The pursuit in Linjing City went on all night. At daybreak, people began returning one after another, all looking dejected.
"Fifty li east of Linjing, I intercepted the first possible lead: a night freight wagon belonging to the Eight Reaches Mule and Horse Company. It was carrying nothing but a pile of old clothes bearing the killer's scent."
"A cargo boat from Wang Family Ferry was intercepted thirty li downstream. A search turned up the Water-Repelling Pearl on its mast. Everyone aboard was an ordinary mortal."
The two old Daoists exchanged a glance, each seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.
A broker had led them to the inn to collect the scent. The killer had stayed there for at least half a month, and the Daoist Sect had many ways to find a few threads of evidence from such lingering traces. The result was a pile of old clothes from a transport company.
The Water-Repelling Pearl was the only treasure missing from the auction, and another target they could track. Afraid of being cheated at the auction, its owner had tampered with his precious pearl. Yet it had turned up on a cargo boat, hanging high on its mast?
"All smoke and mirrors! Either he's already fled more than a hundred li away, or he's still in Linjing City. But he's a meticulous man. Finding him won't be easy, and it will take far too many resources. Is it worth it?"
Daoist Kong frowned. Although they were both Profound Connection Upper Cultivators, an hour had already passed between the incident and their arrival. Finding leads and sending people in pursuit had taken another hour. With an experienced killer, there was essentially no hope of finding him.
The other Daoist sighed. "Before I came, the Prefect instructed us to search within