By then, Flag Bearer Gao's donkey cart had already gone some distance. Afraid of delaying the important matter, Zhang Xiaohua said, "To tell you the truth, that so-called brother-in-law of yours and his group have already headed west from here. They seem to have found some useful clue. And I'm not the thief who kidnapped your niece either. If you want to find your brother-in-law, you may as well head west."
Hearing this, Yu Deyi turned to look at the path to the west. His feet slowly shifted in that direction, but he said, "Since you aren't the thief, how did you know I was looking for a girl?"
Zhang Xiaohua laughed uproariously inside, but said aloud, "Yes, that's exactly what I want to tell you now. If you want to find your little niece, then don't go west."
"Huh?" Yu Deyi stopped curiously and asked, "Why is that?"
"Because that is the thief's scheme to lure the tiger from the mountain. The west is only full of small fry; the real thief is the one riding in the donkey cart."
"Ah?" Yu Deyi asked in surprise. "And how did you know that?"
Zhang Xiaohua smiled. "When I pulled you over here just now, that thief drove out of the village. He headed straight east."
"Why didn't I see him?" Yu Deyi asked in puzzlement.
"Because I'm taller than you."
"This..." Looking at the masked man before him, who was only a few fingers taller than himself, Yu Deyi was utterly speechless. That did not seem like a very reliable reason.
"Then why didn't you stop him? Your martial arts alone may not be enough, but the two of us should manage, shouldn't we? How about this—you chase after him, and I'll go inform my brother-in-law right away?"
Zhang Xiaohua