Lin Taiping said, "But just like us, she only knows that this person is hiding somewhere in the city. She doesn′t know exactly where or what identity he's using as a cover. She wants revenge, but she can′t find him, so..."

  Guo Dalu suddenly found him less amusing than before. With a flip, he nded on his feet and asked, "So what?"

  Lin Taiping continued, "So she came up with a way to have others find him for her."

  Guo Dalu said, "She must have known that the best trackers in the world are Gun Zi and Jin Shi."

  Lin Taiping nodded. "She also knew they were nearby, so she first found a way to tip them off, letting them know that this infamous thief was hiding in the city."

  Guo Dalu added, "Then she came into the city herself and committed seventeen or eighteen unsolved crimes in a single night, deliberately imitating the thief′s methods so that and the Jin Shi would believe he was responsible."

  Lin Taiping said, "But that′s not even the most important part."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Then what is?"

  Lin Taiping expined, "By doing this, Gun Zi and Jin Shi could be certain that the thief was indeed in the city. Only then would they take the search seriously.

  People of their status wouldn′t put in effort based on mere rumors."

  Guo Dalu said, "But she still had a problem."

  Lin Taiping nodded. "Her problem was that she couldn′t get rid of the stolen goods immediately, nor could she transport them out of the city, because she knew Gun Zi and Jin Shi were already here."

  Guo Dalu agreed, "Exactly. These things are not only eye-catching but also too hot to handle. Even hiding them would be difficult."

  Lin Taiping said, "Not just difficult—it would take a lot of effort. So..."

  Guo Dalu forced a smile. "So she needed someone to hide the goods for her. But why, out of everyone, did she choose me?"

  Lin Taiping replied, "She knew you lived here. She also knew that this pce is so desote that even ghosts wouldn′t want to come. " There's no point in hiding stolen goods here; it's...."

  Guo Dalu finished, "Like hiding wine in my belly—safe and secure."

  Wang Dong suddenly spoke up, "That′s not even the most important reason."

  Guo Dalu said, "Oh?"

  Wang Dong replied, "The most important reason is that the person she chooses for this job must be someone careless, someone who befriends every stray cat and dog he sees—a complete fool."

  Wang Dong rarely moved and seldom spoke.

  When he did speak, his words were usually final conclusions.

  But this time, the one to draw the conclusion wasn′t Wang Dong—it was Guo Dalu himself.

  Guo Dalu sighed and gave a bitter smile. "Befriending every cat and dog is one thing, but not being able to move a step when seeing a beautiful woman—now that′s being a first-css idiot."

  Lin Taiping frowned. "Who are you talking about?"

  Guo Dalu pointed at his nose. "I′m talking about myself."

  In truth, Guo Dalu wasn′t actually clueless—he simply couldn′t be bothered to think too deeply about things. But when he did, he understood better than anyone.

  Lin Taiping suddenly said, "You made another mistake."

  Guo Dalu sighed. "Guo Dalu making a mistake is nothing unusual. Me doing something right—now that would be news."

  Lin Taiping said, "You shouldn′t have used that gold ingot to pay the bill just now."

  Guo Dalu replied, "If I hadn′t used that gold ingot, should I have paid with my fingers instead? Don′t forget, you drank just as much as I did."

  Lin Taiping said, "If Gun Zi and Jin Shi hear that we paid with gold, they′ll definitely wonder where a ragtag of broke drifters like us got it. And when that happens, trouble will come knocking."

  Guo Dalu said, “How about I tell you a few things too?”

  Lin Taiping replied, “Go ahead.”

  Guo Dalu said, “First, Gun Zi and Jin Shi wouldn′t know anything about this because Lao Mai is not the kind of person who talks too much.”

  Lin Taiping nodded. “If there′s a first, then there must be a second.”

  Guo Dalu continued, “Second, it′s not exactly shocking news that Mr. Guo happens to have a few gold ingots on him. There′s no need to make a big fuss about it. Besides, that gold ingot doesn′t even have a single identifying mark—I already checked. If anyone dares to accuse me of stealing it, I′ll sp them across the face first.”

  Lin Taiping asked, “Is there more?”

  Guo Dalu said, “Yes. Everyone needs to eat, and if we want to eat, we have no choice but to use that gold ingot to pay.”

  At that moment, another voice chimed in, “That′s the most important part. The person Suan Meitang is looking for isn′t just some lecherous fool—he has to be a completely broke, starving lecherous fool.”

  That was the conclusion.

  And this time, it wasn′t Wang Dong who drew the conclusion—it was Yan Qi.

  Yan Qi′s appearances were always as unpredictable as his disappearances.

  Guo Dalu shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Regardless of who you talk to, you seem pretty normal. I just don′t understand why you always single me out for insults.”

  Yan Qi chuckled. “If you weren′t my friend, you wouldn′t even have the chance to be insulted by me.”

  Guo Dalu asked, “Wang Dong is your friend too. Why don′t you insult him?”

  Wang Dong ughed. "You′ve already said everything there is to insult me with—what′s the point of anyone else even trying?"

  Guo Dalu ughed as well. He walked over and patted Yan Qi on the shoulder. "Where did you sneak off to this time?"

  Yan Qi replied, "I just went for a walk."

  He seemed uncomfortable with people touching him. Every time Guo Dalu made contact, he reacted as if he wasn′t used to it. Perhaps that was because, aside from Guo Dalu, hardly anyone ever touched him.

  Just the sight of his clothes was enough to make most people gag up their dinner from the night before.

  Guo Dalu asked, "Where did you go walking?"

  Yan Qi answered, "Down the mountain. Into the city."