Deep in the mine tunnels, day and night were indistinguishable.
Li Tui could only estimate the passage of time by how many times hunger struck. Roughly four or five days had passed. When Su Lueying said "go," he got up; when she said "rest," he sat down.
Their coordination had been honed the hard way, time and again at the edge of life and death.
The first two days had been the most miserable. They had made too much noise and nearly drawn an entire squad of Black Sand Society men.
But as time passed, the two of them finally developed some tacit understanding.
Just like now.
They lay low behind a cluster of stalagmites, like two nocturnal beasts waiting for prey.
Not far ahead, beneath the dim yellow glow of a mine lamp, three Black Sand Society bandits sat gathered together.
Su Lueying had just raised her hand to point at the bandit on the left when, before she could speak, Li Tui asked quietly, "Which one do you want?"
Su Lueying fell silent for a moment, then took short needles from the leather pouch at her waist. This time, she drew five.
"You hold off the one on the left," she said. "No need to kill him. Keep him tied up for three breaths. I'll handle the one on the right and the one in the middle."
She did not explain why she had assigned them that way. There was no need anymore.
Li Tui had already seen that the one on the right was the strongest, while the ones on the left and in the middle were somewhat weaker.
He nodded and drew a short dagger from his boot.
Su Lueying moved.
"What was that?" The bandit in the middle, holding a saber, whipped his head around.