Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Rob the Imperial Palace She already knew that silver was the currency in circulation in this world, so she would definitely have to find a way to get more of it. She was a mature base commander. Since she had taken over the original owner's body, she naturally had to shoulder the responsibility of caring for the original owner's family. There had been no conditions to do so in the apocalypse. Now that she had finally arrived in an era where food and drink were plentiful—not to mention that she had an entire family of nonproductive relatives to support—she herself absolutely could not bear to suffer. She couldn't endure even a single day of this miserly, hard-scrabble life. The Peach Tree's freshly extended branches had already returned to normal. Its crown swayed gently, once again producing a rustling sound. "Wait here. I'll go ask around." The entire crown began to sway violently. As it moved, the trees in the other courtyards swayed along with it, and then the motion spread to the residences of other officials. Before long, the entire Capital was filled with the rustling of leaves rubbing against one another, drawing people to stop and look up. There wasn't even any wind. Why were the trees shaking so violently? They were even shedding leaves. Knowing that the Peach Tree was asking the trees in other people's residences on her behalf, Su Tang simply changed the question. "Is there anything like silver buried beneath Marquis Anle’s Residence?" Since she had transmigrated into a world without zombies or mutated animals, of course she intended to eat her fill and feast on great hunks of meat. There had better be something buried beneath the residence. Otherwise, she would go out and rob someone. Before the Peach Tree could answer, the little grasses underground began shouting out their answers. "No, there's nothing at all. Underground, there are only water and bugs." "That's right. His family is so poor that even the rats moved next door, because there was nothing good to steal." "There used to be a ginseng plant here, but that mischievous boy pulled it up as a weed because he didn't recognize it, then used it to play grass-fighting." "Yes! That poor little ginseng was torn in half. It died horribly!" "That mischievous boy steps on me all the time, too, and says my blood smells good." ... The mischievous boy they were talking about was naturally Su Haochen, the Fifth Younger Brother. The grasses chattered and complained, but summed up, they were saying one thing: Marquis Anle’s Residence was dirt-poor. The corners of Su Tang's mouth twitched incessantly. Why did she feel that these grasses were carrying such a heavy grudge? The Peach Tree's message had already returned. "I've found out. The richest place in the Capital is the imperial palace, followed by the banks, and then the residences of the various officials." Su Tang seriously rubbed her chin. "What do you think about me robbing the imperial palace?" In the apocalypse, it was perfectly normal for different teams to fight over resources. There were no rules in the apocalypse. The strongest fists made the rules. Back then, in order to collect supplies, she had once fought her way alone through an entire shopping mall. She refused to believe that these ancient people could be harder to kill than zombies. Ancient people didn't even bite. The Peach Tree's leaves rustled. "I don't recommend it. If the imperial palace is destroyed, war will break out. When that happens, the people will suffer and the entire nation will descend into chaos." Su Tang had grown up struggling to survive in the apocalypse, and her cultural knowledge was limited. "Can you put it more simply?" She had been born after the apocalypse had already begun, and from the time she was old enough to understand things, she had survived alone. She had learned practical survival skills from trees. Later, she had joined various people in team battles and pieced together enough literacy to read, but as for general education, she had never had anywhere to study. Her fists, however, were harder than anyone else's. After merging with the original owner's body, perhaps because the original owner had affected her, even her mind would occasionally become muddled. Still, she was willing to follow the rules of this world. The Peach Tree answered briskly, "You can't rob it, or no one will grow crops in the future, and you won't have anything to eat." At the mention of having nothing to eat, Su Tang sucked in a sharp breath. No! That was absolutely unacceptable! Should she go rob a bank? No, in this era it was probably called a money house... Just then, the old locust tree, which had been silent nearby, suddenly spoke. "Why don't you go take a look at the bandits' den? Thirty li east of the city, there's a long-established bandit stronghold called Black Wind Stronghold. "They specialize in kidnapping the family members of high-ranking officials and demanding enormous ransoms. Since the victims are all women of the household, the officials pay the money without daring to make a fuss, allowing them to remain arrogant until now. "If you wipe them out, not only will you get silver, you'll also be ridding the people of a menace. It would be a great merit, and all the plants and trees over there will help you." Of that entire speech, only one sentence remained in Su Tang's ears: Black Wind Stronghold. Rich. Killable. Wipe them out, and all the money would be hers. Su Tang excitedly slapped the table. "Let's do it!" Just then, her body suddenly rose into the air. Someone had grabbed her from behind beneath the arms and lifted her as if she were a child. At her ear came the voice of her Eldest Brother, Su Hao’an. "You're too thin. I happened to kill a wild chicken today. I'll have Nanny Zhao stew it for you at noon to nourish you!" The original owner had an incomplete mind, so everyone treated her as a three-year-old child. They had never observed any distinction between men and women around her. This body's appearance resembled Su Tang's, but even on tiptoe she was only about one meter sixty tall. Unlike Su Tang's original body, she was not tall and “imposing.” Once someone picked her up, she was like a little chick being carried off. Her feet could not touch the ground at all. Su Tang flailed twice, then realized she couldn't bring herself to attack Su Hao’an and simply gave up. This man's strength really was no joke. She thought that to herself, but somehow the words came out of her mouth. Her Third Brother, Su Haoyu, immediately picked up the conversation. "Eldest Brother was born with divine strength. A man who can kill a wild boar with three punches is nothing strange at all. Eldest Brother, are you done holding her? Let me hold her too." Their little sister was small, thin, and adorable. Now that her mind had recovered, if they didn't hold her while they had the chance, they might never get to again. Su Tang's eyes widened. How audacious! How dare he rely on being a member of the original owner's family to show such disrespect to her, the commander of a base? Still, ever since she could remember, this was the first time anyone had held her like this... Su Hao’an set Su Tang back down on the stool and smacked Su Haoyu's hand. "You can't carry her. Don't drop Tangtang." Su Haoyu bared his teeth in pain from the blow. What a cheapskate! As soon as Su Tang had settled into her seat, a candied hawthorn stick suddenly appeared in front of her. Following it upward, she met the slightly pale face of Su Haoqi. "What were you thinking about just now, Tangtang?" He was the original owner's Second Brother. He had naturally pale, cold-toned skin and a cold personality, so he usually looked rather sinister. When she had first regained consciousness, everyone in the Su family had been delighted. Only this Second Brother had tested her several times. He had even rummaged through her hair while she was sleeping, searching for the birthmark on the original owner's scalp. Only after confirming that she really was his younger sister did he begin to show her any affection. Hearing Su Haoqi ask what she had been thinking about, Su Tang chewed her candied hawthorn with loud crunches. "I'm planning to go rob Black Wind Stronghold in the eastern outskirts. Do you want to come with me?" This family was not hers alone. Everyone had to work together. The moment she said this, the few people present froze. Then they quickly reacted. Su Hao’an immediately rolled up his sleeves. "We're going. We're leaving right now. I've wanted to kill those bastards for ages." His younger sister's requests had to be fulfilled. He didn't believe she truly dared to rob anyone; at most, she simply wanted to go out and play. In any case, as long as he was there, he could guarantee that she would return unharmed. Su Haoyu thought it over seriously. "Black Wind Stronghold is notorious. We should still consider this carefully." His little sister was no longer the idiot she had once been, but why did he feel that she seemed a little foolish? There was nothing to do but humor her for now. She would probably forget all about it after playing outside for a while. Su Haoqi's brows drew together slightly. "How does Tangtang know about Black Wind Stronghold? Could someone have been whispering things in her ear?" His thoughts were more meticulous than the others', so he naturally noticed something wrong right away. If he found whoever had been gossiping irresponsibly and coaxing Tangtang into recklessly courting death, he would certainly make that person pay. Su Tang didn't want to explain. She simply slapped the table again. "There isn't much time. All of you come with me now. Once we get there, I'll do the robbing and you can carry the goods. "I'll handle anyone who blocks our way. You handle burying them. Don't let the smell of blood attract the zom—" She swallowed the final word in time. She had actually forgotten that this was no longer the apocalypse. Where would zombies come from? Su Haoqi seized upon the crucial part. "Attract the what?" Ever since Tangtang had regained consciousness, the things she said had all been very strange. Could this also be a lingering effect of her former foolishness?