Too Clever by Half

The well was very deep.

Third Brother's figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness, with only the taut black rope still trembling faintly, showing that the person below was moving.

Those above held their breath, waiting silently.

Only Fang Mo remained in that cowardly kneeling posture on the ground, but his muscles had already tensed quietly.

Cold-Blooded instinct told him.

Danger was coming.

Although Iron Bone Liu was dead, the contingency plans left by such an old hand in the underworld would never be simple.

Though he hadn't seen the specific trap layout in his memories, that judgment line about "selling off the lamps of a thousand homes in the dark" stuck with him.

No slaver was ever dim-witted—this man was deep and calculating, not the type to casually leave his life's fortune in an unguarded place.

Suddenly.

"Clang!"

An extremely faint sound of a mechanism springing came from the bottom of the well.

Then.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

A series of sounds of sharp blades piercing flesh, accompanied by a suppressed grunt.

The originally taut black rope jerked violently a few times, then went limp, hanging slack as if all tension had been lost.

Dead.

No doubt about it.

The faces of the black-clad men above the well changed instantly.

A flash of Cold Light flickered in Gu Yichuan's eyes.

"Third Brother!"

He barked in a low voice.

No response came from the well.

Only the Foul Smell was gradually mixed with a trace of fresh Bloody Smell.

"Damn it!"

Gu Yichuan punched the nearby Withered Tree, shaking leaves loose and scattering them.

He whirled around, his blade-like gaze pinning Fang Mo in place.

"Is this what you meant by 'right below'?"

Fang Mo trembled all over, nearly curling into a ball.

"Your Excellency, please see clearly!"

"Liu Mazi only told me the location—he never said there were traps!"

"If Subordinate had known about traps, I wouldn't have dared bring you here even if I had the nerve!"

"It's all that Liu Mazi's viciousness—even in death, he had to drag someone down with him!"

Fang Mo's words came out with tears and snot, dripping with grievance.

Gu Yichuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent in his heart.

Reason told him Fang Mo was telling the truth.

A prisoner, before being tortured to death, revealing a treasure location was most likely hoping for a quick end—but he certainly wouldn't be kind enough to remind you to watch out for the security system.

"What a fine Iron Bone Liu."

Gu Yichuan ground out the words through clenched teeth.

Losing a good man without even catching a glimpse of the goods—how could he not be furious?

"Old West, Old Five."

"Drop two fire sticks down to light it up."

"Use the Flying Tiger Claw to pull Third Brother's body up."

The two black-clad men acknowledged the order.

Two fire sticks were tossed down.

By the faint light, everyone finally saw the gruesome scene at the bottom.

That black-clad man called Third Brother was now like a hedgehog.

Countless steel needles, gleaming with a blue sheen, had pierced his body from all directions.

In death, his hand was still reaching toward a protruding brick on the well wall—clearly where the item was hidden, and also where the trap was triggered.

"Poison needles."

Gu Yichuan's expression was grim to the extreme.

With traps this dense, even if he went down himself, in that cramped space, it would be difficult to escape unscathed.

The corpse was hauled up.

Staring at that blackened, swollen face, Gu Yichuan fell silent.

"Sir..."

Fang Mo spoke cautiously, his voice laced with hesitation.

"How about we just call it quits?"

"This thing's too vicious. For a bit of stolen goods, it's not worth it..."

"Shut up!"

Gu Yichuan whipped around, his eyes savage.

"We've come this far. Want to back out? Too late!"

This was no longer just about the stolen goods.

It was about the Punishment Department's face.

If word got out that a Junior Officer from the White Tiger Hall of the Punishment Department had been scared off by a dead prisoner's trap, how could Gu Yichuan ever hold his head up in the Divine Capital again?

Besides, a brother had died. If they couldn't even retrieve the goods, they wouldn't be able to pay out the death benefits!

"The thing has to be behind that brickwork."

Gu Yichuan stared into the well, his mind racing.

The trap had already been triggered once.

By common logic, a simple trap like that was probably single-use.

But no one dared to gamble.

What if there was another?

His gaze fell on Fang Mo again.

That look made Fang Mo's heart skip a beat.

Damn.

This bastard's about to go berserk.

Sure enough.

Gu Yichuan strode over to Fang Mo, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him like a chick.

"Just now you said you didn't dare go down because you were afraid of dying."

"Now that the trap's been triggered, it should be safe."

Gu Yichuan's voice carried a hint of madness.

"You go down."

"Get that black box for me."

"I won't..."

Fang Mo started to refuse.

"Clang!"

A gleaming long blade was already pressed against his neck.

The blade edge was cold, cutting into his skin just enough to draw a thin line of blood.

"Either die now."

"Or take your chances down there."

"Your choice."

Fang Mo looked into those bloodshot eyes and knew the man had run out of patience.

If he kept playing along, the act would become real.

"I'll go."

Fang Mo raised his hands, trembling.

"I'll go, alright..."

Gu Yichuan snorted coldly and let go.

"Tie him up!"

Immediately, a man in black came forward and tied a rope in a tight knot around Fang Mo's waist.