Chapter 1359 — A Skeleton
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
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."