It was already past the middle of Chen Hour when Yi Yang left the Sword Transformation Alliance.
The streets of the eastern district were growing crowded. Steam rose from wonton stalls, and hawkers shouted their wares at the tops of their lungs.
Yi Yang crossed three main streets and turned into a narrow alley, where he changed out of his official uniform, put on a gray cloth outer robe, and tucked his Command Token into an inner pocket to disguise himself.
When he left the city, the guard glanced at his Temporary Passage Token without asking any questions. Clearly, he had not recognized Yi Yang.
Clearwind Ridge lay along the official road from the Prefectural City to Qing Province, at least a hundred li from the city.
Yi Yang did not ride a horse. His figure flashed as he activated Treading Water to Cross the River and raced north along the official road.
About half an hour later, he surveyed his surroundings and turned onto a fork leading into the hills.
The path grew narrower, and the trees on either side grew denser. The outline of Clearwind Ridge emerged between them.
Ning Xiong's case file had stated it clearly-Ding Xiang had died on a gentle slope on the eastern side of Clearwind Ridge.
By the time Yi Yang arrived, the sun was directly overhead.
The slope was small, surrounded on three sides by low trees. Directly opposite it was a gravel path leading up the ridge.
The terrain was open, with clear sightlines and no natural hiding places on either side.
A sentence from Ning Xiong's notes surfaced in his mind-"Given Ding Xiang's range of perception, there was no way an ambush could approach within ten paces before he noticed it. Unless someone lured him to a specific location."
Yi