The wind howled as Peng Gu clenched his fists in frustration.
Had Han Yu fallen?
Had he really chosen to risk his life rather than get caught?
Or was this just another one of his tricks?
He narrowed his eyes, scanning every inch of the landscape. If Han Yu thought he had truly escaped, he was sorely mistaken. The chase was far from over.
Peng Gu cracked his knuckles. "You can run, brat, but you can't hide forever."
He tightened his belt as he scoured the area for any traces of the boy. He didn't wish to make a mistake and let him escape after all. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't see any traces of him other than some footprints that ended at the edge.
It really looked like the boy had gone down the hill. It was a rocky surface covered with gravel, so footsteps wouldn't really be seen on it.
"Dammit! He got away!" Peng Gu didn't know how the boy had done it, and all he could do right now was swallow his anger.
He turned back and returned to the town, wondering how he would be recouping his losses now.
After his departure, the hill grew silent, and only the sound of a gentle breeze and the rustling of the scant leaves on the trees could be heard. Thirty minutes passed like this, and no change happened, until an inconspicuous rock at the base of an old peach tree moved.
"Haah! That was so suffocating." Han Yu said as he took a deep breath. "He should be gone by now."
He stretched his body, which had become strained from squeezing into the small hole.
"I knew this spot would come in handy! Bless the fox that made it!" Han Yu cheered. "I shall offer you some offal next time I come. You have to get your share of the winnings after all," he said with a smile.
While he was one to get money in any way he could, he was still one to pay back his benefactors. Even if they might not be human.
With that in mind, Han Yu turned around to leave.
"Wait." But just as he was about to take a step, he halted. "I can't go back to the town just yet. Peng Gu and the others might still be looking for me," he realized.
He looked in the direction he had come from and sighed.
"I can't even go to my hideout from this gate. I should have run in the other direction." Han Yu shook his head.
In his urgency, he had not paid attention to where he ran and ended up leaving through the northern gate. His hideout was located near the eastern side of the town, and the only way of getting in was through the eastern gate. There was no way he'd be able to cross over the town wall, which was protected by the guards as well as a special formation that alarmed them of any intruders.
'As soon as I step on the top, they will all know. Even if I get away, they will be able to track me down.' Han Yu had seen many people get caught the same way.
He also couldn't go to the western gate as it was simply too far. Han Yu would have to walk over thirty kilometers to get there and then walk through the town to get to his place. The southern gate was also out of the question as it was at the completely opposite end and would take twice as long to reach.
'At the very least, Peng Gu won't tell the guards about me. That would be the same as admitting he participated in illegal gambling. He'd be the first one to get caught.' Han Yu was relieved about that.
Gambling could only be carried out in places that had a gambling license, as a tax needed to be paid to the authorities. Anything outside that was illegal, as people would simply not pay tax on it. Of course, the scam that Han Yu ran was rather small, and most guards would usually ignore it.
Even if they saw them, at most they'd just ask for a small bribe and leave them be. The amounts weren't big enough to warrant their attention anyway and would only add more paperwork for them. They'd rather avoid it instead.
But if someone admitted to it directly, there was no way the guards would let it be.
So all Han Yu had to look out for was Peng Gu and his friends.
'Should I just hide here for a bit?' Han Yu thought first. 'Nah, Fat Kui and Dan Hu will want their cut soon too. If I don't turn up, they'll definitely pull some nefarious trick.' He kicked out that thought.
Fat Kui and Dan Hu were none other than Han Yu's collaborators who helped pull his scam. They were also the ones that Peng Gu had seen win before, making him develop confidence. But it was all a setup from the start to lure people in.
By now, most people knew about Han Yu's scams, and it wasn't the first time he had done something like this. He would move around from area to area so that people would forget about it after a while. He would rotate every section of the town every couple of weeks while taking a few weeks' break in between to let things cool down.
Even in the northern section, where he had just pulled his scam, a few people knew, and thus it was hard for Han Yu to get new sheep for slaughter. He had waited for hours before Peng Gu had finally fallen for it.
"Looks like the eastern gate is the only option," Han Yu made up his mind.
He glanced down at the steep edge of the hill and frowned.
"This is gonna be hard to get down from," Han Yu muttered to himself.
The rocky surface was uneven, filled with loose stones and jagged edges. A single misstep could send him tumbling down to the river below. He swallowed hard, contemplating his next move.