A certain man in the west of the city had an overwhelming tendency for petty theft. His wife pleaded with him incessantly until, finally, he had a genuine awakening and resolved to turn over a new leaf completely. Two or three years after he went straight, however, his family’s poverty became unbearable. He thought to himself, "Just one more heist, enough to get started, and then I’ll never look back." With that thought, he went to consult a diviner. The diviner cast lots and declared, "Southeast is extremely auspicious, favorable for petty men, but not for gentlemen."

The man was overjoyed and immediately set off southward, traveling through Suzhou and Songjiang, spending his days wandering around, seeking an opportunity. Several months later, he happened to pass by a temple. In a corner of the wall, he noticed two or three pebbles arranged quite neatly. Knowing this was a sign, the man paused for a moment, picked up a pebble himself, and placed it by the wall. Then, he slipped behind a Buddha niche to watch what would happen.

Toward dusk, more than ten hardened bandits arrived at the temple, each carrying weapons, and gathered to discuss something, clearly preparing for some mischief. One of the bandits counted the pebbles and discovered an extra one. He alerted his companions, and they searched everywhere, quickly dragging the hidden man out.

One of them asked, "Were you the one who tossed the stone?" The man nodded. The bandit grunted, then inquired closely about his name and origins. The man casually fabricated a lie and passed the scrutiny. Suspecting nothing, the bandit handed him a weapon and said, "We're off to raid a rich household. You might as well come along."

The group set out and arrived at a wealthy man's residence. The bandits ordered the man to wait outside to keep watch. They promptly produced grappling hooks and ropes, scaling the wall to enter the inner chambers.

Not long after, a bundle and a wooden chest were tossed over the wall. The chest felt heavy in his hands, clearly containing treasures. The man drew the weapon he was given, smashed open the chest, retrieved the gold, silver, jewelry, and other valuables one by one, wrapped them securely in his clothing, and swiftly fled, heading north by the quickest route.

From that day on, the man became instantly wealthy, building mansions and buying fields, living without worry. Later, the bandits were caught when their operation was exposed, and all were locked away in prison. Only the man escaped justice because he had used an assumed name, making him untraceable, and thus he lived out his days free.