I exchanged a glance with Ye Yang before asking, "Who is the one opening the mountain?"

Zuan Shan Bao shook his head and said, "I don't know! According to Pan Shan Ying's calculations at the time, the person opening the mountain should be arriving on their own in the next few days."

Zuan Shan Bao looked up at me and said, "So many members of the Thief Sect are inviting Head Ye, I think they're treating you as pathfinders."

I stood up and walked around the room, subconsciously reaching for my body, only to realize that the jade pendant was gone.

My expression immediately changed. "Zuan Shan Bao, was that subordinate of yours dealt with? He might not be your man. Something on me was taken, and he's the only person I came into contact with since entering the village."

Zuan Shan Bao's expression also changed. "Old Third, Old Third..."

Zuan Shan Bao called out twice, but no one responded, so he led us into the cellar.

Several of Zuan Shan Bao's men were lying on the ground, unconscious. The person who was supposed to be dealt with was nowhere to be found.

I looked around the room and pointed to the water tank in the distance. "Someone's there!"

Zuan Shan Bao went over and lifted the lid of the tank, cursing angrily, "Damn it, look at your pathetic state, you've made me lose all face."

Zuan Shan Bao reached into the water tank and dragged out a person who was tightly bound. The person was the same guy who had clashed with me.

Ye Yang walked to the table and tilted the oil lamp down a little. Where the light fell, a line of writing immediately appeared: "Thank you for the generous gifts, esteemed leaders. Jin Yin Shou takes his leave."

Lin Zhao said in a low voice, "This is Jin Yin Shou, a well-known thief from the Empty Gate Sect. What did he steal?"

I turned to look at the person who had crawled out of the water tank, then at Old Third lying on the ground, and finally focused my gaze on Zuan Shan Bao. "Friend, shouldn't we get to know each other again?"

Zuan Shan Bao was slightly taken aback. "Head Li, what do you mean by this?"

I calmly looked at Zuan Shan Bao and said, "Empty Gate disciples seek wealth. They can act alone, or they can cooperate."

"It's not difficult to steal something from me, but it's hard to take something away from under my nose. I placed a witchcraft curse on that jade pendant. As long as it leaves me by ten meters, I can sense it."

"That person didn't take the jade pendant from me; he was just testing the waters. The real person who acted was Old Third."

"They came down to remove the witchcraft curse on the jade pendant, but they failed. Then I suddenly came down, so they had to hide the jade pendant on you."

"Am I right?"

Zuan Shan Bao's face was as dark as water. "Head Li, I treated you with sincerity, but you look at me like this, isn't that a bit too much?"

I laughed and said, "If you were really Zuan Shan Bao, then I would indeed be going too far. But unfortunately, you're not."

I stared at the other person and said, "Your appearance does resemble a descendant of the Northeast bandits, but you made a mistake. When you toasted me, you shouldn't have shown the bottom of your bowl after the first bowl."

"Let me teach you something. In the Northeast bandit code, the host doesn't show the bottom of the bowl first when drinking. Only the guest shows the bottom of the bowl, representing their sincerity. You got it wrong!"

Zuan Shan Bao smiled without changing his expression. "Head Li is indeed famous. However, I've already taken the thing, so naturally I won't return it. Just consider that you've made a friend like me!"

"I'm really sorry, but I really don't have the habit of being friends with thieves!" I looked at the other person with a smile that wasn't a smile and said, "Besides, my thing isn't on you yet. Lin Zhao!"

Lin Zhao clenched her fist and raised her hand into the air. With a spread of her five fingers, two jade pendants tied with red strings fell from her hand, swaying back and forth in the air.

Although Lin Zhao isn't a member of the Empty Gate, her Thirteen Supreme Hands are so fast that even experts from the Empty Gate can't keep up. As long as the target's location is confirmed, taking something back is as easy as flipping her hand.

I smiled and said, "Friend, take your people and leave! We'll meet again someday."

The other person's lips trembled several times, but he didn't say anything. He led his two subordinates away dejectedly.

I walked around the cellar before dragging the real Zuan Shan Bao out of an empty water tank. After I asked him, I learned that the real Zuan Shan Bao was called Huang Jun. What he told me was not much different from what the fake Zuan Shan Bao had said.

The only difference was that Huang Jun had lost the map passed down from his ancestors, which was more detailed.

The fake Zuan Shan Bao's real purpose for coming was that map!

Then he shouldn't have created unnecessary trouble here with me.

I looked at Huang Jun and said, "Isn't there something else you haven't told me?"

Huang Jun said with a mournful face, "My Head Li! You don't know! The Zuan Shan Bao line declined in my grandfather's generation. The work I do here is all errand-running! What else could I know?"

I looked at Zuan Shan Bao with shining eyes. "How about we work together on a deal? If we do it well, I guarantee you'll make a fortune."

Zuan Shan Bao Huang Jun immediately stood up. "Master Li, tell me what kind of deal you want to do. As long as I can make a fortune, I'll even dig up my own ancestral grave."

I stared at Huang Jun and said, "I want you to dig up your own ancestral grave!"

Huang Jun was immediately dumbfounded!