Some people in the group whose thoughts were beginning to waver started targeting those who appeared weak and easy to bully—especially those who seemed to have money.
To most in the group, Sun Juanfang was the prime target—a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
After all, Sun Juanfang carried a large bundle with her. Anyone with eyes could guess she must be hiding valuable things.
More importantly, she kept her distance from the Qian family, didn't have a man backing her, and had a daughter with her.
All these factors combined made her seem like the easiest mark.
Naturally, Sun Juanfang was aware of the ill-intentioned glances thrown her way, but she wasn't worried in the slightest.
Anyone who dared lay a finger on her? She'd simply cut them down. It had been a while since she'd gotten some real exercise, anyway.
The thief who tried his luck was no fool. He didn't make a move during the day but chose the quiet dead of night instead, which suited Sun Juanfang just fine.
The first to approach was a short man. Just as he excitedly reached for Sun Juanfang's bundle, a poisonous scorpion suddenly crawled out and bit his hand, which instantly swelled up with a bluish-black bump—clearly a highly toxic sting.
The man convulsed in pain, but no matter how loudly he cried, the people nearby acted as if they didn't hear a thing. No one paid him the slightest attention.
This discovery chilled him to the bone. If not for the burning pain in his hand reminding him that this wasn't a nightmare, he would have thought he was dreaming.
Just as he was still struggling, he heard footsteps behind him. Delighted, he thought help had come—only to be knocked out cold.
Sun Juanfang nudged the man on the ground with her foot and thought to herself: This scorpion's venom isn't potent enough. He could still squirm around for so long. That'll need improving later.
Just as she was about to drag the man away, two more "little mice" showed up. A trace of helplessness flashed across her eyes.
Sigh, what can I do? Some people just love asking for punishment. Who would've thought tonight would be a buy-one-get-two-free special?
And so, with the same method, two more men ended up on the ground. They were brothers.
This time, Sun Juanfang used poisonous spiders—two different species, to test which venom was more effective. It seemed the green spider outperformed the yellow one.
These venomous creatures were items she'd once bought from the system store for refining poison pills. Even though their toxicity had been weakened in this world, they were still quite useful.
Sun Juanfang dragged the three men several hundred meters away from the camp. As for the patrolling guards, she had already instructed Xiao Tian to set up an illusion array within a one-mile radius.
Now, staring at the three men on the ground, Sun Juanfang had a dilemma—what to do with them?
If three men disappeared overnight, it would definitely draw too much attention, and their families would know they had gone to look for her. Killing them wasn't an option.
But simply letting them go felt like too much of a loss.
After thinking it over, Sun Juanfang came up with a brilliant plan.
These poisons weren't fatal—they'd only make the victims suffer for about ten days to two weeks. And given the current level of medical care, there was no cure. The men would just have to tough it out.
She returned them to their original spots in the camp and quietly stole a few sachets from the guards.
The silver inside the sachets was left untouched. She even thoughtfully returned the money pouches to the three men and used her psychic-type powers to alter their memories of the night.
Once all that was done, Sun Juanfang went back to sleep, eagerly awaiting tomorrow morning's show.
At dawn, everyone was startled awake by the guards' loud shouting—but no one dared to complain.
Sun Juanfang, hearing the commotion, was thrilled inside but didn't show it on her face. Only the way her ears subtly perked up betrayed her excitement.
Sure enough, news that three guards had lost their silver spread through the group like wildfire. Everyone was abuzz with speculation.
"I didn't think thieves would be so bold. They stole from Granny Qian the other night and last night dared to target the guards? They must have a death wish!"
"Exactly! They've got some nerve."
"We better be extra careful now. Everyone should keep their belongings close."
…
Just as the talk got more and more outrageous, Wu Yu shouted, "Everyone shut up! Anyone who speaks again will be flogged!"
That threat worked. After all, who wanted a beating?
The three "victims" then stepped forward to vent their grievances. "Sir, this thief is outrageous! To commit such a treacherous act under your watch—it's like stomping your honor into the ground!"
Wu Yu knew they were probably exaggerating, but they weren't wrong. If his men were being targeted, then it wouldn't be long before the thief dared to steal from him.
"This thief is too arrogant. To steal from court officers—this must be investigated thoroughly!"
A series of searches followed. The male prisoners were searched by the guards one by one, while the women were told to search each other in groups of three.
Seeing this arrangement, Qian Lanyue took the chance to have her aunt—Concubine Sun—inspect Sun Juanfang, hoping to uncover her hidden stash.
Concubine Sun searched for a long time and found only a few taels of silver on her. This left Qian Lanyue deeply frustrated.
She had even instructed her aunt to check the sleeves—but still came up with nothing. She just couldn't understand it.
In truth, Sun Juanfang had long since stashed the silver notes her mother had given her into her personal space. The few taels she left out were just a cover.
On the other side, the guards quickly discovered the missing money pouches on the three still-unconscious men—every coin accounted for.
This discovery infuriated Wang Wu, the most hot-tempered of the guards. He drew his whip and lashed out at the three men, cursing as he struck.
"You've got some nerve, stealing from me, huh? I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
When the three men woke up, they were utterly bewildered. They had no idea what had happened last night. But by now, the evidence was overwhelming, and no amount of protest could clear their names.