194: Chapter 193: Upstream [Extra for 6500 Votes] 194: Chapter 193: Upstream [Extra for 6500 Votes] The chase in Linjing City kept everyone busy throughout the night, and as dawn broke, people gradually returned, looking utterly disheartened.
“Fifty li east of Linjing, I intercepted the first possible clue—a night freight carriage from Bada Mule and Horse Trade, carrying nothing but a pile of old clothes, bearing the assassin’s scent.”
“A cargo ship from Wang Family Ferry, thirty li downstream, was captured.
Upon investigation, the Water Breaking Pearl was found on the ship’s mast, and the crew were all ordinary mortals.”
The two elder Daoists exchanged a look, both perceiving the helplessness in each other’s eyes.
The scent was traced from a guesthouse, indicating that the assassin had stayed there for at least half a month.
The Daoist Sect had many ways to track such kept scents to find traces, but it all led back to general old clothes from the trade carriage.
The Water Breaking Pearl was the only treasure lost at the auction and a target to track.
Its owner, fearing deception at the auction, had tampered with his own treasure, only for it to end up on a cargo ship, still hanging high on a tall mast?
“It’s all a smokescreen!
Either the person has already fled hundreds of li away, or he is still in Linjing City, but he is cautious.
It will not be easy to find him, and would require too much of our resources.
Daoist Kong furrowed his brow.
Although they were both Upper Tongxuan Cultivators, an hour had passed since the incident by the time they arrived.
Another hour passed while they gathered clues and dispatched people.
For an experienced assassin, it was virtually hopeless to pursue them.
The other Daoist sighed, “Before I came here, the Mansion Master instructed us to search within our capabilities; casting a net outside Linjing City involves too much, it’s unnecessary.
Let’s just keep a closer watch inside Linjing City, see if there are any strangers disguised as cultivators?”
Given the delicate current relationship between the Anhe Daoist Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, with tendencies toward cooperation, some matters had to be left as is.
They were aware of the situation with Gu Xiqiao, but naturally, he told a different story and wouldn’t admit anything.
In the end, it boiled down to each side having its own rationale, resulting in a deadlock.
The Anhe Daoist Sect also cared about their reputation.
The Gu Family had connections in Linjing, making it impossible for Linjing Dao Mansion to just capture and send him back to Miao Gao Town.
That isn’t how the Cultivation World operates; it would seem weak and invite bullying.
This was essentially what Yu Zhengxing meant by saying Gu Xiqiao sought the shelter of Linjing Dao Mansion.
The Daoist Sect hoped to smooth everything over in time.
If the Gu Family were willing to bleed a little, everyone could save face; but it seemed the Quanzhen Sword Cultivators didn’t think this way, immediately deploying assassins after communications failed, sticking to the rules of the Cultivation World by matching Realm levels, leaving no room for the Daoist Sect to dispute.
The Anhe Daoist Sect could search for people and counterattack, but the rules also had to involve the same Realm, Tongxuan or lower!
This was the last shred of kindness from the Quanzhen Sect when they played their heavy hand, not wanting the involvement of higher Realm cultivators to spark uncontrollable chaos, keeping disputes within the range of Low Rank Cultivators.
A simple hunt contained many implications.
As the two Upper Tongxuan Cultivators from Linjing Dao Mansion mentioned, they neither wanted this incident to affect the overall trend of improving relations between the two factions, nor did they wish to send their disciples to face a cold-blooded assassin specializing in slaughter.
Thus, the only option was to raise the issue high but let it drop gently.
After all, Gu Xiqiao wasn’t a member of the Anhe Daoist Sect—although the Gu family had members in the Sect, those were two different matters.
As for what the Gu Family might think, they could think whatever they wanted as long as it did not affect the Daoist Sect’s strategy; a merchant with inherent issues and a family that had traded for generations could only swallow their anger and perhaps add one more rule to their family teachings about not selling fake elixirs to children.
What else could they do?
If they had that fighting spirit, they would have become a true Cultivation Family long ago, or perhaps, they would have perished hundreds of years earlier.
Fighting spirit brings initial joy, but the family might face extinction.
“Yu Zhengxing, that guy still has the same temperament!” Daoist Kong shook his head with a rueful smile.
The other Daoist commented, “That’s a dog that doesn’t bark—vicious when it bites!
To go anywhere, why did he have to go to Miao Gao Town?”
…On the Xiaodi River, a fleet of grain boats was strenuously heading upstream.
They were official boats bound for Guangchuan, where water transportation comprised a large part of cargo movement in Anhe, benefiting from the developed water system.
Only short and medium distances made use of carriage teams, a characteristic of Anhe.
On one of the grain boats, hidden high within a stack of grain, a man in green clothes was sitting cross-legged, with eyes closed, focusing his mind.
He was awakening his Sword Consciousness by offering his life force to the sword.
Ordinary sacrifices required setting up a ritual altar, chanting Daoist hymns, offering blood and food, and other various procedures; but the Sword Sacrifice Life and Death that Yu Zhengxing taught him needed none of these superficial actions.
Everything was completed within the cultivator’s mind, by visualizing the Sword Altar in the consciousness, presenting one’s understanding of the sword, and offering vibrant Life Power, connecting with the sword he spent his days and nights with.
There was no success, but it was normal; such matters couldn’t be resolved in one try.
A bit of talent, a bit of luck, a bit of intuition, and the rest was: slaying more beings!
From this perspective alone, it wasn’t unjust to call the Quanzhen Sect the Demon Sect.
The escape route had been planned perfectly.
The core of the plan was that the Anhe Daoist Sect wouldn’t cling desperately to find him, given the dynamics between Anhe and Shan Country and Gu Xiqiao’s merchant status.
Even if the Gu family had some connections within the Anhe Daoist Sect, they couldn’t exceed certain limits.
Gu Weixin was an unexpected factor; he had never considered that there was a familial layer between these two, nor the coincidence of appearing among those masked in hoods.
The moment Sword One acted, he sensed something was off.
The swordsmanship was clearly Quanzhen’s style.
To him, methods might be indiscernible, but swordsmanship was a forte; he had nearly mastered all styles in the Sword Storage Tower—what could hide from him?
This was the only loophole.
The best method would have been to deal with it on the spot, pretending not to know this person was also a Quanzhen disciple.
But having been in Quanzhen for over two years, his heart hadn’t darkened to such an extent.
He could only gamble, betting that Gu Weixin would prioritize the greater good and stand back.
He had no right to demand this of Gu Weixin, but the warning in his final statement was clear, informing him alone of his roots.
If word got out, Gu Weixin would be suspected of leaking the news.
They were both smart enough not to misunderstand the implications in his words.
He trusted this fellow villager to make the right choice, even if it set them apart, unable to return to former times; but that was another matter.
In cultivation, one must separate personal and public interests.
Failing this, there is no bright future.