Return South
Shen Mo's message arrived the following day at noon.
This time he came alone. As he strode into the courtyard from the fork in the road, his clothes were still stained with mud from the mountain path. After standing by the well, he didn't drink any water first, but immediately said, "The patrol team to the north set off from Soul Hunting Town this morning, heading south back. Their route is from Soul Hunting Town through the outskirts of Bluestone Town directly back to Spirit City. They left in a great hurry, as if they received an urgent order from headquarters."
Long Tian was squatting on the threshold, tightening the drawstring of the food bag. After listening, he pulled the knot tight, stood up, and walked to the well. "Any news about the urgent order?"
"Not yet. But the group to the north is traveling in a straight line without stopping. They're expected to pass through the outskirts of Bluestone Town around tomorrow evening. If they don't stop, they should reach Spirit City the day after tomorrow." Shen Mo brushed the mud off his clothes by the well and straightened up to say, "Tang San received the same message. He asked me to tell you that the list the patrol team took away includes aliases for Shrek Academy members. If they go directly back to Spirit City, that list will be added to the Elder Hall's archives. Once it's officially filed, it won't be easy to retrieve and dispose of it later."
Long Tian stood by the well for a moment, mentally reviewing the timeline. The patrol team would pass through the outskirts of Bluestone Town tomorrow evening and arrive at Spirit City the day after. If they traveled in a straight line without stopping, the list would be submitted to the Elder Hall's archives the day after tomorrow afternoon. The normal journey from Bluestone Town to Spirit City by foot takes three and a half to four days, but if they used a carriage on the official road, it would take two and a half days. He calculated his available resources and turned to Shen Mo: "Do you have any carriages that can travel long distances?"
"Yes. There's one behind the secondhand shop in the west of the city. It's not used much, and the vehicle is in decent condition. You can borrow the horse from Old Zhou in the next village. He keeps two packhorses that run long distances; they're very stable."
Long Tian nodded, sat down at the table, and rearranged the contents of the leather bag. He had already asked Zhao Xiaopang to give the copied index pages to Mr. Wang yesterday; now, only the map, dry rations, and water pouch remained. He sat at the table for a moment, mentally planning the route from Bluestone Town to Spirit City, and then said, "I'll leave tonight. I need to intercept that file before they archive the list."
Yu Jin walked over from the side of the house and stopped at the doorway, his bundle already slung over his shoulder. Shen Mo shook the remaining water droplets from his hands by the well, sat at the table for a moment, and said, "I'll arrange the carriage. You can set off after lunch. I'll have Old Zhou lead the horses to the west intersection of town."
In the afternoon, they boarded the carriage at the west entrance of the town. Old Zhou's two packhorses were steady and pulled the carriage smoothly, maintaining a steady pace on the official road. Shen Mo handed over the carriage to them but did not follow, saying he would stay in Bluestone Town to keep an eye on the patrol team's movements. Long Tian lifted the curtain halfway, letting the wind pass through the carriage, and sat inside to double-check the timeline and route, confirming that the two-and-a-half-day journey would be enough to reach Spirit City before the patrol team filed their documents.
The carriage traveled along the official road for an entire afternoon and night. At noon the next day, they changed horses at a post town and continued their journey. By evening, the carriage wheels had rolled onto the official road outside Spirit City, where the surface had changed from gravel to smooth bluestone slabs. Long Tian sat up straight in the carriage, tightened the leather straps, and fully opened the curtain as the carriage entered the city gate. The guards at the city gate checked the travel permit in the driver's hand and allowed them to pass. The carriage then headed north along the main street.
As they approached the outskirts of the Elder Hall, Long Tian had the carriage stop at the alleyway two streets away. He alighted from the carriage and walked with Yu Jin along the alley to the street corner outside the side gate of the Elder Hall. Tang San was already waiting there, dressed in ordinary dark shorts and leaning against the wall at the street corner. Seeing them approach, he straightened up and said in a low voice, "The patrol team arrived this afternoon. The list will undergo a preliminary review before being filed, which will take place around tomorrow morning. Only after passing the preliminary review will it be officially entered into the E District Archives."
Long Tian stood at the street corner for a moment, matching the information Tang San provided with the index notes he had obtained in Bluestone Town —Seven shelves and three boxes in District E, exactly where the list would be placed after the preliminary review. He leaned against the wall and glanced in the night towards the side gate of the Elder Hall. The gate was already closed, with two guards standing watch at the entrance. The Soul Power sensing array on the door frame emitted a faint, dark red glow in the night.