The Fog Finally Disperses; There Are Still People Behind the Scenes

Jiuwan said gratefully, "I still don't know your name. In the past, it was thanks to you that my family was able to get through those days by sending money home."

The man's face showed neither joy nor anger, sorrow nor happiness. He turned and slowly walked away, saying, "I have long forgotten my name. I was a blessed person, but I am no longer able to enjoy it. Just call me Wu Fu."

Three days later, early in the morning, the two arrived at the agreed place. Wu Fu gave him a map, which detailed the defenses of the Jizhou government office, including visible sentries, hidden sentries, and patrols. The map also marked the room where the imperial treasure was kept, and told Jiu Wan that no one would be on duty in the room where the imperial treasure was kept that night, so he could just go there.

That evening, Jiuwan arrived at the Jizhou government office! The weather was also on his side; the clear sky, which had been filled with stars, suddenly turned into a torrential downpour, engulfing the entire Yuncheng in the storm!

Taking advantage of the heavy rain, Jiuwan leaped up and jumped into the Jeju government office!

He infiltrated the mansion, and everything went smoothly, which was also related to his superb skills. Of course, the prefect of Jeju did not expect that someone would actually dare to come to steal the treasure, especially on a rainy day, and the mansion was not heavily guarded.

After stealing the Eight Treasures Box and the luminous pearl, he hurriedly left in the heavy rain. However, he was discovered by the guards as soon as he left Jeju City. It turned out that although the guards had been reassigned, the room was checked every hour. Just now, someone went to check the treasures and found that they had already disappeared.

This was no small matter. The inspectors, disregarding the fact that it was already late at night, immediately woke up the prefect of Jizhou, who exclaimed in shock that the treasure had been lost!

Upon hearing this, the prefect of Jeju was no longer in the mood to sleep. He immediately summoned the garrison and constables to apprehend the thieves with all his might!

Having finally escaped the government troops and constables, Jiuwan prepared to return to Qinghe County immediately to rescue his mother and sister. However, before returning, he thought of his sister who was observing mourning. His sister had never enjoyed any happiness in her life. She had finally returned home, and as a married woman, she found that her husband was gone. If he went back now, he might never see his sister again in this life. Thinking of this, he still risked going to Yuncheng County. By this time, news of the stolen treasure had already spread throughout Jizhou, and there were people everywhere looking for him.

Jiuwan was indeed highly skilled and daring. When he arrived in Yuncheng, no one knew that he was the one who stole the treasure. He went to his sister's house, met his sister, and the two siblings talked for a long time. Jiuwan left some silver and then left Yuncheng!

But he unexpectedly ran into Tang Niu'er. Tang Niu'er was a man who always traveled around the streets and alleys. He knew most of the people in Yuncheng County or could name them. At first, he didn't pay attention to the stranger. But when he also learned about the lost treasure in Jizhou Prefecture, he immediately realized that the man was very likely the thief. Unfortunately, he didn't see the man's face. He only remembered that the man had a Qinghe County accent!

On his way back to Qinghe County, fearing that the man might break his promise, he hid the two treasures in a dense forest on his way back. He dared not go home and planned to rest for a day before immediately going to find the man.

Unexpectedly, Shi Qian came looking for him again. He didn't want Shi Qian to get involved, which led to the scene at the beginning.

Of course, Jiuwan walked all the way and kept hiding. Although Song Jiang set off a little later and was delayed in Yunmeng Mountain, he traveled by boat and horse and did not walk much. Therefore, he did not arrive in Qinghe County much later than Jiuwan!

In fact, Jiuwan was grateful to Shi Qian. Although this senior brother was somewhat unruly, he was truly devoted to her, always taking good care of her and showing great loyalty. However, sometimes he was too eager to prove himself. If he were to leave this world, his sisters and mother would probably still need Shi Qian's help to take care of them.

After hearing Jiu Wan's story, Shi Qian sighed and patted Qin Jiu on the back to comfort him. Jiu Wan smiled at Shi Qian without saying anything; the two truly had a deep bond.

After a while, Jiuwan said to Song Jiang, "Brother, those two treasures are really not on my person now. I only hope that you can save them. I am willing to offer up the treasures with both hands. As for my life, it is nothing. You can take it to report back at any time."

Song Jiang was determined to recruit Shi Qian and Jiu Wan. Regardless of their character, their ability to scale walls and leap over city walls as if walking on flat ground was something few people in the world possessed. Shi Qian had made many meritorious contributions behind enemy lines in the Water Margin, and now with the addition of Jiu Wan, who was of equal rank, they were indispensable for Song Jiang to establish his secret intelligence reporting team!

As for their character, although both of them were thieves, they had never committed murder or robbery, nor had they sold human flesh buns. Moreover, they were both very loyal and righteous, and Jiuwan was also very filial. As the saying goes, filial piety is the most important of all virtues, which was what Song Jiang valued most.

After a moment's hesitation, Song Jiang asked, "Who was the person who sent you to steal the jade plate?"

Jiuwan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I really didn't know. That person never revealed his identity from beginning to end."

Jiuwan didn't know the man's identity, and Song Jiang was also having a headache. He still had to find out the man's identity, and he really didn't know where the man's mother and sister were hidden!

"Brother, quite a few people are heading towards the ruined temple!" Bian Xiang suddenly exclaimed.

"The footsteps are hurried; I fear the visitors are up to no good!" Mi Sheng also spoke up!

Song Jiang nodded and looked at Shi Qian and the other man, saying, "You two hide for a while and don't show yourselves!"

Shi Qian nodded, and with a light step, he leaped into the air. His body was as light as a feather, and his feet left no trace on the snow. Before Song Jiang could even see him clearly, Shi Qian had already hidden on the roof beam!

Jiuwan was not to be outdone. As nimbly as a flying bird, he lightly touched the offering table with both feet, and the Buddha statue was instantly on the roof beam!

"What superb lightness skills! Brother, you truly have a discerning eye!" Hao Siwen praised sincerely. At least he did not possess such a smooth and flowing skill, but he admired Song Jiang even more for being able to recognize the abilities of these two men and wanting to recruit them for his own use, even if it meant going against the imperial court!

With a loud bang, the door of the dilapidated temple was kicked open, and a man in armor rushed into the temple, followed by about a hundred soldiers who surrounded the temple completely!

Song Jiang glanced at him casually, saw that the man was dressed like a soldier, and didn't care. He was just a clown!

The military advisor asked sternly, "Who are you people, and what are you doing here? Sneaking around like this, are you thieves?"

Song Jiang retorted, "And who are you, barking like this? Don't you know anything about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame?"

The man was furious and was about to draw his sword when Bian Xiang stood up and kicked the offering table, which shattered into pieces and fell to the ground!

The recruit suddenly realized that these people were not to be trifled with. Although he had a hundred soldiers, judging from their methods, he knew he would not come out on top if a conflict broke out. In particular, he did not know where these people came from. He was afraid of kicking a hornet's nest and ending up being the one who suffered!

He changed his tone and said politely, "I am Yun Lishou, a military advisor under Commander Wu! You gentlemen look unfamiliar and don't seem to be from Qinghe County. May I ask who you are and what brings you to Qinghe County?"

When Song Jiang heard him introduce himself, he understood that this Yun Lishou was one of Ximen Qing's ten sworn brothers, and that his older brother, Yun Canjiang, had accompanied Tong Guan on a distant expedition to Western Xia!

Unfortunately, he was too useless. He was originally a shop assistant in the Ximen family. Later, he became sworn brothers with Ximen Qing but only served as a hanger-on. Unfortunately, this man was greedy for money and lustful, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. His character was extremely problematic. Ximen Qing also looked down on Yun Lishou. However, for some reason, he became Wu Qianhu's military advisor, and his status was suddenly elevated.

Although Song Jiang wasn't afraid of him, he noticed the man's tone had become much more polite, so he replied calmly, "I am a clerk in Yuncheng County, and these gentlemen are my colleagues. They have come to Qinghe County on official business!"

Yun Lishou had other business to attend to, and he was always very pragmatic. He didn't want to clash with Song Jiang, so he laughed it off and said, "In that case, I also have official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!" After saying that, he waved his hand and left the dilapidated temple with a hundred soldiers!

After they had walked some distance, a lieutenant stepped forward and said, "Military Advisor Yun, why don't we capture them and send them to Commander Wu to be treated as bandits? We can earn some merit that way!"

Yun Lishou said with a gloomy face, "Although we have a hundred men, we may not be able to defeat them!" He knew very well that although the temple had been abandoned for many years, the offering table was made of the finest ironwood, which was extremely hard and would not be damaged by the passage of time!

But the big man's casual kick shattered the offering table into pieces. How could he not know that the big man was deliberately showing off his skills to tell him not to act rashly!

If it were just that big man alone, it wouldn't matter, but he had a feeling that everyone present was someone with extraordinary skills, so why should he ask for trouble?

Of course, Yun Lishou's prediction was not wrong. If a fight really broke out, would it be difficult for Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, Wu Song, and Hao Siwen to fight against a hundred people with weapons? Not difficult. Each of them could fight against twenty-five people. They might get injured, but it was really not a difficult task!

As for Jiao Ting, he should just protect Song Jiang to avoid distracting others!

After Yun Lishou left, Song Jiang looked at Heng Liang and smiled, "He's gone, come down now!"

Shi Qian took the lead and did a somersault, landing steadily on the ground, while Jiu Wan jumped down with an angry expression!

Seeing that he seemed a bit off, Song Jiang quickly asked, "Brother, what's troubling you?"

Jiuwan said angrily, "That person just now was the one who kidnapped my mother at my house that night!"

Song Jiang was stunned for a moment, then realized that the person from that night was actually Yun Lishou!

He shook his head, told the others to sit down, and lowered his head to think.

After a long pause, he raised his head and said, "This theft must be related to Commander Wu. Even if Yun Lishou had a thousand lives, he wouldn't dare to steal treasure from Jizhou Prefecture. There must be someone behind it all, and that person must be Commander Wu!"

However, Song Jiang still couldn't understand why Commander Wu would go to Jizhou Prefecture to steal treasure. Why would a fifth-rank commander like him do something so self-destructive? There was only one explanation: he had someone backing him. But who that person was, Song Jiang really had no clue!

However, there are two things Song Jiang is certain of. First, that person is not in Qinghe County. Otherwise, he would not have found Jiuwan so easily. He would have faced many difficulties and walked on thin ice at every step!

Secondly, the person behind Commander Wu should also be someone in the imperial court, but it's unknown who he is. However, he should be a high-ranking official. But if he is a high-ranking official, why would he be interested in Emperor Huizong's imperial seal and go to such lengths to obtain it? Song Jiang couldn't understand this!

Since you can't figure it out, then don't think about it anymore. Now that Commander Wu has surfaced, isn't there a perfect scapegoat? Of course, it's not really about scapegoating; this matter is related to him anyway. You could just say that Commander Wu deserves what he got!

Suddenly, Song Jiang exclaimed, "Something's wrong! Brother Jiuwan's sister is in danger!"

Jiuwan was shocked and quickly asked, "Brother, what do you mean?"

Song Jiang frowned and said, "Commander Wu is ruthless and will definitely send someone to Yuncheng County to kill your sister and eliminate any potential threats. Your sister may be in danger. Now, tell me your sister's address. Brother Bian Xiang, send one of your servants to Yuncheng to find Brother Jiuwan's sister. After finding her, go to Song Family Village and find my brother Song Qing to arrange for them to go directly to Liangshan. As for the rest, we'll talk about it later."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "There's an infantry captain named Lei Heng in Yuncheng County. If necessary, you can ask him for help!"

The next step was of utmost importance. Song Jiang said to Bian Xiang, "Brother Bian Xiang, could you send another brother to Yunmeng Village to gather all the brothers? We'll be busy from now on!"

Bian Xiang nodded and said, "I'll go right away!"

Jiuwan hurriedly told Bian Xiang his sister's name and some past events that only the three siblings knew!

Song Jiang took out fifty taels of silver and handed it to Bian Xiang, saying, "This is for the brothers' travel expenses!"

Bian Xiang nodded, took the silver, and quickly left the dilapidated temple. The matter was urgent and could not be delayed!

Seven people remained in the temple: Shi Qian, Jiu Wan, Song Jiang, Wu Song, Hao Siwen, Jiao Ting, and Mi Sheng.

Shi Qian hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother, I was blinded by greed yesterday. I saw that you had some money in the restaurant, and I couldn't resist."

Song Jiang laughed heartily and said, "It's alright, what is a little money compared to your skills?"

Shi Qian knelt and said, "I have about ten disciples. I wonder if you could take them in as well?"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "My Liangshan family welcomes talented people to realize their ambitions and ideals at any time."

Shi Qian stood up and said, "Then I will go and find them. We will meet here again in two days."

Song Jiang smiled and waved his hand. Shi Qian did a somersault, stepped on the Buddha statue, swayed, and then disappeared from sight.

Mi Sheng praised, "This brother's lightness skill is truly amazing." He wanted to say that it was unparalleled in the world, but when he saw that Jiu Wan was also beside him, he immediately took back the rest of his sentence!

Song Jiang sat on the ground with a solemn expression and said, "Time is of the essence. Next, we should discuss how to rescue them."

Wu Song suggested first, "If that doesn't work, let's just go directly to the county magistrate." This was very much in line with Wu Song's mentality: if he had something to report to the authorities, and they couldn't solve it, he would settle it with his fists!

Song Jiang shook his head: "Commander Wu has five hundred soldiers under his command. If the evidence wasn't conclusive, the magistrate probably wouldn't have turned against Commander Wu."

In fact, Song Jiang had another worry: that the county magistrate was also involved. If that were the case, he was afraid that he would not have any outside help. Of course, Song Jiang knew that this possibility was unlikely, but he had to prepare for the worst.