Mo Lan left, but she left that ball of wolf demon essence blood behind.
Lu Zheng did not go home either. Right there on the spot, he took out the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror and drew a strand of the essence blood, then formed seals and cast the spell.
On the mirror surface of the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror swirled layer upon layer of cloud and mist, hazy and indistinct.
Lu Zheng blinked. Had it failed?
No, wait, it had succeeded. Look, the whole mirror was full of cloud and mist!
Which meant…
The other party’s cultivation was simply too high!
“Hiss…”
Lu Zheng sucked in a breath. Instead of forcing a clearer view, he quickly formed new seals with his fingers and pulled the “lens” upwards, no longer focusing directly on the target.
Sure enough, as the view rose higher, the layers of cloud and mist on the mirror gradually thinned, and the image grew clearer.
Very soon, Lu Zheng had pulled the perspective up to a hundred zhang in the sky.
“Good, good, still within limits.”
The Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror naturally had limits; both range and altitude were restricted. Now pushed almost to its maximum height, a blurry scene finally appeared on the mirror.
It was a county town.
“Damn! It’s not Tonglin County again, is it?” Lu Zheng jumped in fright and looked more carefully.
Though blurry, the rough layout was still recognisable.
It was not Tonglin County.
Lu Zheng let out a sigh of relief, shifted his gaze, then pulled the view northeast. Sure enough, just outside the county town he spotted a manor.
Huangfu Manor!
He had actually sneaked all the way into Wanfu County!
Lu Zheng had assumed the other party was gravely injured and would lie low for a while, yet here he was, right under his nose.
If not for this chance wolf incident, who knows which day the fellow might have strolled into his house before he even noticed.
But now that he had discovered it…
Lu Zheng summoned a white cloud, shot into the sky, and sped northwest in an instant.
…
“Wanfu County?”
Chu Jin said in surprise, “Leng Li is already in Wanfu County? Inside the county seat itself?”
“Inside the county seat,” Lu Zheng nodded. “His cultivation is too high; I couldn’t see clearly, only that he is somewhere within the town.”
“What audacity! Does he really think the Anomaly Suppression Department is made of clay?” Chu Jin slammed the table. “I will report this to Lord Qi at once. We absolutely cannot let Leng Li leave Lingbei Province alive.”
“Young Master Lu.”
“Yes?”
“Please keep a close watch on Leng Li. If he leaves Wanfu County, inform us immediately.”
“That is my duty. Actually, Lord Chu, you are the one helping me here.”
Chu Jin smiled at that. “This is also the duty of the Anomaly Suppression Department. We all help each other.”
…
One hour later, Lu Zheng met the Provincial Inspector of the Lingbei Province Anomaly Suppression Department.
Qi Fengyun.
A ruddy-faced, kindly-looking old man dressed very plainly, exactly like an ordinary grandfather out for a stroll.
Lu Zheng grinned inwardly. Were all top experts fond of hiding their strength these days? By rights, the Provincial Inspector of Lingbei Province should have at least a thousand years of cultivation.
Fortunately, because this one man had taken all the “low-key” points for himself, the three people at his side all radiated fierce auras no weaker than Chu Jin’s, which looked much more normal.
The staffing of Lingbei Province’s Anomaly Suppression Department was naturally far stronger than that of Yizhou.
“Greetings, Lord Qi!”
“I have long heard that White Cloud Temple accepted a genius disciple who appears only once in centuries. Today I finally meet him,” Qi Fengyun said cheerfully.
“My lord flatters me,” Lu Zheng hurriedly returned the courtesy. “It is all thanks to my master’s excellent teaching.”
“Real Person Ming Zhang, yes.” Qi Fengyun nodded with a smile, following Lu Zheng’s lead. “Another extraordinarily gifted individual. The fortunes of White Cloud Temple grow ever stronger.”
They chatted idly for a while, then rose together on clouds and flew towards Wanfu County.
“That Leng Li’s cultivation is not weak. If he deliberately conceals his aura and hides in Wanfu County, how are we supposed to force him out?”
Chu Jin frowned. “Moreover, Wanfu County is a large settlement of tens of thousands. If we fight inside the town, the casualties could be considerable.”
Qi Fengyun was in no hurry. “First we confirm his identity. Once we know who he is, even if we have to wait a few extra days, as long as he leaves the county we can surround and kill him.”
The higher one’s cultivation and status, the fewer matters actually required their personal attention. They could perfectly well wait around Wanfu County for ten days or half a month.
“The worry is that he stays inside Wanfu County to heal and never comes out,” Chu Jin said. “We can’t possibly wait here until he fully recovers.”
When facing an enemy that absolutely had to be killed, like the Heartless Desire Demon Ancestor, the Great Jing Dynasty was willing to sacrifice an entire city and would not hold back.
But the current Leng Li did not yet deserve such treatment, so it was best to avoid harming ordinary people if possible.
Qi Fengyun shook his head. “Against a thousand-year great demon, overthinking is useless. He can break any plan at any time. We can only adapt as the situation develops.”
“Yes, sir.” Chu Jin bowed and accepted the teaching.
Moments later, the group arrived near Wanfu County, descended, concealed their auras, and walked like ordinary mortals.
“Chu Jin, go to the county yamen. Have the constables post a wanted notice for a flower-picking thief, then spread out through the city. Inquire about recent temporary residents and solitary guests staying at inns.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Little Xue, the three of you visit the apothecaries and herb shops. See if anyone has been buying medicines to replenish qi and blood.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Young friend Lu,” Qi Fengyun turned to Lu Zheng with a smile. “Would you accompany this old man for a stroll?”
“How could I refuse!”
Lu Zheng walked with Qi Fengyun. The two entered Wanfu County through the west gate and strolled eastward along the main street.
“It seems I haven’t been to Wanfu County for more than ten years,” Qi Fengyun remarked as they walked. “I still remember the signature dish at Wanfu Restaurant was Wanfu roast duck. I wonder if after ten years it still tastes the same.”
“I’ve never tried Wanfu roast duck, but there’s an old Li’s Brine shop in the north of town, a century-old establishment. Their brined chicken is excellent.”
“Oh?” Qi Fengyun looked surprised.
“My wife grew up in Wanfu County and only moved away a few years ago. When I accompanied her to visit relatives, I came here several times,” Lu Zheng explained with a smile.
“I see.” Qi Fengyun nodded in understanding.
Then the two of them watched two teams of constables pass by.
One team carried paper and paste, posting notices and wanted portraits in public places while heading towards the city gates.
The other team fanned out through the streets, questioning people and investigating strangers who had recently appeared in town.
Lu Zheng and Qi Fengyun were in no rush. They simply chatted about this and that, discussing local Wanfu customs and scenery.
Along the way they also greeted several other high-ranking officers from the Anomaly Suppression Department.
As dusk fell, the two reached Wanfu Restaurant in the centre of the county. They went inside, booked a private room, ordered a full table of dishes, and of course included the restaurant’s most famous Wanfu roast duck.
“Mm, good. Still the same flavour.” Qi Fengyun picked up his chopsticks first, took a piece of duck meat, and nodded in satisfaction.
A little while later, Chu Jin and the other three entered the private room one by one.
Qi Fengyun tapped his chopsticks against his bowl, laid down a silencing barrier, then nodded. “You may speak.”
