Shen Qingwan flipped the dagger in her hand and threw it at the scholar.

With a muffled thud, the scholar spat out a mouthful of blood and tumbled down from the second floor.

Clicking her tongue twice, Shen Qingwan said, “Shopkeeper, this man was killed by mountain bandits. Tomorrow, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of the corpse.”

As she spoke, she stepped forward, pulled out her dagger, and wiped it on the dead man’s body with a look of utter disgust, sending chills down the spines of those watching.

The shopkeeper quickly responded, “Of course, honored guest. Rest assured, I’ll take care of it.”

The onlookers, though envious of the treasures Shen Qingwan and her group had obtained, didn’t dare make a move.

They could only watch in silent admiration.

After settling the matter, Shen Qingwan went outside to call Bai Yong’an in.

She had climbed up to the second floor earlier, but Bai Yong’an was too big to scale the wall, so he had been waiting downstairs.

“Sister-in-law, who is this?”

Lu Wenguang asked upon seeing Shen Qingwan bring someone in.

“This is Uncle An,” Shen Qingwan explained. “I happened to save him while I was outside. He’s heading to Li City, and since we’re going the same way, I let him travel with us for now. Once we reach Li City, we’ll part ways.”

Hearing this, Lu Wenguang politely addressed Bai Yong’an as “Uncle An,” showing due respect.

Bai Yong’an also greeted them in return, making their acquaintance official.

Meanwhile, the mountain bandits in the city had yet to retreat.

Lei Kun originally thought that after looting Wan Tong Money Bank and a few wealthy households, they could call it a night.

However, to his surprise, Wan Tong Money Bank had been completely emptied before they even got there.

The Bai family had managed to transfer all their assets in such a short time, leaving him empty-handed.

Nevertheless, the night’s haul was still substantial, so Lei Kun led his men to withdraw.

As dawn broke, the bandits receded like a tide, and only then did the city guards and government soldiers finally appear.

The people in the inn breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the officials, believing that the bandits had been driven away.

The shopkeeper moved aside the cabinet blocking the door and ordered his staff to dispose of the bodies quickly.

Too many people had died that night.

As soon as the city gates opened, carts full of corpses were transported out of the city.

Shen Qingwan and her group hadn’t rested all night and were utterly exhausted.

But they needed to keep moving, so there was no time to delay.

Shen Qingwan, eager to leave, led her family out of the city early.

The sun had yet to rise when they arrived at the city gate, and Shen Qingwan furrowed her brows at the sight before her.

“Father, Mother…”

Lu Dajiang and Lu Dahe immediately spotted their parents among the crowd, along with the villagers who looked ashen-faced.

The ground outside the city was littered with corpses and blood.

Shen Qingwan stared at the fallen bodies, struggling to distinguish the living from the dead.

It seemed the chaos outside the city had been even bloodier and more dangerous than inside.

“Wuuu… It’s all gone. Everything we worked so hard for is gone…”

Madam Wang clutched a bundle of ragged clothes, wailing in despair.

Had she known it would come to this, she would have entered the city the night before.

“Village Chief, what happened?” Old Man Lu anxiously asked, while Shen Qingwan also stepped forward.

With a sigh, the village chief explained, “There was a riot among the refugees outside the city last night. They not only looted but also killed people. Even though our village had weapons, our people hesitated to kill, so in the end, everything was taken. Master Liu San’s ox cart was also stolen. It’s lucky you all entered the city last night. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a single livestock left. Some were lucky and managed to keep a bit of grain, but others lost everything—including their silver and valuables.”

“Heavens, how are we widows and orphans supposed to survive now?”

Madam Datou clutched her child and wept bitterly, while many villagers silently shed tears.

Initially, Old Man Lu and Old Madam Lu regretted entering the city the previous night, as they had encountered the mountain bandits.

But now, seeing the devastation outside, they realized their situation was far better than what the villagers had endured.

“Uncle, we can’t stay here long. We need to leave immediately,” Shen Qingwan urged.

She explained the events of the night before—how the bandits had stormed the city.

The village chief and the others had noticed a large group entering the city during the night, but they hadn’t realized it was bandits.

If the bandits had taken an interest in the refugees outside the city, the casualties would have been even higher.

The village chief quickly organized the villagers to depart.

Qing’an Prefecture had become a death trap—they had to leave.

Bai Yong’an, traveling with Shen Qingwan’s group, had originally wanted to buy a carriage, but Shen Qingwan advised against it.

A carriage would attract too much attention, and they didn’t know how many dangers lay ahead.

It was safer to stay low-profile.

Though Bai Yong’an was displeased, he didn’t dare argue.

After all, this little lady didn’t seem like someone with a good temper.

Shen Qingwan let Old Man Lu drive the mule cart, with Old Madam Lu riding along.

She and Bai Yong’an followed on foot.

As soon as their group left Qing’an Prefecture, the city gates were shut again.

Since the government office had been looted, it made sense that the entire city had been ransacked by bandits.

However, to Prefectural Governor Cao Chengguang, something didn’t add up.

Those bandits were working with him—so how could his government office have been looted?

Could someone have taken advantage of the chaos to rob him?

While the bandits raided the city, did someone else steal everything from under his nose?

He had spent over twenty years amassing his fortune, only to lose it all overnight.

How could he not be furious?

But even if someone had looted his office, how could they have smuggled out so much wealth under his watch?

The only people who had transported large amounts of goods out of the city were Lei Kun’s men. No one else had the opportunity.

Could it be that Lei Kun had betrayed him?

Or was the stolen wealth still hidden in the city?

Qing’an Prefecture had already been searched from top to bottom by Lei Kun’s men—it was impossible to hide such a large amount of treasure.

Cao Chengguang kept circling back to the same conclusion: Lei Kun was the most suspicious.

But confronting Lei Kun wasn’t an option—he was their superior’s man.

Suspecting Lei Kun meant questioning their master.

Did this mean he would have to suffer this loss in silence?

Furious, Cao Chengguang stomped his feet in frustration.

But the city had already been drained dry.

Even if he wanted to squeeze more money from the merchants, they had nothing left to give.

Qing’an Prefecture had become an empty shell, a city of paupers.

At least the bandits hadn’t stolen food, so the commoners fared better than the wealthy families.

The richer they had been, the more they had lost.

Shen Qingwan had taken quite a fortune from the government office and Wan Tong Money Bank. But she had barely acquired anything from the bandits themselves.

So she had no qualms about keeping the money—after all, it wasn’t stolen from the common people.

If she didn’t take it, the bandits would. Why let them have it?

Besides, government money was probably even dirtier. If she left it, it would just end up back in the hands of corrupt officials.

Better to take it and use it for something good in the future.

Shen Qingwan had long adapted to the law of the jungle. She wasn’t one to dwell on sentimentality.