ZuoMeng: To Dream

Key

"Hmmph, more things to be suspicious of," thought PangShen. "Then go get your shopkeeper here," said the head guard.

"Yes, please wait a while, dear Sir," said JinGe but the head guard stopped her in her tracks by using his sword to block her way. Although unsheathed but it made everyone in the room restless.

The head guard walked a step-in front and then pointed towards one of the dancers who was trembling, "You go fetch the shopkeeper."

The young dancer was too afraid to response. It was thanks to DanDan who gave her a little push from behind, which made her stopped quivering and started to run out from the room to search for the shopkeeper.

It only took a few seconds because as the dancer drew the curtain up, the shopkeeper was already standing there.

ShiBa was very anxious when the guards rushed into the backstage. He had wanted to follow them, but the stupid fools could not even fasten the horse's reins properly onto the cart and caused the horse to panic. The horse was endangering everyone at the place, thus he had to calm it down first to avoid any accident.

However, he could not get near it without being stomped by the horses, it was then that suddenly a veiled man dressed in black came to his rescue and calmed the horse down for them. It was mysterious, he just moved in and held his arm up and the horse slowly regain its composure.

ShiBa gave his thanks to the man and left hurriedly again, after ordering one of the more trustworthy men to tie the horse to the cart. It was the same moment, he found himself, in front of the dancer who was almost in tears. She ushered her to leave seeing how pitiful she looked while entering into the tent.

He bowed to the head guard, begrudgingly as he thought of the money, he had given him, but he was a good at controlling his feelings, therefore, it did not showed on his face.

"Sir, what do I owned you for my presence here?" as he overheard the last sentence exchanged in the room just now.

"Quickly, open the trunk over there," said the head guard.

"Yes, surely," replied the ShiBa as he took the keys hanging on his waist and went over to the trunk, trying to open it.

Yet his mind was thinking otherwise, "I mustn't open it," thought the man, as he fiddled with the keys in his hands because when he entered, the man had saw JinGe giving him a tiny signal with her finger.

Usually, JinGe would stick all her finger when bowing but her index finger was slight bending outward. It was a secret sign between the bandit group and JinGe for 'no'.

"Hurry up," said the head guard who was getting more and more impatient.

ShiBa tried opening the lock using every key that was hanging on the key ring. But all of them he just inserted them and pretending to turn them to open the lock. "Not this one, maybe this one," mumbled ShiBa as he pretended. "I am so forgetful. Sorry for my forgetfulness."

When the last key was inserted, everyone in the room was hoping and wishing that it was the one. "It is this one," thought ShiBa and he grinned and deliberately, inserted the key and intentionally turning it so much that it would break the lock and the key would be stuck inside.

"Oh no," said ShiBa pretending to make a mistake. "The lock is broken," he told the head guard. The head guard flared up, almost wanting to hit the shopkeeper but JinGe and the bearded guard who saw JinGe rushed to the head guard's side and held back the head guard. JinGe too came over quickly and glared at the head guard, which sent chills to his mind.

In a single glance, she had released her power for a moment so that the man could see her wolf self through her eyes which stopped the man, just like a rabbit, a prey who saw a predator.