Late that night, in the cave, Ning Chen and Feng Qizheng slept propped against the wall.

The mountains were far colder at night than the country outside... but they had not lit a fire.

Gao Ziping and Chen Chong were not there. They were outside on watch.

The four of them took the watch two at a time, in turns.

Yang Yongwang's people had scattered and been lost.

They had gone looking that afternoon and had not found them.

The mountains here were high and the woods thick, and there was no telling where the men had gone.

It did not much matter. With the book of evidence taken from Qiu Mingde, Yang Yongwang's people were no longer of much use.

In the second half of the night Gao Ziping and Chen Chong came back to the cave.

The footsteps woke Ning Chen and Feng Qizheng. They had not been sleeping deeply.

Gao Ziping said, "The Ghost-Shadow men are back."

Ning Chen wasted no words. He said one. "Move."

The four of them came out of the cave, and instead of going to meet Yuan Zishi they hid.

Only Chen Chong went off quickly along a side track.

After a while there were footsteps.

Yuan Zishi and his men came up to the mouth of the cave.

Ning Chen put his head out quietly and watched in the hazy moonlight. Yuan Zishi was carrying something wrapped in black cloth. It looked like a head.

Yuan Zishi left the others at the cave mouth and went in himself.

He was out again in no time.

There was nobody in the cave.

"Younger Brother Ning. Younger Brother Ning..."

Yuan Zishi called several times and got no answer.

"That's odd. Where have they gone?"

"Elder Brother, has Younger Brother Ning left?"

Yuan Zishi sighed. "There's been no fire lit in the cave. It does look as though Younger Brother Ning has gone... It seems he still doesn't trust us."

"Elder Brother, what do we do now?"

Yuan Zishi thought about it. "We wait and see. If Younger Brother Ning still isn't back by…