Taking Lives at a Touch

Fang Shu hung downwind, listening carefully. Suddenly, his expression shifted.

"How many times have we come already? We've even tracked down this little wench, so why hasn't Master Rat told us to head back yet?"

From the gap ahead came voices other than Su Qingao's.

"Got it, got it. Why are you, you fat rat, yammering on? We'll keep watch here."

"Forget it, why waste breath with that beast? Looks like we'll probably have to wait until night before going back, so we don't arouse suspicion by returning too early."

"Ah, that's what we get for being underlings instead of masters. Still, there's fun to be had here."

A burst of laughter and curses rose up. Then the woman's voice drifting on the wind grew even more terrified and anguished.

Fang Shu listened closely for a long while and discovered that, aside from Su Qingao, there were two male voices within the crack in the rock wall.

And from the conversation between those two, it seemed the great fire at the Paper Workshop had something to do with these two lackeys and the Master Rat they mentioned. This group was very likely from Black Tiger Hall.

This made Fang Shu think to himself:

So Su Qingao really has colluded with Black Tiger Hall and deliberately set fire to the Paper Workshop.

He had considered before leaving town that he might encounter people from Black Tiger Hall in the wilderness. Now that he truly had, it was not exactly unexpected.

But including Su Qingao, there were three people ahead, while he had only two sleepy insects in total.

No, there's also that rat carrying messages. Fang Shu narrowed his eyes.

He considered whether to make a move, and whether it was worth making one.

This was the wilderness, where there were