Han Yu only half-heard her. His gaze was fixed on the five jade slips, his thoughts racing.
To have even a single one of these in his possession was fortune enough, but all five together… this was destiny.
Yet he knew better than to be reckless.
These slips were not his to monopolize. They would belong to the sect, and trying to hide them would only invite suspicion and disaster.
Still, as he carefully stacked them with the others, he reckoned he could keep them temporarily... at least until he could make copies and then pass on the originals to the sect.
That way, no harm would come his way.
The others, unaware of the storm of thoughts in his heart, continued to work. More books were pulled down, skimmed, and added to the pile. The rhythm of their search was faster than before, driven by the certainty that their elders were already on their way.
For the first time since they had entered the repository, hope and excitement outweighed fear.
