II. The Helpless Foolish Thief

According to the theories of certain conspirators, anything known by two individuals is no longer a secret. Therefore, generally speaking, high-risk tasks that require a great deal of discretion, such as stealing martial arts manuals, are typically carried out individually, with few instances of group collaboration

However, the two individuals, Yue and Cai, acted like inferior gamblers, taking a desperate risk with everything on the line

Under the mediation of multiple parties and after a round of negotiations, the main faction compromised and jointly developed the "Kite Flower Manual" with the secondary faction. Each faction appointed one representative to form the "Huashan Sect Book Thieves Duo," serving both as partners and as mutual overseers.

What are the advantages of committing crimes as a group

The exemplary case is the theft of the "Nine Yin Manual." This may be the most successful and classic book theft case in Jin Yong's works, which has always been a topic of great interest. The perpetrators are a highly intelligent couple, the husband named Huang Yaoshi and the wife named Feng Heng. The victim of this case is an elderly man suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, named Zhou Botong

But is this really the case

However, there are exceptions. Those who are interested in the history of martial arts should still remember the theft of the "Nine Yin Manual" that occurred in the mid-Southern Song Dynasty and the theft of the "Nine Yang Manual" that took place in the late Southern Song Dynasty, both of which were perpetrated by a duo.

Yue and Cai are clearly imitating the couple Huang Yaoshi from years past, even their methods of committing crimes are the same, stealing not the paper but the content. Using a contemporary term, this is referred to as "high-IQ crime." However, Yue and Cai have not mastered it completely; they have drawn a tiger but ended up resembling a dog.

Thus, the utterly clumsy book theft incident occurred, stirring up a century of blood and turmoil in the martial world

This case serves as a lesson for future generations: it is better to go solo than to partner with unreliable teammates

There is reason to believe that Yue and Cai are the talents carefully selected by the Huashan Sect, and in the future, these two will be revered as the founders of the "Qi Sect" and the "Sword Sect". Their intelligence must certainly be exceptional. Moreover, unlike the chance encounter between Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong, which was a mere coincidence, the actions of Huang Yaoshi and his wife were impulsive. Yue and Cai should have begun planning this operation several weeks or even months in advance, and every detail should have been meticulously considered to ensure that nothing went wrong. Furthermore, unlike the chance encounter between Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong, which was a mere coincidence, the actions of Huang Yaoshi and his wife were impulsive. Yue and Cai should have begun planning this operation several weeks or even months in advance, and every detail should have been meticulously considered to ensure that nothing went wrong.

A wise person may engage in foolish actions, but there must be compelling reasons for them to do so

However, upon further scrutiny of this matter, it seems that Yue and Cai are indeed beyond comprehension.

Not so, not so

The negative example is the theft case of the "Nine Yang Manual." This is a failed case, the reason being that the two members of the criminal gang had ulterior motives and did not trust each other. One of them was a Hunan native known as the "Nine-Headed Bird," who called himself Xiaoxiangzi, while the other was a Persian merchant who adopted a Han name, Yin Kexi. The victim in this case was the renowned Songshan Shaolin Scripture Repository, with the direct responsible parties being a master and his disciple. The master's Dharma name was Jueyuan, and the disciple, who was in the early stages of his cultivation, was named Zhang Junbao. Several years later, he changed his name to Zhang Sanfeng.

In fact, division of labor and cooperation is not difficult at all. As long as one casually questions a couple of small thieves by the roadside, they can teach the heroes of the Huashan School a traditional and practical technique: one person climbs over the wall to enter the room, while the other keeps watch outside, allowing a thrilling adventure to unfold with ease. Moreover, they only steal the content of the books and leave no traces. If one attempt fails, they can try a second or third time. Why must everything be accomplished in one go? Furthermore, they only steal the content of the books and leave no traces. If one attempt fails, they can try a second or third time. Why must everything be accomplished in one go?

The method employed in this case is utterly unoriginal, primarily divided into three steps: first, infiltrating Shaolin; second, casually capturing a sheep; and third, making a swift escape. Since the monk Jueyuan is an extreme introvert, adhering to the outdated and naive traditions of the Shaolin introvert clan, the two easily accomplished the first two steps. However, during their escape, they encountered the pursuit of Jueyuan and his disciple. Nevertheless, both Xiao and Yin are seasoned veterans with extensive experience, and dealing with Jueyuan and Zhang Junbao, an old and a young introvert, was hardly a challenge for them. They concealed the scriptures in the belly of a monkey, easily evading the search. If these two had been born in the Ming or Qing dynasties, they would surely have excelled in the imperial examinations; if they were born in the present day, they could become drug lords

If the answer is "many people," then it is too simplistic. Theft is not the same as robbery; having many people is not only useless but may also lead to failure due to the overly large target. Therefore, the correct answer is "division of labor and cooperation." The division of labor between Huang Yaoshi and his wife was very clear; Huang Yaoshi was responsible for distracting Zhou Botong and playing games to attract his attention, creating an environment for Feng Heng to carry out her work without distractions and take shorthand. Such tacit cooperation was a significant reason for Zhou Botong's defeat. The division of labor between Huang Yaoshi and his wife was very clear; Huang Yaoshi was responsible for distracting Zhou Botong and playing games to attract his attention, creating an environment for Feng Heng to carry out her work without distractions and take shorthand. Such tacit cooperation was a significant reason for Zhou Botong's defeat.

At this very moment, the "Sunflower Manual" reemerges in the martial world. One faction or perhaps two factions simultaneously feel the stirrings of ambition. The first faction begins training its favored disciple, Yue Su (or Cai Zifeng), in the Fujian dialect. These unusual actions are noticed by the second faction, which is constantly observing. Just as Pakistan could not tolerate India's exclusive possession of nuclear weapons, the second faction also feels a profound sense of insecurity. Consequently, they demand resource sharing from the first faction, threatening to sever ties and engage in conflict if their demands are not met, even if it leads to mutual destruction.

The monk Fangzheng remarked that the brothers Yue and Cai were "closer than biological siblings." In reality, these "biological siblings" each harbored their own agendas and were suspicious of one another, fearing that the other would monopolize the treasured scripture, leaving them with nothing. Therefore, they decided to band together, opting for a "mutual destruction" approach, declaring, "One person reads half; if I cannot have it, you shall not enjoy it alone either." This kind of petty mentality should be familiar to everyone, right

The method employed in this case is exceptionally sophisticated, beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals. The primary principle involves utilizing the remarkable flash memory function of the wife, Feng Heng, to quickly replicate text and then paste it elsewhere. This method has become prevalent in today's era, characterized by the nefarious invention of computers, serving as a necessary means for many university professors, renowned scholars, famous writers, and online authors to deceive the public and secure their livelihoods for profit. However, in the technologically backward Southern Song Dynasty, such a technique was inconceivable

This reasoning is fundamentally untenable. Anyone who has received a basic education and has been subjected to the rigors of language classes in this country has the right to speak on the technical issue of "recitation." I ask you, do you memorize more quickly at your own seat in the classroom, or do you memorize more quickly when taken to the teacher's office?

Moreover, both Huang Yaoshi and his wife possess angelic appearances but devilish natures, and they are both highly talented performers, which makes them very deceptive, causing their victims to be sold while still counting the money for them. The "Nine Yin Manual" was stolen right under the nose of the victim, Zhou Botong, yet he remained completely unaware until several years later when he received information from his disciple, Qiu Chuji, who risked his life to investigate, at which point he finally realized the truth. In the aftermath, Zhou Botong reflected on the lessons learned and cautioned future generations not only to refrain from casually teaching others to apply pressure points or to touch others indiscriminately, but also to avoid playing games with others carelessly, and above all, never to lend books to a friend's wife.

The "Qi Sect" and the "Sword Sect" indeed originated with Yue and Cai, but the internal strife within the Huashan Sect had long existed. It was only during the era of Yue and Cai that this internal conflict was cloaked in the guise of the "Qi versus Sword" dispute, becoming more public and overt, escalating increasingly, and ultimately leading to a tragic civil war. Later generations remember the most intense and brutal period, yet overlook the undercurrents that had already been lurking beneath the surface.

"One person reads half" completely contradicts this principle. When two people come together to memorize, it is essentially a gamble, betting that no one will intrude during that time; otherwise, it would result in mutual destruction, leading to a complete breakdown in relations between Huashan and Shaolin.

The most common and convenient method of stealing books is to casually take them away. However, why did the Huashan Sect specifically choose two individuals to use the laborious and time-consuming method of memorization to steal books? It is precisely because the Shaolin Sect is powerful and the Huashan Sect cannot afford to offend them, which is why they opted for this discreet method of theft to avoid openly provoking Shaolin.

Why is there no division of labor? The understanding of Master Fangzheng is that the time for committing the crime was very limited. The two individuals were afraid that if they memorized half of it, someone might burst in and catch them, leaving them no time to read the entire book. Therefore, they decided to "each read half," saving half the time

At that time, the Huashan Sect resembled a large household with four generations living under one roof, appearing harmonious on the surface, yet in reality, it had split into two factions: the first and second houses. They engaged in open and covert struggles against each other without completely severing ties. The two factions were evenly matched, with neither able to dominate the other, and in this stalemate, both sides sought various means to expand their power

However, in the end, both individuals gained nothing due to internal strife, each desiring to monopolize the benefits. As a result, they both met their demise on Kunlun Mountain, inadvertently benefiting a misfortunate child named Zhang Wuji, who had no car, no house, orphaned, suffering from a terminal illness without health insurance, and then deceived in love by a woman, ultimately leading him to plunge off a cliff in despair

"Book theft" is a common occurrence in the martial world depicted by the great Jin Yong. "Flying snow fills the sky, shooting the white deer; laughing at the divine hero leaning against the green mandarin duck"—almost every book features one or two book thieves. In works such as "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," there are even instances where book thieves gather in groups, reflecting fierce competition within the same industry

We can gain a glimpse into the broader scheme of the book theft by piecing together how the entire plan came to fruition

This reason is internal strife. Yue Su and Cai Zifeng are regarded by later generations as the founders of the "Qi School" and "Sword School" of the Huashan Sect, which became the root cause of a century of internal conflict within the sect. In Chapter 30 of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," the scholarly monk Fang Zheng states: "The two of them, Yue Su and Cai Zifeng of the Huashan Sect... had differing interpretations of the classic scriptures, emphasizing different aspects of martial arts—Qi and sword—yet they had both elaborated on these distinctions to their disciples. Consequently, the Huashan Sect later split into the Qi and Sword schools, and the infighting among fellow sect members stemmed from this."

For Yue and Cai, who intended to jointly steal the "Sunflower Manual," the above cases serve as references, with one being a positive example and the other a negative example

It is evident that they have no division of labor; when they officially took the stage, the two of them resembled headless flies colliding with each other, their heads pressed face to face, huddled together as they began to act.

For anyone, emotional fluctuations can affect their sensitivity to external stimuli. Imagine at that moment, both Yue and Cai were highly tense, breaking into a cold sweat at the slightest disturbance, their nerves stretched to the brink of collapse. In such a mental state, accomplishing any task would yield diminishing returns, let alone memorizing lengthy and convoluted technical articles. What could typically be remembered in one hour might now take two hours to grasp fully, rendering the notion of "saving time" utterly nonsensical. In such a mental state, accomplishing any task would yield diminishing returns, let alone memorizing lengthy and convoluted technical articles. What could typically be remembered in one hour might now take two hours to grasp fully, rendering the notion of "saving time" utterly nonsensical.

Comparing people can be quite disheartening. After watching the couple Huang Yaoshi, looking at the collaboration between Yue and Cai is simply blood-curdling. Their characteristic is the lack of cooperation. A century later, a history enthusiast named Fang Zheng, a monk, recounts this period of history regarding the Huashan Sect's abandoned disciple Linghu Chong. He describes the actions of Yue and Cai at that time: "... In fact, in a hurried moment, the two did not have the opportunity to read the entire book simultaneously. At that time, they read separately, with one person reading half, and later returned to Huashan to jointly comprehend and discuss..." (Chapter 30 of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer').

However, on the other hand, it should be noted that Yue and Cai later established their own sects and were revered as the founding masters. They were likely not the type of individuals who would let personal grievances disrupt significant matters. The suspicion between the two does not seem to stem from personal animosity, but rather from their respective loyalties that left them with no choice. While they engaged in intrigue against each other in the Shaolin Temple of Putian, they were not fighting alone; at that moment, the essence of the Huashan Sect was divided into two.

What is the reasoning behind this

The "Yi Jin Jing," "Jiu Yin Zhen Jing," "Jiu Yang Zhen Jing," "Shen Zhao Jing," and others, without exception, have all been coveted by thieves. These thieves range from great heroes and tyrants to petty criminals and servants, encompassing a wide variety of characters. Among them are both clever thieves and fools, employing methods that include both brazen theft and stealthy pilfering, with outcomes that vary from success to failure. Generations of book thieves have continuously rushed to the front lines, leaving behind numerous classic cases that have greatly enriched the colorful history of the martial world.