The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

Su Zinong went to find Qin Xiangxue because he didn't know who else to turn to.

I don't want to go see Huang Chenghe for the time being, because I can't be a burden to him any longer.

Xiangyang City seemed a bit quieter and colder than the last time I came. I don't know if it was because of the weather or a change in my mood.

Su Zinong wasn't very familiar with the other people in Qin Tianzhuang, so he didn't come to the manor immediately, but instead drank tea in the teahouse opposite the manor gate.

After a while, they saw the manor owner and an old man get into a carriage and drive away in a hurry.

Fifteen minutes later, Qin Xiangxue came out, looking around as if she was waiting for someone.

Su Zinong quickly walked over, smiled and said, "Miss Xiang Xue, it's been so long! I've missed you! I'm Su Zinong, I'm not dead, I'm not a ghost, don't be afraid!" After saying that, he slowly pulled off his human skin mask.

Qin Xiangxue was still taken aback and shrank back, but she didn't react like Huang Chenghe when he saw a ghost. She reached out and touched Su Zinong's face, touching his nose and chin, looking left and right to make sure he was human before exclaiming, "Huh? You're really not dead!" After saying that, she burst into tears of joy.

"Yes, you're lucky. Don't cry, lots of people are watching. They'll think I'm bullying you, Miss Qin, in broad daylight at the entrance of Qin Tian Manor!" Su Zinong tried to make her laugh.

"You still call it good luck? Being chased by so many high-level cultivators in black, having your true energy drained and your cultivation ruined, and then falling into an abyss. Is that what you call good luck?" Qin Xiangxue had stopped crying.

"If you were unlucky, you would have died long ago. What are you doing looking around at the entrance of the village?" Su Zinong asked curiously.

"Oh, something happened at Grandpa Lin's house. My grandfather and father just rushed over. I wanted to go with them, so I put on makeup and changed my clothes, but they left me behind. I'm waiting for another carriage!" Qin Xiangxue said as the carriage arrived. Without saying a word, she pulled Su Zinong into the carriage, and they went together.

On the carriage, Su Zinong briefly recounted his experiences over the past few months, which were truly dramatic and captivating, drawing Qin Xiangxue into his story.

"It seems I really need to go out and explore the world more. Although it's extremely dangerous and exciting, it's a rare and wonderful experience for cultivators!" Qin Xiangxue said with longing.

"You want to experience such a thrilling life? You're really taking your blessings for granted and you're even envying someone like me," Su Zinong couldn't help but sigh.

The carriage swayed gently, and the outside was filled with the noise of people.

“Yes, everyone yearns for what they lack. After these next couple of days, I’ll discuss with my father about letting me go out and gain experience for a year or two!” Qin Xiangxue clenched her fist and nodded, as if approving of her own idea.

The carriage stopped in front of a courtyard that wasn't very large. Though small, it was exquisitely decorated, even extravagant. It had pavilions, terraces, towers, and ponds—everything one could imagine. The furniture was also meticulously crafted, clearly the work of a master. It was obvious the owner of the house didn't particularly like large courtyards, yet was incredibly wealthy.

"What happened here?" Su Zinongyao looked around with interest.

“It’s an important item that was stolen,” Qin Xiaoxue said. “I heard from Huang Chenghe that you are extremely intelligent, especially in handling these kinds of bizarre cases, so I asked you to come and help me think of something.”

Qin Xiangxue smiled slightly, her face as radiant as a spring flower, radiating a sense of joy at having dragged someone down with her.

"No way, last time Huang Chenghe dragged me to investigate that locked-room murder case, and we were chased and our cultivation was ruined. Now he's investigating another case?" Su Zinong grinned, feeling like he'd been bitten by a snake once and was now afraid of ropes for ten years.

"Oh dear, this time is different, come in quickly!" Qin Xiangxue stopped in her tracks and pulled Su Zinong into the hall with great effort.

A man in his thirties dressed in white was seen untying a knot in a rope that was binding a servant's hands from behind.

The servant's hands were tied behind his back with a peculiar knot. There was another maid next to him, supposedly a husband and wife, both of whom were handymen and servants in the house.

"Grandpa Lin, Grandpa, Father, how is it?" Qin Xiangxue shook her father's arm.

"The two servants were tied up in the hall, their hands and feet bound. The gold, silver, jewels, and banknotes in the house were fine, but more than thirty of my Heavenly Spirit Stones were missing!" Grandpa Lin said with great distress, clearly cherishing the Heavenly Spirit Stones.

Grandpa Lin looked to be about sixty years old. He wasn't very tall, but rather thin, with bright, piercing eyes, suggesting he possessed considerable spiritual cultivation.

“There were no signs of a struggle at the scene. According to the two servants, a masked man in black suddenly broke in, held a sword to the male servant’s throat, and then tied them both up. The thief seemed to have known where the spirit stones were hidden beforehand, and went straight there to take them and leave. It’s been two hours since he left, so it seems impossible to catch him,” said the white-clad man who had rushed back with Grandpa Lin. The group was all at a loss, sighing deeply.

Su Zinong glanced at the two servants on the ground. Although the ropes had just been untied, they were still kneeling and did not stand up for a moment. Both of them had their heads down, as if they had done something wrong.

"Get up!" Grandpa Lin said, raising his hand. "This has nothing to do with the two of you."

Su Zinong had some ideas in mind, but he was reluctant to take action.

Qin Xiangxue grabbed his arm and said, "Quick, help me think of something! Grandpa Lin is my grandfather's best friend. If you don't help me with this, you don't consider me a friend!" Her words were threatening and oppressive.

"Sigh," Su Zinong shook his head, thinking that he had been dragged into this again. He slowly walked over, picked up the rope, examined it carefully, and smelled it closely.

"Grandpa Lin, may I ask you a few questions?" Su Zinong always combined observation with questioning, so as to obtain more information and verify whether his ideas were right or wrong.

"Sure, but have you found any clues?" Grandpa Lin said. "Young man, if you can help me find those thirty-odd Heavenly Spirit Stones, I'll give you half, how about that? I'm just furious that thief got something for nothing, I'd rather give it to him!"

"Grandpa Lin, this is my good friend Su Zinong. He's really good at solving cases. He's the one who discovered the method the murderer used to disguise the locked room in the Green Wave Manor murder case a while ago." Qin Xiangxue said, shaking her head and grinning, full of pride.

"Oh, it's Young Master Su, a pleasure to meet you!" Grandpa Lin clasped his hands in greeting.

Su Zinong returned the greeting and asked, "May I ask what you had for lunch? Were there any sour dishes?"

"Oh, yes... there's sauerkraut fish, mutton, and cabbage," Grandpa Lin replied, but he didn't understand why Su Zinong was asking about these trivial matters, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Are these two servants also cultivators?" Su Zinong then asked.

"I don't even know if those two can be considered cultivators. They have cultivated before, but one is only two-star and the other is only three-star. They've been with me for over ten years, and they're really a disgrace! I only criticized them at lunchtime today." Grandpa Lin said, waving his right hand with anger on his face, clearly disappointed in them.

“Those are people who trust him a lot, that’s why they’re so angry and resentful that he’s not good enough, right?” Su Zinong said tentatively, glancing at the two servants again.

"Yes, they've been with me for twelve years. I've always treated them like family and trusted them completely. Everything else is fine, except they don't cultivate very diligently. I was originally planning to give each of them a few Heavenly Spirit Stones to speed things up after they both advance another star level. But now, they've been stolen, and I can't give them any more. Sigh!" Grandpa Lin said with a sigh.

Su Zinong smiled gently and said, "Grandpa Lin, you don't need to sigh. Although I'm not entirely sure, I roughly know where your treasure is..."