Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family - Chapter 281: Action II

Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Action II

“I’m looking for it. Li’er, you help me look too,” Xiao Yunjing whispered softly.

With such formidable defenses here, he didn’t believe the study was merely a room full of books.

“Alright.” Gu Qingli smiled happily. It seems I wasn’t the only one who had this idea.

They searched around but found nothing.

“The bedroom,” they both said in unison.

“Let’s go.” Xiao Yunjing picked up Gu Qingli and flew towards Qingchen’s bedroom.

Upon reaching the door, Xiao Yunjing pushed it gently, and it swung open.

“Li’er, stay here and don’t come in. I’ll go,” Xiao Yunjing said, putting Gu Qingli down. He didn’t want Li’er to be the one collecting things from Qingchen’s bedroom, even though the items here were more valuable.

“Fine.” Gu Qingli glanced at him. What a cheapskate, she fumed internally.

Everything inside was an exquisite item; some were priceless treasures.

Seeing all the valuables made Gu Qingli’s heart pound with anticipation. If I don’t take these things, I’ll definitely lose sleep over it!

Xiao Yunjing rummaged around inside and, sure enough, found a Secret Sect, which he opened.

The moment the Secret Sect was opened, a foul odor rushed out.

Xiao Yunjing swiftly moved, pulling Gu Qingli away from the opening.

“Why does it stink so badly? Is that the stench of a corpse?” Gu Qingli said, pinching her nose.

“There must be dead people down there,” Xiao Yunjing stated.

He figured that once Qingchen had left, no one would have bothered with whoever was locked up below.

After nearly a year, it was a certainty that the person imprisoned there was dead; anything else would be unnatural.

Only when the smell had mostly dissipated did they enter the Secret Sect.

Inside, a staircase led downward. Xiao Yunjing walked in front, holding a Night Pearl to light the way for Gu Qingli. She, in turn, sprinkled medicinal powder as they went to disperse the remaining odor.

After descending about five feet, they reached a horizontal passage.

This passage wasn’t long, also only about five feet. Exiting it, they found another perpendicular corridor lined with stone rooms on the opposite side, all with their doors shut and locked.

Xiao Yunjing walked up to one of the stone rooms, shattered the lock with his internal energy, and pushed the door open.

It was an iron door.

Gu Qingli followed him inside.

“Oh my heavens! Yun-Yunjing, there’s so much…” Gu Qingli stammered, her voice filled with awed disbelief, followed by a breathless laugh. She was stunned by the sight of the room’s contents. It wasn’t wide, but it was very long—at least a hundred square meters. The entire space was filled with gold, silver, and all sorts of treasures, casually thrown on the ground or piled in wooden boxes.

Qingchen clearly didn’t care much for these mundane things, she thought. But I like them!

She had Xiao Yunjing light the way while she collected all these items into her Space.

“Tired?” After she finished, Xiao Yunjing lovingly patted her head and asked.

“Hehe… not tired at all! I wouldn’t get tired even if there were several more rooms like this,” Gu Qingli replied, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good. Let’s check the other rooms,” Xiao Yunjing said, leading her to the adjacent stone room. As before, he broke the lock, and they went in.

This room was also primarily filled with gold and silver treasures. Without a second thought, Gu Qingli collected everything.

The third room was different; it was filled with weapons.

This time, it was Xiao Yunjing’s turn to be excited. His army was in dire need of weapons, and here was a collection that seemed to cover nearly every form of martial weaponry.

The couple happily cleared out room after room until only the last stone chamber remained.

This room had a window. As they approached, they could already smell the foul odor emanating from within.

Xiao Yunjing opened the door and slowly led Gu Qingli inside.

When Gu Qingli saw the various torture instruments in the room, her skin crawled.

There was even a skeleton strapped to an iron frame, the source of the putrid smell.

Gu Qingli quickly scattered some medicinal powder, and the odor in the room gradually dissipated.

Only then did she begin to examine the various torture devices, many of which still bore dried bloodstains. It was clear that many people had perished here.

I never imagined Qingchen could be so vicious, she thought. The torture devices here rivaled those in the imperial dungeons, perhaps even surpassed them in cruelty.

“Aren’t you scared?” Xiao Yunjing asked Gu Qingli, who was looking around with an expression of disgust.

“What’s there to be scared of?” She had seen plenty of dead bodies. As for skeletons, she had seen many anatomical models during her time in medical school; though made of plastic, they were quite realistic.

“Let’s go. We should check other places.”

“Alright.” There truly wasn’t anything else worth seeing here.

They left the underground secret chamber and returned to Qingchen’s room.

“Yunjing,” Gu Qingli called out softly, pointing at the decorative ornaments on the table and a magnificent double-sided embroidered screen.

“You little money-grubber,” Xiao Yunjing gently poked her forehead.

Gu Qingli stuck her tongue out at him and quickly stored everything valuable into her Space, intending to sort through it all when she had free time.

In the end, apart from Qingchen’s clothes scattered across the floor, everything else went into Gu Qingli’s Space.

Xiao Yunjing smiled indulgently. I can’t believe my Li’er is such a money-grubber!

The two continued their looting spree until dawn. By the time Gu Qingli finally stopped, the entire courtyard was in a state of utter disarray.

“Master.” Just then, Yun No. 20 rushed towards them.

“What is it?” Xiao Yunjing asked.

“Master, we’ve discovered an underground weapon factory and a soldier base!”

“Oh? Where?” Xiao Yunjing’s eyes lit up. He had been searching for days without success, yet Yun No. 20 and his team had found them.

“At the foot of the mountain behind the estate,” Yun No. 20 said, pointing to the large mountain backing Red Leaf Villa.

“Excellent, let’s go.”

“Master.” Just as they were about to leave, Yun No. 4 arrived.

“How are things on your end?” Xiao Yunjing stopped immediately and inquired.

“Master, we’ve captured everyone we needed to. What are your orders now?” Yun No. 4 reported excitedly.

“Collect all the valuables and then secure this place. From now on, this territory is ours,” Xiao Yunjing declared, glancing at the still energetic Gu Qingli. Li’er loved treasure, and he suspected the old Villa Master’s residence would have plenty.

“Yes, Master!” Yun No. 4 replied cheerfully and hurried off.

Looting treasure was a favorite activity for them all; they would get a share later. Their marriage funds would get a nice little boost.

Once Yun No. 4 had departed, Xiao Yunjing picked up Gu Qingli and followed Yun No. 20, flying towards the back mountain.

「In Capital City.」

Qingchen woke early, an inexplicable sense of panic gripping him, as if he had lost something vital.

He summoned his Secret Guards and inquired about the recent situation across various fronts. Despite learning that all was well, he remained restless.

Could this unease be related to Chu Xiong? he wondered. If so, I must accelerate my plans.

“Secret Guard No.1, send a message to the Alchemist…” Qingchen said to the empty room. A faint sound indicated his order was received, and then silence returned.

It turned out the Daoist priest from the Qin Tianjian was an agent Qingchen had planted many years ago. The goal was to get Chu Xiong addicted to medicinal elixirs, thereby controlling him.

The so-called Longevity Pill was, in reality, a type of addictive drug. Its main ingredient was the poppy flower.

If Gu Qingli were to see the primary ingredient of that medicine, she would undoubtedly recognize it.

However, no matter how adept Qingchen was at scheming and predicting, no matter how many calculations he made, he could never have foreseen this. His Red Leaf Villa had already been raided. He would never have anticipated that within just a month, the villa he prided himself on—believing it impenetrable—would fall into someone else’s hands.

The villa was his main base, and almost all his possessions were stored there. If he discovered it had been ransacked, he would surely be enraged to death.