Inside and outside the courtyard, which he had examined countless times with his right-eye ability, something different suddenly appeared: a faintly glowing red strand, much like a thread.
The red thread passed straight in from outside the courtyard and extended into the main hall. Comparing it with what his left eye saw, it seemed to end on a roof beam.
On the beam in his right eye's vision, the end of the red thread seemed to have blossomed into a red flower-a fist-sized mass of mist, slowly churning.
Shi Chun was certain it had not been there before. He looked toward the source of the red thread, unsure where it came from.
His first reaction was that it had something to do with the assassin. Of course, since it had appeared neither earlier nor later, but precisely when Lao Xi arrived, he also suspected Lao Xi might be involved.
His suspicions leaned more toward the former, while the coincidental timing made him suspect Lao Xi.
For the moment, he gave no sign of noticing whatever this was and continued seeing his guest out.
Once they reached the gate and Lao Xi said his farewells, the misty flower in the hall came out too. The red mist followed Lao Xi like a swimming fish, still trailing the red thread behind it.
Watching him leave, Wu Jinliang sighed. "That fellow keeps promising he won't do anything reckless, but I really wonder whether he can hold himself back when there's money to be made."
Chu Jingtang also sighed. "He's already given us his word over and over. What can we do? If it doesn't work out, let's stop this business."
Shi Chun told him, "He's gone to all this trouble, and it's his livelihood. We need it ourselves too, so there's no need