"He actually set up a stall here? I don't think that was part of the agreement. Elder Yan, does this mean..."
Elder Yan was experienced, after all. He said, enunciating every word, "He's telling us to carry on as before. What's more, we can't keep a low profile. Whatever we should be doing, we should do!"
Little Five was somewhat dumbfounded. "But things have been tense lately. Everyone's been keeping a low profile, and a lot of our routine activities have stopped... Does this mean the trouble with You Chao'en has been resolved?"
Elder Yan began packing up the stall. "I don't know whether You Chao'en has been dealt with, but I do know this is what the envoy from the Minister of Justice Prefecture wants! Since he's made it so clear, there must be an underlying reason! It means keeping a low profile does us no good. He wants us to return completely to normal. That's the key!
"Stop thinking about it. The message is unmistakable. Hurry and pass it on. I don't want anything going wrong because of us."
The two quickly packed up their stall. This was a common sight in the square: people were always leaving, and people were always arriving... They would be very busy next, but if the instructions from above were to act normally, did that mean there was no need to be overly cautious?
But why, exactly?
...Hou Niao tended his stall at his leisure, trying to give the Secret Spies watching from the shadows a sufficiently clear message.
Setting up a stall was his own addition. It was somewhat unconventional, but he believed these experienced Secret Spies should understand his meaning: not only were they not to withdraw, they could no longer keep a low profile!
That was his judgment: go