Chapter 54

The more she looked, the more Fei Miaoqing felt something was off, her heart sinking into the icy depths. She felt a chill inside, questioning herself, "Could it really be that the fortune-teller's ominous words came true?"

They had been together for so many years, and she had always treated him well, believing she had never wronged Cheng Shanping. How could he possibly betray her? He didn't seem like someone who could be easily bought.

She hoped she was overthinking it.

Just as her thoughts were swirling uncontrollably, Cheng Shanping couldn't hold it in anymore. He got up again and walked over.

This caused the Sun couple to open their eyes and exchange glances.

Fei Miaoqing looked straight ahead, watching Cheng Shanping approach step by step. When he was right in front of her, she feigned a relaxed tone and asked, "Is there something?"

Cheng Shanping first shouted at Yu Qing, "You've been sitting here for so long without any reaction. Is this what you call 'soon'? Is this what you call 'right away'?" Then he squatted in front of Fei Miaoqing and said earnestly, "Boss, we're all holed up in this cave. If something happens outside, we won't know. Why don't I go outside to keep watch? It would be safer to have someone out there."

This seemed reasonable, and Fei Miaoqing was considering how to respond when Yu Qing raised his hand to draw their attention.

Yu Qing raised his hand and began to calculate with his fingers. Once he was done, he said, "I've calculated it. There's no need to keep watch. Just rest here. Nothing will happen."

Nothing will happen? Cheng Shanping's lips twitched, and he couldn't hold back his anger. "Stop pretending to be a fortune-teller. I—"

Yu Qing didn't let him finish, interrupting him with a louder voice, "I've calculated it. This journey is under a curse, and the time is inauspicious. We're hiding here to avoid the curse. If anyone goes out within the next hour, they will invite disaster. We must wait out this inauspicious hour to turn misfortune into good fortune!"

Fei Miaoqing was startled by these words, feeling as if Yu Qing had revealed the truth. She subconsciously observed Cheng Shanping's reaction.

Cheng Shanping's lips twitched involuntarily, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes. He was clearly startled by Yu Qing's words, staring at Yu Qing's fingers and the burning incense, his Adam's apple moving.

Fei Miaoqing shouted, "Old Cheng!"

An hour? Cheng Shanping estimated that a lot of time had already passed. An hour should be fine, so he glared at Yu Qing and said coldly, "For the boss's sake, I won't argue with you. I'll give you an hour. If you're wrong again, I won't believe your nonsense!" He then got up and stormed off.

He had a reason for saying this. When they were first called into the cave, Yu Qing said it would be quick, but it dragged on like this.

The Sun couple, witnessing him sit back down, were also dissatisfied and began to murmur complaints.

Cheng Shanping sat there silently, head down, not responding, his mind still dwelling on Yu Qing's words about avoiding the curse. Could that guy really have some fortune-telling abilities?

Sitting in the darkness, Fei Miaoqing stared at Cheng Shanping for a long time before sighing, "Do you think the traitor is him?"

Yu Qing replied in a low voice, "What do you think?"

Fei Miaoqing: "Even if he is the traitor, wouldn't he be more composed?"

She was trying to find flaws to negate what she saw, but deep down, she found it hard to accept.

Yu Qing said calmly, "The reason is simple. He thinks we know nothing! He was tricked into coming in by me, and now he can't leave. He can't report that we haven't caught all the fire crickets. He's worried that the people outside, not knowing our situation, will lose patience and come in. The longer we stay, the more anxious he becomes."

Fei Miaoqing's heart tightened, "If that's true, and those people come in, we might not be able to escape."

Yu Qing wasn't worried. If you can't escape, it doesn't mean I can't. If they come in, you will naturally defend yourselves, and I will find a way to escape. But he took the opportunity to pressure her, "So, we need to act decisively and quickly. The longer we wait, the more trouble we'll have."

Fei Miaoqing was silent and hesitant, finding it too rash to act without evidence.

Yu Qing knew this woman wasn't good at making decisions. He wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently...

On the hillside, Cui You, hidden behind the thorny bushes, looked at the scorching sun and then at the cave entrance, asking, "How long have they been in there?"

Wu Kuang calculated, "About half an hour."

Cui You frowned, "This cave isn't deep. It's said that it takes only a short while to reach the bottom. Why haven't they come out yet?"

He was puzzled about the inside man. He should know we're waiting for his signal. Regardless of the situation, with his position in Miaqing Hall, he should be able to find an excuse to come out. Could something have happened?

Thinking about it, he found it unlikely. What could happen underground? Could the cave collapse and bury them? If that were the case, we would feel it here.

The lack of response was unexpected and didn't match the inside man's plan to catch fire crickets.

Wu Kuang's eyes flickered. He knew Cui Yushi was new here. How did he know it takes only a short while to reach the bottom?

He confirmed that there was a traitor in Miaqing Hall and said cautiously, "Maybe something happened. Let's wait a bit longer."

Cui You nodded slightly, looking at the sun's position. The inside man isn't a fool. If there's no movement, there must be a problem. We need to investigate...

After a long silence in the darkness, Fei Miaoqing suddenly said, "Just because he's anxious and wants to go out, we suspect he's the traitor and control him. This reason isn't convincing, not just for him, but for the Sun couple or anyone else. It's like making something out of nothing!"

Her words showed she had her suspicions but still couldn't decide. Yu Qing, unsure how to describe this woman, warned her seriously, "If we're wrong, we can release him. With sincerity, we can resolve any misunderstandings, and you can blame me. But if we wait, it's not just our lives at risk. If we can't bring back the fire crickets, your husband will die in vain!"

The last sentence deeply affected Fei Miaoqing. She bit her lips behind the veil, looked up, and made a decision. She took a deep breath and called out, "Bingniang, come over here."

The three on the other side opened their eyes. Sun Bing immediately got up and squatted in front of them.

Before she could speak, Fei Miaoqing spoke in a low voice, "Bingniang, don't show any abnormal reactions, don't let anyone notice. If my guess is right, Cheng Shanping has a problem. There are people from other shops waiting outside. We need to capture him without alerting them, and we need to confirm it face-to-face. I need your cooperation!" Her tone was tense.

Sun Bing's body stiffened, her eyes wide with shock. How could this be? How could he betray us?

And how did the young miss know about the situation outside?

Seeing her hesitation, Fei Miaoqing reminded her, "Just control him first, to confirm."

Is Cheng Shanping really a problem? Sun Bing's brows furrowed as she quickly reviewed the situation. If there were people from other shops outside, their intentions were clear.

The situation was serious. She had also felt something was off about Cheng Shanping. Hearing this, she felt a heavy weight on her heart.

This wasn't a matter of simple emotions. If it were true, the consequences would be dire. Sun Bing, as the shopkeeper, was more decisive than Fei Miaoqing. Weighing the pros and cons, she made a quick decision and nodded, "Miss, don't worry. I'll take care of it."

She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself, and walked back as if nothing had happened.

Yu Qing nodded in approval. This woman was much more decisive than Fei Miaoqing, making quick judgments without hesitation.

Zhu Shangbiao, sitting cross-legged, couldn't help but ask, "What's going on?"

"Arranging something," Sun Bing replied casually, then gestured to Cheng Shanping, who was looking at her questioningly, "The young miss wants you to come over."

Cheng Shanping didn't think much of it and got up. But as he passed Sun Bing, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. He saw Sun Bing attacking him out of the corner of his eye.

Sun Bing indeed attacked, striking without hesitation.

She jabbed two fingers into his waist, then quickly struck several points on his body, finally pressing his shoulder to prevent him from shouting.

Zhu Shangbiao was shocked, jumping up before he could ask what was happening. Sun Bing's low voice stopped him, "Shut up!"

She then grabbed Cheng Shanping's arm and dragged him to Fei Miaoqing's side.

Zhu Shangbiao, regaining his senses, quickly followed.

Cheng Shanping, realizing he was attacked but not injured, only restrained, saw the torches on the other side light up again. Fei Miaoqing and Yu Qing were standing, looking at him with a gaze that made his heart sink. He vaguely understood why he was restrained.

But he couldn't believe it. How could they know?

Yet, he couldn't think of any other reason for this treatment.

If he was exposed, how was he exposed?

His eyes fell on Yu Qing's face, which had a faint smile. He thought of Yu Qing's words about avoiding the curse, feeling uncertain. Could this guy really predict the future?

If so, he was too wronged!

Being identified as a traitor by a fortune-teller, what kind of logic was this? Was there such a thing in the world?

At this moment, he was both shocked and confused, his mind filled with various speculations, but his face showed only anger.