Chapter 99: The Man in the Mask
[You could say that. Since you’ve decided, you can use the invisibility talisman now. Use the hairpin on your head to unlock the copper lock, and go collect the gold and weapons directly.]
After making up her mind, Yu Luo immediately took out the invisibility talisman. Following the system’s instructions, she pricked her finger and dripped her blood onto the talisman.
As soon as her blood touched the talisman, Yu Luo watched as her hands and legs slowly disappeared, becoming transparent!
After experiencing such bizarre things as transmigration, a mere invisibility talisman wasn’t all that surprising.
Quickly unlocking the copper lock, she restored it to its original state, then followed the system’s guidance towards the cave where the gold was stored.
Reaching the storage cave, she saw that it was heavily guarded. Even though she was invisible, the sight of so many guards made her nervous.
“How come there’s no door in this cave?”
[These are all carved out of rock. They transport things in and out all the time. Plus, whoever’s behind this must be powerful enough that they don’t even bother with doors.]
Hearing this, Yu Luo happily slipped inside.
No wonder there were no doors; turns out the shelves full of gold ingots were guarded by dozens of soldiers standing with their backs to the gold.
Fortunately, the shelves were aligned facing the entrance, with the guards facing away. Even if Yu Luo swept all the gold into her storage one row at a time, the guards wouldn’t notice.
After collecting all the gold, Yu Luo realized her back was already soaked with cold sweat.
Glancing back, she noticed that the gold she had just taken was now replaced on the shelves.
Relieved, Yu Luo hurried out of the cave, heading for the weapons stash as per the system’s instructions.
The weapons storage was connected to a forge where weapons were still being crafted, the sounds of hammering echoing through the tunnels.
The weapons storage itself was unguarded, giving Yu Luo the perfect opportunity.
With a wave of her hand, she stored all the weapons in her system space.
Just as she was about to leave, feeling relieved at how smoothly everything was going, a group of people suddenly approached the storage area.
Among them was the bandit who had captured her earlier!
That bandit was walking alongside a man in luxurious clothes, who wore a half-face mask covering everything except his mouth and chin.
From his posture and the aura he exuded, it was clear that this man was no ordinary figure—most likely the leader of the group!
Judging by his physique alone, he didn’t seem very old.
“Master, once you’ve inspected the weapons, I’ve got a woman to present to you,” the bandit flattered with a smile.
The masked man paused, turning slightly to glance at the bandit. Though he said nothing, the dangerous aura emanating from him was palpable.
Seeing the reaction, the bandit quickly bowed with a fawning smile.
“Today, a group of exiled criminals passed through the mountain path. Among them was a woman of extraordinary beauty—the likes of which I’ve never seen before.
“And it’s not just her looks—she’s got guts too. I thought she might serve as some entertainment for you, Master.”
“Oh? How so?” The man’s voice was deep and commanding, carrying an undeniable sense of authority.
The bandit hurriedly explained, “Master, you wouldn’t believe it! We had them surrounded with archers and demanded five men and five women. But that woman stepped forward on her own, offering herself instead.
“Not only that, but she took out ten thousand taels in silver notes, hoping to buy the safety of her group.”
Saying this, the bandit pulled out a bundle of silver notes from his chest.
Listening to their conversation, Yu Luo couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.
She had handed over at least thirty thousand taels, yet this bandit had pocketed two-thirds for himself! What a greedy bastard!
“Heh, interesting. Alright, once the inspection’s done, bring her to me,” the masked man commanded.
The bandit was overjoyed and quickly nodded.
“Master, I knew you didn’t keep women by your side, but this one’s not just beautiful—she’s got real guts. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”
Yu Luo rolled her eyes inwardly. Satisfied, my foot!
Realizing that there was nothing else useful to overhear, Yu Luo sprinted out of the cave. She had to move fast—once they realized she was missing, they’d start searching!
However, just as she left, the masked man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Why was there a breeze just now?”
This cave was deep inside the mountain; it was impossible for there to be a draft. The slight wind had been stirred up by Yu Luo’s swift departure.
The bandit was startled but quickly bowed and stammered, “Ah? Maybe it was when I turned just now?”
After scanning the surroundings and finding nothing amiss, the masked man dismissed his suspicions and turned his attention back to the weapons.
“How many sabers have been made so far?” he asked.
“Reporting to Master, we’ve got twenty thousand so far. Progress was slow due to a shortage of iron.”
The masked man nodded. “I’ll arrange for more iron to be sent. We need a total of a hundred thousand sabers as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir!”
Outside the cave, following the system’s guidance, Yu Luo hurried after the exiled group.
The mountain path was rugged and treacherous, but with the time limit on her invisibility talisman, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and push forward.
Perhaps due to her earlier stat boost, her speed was comparable to that of a bicycle on flatter paths.
However, her stamina was limited, making the journey exhausting.
After finally putting enough distance between herself and the valley, Yu Luo collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
After a brief rest, she forced herself to keep running.
It took about an hour and a half, but at last, she spotted the exiled group’s campfires flickering in the distance.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhengqing was making arrangements to leave under the cover of darkness and head back to the valley when he spotted a breathless Yu Luo stumbling into view!
“Xiao Luo!”
Ye Jiamei and Yu Haojie thought they were seeing things. Ignoring everything else, they rushed over, pulling the exhausted Yu Luo into a tight embrace.
Too tired to speak, Yu Luo buried her head into Ye Jiamei’s shoulder, gasping for air. Her legs could barely support her, leaving Ye Jiamei to hold her up, refusing to let her fall to the ground.
