Minho pouted as she helped Brother Yuan and the others plant potatoes on the mountainside near their village. The frustration on her face was obvious—it had been two whole days since she last had a chance to examine the mysterious black mirror she’d discovered.

For two days, Brother Yuan had kept her busy with chores as punishment for wandering off during the trip with Sister Tao and the others. She couldn’t risk taking out the mirror while everyone was around, wanting to understand it fully before revealing it to anyone. After all, Senior Brother Dao and some of the older members like Brother Qin still didn’t approve of her being part of the brotherhood. If she could figure out the mirror’s magic, maybe they’d finally see her value! At least, that’s what Little Minho believed.

"Alright, Xiao Minho," Yuan said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I think you’ve had enough punishment for now."

Gu, who had been lounging under a nearby tree, chimed in, “She pulled out more potato plants than weeds, though.” He grinned lazily.

Yuan chuckled. “At least she tried, unlike some people who haven’t moved a muscle all day.”

Gu yawned and stretched, responding, “Hey, I’m on guard duty till Brother Shun takes over for the night. Let me enjoy some peace while I can.”

Minho giggled at their exchange, but she suddenly noticed someone approaching from the corner of her eye. It was Senior Brother Minfe. Without hesitation, she sprinted towards him, her little feet kicking up dirt as she threw her arms around him, smudging his clean clothes in the process.

“Senior Brother Minfe!” she exclaimed.

Minfe smiled down at her and patted her head. “Looks like your punishment’s over, huh?”

Yuan, now walking towards them, grinned. “Yeah, I think that’s enough for now. But knowing this little rascal, she’ll probably wander off again in no time.”

Minfe chuckled, then turned to Gu, who had risen from his spot under the tree. “So, what brings you here, Senior Brother?” Gu asked, stretching lazily.

“I need the map of all our stash locations,” Minfe replied, his tone turning serious. “I’ve heard that the Greenwood Brotherhood is expanding their territory. I want to make sure none of our hidden spots are at risk.”

Yuan nodded. “I’ll grab the map and meet you in the village.”

Before heading off, Minfe looked down at Minho, who was still bouncing on her feet, eager to be free. “Go on, Minho,” he said with a kind smile. “Run along and play in the village. Me and Brother Yuan have some things to discuss.”

Without a second thought, Minho bolted towards the village, excitement bubbling inside her. She was finally free! Now she could focus on examining the black mirror again. The possibilities raced through her mind as she imagined what new secrets the mirror might reveal today.

But as she arrived at the hut she shared with Brother Yuan, her joy quickly turned to panic. She couldn’t find the wooden plates where she had carefully written down the mirror’s strange symbols.

Frantically, she searched through the hut, overturning blankets and shifting her toys. Her toys, usually neatly piled, were scattered around—a sign that someone had been there. Minho’s stomach sank as she realized what had likely happened. She rushed through the village, asking anyone she could find if they had seen the plates.

Finally, she found Yang, standing near one of the storage huts. "Sister Yang!" Minho shouted, her voice trembling with frustration. "Why did you take my precious writing?! I hid it with my toys so no one would touch it!"

Yang looked confused, wiping her hands on her apron. "What are you talking about, Minho? I didn’t know it was important. The wooden plates you’re talking about—they didn’t have any proper writing on them. I thought it was just useless scribbling, so I scraped them clean for reuse."

Minho’s heart dropped. "No! It wasn’t useless! It was very important!" she shouted, tears already brimming in her eyes.

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Brother Qin, who had been nearby, couldn’t resist a sneer. "What could a little brat like you possibly have that’s important?" he said, his usual disdain dripping from every word.

Minho clenched her fists, trying to find the words to explain, but the anger and sadness overwhelmed her. "It... it...," she stammered, before turning and running as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Minho, wait!" Yang called after her. "We can remake it! I didn’t know it was important!"

But Minho didn’t stop. She ran straight to her hut, grabbed her bag, which held the moss and the black mirror, and fled from the village, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Yang sighed, turning towards Brother Qin, frustration clear in her eyes. "Could you, for once, give the girl a break?"

Qin shrugged, his expression indifferent. "Maybe when we don’t have to feed a baby brat anymore," he muttered before walking off.

Yang watched Minho’s small figure disappear into the trees, guilt tugging at her heart. She hadn’t meant to make Minho Upset, but now the damage was done.

Minho ran through the forest, tears still streaking her face, but she wasn’t running aimlessly. She had a destination in mind—a secret stash location where Brother Yuan kept his savings chest. Despite the hurt and frustration bubbling inside her, a small spark of relief remained. She felt like a genius for having stashed the carved firewood with the symbols in Yuan’s chest as a backup.

Unbeknownst to Brother Yuan, Minho had secretly memorized the map of all the stash locations. She’d managed to sneak glances at it whenever Brother Yuan wasn't paying attention. Now, she was one of the few in the village who knew the hidden spots where their savings and grains were kept, alongside Brother Gu and Brother Yuan.

As her sobs finally subsided, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she pulled the black mirror from her bag. "At least I can experiment with this now," she muttered, her voice a mix of frustration and curiosity.

She turned the mirror on, the screen glowing softly in her hands, and tapped on the floating symbol for [Camera]. The image on the screen flickered, showing her surroundings. Intrigued, she pinched the screen with two fingers, just like the mirror had instructed her two days ago, zooming in on the nearby trees. The [Camera] allowed her to see individual leaves and even fruits hanging from the branches far above her. She gasped softly, amazed by how clearly she could see them from the ground.

“This is... incredible,” Minho whispered, captivated by the device's capabilities. After a few minutes of testing how far the zoom could go, she tapped the side triangle to exit the [Camera] and pressed the side button to turn the screen off.

Despite her fascination, Minho was cautious. She didn’t want to experiment with the other floating symbols yet, not without her notes to guide her. She felt a strong need to understand what she was doing before diving deeper into the mirror’s mysteries.

Meanwhile, back in the village, Yuan and Senior Brother Minfe sat in Minfe’s hut, poring over the map. Yuan had just finished explaining the locations of the various stashes and landmarks.

"I see," Minfe said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "So you've spread the grain needed for winter across this region. Smart. That way, not everything will be lost if one stash is looted." He paused, frowning slightly. "But I still don’t like that all the valuables are stored in a single location. You should’ve spread them out, too."

Yuan nodded but gently disagreed. "That was the original plan, Senior Brother. But Gu raised a good point when we discussed it. We usually sell off our valuables within a week, at most. The coins end up stored in your hut or Senior Brother Dao’s hut anyway, so spreading them out didn’t make much sense. Plus, the valuables are heavy to move around frequently."

Minfe chuckled. "So, even that lazy bum’s brain works sometimes, huh? Fair enough." He pointed to several locations on the map. "Still, we should rethink these spots. With the Greenwood Brotherhood trying to expand, it's risky. These are the areas they’ll likely target."

Yuan nodded again, taking mental note of the suggested changes. As the two of them wrapped up the important talk, Minfe shifted the conversation.

"Brother Yuan, one more thing." Minfe's voice turned serious. "Be cautious. Senior Brother Dao and his men have been trying to acquire more weapons recently, and Gu’s been willingly handing them over." He hesitated, then continued. "I don’t know what Dao is planning, but the hostility his men have toward Minho... it’s unsettling."

Yuan was taken aback by the revelation, his expression tightening. Hearing such a warning from Senior Brother Minfe was alarming. "I’ll keep that in mind," Yuan replied, his tone now more serious as well.

Just as Minfe began briefing Yuan on the operation plan for when the ransom for the hostage arrived, a heavy knock interrupted their conversation. Minfe rose to open the door, revealing Yang standing there, her expression tense.

"Oh, Sister Yang," Minfe greeted her with a smile. "We were just discussing some important matters. What brings you here?"

Yang nodded, her face still tight with concern. "Yes, I know. I came because Brother Yuan is here, and I need to talk to him." She paused, glancing at Yuan. "It's about Minho."

She quickly explained what had happened—how Minho had stormed off into the forest after discovering her precious wooden plates had been scraped clean. Yuan’s brow furrowed as he listened, while Minfe folded his arms, deep in thought.

"I see," Minfe finally said. "Minho’s a smart girl. She likely won’t venture into the Greenwood Brotherhood’s territory, but with the news of their expansion, it’s not safe for her to be out there right now."

Yuan understood immediately. "Sister Yang, would it trouble you, if you went to look for her? Senior Brother Minfe and I are in the middle of discussing the next operation."

Yang shook her head. "Not at all, Brother Yuan. In fact, I was about to go look for her myself. I wanted to apologize to her personally."

Yuan nodded in appreciation, and with that, Yang set off to search for Minho, her heart heavy with guilt and concern.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the Jing Mountains in a gloomy gray as Yang continued calling out for Minho in the forest. The dense trees absorbed her voice, and after several more minutes of searching with no response, she sighed. Minho’s probably already back in the village by now, Yang thought, trying to reassure herself. After all, the girl hated missing dinner. With a small chuckle at the thought, Yang turned around and began her trek back to the village.

The path was quiet, and after walking for nearly an hour, Yang was nearing the village. However, something caught her eye—shadowy figures moving in the dark ahead. She squinted, trying to make out who they were, but the number of people unsettled her. There were too many. Yang slowed her pace, her instincts on high alert. Something wasn’t right.

As she moved closer to get a better look, her eyes widened. There were at least forty of them, all armed. The faint glimmer of metal weapons reflected in the moonlight. And when she finally got a closer look at their uniforms, her heart sank.

Greenwood Bandits.

Panic surged through her. Why are there so many of them? Yang thought, her mind racing. And why are they heading toward our hidden village? Her unease deepened. This wasn’t just a small raid—this was a full assault.

She knew she had to act fast. Turning to run and warn the others, Yang’s body tensed as she heard footsteps approaching from behind. A wave of fear washed over her as she spun around, coming face to face with an unknown figure emerging from the darkness.