A dark-skinned, fat man with a head as big as a bushel stood at a crossroads, looking this way and that as though waiting for someone. Directly behind him stood a wooden board displaying official notices.
A passerby noticed his resemblance to a portrait on one of the Wanted Notices and gave him a second look. Far from shrinking away, the fat man reached back and tore the notice down. The paper had been firmly pasted to the board, but his swipe not only shredded it-it left five deep finger marks in the wood, nearly gouging straight through. He rounded his ox-like eyes and glared back. The passerby's scalp prickled with terror. Knowing he had encountered a formidable figure he could not afford to offend, he took to his heels.
After a long wait, his accomplices arrived one after another. Almost every one of them had a place on the wanted list.
Xu Baozhen had changed into an inconspicuous gray robe. Tuoba Sanniang had packed her pipa in a bag and changed her hairstyle, deliberately distancing herself from the portrait on her Wanted Notice. Only the Silk-and-Gauze Gentleman still brazenly sported that conspicuous scar on her face.
Xu Baozhen frowned, wanting to say something, but held his tongue.
Tuoba Sanniang drawled, "You're the only one who learned the Disguise Art, yet you can't even be bothered to touch it up. When the constables chase you until chickens fly and dogs leap, you'll have only yourself to blame."
Huo Qilang was unconcerned. "I've spent these past two years patiently studying qinggong and gained a little insight. They might not be able to catch me."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone from the Setting Sun Courtyard turned toward the noticeboard.
Someone who had not appeared today was also on the wanted list,