No One Could Stop the Gossip!

The brilliantly sunny day began to turn overcast after noon. The snow, which had never melted, began to give off a more noticeable chill.

The alley was a pretty good spot. You could see from one end to the other, and anyone approaching with intent could be spotted in advance. After Yu Xing had sorted out their targets, Yan Li simply stayed there too, saying he would share the information he had traded for from the other deducers.

To be honest, he said, he and the others had discovered the guide's residence together. Although the formation that kept outsiders away had been his work, the others hadn't exposed him or interrupted his attempt to sell the information. That already counted as tacit agreement to take a share, so Yan Li considered himself merely someone who had contributed effort. He had no intention of claiming the information for himself.

He'd brought Zhang Yu along so Zhang Yu could listen in the whole time and confirm that he hadn't kept anything to himself.

Mo stood there, apparently surprised that following Yu Xing halfway through had earned her such a big payoff so quickly. Feeling a little embarrassed, she tugged at Yu Xing's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Can I really listen?"

"You're already here." Yu Xing didn't mind. "So far, everything Yan Li has been able to trade for is just basic information from the deducers' backstories. Nothing about the real secrets we need to investigate. What are you feeling guilty about?"

Yan Li turned to look at Mo as well. He seemed to recognize her and gave a reserved nod. "You can."

"Now that you've said that, I feel better about getting it for free." Mo finally relaxed.

"Getting it for free?" Yu Xing raised an eyebrow. "Did you