Cling~
A familiar panel suddenly appeared in front of him.
[System Alert - Host at risk]
You're being followed.
Target count: Two
Estimated distance: 20 meters
With a weird look flickering in his eyes, Lao Xie muttered inwardly, "Host at risk?"
Before he could say more, a voice echoed in his mind — clear, emotionless.
"Be careful, host. You're being tailed." it was the system.
"Tailed? Is it me they're after… or her?" he asked silently, glancing toward Ling Ruxin who was still walking just ahead of him, unaware.
"The true target cannot be confirmed at this time," the system replied. "However, since you're walking together, you are currently seen as a shared target and they have been tailing you ever since you got out of the Martial Hall."
He was just about to ask another question when a voice suddenly snapped him back.
"What's wrong?" Ling Ruxin's voice cut in. "You're awfully quiet."
And just like that, the memory dissolved.
They were already inside the market by now. He had already left the store, wandered off casually, and pretended to browse through nearby stalls.
But his attention wasn't on the wares.
Instead, he was observing the movements behind him — confirming what the system had warned.
And again.
A subtle flicker of qi in the air. Too well-controlled for amateurs, but not well enough to fool someone like him.
"So it's me they're watching," he thought, his gaze lowering slightly. "But there's no killing intent. No malice either. Just… observing."
His eyes narrowed with a hint of amusement.
"Early Qi Refinement at best," he estimated. "No way this is some outer disciple's little stunt."
The thought lingered for a moment.
"Inner court. Someone's noticed me already, huh?"
"Doesn't matter, they're just fries."
The sound of the market dimmed with every step.
The noise of the market faded gradually as Lao Xie stepped off the main street, his pace steady as he moved toward one of the more deserted alleys tucked between a shuttered incense vendor and an aging warehouse pavilion. This part of Cloudsky Market was quieter, far removed from the polished stalls and animated haggling outside. There were no merchants calling out to passersby here, only the faint creak of wooden beams and the occasional sigh of wind slipping through narrow spaces between buildings.
He continued until he reached the midpoint of the alley, where the light dimmed and the shadows felt deeper. The scent of old wood and lingering incense drifted through the air. Without turning around, he came to a stop, letting the silence settle around him.
There was no need to look. He could already sense them — two figures lingering just past the entrance, carefully hidden from plain view but not from instinct. They had been following him since the jade stall, maintaining distance, but never quite vanishing.
His gaze dropped slightly, catching the faint reflection of movement in a puddle left by rain waters. His shadow stretched long across the stone tiles, and still, he said nothing for a few seconds more.
"…You've been following me since the jade stall," he said calmly, his voice low but carrying just enough weight to break the quiet.
Silence followed. Neither figure responded. But that only confirmed it.
Another breath passed before he spoke again, his tone still even. "You're not planning to keep pretending, are you?"
That time, there was a sound — soft footsteps. One of the figures emerged from the shade at last, masked from the nose down and dressed in unmarked grey robes that revealed nothing of affiliation. He looked young, though clearly not inexperienced, his eyes steady, shoulders squared, and his movements cautious but practiced.
A second figure followed soon after — this one older, sharper-eyed, and far more guarded. His fingers hovered close to his sleeve, right where a talisman or concealed blade would typically rest, but he made no sudden move.
"It's rare for an outer disciple to sense our presence," the older one said, his tone low and steady. "That's what brought us all the way here, I assume?"
Lao Xie's eyes flicked between them. "You weren't exactly subtle. Two unfamiliar faces tracking me through one of the most heavily guarded markets? Is this market that unreliable?"
"Not bad," the older one replied. "And yet here you are, calm as ever. I suppose the rumors about you weren't exaggerating after all."
Lao Xie's lips curled faintly at the edge, not quite a smile. "Those rumors were actually true, I'm scared as shit right now."
The younger stalker gave a small laugh at that. "Still have time to joke, huh?"
"That depends," Lao Xie said lightly, his gaze never leaving them. "Are we just exchanging empty words here, or is there something you're actually trying to say?"
Neither of them answered right away, so he took the liberty to push further.
"You've been watching since I left the Martial Hall. At first, I thought it was her you were following, but that wouldn't make sense. Ling Ruxin is more sensitive than the two of you — if she was the target, she would've noticed it right away." he said.
"Not too mention that her aura are more stable than the two of you, which means that you guys are weaker than her and the fact that she didn't notice anything means you weren't after her."
His gaze sharpened slightly as he continued.
"You were after me."
That made the younger one tense, just for a moment.
"You've been relying on an artifact to conceal your presence, haven't you?" Lao Xie said, tone still quiet, but now lined with a faint chill. "No killing intent, no hostility, just quiet observation — the kind that tries not to be noticed but wants to stay close."
The older man's posture shifted slightly, a subtle change, but Lao Xie caught it.
"And the worst part? You're not even from the outer court."
He let the weight of that statement hang in the air.
"I can sense your cultivation," he added. "You're not weak. At least early Qi Refinement — maybe stronger. That alone rules out any petty outer disciple scheme."
He took a step forward, slow and steady.
"So, why don't we start with the person who sent you?"
The younger man flinched, shoulders tensing slightly. He leaned in closer to his companion, voice low.
"Senior… this guy isn't normal. He's guessed everything so far."
The older one, however, showed no visible reaction — calm, unreadable. It was the kind of stillness that came from experience. He was clearly no stranger to this kind of situation.
"We can't tell you that," he said to Lao Xie, his tone even.
"However, we can guarantee that we mean no harm. The mission we received was simply to observe you… and report back."
Hearing that, Lao Xie raised his brows in mock surprise — but even a child could tell that his expression was exaggerated on purpose.
"Woah," he let out a soft sound.
"And you think I'll just let you do that?" he added, still wearing the same expression — this time tilting his head slightly to the right.
"And I'm guessing… you'd probably include Ling Ruxin in your report, too, right? Can't let you do that. You'd end up ruining my plan, you know?"
The older one remained calm, still unshaken.
"But what can you do?" he replied. "Did you forget that you're alone?"
"And you're up against two Qi Refinement cultivators," he added, this time with a faint trace of confidence in his voice.
"And you're up against two Qi Refinement Cultivators." he said with a hint of confidence in his voice.
"What can I do?" Lao Xie repeated, as if genuinely thinking it over. Then he gave a slow shrug.
"I don't know — maybe I'll just have to silence you two."