King of Pickpocketing

The ancients said, “Those who can stomach eating bitter greens can accomplish anything.” Once a person has endured the depths of hardship, anything is possible. My name is Zhang Jiuyang, and I studied the art of thievery under Uncle Qi. This art is also known as stealing. In the past and even now, thievery has been the most despised of all lowly trades, condemned by the world since time immemorial. The saying goes: first-rate actors, second-rate peddlers, third-rate bastards, fourth-rate tortoises, fifth-rate barbers, sixth-rate masseurs, seventh-rate prostitutes, eighth-rate thieves, and ninth-rate opium smokers. I met Uncle Qi and took this path because of a bizarre turn of events that changed my life.