Chapter 43: Biding Time

"Master, please forgive my bluntness. Since we know someone is plotting against that young lady, we ought to notify her and give her a chance to prepare. Though her combat skills look a bit unorthodox, as long as she is ruthless and effective, that's what matters. In my humble opinion, it would be best to let her handle this matter herself, and we shouldn't meddle." Jiao Tu spoke his mind, fully prepared to be reprimanded by his master.

"Hm?"

Mu Zitao and the other four were quite surprised. They had initially expected this fellow to say something like, "It's not easy for a young lady to travel alone; since we've crossed paths, we should help where we can."

As it turned out, that wasn't the case at all. He merely wanted to go and warn the other party?

Judging by how he had just returned alongside that young lady's group earlier, anyone unaware would have thought they were all part of the same family.

Mu Zitao narrowed his eyes and scrutinized his subordinate, suspecting that the man was being sarcastic and intentionally playing devil's advocate.

"Oh? Then do tell, why is it better not to meddle?" Mu Zitao suddenly found that he could no longer guess his subordinate's true thoughts and intentions.

Had he grown dull, or was this fellow simply deep-scheming?

"Master, whether in romance novels or on the theater stage, tales of a hero saving a beauty always end with the rescued maiden offering her hand in marriage. Master, are you planning to take that young lady as your wife?" Jiao Tu asked with utmost seriousness.

Upon hearing this, Mu Zitao instantly flew into a rage: "Take her as my wife? This master of yours would rather become a monk and shave his head than marry her!"

The moment the roar left his lips, he suddenly realized something was amiss. When he looked back at his subordinates, every single one of them wore a profoundly meaningful smile.

Jiao Tu glanced at his four companions and spread his hands. See? If the master had no feelings for that young lady, would he react so violently?

"You scoundrel, how dare you make sport of your master!" Furious, Mu Zitao snatched the teacup from beside him and hurled it across the room.

Jiao Tu neither fled nor dodged; he simply reached out and caught the cup, though the tea sloshed out and spilled all over the floor. Shaking the remaining droplets from his hand, he was about to say more when his companion, Song You, shoved him out the door, whispering a warning as he pushed: "That's quite enough out of you, lad."

"No, wait, I—" Jiao Tu wanted to explain, but the door had already been shut in his face.

Before long, the other companions walked out, dragged him into the adjacent room, and surrounded him. Song You jabbed him in the shoulder armor with a finger: "What's gotten into you? Did you grow a pair of bold guts just from going out to buy forage?"

"Exactly! Didn't you see the master practically losing his temper?" Sanjin got halfway through his sentence, cast a cautious glance toward the door, and lowered his voice to finish.

"He was just feeling guilty, flying into a rage because he was hit right where it hurts." Though Jiao Tu said this, having stood outside the door for a moment and calmed down, he actually felt a lingering trace of fear.

Was he tired of living? How could he dare provoke his master to such a degree!

"It's rare to have peace without warfare, so the master is just out to clear his mind. Let him do as he pleases. We've been by the master's side for quite a few years, and we know his character best—he would never do anything improper," Song You reasoned in a low, earnest tone.

Jiao Tu looked from one to another. "You lot were clearly enjoying the show just as much, yet here you are lecturing me."

"Come on, who could have expected you to be so rash today? You just kept pushing it further and further," Ba Qian couldn't help chiming in.

None of them dared to speak loudly, well aware that even with lowered voices, their master might still overhear.

The others nodded in agreement. Indeed, he had been acting like an unruly child high on mischief.

"So tell me, do you really think we shouldn't give that young lady a heads-up?" Jiao Tu wasn't someone who couldn't tell good from bad; these were brothers who had lived and died together, and he naturally meant well.

"We definitely shouldn't go telling her. Besides, the master is keeping watch. Even if the young lady hasn't noticed anything, she won't be in any danger," Sanjin advised.

Hearing this, Jiao Tu rolled his eyes at him. "Do you think I'm worried about the young lady being in danger? I'm afraid our master's plan will fall through once again, leaving him depressed in the end—and when the master is in a foul mood, life becomes miserable for all of us brothers."

*Ah, so that's how it was.* Upon recalling how the master used to wear a gloomy expression day in and day out, leaving everyone too terrified to even breathe loudly, Sanjin and the others finally understood their companion's good intentions and let out a series of helpless sighs.

At the beginning of the Zi hour, the inn was dead silent, save for a single oil lamp glowing on the front counter in the main hall.

The night-shift attendant wore a cotton robe and dozed against the edge of the counter, waiting for any travelers who might arrive in the dead of night.

Though Hong Xiaoduo had originally asked for a shared sleeping platform, this inn possessed two platforms of differing sizes: a large one accommodating over a dozen guests, and a smaller one with six sleeping spaces.

The large platform already had two occupants, so Hong Xiaoduo asked to inspect the six-person platform. Upon checking, she found there was plenty of room for herself and the seven little ones.

After returning from the street, they washed up and settled onto the platform. Within a short time, all the children fell fast asleep. Hong Xiaoduo lay awake for a while, wondering if the old codger from the science museum might try to contact her.

However, her eyelids grew heavy while waiting, and when no contact came, she simply drifted off to sleep.

In the corner of the inn's second-floor roof, Mu Zitao sat quietly, keeping a sharp eye on the movements outside the small shared sleeping quarters below.

He knew his subordinates had misunderstood him, assuming he was interested in the young lady and that was why he had followed her.

Ridiculous—how could he possibly develop an interest in that young woman? The only reason he was following her was simply to... to do something that might help him forget the scene at the steamed bun shop.

The last time they encountered bandits on the road, nothing had come of it; he hoped tonight would yield better results.

Whether the person targeting her was a flower-picking thief or a common burglar made no difference to him.

The moment the intruder made a move, he would strike immediately. This time, he wouldn't wait for the young lady to cry out for help; whether she appreciated it or not, his goal wasn't to win her gratitude.

He admitted he had previously underestimated her capabilities. Given her skill in defeating those three bandits single-handedly, she should be able to handle tonight's solitary rogue. Therefore, knowing that, why would he wait for her to beg him for help?

Mu Zitao couldn't help mentally picturing the scene: after he captured the villain, she would step forward to offer her thanks, whereupon he would turn a blind eye, flick an imaginary speck of dust from his robe, and depart with dashing indifference while she wore an expression of utter embarrassment. Just imagining it felt deeply satisfying!

As he was deep in thought, his ears twitched. The time had come.

In the darkness, a figure dressed in black and masked in cloth dropped lightly from outside the inn's perimeter wall.

Judging by the landing, his lightness skill was quite decent, though it was a pity he wasn't taking the proper path.

After touching down, the figure in black cautiously surveyed the surroundings, identified the direction, and made his way toward the small shared room.

Reaching the window, he pressed his ear against it to listen to the breathing inside. The corners of the masked man's lips curled upward. He drew an object from his bosom, moistened his finger with saliva to dampen the paper window, pulled the stopper from the end of a bamboo tube, and gently inserted it through the moistened hole.

The others on the rooftop diagonally across had also witnessed this entire spectacle.

They knew what the scoundrel was up to, but they had to wait for their master to make a move. Tonight, they were merely spectators here to watch the show. Was the master planning to wait until the fellow broke into the sleeping quarters, either to abduct someone or steal valuables, before taking action?