CHAPTER 745: 745

At the mention of this, Guo Neng gave him a glance, and his interest piqued.

He rolled over and sat up, speaking as if reciting a well-known fact, "You don’t understand this, but there’s a method to a pig’s squeal. In the past, people cursed others by comparing them to pigs, calling them ’as stupid as swine,’ but I disagree. I think people have misunderstood them. From what I’ve observed, pigs are actually quite clever. They never waste effort on trivial matters. They’d lie down rather than stand if they could, and only the prospect of eating or leaping over barriers seems to excite them. They rarely grunt when it’s unnecessary, though they make exceptions, acting affectionately and grunting a few times when they see their owners, even if they’re not hungry..."

Guo Neng talked on and on about the habits of pigs. There was nothing else he could do, trapped in the hidden room these days, bored and lost, full of anxiety and despair, he could only distract himself with something else.

If it weren’t for the company of the pigs above, the quietness would be like that of a grave, and he might have gone mad by now. Only now did he think that building this secret chamber was a wise choice, as it allowed him to hear noises from outside.

Speaking of which, he had developed a different perception of pigs. Unconsciously, he had come to understand their habits very clearly and had realized some truths. If he could get out, he might even become a master at pig-farming.

Guo Shun listened in silence, watching his young master speak enthusiastically about the personality of each pig. He felt a pang of sadness, for this was the great young master of the Guo family, a man who dominated among merchants. Yet, he had been reduced to keeping pigs for company. It was Guo Shun’s negligence. These days, he had been bustling about too much and had not spent enough time accompanying his young master...

Guo Neng spoke at length about the temperament of the six fat pigs, pausing only when he seemed to have said it all, but not because he had finished. He boasted that he could now identify each pig by the sound of its footsteps, blindfolded—a skill, he estimated, not many possessed. Guo Neng had his own talents, wherever he was.

After a long silence, Guo Shun posed the question that was on his mind earlier, "Young Master, as you say, pigs rarely exert themselves for no reason, but we haven’t heard anyone approaching. Doesn’t that mean..." someone is approaching stealthily?

Guo Neng was startled and caught the implication, asking, "What time is it now?"

"Noon."

Guo Neng relaxed, leaned casually against the wall and said, "You scared me there—seeing shadows where there are none. You don’t understand. Although they usually don’t squeal without a reason, it’s nearly time for feeding. These pigs wake up ahead of time every day. Right now, they are just encouraging the owner to hurry up. If it’s feeding time and the owner hasn’t shown up, then the commotion they’ll make will be huge."

Guo Shun was half-convinced but remained cautious—better safe than sorry.

Just then, Guo Neng seemed to hear something, lifted his index finger, and made a hushing sound, "Listen."

From above, there was a loud thud, as if several fat pigs had all gotten up at once. Then, each of them began to cry out with all their might, causing a great deal of noise. The raucous squeals of the pigs echoed back and forth. After a short while, the voice of a young man could be heard, followed by the sound of feeding.

It was exactly as he had said. Guo Shun was reassured.

Guo Neng stood up, "We should have our lunch too. After that, we can sleep a bit more before it’s time to leave." Later, they would follow the crowd and head out of the city.

Having said that, he automatically went to the broken table and began searching for something to eat. It was a habit he had developed over these days. Listening to the sound of the pigs eating above, it sounded especially delicious, making him quite hungry.

Guo Shun was taken aback, no wonder when he had just suggested they grab something to eat, the young master had refused, saying the time wasn’t right yet. He had been waiting for this moment...

Perched atop the old tree, the plump Hu Miaomiao let out a huge sigh of relief. In theory, his hiding skills were excellent, to the point where even people could not detect him, yet unexpectedly, a slip-up nearly gave him away to a pig.

That pig had been staring at him, making him afraid to move an inch. Even so, the pig kept grunting suspiciously, its eyes squinted as if trying to confirm something, expecting him to respond somehow. Fortunately, the pig’s owner arrived, too busy to pay him any attention. And thank goodness none of the other Shadow Guards in various corners could see him, or they would surely have laughed at him.

He had just finished arranging things at several city gates and had come over. At each gate, there were a number of suspicious characters of unknown origin, particularly at the South City Gate where there were both Xue Ping’s men and those from the martial world, seemingly alerted by some whispers of intrigue.

But the more he saw, the less right it felt. If it were him, he would not show any hints, let alone leave a trace to be sniffed out. From what he knew of the Guo family’s sinister and crafty servant, such a basic mistake was unlikely.

Imagining himself in that position, if he were the one acting, he would be so discreet as to go unnoticed. And having heard the Shadow Guards report that nothing was amiss here, he had decisively come over. He had an intuition that there must be something fishy about this place, based on the signs of people coming and going that he had observed earlier on!

The calmer the surface of the water, the more turbulent the waves beneath. If the enemy could stay composed, he had to be even more so.

Having figured it out, Hu Miaomiao felt suddenly enlightened, but in the end, he chose a different hiding spot. He just couldn’t take that oversized pig anymore, looking at him as if it was looking at a family member...

On the bustling streets of the Capital City, Lian Wanzhen carried large and small bundles tied with hemp rope in both hands, a pile of fabrics and assorted items on his back towering like a small hill as he wove through the crowd, protecting Su Ran and Lin Yuejuan, who were readily given a wide berth by the passersby.

Lin Yuejuan cuddled a piece of Jade Raw Stone, looking back frequently to confirm that this was really all right, that it wouldn’t crush someone?

Every time, Su Ran reassured her patiently and gently that there was nothing to worry about, her son could handle the weight.

Lian Wanzhen also chimed in with reassurance, saying that since he was nine years old, he had practiced carrying millstones every morning, which by the age of fourteen, had been increased by his master to two hundred catties; this amount of weight wasn’t a problem at all.

Lin Yuejuan finally felt at ease, but she was still nervous about the piece of Jade Raw Stone. Seeing Lian Wanzhen carrying so much, she was unwilling to have anyone toss the stone into some corner, lest it get lost.

The group shopped with great pleasure. It had been many years since Su Ran had gone out. Initially, she just looked, but later, under Lin Yuejuan’s influence, she also began buying. By noon, they had bought quite a lot, fortunately, it was Lian Wanzhen who came along. If it had been Lian Changhe, he would have been unable to carry everything without breaking his back.

Passersby couldn’t refrain from giving Lian Wanzhen a few extra glances when they saw him like this. Many middle-aged women and young wives were extremely envious; they too loved to shop, but the men at their homes simply couldn’t carry much. Unlike this robust young man, he looked like he had carried out an entire shop’s worth of goods.

The trio reached the entrance of Zhenbao Square, one of the most famous jewelry stores in the Capital City. They were there specifically to have Lin Yuejuan’s Jade Raw Stone cut open to check the quality, and if it yielded anything good, to have a set of jewelry made on the spot.

The entrance to Zhenbao Square was grand, spanning three floors. The first floor catered to ordinary folks, while the second and third floors were reserved for esteemed guests. Daughters of affluent families would typically enter through a separate door that led straight to the second or third floor via stairs.