The moment he crossed the threshold of the elder's residence, Da Yajin's face fell, his brows twisting into a knot. Liu Shan and the other three immediately gathered around him. Ma Da urgently asked, "Master Tai, did it work or not? What did Blackstone Elder say?"
Da Yajin did not answer. He first led them around to a secluded alley behind the residence before saying in a grave voice, "He allowed us to settle in town, but that old thing spoke vaguely and never pounded his chest to promise he'd protect us."
Ge Yanbing's gaze sharpened. "You mean he might sell us out to Shen Gonglan at any time?"
"It's not impossible." Da Yajin rubbed the chipped gold tooth in his mouth, his tone heavy. "A hundred kindnesses cannot outweigh one grievance. He brought up the matter of me leaving Blackstone Town back then—he clearly still holds a grudge. He took the Blood Jade Marrow yet only gave us some vague words about 'settling down.' He sees that we have nowhere left to go and wants to keep us in his grip. For all we know, he's waiting to sell us to the highest bidder."
Ma Er scratched his head. "Then what do we do? We can't exactly ask for the stuff back, can we?"
"This isn't about getting our things back. It's about staying alive. Even if that old thing is waiting to sell us to the highest bidder, he'll need some time, won't he? That bit of time is exactly what we need," Great Gold Tooth said.
"Blackstone Elder can't be trusted, so we can't hang ourselves from this one tree. Master Tai, what are you planning next?" Ge Yanbing asked.
"Mm~" Great Gold Tooth pondered for a moment, his eyes gradually clearing. Then he spread his hands.