Lu Yao's understanding of 'Yanluo Hall' differed from the information I had obtained. 'Living Yama' was a member of the second training class, brought to 'Logic Paradox' by The Broker.
We knew that the first batch of trainees had all become outstanding schemers. These individuals included X Driver Lin Zhijun, The Broker, The Gambler, Shenxianke Ke Yingying, Kuaiyazuoye Qingcheng, K-train Xiao Zian, Tu Kela Lu Yao, Qin Sisi, Ning Caishen, Liu Chenxi, Leng Yan, and Leng Yu.
All these people were taught by Li Jiu. However, at that time, they did not know that Li Jiu was the true core of 'Logic Paradox'. They believed 'The Mentor' was the most powerful, but that was not the case. Li Jiu was the truly powerful schemer, and he used the training classes to nurture these individuals into exceptional talents.
I had only a vague understanding of these people. The four who later became the 'Four-Color Old Kings' were actually backup for Lin Zhijun and the others. They didn't have many representative schemes, but I had personally experienced their skills; they were all masters.
As the main force, X Driver Lin Zhijun, whether selling houses or antiques, grasped the essence of human nature. The fake investments made by The Gambler even led to a nationwide sensational massive fraud case.
Furthermore, Lin Sisi's 'Celebrity Circle of Empty Rooms,' Liu Chenxi's 'Pig Butchering Scheme,' and Leng Yan and Leng Yu's murder methods left me in awe. Even Ning Caishen, who was considered the least capable, showed me his prowess. Back then, his 'Counterfeit Money Scam' that trapped Old Ghost and Senior Sister must have been extraordinary.
These individuals were all excellent schemers, but 'Logic Paradox' had more than one training class. There was a second one, and its mentor was not Li Jiu, but The Broker.
I had only met The Broker once. At that time, my understanding of schemers was not very deep. Lin Zhijun was the one who introduced me to The Broker. My impression of him was of a man in his forties, who liked to wear flashy, European-style pointed leather shoes. A few years ago, those shoes were fashionable, but now, no one wears them.
Therefore, my understanding of The Broker was limited to him being a fashionable person.
However, analyzing the current situation, since Li Jiu was able to hand over the training class to The Broker, The Broker's skills must have been considerable. Looking back at Lin Zhijun's scheme back then, it contained many elements, including The Broker's trust in him and the simplification and perfection of the game. Lin Zhijun attacking The Broker in his own office was beyond The Broker's predicted scope. Honestly, The Broker, as a schemer, died quite unjustly. From Lu Yao, I learned that The Broker's name was Liu Shou, and before joining 'Logic Paradox,' he was a thief with the nickname 'Liu Yishou' (leaving one hand).
This Broker was not only skilled in scheming but also possessed a keen eye for people. This is why he could succeed Li Jiu as the lecturer for the second training class. The Broker, Liu Shou, was very ambitious and secretly wished to surpass Li Jiu, who had taught him. In terms of schemes, The Broker considered himself no less capable, and in terms of training people, he wanted 'The Mentor' to understand that he was on par with Li Jiu.
But things did not go as planned. The members of the second training class were significantly inferior in intelligence compared to the first batch, mostly of Lina's caliber. Lina had once handled Liu Chenxi's 'Pig Butchering Scheme.' When she was apprehended, I told her that she wasn't a true schemer. If I, with my understanding at the time, could draw that conclusion, would The Broker not see it?
To surpass Li Jiu, relying on people like Lina was insufficient. However, one could not count on Ning Caishen and Lu Yao, the repeat students. Thus, The Broker, using his connections, found a theft team from back then. This team was called 'Yanluo Hall.'
They were not called this name because they were bloodthirsty murderers, but because they mostly stole antiques related to tombs. Of course, they were not tomb robbers. They stole from museums or archaeological teams and then sold their loot through their own channels.
This team consisted of four people, two couples. One couple was called Niutou and Mianpo (Ox Head and Horse Face), and the other was called Heibai Wuchang (Black and White Impermanence).
These individuals were around the same age as The Broker, likely around fifty years old now.
What made a deep impression on Lu Yao about them was not their age, but that The Broker introduced them as the culprits behind the sensational General's Head case in Xi'an.
Speaking of the General's Head case, it happened in 1987. It was very long ago, even before Lin Han's grandfather retired. The letter his grandfather left Lin Han mentioned the truth behind the theft of the pottery head.
At that time, a museum staff member discovered that the warehouse door was unlocked when he returned to work. He clearly remembered locking the warehouse door when he left.
This was a regular warehouse containing tools for the excavation of Terracotta Warriors. Even so, a door being unlocked was not a minor incident.
Therefore, the staff member reported the matter to his superior at the time, who was the grandfather.
Upon hearing this report, the grandfather broke out in a cold sweat. He clearly remembered that a Qin pottery head, which required some treatment, had been temporarily placed in the warehouse by a technician.
A Qin pottery head was a national treasure. Its loss would be a major problem. Thus, the grandfather decisively sealed off the scene and instructed the staff member to report to the police. When the police arrived, the grandfather accompanied the officers into the warehouse. Against the wall of the warehouse, on a large wooden board, lay a Qin pottery head.
Seeing this warrior pottery head, the grandfather's tension immediately dissipated. Since there was nothing valuable missing, the police department reclassified the case from breaking and entering to ordinary theft.
At that time, the archaeological team member who reported to the grandfather was out on a mission and only returned a few days later. Upon hearing about the warehouse being opened, he immediately sought out the grandfather. The archaeological team member told the grandfather that he had not placed just one pottery head in the warehouse that day. Besides the warrior pottery head, there was also a general's pottery head.
Hearing this news, the grandfather was stunned into immobility. If a pottery head was a national treasure, then a general's pottery head was an invaluable treasure among national treasures. This was because, among the nearly 8,000 Terracotta Warriors unearthed from the Qin Mausoleum pits, only six general's figures were discovered, highlighting their preciousness.
For such a major event, the grandfather could not make a decision and immediately reported the matter to his superiors. To the grandfather's distress, after learning of this, his superiors did not rush to find the general's pottery head but prioritized determining who was responsible for the loss of the pottery head.
Due to a document from that era, there was a complex agreement between the museum and the archaeological team. Now, with the general's pottery head missing, both sides began to shirk responsibility.
Helpless, the grandfather decided to personally find the thief. Although the grandfather was not familiar with the methods of thieves, he knew the antique market like the back of his hand.
After inquiring through various channels, the grandfather heard that someone had a pottery head for sale for twenty thousand yuan. Thus, the grandfather reported to the police and, cooperating with them, posed as a buyer.
The thief came to sell the pottery head and was apprehended by the police. However, upon seeing the pottery head, the grandfather fell silent. This was because the pottery head was not a general's pottery head, but a warrior's pottery head.
The police could not distinguish between a warrior's and a general's pottery head. They only asked the grandfather if the pottery head was genuine, and the grandfather confirmed that it was.
Thus, the police took the pottery head and the thief back to the police station for questioning, while the grandfather returned to the museum and found the technician, Liu Shou, from the archaeological team.
After the warehouse was burgled, the grandfather, along with the police, inspected the warehouse. At that time, seeing the pottery head, the grandfather's anxiety subsided. Due to the complex environment, he also had to accompany the police officers. Therefore, the grandfather did not examine it closely but merely instructed that the pottery head be returned. The grandfather believed that if the pottery head had been swapped, it would have been noticed. After all, among the people in the Terracotta Warrior pits were museum staff and archaeological team members. In front of them, a fake pottery head would be indistinguishable.
However, it turned out that the warrior pottery head had indeed been swapped. There was also an issue that made it difficult for the grandfather to speak of: the person who stole the pottery head was not an antique collector or a professional thief. This person was an ordinary local farmer with some strength. Hearing that people in the market were willing to pay three hundred thousand yuan for a pottery head, driven by greed, he took a screwdriver and followed the workers into the Terracotta Warrior excavation site. As a local, his disguise was no different from that of an ordinary laborer, and he spoke authentic Xi'an dialect. In this way, he managed to sneak in.
Even though he got in, he couldn't openly break off the pottery heads from the Terracotta Warriors. The farmer wandered around, saw a pottery head in the warehouse, and without further hesitation, used the screwdriver to forcefully pry open the lock and deftly took one of the pottery heads.
The grandfather sought out the technician to find out why the warrior pottery head had been swapped and why he did not report it to his superiors.