blueteamnovel Chapter 168: Tracking Mark
Chapter 168: Tracking Mark
Chapter 168: Tracking Mark
Read 30 Chapters Ahead On Patreon :D /zilawere
Through his testing, Lan Chang'an discovered that when the Hundred Illusions Mask absorbed a target's essence blood, and soul upon their death, it created an identity that wasn't just a perfect physical and spiritual mimic. It also allowed him to seamlessly embody the inner temperament and habits of the person whose identity he assumed.
In just a few moments, Lan Chang'an could effortlessly "become" the dead Pei Qiuyan, convincingly portraying her as a cold and ethereal Foundation Establishment female cultivator.
His mannerisms, tone of voice, and every small detail in body language were so accurate that they were as good as the real thing.
"As long as I avoid saying anything out of character, even those closest to the deceased would struggle to see through the disguise," Lan Chang'an concluded.
This was a stark contrast to the disguises he'd used before, such as when he impersonated "Junior Brother Cheng" by merely replicating his appearance and aura. Back then, any close acquaintance of Cheng's might have noticed something was off if they were observant enough, as he had lacked the real essence.
Fortunately, since Junior Brother Cheng had been expelled from Huanglong Mountain years before, Lan Chang'an had managed to avoid any major slip-ups by keeping a low profile and speaking minimally.
After a long while, Lan Chang'an removed the Hundred Illusions Mask. For a brief moment, his mind felt disoriented, as though he was emerging from an immersive role-playing experience back into his true identity.
For an average cultivator, the sudden shift could induce a strong sense of dissonance.
However, compared to the reincarnations and rebirths he'd experienced through the Nine Seal Stele, this was nothing for Lan Chang'an.
Squeak, squeak!
Seeing that Lan Chang'an had returned to his original form, the Earth Burrowing Rat was overjoyed. Its fur relaxed from the previous tense, bristling state.
It stretched out its claws and affectionately touched Lan Changan's body, as if to confirm he was not a fake.
...
In the months that followed, the chaos and violence around Wuqi Mountain gradually subsided, likely due to the deterrent effect of the Flame Departing Palace’s interventions.
The spirit stones that Lan Chang'an gifted to Song Wenshu as a "hardship fee" (shared among the three peak masters) were well-spent.
Occasionally, Song Wenshu would lead a patrol of Flame Departing Palace law enforcement cultivators through the area around Wuqi Mountain and stop by Little Turtle Peak for tea.
In the eyes of outsiders, this highlighted the good relationship between Wuqi Mountain and the cultivators of the Flame Departing Palace.
However, incidents where Wuqi Mountain’s guests were ambushed and killed en route couldn’t be completely prevented. These occurrences were less brazen than before, with the attacks happening at least a few dozen li away.
Compared to the chaos around most market towns or immortal cities, this was already considered relatively safe.
The main issue was the overall environment.
As the war in Feng Kingdom dragged on, more and more shady characters and opportunistic scoundrels were taking advantage of the chaos, stirring up trouble and fishing in troubled waters.
Among these troublemakers, the true rogue and evil cultivators were only a fraction. Many of the incidents involved ordinary cultivators "moonlighting" as bandits, like the late Pei siblings.
If not for Lan Chang'an's long lifespan and ample wealth, he might have been tempted to engage in some underhanded activities himself, playing the part of a wolf in sheep’s clothing to fish for greater opportunities.
One day, the three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain gathered in Little Turtle Peak’s cave mansion to discuss recent developments.
This meeting was initiated by Lan Chang'an.
"Recently, there’s been an increase in incidents of robbery and murder around Wuqi Mountain, with a growing trend toward chaos and lawlessness," Lan Chang'an said.
What he didn’t mention was that over the past two months, his powerful soul had vaguely sensed unknown cultivators spying on Wuqi Mountain from a distance.
These intrusions might not have been targeting Wuqi Mountain directly but could have been tracking some of their guests.
As a cultivator with a long lifespan and the Crystal Condensation Pill in hand, Lan Chang'an demanded a stable and peaceful cultivation environment.
"I’ve noticed it too," Fairy Shi agreed. "The guests who were ambushed recently were mostly those without significant strength or backing, and most incidents occurred at night."
Given the broader context, where public security was declining across the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world, this was a common issue, especially near smaller marketplaces or gathering places.
With so many cultivators away at war, the sects couldn’t possibly handle every minor incident.
The deaths of a few ordinary cultivators didn’t create a significant impact and wouldn’t draw the sects’ attention.
Song Wenshu had been quite busy lately, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to bother him with these relatively minor issues around Wuqi Mountain.
"I suspect there’s a group of bandits operating near Wuqi Mountain, possibly with a fixed base of operations. Our guests on the mountain are one of the targets they have their eyes on," Lan Chang'an said, voicing his suspicions.
Twenty-something years had passed, yet the mountain’s layout, every tree, and blade of grass, remained nearly unchanged.
Only the Profound Water Turtle had grown larger.
The revered Uncle Lan, still clad in white, appeared ageless, his aura calm and serene.
His tall and upright figure seemed like an ancient tree deeply rooted in the earth, his presence growing more profound and steady with the passage of time.
In that moment, whether due to her emotions or a trick of the mind, Mu Bingyun couldn’t help but perceive him as a towering, almost monumental figure.
...
"Bingyun greets Uncle Lan."
Mu Bingyun stepped forward, her tone respectful as she bowed with her hands clasped in front of her.
As the disciple of an old friend and a former maid who had once served here, Lan Chang'an skipped the usual pleasantries and invited her to sit casually in the cave mansion as she pleased.
As she entered the cave mansion, Mu Bingyun almost slipped back into her old role as a maid, instinctively preparing to serve Uncle Lan tea.
She quickly realized how much the years she’d spent on Little Turtle Peak had influenced her life, leaving an indelible mark.
"The area around Wuqi Mountain has been quite chaotic lately. You shouldn’t be traveling here so freely," Lan Chang'an remarked as he sipped his tea, studying the former maid who had once served him.
Mu Bingyun had successfully advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment, likely in the past two years.
This was faster than he had anticipated.
"Uncle Lan, is there truly any place left in Liang Kingdom that can be called safe, outside of the sects’ territories?" Mu Bingyun sighed.
She then explained the purpose of her visit to Wuqi Mountain.
"A few months ago, the already turbulent Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market Town was attacked by a group of cultivators, both from within and outside the market. They overran the market, leaving destruction in their wake. Our family’s shop suffered significant losses, with several casualties..."
Lan Chang'an hadn’t expected the situation in Bamboo Leaf Mountain to be so much worse than in Wuqi Mountain.
Around Wuqi Mountain, there were at most a few scattered bandits, and nothing major had occurred.
"The owners of Bamboo Leaf Mountain are the Huang Family. Didn’t Huang Yingchun's late-stage Foundation Establishment partner put up a fight?" Lan Chang'an asked, his eyes narrowing.
"No, he didn’t. That late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is nearing the end of his lifespan and has become quite frail. Two years ago, Huang Yingchun had distanced herself from him, so he wouldn’t risk his life for this..." Mu Bingyun explained.
"During the battle at the market, the Huang Family’s recently cultivated Foundation Establishment disciple, who they had worked so hard to train, was unfortunately killed."
Hearing this, Lan Chang'an was convinced that Bamboo Leaf Mountain was becoming a hotbed of trouble.
"Feiyue Lake is a nearby Foundation Establishment family. The safety of our family’s cultivators is at risk. After discussing it with Uncle Erqing, we’ve decided to enhance the clan-protecting formation around Feiyue Lake."
"Uncle Lan, I know that Fairy Shi is a third-rank formation master and has a good relationship with you. I was hoping to ask for her help with the formation." Mu Bingyun explained her request.
"That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll take you to see her later," Lan Chang'an agreed with a nod.
His relationship with Fairy Shi was anything but shallow.
"By the way, Bingyun, did you feel like someone was watching you as you made your way to Wuqi Mountain?" Lan Chang'an asked.
"I think I might have felt that at some point," Mu Bingyun replied, though she wasn’t entirely sure.
Given what she knew about Uncle Lan, she assumed he wouldn’t ask such a question without reason.
In the current chaotic state of the world, it wasn’t unusual to feel like someone was spying on you during a journey.
However, as a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator and a second-rank talisman master, Mu Bingyun believed that no ordinary bandits would dare to target her.
Without proper planning, even a late Foundation Establishment cultivator might struggle to defeat a mid-Foundation Establishment talisman master.
However, at this moment Lan Chang'an discovered a subtle tracking mark on Mu Bingyun's body.
(End of chapter)