"A hundred. A whole hundred. There are still so many left. All from the stockpile, surely all from the stockpile that person left behind. There's no mistake. There can't be any mistake..."
Inside the cage, Granny Qi paced in circles with her walking stick, muttering to herself, excitement showing on her face.
Watching from outside the cage, Yin Fei was full of speculation and confusion. He had just returned from the contact point she had given him with a message to relay: they had obtained the ingredients, a full hundred fish, and wanted to know whether she was certain they should cook all of them.
Seeing Granny Qi's reaction, he realized those so-called "fish" were anything but ordinary.
After struggling to steady her emotions, Granny Qi approached the bars and confirmed in a low voice, "Tell them to cook as much as they have."
"All right," Yin Fei agreed.
At the Northern Mountain Central Hub, Jiang You'er hurried up to the second floor and approached Huang Ye, who stood by the window with his hands behind his back. He bowed in greeting. "My lord."
Huang Ye said slowly, "Pass down the order. We're withdrawing from Shi Chun's affairs for now and will only observe. No one is to act without permission."
Jiang You'er was surprised. "Withdraw? Is that the decision from above?"
"Ah." Huang Ye sighed. "That person fell into a trap, was seriously injured by Fu Que, and had their identity exposed. Those above fear the relevant parties have already been alerted and may have cast a net to wait for us. After careful consideration, they've decided we should withdraw and observe."
Since the decision had come from above, they could only obey. Still, Jiang You'er said with considerable regret, "It could be a secret that would give us