Reincarnation and Rebirth

It was him.

Although the newcomer was wearing a black mask, obscuring his face, Su Wan'er recognized his eyes. So, it was an old acquaintance, Zi Xinghe. Tsk tsk, if it weren't for her helping Zi Xingchen in her past life, the throne would most likely have fallen into Zi Xinghe's hands.

However, what Su Wan'er couldn't understand was why Zi Xinghe would have any connection with Black Tiger Stronghold. If she wasn't mistaken, there must be spies from Zi Yan Kingdom in Black Tiger Stronghold. Could it be that he had been colluding with Zi Yan Kingdom all along?

But that doesn't make sense either. In his previous life, the emperor was killed and the royal family fled in panic. Zi Xinghe didn't directly take over and become king. Does that mean he has no connection with the Zi Yan Kingdom?

Before Su Wan'er could figure it out, the head of the gang rang out in a cheerful voice, "Oh, Young Master Shangguan, what an honor to have you here! We are so sorry for not welcoming you sooner." With that, he offered up the main seat.

Zi Xinghe sat down without any hesitation. "Boss, I heard you've been having trouble with your work, so I had no choice but to come and see for myself."

"Young master, it was our men who failed in their duties. But don't worry, the magistrate of Sunset City has received a lot of benefits from us. Now, Sunset City is in our hands. No one in the city can escape. I don't think that Zhu fellow could possibly move the things out."

"Well, but this young master doesn't have much patience."

"Yes, yes, Young Master Shangguan, please rest assured, I will immediately send everyone down the mountain to search for the whereabouts of the Zhu family grandfather and grandson. You must be tired from traveling all night, so I will have someone prepare fine wine and delicacies for you to rest."

"No need. I shouldn't stay any longer. I just happened to be passing by. Boss, have you found the other items I asked you to find?"

The leader glanced at the people in the council hall. Su Yang understood, gave the masked man a deep look, and led everyone away.

"Young master, rest assured, I have found the iron mine you asked me to find. It is in Bayi Mountain, in a mountain valley about 30 miles from the village. Moreover, young master, rest assured, it is located deep in the mountains, in a no-man's-land. I have ordered my trusted men to guard the mountain, and you can send people to take over at any time."

Iron ore? It seems Zi Xinghe is truly plotting a rebellion.

If she remembered correctly, the current crown prince was still Zi Xingchen, and the Zi Yun Kingdom controlled ironware, with all iron mines in the hands of the powerful. Su Wan'er didn't believe that Zi Xinghe had found an iron mine on his own, as he was trying to curry favor with the emperor. The only possibility was that he was plotting a rebellion.

The reason he hesitated to act in his previous life was probably because of the limitations on his weaponry.

Iron ore, right? I wonder if the space can store mines.

Little White seemed to understand its master's meaning and said with a grin, "There are many mines in the space, but we can't see them yet because we haven't upgraded. Master, the purity of iron ore outside is nowhere near as good as that in the space."

"Is it a matter of good or bad? If Zi Xinghe succeeds and really seizes the throne, do you think I can still complete my mission?"

Xiao Bai nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, I can put it in that corner over there, I'll go tidy it up right away."

Haha, this guy is even more worried about not being able to complete the task than I am.

Su Wan'er had no interest in listening any longer; if they delayed any longer, it would be dawn.

The village wasn't big, and she searched through each house one by one until she finally found the place where the grain was stored. When she opened it, good heavens, there were at least 100,000 jin of grain, filling several granaries to the brim.

She deftly teleported into the granary through the crack in the door, and the guards at the door were completely unaware. Su Wan'er had already silently emptied the entire granary.

"Master, if they take everything away, won't they come down the mountain again to rob the people?"

"Don't worry, they'll only rob the rich. How much food do ordinary people have left? But you've reminded me that not all rich people are bad. I need to investigate. Those good families shouldn't be affected."

After looting the grain, Su Wan'er continued her search, only to discover that Black Tiger Stronghold had no place to hide treasure.

"That's impossible. These bandits usually rob and commit all sorts of evil deeds. How could they not have gold and silver?"

Thinking of this, Su Wan'er's eyes lit up. She threw in a few bags of hay and set the granary on fire, which would also cover up the fact that the grain had disappeared into thin air.

The guards at the gate were already dozing off, but when the flames shot into the sky, they were suddenly awakened and scared out of their wits.

"Fire! Fire!"

Shouts erupted throughout the village. Some rushed to fetch water, while others frantically searched for the chief to ask for the granary to be opened so they could rescue the villagers. In short, chaos reigned.

When the granary door was opened, everyone was shocked. "How could this be?"

The head of the gang, his eyes bloodshot, yelled, "Quickly, put out the fire..."

The third leader squeezed in and, seeing the scene, his expression immediately changed. "Boss, this... this doesn't look like a misfire."

The chieftain's face darkened. "It seems an uninvited guest has arrived at the village."

"That, that place..."

Upon hearing this, the leader's expression changed drastically. "Let's go."

When Zi Xinghe arrived later and saw this situation, he also sensed that things were not going well. He knew that his secret meeting with the bandits must not be exposed, so he left quickly with a few of his men without saying goodbye.

Su Wan'er narrowed her eyes and followed the chief through a maze of twists and turns until they reached a mountain hollow. There, they parted a thicket of bushes and found a stone door.

Su Wan'er was so excited; it seemed there must be good stuff behind the door.

Sure enough, when the stone door opened, Su Wan'er was almost blinded by the light.

The leader's expression softened, and the third leader also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seal off all exits and make sure the thieves are caught."

Pressing the mechanism, the stone door closed again. The chief leader was still worried, so he left two trusted men to patrol the area.

However, after the leader left, the two men suddenly felt a sharp pain in their necks. Just as they were about to send a signal, they collapsed to the ground and couldn't get up.

When Su Wan'er returned to Suhe Village, the sky was already showing the first light of dawn.

"Master, come inside quickly, they're about to wake up."

"Xiao Bai, has Old Man Su returned?"

Xiao Bai leaped up and stood on the windowsill to look inside. "Not yet."

"Could he have died on the mountain? What a sin, what a sin."

Su Wan'er muttered to herself as she returned to her room. Seeing that her younger siblings were still sleeping soundly, she flashed into her spatial dimension to check tonight's spoils. Not bad, not bad, she was becoming more and more talented at being a master thief. She would go and collect those iron ores another day. She really wanted to see Zi Xinghe's furious face.

"Xiaobai, can you follow the scent to find the iron ore they're talking about?"

Xiao Bai rolled its eyes inelegantly. Its master really thought it was a hunting dog. "Master, there's no need for that. When we get to the mountain, I'll just catch a wild animal and ask it. That'll tell us the exact location."

"Wow, Xiaobai, you're amazing! Come on, I'll make you a roast chicken right now."

"Master is the best."

Using the difference in space and time, the two of them, one human and one beast, ate and drank their fill before Su Wan'er returned to the kang (heated brick bed).

At that moment, there was already some commotion in the courtyard. It seemed that Madam Chen and the others had gotten up and were preparing to sell the perfume. Su Wan'er smiled and thought, "There's going to be some more excitement."