After infiltrating the main characters' group, I became the most beautiful woman in the world.

In the dimly lit cell, only a few candles were lit for illumination. The air was filled with a faint smell of blood mixed with the smell of earth. In the quiet space, there seemed to be rustling insects crawling around.

In the innermost cell sat a woman who was unlike anyone else in the cell; she was unusually calm.

"Clatter—"

The lock opened, and Li looked up to see the culprit who had caused her so much trouble standing at the door, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

"You corrupt officials! Over the years, my Li family has given you countless sums of money, yet this is how you end up!"

"How dare you show your face before me now?"

Zhu Xiu looked at the madwoman in front of her and sneered, "Li, all these years we've been doing is a two-way business: you give me money, and I give you protection."

"But if you hadn't insisted on building a tomb for your good-for-nothing son, I wouldn't have ended up in this state!" Zhu Xiu's eyes were almost bloodshot. If this woman's deeds hadn't been discovered, he would still be a county magistrate.

"Ha... I never expected you to be so incompetent, an official, to be bullied by the people." Li sneered.

Just as Zhu Xiu was about to retort, Yan Ping suddenly appeared behind him and whispered, "It's terrible, sir! Su Family Village is on fire!"

The once arrogant and domineering man now spoke in a flustered tone, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"What did you say! Where is that person?"

"Not a single person in the entire village survived..."

boom--

It felt like a heavy hammer blow to his head. He couldn't care less about arguing with Li Shi at that moment, and quickly pulled Yan Ping out: "Quick, let's go!"

"But the official who is to replace you hasn't arrived yet."

Yan Ping hesitated for a moment. The villagers of Sujia Village committed crimes of varying degrees of severity. Those who committed serious crimes, like Su Gui, were sentenced to beheading, while those who committed minor crimes only had their faces tattooed and did not need to be imprisoned.

But why was it such a coincidence that no sooner had You Xunchun left than Sujia Village was burned to the ground by a sudden fire?

With a gulp, Zhu Xiu swallowed hard and instructed Yan Ping, "Hurry up and pack your things, we're escaping now."

"Yes, I'll go right away."

Looking at the dimly lit cell, Li, still in prison, finally managed a wistful laugh: "Son, Mother has come to keep you company..."

Unfortunately, none of this had anything to do with Su Ning and her group.

She was currently enjoying herself with the main characters, so she was unaware that after they left Luoyun City, the magistrate and registrar of Luoyun fled with valuables, only to be ambushed and killed by bandits on the way, their bodies left to rot in the wilderness.

All the prominent families involved in these matters in Luoyun died tragically in prison. Later, the newly appointed magistrate kept silent after learning about these events, since these people were already going to die anyway.

"Qingyun City is indeed magnificent." Su Ning lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the two characters "Qingyun" carved on the city gate in front of her. The characters were strong and powerful, and were indeed different from Luoyun.

After traveling for two days, we finally arrived at Qingyun.

After entering the city, the group planned to find an inn first, since Hundred Flowers Valley was located in Qingyun, and Tangxi wanted to personally visit and deliver the invitation to the martial arts tournament, so the group would stay in Qingyun for two days.

Su Ning wore a hat with a long white veil that obscured her face and blocked many people's view. This was because in the past two days, there had been many ignorant people who came to harass her on the street. If they were not capable, Yue Zijin would verbally abuse them until they were completely humiliated.

If they wanted to use force, they would be happy to have a mixed three-on-three fight, with You Xunchun and Su Ning watching from the sidelines.

Therefore, the veil was replaced by a cap.

Tangxi was somewhat disappointed, and promised that once they returned to the Sword Casting Manor, Su Ning's appearance could be revealed to the public, and she would no longer have to hide it like she did now.

The group arrived at the inn, went upstairs to put down their luggage, and then went to the lobby for lunch.

Yue Zi was a restless person. When Su Ning and Tang Xi came down, they saw him talking to the waiter.

Yue Zijin: "Has anything interesting happened in your Qingyun City lately?"

The waiter thought for a moment, then patted his forehead: "Oh dear, there is indeed something interesting."

"Have you ever heard of the name 'Thief Saint'? I've heard that the Prefect of Qingyun City recently acquired a treasure, but it's said that the Thief Saint has his eye on it. So the Prefect has recently recruited many martial arts masters, hoping to capture him in one fell swoop."

"Oh? The Thief Saint? I've never heard of him before. Is he famous?"

Yuezi became interested and picked up a peanut and chewed it.

The waiter chimed in, "That's right! This legendary thief has never failed since he became famous." He glanced around, then whispered to Yue Zijin, "I reckon our prefect's treasure is probably doomed."

"Waiter, bring me a pot of good wine!"

Other customers nearby called out to him, and the waiter hurried over: "Hey, coming right up!"

Su Ning and Tang Xi sat down next to Yue Zijin. Just as they were talking, Pei Yunlian and You Xunchun also sat down.

Yue Zijin was clearly still savoring the conversation from earlier, and then looked at Tang Xi with bright eyes: "Have you heard of the 'Thief Saint' that Xiao Er just mentioned? Is he really that amazing, never missing a shot?"

Tang Xi rolled her eyes at him, but Pei Yunlian explained, "I've heard a thing or two about it. It's said that no one has ever seen the true face of this legendary thief, but it's true that he's never failed in his treasure-hunting career."

Tang Xi, however, clearly disapproved. "Tch, what's with all this fancy name, 'Thief Saint'? He's just a thief."

Su Ning, who was familiar with the plot, knew that the second plot point was coming.

The main characters discovered the true identity of the Thief Saint in Qingyun, which indirectly created a grudge between them. However, Yue Zijin was determined to befriend him.

Sure enough, just as Tang Xi uttered her words, Yue Zijin retorted, "Since he has the title of 'Master Thief,' he must not be an ordinary thief. Perhaps he has a chivalrous heart?"

"I'd like to get to know someone like that."

Seeing that the people at the table were arguing about this legendary thief, You Xunchun spoke up: "On a dark and windy night, amidst the starry sky, he boldly stole treasures and perfumes; his true nature was hard to discern, and his name spread throughout the Nine Cities Terrace."

"This master thief is not as chivalrous as you imagine. On the contrary, he acts entirely according to his own whims, a complex mix of truth and evil. Young friend, it's best not to get too interested in him."

Hearing You Xunchun say this, Yue Zijin pouted and could only channel her grief into her appetite, finishing three large bowls of food with tears in her eyes.

Su Ning, however, asked a question: "What's this master thief's name?"

You Xunchun glanced at her, then said, "Yu Xinglai."

"No one has ever seen what he looks like. He could be an ordinary peddler, a beautiful young woman in her late teens, or a white-haired old man in his fifties."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should still be able to acquire the treasures of Qingyun City."

Knowing the plot well, Su Ning knew that because Yu Xinglai's disguise skills were ever-changing, no one knew what he really looked like, and Yu Xinglai didn't have many scenes in the early stages.

Therefore, even Su Ning didn't know what the other party looked like. She guessed that the other party would only reveal their true appearance after Su Ning died in the original story.