Truly, knowledge gained from books always proved shallow. According to the texts, after soul projection, the soul operated through the mind and responded to thought alone, so what it saw and heard differed from the fleshly body's perceptions. Now it seemed this was closely tied to memory and attention.
Around my bedroom, everything was familiar, so the colors were distinct and every minute detail was visible. Only after coming here did I realize how perilous the outside world was.
At this thought, Li Ling deliberately stared at a particular spot. His spirit body even mimicked the widening of his eyes, following the habits of his fleshly body. Sure enough, the place he focused his senses on became vivid and clear.
But human attention was limited. When he shifted it elsewhere, the original spot blurred again.
Li Ling was like someone with night blindness walking through a night so dark he could not see his own hand, carrying a dim lantern. He had to watch for slippery footing in the darkness while also worrying about losing his way. It was anything but easy.
No wonder they say traveling far through soul projection is difficult, and returning is harder still.
Great cultivators don't drift close to the ground like I do. They soar through the heavens, burrow through the earth, and roam the Great Void in spirit. Their mobility increases enormously, but so do the risks.
Still, the range and discernment of their Spiritual Consciousness are far beyond mine, so the actual degree of danger is probably much the same.
Perhaps the only difference is that I can smell things and follow their trails.
If there were a special spirit incense I could use as a marker, it would surely reduce the risks of traveling far through Soul Departure!
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Li Ling, bringing several possibilities to mind.
Before he knew it, he reached the broad street outside the estate's north gate, slipped into the alley opposite, and stopped beneath a household's courtyard wall.
The scent has built up here. He probably stayed for a hundred breaths or so.
Although quite some time had passed, Li Ling could still smell the scents of many passersby here. All sorts of smells mingled together, including those of familiar servants from the estate who had passed this way.
After disregarding the irrelevant clues, he quickly reached a conclusion: Wei Du hid here and evaded them... then went this way.
Li Ling circled around a short distance and, sure enough, discovered traces of Wei Du climbing down over the wall.
This time, he did not rely on his extraordinary gift. He directly sensed the trampled twigs and earth in the grass with his Spiritual Consciousness.
At this point, the trail formed by the scents grew strange.
They folded back and crossed over one another, doubling around several times like a tangled ball of thread, creating a chaotic trail.
Li Ling patiently untangled it and circled into another nearby alley, where he suddenly discovered a distinctive scent of wine.
This is Senior Brother Zhu's scent. He must have pursued him here around dusk, but why did he go that way?
Li Ling had known the disheveled Daoist for several years and could not have been more familiar with this smell. While other people smelled of various plants or animals, he smelled of wine.
The man loved wine as dearly as his own life, but he treated Li Ling fairly kindly, so to Li Ling, his scent was the fragrance of wine.
Judging by where the scents intersected, it was easy to tell that Zhu Ming had found a trace and pursued it east with several guards. Yet Wei Du had actually doubled back to the place where the scents were tangled like knotted threads!
This was rather unexpected. Li Ling carefully examined the area with his divine sense, then understood.
What a cunning fellow. He deliberately misled his pursuers!
When someone doubled back, the trails overlapped, but their intensity differed, so they were actually not difficult to distinguish. However, he possessed this extraordinary gift, while others did not.
Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Zhu Ming had been misled, pursuing the wrong direction along with the other searchers.
Silently putting himself on guard, Li Ling continued following the scent.
Knowing that Wei Du might double back again, he paid increasingly close attention to places where the trail overlapped or crossed itself, constantly sorting through the clues to find the fresher scent.
Finally, after drifting another five li or more, Li Ling successfully found Wei Du beneath the eaves of a private residence.
As expected, he had changed to an unfamiliar face and was huddled in a dark corner by the wall, resting with his eyes closed.
The sight inevitably reminded Li Ling of the disheveled Daoist, Senior Brother Zhu, who spent his days in ragged clothes, wandering about in a drunken stupor. Anyone who did not know him would have taken him for a beggar.
In truth, however, he was tempering his heart through experience, roaming at leisure through the mortal world.
He could practice Grain Avoidance, going without eating or drinking for a time without difficulty. His physique was strong enough to withstand wind, frost, snow, and rain, and he had no fear of disease. In his heart, he cared nothing for worldly judgments; neither wealth nor poverty, honor nor disgrace could sway him. He was a true master beyond the mundane world.
To catch a mortal spy, they could search the entire city, inspect every inn and posting station, and order neighbors to keep watch over one another and report suspicious people.
Mortals had to eat, drink, relieve themselves, and obtain all sorts of necessities. They could not survive apart from society, so they might give themselves away.
But such methods were utterly useless against a cultivator like this. He could simply curl up in any corner, resolve to eat only the fasting pills he carried, and avoid all contact with others. There would be no clues to find.
The ordinary soldiers of the Royal City Office and the City Patrol Guards could not extend their Spiritual Consciousness to search, so they were merely making up the numbers. Moreover, Wei Du had cultivated a Disguise Art that complemented his disguises and transformations. In Li Ling's perception, even his aura closely resembled that of a genuine mortal, making him almost impossible to identify by that means.
Still, no matter how clever your methods, you can't change your own smell.
Li Ling approached Wei Du and drifted around him several times. Once he was certain Wei Du probably would not leave anytime soon, he floated out of the residence and leisurely headed back.
The Mystic Xin Kingdom's court was hunting spies, and the City Patrol Guards had put considerable effort into the task, deploying men to search and establish defenses at street corners and major routes.
At the very least, they had to satisfy their superiors and show that their subordinates were putting in the effort. As for whether any of it actually accomplished anything, only heaven knew.
Li Ling arrived at a tea stall and saw several City Patrol Guards resting there, wearing black uniforms similar to those of yamen runners. One man who appeared to be their leader was even dozing off out of boredom.
Li Ling ignored the man himself and extended his spirit body toward the communication talisman at his waist.
In his Spiritual Consciousness, the talisman glowed as it was activated.
The disheveled Daoist Zhu Ming had once said that something could be ungraded without being ordinary. He had been referring to precisely this sort of supernatural object that circulated from the immortal sects.
"Chief, why do you smell like something's burning?"
A little later, one of the slacking City Patrol Guards suddenly sniffed and spoke with a puzzled expression.
"Damn it, what's going on? How did my talisman get used up?"
The leader sprang to his feet and hastily emptied his pouch.
A concerned citizen, reporting online...
Li Ling chuckled inwardly and withdrew his spirit body, concealing both his contribution and his name.
Within the royal city, Zhu Ming stood atop a high platform, drinking sullenly, his face full of confusion.
Suddenly, he turned toward the broad street below, where a rider was galloping toward him on a swift horse.
"Whoa!"
Amid a shrill neigh, the horse reared on the empty street, its momentum carrying it forward several more steps before it finally stopped.
The rider was a military officer in leather armor with a saber at his waist. He called out, "Immortal Master Zhu, someone reported that the villain is hiding in a residence to the east!"
"He actually went east?" Zhu Ming's expression changed, and he floated down like a great bird. "Lead the way!"
"Yes!" The officer pulled on the reins, turned his horse, and galloped off.
Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, several squads of elite soldiers armed with mechanical crossbows swiftly and stealthily reached the nearby courtyard walls, occupying shadowy spots beneath trees and elsewhere.
Archers took their positions on high ground, ready to act on command.
The mounted troops stayed farther back, patrolling the outer perimeter and watching the junctions the target might choose for his escape.
Only then did the infantry enter, carrying spears or sabers and shields.
Their greatest difference from household guards and estate retainers lay in their orderly ranks and disciplined advances and retreats. Most of their weapons were also long-reaching polearms.
Since their enemy was a Qi Refining cultivator, light armor was useless, so they all wore lightweight cloth clothing. However, each squad of five included a veteran or someone skilled with hidden weapons, carrying dart shuttles and similar objects to provide ranged firepower if the fight reached a stalemate.
There were also several saber-and-shield soldiers, carrying shields made from the Spirit Materials ironwood. These ungraded magical artifacts had extraordinary defensive strength and readily trapped weapons when struck by piercing attacks, allowing them to obstruct flying swords' thrusts and movements to some extent.
In addition, two Qi Refining cultivators stationed in the city approached, taking supporting positions on the eastern and western sides.
They were a rogue cultivator recruited by the Mystic Xin Kingdom's court and a Duty Disciple sent down by the Skycloud Sect to gain experience.
But they were not the true main force. Once everyone had surrounded the area, Zhu Ming leaped up, crossed successive courtyard walls, and extended his Spiritual Consciousness to its limit.
This time, he had come prepared. In mere moments, he made a discovery.
"Found him!"
The range of Zhu Ming's Spiritual Consciousness was clearly much greater than Wei Du's. When he discovered his opponent, Wei Du had yet to react at all, giving him an enormous advantage.
Clang!
A sharp whistle tore through the air. His sword shot forth like a dragon, its force like a thunderbolt.
As murderous intent emerged, the Spiritual Consciousness probing toward Wei Du abruptly underwent a qualitative change. Instantly alerted, Wei Du opened his eyes.
In that moment of crisis, the flying sword lying on the ground sprang up and successfully blocked the strike with a clang.
But Zhu Ming's attack was heavy and powerful. It drove onward, piercing Wei Du's right shoulder and even pinning his entire body to the wall.
At some point, a yellow cloud appeared.
The miasma-like mist enveloped Wei Du's body, making him look as though he were trapped inside a fluffy cloud formed from fog.
Boom!
Amid a violent explosion, spiderweb cracks appeared across the wall.
The tremendous impact also shattered Wei Du's internal organs. He spat out a mouthful of bloody spittle and died on the spot.
"Once Senior Brother Zhu takes action, the result is extraordinary indeed!"
Soon afterward, the City Patrol Guards' attendant cultivators came over and congratulated Zhu Ming with smiles, while the others handled the aftermath.
"Who found him this time? Someone so alert and sensible could be called a capable talent." Zhu Ming took out the wine gourd he carried and tilted his head back for a drink.
"Oh?" the younger attendant cultivator asked. "Does Senior Brother Zhu intend to give him a helping hand?"
The other attendant cultivator said, "Merit should be rewarded and wrongdoing punished, certainly. Still, that mortal is fortunate indeed to have caught Fellow Daoist Zhu's eye."
With that, he sent someone to ask and summoned the minor officer who had been responsible for this neighborhood.
"How did you discover Wei Du?" The commander of the City Patrol Guards also regarded his subordinate with some curiosity.
"I led my men around to s-search, and when we reached this house..." The minor officer stammered.
"No, you're lying!" Zhu Ming suddenly interrupted, a clear, sharp gleam flashing through his previously hazy, drunken eyes.
With a thud, the minor officer dropped to his knees and pleaded, "Please forgive me, Immortal Master! I never meant to deceive you. I merely lost my head for a moment!"
The City Patrol Guards commander’s face darkened, and he barked, "Lost your head for a moment? Tell us the truth at once! What exactly happened?"
The minor officer had no time to concoct a lie and could only give an honest account of what had happened.
Initially, Zhu Ming had thought little of it, assuming it was merely mortals scheming against one another and claiming credit that was not theirs. But after hearing the full account, his expression turned solemn. "Were there any witnesses? Where is that pouch of yours?"
They brought the others over, only to hear the same account. From every indication, the talisman had burned on its own, and inside the pouch at that.
With a grave expression, Zhu Ming reached a conclusion. "An expert of unknown origin intervened in this matter!"
The younger attendant cultivator said, "Indeed. Relying on misdirection and the Invisibility Art alone wouldn't make it ignite inside his pouch. They would at least have to take it out to use it!"
The other attendant added, "Mortals also possess a living aura. A Qi Refining cultivator's lifespan limit and essential nature aren't actually much different from a mortal's. They cannot activate it from thin air while someone else carries it close to their body."
The City Patrol Guards commander froze. "Then that means..."
Zhu Ming said, "That person must possess at least Foundation Establishment cultivation!"
The City Patrol Guards commander was startled. "A Foundation Establishment immortal master?"
The younger attendant said, "With such a vast difference in cultivation realms, forcibly establishing mental resonance and breaking through the barrier is nothing surprising."
"Besides, Foundation Establishment cultivators have mastered true arts. Their methods are far beyond ours, and they have any number of ways to accomplish something like this."
The City Patrol Guards commander asked, "Then why didn't that Foundation Establishment immortal master act personally?"
Zhu Ming countered, "Why should they? The Zhu Yuan Kingdom is under the protection of Azure Cloud True Person. War between the two kingdoms is merely internal strife."
The Skycloud Sect's Duty Disciple said, "Senior Brother Zhu, what do you think that person's motive was in helping us? If they hadn't informed us this time, Wei Du really might have escaped."
Zhu Ming said, "I don't know either, but we must never let down our guard against others. There might be some faction behind that person, harboring an ulterior purpose!"
The other attendant cultivator had been about to offer his own opinion, but immediately fell silent at those words.
What Zhu Ming had said was entirely possible.
On the surface, it seemed that an expert had happened to pass by, noticed they could not find Wei Du, and casually lent a hand.
But on closer thought, could it really have been that simple?
Would a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator come to the Mystic Xin Kingdom's royal city with nothing better to do, happen to encounter Wei Du, and decide to eliminate him simply because they disliked him?
When exactly had that person begun paying attention to this matter, and how had they learned where Wei Du was hiding?
Could they have been involved in Li Ling's abduction last time?
Had they sent word in secret to fan the flames, kill with a borrowed blade, divert attention, fish in troubled waters, or accomplish something else?
Or even... had they actually left yet, or were they still lurking in the shadows, watching them?
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Truly terrifying.
Zhu Ming felt the same way. He told everyone, "Don't spread word of this for now. Order your subordinates to keep silent as well. Wait until I've reported to the Old Ancestor."
At his words, everyone grew solemn and answered, "Yes!"