Su Wending brewed tea.
The tea leaves were bought that morning.
So was the teapot.
Additionally, some living supplies, furniture, kitchenware, etc., were sent over by Song Shiqing through the Song Family Yaren.
He said it was an apology.
But Su Wending still gave the Yaren a gold ingot, asking him to return it to Song Shiqing.
Yes, the gold ingot he carried with him was spent.
Sipping tea, legs crossed, humming a tune.
Counting it, from Su Family Village to Yinchuan Ancient City, he had experienced so many things.
His previous life's seventh day after death hadn't even passed, and he had only Transmigrationed for three days.
In a daze, as he underwent Fusion with this body's memories, he had unknowingly walked through sixteen years of a completely new life.
After a few cups of tea.
His nose caught the faint scent of orchids.
Su Wending put down his teacup and stood up.
He saw the Masked Heroine's eyes filled with Evil Qi, sharp as a knife, looking north.
"Masked Heroine, have you gotten what you needed?"
Su Wending felt very humble, his voice very low and gentle, worried that a louder tone might anger this Masked Heroine.
Su Wending understood.
From the moment the Masked Heroine appeared, his life and death were Dominatored by her.
No matter how he struggled, it would be futile.
Only if the Masked Heroine was in a good mood would she bestow upon him the chance to survive.
"Don't worry, a gentleman's word is his bond. I won't kill you, and I'll even give you a great Opportunity."
The Masked Heroine wore a fox mask that could charm all beings.
Her words always gave Su Wending an ominous feeling.
Is this woman going to cause more trouble?
I don't need any great Opportunity.
I just want you to leave immediately.
Su Wending knew these words could only be kept in his heart.
...... Su Wending opened his mouth, his acting not good enough, and for a moment he was speechless, not knowing how to say the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"When you bought this house, you already entered the game. Without my help, do you think that relying solely on the paper posted outside can help you avoid the cold arrows shot from all directions?"
The Masked Heroine had Su Wending completely cornered.
Su Wending, instead, calmed down: "Why me?"
"The Song Family Yaren bought this courtyard. I've investigated, and besides the government officials who came to notarize, no one else has entered this house alone."
The Masked Heroine told Su Wending a very bad piece of news.
With Su Wending's intelligence.
He would definitely realize that the traces left by Hundred Household Tieren Tu, as long as outsiders suspected, their attention would surely fall on him.
"Masked Heroine, you said you would help me draw the fire away."
Su Wending was anxious; he remembered the Masked Heroine's words.
"Go, report to the authorities, expose me, and let the Suspended Mirror Division intervene to investigate the dungeon." The Fox-Masked Woman's eyes showed deep meaning, "Their Town Guardian will know I've been here. If the Suspended Mirror Division Town Guardian believes you, you'll be safe."
Su Wending immediately understood the meaning behind the Masked Heroine's words.
However, even if he reported to the authorities, a small commoner like him would have no guarantee of survival.
"What if I find Song Shiqing and have the Yaren report to the authorities?"
Su Wending asked.
"The Song Family Yaren barely got out of trouble. If you drag him into the mud, do you want the Song family to be exterminated?" The Fox-Masked Woman sneered.
"Someone with a clean and clear Foundation like you, who can be thoroughly investigated with one check, they won't bother wasting time on you. Remember, you must make the Suspended Mirror Division get involved."
After speaking, her figure faded, turning into a wisp of green smoke and vanishing without a trace.
Su Wending's face was grim.
This woman was putting him on a hot stove to roast.
However, she was right.
Yinchuan Ancient City was calm.
But if what the Fox-Masked Woman said was true, this matter was of great importance.
Tens of thousands of Northern Barbarians were slaughtered.
No one knew what the Treasure Trove left by Hundred Household Tieren Tu was.
Moreover, it also involved the demon king of Barbarian God Mountain.
Although these matters were completely beyond Su Wending's comprehension.
But others wouldn't believe it.
The only way to clear his name now was to have the Suspended Mirror Division help him prove that he knew nothing about this matter.
"Report it!!!"
Su Wending sighed.
What secret was hidden beneath the dungeon?
Su Wending really wanted to know.
But he knew that once he knew this secret, he would truly be unable to extricate himself.
This place was the Eastern District.
The Suspended Mirror Division Mansion was not far from here, just on the other side of East Lake.
Su Wending quickly ran to the Suspended Mirror Division Mansion.
The main gate was wide open.
A leather drum was placed in front of the gate.
Su Wending beat the leather drum: Dong dong dong~~~
A muscular man in dark clothes and a long saber at his waist walked out of the Suspended Mirror Division Mansion.
"What is the matter, beating the drum?"
"Sir, I want to report a case."
Su Wending said breathlessly.
"This is the Suspended Mirror Division. To report a case, go to the county government office."
The Suspended Mirror Division officer impatiently waved his hand.
"This, the Fox-Masked Woman who robbed my house said to report it to the Suspended Mirror Division. She said she had obtained the things hidden by Hundred Household Tieren Tu."
Su Wending revealed it himself.
"What? Hundred Household Tieren Tu? Who are you?"
"I am Su Wending, a Boy Scholar from Yinchuan Ancient City. Yesterday, I bought that courtyard from Young Master Song Shiqing of the Song Family Yaren, and only afterwards did I learn that the previous owner was Hundred Household Tieren Tu of the Suspended Mirror Division."
Su Wending simply summarized the situation, explaining the cause of the matter clearly.
"You wait for me here."
The man in dark brocade clothes' face lit up with wild joy, and he turned and returned to the mansion.
Soon, a woman in white strong clothes walked out of the Suspended Mirror Division.
This woman was heroic and spirited, with delicate features, yet exuding a powerful, intimidating aura.
But Su Wending noticed that the woman's gaze at him was very strange.
There seemed to be a strange sadness and affection?
Looking more closely, he found only a cold, icy gaze.
"Come, to your house. In the carriage, tell this Town Guardian everything you know, one by one, in detail, without omission."
The Town Guardian of the Suspended Mirror Division in Yinchuan Ancient City was a Marquis.
He never expected her to be a woman.
"Yes, starting from when I left the village..."
The Suspended Mirror Division Town Guardian was very surprised to hear that Su Wending had escaped from Su Family Village.
She was well aware of the demon disaster that had occurred in Su Family Village.
This demon had already been eliminated.
However, the people of Su Family Village suffered heavy casualties.
Moreover, he had just left Su Family Village, and on the way, he encountered the Suspended Mirror Division heading to Su Family Village.
When the carriage stopped in front of Su Mansion.
Su Wending finally told everything in detail.
Yes.
Except for the treasure hunting hint.
Su Wending confessed everything.
He even revealed that he had stolen the village chief's silver because the village chief had taken over the property of dead families.
The highest Realm of lying is to tell the truth, the facts.
But not to tell all the truths and facts you know.
The Fox-Masked Woman was right about one thing.
He couldn't stand an investigation.
Moreover, he was already being held hostage by the Fox-Masked Woman.
His revealing everything related to the courtyard without reservation would only benefit him.
Su Wending observed the female Town Guardian's expression, which showed no reaction, still a cold, frosty look, as if everyone owed her money.
"Take me to the woodshed."
"Yes."
Su Wending quickly led the Suspended Mirror Division personnel into the house, through the central courtyard, and along the corridor to the kitchen in the backyard.
"This is where the secret room of Hundred Household Tieren Tu was discovered. That Fox-Masked Woman didn't let me go down."
Su Wending's voice still carried a hint of grievance.
"I know."
The Suspended Mirror Division female Town Guardian said calmly.
"Everyone else, be on alert. You come down with me."
The Suspended Mirror Division female Town Guardian instructed her subordinates, then pointed her jade finger at Su Wending, telling him to go down with her.
"Me?"
"Do you really think the Fox-Masked Woman would help you draw fire? Do you know that Tieren Tu was killed by this Town Guardian?"
The Suspended Mirror Division female Town Guardian said coldly.
Su Wending's heart sank, it was over.
"What's more, you handed over the thing this Town Guardian has been painstakingly searching for to that demoness."
"Your Excellency, you misunderstand, this commoner was forced."
"Go down."
The female Town Guardian looked at Su Wending coldly.
"Yes."
Su Wending gritted his teeth and jumped into the secret room.
He knew that the female Town Guardian was worried that the Fox-Masked Woman had set a trap.
He was now the first choice to step on a landmine.
Su Wending couldn't refuse.
He could only pray in his heart that the Fox-Masked Woman was a true Masked Heroine.
That she was a good person.
He jumped into the secret room.
It was as if he had touched a switch.
The ever-burning lamp lit up on its own.
Illuminating the secret room.
The secret room was located beneath an open space behind the kitchen.
Through the firelight, Su Wending could also discern that the walls on all sides were made of glutinous rice and lime powder, rammed solid.
The beams were made of red sandalwood.
The secret room was very spacious.
Yet the air was not stuffy.
"The water-avoiding pearl lost by Yinchuan Ancient City was used by Tieren Tu to solve the air circulation problem in the underground secret room."
The female Town Guardian's tone contained Evil Qi.
Su Wending looked up at the ceiling where there was a pearl emitting a purple glow.
"Is this the water-avoiding pearl? Why can it solve the air circulation problem?"
Su Wending asked curiously.
Female Town Guardian: "You can breathe underwater, let alone in a secret room?"
That's so reasonable, I can't refute it.
"Your Excellency, please take the water-avoiding pearl."
Su Wending said respectfully.
"The water-avoiding pearl of Yinchuan Ancient City has been lost. Everything here, except for what this Town Guardian is willing to take, is your property."
The Suspended Mirror Division female Town Guardian said softly.
"Your Excellency, this commoner fears he cannot keep it."
Su Wending felt a little flustered inside.
"If you don't say anything, who will know?"
Su Wending gritted his teeth: "Please, Your Excellency, explain clearly, what is the meaning of having this commoner enter this secret room?"
The Suspended Mirror Division Town Guardian asked instead: "Do you really think the Fox-Masked Woman is so kind as to help you draw fire? And invite this Town Guardian to prove your innocence?"
"This commoner does not know."
"The Fox-Masked Woman came from Jiangnan and has no Foundation in Yinchuan Ancient City. She will stay in the Northern Barbarians for a long time. Having no Foundation, she chose you because you are Song Shiqing's friend."
The Suspended Mirror Division Town Guardian said slowly.
"Are you saying that the Fox-Masked Woman wants to use me, and my friendship with Song Shiqing, to gather information for her?"
How can these women be so cunning?
"That's right."
The Suspended Mirror Division Town Guardian replied casually.
"Is it because I'm easy to bully, that everyone chooses me?"
Su Wending said dejectedly.
"Because you have no cultivation, she only needs to put her sword to your neck again, and you'll tell her everything."
The cold-faced female Town Guardian's lips curved into a hint of disdain.
"A fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others."
Su Wending smiled bitterly.
"If you had even a little cultivation, you would have died long ago. Instead, your identity as a Boy Scholar, coupled with no cultivation, poses no threat, and everyone doesn't want to cause trouble, which is why they let you off the hook."
The Suspended Mirror Division female Town Guardian said as she passed Su Wending and walked deeper into the secret room.
In the secret room, there was a table and a chair.
Scattered sheets of Xuan paper lay on the ground.
On the table were the four treasures of the study and a sheet of Xuan paper stained with ink.
The female Town Guardian picked up the Xuan paper and read it.
【Junior Sister, you're a step too late again.】
Su Wending couldn't believe the words he glimpsed.
"It's her."
The female Town Guardian sneered.
"Showboating?"
Su Wending asked in a low voice.
"No, it's to prove you weren't lying." The female Town Guardian crumpled the Xuan paper into a ball and threw it on the ground. "She gave you a way out, and I'll give you a way out too."
Su Wending breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Excellency, please tell me."
"Next time she looks for you, tell her that the demon art to activate the demon king blood pearl is already in my hands."
There's a next time?
Su Wending shrank back a little in fear.
"Why me?"
The female Town Guardian said coldly: "If we meet, there will inevitably be a great conflict. Either she dies or I die."
So, I'm destined to be caught between you two?
"Don't worry, this is good for you. At least, with me suppressing things on the Suspended Mirror Division's side, they won't target you. If the Northern Barbarians attack, the Suspended Mirror Division will also stand firm."
The female Town Guardian looked at his youthful face and softened, offering a word of comfort.
Thank you! Su Wending complained in his heart.
"The water-avoiding pearl is a good item, worth a fortune. This is also your reward for inadvertently being involved in this matter."
"How much is it worth?"
"Worth a thousand gold, not to be exchanged." The female Town Guardian smiled, like plum blossoms blooming in winter. "My name is Nangong Jinyu, the Town Guardian of Yinchuan Ancient City, and one of the three Grand Generals of the Northern Barbarians' patrols."
The female Town Guardian jumped out of the secret room.
"Wait, please pull me up!!!"
The height of the secret room was about two and a half meters.
There was no ladder to go up.
Su Wending was only about one meter seventy-five tall.
He couldn't jump up at all.
A hand pulled him up.
"Thank you."
The burly man with a full beard smiled, then turned and followed Nangong Jinyu away.
Su Wending let out a sigh of relief.
【A cunning rabbit has three burrows; Tieren Tu's true Treasure Trove is hidden very deep.】
The treasure hunting hint reappeared.
Damn it!!!!
Speak more clearly.
Don't say half and hide half.
If this continues, I'll be played to death by you sooner or later.
Su Wending was certain that, apart from the bottom of the well, he had truly dug three feet deep and searched every inch of this house.
"The well? The bottom of the well?"
Su Wending seemed to have thought of something.
He got a wooden ladder and descended into the secret room along the ladder.
He looked at the glittering water-avoiding pearl, flowing with purple luminescence.
"Tieren Tu, you really are cunning."
Su Wending smiled.
He brought a chair, took down the water-avoiding pearl, and put it into the hidden pocket in the chest of his long robe.
With the water-avoiding pearl.
There were two possibilities.
Because there were two wells.
Su Wending was not in a hurry to go down the well to find the final secret now.
He was sure that the Fox-Masked Woman was definitely not in the house now.
Nangong Jinyu would also certainly not enter the house again.
Because they both knew that the secret Treasure Trove left by Tieren Tu had already fallen into the Fox-Masked Woman's hands.
There was nothing they needed in the house anymore.
Su Wending had self-awareness; he wasn't silenced because he posed no threat to them.
Secondly, he was still young.
Thirdly, he was a Boy Scholar.
Yinchuan Ancient City had a Confucian Academy, which was famous throughout the Great Gan.
Entering this academy was the dream of all scholars in the Northern Barbarians.
The academy's Jijiu, who came from the Imperial Academy, was an even more renowned great Confucian.
Su Wending was still just a Boy Scholar.
If he were a Xiucai, he would enjoy some privileges in Yinchuan Ancient City.
Such as in terms of taxation.
Boy Scholars could be exempt from corvée labor and military service.
"If I can't find a way out, actually taking the Xiucai examination and then entering the academy to study is also a way out."
The turbulences he had experienced these past few days.
Made Su Wending understand that the social order in this world was very unstable.
And the academy would be a good place to find peace.