Zhou Liru swung her knife, deftly cutting a slit in the collar. She slipped the tip of the knife inside, slicing it open, and everyone saw a thin gold piece as delicate as a cicada wing, tucked against the collar knot.

The crowd gasped in amazement; everyone knew how to hide things now.

Manbao instinctively glanced at her sleeve, where she also hid a piece of gold. Zhou SiLang had someone cast it for her, saying that sewn into a sleeve it was hardly noticeable, a thing to be used only in emergencies.

With both Zhou Liru and Liu Huan making discoveries, the group found inspiration and rushed to other rooms to search through the haphazard clothes of the hostages.

The personal soldier glanced at Governor Duan carefully, wanting to join the excitement, but the six rooms were quickly divided among the group, so he sighed and continued dutifully following behind the governor.

Yin Huo sat in a chair in the first room, breathing slowly at the tabletop; the mountain wasn’t high, but climbing up was exhausting.

Seeing everyone run off, Yin Huo exhaled, propping himself on the table to survey the room.

The bodyguard, fearing the young master was tired yet wouldn’t say so, hurried forward, "Young Master, would you like some tea?"

Yin Huo snapped back to reality, nodded after glancing at him.

The guard left, soon returned with a teapot and cup, poured tea for Yin Huo, and withdrew outside, leaving Governor Duan standing stunned.

Searching a bandits’ lair with tea?

But recalling Yin Huo’s health eased his mind, then worried him again, "Young Master Yin, how are you feeling? If you’re unwell, perhaps have Imperial Doctor Zhou take a look."

Yin Huo declined, explained with a smile, "Just a bit thirsty; I climbed the Great Wall last time, and was fine."

Governor Duan finally laughed, "Young Master Yin’s health is much better than before."

Yin Huo didn’t know Governor Duan, but Duan knowing him was no surprise.

Many people knew him or had heard of him, which was nothing extraordinary.

Governor Duan also wanted to connect with Yin Huo, mainly because Yin Li was favored; he had worked under Yin Li long ago, before going the crown prince’s route to become an official.

Yin Huo listened closely to Governor Duan, occasionally responding briefly, but soon his attention wandered.

Governor Duan finished speaking, noticing his audience silent, looked curiously at Yin Huo, who was staring blankly at a corner of the table, and asked, "Young Master Yin, what’s wrong?"

Fearing he might really be unwell?

Yin Huo touched the table corner at his left, curiously asked, "Lord Duan, don’t you feel there’s something odd about this table corner?"

Governor Duan focused on it, scrutinized it for some time before humbly asking, "What’s the problem with this table corner?"

"I feel it’s protruding more than the other two corners."

Governor Duan carefully looked and replied, "It does seem a bit..."

Looks pretty much alright, and if it’s just a bump, so what? Worn tables are normal, aren’t they?

Knocks, or swelling from moisture, all normal?

But Yin Huo didn’t think so; in a bandits’ den where everyone found treasures. So Yin Huo suggested, "Could something be hidden in the table corner?"

Governor Duan chuckled awkwardly, "Unlikely, who hides things in table corners?"

Yin Huo insisted, "A chop will tell."

Governor Duan: ...

Yin Huo rose, had Governor Duan stand, then instructed the guard to chop off the table corner.

The guard felt nothing strange. The young master told him to chop, so he drew his blade swiftly, chopped, and the table corner came off empty.

Yin Huo saw this, disappointed, and said, "Might as well chop the other three corners."

Governor Duan: ...

The guard paused, believing his knife sharp enough; it could behead, a few more wood chops wouldn’t hurt. So he chopped the other three corners, knowing the young master had peculiar habits, he chopped all three evenly.

The table corners hit the ground, and Yin Huo crouched to pick them up, saw nothing, sighed, arranged them neatly on the table, and stepped back saying, "Let’s go see how they’re doing."

Turning, he accidentally bumped a chair beside him, the one he sat on earlier.

Glancing down, he simply pointed at the chair leg, "Chop the chair too, maybe something’s inside?"

Governor Duan speechless, stepped back offering his chair too, in case after chopping he’d want to chop this one.

Yin Huo seriously thought, but chop his own first.

The guard touched his knife, unwilling to chop such thick chair legs, so he lifted the chair and smashed it against the kang edge, smashing it into pieces, handing the intact leg to the young master, "There’s nothing inside."

Yin Huo was about to nod, when his eye caught something flash inside the chair leg offered.

He startled, took it, asked, "Is the chair leg hollow?"

Governor Duan chuckled, "Impossible, it’s certainly solid..."

Governor Duan hesitated mid-sentence, his expression turned odd.

Yin Huo looked inside, smiled, handed it to the guard, "Something inside, retrieve it."

Taking it, the guard peeked, saw a rounded shimmer flash, wide-eyed, drew his knife for a slice.

Items fell from the chair leg with a vibration, Yin Huo quickly caught one, a pink pearl the size of a pinkie finger, very smooth.

Governor Duan: ...

Returning from other rooms with some findings, Manbao and the others saw this scene, stunned. Then glancing at the neatly chopped four table corners, they dashed off, "Quick, quick, go chop the tables and chairs, maybe something’s inside too."

Manbao and Bai Shan vanished again in an instant.

Governor Duan: ...

Unfortunately, their luck ended here; to hide things in a chair leg requires both wit and favorable timing, and the faulty leg allowed hidden treasures, but why, who, alive or dead?

Governor Duan said, "Probably dead, couldn’t be Old Master You, right?"

Not really, looking at the chair leg cut shows it wasn’t.

Jealous, Liu Huan told Yin Huo, "Lucky you."

"Also skill," Bai Shan sharply said, "Who else stubs on a chair then chops it?"