Pursuit

Wang Yong frowned tightly, his gaze sweeping over her before shifting to the little beggars crouched at the street corner.

He struggled inwardly. Should he do this or not?

If he did, there might be unforeseen complications. The Pan family could not find any trace of a "daughter"; most likely, just as the letter said, Pan Hong's daughter had died young in the spring of last year.

Pan Hong and his two sons had already been exiled. Foisting a daughter on him now would only implicate Pan Tao's family for harboring "her." He did not know whether Pan Hong's crime could be increased and his sentence changed to execution. If Pan Hong could be beheaded, elder brother and uncle would surely find it more satisfying.

But the risk would grow greater.

If he did not, then after stirring up such a fuss, he would gain nothing. How unwilling he was to let that happen.

How could his informant have been mistaken? The man he had sent had clearly seen a little girl of the right age in the Pan household.

Thinking of the portrait his informant had submitted, Wang Yong's gaze involuntarily chased forward again. Yet the little girl was nowhere to be seen on the street before him. The man she had called "Father" had just come out of a tavern with wine and was walking ahead arm in arm with someone else.

What man brought his daughter along when he went out drinking?

Wang Yong jolted back to his senses. Thoughts whirled through his mind, and he immediately spurred his horse in pursuit.

Liu Jing, one step behind him, had been looking down at the paper bird in his hand. Seeing Wang Yong ride off in haste, his eyes flickered slightly. After a moment's thought, he followed from afar.

He could not snatch credit from Wang Yong, but he had to at least find out what Wang Yong had done in private. It might prove useful someday.

Pan Yun threaded through the crowd, turning whenever she reached a corner and ducking into every alley she encountered. She wanted to shake off Wang Yong behind her. Though she occasionally looked back and could no longer see him, her senses kept warning her of danger. Clearly, she had not escaped it.

[What are you waiting for? Help me!]

Though the Spirit Realm grumbled and cursed after having just given up some spiritual energy, it still extended its spiritual sense through the net she had opened.

This was the first time since arriving in this world that it had openly used its spiritual sense to observe it. Before, in order to keep Pan Yun from noticing it, it had only watched the world through her eyes.

This was a very familiar world. Over the several thousand years of its existence, the world had looked like this for more than half that time.

It quickly spotted Wang Yong close on her heels, as well as the constables closing in from all directions. At last, it understood why he could keep biting at Pan Yun's heels even after losing sight of her.

[Go straight. Turn right after two alley entrances, run to the end, and there will be a small grove. No one is there yet.]

Pan Yun ran according to its directions.

The Spirit Realm's spiritual sense could not help observing the people nearby. Pan Yun seemed to know what it was thinking. As she ran, she chatted with it in her mind, [Want to leave me and find someone else?]

Spirit Realm: Who exactly was in whose head?

Pan Yun: [Do you think you can get away? If you dare run, I'll dare drag you down with me.]

Pan Yun spoke with absolute certainty. Since she had once woven a net to trap it, the Spirit Realm did not dare move rashly.

Though it had been studied by them in its previous life, this young researcher had only displayed professional skills. It did not truly understand her.

In this life, although it had followed her since her birth, her life had been simple. She rarely stepped beyond the inner quarters, and her parents and brothers all doted on her. Every day, she either studied, learned to read, drank medicine, or cultivated. Her emotions had been a straight line.

There had only been two major fluctuations. One was two months ago, when her current father, Pan Hong, had been arrested and the family had been implicated and exiled. The other had been just now, when she had nearly dragged the entire Pan family into trouble.

Even last year, when she had fallen ill and nearly died, her mood had barely fluctuated. For a moment, the Spirit Realm could not tell whether she was truly so unyielding.

Whether she was or not, the Spirit Realm certainly was not.

It had existed for so many years. It did not want to stumble at the hands of some hotheaded fool.

No sooner had the thought flashed through its mind than Pan Yun softened her tone and leisurely asked in her mind, [Besides, can you find a cultivation genius in this world more talented than me?]

Born with awareness of cultivation, able to refine innate qi, already a genius among cultivation geniuses when spiritual energy revived in her previous life, and possessing vast knowledge of cultivation—who could compare with her?

The Spirit Realm fell silent, answering her with actions instead. [Wang Yong is still two alleys away, but he is not sure of your trail. He has sent people to spread out and search everywhere. Right now, he is the closest to you.]

It continued, [Ahead of the grove is a temple. Not far to either side are fields. Farther away are houses. Beyond that, I cannot see.]

Pan Yun was very satisfied and ran into the grove. It was a plum grove, its trees now covered in leaves, with fruits the size of little fingers hanging among them.

Pan Yun's eyes swept over the area. As she walked deeper into the woods, she picked up several stones from the ground and casually tossed them out...

The Spirit Realm glanced at where they landed. [Do you have enough spiritual energy to form an array now?]

Pan Yun was already sitting cross-legged behind a tree. Her aura changed, and her whole body seemed to merge with the plum tree behind her. She adjusted her breathing and cultivated. [Keep watch. I need to recover some strength and spiritual energy.]

The Spirit Realm agreed. Seeing Wang Yong draw ever closer, it hesitated before releasing a portion of spiritual energy.

The moment the spiritual energy appeared in her meridians, Pan Yun noticed it. She was somewhat surprised, but her movements did not slow. She immediately drew it in and began circulating it...

Along with the spiritual energy within her body, she gathered several strands of qi from the outside world and the energy within her body, refining them all into qi. After circulating it through a heavenly cycle, she stored it in her Dantian...

Once she had refined this qi into her own, she opened her eyes and struck qi into each array point...

The moisture in the woods gradually thickened, and fog slowly rose. Wang Yong, who had been searching all along, found his way here as well.

That little girl definitely had a problem!

Wang Yong had already formed a guess. His informant had most likely not been mistaken. The Pan family had hidden Pan Hong's daughter away. Though he did not know where they had gotten the news or how they had prepared in advance.

The thought that he was about to earn merit—and might even expose people within the Imperial Guards who were disloyal to Uncle—made his whole body tremble with excitement.

He and Wang Zhen were not related by blood. Compared to Wang Zhen's biological nephew, Wang Shan, his status was far inferior. But he was capable. What could that wineskin and rice bag Wang Shan do?

If only Wang Zhen could see his abilities...

Wang Yong's eyes gleamed as he chased the trail to the edge of a grove. He lowered his head to inspect the faint footprints on the ground, then looked up at the shadowy trees ahead. A smile crept onto his face. She thought hiding in here would let her escape his eyes and ears?

His hand pressed against his sword as he slowly entered the grove...

He did not notice that the deeper he went, the thicker the fog became. In the end, even his figure grew hazy.

Pan Yun silently rose to her feet, a stone clutched in her right hand. She opened her left palm and poked the Spirit Realm in her mind. [Give me the scissors.]

They were the scissors she used for needlework. Without asking why, the Spirit Realm placed a pair of scissors in Pan Yun's hand.