Just past one in the morning, Xiao Mandong woke up. She didn't dare go back to sleep—no alarm clock, and she was afraid she'd miss her stop. Worried about waking her sister, she left the house early, found a secluded spot at the edge of the village, and slipped into her space to wash up and fix herself something to eat.
She had just put a piece of peach pastry in her mouth when she heard voices outside. It was Sun Wenbin's voice. Xiao Mandong quietly slipped out of the space and hid behind a tree. She wanted to see who Sun Wenbin was talking to.
"Old Kai, what did you need me for?" Sun Wenbin's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, his eyes darting around warily, afraid someone might spot them.
A short, stocky man pulled a crumpled slip of paper from his coat and pressed it into Sun Wenbin's hand. "Word just came down from above. They want you to keep close watch on that female educated youth, Jian Qiuyue. We've confirmed she's the granddaughter of Professor Jian from the Capital Research Institute. This is everything we have on her—read it and memorize it."
"She's a young girl far from home out here, so she's bound to miss her family. Show her some extra care, earn her trust—best case, you get close to her. That'll pave the way for us later."
Sun Wenbin nodded firmly and tucked the paper into his pocket. "Don't worry. I know what to do. I'll find ways to strike up conversations with her gradually."
"Remember, don't rush it," the short man cautioned.
"I understand. I'll take it step by step. By the way, I dug up something good a while back in the old grave field."
"You went grave-digging again? Antiques?" Old Kai's eyes lit up. "Where did you stash them?"
"There's an earthen cellar under the thatched hut behind the educated youth dormitory. Come by and pick them up when you have a chance. They should fetch a decent amount of funding. Next time you come, bring me more cash."
Hearing this, Xiao Mandong felt a strange thrill rise in her chest.
When the short man heard about the antiques, his tone brightened considerably. "Excellent. Things are tense right now—I still need to visit another village. I'll come get those tomorrow. There's been some issue with funding from above, so this really is a lifesaver. And if you can win over that Jian girl, you might follow her back to the city one day, which would let us infiltrate even deeper."
Sun Wenbin nodded zealously, greed glinting in his eyes. "Thanks, Brother Kai. Put in a good word for me with the higher-ups."
"Don't worry. Get back now. Don't let someone wake up and notice you're missing from the dormitory. It's almost time for me to meet Lao San—I have to go."
The short man waved his hand. "Remember, Jian Qiuyue is the key."
"Someone's there!" With that, the short man suddenly dashed toward the tree where Xiao Mandong was hiding, while Sun Wenbin circled around from the other side.
"Damn it!" With a single thought, Xiao Mandong slipped back into her space, collapsing onto the grass inside, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.
She never would have guessed that Sun Wenbin was an enemy agent. He really didn't seem like it. Earlier, when he'd helped Xiao Manxue, she'd actually thought he was a decent person.
Even more surprising was how formidable the enemy agents of this era really were—so alert, and seemingly everywhere at once.
"No one here? Did I mishear? I definitely heard a third person breathing. I couldn't have been wrong."
Xiao Mandong instinctively covered her mouth. Even safely inside her space, she couldn't stop breaking out in a cold sweat. This man was truly formidable.
"There's definitely no one. We circled around at the same time—there's no way anyone could have gotten away that fast."
The short man let out a deep breath. "Ah, things are getting harder for us. I'm leaving."
He suddenly halted, crouched down, and closely examined the trampled grass around the tree roots.
The grass covered any tracks, so it was impossible to tell the size of the footprints, or whether they belonged to a man or a woman. The short man's eyes turned cold and ruthless. "You've been watched. And whoever it was definitely overheard our conversation."
Sun Wenbin's face went pale instantly, a knot of unease forming in his chest. "What do we do? Will the Jian Qiuyue matter and the antiques be compromised?"
"Don't panic. Listen to me…"
Then the short man whispered something into Sun Wenbin's ear. Inside her space, Xiao Mandong strained her ears, listening intently.
The short man's voice was extremely low: "There's still about an hour before dawn. Whoever it is can't make a move easily right now. Tomorrow, find a chance to smear this powder on the antiques. We'll catch the rat red-handed in a trap. As for Jian Qiuyue, just stick to the original plan."
With that, he pulled a packet of powder from his pocket and handed it to Sun Wenbin, who carefully tucked it into his pocket.
When she heard their footsteps fading into the distance, Xiao Mandong checked the time—just past two. She slipped out of her space. Finding a sudden burst of courage she didn't know she had, she headed straight for the thatched hut behind the educated youth dormitory. The hut was an old shelter used by field watchmen, its thatch tattered and blown apart. She gently pushed open the door, which let out a creak. Xiao Mandong instinctively held her breath, sweeping her flashlight across the empty room—there was only an old broken wooden bed.
She moved the bed aside and found the cellar entrance underneath. Crouching down, she lifted the wooden board covering it, and a thick, musty smell rushed up at her—mixed with the odor of damp earth and rotting straw—making her cough and wrinkle her brow. She shone her flashlight down into the hole. It was about two or three meters deep. Carefully, she climbed down the ladder... creak... one of the rungs cracked under her foot, nearly sending her falling. Xiao Mandong let out a deep breath and became more cautious. Finally, she reached solid ground and swept her light across every corner of the cellar. Spotting a pile of weeds, she kicked them aside to reveal a jumble of things heaped carelessly underneath.
Xiao Mandong hurried over to inspect them. Her grandfather had loved collecting such items, and though she wasn't an expert, she could tell whether something was valuable. A pair of small blue-and-white porcelain jars with intertwined lotus patterns were just tossed on the straw, along with twelve scrolls of calligraphy and painting wrapped in yellow silk, their seals already too faded to read. She tossed everything into her space. There was also a jewelry box containing a silver-gilt hairpin set with red agate, an Xiuyan jade peace pendant, jade bracelets, and cosmetics. Beside it sat a bronze mirror. Not far off lay a jade pillow. But the most striking item was a zitan-wood box—opening it revealed rows of gleaming gold official ingots from ancient times, with a bright imperial edict lying beneath them, the vermilion seal of the emperor bold and unmistakable.
These weren't just matters of monetary value. These were national treasures—a legacy of culture. Those special agents deserved nothing but death. She didn't have time to examine everything further. Having stashed all of it, she prepared to leave. But just as she climbed out of the cellar entrance, she heard footsteps.
Xiao Mandong immediately returned to her space. The footsteps grew nearer. The door creaked open, and she clearly heard hurried breathing followed by curses.
Moments later, a scream echoed up from the cellar. Xiao Mandong knew—Sun Wenbin must have fallen, tripped over the broken rung she'd snapped on her way down.
Then came Sun Wenbin's furious curses: "Damn it, what the hell kind of bad luck is this? Which bastard took my stuff? I'll fucking kill you if I find out who it was, I swear to God I'll fucking end you, argh... who, who, my treasure..." His voice even broke into sobs and wails.
