"Borrow? The Young Master sure has a fancy way with words, heh heh," Zirong said with a rascally smile. To knock out over a dozen sentinels, could that really be considered borrowing?
"Alright then, let’s call it stealing," Mu Hanyan also laughed, her justification as bold as brass.
Zirong looked around the seemingly shabby courtyard, trying to figure out what she planned to steal and how it related to her plan, his curiosity about Mu Hanyan growing by the second.
"Stop looking and follow me," Mu Hanyan walked straight to a rockery in the corner of the backyard, casually slapped it, and the sound of a mechanism clicking could be heard; the rockery moved to one side, revealing a secret passageway tall enough for a person to walk through.
Zirong’s mouth opened slightly, his surprise no longer concealable: How did she know about this secret passage, and even the way to activate it? If it had been anyone else, they might have thought she was moving around her own house with such practiced ease.
Seeing his astonishment, Mu Hanyan chose not to explain. This secret passage would only be discovered by the Mu Family several years later, after the Zhou Family and a few other families plotted against them. She indeed should not have known about it yet, but she couldn’t afford to explain too much.
Seeing Mu Hanyan had no intention of explaining, Zirong maintained his role as a loyal guard and followed closely behind her.
Oil lamps were lit every ten steps or so along the walls of the passageway, providing a dim light sufficient to see the path underfoot. Although Zirong didn’t know where this tunnel led or what secrets it hid, the careful placement of sentinels by the Zhou Family around the courtyard signaled that the passageway surely concealed significant secrets, prompting Zirong to be more vigilant, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"There’s no need to be so tense; there shouldn’t be any danger at the moment," Mu Hanyan said.
Zirong relaxed slightly but grew even more curious about the secrets inside the passageway and why Mu Hanyan seemed so familiar with it.
The tunnel wasn’t long; after walking about fifty yards and turning a corner, a large hall over a yard high and wide appeared before them. It was lined with solid granite blocks, giving the impression of a sturdy dungeon.
In the middle of the hall stood a slightly smaller cage, forged from the solid Material Fine Vajra, it was virtually indestructible.
But the moment Zirong caught a clear glimpse of the prisoner in the cage, his mouth fell open.
"Uh... this... this, Young Master, if you wanted pork, you really didn’t need to come and steal—or, I mean, borrow. We should have some in our own estate. Also, even if our own pigs don’t taste as good as stolen ones, wouldn’t it be better to wait until it fattens up before making your move?" Zirong swallowed hard, finding it difficult to speak. His mind was so flabbergasted by the sight that he began to stutter. In his struggle with the words ’steal’ and ’borrow,’ his tongue was all twisted.
He saw a pink piglet lying on its side inside the cage, sleeping soundly with drool pooling on the floor. The piglet was small, likely only two or three months old, white and plump, its adorable chubbiness accentuated by a tender pink glow. Roast suckling pig did taste great, but seeing such cuteness, even the big man Zirong couldn’t bear the thought of laying his hands on it.
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