Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

The "eyes" that Li Ping wanted came knocking on his door on the morning of the third day after the club opened. Just as dawn was breaking, an old man appeared on the doorstep.

When Qian Duo opened the door early in the morning, he saw the old man sitting there, smoking a pipe slowly without saying a word. Qian Duo assumed he was a beggar, so he brought him a bowl of porridge. The old man took it, drank it, and continued sitting.

"Old man," Qian Duo squatted down, "you're squatting at our door so early in the morning, don't tell me you're trying to scam us..."

"Wait for someone who can make the decision," the old man said.

"Who are you waiting for? This is the Jiangning Guild Hall; we don't accept unauthorized visitors."

"Waiting for someone who can bring down the Blue Wolf Gang."

Qian Duo was stunned for a moment, then went back to report to Li Ping. Li Ping was looking at the accounts in the front hall. After listening, he put down his pen and came out.

The old man, in his fifties, wore a faded old robe, his left leg noticeably shorter than the other. He was huddled by the doorway, tapping his pipe against his shoe. Seeing Li Ping emerge, he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Lord Li, your operation is quite impressive, but unfortunately, you're just a blind, easy target."

Li Ping didn't reply, but glanced at him, then turned to pour him a cup of tea and placed it beside him: "The tea is quite hot, but your words are rather cold. Perhaps the old man could explain himself more clearly."

"You've taken over three streets in the south of the city," the old man said, taking the tea but not drinking it. "But the old Green Wolf Gang members are still at the docks. Half of the eighty are dead, and the other half are huddled in the dock warehouses, drinking and cursing every day—cursing you and that paralyzed bald guy. These people are a menace if they're scattered, but an army if they're united. If you don't want them, someone else will."

Li Ping raised an eyebrow: "Old man, you came for tea so early in the morning just to act as a persuader for those remnants of the Green Wolf Gang?"

"I've been watching this street for three days," the old man exhaled a puff of smoke. "The Jiangning Guild Hall received seven cartloads of goods in three days: four cartloads of grain, two cartloads of medicinal herbs, and one cartload of jars and pots."

He paused.

"Thirty men from Jiangning live in the backyard, along with an accountant, a girl who carries a sword, and you, making thirty-four people in total."

Li Ping's hand, holding the teapot, froze in mid-air.

"There are two shifts at night, one from the first watch to the third watch, and the other from the third watch to the fifth watch, with four people on each shift. When changing shifts, the light in the east wing must be turned off for half an incense stick's time," the old man grinned, revealing a missing front tooth that made his smile slightly lisping. "Tell me, am I counting correctly?"

Every single thing the old man said was absolutely correct.

"Old man, you counted so accurately, are you here to buy my life or to sell it?" Li Ping put down the teapot, his tone becoming serious. "Just say it."

The old man, nicknamed "Old Cat," tapped his pipe. "When I was young, I was a constable in the Jingzhao Prefecture. For twenty years, I amassed a deep understanding of every street, every secret door, and every gang in the southern part of the city. It's all here with me." He pointed to his head.

"If you're so capable, how come you've ended up waiting for alms at the door?"

"I've been retired for eleven years," Old Cat said. "My leg is lame, nobody wants me, but my brain isn't damaged yet."

Li Ping looked at the leg curled up by the threshold: "The head constable of the Capital Prefecture, who dares to break your leg?"

Old Cat took a drag on his cigarette, the smoke dissipating in the morning light: "When I was young, I arrested the leader of the Green Wolf Gang, the one who's bald now. He was sentenced to five years. The year he was released, he ambushed me at my door in the middle of the night and broke my leg. I appealed to the Jingzhao Prefecture, but the case was suppressed for eleven years. No one has ever upheld justice for me."

He tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, then looked up at Li Ping.

"A few days ago, you beat up the Green Wolf Gang. Eighty of them were lying on the ground, and the Jingzhao Prefecture even sent a complaint back to you," Old Cat chuckled. "I sat in the teahouse watching the show for three days, and the more I watched, the more I felt that my old life could still be of some use."

"You want to use me to take revenge?" Li Ping asked.

"It's free," the old cat said. "I'm giving you my old bones. You've stood up for the people of the south of the city, and I'll fix their ears and eyes for you."

The guild hall fell silent; so quiet that you could hear the birds chirping in the old locust tree.

"You build the intelligence network," Li Ping said. "Every street needs informants, teahouses, taverns, docks, and brothels. Each informant should be paid monthly through an accounting office, with a salary higher than that of a constable in the capital."

"I don't want to."

"Give it to your people," Li Ping said. "No one works for free. Those who work get paid, and those who risk their lives get their lives in return."

The old cat looked at him for a moment, tucked his pipe into his waistband, and stood up, leaning on the threshold. He limped a little, swayed for a moment, but quickly regained his balance and held out a hand: "Deal."

Li Ping grasped his hand

"Oh, right," the old cat said, walking to the door, then turning back and gesturing towards the yard, "That little monkey by the door, did you pick it up yesterday?"

Ah Si was squatting in the yard wiping the table when he heard the words "little monkey." He looked up, his face wary.

"I found it," Li Ping said.

The clever old cat said, "It has eyes to see and legs to run; it's good at being an informant. Can I borrow it for a couple of days?"

"If you damage my people, can you afford to pay for it?"

"It's on me," the old cat grinned. "If it breaks, I'll buy you a new one."

Old Cat led Ah Si towards the alley entrance, instructing him as they went: "First, keep your eyes sharp; second, keep your mouth shut; third..."

What's the third sentence?

"I'll tell you the third sentence after you've followed along for a full month."

Ah Si followed behind him, taking two steps and glancing back at the guild hall's plaque before turning back to keep up.

Su Wan returned in the afternoon.

She squatted at the entrance of the Jingzhao Prefecture for half an hour, then circled around the alley where the old cat lived. When she entered, a thin layer of dust settled on her shoulders.

"What he said is true," she said, standing in front of Li Ping. "His criminal record is in the archives of the Jingzhao Prefecture. He's been a constable for twenty years and has never embezzled a large sum of money. The number of people he's arrested could fill a cell. His leg has an old injury, and people say it was caused by Qinglang's men. The case has been shelved for eleven years without anyone asking about it."

"You already believed it?"

"I only believe you halfway," Li Ping said, pushing a cup of tea towards her. "The other half, we'll talk about when you get back."

Su Wan picked up her tea but didn't drink it. She glanced at him and said, "Next time, you can send someone else. I'm not a constable."

"No one else can count the numbers he counted," Li Ping said. "You can."

Three days later, Old Cat handed over a list.

A yellowed piece of paper bore twenty-seven names, none of them duplicated. Some read "Waitress at the East Teahouse," others "Old Bai, the Boat Keeper at the Dock," and still others "Third Aunt, the Night Sower at the Red-Roof Street." Each name was followed by a line of smaller print: What can she hear, what is she willing to say, and what should she be wary of?

Li Ping read the list from beginning to end, and after finishing, he put it down.

"Old cat," he said, "you're not a cat, you're an old fox, the kind that's become a demon."

"Foxes live long," the old cat said, putting the list back into his arms. "My lord, the ears in the south of the city are ready."

He had barely finished speaking when a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the door.