BXBX NOVEL Chapter 175 - As Always, Focus On The Granary
Even though the conversation between the old lady and the teenage boy was completely normal, Re\'Kha knew she shouldn\'t be fooled by them. After all, it was the old lady that had taken charge to release the three Sha back then.
Moreover, she had whistled using the whistle hung on her neck. And, immediately after that, water started flowing in the water tank where the crate with the three Sha was kept. So, it meant she had more helpers, rather capable ones in fact.
So, Re\'Kha was cautious and didn\'t take any abrupt action that would make them notice her presence. After all, based on what they had said before, they planned to make a move only in the middle of the Peak Fire Month.
There was still a month for that to happen. So, Re\'Kha didn\'t rush. Besides, as long as she trailed past their actions, she would be able to know when they planned to release the three Sha again. She could immediately alert the people of them and prevent their plans from succeeding.
Besides, she had a faint hunch that the group with the three Sha were those part of the same organisation whose leaders had joined hands to kill her master. She didn\'t even know the name of their organisation yet, even though she had taken refuge in one of their branches for a couple of days. They were a mysterious organisation.
The old lady and the teenage boy soon returned to their homes, proceeding about with their daily lives. Re\'Kha made note of their residence, also glancing around at all the routes that lead to their house. This way, she tried to see if their location posed any significance.
There was one significance with the house, for it was the very same household in whose water tank was the crate. It seemed she was directly living in the same house with the objective they were nurturing.
Re\'Kha then focused on the lady of the house, wondering if she too had been part of the group on that day. Upon failing to find any resemblance, she then looked around the neighbour\'s house, just intending to do so when a lady entered the house, shouting, "Mother, I told you not to go to the market at your age. Wouldn\'t it have been enough if I went instead?"
\'That\'s the one who operated the box in the centre, the one containing a bangle. So, she is the old lady\'s daughter.\' Re\'Kha nodded as she listened in on their conversation. This was the advantage of her Wind Qi perception, something she couldn\'t stress enough.
Irrespective of the distance, as long as she could sense them in her perception, she could listen in on their conversation. This was such a cheating ability that would prove useful to her for investigating through any situation.
"As long as I can walk, I will be the one who will buy the groceries. Besides, I am just buying them. He\'s the one who carried them all," The old lady smiled and patted the head of the teenage boy nearby who had begun to play with the item he had just bought.
"Has mother returned?" A bulky man in his forties returned at this time, carrying a hammer on his hand.
"Mal, I told you to not bring in your working tools inside the house." The old lady chided the man in his forties who immediately escaped from the scene, entered the nearby house, placed his hammer in its respective place within a crate, and returned.
He spoke while flashing a wry smile, "Mother, I have just been promoted. I\'m on wall-maintenance duty from now on and am the leader of a group of 10."
"That\'s…incredible," The old lady seemed genuinely happy, "Your workload would reduce a bit from now on. Thankfully, you wouldn\'t have to suffer back pain like your older brother, Pal."
"Speaking of him, where is he now?" Mal frowned, "I thought today was supposed to be his day off."
"Pal said he\'s buying me a new chair to sit on. You know how my old one has been making a lot of noise and is on the verge of breaking apart." The old lady smiled, "He\'s in the market now."
Re\'Kha immediately focused on the market, looking for the final person. From the conversation, she determined their relationship to one another and had figured out their identities. All of them were the children of the old lady.
There was a stark difference in their demeanour from that night and their current selves, as if they were entirely different individuals. As she had already confirmed three of the four people, she knew who to search for in the market, remembering his stature and face cut.
He was a man in his fifties, and possessed a bulky frame, thanks to his affinity leaning towards the element of metal. So, he was easy to find now that Re\'Kha was actively looking for him. Soon, she found him haggling at a furniture shop.
His actions made him seem like a normal person. There was nothing usual about him. And after observing him for a moment, Re\'Kha returned to focus on their house, peering through the interior of their house as she tried to find anything amiss there.
Soon, she focused on their kitchen, noticing they had a granary installed in place. The granary was only wide enough for two people to stand inside while feeling cramped. Currently stored within it were some basic dry food, nuts, and spices that had a shelf life for almost a year.
And, their quantity wasn\'t anything suspicious. It was the same as what a regular household like them ought to possess. But, thanks to her experience in Burkurel Ju Clan\'s Western Settlement, Re\'Kha focused on the granary, watching the lady of the house take some of the items in it to cook.
The chance presented for her as Re\'Kha could notice some minute gaps in the corner of the granary walls. She barely managed to extend her perception inside after a couple of minutes of struggle, smiling when she had done, \'As I expected.\'