"Who's there? Come out!"

Ning Chen was talking with Pan Yucheng when an angry shout from the Ning'an Army went up not far off.

"My lord prince, we've found a hole in the ground. There's someone in it!"

A Ning'an Army soldier came running up to report it.

Ning Chen walked over.

Not far away there was a hole in the ground. Its mouth had been disguised, but the searching Ning'an Army had found it anyway.

The mouth of the hole was already open, and the Ning'an Army stood around it with muskets leveled.

Ning Chen stepped up warily and looked down. The hole was L-shaped, dug straight down and then sideways... Inside it was pitch-black, and nothing could be made out.

Ning Chen stepped back two paces and asked, "You're sure there's someone in there?"

"My lord prince, this small man saw a foot pull back into the shadows."

A Ning'an Army soldier said.

Ning Chen gave a slight nod and looked at the hole. "Are you coming out on your own, or do I make you come out?"

There was no answer from inside.

Ning Chen gave a cold laugh. "If you don't want to come out, then you can stay in there forever... Men, fill this hole in for me."

"Yes!"

The Ning'an Army took the order and moved to fill the hole in, meaning to bury whoever was inside alive.

Just then a voice came from inside the hole. "Don't... I'm coming out, I'm coming out right now!"

As the voice spoke, a small, skinny man clambered out of the pit on his hands and feet.

He had barely pulled half his body out when Feng Qizheng's modao was already resting against his neck.

Two Ning'an Army soldiers stepped up and hauled him out, then tied his hands behind his back and bound his feet.

Ning Chen looked the man over. He was short and slight, grimed from head to foot.

"So it was you playing at gods and ghosts just now?"

Ning Chen said it lightly.

The man's face went the color of dead ash,…