At that thought, he began contacting people again. He reached out to four or five in succession, but lost contact with two more. Now he realized the matter was serious. After he contacted them, word spread from person to person, and everyone discovered the problem.
As the rising sun drew the entire Sangfu Forest into its embrace, the remaining fourteen fellow disciples of Tianyi Dao gathered above the forest.
"Old Qiu, what exactly is going on? Where is everyone else? Old Li, Old Zhao—where did they go..."
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I can't reach them either. Could those little bastards have succeeded?"
"Bullshit! If Bin Tang had succeeded, he might not have told you, but how could he not tell me? We're blood brothers!"
"Blood brothers? When there's a fortune at stake, even a father and son don't count for much!"
"Chu, say that one more time! I'll knock your front teeth out!"
"What, he can do it but I can't say it? You miserable bastard!"
"Enough! All of you shut up! There's no way eight people could have succeeded at once. Something must have happened. We mustn't split up again. Let's investigate carefully!"
The speaker was an elder in python robes, his square face brimming with authority. He was the Enforcement Hall's deputy head, a man of lofty status who oversaw Tianyi Dao's criminal law and commanded great respect.
After a moment's thought, everyone agreed that he had a point. Even if someone had succeeded, there was no way all eight had done so at once.
Putting themselves in his shoes, none of them would have informed the others if they had succeeded. It was impossible for that to have made eight people vanish all at once.
Dark clouds gathered in everyone's hearts.
Just