I walked back to that room, but I distinctly heard An Mingshan muttering behind me, "You!—You win!"

I took inventory of the items I had brought in the room, and nothing was missing. Just as I was fretting over finding something fun to do to pass the time, my thoughts suddenly drifted to An Mingshan out in the living room...

Reader Q&A.

Q: Mr. Author, what kind of sports do you like?
A: I don't like sports. Even if I do exercise, it's just walking, jogging, riding a bicycle, or working out on fitness equipment.