Night had fallen over Yangzhou Town. The streets were dimly lit by scattered lanterns, and a faint chill lingered in the air.
Lin Chen walked through the quiet lanes alongside a town guard, his eyes sweeping over each house they passed.
In the background, Aiva was running at full capacity, scanning for any traces of Essence Qi. In a small town like this, cultivators were rare—so if there were any fluctuations, it would almost certainly be connected to the kidnappings.
But there was nothing. Not a single trace.
"Still nothing…" Lin Chen muttered under his breath, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
"Either the culprit is really good at hiding…"
He frowned, his thoughts trailing towards a darker possibility.
"…Or they're above me in cultivation—and covering their tracks."
The guard, desperate to ease the tension, cleared his throat. "My lord… I've always admired cultivators," he said, reverence heavy in his tone. "Walking the heavens, overturning rivers, splitting mountains with a flick of your wrist—you people are like living gods."
Lin Chen gave him a flat stare. "…You done licking boots?"
The guard flushed with crimson. "N-no, I just meant—"
"Save the poetry for your sweetheart," Lin Chen cut him off with a lazy wave of his hand.
The guard coughed, shrinking back. For a while, silence returned—until a small crease formed on his brow.
"Um, my lord… did you come with another disciple?"
Lin Chen blinked. "Huh? No. Why would you ask that?"
"Well…" The guard scratched the back of his head. "Earlier this afternoon, I saw someone else carrying a Starfall Sect token. I thought maybe you were partners on this mission."
Lin Chen's steps slowed.
Another disciple?
He was certain he was the only one who had accepted this mission. His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the possibility.
"…Maybe just passing through," he muttered, half to himself. "Or running an errand for another sect task."
Still, the timing left a sour taste.
In the end, Lin Chen shook his head. "Not my problem unless they get in my way. I have my mission to complete."
—And earn spirit stones. Nothing more.
The guard, clearly missing the weight behind his words, straightened with admiration. "As expected of an esteemed cultivator—such wisdom and conviction!"
Lin Chen let out a soft snort. "Conviction? If earning spirit stones counts as conviction, then yes—I'm brimming with it."
The guard blinked in confusion, unsure whether it was a joke. "But… isn't cultivation about pursuing the Dao, transcending mortal desires?"
Lin Chen rolled his eyes skyward, his tone flat. "The Dao? Try cultivating without money and see how far your grand Dao takes you."
The guard opened his mouth, then quickly shut it, at a loss for words.
***
As Lin Chen strolled through the streets, his expression was half-bored, half-focused—until a sudden alert rang in his mind.
[Essence Qi detected nearby.]
His steps halted. "…Qi fluctuations?" he muttered, his gaze sharpening.
'From where? '
[From your left.]
Lin Chen's eyes flickered in that direction. Without hesitation, he raised a hand, motioning toward the guard.
"You. Stay here. If you hear the sound of battle… run. Don't look back."
The guard stiffened, swallowing hard. "M-my lord—"
But Lin Chen was already moving. His knees bent, his muscles coiled, and then—boom—he shot upward. His boots landed soundlessly on the curved tiles of a nearby rooftop, the guard below staring in stunned awe.
Crouching low, Lin Chen's eyes narrowed to the narrow alley ahead.
The moonlight here was thin and cold, draping the street in half-shadow. At the very end of the alley… two silhouettes stood.
They were decked out in black cloaks that covered almost everything—just their mouths and noses peeking out.
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. With that ridiculous getup… yeah, he was 99% sure these were the same idiots who'd kidnapped the girls.
He tried to sense their cultivation… and failed. Nothing. Not even the faintest ripple of Essence Qi.
A concealment technique? Or just an overwhelming gap between us?
'Aiva, can you detect anything?' he asked inwardly.
[Scanning…]
A brief silence followed, then Aiva's voice rang in his mind.
[Negative. Their Qi signatures are masked. Unable to determine cultivation. The probability of them being stronger than you… is high.]
"High probability, huh?" He exhaled slowly,"…Then this might get troublesome."
'Then Aiva, can you increase my hearing? I need to know what these two are talking about.'
[Enhanced Auditory Mode Activated – Background Noise Filtering… Done.]
Suddenly, the chirping of crickets, the whispering of the wind—everything faded into muted silence. In their place came crisp, clear voices, as though the two cloaked figures stood whispering directly beside him.
"Sir, it seems we can't keep snatching girls anymore," whispered one of the hooded men. His voice was cautious, barely above the wind. "The city lord has requested help from the Starfall Sword Sect."
The other let out a soft chuckle, calm and composed. "That's precisely why I came in person."
The first man hesitated, then asked, "Then… do we finish the job tonight and move on to the next town?"
"Yes," the second man said without emotion. "It's time to wrap things up. What's the count?"
"Thirty-five, sir," the first one replied with an eerie grin. "All young, prime of life. Their vitality was overflowing. You'll be pleased."
The second's eyes glimmered under his hood. He licked his lips slowly, a faint, chilling smile crossing his face. "Thirty-five… they should be enough. I will certainly enjoy them."
Up on the rooftop, Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.
What the hell did I just walk into…
The girls were still alive. But this wasn't some random crime—no, this reeked of full-blown demonic cultivation. And these bastards… they had done this before. Planned it carefully. And now, they were about to vanish and repeat it elsewhere.
He wasn't a hero—but this mess had landed squarely on his lap. Leave now, and all the girls would be dead by dawn.
Lin Chen drew a slow, measured breath. Charging in blindly? Suicide. But back down now, and his mission—his spirit stones—would be wasted. Worse… all the girls would die. Every effort, every risk, gone.
"And sir, how's the plan for obtaining the Heavenly Stone coming along?"
"It's progressing smoothly. Soon, the stone within the Starfall Sect will be claimed by the Divine One. Once that happens, nothing will stand in his way. The entire sect… the entire region… will crumble into ruins. Then we don't need to hide and do whatever we want."
"And what about the Starfall Sect's internal defenses? Their elders are not easily fooled."
"They are insignificant obstacles. By the time they notice, it will be too late. The Divine One moves faster than their schemes."
"Huh? Heavenly Stone… in the Starfall Sect… and the Divine One?!" Lin Chen's eyes narrowed "Don't tell me these bastards are planning something inside the sect itself…"
He didn't sign up for this. Not for a simple kidnap mission that suddenly spiraled into something enormous—something that threatened the destruction of a first-rate sect and the collapse of an entire region.
The two figures stopped whispering. Then, almost in unison, they began to move—silent shadows slipping through the alley.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed. Follow or not? This was definitely above his pay grade. But if he didn't see the whole picture now, he couldn't return to the sect with a clear mind—not knowing when—or how—this mess might come back to bite him in the ass later.
"Argh… I'm going to regret this decision,"
Still, the decision was made. He would follow carefully, silently. And if things went south… well, at least he had the option to run.
***
Eventually, they arrived at what looked like a normal residential home—modest courtyard, tiled roof—and slipped inside.
Lin Chen, still following, crouched on a nearby roof, observing silently.
[A warning, it's recommended to not follow anymore, we still lack the number of enemies in that place. So for your safety, it is recommended to retreat]
"I know… but I can't. There's something strange going on, and we need to know what those guys are planning. If they succeed… it could spark a war."
"So in such a scenario, it's better to know more info."
Aiva didn't talk back—which meant she agreed.
Lin Chen slid aside the top of a loose floor tile, creating just enough space to slip inside. He dropped silently onto the wooden floor, barely making a sound.
The room was quiet. Too quiet.
Then—two voices, smooth and sinister, broke the silence from the shadows.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
"Hah. Did you really think I didn't notice you, trash, sneaking around on rooftops like a starving rat?"
One of the hooded figures stepped forward, his tone filled with mocking contempt. Slowly, he reached up and pulled down his hood, revealing a familiar, sharp-featured face.
Lin Chen's eyes widened, his brain doing a double-take.
"…Yu Feng?!"
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A/N: Quick quiz for readers: the Heavenly Stone was mentioned back in an earlier chapter. Can anyone figure out what it really is—and how it's connected to the Starfall Sect?
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