Chapter 1359 — A Skeleton

The bones lay scattered across the ground rather than arranged in any orderly fashion, so there was no telling how the man had died. It was as though he had been hacked apart and dumped in a heap, and after the corpse had weathered away, this was all that remained.

"It's only a skeleton. What's the fuss? Perhaps his companions killed him." Elder Yu felt no fear whatever toward the dead. After one glance he said mildly, "Didn't Old Black kill several people just yesterday? This area is wide open, and I see nothing dangerous."

"Is that so? After you kill a companion, you still feel like carving up the body?" Wei Zhao was contemptuous of Elder Yu's ignorance. The man might be a good hand, but he plainly lacked common sense. In a place like this, even if greed set them at one another's throats, who would have the idle inclination to dismember a corpse? And it wasn't as though there were any deep hatred at stake.

"That... hmph. The path here is flat, and there's no trace of any hidden weapon on the ground. Aren't you overthinking this?" Elder Yu asked.

"Oh? In that case, Elder, you take the lead. I'll bring up the rear." Wei Zhao shrugged and said it flatly.

"Hmph!" Elder Yu's face darkened; inwardly he was caught in a dilemma. Told to go first, he truly did not dare. Better safe than sorry. If there really was something up ahead, then even an Earth Rank expert like himself would be no match for it. His urging a moment ago had in fact been meant to send Wei Zhao ahead. So, after a moment's hesitation, he said to Old Black, "What do you say?"

"What do I say..." Old Black furrowed his brow; he too was at a loss. But his gaze quickly settled on Yu Xiaoke. "Woman Warrior Yan, you take the lead and guide the way!"

Damn it, why me again? Yu Xiaoke was thoroughly exasperated, yet she had no choice but to obey. She had been hired by Old Black, after all, and only by listening to him could she collect her final payment. So Yu Xiaoke gritted her teeth, nodded, and made ready to step forward and probe the way.

"Wait!" Wei Zhao waved a hand to stop her. That there was danger ahead, Wei Zhao was one hundred percent certain of. Ever since they had come into this area, the jade pendant's warning signal had grown even stronger, so how could he let Yu Xiaoke take the risk?

The moment the words left Wei Zhao's mouth, Old Black scowled. "I can't even send my own people ahead first? Male Thief, aren't you being a bit too overbearing?"

"She's mine now! I'll have other uses for her." Wei Zhao pointed at Yu Xiaoke. "You come with me from here on. I'll give you ten percent of my share of the profits, and you needn't listen to him anymore!"

"Ah?" Yu Xiaoke was startled. She did not quite understand why Wei Zhao had suddenly said such a thing, but all along she had seen the protective intent he showed toward her. She was no fool; she knew perfectly well who truly cared about her and who treated her as a tool!

"Woman Warrior Yan, are you breaking the agreement?" Old Black glanced at Yu Xiaoke and asked in a sinister tone.

Old Black was about to explode with rage. This Wei Zhao was simply too hateful! With a few words he meant to whisk Yu Xiaoke away? Absolutely not. She was the cannon fodder he had hired!

"I... I think I'll go with the Male Thief after all..." Yu Xiaoke was no idiot, and she had no wish to die. Old Black was plainly sending her to tread on landmines; unless she were utterly stupid, the choice here was an easy one.

"Woman Warrior Yan, think about it yourself. What could the Male Thief possibly want you for? Think about the tone he used. I'm afraid he's lusting after your beauty." Old Black had begun sowing discord, hoping the Female Thief would overhear and step in, in which case Wei Zhao would have no way out.

Yu Xiaoke looked at Wei Zhao. She always had a feeling of familiarity about him, and it seemed he harbored no ulterior purpose toward her. Yet Old Black's words had planted a seed of doubt as well. True, what use could she possibly be to him? And he was even willing to hand over ten percent of his profits?

The more Yu Xiaoke thought about it, the more something felt off. This Male Thief was being a little too kind to her, wasn't he?

"Old Black, do you want to die?" Wei Zhao glanced at him and said mildly. "If you don't, then shut your mouth. If someone must go first, you go first!"

"Uh..." Old Black suddenly recalled Wei Zhao's strength, enough to stand against Elder Yu, and his temper vanished at once. True, on what grounds could he contend with Wei Zhao? Quarreling with Wei Zhao was no different from courting death.

"Then what do you propose? We just stand here and wait?" Elder Yu had no alternative; he could only turn his eyes back to Wei Zhao and ask.

"Let's go over first and see how that person died." Wei Zhao pointed at the pile of bones and said.

The corpse might have weathered down to bare bones, but there ought to be some clues to be found.

This suggestion of Wei Zhao's won the approval of the others; a look would do no harm. The group walked over together, cautious, and halted ten meters from the heap of bones. Elder Yu, caught off guard, took two extra steps and then instantly retreated.

Wei Zhao cast the coward a mocking glance, then pulled a compressed biscuit from his pocket and tossed it over.

The biscuit skimmed almost along the ground to the pile of bones, struck one of the bones, and stopped.

In fact, in this vicinity the jade pendant's danger warning had not changed, so for the moment there should be no danger. Only if the warning grew stronger would it be a portent of peril.

Wei Zhao took the lead and walked over. He picked the biscuit up off the ground, patted off the dust, tore it open and began to eat, studying the heap of human bones all the while.

Wei Zhao had studied medicine, and he had crawled out of piles of the dead; naturally he had no taboo about it. But the sight turned Old Black, James and Elder Yu queasy. The biscuit had touched dead men's bones. Could it still be eaten?

Wei Zhao ate one piece and handed the other to Yu Xiaoke beside him. It was plain the girl had brought only limited food; though Old Black sometimes gave her a little, she had been scrimping all along, and after these few days she had grown thin from hunger.

Yu Xiaoke had no scruples either. To her, this was food, how could it be wasted? So long as it hadn't fallen into a latrine pit, it could be eaten!

Old Black watched the small exchange between Wei Zhao and Yu Xiaoke, his gaze sharpening, but he said nothing more. He had seen it, and the Female Thief had naturally seen it too; since she said nothing, any further provocation on his part would be useless.

It was only that Old Black found it strange: why did Yu Xiaoke trust Wei Zhao? Was she not afraid he meant to harm her?

"This bone looks as if it's been gnawed on; there are tooth marks on it." Wei Zhao picked up a bone, examined it closely, sniffed at it, then tossed it back. "No sign of poisoning, so he probably wasn't poisoned to death. That's all I can tell for now."

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