Tracking

"I got him!" Zuo Gaofeng cried.

Wei Hongqing caught up in a few strides and kicked the net bag, straightening Lu Zi'an inside. He reached down to feel his wrist. "Dead!"

Zuo Gaofeng asked, "Dead? Is that no good? Did they want him alive?"

Wei Hongqing confirmed Lu Zi'an's death and shook his head. "Tianmu Mountain didn't specify whether dead or alive..."

Zuo Gaofeng grew somewhat nervous. "They won't dock the reward, will they?"

"I'll fight for it." Wei Hongqing searched Lu Zi'an's corpse for a while. Aside from the short sword and five spirit stones, there was nothing else.

"No Foundation Establishment Pill?" Zuo Gaofeng asked.

Tan Bazhang said uneasily, "Could this bastard have already taken it?"

Wei Hongqing shook his head. "I examined his Meridians. His sea of qi has not formed, not even the faintest shadow of one. He wouldn't be like this if he had taken the Foundation Establishment Pill. Besides, it has only been a few days. He couldn't possibly have perfected the tenth layer so quickly, so he couldn't have taken it... It may still be in the cave. If it isn't, then it has to fall on that woman. Where's the Hermit? Where did he go?"

Liu Xiaolou was bringing up the rear. He had seen it clearly at the time and answered, "The Hermit was watching that woman. She couldn't have escaped."

Tan Bazhang hoisted the net bag, Lu Zi'an's corpse and all, onto his shoulder. The group immediately hurried back to the cave.

The campfire in the cave was still burning, but Western Mountain Hermit was nowhere to be seen, nor was the woman called Ping Gu. The cave was not large, and one could take it in at a glance. The far end was a mess—shattered wine jars, overturned iron pots and wooden bowls, and felt blankets torn to pieces.

They looked at one another, each of them sensing that something was wrong.

"The Hermit... met with trouble?" Tan Bazhang asked in a trembling voice.

Wei Hongqing frowned. "Search!"

They split up to search. Before long, Zuo Gaofeng found several drops of blood outside the cave, then found more of the same farther away. He said hatefully, "What a damned thief! After all our hard work, the thief came along and plucked the peaches!"

Wei Hongqing's face turned ashen. He took the lead in pursuit.

The bloodstains came and went, but never completely stopped, clearly pointing out the thief's route: the thief had re-entered the tunnel, returned through it to the residence, then climbed over the wall and fled straight east.

Tan Bazhang carried Lu Zi'an's corpse and found it cumbersome, but Wei Hongqing would not allow him to put it down. They had already lost the Foundation Establishment Pill; if they lost Lu Zi'an as well, then all their efforts would truly have been for nothing.

Moreover, they had not found Western Mountain Hermit's corpse, nor even Ping Gu's, which meant the two were very likely still alive. They might even have been dragged along by the other party in their escape, making the other party equally hindered in movement.

So they took turns carrying Lu Zi'an's corpse in the net bag, following the bloodstains and all manner of footprints eastward.

After crossing the Yangliu River, the bloodstains vanished. But on a stony bank at a bend in the river, they found a woman's sock. Zuo Gaofeng immediately recognized it as Ping Gu's.

Continuing in that direction, they found torn scraps of clothing hanging from trees, as well as fresh bloodstains.

Wei Hongqing judged that the other party was plainly in a state of panic, with few people and insufficient strength. Otherwise, they would not have left so many traces behind.

They pursued through the night, covering nearly a hundred li. Even Tan Bazhang's teeth began to ache. "Just how much blood did the Hermit lose? If Ping Gu, that woman, is included, it's not so bad. Otherwise..."

A peach grove appeared ahead. Zuo Gaofeng rushed to the front, then suddenly gestured to signal that something was ahead.

The others were greatly invigorated and closed in with a fan-shaped formation.

Liu Xiaolou was carrying the corpse for the second shift and lagged behind. By the time he reached them, Wei Hongqing, Zuo Gaofeng, and Tan Bazhang were all standing around another corpse, each silently saying nothing.

It was Ping Gu's corpse, simply discarded in the wilderness. The other party had not even shown the slightest intention of burying her.

Wei Hongqing let out a long breath. "It isn't the Hermit's..."

Zuo Gaofeng asked, "What do we do with this woman's body? Do we need it?"

Wei Hongqing shook his head. "No."

They dispersed and continued searching for traces to follow. Taking advantage of the moment, Liu Xiaolou hastily dug a pit and buried Ping Gu.

Over this night of tracking, Zuo Gaofeng had fully displayed his talent for pursuit. During last night's tracking, everyone had been able to spot the initial clues together, but after crossing the Yangliu River, eighty percent of the clues had been found by him. He was exceptionally skilled at finding telling signs amid spider silk and horse tracks, judging the direction from them. This time was no exception. From a peach branch broken halfway through, he actually determined that the other party had changed direction and turned southeast.

Tan Bazhang came over to lend a hand and took Lu Zi'an's corpse from him. Liu Xiaolou immediately felt much lighter. Carrying over a hundred jin while running dozens of li was exhausting even for someone at the Qi Refining third layer.

The two trailed behind, unable to resist muttering to each other.

"Chieftain Zuo's skill at tracking enemies is truly extraordinary. Where did he learn it? Does Brother Liu know?"

"To tell the truth, I had only ever exchanged nods with him before. I only heard that he came from a hunter's family in the south. I don't remember when he moved to our Wulong Mountain."

"A hunter? He's far more formidable than any hunter."

"Of course. A hunter at Qi Refining Level 7 is naturally different."

"Anyone who can gain a foothold in Wulong Mountain must possess some genuine skill. Chieftain Zuo's skill is remarkable. Oh, right—Brother Liu's abilities are remarkable too!"

"Brother Tan overpraises me. What ability could I possibly have? It isn't worth mentioning."

"Why be so modest, younger brother? Shall I call you Xiaolou from now on?"

"Of course, Brother Tan."

"Xiaolou, what is Western Mountain Hermit skilled at?"

"This, I truly do not know. He lived far from us. After all, Wulong Mountain is not small..."

As they spoke, Wei Hongqing turned back and joined in. His expression was grave. "The Hermit was skilled in formations, but he had no money to acquire good formation disks. I kept saying that if we ever had our day in the sun, I would definitely find him a few good formation disks... Sigh..."

Liu Xiaolou comforted him. "Don't worry, Brother Wei. The Hermit can pull through. We brothers will definitely rescue him."

Wei Hongqing let out a long sigh. "I hope so..."

Just as they were speaking, Zuo Gaofeng ahead stopped once again, muttering, "Something's wrong..."

Everyone tensed. "What? Did we lose them?"

Zuo Gaofeng said, "It's been two li already. There are no new clues. Either they flew into the sky, or..."

Wei Hongqing immediately became alert. "We're going back!"

The four quickly retraced their route. Zuo Gaofeng leaped back onto the spot where the branch had broken and examined it closely. "The thief climbed this tree from here, then jumped to this tree, then that one. There's no mistake..."

Wei Hongqing said, "Spread out and search again!"

Liu Xiaolou looked around and saw again the earthen pit where he had buried Ping Gu's corpse. The slightly raised mound of dirt seemed to be a little higher?

He did not remember filling in that much dirt.

With that thought, he hurried over. Once close, he found the mound was the same as before, with no difference at all. He must have been seeing things.

When he turned around to look for Wei Hongqing and the others again, he found that the three of them had suddenly vanished. He froze for a moment, then called out, "Brother Wei... Brother Tan... Chieftain Zuo?"

But no one answered. The forest was utterly silent.