Early morning, Patrol Squad headquarters.
Li Yuan prepared the medicinal liquid, used the Breath-Concealing Jade Pendant to absorb it, and drew out the spiritual liquid.
After making some preparations, he arrived to find two people already standing in the courtyard.
The one by the wall was not very tall, but his shoulders were broad. He wore a fitted blue-gray short outfit.
He was in his early twenties, with a square face, high brow bones, and lips pressed into a straight line.
The other was half a head taller and leanly built. He wore the same blue-gray clothes, though the fabric was clearly finer than the first man's, with an inconspicuous ring of silver thread embroidered around the collar.
He was around twenty-four or twenty-five, with delicate features, a slightly pointed chin, and a steady gaze as he surveyed the furnishings in the courtyard.
Seeing the deputy captain's badge at Li Yuan's waist, the two men cupped their hands in greeting.
"Wang Qi." The shorter man spoke first, his voice quite loud.
"Wang Yuan." The taller man followed, his voice gentler.
Li Yuan nodded without exchanging pleasantries. He briefly explained the portrait of Qian Si he had prepared last night and several routes around the outskirts of the market.
After listening, Wang Qi grinned.
"The three of us following a Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivator? Not hard."
Wang Yuan glanced at him but said nothing.
Li Yuan took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, pulled out the stopper, and divided the dark-green liquid into three portions.
He drank one himself, poured the other two into two small portable bowls, and handed them over.
"Breath-Concealing Medicinal Liquid. After drinking it, your aura will be suppressed considerably."
Wang Qi took the bowl, brought it beneath his nose for a sniff, frowned,