These vents were inconspicuous, mostly located on the back of the statue. They were practically impossible to see without coming around behind it. Moreover, aside from the vents, the stone slab itself could be moved, which meant the statue's base was not solid but built with an arch structure like the Flavian Amphitheatre.
Zhang Heng moved aside the slab and found that the space beneath was extremely cramped, barely large enough to hold a child under fourteen. He also found some bread crumbs and a bowl of unfinished water inside.
But apart from that, Zhang Heng found nothing else. He then made his way around to the back of the temple, where the priests lived.
The young priest who had opened the door to welcome him earlier had already returned to bed and fallen asleep. Besides him, two somewhat older priests and six attendants who handled chores also lived there.
Without waking any of them, Zhang Heng searched their quarters, but gained little. He then retreated to the main hall with the statues, opened the bronze doors, and silently left the temple.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Heng stood before the Temple of Juno.
He was just about to repeat his trick and toss the stone in his hand when the temple doors suddenly opened on their own.
A woman dressed as a priestess emerged from within, leading a group of children.
Zhang Heng had no time to climb onto the roof. In his haste, he could only roll sideways toward the cliff's edge, hanging himself over the precipice just before the doors fully opened, one hand gripping the rock wall.
He moved quickly, but the suddenness of it still allowed the first child out the door to notice something. The child stopped and looked suspiciously toward the