Chapter 21: Troops Surrounding
m. Piled rocks and stone carvings, pavilions by water, bridges adorned with paintings, flowers, trees, and plants were all neatly arranged. The scenery looked chaotic but well-organized, clearly maint...Chapter 21: Siege of Troops
Fen Water City was the nearest city to the Southern Frontier's capital.
Yun Qianyue and Shen Zhao left behind the battle at the wooden bridge, arriving at the city gate. After Yun Muhan and his troops emerged from the city, the gates were tightly shut. She held up a wooden token; one of the guards took a look at her before instructing someone to open the gate for them.
The city was eerily quiet inside, with civilians long asleep by now. Street patrols walked the streets, but only inns and brothels had their lights on.
Yun Qianyue arrived at the entrance of a building called "Dengyun Tower," dismounted from her horse as Shen Zhao did the same off his donkey. A young apprentice came out to greet them, leading them inside where they were given two separate rooms next to each other.
After entering their room, Yun Qianyue quickly washed up before standing by the window, observing the streets below where everything was clearly visible.
A moment later, she heard faint horse hooves coming from the direction of the city gate. She squinted her eyes, wondering if this battle had ended so quickly The three young masters from the Yi family, Hua family and Ling family weren't that incompetent after all—did they retreat upon learning that Southern Frontier's Imperial Uncle was on his way
Indeed not long afterward, Yun Muhan appeared on the street below. He walked beside the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle along with his retinue and Shan Hua, followed by over a thousand soldiers.
Yun Qianyue counted the number of people under the Southern Frontier's Imperial Uncle and noticed that no one was missing—Shan Hua was also unharmed.
Yun Muhan glanced at Dengyun Tower before continuing forward, while the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle cast a glance in its direction. At this point, Ah Hua suddenly said, "Old man, that lady and Brother Shen Zhao are staying here! Should we stay too"
"We won’t be staying," the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle shook his head.
Shan Hua remained silent after that.
Hearing their conversation, Yun Muhan tilted his head and asked the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle, "Uncle, are you referring to a lady in black and a man on a donkey"
"Yes, they’re them," the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle nodded.
"Do you know these people well then" Yun Muhan asked again.
"I suppose so. I followed that lady all along, and this young man joined her later on; just like this Shan Hua here," the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle said.
The Imperial Uncle was surprised by his question, "What are you following her for Who is she She looks unfamiliar."
"I can’t say about her," the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle shook his head.
Yun Muhan listened carefully to what he said before looking back at Dengyun Tower, not asking further questions.
The group continued walking forward.
Having heard their conversation, Yun Qianyue wondered if the Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle recognized her disguise. Did he know that she was Yun Qianyue She had been told by her parents that only they knew about the Illusory Arts and hadn’t even passed it on to Nan Lingrui. Could this man have learned it too If he didn't recognize her identity, then what exactly couldn't be said
"Green Shadow!" Yun Qianyue called out.
“Miss Yun!” Green Shadow’s voice immediately responded.
"How did the ambush at the wooden bridge end so quickly" Yun Qianyue asked.
"After Lord Cloud Marquess and his men appeared, the three young masters from the Yi family, Hua family, and Ling family retreated with their troops," Green Shadow reported. "That's why you were able to meet them entering the city so soon."
“Was there any casualties on either side” Yun Qianyue asked.
"The time was too short for anyone to be hurt, and Shan Hua girl was protected by Southern Frontier’s Imperial Uncle, hence she remained unscathed," Green Shadow said.
Yun Qianyue squinted her eyes as she pondered quietly before saying: "It seems they didn't want the battle itself but wanted to lure Yun Muhan here."
"I agree with that, their ambush was likely a ruse. They probably intended to use the rumor of this ambush to draw Lord Cloud Marquess here," Green Shadow analyzed.
"It should be the second scenario! Although Nanyang is small in size, various factions have always been involved, with spies everywhere. Even if they are capable, it's impossible for them to completely control Nanyang like a fortress without any gaps."
"Miss Qianyue is right!" Qingying said: "It looks like a divide-and-conquer strategy."
Qianyue's eyes flickered. "Lure Yun Muhuan out of the capital, separate them, and take advantage to attack Ye Qian"
"If not taking advantage to attack Princess Ye, then it would be taking advantage to attack Commander-in-Chief Yun. Perhaps they intend to divide and conquer," Qingying replied.
"Ye Qian and Yun Muhuan are intelligent; they might recognize the other's strategy. Using Nanyang's king舅to lure one of them out, then dividing and conquering. However, considering that Nanyang's king舅still came to greet him, apart from the importance of Nanyang's king舅to Nanyang, it seems there should be some arrangements made by them," Qianyue said.
"Subordinate thinks so too." Qingying nodded.
Qianyue pondered for a moment and asked, "If the capital of Nanyang were to become disconnected from Fenwater City, then those in the capital would be isolated. Do you know how many troops Ye Qian has stationed there now"
"Ten thousand," Qingying replied.
"With Nanyang being a small country, its military strength is originally limited; relying on curses for survival, ten thousand troops is quite substantial." Qianyue nodded. "Where are the other forces deployed"
"Each city has two thousand troops stationed, and there are ten thousand troops guarding the temple city border," Qingying said.
"There hasn't been any movement of these troops since then" Qianyue raised her eyebrows; she remembered it was the same number before. Hasn't additional military strength been added at such a critical time
"No, only the city defense commanders have slightly withdrawn and replaced positions one month ago," Qingying shook his head.
Qianyue pondered for another moment and asked, "How many days until Nanyang's king passes away"
"Fifth day!" Qingying replied.
"If Ye Qian hasn't yet publicly announced this news to the world or sent documents of his passing to other countries, after the Nanyang's king舅returns to the capital, it should no longer be possible for them to keep hiding," Qianyue placed her hand on the window frame and asked again, "Has there been any news from Southern Liang regarding Cangting and Lan Yi"
"Two days after they entered Southern Liang, their whereabouts became unknown." Qingying said.
"Your young master predicted it correctly again; they must have secretly returned to Nanyang," Qianyue asked further, "Is there any gossip about my departure in the capital How did your young master handle it"
"That day you were outside the Imperial Hall of Conference for most of the day and caught a cold. The young master used the pretext to take care of you and moved you into the Purple Bamboo Garden of Rong王府, where you have been resting ever since. There has been no rumor about your departure from the capital spreading. The Regent Prince has not made any comments regarding your recuperation in Rong王府," Qingying reported.
"This is better than my mother’s reason for me leaving in a huff," Qianyue smiled, "What about Chancellor Qin and Qin Yuceng No news yet"
"After leaving the capital with his family, they have gone off the radar. The young master says it's likely due to Nanyang’s Hidden Soul Technique making them undetectable, and by now they should already be back in the capital," Qingying said.
"Whether they are in the capital or not can't be confirmed; maybe they're still in Fenwater City," Qianyue tapped on the window frame lightly. "Your young master is right: acting preemptively is much more advantageous than reacting passively. We should take action."
“Yes!” Qingying nodded.
"You continue to shadow the three young masters of Yi, Hua and Ling families and see what they’re up to; also dispatch people to secretly monitor both inside and outside Fenwater City. Report any suspicious activities immediately," Qianyue instructed.
“Yes!” Qingying bowed.
Qianyue remained silent, and seeing that she had no further instructions, Qingying withdrew.
Staring at the dark night outside, with no stars visible, it was pitch black as ink. She stood there for a while before suddenly calling out, "Muju."
"Miss Qianyue!" Muju's voice replied.
"Apart from letting you and me be messengers between my lord, did he instruct anything else to you" Qianyue asked.
Muju seemed to cough lightly before speaking softly: "To help fend off桃花for you..."
Yun Qianyue glared out the window and asked, somewhat exasperatedly and amusedly, "What about everything else"
"To protect you, to handle communication with undercover agents in Southern Borderlands according to your instructions," said Mo Ju. He then explained, "Qing Ying has been following you all along, so he is not familiar with the connection network of the underground agents in Southern Borderlands. I am more familiar."
"Has Yun Muhan and Southern Borderland's Minister of State already left the city" asked Yun Qianyue.
No, they are currently staying at an inn," said Qing Ying.
"I will go to the inn and meet with Yun Muhan. Since I am here to help him, there must be communication between us so that we can be in agreement; otherwise it would be counterproductive if our actions were contradictory," said Yun Qianyue.
"Young Master has already exchanged letters with Princess Ye and Lord-in-law Yun, saying he will send someone to assist them. He says you cannot make contact with Yun Muhan as Yun Qianyue; instead, act as a liaison sent by Young Master," said Mo Ju. "Your identity will be Lady Chu."
Yun Qianyue frowned and said, "I’ll be cautious; I won't expose myself!"
"Young Master says that in this critical time period, it is best to prevent emotional misunderstandings from affecting the mission," said Mo Ju softly.
"Why must I always obey him" Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.
"Think of Shen Zhao and think about Young Master who worries every day in the capital city when he sees you staring at that peach tree. Think... "
Forget it; I'll listen to him," Yun Qianyue interrupted Mo Ju with a dark expression, proving once again that she gets what she deserves.
Mo Ju seemed to laugh but held back, afraid of provoking Yun Qianyue further.
"I will go now; you protect Shen Zhao," instructed Yun Qianyue.
The Young Master ordered me to follow you and not leave your side for even a moment," said Mo Ju.
Then send someone else to protect him. He can't be harmed," said Yun Qianyue. "Now that we've come to the Southern Borderlands, I’ve seen Shen Zhao's curse magic is very powerful; perhaps it will be useful."
"Yes!" responded Mo Ju.
Yun Qianyue opened the window and floated out. The window shut silently behind her.
The inn in Fenwater City was located right at the center of the city. Yun Qianyue walked along the rooftops, landing lightly without leaving any trace. She arrived unimpeded at the inn.
Every corner of the inn was brightly lit with hanging lanterns on every eave, leaving no place to hide.
Furrowing her brows, Yun Qianyue hesitated. Even if she entered silently, it would be difficult not to make noise inside and alert them. She then used her illusion technique and instantly covered herself in a light mist as she silently entered the inn.
The inn had two main buildings facing each other east and west. Yun Qianyue floated onto the western building's eaves, using the mist to conceal her figure. Below her, faint voices of conversation could be heard from Southern Borderland’s Minister of State and Yun Muhan. Their voices were too low for her to hear clearly.
She tried to send out her spirit intelligence to explore below; their voices became clearer.
The Southern Borderland’s Minister of State said, "Ye Xiao returned to the Southern Borderlands with his daughter and I can feel they are somewhere in Fenwater City. However, my curses have limited reach and cannot determine their exact location. But it must be within Fenwater City."
“If Ye Xiao's curses surpass mine, Ye Qian will struggle,” Yun Muhan said solemnly.
"If the King of Ten Thousand Curses could open the Altar and use Ye Xiao’s soul offerings to perform rituals, he would not be able to cause trouble no matter his temper. Unfortunately, you also mentioned that there is currently no King of Ten Thousand Curses in Southern Borderlands," said the Southern Borderland’s Minister of State.
“That's right, not long ago, Ye Qian and I went to the capital city for her sister’s coming-of-age ceremony. We were also seeking Crown Prince Jing for the King of Ten Thousand Curses. But he refused and promised that if Southern Borderlands needed help, he would step in naturally. He said that Southern Borderland should not rely solely on curse magic to survive; it can only affect one life or death situation at a time, but not multiple lives like tens or hundreds of people. The population of the Southern Borderland is counted in the thousands, and if they wish to establish their state, they cannot just depend on curse magic," Yun Muhan said.
“Although his words are true, with the King of Ten Thousand Curses, opening the Altar, and using Ye Xiao’s soul offerings for a ritual, it would be the fastest way to avoid disaster,” said the Southern Borderland’s Minister of State.
"Even though it's the quickest solution, activating the altar is very dangerous. If mishandled, not only will it destroy the King of Ten Thousand Curses, but if Ye Xiao also knows how to deactivate the Altar, then Ye Qian wouldn't be his match, and the consequences would be unimaginable," said Yun Muhan. "Crown Prince Jing’s considerations make sense to us as well."
"Yes, that's reasonable!" The Southern Borderland’s Minister of State nodded. “Given this risk, it's best not to use it. If Ye Xiao knows how to deactivate the Altar, then Qianer wouldn’t be a match for him and would likely die without proper burial grounds. Without their leader, the Southern Borderlands soldiers will collapse like a mountain when faced with defeat; using the Altar isn't worth the risk.”
"Yes!" Yun Muhuan nodded.
"You just said that the Prince Jing promised to send someone to meet you, has anyone arrived" The Southern Nian Ambassador asked.
The person hasn't arrived yet. Perhaps they have arrived but haven't come looking for me," Yun Muhuan replied.
Who is it
The Southern Nian Ambassador inquired.
I don’t know, the letter didn’t mention this. But according to the letter, he sends someone on his behalf,
If that’s true, then it must be one of his close attendants! Could it possibly be Yun Qianyue
It might be her or maybe not. I can’t predict this. However, if my sister knows about the Southern Nian situation, she would come.
If he sees me in trouble, he wouldn’t just sit by and watch,
I heard that due to displeasure towards the Regent Prince, she was caught in a cold draft while discussing affairs at the Imperial Council Hall and is now recuperating in the Honor王府 with an illness.
Hopefully it’s not serious! But I hope it’s true. The situation in Southern Nian is too dangerous for her to come without knowing insect incantation techniques, which worries me,
Your own elder brother has occupied your South Liang Crown Prince position yet you aren’t resentful
I don’t hold any resentment towards her. This was my choice back then. When my father and the State Tutor went to Northern Nian, I was awake and gave them their permission for me to take his place in the Yun王府. Since childhood, I’ve heard stories about Aunt from my grandfather and father. If it’s going to be a son for Aunt, even though she has passed away, but I got named as Yun Muhuan, over these years, the Yun王府 hasn’t wronged me either has she.
Ha, are you fond of Yun Qianyue
Yun Muhuan was silent.
You and Qingie are both my nephews. You two are cousins by blood, though we’re relatively close, it’s not forbidden to marry between cousins. I know about the situation with Prince Jing and Yun Qianyue. Aside from a Regent Prince who has gone mad, there is also Jade Crown Prince of Eastern Sea Kingdom, Deyin王府's Xiang Xiaorong Crown Prince, Xiaoqin王府's Leng Xiaorong Crown Prince, and Wensihou's son. So many people have their eyes set on her, perhaps they are all heartbroken individuals. You should forget about her. After resolving the threat of Ye Xiao, you two can live quietly together.
When I decided to come to Southern Nian, I already considered her as my sister!
Mm-hmm, that’s good.
The Southern Nian Ambassador nodded.
Yun Muhuan no longer spoke.
Let's discuss the defense plans and see if there are any oversights in your arrangements with Qingie,
Alright!
It seemed as though Yun Muhuan had taken out a map from his sleeve and laid it on the table.
The subsequent conversation involved analyzing the defenses of Southern Nian City and other cities, interjected with names like the three young lords of the Yi Family, Hua Family, and Ling Family, as well as Ye Xiao and Ye Lingsong.
Yun Qianyue quietly listened from the roof. The conversation between Night Snack and Ye Lingsong was probably about Chancellor Qin and Qin Yuning Since they returned to Southern Nian to reclaim power, naturally they would revert to their original names. Moreover, according to the Southern Nian Ambassador’s words, they were near Fenwater City. If they hadn’t rushed into the capital immediately, it meant there was something arranged in Fenwater City already. From the conversation between the Southern Nian Ambassador and her about Yun Jiong earlier, since he had followed her all along without recognizing her identity as Yun Qianyue, it wasn’t due to having seen through her illusion technique but some reason after she used it. It seemed that she needed to return and thoroughly research what was on her person.
Yun Qianyue thought this over and no longer rushed to see Yun Muhuan, getting up and leaving the roof in an instant.
The Southern Nian Ambassador suddenly pushed open the door from inside the room and leaped onto the roof right as she left.
Yun Muhuan also followed out of the house. Seeing no one on the rooftop, he asked, "Uncle, what’s wrong Did someone come over"
The Southern Nian Ambassador looked at the tiles on the roof and noticed a thin layer of frost due to the cold weather covering them. Aside from his footprints where he had stepped, there were no other traces left behind.
“I felt someone was on the rooftop just now but maybe I’m mistaken”
How did Uncle feel this
Intuition!
The Southern Nian Ambassador looked towards the inn’s entrance, seeing no movement there and then swept his gaze around. The inn was quiet, with soldiers stationed at their posts without any abnormalities.
He frowned. Either it’s because of a martial artist far too skilled for me to notice or my intuition is incorrect,
"Uncle’s martial arts are already extremely high level. Who in this Fenwater City can be your opponent now Ye Xiao and his daughter have strong curses and the ability to become invisible, but they might not match Uncle's skills in combat.
Could it be them
No! Although my magic is not very high, I would still immediately notice anyone nearby who was casting a spell on this courtyard,
The Southern Nian Ambassador shook his head and changed the subject. "There’s only one person in Fenwater City now with martial arts superior to me, or possibly someone equally skilled as me, it might be her.
Who is Uncle talking about
"That Miss Chu!" The Southern Jiang State Uncle said.
"I haven't heard of a Miss Chu in the world. Could it be someone in disguise" Yun Muhuan frowned.
"She is the mistress of the Chu family head, I overheard Shěn Zhāo call her 'Miss Chu', so I followed his lead," The Southern Jiang State Uncle smiled, "If she is the one who was listening to our conversation, there's no need to worry. If it wasn't her, we'll have to redo the layout."
"So she's actually the mistress of the Chu family head!" Yun Muhuan thought back to their brief encounter today and how strange the woman’s gaze had been when she looked at him. He nodded his head and said, "Since the Chu family helped Southern Lingrui escape from the peach forest unscathed, if that person really was her, then she isn't an enemy."
"If the Chu family sends someone, then the Feng family, Huā family, Fèng family, Mò family would likely send people as well. It doesn’t make sense for them to appear in Southern Jiang while the others don’t," The Southern Jiang State Uncle said.
"That's hard to say. Prince Jing is unpredictable; it might not be true," Yun Muhuan replied.
"We'll know when his people contact us, let’s go downstairs!" The Southern Jiang State Uncle jumped down.
Yun Muhuan also descended from the roof.
The post station returned to its usual quiet after a brief commotion.
Yun Qianmo stepped out from the dark corner opposite the post station, looking at the post station while thinking that she had been using her spiritual technique for too long. If her real qi had slightly relaxed, he would have noticed and climbed up to the roof. Since this Southern Jiang State Uncle was so formidable, she needed to find out his background and understand why he followed her, otherwise she wouldn’t feel at ease.
Without hesitation, Yun Qianmo used her agility skills and headed back to the inn.
The inn remained quiet as when she left. She returned to her room, took out a brush and ink, laid down some paper, and wrote a letter to Yu Qingqing. Since the Queen of Southern Jiang and the Queen of Southern Liang were siblings of the Southern Jiang State Uncle, and now that the Queen of Southern Jiang had passed away but the Queen of Southern Liang was still alive, she wanted to find out about the Southern Jiang State Uncle by seeing if her mother could take action on the Queen of Southern Liang.
The letter was short and quickly written. Yun Qianmo folded it up and called out, "Muju!"
"Miss Qianmo, I'm here," Muju responded.
"Deliver this to the Southern Jiang Kingdom for my mother," Yun Qianmo threw the letter out of the window.
"Yes!" Muju picked up the letter and replied.
Yun Qianmo stood up, opened her bag, took out everything inside, which included various medicinal pills and bottles, two sets of clothes, and other necessary items that had been prepared for her by the old man at Jade Jade Hall as instructed by Róngjǐng. Although these items were precious, there shouldn't be anything particularly special about them. She placed down her bag and reached into her pocket to take out what she was carrying.
Aside from a few tokens and travel documents, the items in her pocket included one of Róngjǐng's jade pendants, a peach blossom jade phoenix hairpin he gave her, as well as a dragon-patterned jade bangle carved with the totem of the East Sea Kingdom given by Zishu. These three pieces she always carried with her and had never been separated since receiving them. The tokens were commands from Red Pavilion, a general command from Wind Pavilion, one for Drunken Fragrance Tower, another for North Frontier's official documents, and finally a jade plaque that the West Extend Divine Maiden gave her in the past.
These items placed on the table were clearly visible.
The tokens might not be unique due to their materials, but the carved patterns and imprints are unique. It shouldn't be that Southern Jiang State Uncle following her is because of these items. After ruling out the tokens, only Róngjǐng's jade pendant, peach blossom jade phoenix hairpin, and Zishu's dragon-patterned bangle remained.
Róngjǐng’s jade pendant was simply a warm jade pendant with an engraved "Jing" character, translucent and white, warm and smooth to the touch, priceless. The peach blossom jade phoenix hairpin was special, a pink crystal clear warm jade with two lifelike peach blossoms carved onto it, intricate craftsmanship without any impurities or inscriptions on them. Zishu's dragon-patterned bangle had unique patterns of the East Sea Kingdom’s totem carved into its jade material.
Yun Qianmo looked at these three items, picked them up and put them down again, examining each one closely. After a long while, she still couldn’t conclude anything. She started recalling her encounter with that centipede in Black Mountain Ridge and the Southern Jiang State Uncle's appearance before it. Before then, she hadn't used any martial arts against anyone, plus after Yang Gong and Yang Po purified her real qi, she had gained thirty more years of strength. Her real qi didn’t leak out even when walking, so it shouldn’t be because of the Peacock Real Scripture that he followed her, as before releasing the centipede, he was clearly waiting to use a tracking spell on her in Black Mountain Ridge...
"Miss Qianmo!" Muju's voice interrupted.
Yun Qianmo’s thoughts were cut off and she softly responded, "Mm-hmm."
"A large group of people have surrounded Fen Shui City!" Muju said solemnly.
"Hmm" Yun Qianmo was startled and looked out the window.
"I just received news that two groups of people came from east and west, clearly hiding near Fen Shui City," Muju reported.
"Didn't they notice earlier How many troops are there" Yun Qianmo furrowed her brows.
"About forty thousand. I checked earlier and found no hidden troops within a hundred miles of Fen Shui City. These likely came from a hundred miles away, traveling through the night. Earlier, you said that there were people hiding troops at Deep Mountain Pass and Black Mountain Ridge, these are probably those troops," Qingying stated.
"Shen Mountain Pass and Black Mountain Ridge are both places where venomous creatures dwell. Those who can ambush troops here must be proficient in the Nanyang curses. So, does this mean these troops belong to Chancellor Qin" Cloud Qianyue raised her eyebrows.
"It's probably so!" Ink Chrysanthemum replied.
"Since your master knows about these two troop deployments, did he give any instructions" Cloud Qianyue asked.
"Master only said that Nanyang is just a small area and it's not worth him and you helping wholeheartedly. If Ye Qian and Yun Muhuan can't support themselves, they don't need others to help them entirely; then let Nanyang be without their rule." Ink Chrysanthemum shook his head.
Thinking of Rong Jing's words, Cloud Qianyue realized that he wouldn’t send people or troops to deal with these 40,000 soldiers. She nodded and said, "Although Nanyang is small, we can't let Chancellor Qin get what he wants."
"That’s right, so while master says he will help, it won’t be a full commitment. They have to rely more on Princess Ye and Imperial Son-in-Law Yun themselves. The current royal family of Nanyang has been in power for over a hundred years; how can someone who is far from the land of Nanyang defeat them That would only make people laugh at him." Ink Chrysanthemum said.
"Mm, he’s right, we’re just here to tie down Night Tianyi so that he can’t act freely," Cloud Qianyue stood up and said outside: "You continue investigating. See if the troops surrounding them are indeed Chancellor Qin's troops Are they planning an attack or merely a siege"
"Yes!" Ink Chrysanthemum withdrew.
Cloud Qianyue stopped focusing on the matter of Nanyang’s royal uncle following her and put away all items. Suddenly, she remembered Shen Zhao in the next room; when she arrived earlier, his light was still on. Pushing open the door to go out, she saw that his light was still on, so she knocked on the door and shouted: "Shen Zhao, are you not sleeping"
"Yes!" Shen Zhao answered from within as he opened the door and asked: "Miss Chu, is there something wrong"
Cloud Qianyue saw that he was dressed neatly, obviously having not slept at all; she nodded and said, “There’s a matter to attend to.”
"Come in then!" Shen Zhao moved aside to let Cloud Qianyue into his room.
Cloud Qianyue saw several strange symbols drawn with water on the table. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "What is this"
"This is a magic array formed using water as an intermediary," Shen Zhao scratched his head and said somewhat embarrassedly: "I learned it from a book left by that extraordinary person; I haven't fully understood it yet but often study it. We are now in Fen Shui City, where there’s plenty of water, so I tried it."
"Oh By the way, who taught you this magic" Cloud Qianyue asked.
Shen Zhao shook his head and said sadly: "That extraordinary person is no longer alive. When I was ten years old, while chopping firewood, I got lost and fell into a valley by accident; that extraordinary person rescued me. Unfortunately, when falling down the cliff, my bones were broken in several places, leaving me on the brink of death. He used his strength to mend my meridians for my survival. After waking up, he passed on his magic to me but died shortly after, giving me a book before passing away."
"Did you not know their name" Cloud Qianyue asked.
Shen Zhao shook his head.
Cloud Qianyue stopped asking and sat down. She said to him: "Since you can counteract the tracking spell, you must also be proficient in it. Try using your magic to help me find someone’s whereabouts; see if you can locate them without being detected by them. If you can't probe their location with your magic, don’t force yourself. If you discover where they are and determine that you cannot defeat them, return quickly for safety first."
Seeing Cloud Qianyue's serious expression, Shen Zhao nodded his head: "Who do you want to find"
"What kind of medium is needed for your magic" Cloud Qianyue asked.
"If it’s to locate someone, then one needs either their hair or something they have frequently in contact with," Shen Zhao said.
“I don’t have any. Is there another way” Cloud Qianyue asked again.
Shen Zhao frowned and after thinking for a moment, said unsurely: "Perhaps the person's portrait might also work; I can try."
"Good, I do have that!" Cloud Qianyue nodded. Just as she was about to reach out for the brush, she suddenly looked at the water stains on the table and said: "Since you are researching magic using water as a medium, why don't we use water to draw his portrait on this tabletop"
Shen Zhao nodded, saying, "Alright!"
Cloud Qianyue soaked her brush in water and drew Chancellor Qin’s likeness on the table.
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