Watching him go, Wu Jinliang could not help praising him. "That reputation really does hold firm. He keeps his word. Looks like he really doesn't want anyone knowing he's emerged again."
In his view, the man was hardly in an honest line of work, much less an honest man, and he had more than enough power to break his word. If he was keeping his promise so faithfully, there had to be a reason.
Shi Chun, meanwhile, used his right-eye ability to survey their surroundings, checking whether the man had truly left...
Night had fallen over Barrier Slope. The Red-Mist Fish searched the area, circled several times around the people lying hidden near and far, then ignored their presence and found the designated delivery spot. After circling the large stone embedded in the ground, he passed silently beneath it, unhindered by the earth.
He discovered the box in the pit beneath the stone, circled underground a few more times to make sure there were no traps, then passed through the box itself to inspect its contents...
When no one came to collect the goods for a long time, the people hiding nearby went over to check at regular intervals.
Under the moonlight, one of them quietly approached to inspect the site. Seeing the stone still intact in its original position, he assumed everything was as before and that he could simply circle it and return to his hiding place. But halfway around, he realized something was wrong. A fist-sized hole had been dug at the foot of the stone, like a rat hole.
The trouble was, even if a rat had dug a hole right under their noses, there was no way they would not have heard it. Especially in such a quiet place, the noise of digging could not