The two men had originally planned to rest by the roadside for the night and continue their journey in the morning.

However, they were suddenly startled when a dark shadow swiftly passed by them, leaving them frozen in place, too scared to move for a long time.

“B-B-Big brother… d-did you see that just now?”

The other man trembled as he grabbed his companion. “I saw it… but I couldn’t see clearly. Could it be… a ghost?”

“It must be… a… a ghost…”

Both of them had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the shadow, but they couldn’t make out what it was.

Terrified, they bolted forward, running straight toward the main road, not daring to take shortcuts through side paths anymore. “Oh, Mother, that was terrifying!”

Shen Qingwan, who had been traveling without turning on her lantern, did indeed appear quite eerie in the dead of night.

Fortunately, those two men were the only people she encountered on her journey.

Shen Qingwan had developed a routine: traveling at night and resting in the city during the day.

When she had extra time, she would also purchase supplies and store them away for emergencies.

She never turned down food—whether it was chicken, duck, fish, or vegetables, she bought as much as she could.

She had the goods delivered to the temporary courtyard she rented before quietly stashing everything away.

By the time she arrived in Qing’an Prefecture, Shen Qingwan was reminded of how she had once saved Second Master Bai here.

She also recalled the corrupt magistrate who had colluded with bandits to raid the city.

Since she was already here, she had no intention of letting the magistrate off the hook—or the bandits who had plundered the city.

Shen Qingwan didn’t care who they were affiliated with. Since all their wealth had been stolen through unjust means, she had no qualms about taking it back.

In fact, she loved turning the tables on corrupt individuals.

She wondered just how much wealth that magistrate had accumulated by now.

Would he hoard money faster than she could steal it?

This time, Shen Qingwan didn’t wait for nightfall. In broad daylight, she sneaked into the magistrate’s office. It seemed that after his treasury had been looted last time, the magistrate had become more cautious—there was nothing left in the storage room.

He must have moved his wealth elsewhere.

Just as Shen Qingwan was wondering where the money was hidden, she noticed a woman in a peach-colored dress carefully carrying a red brocade box into a room.

Shen Qingwan followed her, quietly removing a tile from the roof to peek inside.

She watched as the woman opened a bookshelf, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.

The woman entered the secret room with the brocade box, and when she emerged moments later, the box was gone—clearly, she had stored it inside.

After the woman locked the room and walked away, Shen Qingwan swiftly climbed down and entered the study. Following the woman’s actions, she turned a vase on the bookshelf. With a soft creak, the bookshelf moved aside.

The study was lined with bookshelves, with only a few decorative vases placed here and there. Yet, among them, only one was the real mechanism.

Shen Qingwan had to admit—ancient people were truly ingenious to design such intricate traps.

Descending into the secret chamber, she was met with the sight of over a dozen large chests, along with shelves displaying valuable antiques and calligraphy scrolls.

The chests were packed with gold and silver ingots, as well as jewelry and precious gemstones. Shen Qingwan wasted no time inspecting them—she simply swept everything into her storage space before quickly exiting the study.

She had to admit—the Qing’an Prefecture magistrate’s greed was astounding. How long had it been since her last heist?

And already, he had amassed another fortune. A fat sheep indeed. Perhaps she should let him gather more wealth before visiting again.

After leaving the magistrate’s office, Shen Qingwan decided to track down the bandits. She expected it would take some time, as bandits were usually elusive.

However, as soon as she sat down in an inn, she overheard a nearby conversation about them.

“The bandits from Qingfeng Mountain raided a nearby town again yesterday. I heard they didn’t just take valuables this time—they even kidnapped women! The young women and newlywed wives from the villages were all taken away. Once they’re in the bandit’s den, there’s no hope of returning…”

“Those scoundrels! When they looted Qing’an Prefecture, they slaughtered so many people. Our city still hasn’t recovered, and most of the merchants have fled. They never came back.”

“That’s right! Even the major grain merchants refuse to come here. It’s all because of that damn magistrate. He’s extorted the businesses and wealthy families so many times that no one dares trade here anymore. That’s why food prices are so high!”

“Shhh! Keep your voice down! If someone hears us, we’re done for.”

The two men lowered their voices, but Shen Qingwan had already heard enough. She paid for her meal and left the inn.

Qingfeng Mountain—she knew where that was.

There weren’t many mountains near Qing’an Prefecture, and Qingfeng was the largest. So, the bandits had set up their base there?

Shen Qingwan made her way toward the city gates, managing to leave before they closed for the night. Her ultimate destination was the northwest, and Qingfeng Mountain happened to be along the way.

From Qing’an Prefecture, heading south would lead back to Youzhou. Heading west would take her to Bozhou, and beyond that lay the northwest military base.

Traveling west from Qing’an, she would pass through three cities before reaching Bozhou.

Under the cover of night, Shen Qingwan ascended Qingfeng Mountain, unaware that back in the magistrate’s office, Magistrate Cao Chengguang had fainted upon discovering his secret treasury had been robbed again.

Once might have been a coincidence. But twice? His entire fortune vanishing into thin air?

He couldn’t help but suspect he had angered some divine force.

After suffering through two consecutive heists, Cao Chengguang started burning incense and praying fervently.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he ordered monks from the temple to perform rituals. He even built a Buddhist shrine within his office and spent his days praying, afraid to continue his greedy exploits.

Though he didn’t become a good person overnight, he certainly restrained himself.

Meanwhile, at Qingfeng Mountain, Shen Qingwan had already infiltrated the bandits’ stronghold. Compared to the notorious Blackwind Stronghold, Qingfeng’s camp looked far from an ordinary bandit lair.

The heavily guarded entrance, the multiple layers of patrols—everything felt off.

More importantly, the men stationed there didn’t resemble common bandits at all. Regular bandits were usually ragged and ugly, like the ones from Blackwind Stronghold.

But these men? They were well-built, disciplined, and looked more like trained soldiers.

Not only that, but there was a massive training ground inside the stronghold.

Shen Qingwan began to suspect—could these “bandits” actually be a secret army raised by some unknown faction?

Regardless of who they were, she had already made up her mind—she would not let them off the hook. After all, their wealth and supplies were obtained through robbery.

Earlier, on her way up the mountain, she had encountered a rocky area and stored a pile of stones in her space. Now, she planned to give these “bandits” a taste of divine retribution—a rain of boulders from the sky.

Let’s see how they handle an act of the heavens!