In less than an hour, Chen Miao reached the vicinity of the Deserted Village he had visited before.
This time, instead of heading straight toward the Deserted Village, he entered the woods on the other side of the road.
He did this to avoid being "discovered" by any enemies who might be there.
Once inside the woods, Chen Miao found a large tree and climbed it.
Mirage Shadow appeared, and Chen Miao concealed him there.
After climbing down, Chen Miao suddenly felt rather resigned about what he had just done.
In reality, Mirage Shadow was the one who made all the public appearances.
But in the Mortal World, Mirage Shadow's purpose had become keeping Chen Miao's real body hidden.
It was the exact opposite.
Shaking his head, Chen Miao looked up at his Mirage Shadow from beneath the tree. Just as he was about to leave, something on the trunk caught his eye.
He stepped closer and recognized what it was.
Lifting a foot, he examined the sole of his shoe.
A little damp soil still clung to the grooves in the sole.
It was the soil he had brought down from Grave Mountain on his earlier visit!
Looking at the soil on his shoe, Chen Miao suddenly began to understand why the Corpse-Guarding Dog had been able to track him so precisely even after he left Grave Mountain.
Even [Status · Illusion] had failed to fool it.
The soil from Grave Mountain might have been the reason!
"I thought that Corpse-Guarding Dog was special. I never imagined the reason could be so simple."
"Details can decide success or failure at any time."
"Then again, who knows? Maybe that Corpse-Guarding Dog really does have some special ability."
"Either way, I'll have to deal with these shoes before I go back."