"Dad! Just now at Grandmother's place, Grace Wan deliberately mocked my mom, saying she's got a long road ahead of her." Grace immediately complained. "If you don't believe me, go ask Grandmother! I'm so mad I could explode!"
If it were something else, Minister Zhuo might have still defended his concubine.
After all, Grace is the younger generation, and tossing an elder to the ground isn't exactly proper.
But hearing Grace say that, Minister Zhuo immediately shot Grace Wan a displeased glare and said, "From now on, just stay in Snowdrop Garden and don't come out so much!"
Then he walked past her and left.
He headed straight for Jade Hall.
Grace Wan's face twisted for a moment, then she got up from the ground herself.
Grace gave a little smile and walked away too.
Grace Wan stared at her back, moved her right index finger, and a white halo appeared above it—then vanished.
She raised her right hand, blew on her finger, and smiled.
......
Grace and Cutie Pie exited through the North City Gate, rode for about half an hour, and then Cutie Pie led her into a hidden mountain.
A path had been carved into the mountain, full of wheel tracks and coal residue.
It was obvious—there must be a coal mine in this mountain.
Grace followed the path up, and when she was close, she hid in a concealed spot and saw a pitch-black cave entrance.
There were quite a few people guarding the entrance, and they all looked pretty alert.
"Cutie Pie, did they really move those hundreds of crates of Mythril Ore here under the cover of night?" Grace asked.
Cutie Pie nodded.
"Why bring it here?" Grace wondered. "Are they planning to mix it with the coal and ship it out together?"
Cutie Pie nodded again, then pointed toward the cave entrance with its tail.
"What do you mean?" Grace asked, puzzled.
Cutie Pie dug up a bit of dirt with his tail and fished out a small stone.
Grace instantly got it. "Wait, are you saying the Sun Family is secretly mining Mythril Ore in here?"
Cutie Pie nodded vigorously.
His girl really is clever!
"Ha! They really dare to mine Mythril Ore illegally!" Grace sneered. "Just wait, I'm going to bust the whole lot of you!"
Cutie Pie glanced at her.
When she sneered like that, she looked a little wicked—but gorgeous too.
"But..." Grace glanced around. "This mountain's location is actually pretty good."
This peak is positioned right across from the main road coming from the city.
Not only does it face the road, but it's high up with a great vantage point—they can spot any movement from far away.
Plus, mines like this usually have more than one exit.
If you rush in recklessly, chances are they'll slip away...
Grace decided to sneak in first, figure out what's really going on, and maybe even gather some evidence...
But to get inside, she'd have to wait until nightfall.
At night, there probably wouldn't be anyone around.
......
So Grace retraced her steps and rode back home.
After she left, two people emerged from the woods.
It was Grace Wan and Leon Wan.
"What did she come here for?" Grace Wan asked, confused.
"There are bits of coal along this mountain path—must be a coal mine," Leon Wan replied.
"A coal mine? That's odd! Why would she come to a coal mine?"
"Hmm... this coal mine... I remember when we passed by before, some colleagues mentioned it's owned by the Sun Family," Leon Wan said.
"Sun Family?" Grace Wan raised an eyebrow.
"I heard she wanted to sign up for the Spirit Alliance Examination, but Sophie Sun kicked her out," Leon Wan said. "Maybe she's planning some kind of revenge on the Sun Family's property?"