At those words, Qin Ju turned and glanced at Yi Yang.
Yi Yang's expression did not change. With both hands tucked into his sleeves, he stood obediently where he was, as though he knew nothing at all.
Rather than press Yi Yang for answers, Qin Ju took something from inside his robe.
Its blue cloth cover was frayed at the corners, and its spine had been restitched with thread.
It was the very same ancient book Ye Yang had given Yi Yang.
At the sight of it, Ye Yang's eyes bulged as he was held between his escorts.
"You mean this?" Qin Ju opened the book and shook it twice by the spine. There was nothing between its pages.
"Manager Yi handed this book and the banknotes inside it over to me three days ago. Every last coin you slipped him is on record."
Qin Ju's voice was not loud, but every word rang clearly through the alley.
"What do we call this? Winning the enemy's trust and drawing the snake out of its hole."
Ye Yang's mouth hung open. His face went from gray to an earthy yellow, and his eyelids twitched twice, as though someone had pulled the last bone out of his body.
Qin Ju closed the ancient book and tucked it back inside his robe.
"Take him away."
Two Patrol Guards dragged Ye Yang toward the mouth of the alley, his feet scraping over the ground with a gritty rustle. He turned back for one last look at Yi Yang.
That look held everything-hatred, resentment, regret, terror-all churned together into a murky sludge.
Yi Yang watched him disappear around the corner without so much as blinking.
The attendants who had drawn their blades to resist were subdued on the spot. Two who struggled too fiercely had