But he just stared at the counting rods before him, motionless, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Any results?"
A voice suddenly spoke up beside him.
A hooded figure stirred; he was the one who had asked the question.
If he hadn’t spoken, it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to notice another person was here.
The scholar spoke in a hoarse, shrill voice:
"Generally speaking, he’s heading back."
He used his hand to draw a line on the nearby map.
The hooded figure glanced over:
"Heading back? Generally? The great former Celestial Calculation Master of Zhikong Mountain can’t even figure out a mere junior?"
"Hsss... This junior... isn’t he the one your Yao family can do nothing about? Otherwise, why bother coming to me."
The scholar let out a snake-like, hissing laugh, his face full of ridicule.
The events in Jinling over the past two months had caused a huge stir, and he was naturally aware.
Seeing the hooded figure remain silent, the scholar scoffed:
"This kid’s aura flickers in and out. It’s as if there’s some kind of resistance on him, making it difficult even for me to see him clearly. He’s definitely no ordinary person. And... it seems there’s more to it than that..."
He hesitated for a moment, then said in a shrill voice:
"It seems someone is protecting him. Otherwise, it’s impossible for my calculations to be wrong."
"I hope you can see more clearly this time. I don’t want to come up empty-handed again."
The hooded man said coldly.
The scholar’s eyes darted, and a strange smile appeared on his face:
"Every time I divine a heavenly secret, it’s my own lifespan that I sacrifice. To see clearly, I need... replenishment."
"Three pairs of Ginseng Fruit that match your Bazi have been prepared. Their essence blood is very rich."
The hooded man said simply.
A look of delight appeared on the scholar’s face. Two flushed patches surfaced on his pale cheeks as he murmured:
"Excellent, excellent! With this, I can definitely help you catch him..."
Seeing the scholar fanatically start arranging his counting rods again, the hooded man glanced at him and silently withdrew from the secret chamber.
He walked along the corridors of the inner residence, his face hidden within his hood.
The servants along the way turned pale upon seeing him, stepping aside and bowing fearfully.
Arriving outside a study, the hooded man pushed the door open directly. Seeing the listless Yao Yuzhi inside, he said calmly:
"A single Li Xingtuo injured you this badly?"
Yao Yuzhi glanced at him and said flatly:
"You’re no match for him either."
"We’ll only know after we fight."
The hooded man was noncommittal, but his tone radiated immense confidence.
None of the Yao family’s publicly known Grandmasters had the strength to be on the Flying Dragon List. Although Yao Yuzhi had hidden some of his true abilities, it was clear he was still a far cry from Li Xingtuo.
Yao Yuzhi didn’t argue with the hooded man, simply asking:
"What does Shen Xu say?"
"He can only see a general outline. I don’t think he’s reliable."
The hooded man was concise.
Yao Yuzhi pondered for a moment, then asked:
"Then what do you think?"
"Wherever that guy seems to be going is a feint. He’s so cautious that once he realized Jiangnan is dangerous, he’ll definitely try to cross the river. Just have our men each take a Profound Water likeness painting and wait for him at the ferry crossings along the river. As long as he appears, they’ll naturally sense it."
The hooded man said.
Yao Yuzhi nodded slightly and asked again:
"What if he escapes from somewhere else? If we let him get away from Jiangnan this time, I’m afraid catching him again won’t be easy."
"True. The guy comes from a Loose Cultivator background, yet even the disciples of Wisdom Spirit and Yu Xu can’t compare to him. That’s rare indeed. The family is left with just you few wastes. When a prodigy like him becomes a Grandmaster and comes knocking, you’ll probably only be able to let him come and go as he pleases. You should be afraid."
The hooded man mercilessly mocked Yao Yuzhi, but although Yao Yuzhi’s expression darkened, he didn’t lash out.
After a couple more biting remarks, the hooded man continued:
"Naturally, we can’t ignore other routes either. Have Shen Xu keep divining; it’s somewhat useful. Besides, doesn’t this type of person claim to follow the righteous path and enjoy playing the hero? A true villain is hard to catch, but a hypocrite is the easiest to deal with."
Yao Yuzhi nodded slightly:
"Alright."
He glanced at the hooded man and sighed.
"Old Liu, are you still angry about what happened back then?"
"Angry about what? I’m the strongest Grandmaster in the clan now. None of you could last more than a few moves against me. What do I have to be angry about?"
The hooded man said coldly.
Yao Yuzhi looked as if he wanted to say more but stopped himself, shaking his head.
"Old Liu, Tian Chuan is exceptionally talented, no less than you were in your youth. But he’s suffered repeated blows, and now his Dao heart has cracks. Do you have any ideas?"
"You call that a setback? Big Brother, do you know why the Yao family is so weak now? It’s because you’ve all forgotten the days when that Demoness nearly wiped us out! The moment she was gone, you all went back to your decadent lives of pleasure-seeking and debauchery in a haze of perfume and powder. A perfectly good sapling, and you’ve raised him into a flower bud that collapses at the slightest breeze."
The hooded man sneered and turned around directly:
"Send him to the Autumn Wind Building."
Yao Yuzhi opened his mouth, let out a sigh, and nodded silently.
He watched the hooded man about to leave and added a reminder:
"Old Liu, about that Xie Yuan... pay close attention to him."
"Look at you... Once we find his location, I’ll go myself."
The hooded man’s voice, tinged with both mockery and amusement, drifted back as he disappeared into the distance.
Xie Yuan circled around Jiangnan a few times, surviving on what nature provided, hunting for food. He changed direction whenever the whim struck him, to the point that even he didn’t know where he would be the next day.
By doing so, he had indeed evaded his pursuers; for three consecutive days, he hadn’t encountered a single wave of assassins.
’When even I don’t know my own plan, how can the enemy possibly calculate my next move?’
Xie Yuan pondered for a moment and decided not to go to Jiangbei.
’His enemies could probably guess his intention to cross the river from his previous actions. Given the meticulous nature of the great families, even though he’d made many misleading detours, they had likely already laid an inescapable net along the riverbanks.’
’Although the Great River was vast, and Xie Yuan didn’t know how his enemies could possibly stop him, it was just like how he hadn’t expected them to find his trail before. Perhaps they had some secret treasure or the like. It wasn’t worth the risk.’
Xie Yuan decided to head southwest toward Shuzhou. There were famous Buddhist temples there; the Mingxin Nunnery, one of the four major sects, was located in Shuzhou, so the Buddhist atmosphere was naturally strong.
’Besides, north of Shuzhou is Yunzhou. Once he was out of Jiangnan, no matter how long the reach of the Qian and Yao families was, they wouldn’t be able to lay such an inescapable net. If things went south, it would also be convenient to flee from Shuzhou back to Cloud Mountain.’
So, Xie Yuan first headed east for two days, then suddenly turned south. After walking for three days, he abruptly veered west, traveling swiftly for a thousand li until he was near the border of Shuzhou.
Seeing the mountains of Shuzhou faintly visible on the horizon, Xie Yuan passed by a small town. Even though his dry rations and water were depleted, he didn’t enter, prepared to continue living like a wild man.
But as he walked past the town and passed a magnificent, golden-roofed Buddhist temple on its outskirts, Xie Yuan glanced over, somewhat astonished:
’There’s such a large temple next to a small town?’
Just as he was thinking this, the Buddhist plaque given to him by Huie Jue suddenly trembled and grew slightly warm. It was the first time it had ever shown any reaction.