Silver Sunk to the Bottom of the Lake?

Huang Shaojie inspected the cart tracks on the official road and discovered that they began to grow slightly shallower from this point onward.

"Are you sure the bandits unloaded the silver here?"

Xiao Qiuyue looked at the tracks on the ground, but even with her eyesight, she could not make out the slightest obvious change in them.

"That's right. It had to be here."

Huang Shaojie examined them carefully once more and spoke with certainty.

By now, he had not only noticed the change in the cart tracks, but also found signs of people having passed through the woods beside the official road.

Though someone appeared to have deliberately smoothed down some of the trampled grass and thornbushes afterward, trying to erase the traces of people passing through, Huang Shaojie's Insight Technique still caught them with ease.

He immediately plunged into the woods to the left of the official road, following those trampled traces.

Xiao Qiuyue led several dozen Imperial Guard Captains after Huang Shaojie. Focusing her inner power into her eyes as she observed closely, she too saw that people had indeed entered this stretch of woods.

And there had been quite a few of them. Though the grass and thornbushes had been deliberately smoothed over, some traces were bound to remain.

Had Huang Shaojie not pointed it out, Xiao Qiuyue naturally would not have noticed. But now that he had drawn her attention to it, her keen eyesight allowed her to spot certain clues as well.

Those several dozen captains, however, could not see the slightest hint of anything.

Huang Shaojie followed the footprints all the way through the woods. After walking roughly two or three li, he saw a small lake ahead.

The deliberately smoothed traces led straight toward that small lake.

Huang Shaojie stopped, and an involuntary smile curled across his lips.

"Why did you stop? What are you grinning foolishly about?"

Xiao Qiuyue walked to his side, glanced at him, and asked.

"I know where the bandits hid the silver."

Huang Shaojie suddenly lowered his voice as he spoke to Xiao Qiuyue.

Xiao Qiuyue froze, then lowered her own voice. "Where did they hide it?"

Huang Shaojie used Internal Energy Sound Transmission. "It's hidden at the bottom of that lake ahead."

Internal Energy Sound Transmission used inner power to send one's voice into a particular person's ears, making it inaudible to everyone else.

The greater one's Internal Cultivation, the farther the transmission could reach.

Xiao Qiuyue looked toward the lake ahead in surprise, only to hear Huang Shaojie transmit again, "Don't look at it deliberately. I suspect the bandits have lookouts nearby."

If the bandits had sunk the silver into this lake, they would certainly have left someone behind to guard it. That person might be lurking on some hilltop or hidden in a patch of woods.

Xiao Qiuyue suddenly understood why Huang Shaojie had used Internal Energy Sound Transmission to speak with her just now.

She casually swept her gaze around a few times, then transmitted to Huang Shaojie, "How can you be certain the bandits sank the silver into the lake?"

Huang Shaojie pretended to search the surroundings as he walked, speaking softly. "These trampled footprints lead all the way to that lake. In this desolate wilderness, that lake is the only suitable place to hide silver."

Xiao Qiuyue looked around with both eyes and nodded faintly. "Sinking the official silver to the bottom of the lake truly is a brilliant idea. Huang Shaojie, let's search the area and see whether we can find any of the bandits' lookouts nearby. If we cannot, we'll simply dive into the lake and see whether the official silver is at the bottom."

Huang Shaojie shook his head. "No. If the bandits left lookouts behind, they would surely be experts. Finding them in this wilderness would be easier said than done, and we might only startle the grass and alert the snake."

"Then what do you plan to do?" Xiao Qiuyue asked with a frown.

Huang Shaojie said, "We'll pretend to search the area, then leave as though we found nothing."

"Just leave like that?" Xiao Qiuyue considered it. "One of us should stay hidden nearby to watch the lake, while the other leads the team back to report to Commander Niu."

Huang Shaojie shook his head. "There's no need. The bandits' eyes are hidden in the dark, while we stand exposed in the open. If we leave someone here to keep watch, the bandits will certainly notice them, and we will only startle the grass and alert the snake."

"But what if, after we leave, the bandits fish the silver out of the lake and flee?" Xiao Qiuyue said with some concern.

"The bandits won't fish out the silver in broad daylight. Don't forget, this is three hundred thousand taels of silver, not something that can be hauled out easily. Besides, the authorities are searching everywhere for the stolen three hundred thousand taels. They would be even less likely to transport this batch of official silver away in broad daylight." Huang Shaojie spoke with certainty.

"Perhaps the bandits' lair is somewhere in these mountains. They could summon several hundred men at any time to haul the silver out of the lake and transport it back to their lair."

Huang Shaojie smiled faintly. "If the bandits' lair truly is in these mountains, then we'll requisition ten thousand government soldiers from the Prefect and turn these mountains upside down."

Xiao Qiuyue said nothing more, tacitly accepting Huang Shaojie's view.

The two led the several dozen Imperial Guard Captains on a circuit through the nearby forest.

Then Huang Shaojie cupped his hands toward Xiao Qiuyue and said loudly, "My lord, there is nothing to be found here."

Xiao Qiuyue looked around, waved a hand, and said, "Withdraw. We're returning."

The two led the several dozen captains back the way they had come, mounted their horses, and galloped toward where Commander Niu was stationed.

When they returned to the place where the carriage had fallen, Niu Ren was still leading several hundred Imperial Guards in searching everywhere for traces of the bandits' escape.

Clearly, they had still found nothing.

Huang Shaojie and Xiao Qiuyue dismounted and went before Niu Ren.

Seeing the two approach, Niu Ren asked, "Well? Did you find any clues?"

Xiao Qiuyue cupped her hands. "Reporting to Commander, we have discovered where the bandits hid the silver."

"What did you say? You discovered where the bandits hid the silver?"

Niu Ren was stunned, both shocked and delighted. He pressed, "Quickly, tell me. Where did the bandits hide the official silver?"

Xiao Qiuyue said, "According to Huang Shaojie's investigation, it is highly likely that the bandits sank the stolen official silver into a small lake."

Niu Ren looked at Huang Shaojie and asked, "Which small lake? How did you determine that the bandits sank the official silver into the lake?"

Huang Shaojie cupped his hands. "Reporting to my lord, this subordinate followed the bandits' footprints all the way to the lake. Therefore, this subordinate inferred that the bandits must have sunk the stolen official silver to the bottom of the lake."

Niu Ren pressed further, "Then did you dive to the bottom of the lake to investigate?"

Huang Shaojie said, "No."

Niu Ren's face darkened. "Since you inferred that the bandits sank the official silver into the lake, why did you not send several captains down to the lake bottom to search?"

Xiao Qiuyue was just about to explain on Huang Shaojie's behalf.

Huang Shaojie said, "Please calm your anger, my lord. This subordinate believes that if the bandits sank the official silver into that lake, they would certainly have stationed lookouts nearby in the mountains to monitor the situation. If we had gone into the lake to retrieve the silver then, we would surely have startled the grass and alerted the snake..."

"You mean we should secretly watch this lake, and if bandits come to retrieve the silver, seize them all in one stroke?"

Worthy of being the Imperial Guard Commander in charge of Suzhou, Niu Ren immediately guessed Huang Shaojie's intent.

"Commander, you are wise. That was exactly this subordinate's plan." Huang Shaojie cupped his hands, taking the opportunity to flatter Niu Ren.