Even the wisest person will make a mistake, and even the most foolish person will gain so

Song Jiang had been waiting for these words. After the old man finished speaking, Song Jiang bowed to him and said, "Thank you, sir." He already had a plan in mind: since the old man said the thief wasn't from Qinghe, then he definitely wasn't from Qinghe!

Qinghe County wasn't a large county town, and the thief wouldn't have come here for no reason. It was highly likely he was connected to the treasure thief. As the saying goes, "You can search high and low without finding it, but then it comes to you effortlessly." This clue had just been delivered to their doorstep! Song Jiang was about to return to the inn to discuss with the others how to deal with the thief when Wu Da called out to him, "Master Song, I'll go back with you." His concern was palpable!

Seeing that Wu Da still had half a tray of steamed buns left to sell, Song Jiang said, "Brother, you haven't sold all your steamed buns yet. Wouldn't it be a delay to go with me like this?"

Wu Da shook his head and said seriously, "Chief Zhu hasn't returned yet, and you've been targeted by thieves. You're all alone with you, and I'm really worried about you."

Although Song Jiang felt that Wu Da's worries were somewhat unnecessary, he could also sense that Wu Da genuinely cared about him. Seeing Wu Da's serious expression, he couldn't bear to refuse Wu Da's good intentions. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Brother, why don't you sell the steamed buns first? I see there's a tea stall ahead; I'll wait for you there."

In reality, what money could half a steamer of pancakes be worth? It's just that this is Wu Da's own business, and Wu Da is a self-reliant person. Many times, he wouldn't go home if he didn't sell all the pancakes.

In Song Jiang's opinion, money can indeed solve many problems, but respect cannot be bought with money. Song Jiang respects Wu Da. Although Wu Da is short in stature, he has great ideals in his heart. He lives in this world with dignity, which is much better than many idle scoundrels. Therefore, Song Jiang does not want to disturb Wu Da or violate his principles.

Just then, Wu Song rushed over in a flurry. Seeing Wu Song's hurried appearance, Wu Da scolded him, "Second Brother, you're always rushing around. What if you bump into someone?"

Wu Song, without answering Wu Da, anxiously asked Song Jiang, "Brother, I heard your purse was stolen?"

Song Jiang asked in surprise, "How did you find out, Erlang?" Did the news spread that fast? Song Jiang was actually quite curious!

Wu Song let out a long sigh and said, "I first ran into Zhu Dutou at the street corner. He was chasing that guy. I wanted to go with him, but he said that my brother was all alone, so I rushed over immediately."

Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, some buying cakes and others watching the spectacle, Song Jiang said to Wu Song, "Let's go to the tea stall and chat."

Wu Da hurriedly took out a string of coins and placed it in Wu Song's hand, saying, "Master Song's money has been stolen, so you'll have to pay for his food and drink."

Wu Song put the money in his pocket, grabbed a few steamed buns, and then pulled Song Jiang to the tea stall.

Upon arriving at the tea stall, Wu Song first drank a large bowl of cold water, then sat down and asked the tea server to serve him two bowls of tea and a few plates of snacks.

She took a bite of the steamed bun before speaking, "Brother, Chief Zhu was worried about you and sent me here immediately. What happened just now?"

Song Jiang recounted everything that had just happened. After finishing his pancake, Wu Song said, "When Zhu Dutou returns, I'll go look for that little thief. I'm quite familiar with Qinghe County, but you can't be without someone by your side. When Mi Sheng and Bian Xiang return, they can ask if you'll stay with them, or Yang Zhishi can stay with you too."

What they feared was that the thief, ostensibly stealing Song Jiang's money pouch, was actually using a diversionary tactic to lure away Song Jiang's skilled guards and then directly attack him. Therefore, they decided that no matter what, someone had to be by Song Jiang's side to protect him.

Song Jiang nodded and began to ponder. Seeing Song Jiang deep in thought, Wu Song didn't disturb him. He was a little hungry and began to focus on eating the steamed buns. Of course, he was still very confident in his skills. With him around, it was not certain that anyone in Qinghe could get close to Song Jiang.

Song Jiang had a habit of carrying a lot of money when he went out, after all, his reputation as the Timely Rain came from his generosity. However, Song Jiang also knew the principle of not putting all his eggs in one basket, so in addition to keeping some money on himself, Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, Hao Siwen and Jiao Ting also carried some, and some was distributed to Yang Zhi. Except for Gongsun Sheng, who did not carry any money, the money was distributed equally, so the loss when the money bag was stolen was not that great!

The purse contained about twenty taels of gold and fifty taels of silver. Although it was a considerable amount, Song Jiang didn't care too much. He also had a few taels of loose silver on him, which was enough for his expenses. What he was concerned about was that if he were to be targeted in Qinghe County, things would become much more complicated. If the thief came prepared, the imperial treasure would most likely be lost. At the same time, he was also a little scared. If the thief took the opportunity to stab him, he would probably die on the spot in Qinghe County. How could he then talk about conquering the world? Thinking of this, he felt that no matter what, he had to improve his skills. Of course, he also couldn't let any more people with ulterior motives get close to him.

While watching Wu Song eat and drink, Song Jiang remained vigilant, keeping a close watch on his surroundings. If anyone were to approach Song Jiang, Wu Song would likely capture them on the spot!

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Song Jiang's mind. He remembered that yesterday, he and Wu Song had been at the restaurant together, and he had helped Wu Song resolve a fight. At that time, there was a skinny man in the crowd staring at him. He had glanced at the man, but he hadn't paid much attention to him because he was so happy to have met Wu Song. No wonder, the man was indeed too inconspicuous; he was just an ordinary face in the crowd and unlikely to attract attention. He hadn't expected that he had been so overconfident.

The thief who stole the money bag today was one of the onlookers at the restaurant yesterday. Song Jiang then thought of something he couldn't remember at the Qinghe County government office, but now he remembered it. When they were checking the household registration, he thought that the thief was probably short and ordinary-looking, giving the impression that he would be inconspicuous on the street!

I happened to see that person at the restaurant yesterday—the same person who stole my purse—but I was too flustered to remember it at the time. So I feel like there's something in my mind, but I can't quite recall it.

The thief was clearly after him, but Song Jiang didn't know whether it was because he had flaunted his wealth in the restaurant and the thief had his eye on him, or because of the theft. The thief was giving him a warning not to act rashly.

However, after careful consideration, Song Jiang felt that the thief was probably not the one who stole the treasure. Yu Zhixiong also said that this person was not from Qinghe County, but the one who stole the treasure was from Qinghe County. Song Jiang was certain of this, but the two should have some relationship, but he did not know what the relationship was for the time being!

After a while, Zhu Tong returned. Seeing Song Jiang and Wu Song sitting at the tea stall, he picked up a bowl of tea, drank it all in one gulp, sat down, and said, "I'm ashamed to say that I didn't catch the thief." Clearly, Zhu Tong had run a long way but hadn't caught up with the man. It seemed that the man's lightness skill was truly remarkable, even Zhu Tong, who dealt with thieves year-round, couldn't catch him.

Of course, the most important thing is that Zhu Tong was completely unaware that the thief was following Song Jiang. This is what made him feel most guilty. He thought to himself that he was the head of the cavalry in Yuncheng County, yet he made such a mistake as letting a thief get close to Song Jiang!

He declared resolutely, "Brother, I will definitely capture this man!"

Seeing Zhu Tong gulping down water, clearly having chased the thief with all his might, Song Jiang showed no sign of blaming Zhu Tong.

When he helped the thief, he held the man's hands with both of his own, and his purse was stolen without him noticing. He didn't even see the thief make a move or touch him. The thief's speed was astonishing. Even with Zhu Tong's eyesight and skills, he didn't see it clearly. He only noticed it when he felt the man's behavior was suspicious. This thief was truly a master thief.

That evening, everyone gathered at Wu Da's house. Several men were shocked to hear that Song Jiang had been robbed. Song Jiang smiled and waved his hand, asking, "That's nothing. How did it go for you brothers today?"

Bian Xiang spoke first about what happened today. He had been walking around the streets and alleys, asking about many people and things. He found that there weren't many petty thieves in Qinghe County. The few thieves that did exist were just low-class thieves who stole chickens and dogs. There were no big-time thieves who could scale walls or be famous for their thieving skills.

Mi Sheng added that the overall situation in Qinghe County was only so-so. Not many beggars and vagrants chose to come to Qinghe County. Instead, more people went to the neighboring Yanggu County. Some beggars were just beggars, and there was no one pretending to be a beggar to cover their tracks.

Hao Siwen and Jiao Ting also went outside the city but found nothing. This was mainly because the two were not familiar with Qinghe County and did not have any specific target, so they did not find anything else!

This was roughly in line with Song Jiang's estimation; it was unlikely that the person was concealing their identity, so they were most likely hiding somewhere.

That evening, the group finished their meal in low spirits and then returned to the inn.

The next day, in Song Jiang's room, Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, Zhu Tong, Yang Zhi, Hao Siwen, Jiao Ting, and Wu Song were all there. After discussing it, Song Jiang and Zhu Tong decided to go to the county government office, while the other six would be responsible for one direction each: east, west, south, or north. They could go outside the city to see if there was any news about the two thieves. In fact, Song Jiang had always felt that the two might be in contact.

Upon arriving at the county government office and hearing the whole story, the magistrate of Qinghe said jokingly, "I heard that Clerk Song's purse was stolen yesterday. I can help you get justice."

Although he admired Song Jiang to some extent, Song Jiang still felt a sense of satisfaction upon hearing that Song Jiang had suffered a setback and recalling his triumphant demeanor the day before.

Song Jiang didn't care about these words and said with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you, sir. I wonder if the matter of household registration has been clarified?"

The magistrate nodded and said, "Yesterday, the entire yamen was busy until dawn before we finally found out the number of 10,000 people. Fortunately, you gave us the scope, otherwise it would have been really difficult to handle in ten days or half a month."

Song Jiang bowed and said, "Thank you all so much. But when will the rest be selected?"

The magistrate shook his head and said, "There's no need for such formalities. Out of ten thousand people, sixty-two meet the criteria, and the remaining twenty thousand will be fine within two days. But I have another question. I wonder if Clerk Song can answer it?"

Song Jiang nodded.

The magistrate said, "According to your statement, although the thief speaks with a Qinghe County accent, he may have moved away from Qinghe County long ago. For example, many people from Qinghe County have moved to Yanggu County, or they may have left Qinghe County at a young age and moved to other places, and their household registration may have been transferred as well. Why are you so sure that this person is definitely in Qinghe County?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I have no confidence; I'm just here to try my luck."

The county magistrate was somewhat displeased: "You're treating your public office like a joke."

Song Jiang countered, "Then, in your opinion, sir, where should I search for it?"

The magistrate was speechless and didn't know how to respond.

Song Jiang continued, "Actually, I can't be 100% sure that the thief is here. But many things have an element of luck. As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. I am just a man, and the probability of finding this person in Qinghe County is undoubtedly higher."

The magistrate sighed and said, "What if you can't find the thief?"

Song Jiang said calmly, "I will never implicate you, sir." After saying that, he picked up the household registers of sixty-two people on the table and took his leave with Zhu Tong, leaving the county magistrate watching Song Jiang's back until he was far away.

On the way to the pancake stall at Wuda University, Song Jiang saw that Zhu Tong had something to ask, so he said directly, "We brothers can speak frankly with each other."

Zhu Tong hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Actually, my problem is the same as that of the magistrate of Qinghe County. If the thieves are not here, wouldn't we have made a wasted trip and wasted our time?"

Song Jiang picked up the household register, waved it, and laughed, "The thief may not be here, but his name is very likely on this register."

Zhu Tong was somewhat surprised by Song Jiang's confidence, and Song Jiang no longer concealed his thoughts.

"If this person is in Yanggu County or other surrounding counties, then after stealing the treasure from Jizhou Prefecture, there is no need for him to make a special trip to Yuncheng County, because Yuncheng County is not far from Yanggu County, and they can travel there on ordinary days."

His risky trip to Yuncheng County suggests he was meeting someone extremely important. If this person was so important, he would have visited them regularly anyway, making a special trip after the theft even less necessary. Besides alerting himself to the danger, this also increased the likelihood of exposing the important person's identity, undoubtedly endangering that person's life. After all, this incident could very well result in the execution of his entire family; wouldn't that person have just needlessly lost his life?

As for whether he had already moved to Yuncheng County, that was even more impossible. If he were in Yuncheng County, he would never have chosen to sneak back to Yuncheng that day. If he were seen by someone, he would be in danger!

Why am I so sure he's in Qinghe County? If someone has been away from their hometown for a long time, their accent will inevitably pick up some other regional accents. On the night of the theft, some of the pursuers were from Qinghe County, and I can be sure he spoke with a pure Qinghe County accent, without any other regional accents. Therefore, I suspect there's a high probability he's in Qinghe County. Of course, I can't rule out the possibility that he left a long time ago, but we currently have no target to pursue. And the root of everything seems to lie in Qinghe County, so I think Qinghe County might be the key clue, or even the whole story, in this loss of treasure.”

Zhu Tong didn't say anything more, and the two walked on in silence.

At a dilapidated temple not far from Qinghe County, a short young man took out twenty taels of gold from his money bag and placed it on a broken incense table.

There was another equally short young man in front of the incense altar. Seeing the twenty taels of gold, he sneered, "It must have been stolen again."

The first young man sighed, said nothing, shook his head, and prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, the gold was thrown over, and the first young man caught it and looked at the second young man in surprise.