Reminder

Before long, all four drinking dishes arrived: salted crispy peanuts, braised pig head meat, scrambled eggs with scallions, and grilled lamb liver, accompanied by a small jar of fashionable lychee wine and two bowls of mixed-topping noodles.

Ding Songyan clinked wine bowls with Ren Youyang, gulped down a mouthful, then picked up a richly braised piece of pig head meat amid the sweet fragrance of lychee and the wafting scent of alcohol, chewing it carefully.

This body of his was no stranger to drink.

During their idle chat, Ding Songyan neither asked about the True Spirit Sect nor cared why Ren Youyang had come to Dingjiang Prefecture in Ningzhou. He merely used the martial world lore and jianghu anecdotes he had heard as conversation pieces, praising the other man from time to time.

When acquaintance was shallow, one did not speak deeply.

As Ren Youyang drank and ate, the wine gradually went to his head, and he clicked his tongue as he commented on the Jade Tree Martial Arts Rankings:

"Not all of those ranked, but seven or eight out of ten have either been enhanced by cultivation methods or consumed some corresponding item. Su Yunzhang of the Celestial Maiden Sect, Yu Chongyuan of the Five Saints Sect, Gu Yi of the Luanfeng Sect, Qi Yangbing of the Tianmi Sect, Li Linquan of Leiyin Gate, and Chu Hanyuan and Zhao Zichang of the Six Dragons Sect—every last one of them. Relying purely on their original looks, they might not necessarily receive such adoration."

While deliberately nodding along in agreement, Ding Songyan swiftly analyzed the useful information hidden in those words:

The Five Saints Sect possessed the Phoenix inheritance, and the gathering of all colors in the world did fit... The Luanfeng Sect sounded like it came from the luan bird; the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas likewise described it as "gathering colors"... The Six Dragons Sect originated from the Yinglong; dragons were the ancestors and phoenixes the beginning, so that was normal too... But which deity or strange beast did the Tianmi Sect and Celestial Maiden Sect correspond to?

The Nine-Tailed Fox was described as "bewitching all under heaven." In an inheritance like that, it would be absolutely impossible for men not to enter the Jade Tree Martial Arts Rankings and women not to enter the Peerless Beauties Scroll. Did either the Tianmi Sect or the Celestial Maiden Sect correspond to the Nine-Tailed Fox?

And what was going on with Leiyin Gate? Though I have not yet finished the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, and remember even less of it carefully, none of the thunder-related ones had any description of improving appearance or charm...

"Which one consumed a divine item?" Ding Songyan asked, having formed a guess.

Ren Youyang chuckled.

"Li Linquan of Leiyin Gate. When he was young, by a stroke of chance, he obtained a Fu Grass." (Note: pronounced yao.)

"Fu Grass?" Ding Songyan did not bother recalling the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, because he could tell Ren Youyang would explain it himself.

"That's right." Ren Youyang smiled with leisurely longing, his expression sly. "Fu Grass was what Yaoji, the daughter of the Celestial Emperor—also known as the Goddess of Wushan—became after her death. Consume it, and one becomes charming to others. Even I would pity them at first sight; let alone those female heroes and demonesses?"

What would the style of those fierce and ruthless Leiyin Gate disciples become after consuming Fu Grass that made one "charming to others"? Ding Songyan found himself rather curious.

"Making people like him and willing to give him their very best—how enviable." Ren Youyang joked. "If I had consumed Fu Grass, I would not have been thrown out of Cuiliu Tower today, nor would I have failed to see Courtesan Li."

"But then it would not show Brother Youyang's own bearing and eloquence." Compared with Ren Youyang, who was only twenty-four and had traveled the jianghu for just a few years, Ding Songyan's "cultivation" in idle conversation was clearly far deeper. He repeatedly drew smiles from the other man, making him feel as though bathed in a spring breeze.

What Ding Songyan was more curious about was something else:

"Does consuming Fu Grass conflict with one's own cultivation method?"

"Divine items such as fruits, trees, and medicinal herbs, as well as strange creatures capable only of curing illness, will not affect your cultivation of any method." Ren Youyang did not conceal this matter.

In the jianghu, this counted as common knowledge.

He picked up a peanut, bit it a few times, then cautioned Ding Songyan:

"What I said today about the Jade Tree Martial Arts Rankings, especially the matter of Li Linquan consuming Fu Grass, don't spread it around. I'm not afraid of them, but we will inevitably meet someday. It would look rather bad then. Li Linquan has a fiery temper; he truly deserves the four words 'thunderbolt and lightning.'

"Uh, Yu Chongyuan is someone I am afraid of. He became a grandmaster at twenty-six, broke into the Celestial-Human Realm at thirty-three, and is only thirty-four now. He may yet reach the Spirit Platform in the future. I truly cannot defeat him."

"Rest assured, Brother Youyang. My mouth has always been tight." Ding Songyan raised his wine bowl and clinked it against Ren Youyang's again.

Just as Ren Youyang was about to say more, someone suddenly came over from beside a lacquered wooden pillar.

Ding Songyan was stunned. The newcomer seemed to have been standing nearby all along, yet he had never noticed him.

This was one of Ren Youyang's guards whom Ding Songyan had seen earlier at Zhen Estate—the one whose figure drifted like a ghost or phantom.

The man did not actually possess invisibility, nor had he used any trick to cloud the eye or hidden in a blind spot difficult for Ding Songyan to see. Rather, he seemed to have merged with his surroundings and become part of the environment itself—standing beside the lacquered wooden pillar, he naturally displayed the "state" of the pillar.

The guard leaned close to Ren Youyang's ear and said a few words, nearly soundlessly.

As Ren Youyang listened, his canine ears twitched slightly. He looked at Ding Songyan with both puzzlement and curiosity, leaving Ding Songyan utterly baffled and able only to wait patiently.

While waiting, Ding Songyan carefully observed that guard and discovered that he too had physical abnormalities, though they were mostly concealed beneath his clothing and difficult to spot without getting close and examining him carefully:

His hands were tucked inside his sleeves, revealing only vague glimpses of sharp claws. There were obvious signs of beastification.

After the guard returned to his original position, Ren Youyang smiled faintly and beckoned Ding Songyan over, signaling for him to sit at the side of the square table, closer to him.

Filled with doubts, Ding Songyan moved over and sat down.

"Worthy brother, aren't you the storyteller outside Dangkang Temple? Why are there two groups of people following you?" Ren Youyang leaned close to Ding Songyan's ear and asked in a lowered voice.

His words were like a stone shocking the heavens, startling Ding Songyan.

Someone was following me? Two groups, even? I did not notice a thing! Ding Songyan was both shocked and suspicious.

Maintaining the same posture, Ren Youyang continued softly:

"One is Yu Wanxiong, the Attendant of Zhen Estate."

Yu Wanxiong... Mr. Yu? That name did not quite suit his temperament or style. Still, when his parents gave him that name, they could not have imagined what sort of personality he would develop or what road he would take... Why was Mr. Yu following me? The true provider of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was already dead, was he not? Going further back, those involved should not have had any connection with this body's former owner either... Wait, because I told stories to that "honored guest" this afternoon, Mr. Yu wanted to see whether I had been influenced in secret? Was he guarding against that "honored guest" with the utmost vigilance? Ding Songyan instinctively frowned.

If that was truly the case, then his lurking in Beili Ward and waiting would seem rather strange in Mr. Yu's eyes!

Wait—would Zhen Estate seize me and torture me severely later? Should I just hide in the county yamen?

"And the other is that person." Ren Youyang subtly pointed with a finger.

By a window several tables away, a man was drinking alone.

He looked ordinary, wore a common headcloth, and had two dishes and a pot of wine before him.

Ding Songyan glanced over from the corner of his eye and found that he did not know the man, though he seemed to have run into him occasionally on the streets over the past few days.

Amid the vast sea of people, no one would pay attention to an ordinary person encountered now and then. But after Ren Youyang's reminder, the more Ding Songyan thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed:

What was this man's background?

Who had sent him to follow me?

Ren Youyang whispered again, eager to act:

"Worthy brother, go home normally later. I will secretly keep an eye on this man for you and find a way to drag out the one directing him from behind the scenes.

"As for the other side, I do not know why Yu Wanxiong is following you either. It would not be convenient for me to interfere in your Zhen Estate's internal disputes, lest I ruin what comes afterward.

"If you are truly worried, go to the county yamen and seek out the Xiaoming Sect, especially Zheng Zhuxi. Though she is young and not very strong, her father is a high-ranking court official, while her mother is the Xiaoming Sect's sect master, a figure who has a place even among grandmasters. She is also eager to uphold justice and willing to stand up for someone without status like you."

Ding Songyan nodded slightly and agreed.

The matter of Zhen Estate could wait. For now, he had to resolve the problem before him.

After eating and drinking his fill, he bade Ren Youyang farewell, left the tavern, and headed toward Chengyu Lane.

When the evening breeze carrying the chill of a great river blew over him, Ding Songyan's mind cleared considerably. He calmed down again and considered several details he had overlooked earlier:

What business did Ren Youyang and Zhen Estate—or rather, the True Spirit Sect and Zhen Estate—have afterward?

Why was it Ren Youyang's guard who had discovered the followers, rather than Ren Youyang himself?

He had only noticed after the guard reminded him...

When disguising himself as a commoner, did he truly regard himself as an ordinary mortal, not even keeping watch in all directions or listening to every side? Was he playing the role too deeply?

Or did his guard possess a special cultivation method and excel at such matters?

Ding Songyan walked and paused, pretending to "admire" the bustling nighttime scenery of the prefectural city.

Lantern after lantern hung high overhead, each a different color, illuminating a fine year of abundance in the human world.

Using the chance to crouch down and admire a painting, Ding Songyan naturally glanced behind him.

This was the fifth time he had attempted to shake a tail. Previously, he had gained nothing.

His gaze swept quickly over the area, and he saw the man who had been drinking alone at the tavern.

So it really was him... Ding Songyan withdrew his gaze and examined the books and paintings on the street stall.

In this way, he slowly made his way back to Chengyu Lane, leaving Ren Youyang ample "time to act."

Just as he reached the well at the entrance to the lane, a black shadow suddenly sprang out from the side.

Ding Songyan was so frightened that his soul nearly fled his body, and he almost swung the folding fan in his hand.

"Second Brother Ding!" Xu Chang'an's voice rang out.

Ding Songyan halted his movement and looked carefully under the moonlight and starlight, finding that it truly was Xu Chang'an, whose manner was somewhat furtive and rat-faced.

"Are you playing ghost?" Ding Songyan cursed irritably.

Xu Chang'an smiled awkwardly.

"Why did you come back so late today? I've been waiting for you."

No, why were you waiting for me? Ding Songyan glanced at Chengyu Lane, where scarcely any households wasted silver hanging lanterns.

Xu Chang'an took out a silver ingot.

"Second Brother Ding, yesterday's matter was all thanks to you. This morning, I went to my master's house early and first stole twenty-five taels of silver. Only then did I divide the rest evenly with my senior brothers. Anyway, they do not know exactly how much private money Master had.

"This, these twenty-five taels are my thanks. Please do not refuse them. Five taels of it are for Eldest Brother Ding as well."

You are actually quite a good person... But why say "stole" in such an unpleasant way? The early bird gets the worm... Ding Songyan gave a dry cough.

"Since you have put it that way, would refusing not make me seem like someone who does not know how to conduct himself?"

After saying that, he sighed and accepted the heavy silver ingot.

Xu Chang'an's expression relaxed, and he went home with a heartfelt smile.

Ding Songyan took another two steps forward and saw Ren Youyang emerge from the shadows behind and to the side.

This True Spirit Sect disciple wore a grave expression. He shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"Didn't catch him."