My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 37 Thieves Infiltrate, Strange Phenomena Arise

The night is dark and windy.

The north wind was like a knife, howling and swirling up snowflakes, emitting a biting chill.

Tonight, Sister Qiao and Cheng Zi are on duty. It's already past midnight, the time when people are most sleepy, but it's so cold outside that the two of them are surprisingly energetic.

Having witnessed the strength of Huang Yi and Huang Er, Lou Qing and the others abandoned their plan to sneak into Songlin Xiaozhu at night and decided to carry out their mission from not far from the gate.

During the shift handover at dinner, Lao Wu and Xiao Zhang gesticulated wildly and vividly as they described to Sister Qiao and Cheng Zi how Huang Yi and his men displayed their prowess, defeating the guards brought by Chu Wenchen in just a few moves.

But the two men hadn't witnessed it themselves, and after hearing it, they were skeptical, thinking: It's just dealing with a few guards, is it really worth bragging about?

The guards were only slightly stronger than ordinary people, far inferior to the Night Guards who were only good at intelligence gathering. In a melee, Sister Qiao and Cheng Zi could easily defeat several of them.

Qiao and her companion believed that Lao Wu and Xiao Zhang's accounts were obviously exaggerated, so they did not take the descriptions of "golden light protecting the body" to heart.

However, they did not dare to underestimate Huang Yi and his group. After all, Cheng Zi had guessed that Huang Yi and his group might be from the border army, with extremely high moral character and possibly some extraordinary skills. Therefore, the two of them became secretly vigilant.

At night, the two hid in a sheltered spot, taking turns keeping watch on the pine forest cottage, not daring to relax their vigilance in the slightest.

And within the manor—

Green Bamboo had already fallen into a deep sleep. After finishing her diary, Chu Lengyu sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate.

Huang Yi and his group did not need to rest, so they continued to patrol the manor. Their eyes were as sharp as eagles, and they were always vigilant about everything around them.

The pine forest cottage was quiet, with only a few lanterns lit.

The moon was obscured by thick clouds, with only a few scattered rays of moonlight filtering through the gaps, casting a faint glow and shrouding the entire manor in a hazy shadow.

The lanterns swayed precariously in the cold wind, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, casting dappled light and shadow that appeared particularly desolate and eerie against the backdrop of the wilderness.

In another hour or two, Lao Wu and Xiao Zhang will be coming to relieve them. Cheng Zi and Sister Qiao are chatting casually.

Suddenly, Cheng Zi's ears twitched. He put his finger to his lips and whispered, "Shh, someone's here."

Upon hearing this, Sister Qiao immediately listened attentively.

Sure enough, amidst the howling wind, she heard the faint sound of footsteps on the snow and the indistinct sounds of conversation.

Sister Qiao and Cheng Zi exchanged a glance, both of them showing wariness.

This place is remote and deserted, and it's the middle of the night. No one else would come here except for these few people.

So who exactly are these people? And what is their purpose in coming here?

The two decided to sneak over together to see what was going on.

……

Dark as ink.

In the wilderness outside the city, three people dressed in black, like phantoms in the night, silently approached the direction of the Pine Forest Cottage.

They moved with light steps, as if afraid of breaking the silence around them. Their faces were covered with masks, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes that gleamed with greed in the darkness.

The three stopped somewhere in the woods, maintaining a safe distance from any potential attack, and warily sized each other up.

Yunli Shou stared at the physical features of the two figures opposite him, one short and one tall, for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Bronze Rat? Flying Wing Tiger?"

The short man in black was none other than Copper Rat, a thief who had gained some notoriety in recent years.

He was short and stocky, his face hidden by a mask, revealing only a pair of cunning little eyes that kept darting around: "Hey, friend, you have a sharp eye. Do you have a name? Tell me."

The tall man in black, known as the bandit king known as Flying Tiger, remained silent, but his eyes revealed a coldness and ruthlessness as he looked at him.

Yun Lishou humbly replied, "I don't have any title; it's just that everyone is too kind to call me Yun Lishou."

Although his tone sounded humble, it couldn't hide his inner confidence and composure.

"Hiss, Cloud Master?" Copper Rat gasped.

This master thief is far more famous than him, and his bounty is much higher.

Knowing his reputation, Yunli Shou intimidated the two people opposite him and naturally wanted to seize control of the operation.

He said, "You all came here under cover of corruption, didn't you?"

“That’s right.” Winged Tiger nodded and said in a deep voice, “However, I have more than a dozen brothers waiting in the distance. After we go in and tie up the target, I will lead men in to search. If there is any success, I will take 60%, and you will each take 20%, how about that?”

"Brother Tiger is straightforward," Copper Rat said, indicating he had no objections.

Yun Lishou also agreed.

Before they came, they had already inquired about the situation.

This garden originally belonged to the Xie family and only recently changed hands; the valuables within have not yet been moved. Even if they only take some furniture to sell, they could still earn a considerable sum.

Now that the Flying Tigers are willing to contribute their manpower and resources, they can simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, so they are naturally happy to accept this distribution plan.

Copper Rat rubbed his hands together and asked, "Then... brothers, what should we do next? If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Unexpectedly, a kidnapping mission would involve Flying Tiger and Cloud Hand, while he, the Bronze Rat, suddenly became a bystander. So he quickly adjusted his attitude and lowered his stance a bit.

Seeing that he was sensible, Yun Lishou knew that there were no fools among those who could still make a name for themselves near the capital.

He then said, "Winged Tiger and I will go ahead and check the situation. You stay here and keep watch."

"Alright, alright, you two brothers can go without worry," the bronze rat replied repeatedly.

Upon seeing the lineup, he knew this mission was no simple matter. He made up his mind to keep a close watch on everything and be the first to run if there was any danger.

Cloud Hand and Flying Tiger moved stealthily together, their steps light and their movements agile, disappearing swiftly into the darkness like ghosts in the night.

Sister Qiao and Cheng Zi observed secretly. Although they couldn't hear what the men in black were saying, their purpose was clear: they were after Songlin Xiaozhu, or rather, Chu Lengyu.

Chengzi looked at Sister Qiao with his eyes and asked: Aren't we going to send out a warning?

Sister Qiao shook her head, signaling him to hold back for the time being.

She believed that if those yellow-robed guards were really as powerful as Old Wu and Little Zhang claimed, dealing with these petty thieves would be a piece of cake.

The night was pitch black, and the manor was deserted.

The closer he got, the more Yunlishou felt that something was strange about this place. Thinking of the person who had contacted him and the information he had given, his years of experience told him that only by personally investigating the truth could he feel at ease.

On the other hand, Winged Tiger had the same plan as him.

The two chose their spots and prepared to climb over the courtyard wall and sneak inside.

However, just as they were about to step into the mansion, strange phenomena suddenly occurred.

The ordinary-looking door god portraits on the manor gate suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

The light was dazzling, like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, instantly illuminating the surrounding darkness!