Looking at the dishes on the table, perfectly cooked and aromatic, the whole family could hardly contain themselves.
“Wow, sister-in-law, it smells amazing! Did you make all this?”
“Yes, try it and see how it tastes!” The inn’s ingredients were clearly high quality, no explanation needed.
“Yue’er, with such skills, we’re truly lucky,” said the old madam. Back at the Zhan Prince Mansion, she had preferred light meals, but the long journey had worn everyone down, and the sight of tender, flavorful meat was irresistible. Even after a few pieces, it didn’t feel heavy or greasy.
Yunqi, still growing and usually restrained at meals to avoid overeating, saw the large platter of meat and relaxed, even helping himself to half a chicken.
After everyone was full, Su Niyue returned to her room to bathe, using two buckets of water before finishing. She then tended to Nangong Yunteng’s bandages, instructed Yunqi to stay alert at night, and left—though unable to use her earth powers effectively on the second floor, the hallway had guards, keeping them safe. She asked the innkeeper about the distance to town: only twenty li. Her hoarding instinct flared; though the city gate opened in the morning, it was nothing for an earth elemental like her.
Back in her room, Su Niyue opened the window and whistled. Xiaobao quickly appeared, perching on the chair back.
“Xiaobao, I missed you!” She stroked his head and began smoothing his feathers. Xiaobao seemed to relish it, making Su Niyue even happier. “Have you been eating well?” She wondered if the hawk had kept up its meals while away. Probably—Xiaobao was much better cared for than her.
Around the hour of Hai (亥时), Liu Quan and the guards inspected the dormitory and each private room, confirming all exiles were accounted for before leaving.
Late at night, hearing snoring in the hallway, Su Niyue quietly opened the window and, with Xiaobao, lightly leapt to the ground. Xiaobao perched on the railing, excited to move with his master, then took off into the night.
Su Niyue quickly reached the main road, summoned the electric scooter from her space, started it, and sped toward Qingshui Town. Ten kilometers took only fifteen minutes. Near the city gate, she stored the scooter, hid in the shadows, and stealthily approached the wall. Using her earth powers, she merged with the wall and entered the city, with Xiaobao circling overhead as a lookout.
Following the original story, she located the Third Prince’s residence. To avoid attention, he had built a modest-looking house, but inside it was anything but ordinary.
Su Niyue easily entered: “Damn, earth powers are so useful!” She bypassed the mechanisms; the courtyard had only a few guards—two drunk and snoring loudly, two playing dice, unaware of her presence.
In the study, her earth senses detected a hidden chamber beneath the floor. A statue of Guanyin for fertility on the shelf looked out of place—clearly not there for lack of children. She turned the base.
“Creak!” A square entrance appeared, revealing wooden stairs and a yellow light below. Confirming it was empty, she sneaked down. A fifty-square-meter chamber appeared, neatly filled with dozens of rosewood chests.
“The Third Prince went all out! If the boxes are this good, what’s inside must be worth even more!” Opening one revealed a chest full of gold ingots. Counting, there were thirty chests. Collect! With a wave of her hand, all went into her space.
Further inside, another room held even more rosewood chests, this time filled with silver ingots—fifty chests. Collect!
One larger room contained weaponry, mostly willow-leaf swords and long spearheads—roughly ten to twenty thousand pieces. Collect, collect, collect! Even if her husband didn’t want to raise an army, they could melt them down or repurpose them.
“Is that all?” Su Niyue felt the haul wasn’t perfect without jewelry or paintings.
“Since I’m here, might as well check other rooms!” She left the study, leaving the Guanyin statue behind—it couldn’t be moved easily.
She swept through a few more rooms with decent loot. In the backyard, a granary contained hundreds of bags of grain, over a hundred jars of salt, dozens of pickled vegetable jars, and more than a hundred empty jars.
“Perfect for pickling eggs! Hehe!”
Nearby, a wine shop: Su Niyue didn’t drink, but wine was useful. She stealthily entered, taking all jars inside and in the yard. She left a 500-liang silver note on the counter and departed.
Next was a fabric store: all bolts of cloth and accessories were taken, leaving an 800-liang note behind.
She collected inventory from all the street shops. The silver notes were practically worthless to her—they couldn’t be cashed, but could be exchanged for goods.
“Clang, clang, clang!” The night watchman called out: “Third watch, beware of fire!”
“What time is the third watch?” Su Niyue didn’t know, but sensing she’d been out for hours, she hurried to retreat. She would return the next day for another sweep; her hoard was nearly sufficient, and the town was running low on stock.
She climbed the wall, restarted her scooter, whistled, and Xiaobao landed on the handlebar.
“Xiaobao, have fun, but don’t stray too far!” The hawk zipped off, sticking close to the ground. “So smart!” Su Niyue smiled.
Back at the inn, she stored the scooter, climbed the second-floor railing, and reentered her room.
In her space, Su Niyue lay atop a rosewood chest, holding a vase. She wasn’t fond of antiques, nor did she collect them or understand them, but she loved looking at them—because they were valuable. And that alone made holding them a joy.