The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

In the south of the city, outside the high walls of Liu Zhengfeng's mansion, in an inconspicuous attic of a commoner's house, Ma Bao yawned boredly through the crack in the window.

These days, Hengyang City is a chaotic place due to the farce of the "Sword Testing Tournament" at Bailianfang, attracting all sorts of martial arts figures. Logically speaking, this is the perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters and meet with others in secret.

But Liu Zhengfeng did the opposite, completely cutting off all unnecessary contact with the outside world, never leaving his house, as if he was determined to be a wealthy man who lived a life of seclusion.

Ma Bao's surveillance thus became extremely regular.

During the day, Liu Zhengfeng mostly spent time with his disciples, making it extremely difficult to keep any secrets. He used this time to conserve his energy, focusing all his efforts on guarding against the most relaxed and secretive times, such as early morning and late at night.

The night was deep, and after the third drumbeat, all was silent.

Ma Bao's eyelids felt heavy, and he almost thought that he would return empty-handed again tonight. Just as he was squinting and his consciousness was becoming hazy, a faint sound entered his deliberately trained ears.

Is that... music?

At first, he thought it was just an auditory hallucination caused by his tiredness. But the sound, though soft, was continuous and had a unique rhythm. In the quiet night, it was as clear as a mountain stream to his exceptionally sensitive ears.

Ma Bao jolted awake, instantly sitting up, all sleepiness gone.

wrong!

A crucial piece of information flashed through his mind like lightning—Shen An's previous report clearly mentioned that "music could be heard near Liu Zhengfeng's private meeting place!"

In an instant, Ma Bao activated all his senses to the extreme, his eyes fixed on the mansion wall lurking in the night opposite him, and even his breathing became barely perceptible.

It's here! We've been waiting for so long, it's finally here!

This staring lasted for more than half an hour.

As the stars shifted and the chill deepened, the distant sound of the night watchman's drum, representing the hour of Yin, drifted over.

Just then, a dark shadow, as if emerging from the deeper darkness, climbed out from inside the Liu family's courtyard wall like a ghost.

Ma Bao perked up and said, "Here I come!"

The figure moved so lightly and landed so silently that even Ma Bao, a self-proclaimed master of stealth, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

A master! Absolutely a top-tier master!

The man looked around for a moment, then silently scurried along the shadows of the Liu family's wall. With a few quick leaps and bounds, he sped off toward the west of the city. Ma Bao immediately slid down the house like a cat and hung far behind him.

Ma Bao brought his tracking skills to the extreme. He never walked in a straight line, but instead used the corners of streets and alleys and the shadows of eaves to constantly change his position, always maintaining a safe and almost undetectable distance from his target.

However, what he was tracking was Qu Yang.

An elder who held a high position in the treacherous world of the Sun Moon Cult and survived countless conspiracies and battles.

Not long after leaving the Liu residence, Qu Yang suddenly felt a sense of unease. He sensed a faint, persistent gaze, like a lingering affliction, fixed on his back.

Qu Yang felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained impassive. He continued walking at a steady pace, but the route he chose began to become strange. He no longer took the wide main roads, but instead deliberately chose to venture into narrow, winding alleys with many forks in the road.

Ma Bao felt a sense of foreboding; the other party had clearly already noticed!

He dared not get too close, and could only rely on experience and prediction to make choices at each crossroads.

Just as they were passing through a narrow alley that could only accommodate one person, Qu Yang's figure flashed past the corner ahead. Ma Bao followed without hesitation, but when he emerged from the alley, he found himself in an empty crossroads, not a soul in sight.

What about people?

Ma Bao stood frozen in place, a fine layer of cold sweat seeping from his back. He knew he had lost them. The other person's agility and experience in counter-tracking far surpassed his own.

He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, but then a glint of ruthlessness and excitement flashed in his eyes.

Although we lost track of them, tonight's gains have been enormous!

Liu Zhengfeng secretly met with a mysterious master late at night! This information was enough to make Uncle-Master Lu Bai, and even the Sect Leader Uncle-Master far away in Songshan, focus their attention on this seemingly peaceful Hengyang City!

Shen An's information was correct; the music was indeed a key element, and it was through this that he found the clue. This kid will surely be rewarded when he returns to Mount Song.

But myself...

Although confirming that Liu Zhengfeng had met with the mysterious expert was already a great achievement, he was still somewhat unwilling to go back like this.

If I could achieve even greater merit, uncover the identity of that mysterious person, and even use it to coerce Liu Zhengfeng, would I have a chance to break the rules and truly join the Songshan Sect, becoming the Fourteenth Protector?

Thinking about it, Ma Bao felt a surge of excitement and secretly resolved that he must immediately increase the surveillance of Liu's residence and lay a tight net!

He didn't linger, turned and disappeared into the darkness, heading towards the Hundred Refinements Workshop.

He needs manpower; he needs to utilize all available resources.

Besides, since it's already been discovered, there's no need to worry about the information leaking from Shen An.

Upon entering the ward, he did not disturb the sleeping Feng Changrong. Instead, he presented the token personally given to him by Lu Bai and took over the entire intelligence system under Feng Changrong's command, bypassing his own level.

"Send everyone out! Keep a close watch on every corner of the Liu residence! I need to know whether a fly is male or female if it flies in!" Ma Bao's voice was cold and resolute.

"Yes!" The disciple in charge of liaison remained silent, not daring to disobey in the slightest.

During a lull in troop deployments, Ma Bao casually asked, "What's been happening on Shen An's side lately?"

The disciple quickly flipped through the reports from the past few days and respectfully replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, Senior Brother Shen seems to be quite free these past few days. He spends most of his time in the inner courtyard with the two young ladies."

"Two little girls?" Ma Bao frowned.

"Yes, one is an orphan girl we took in a few days ago, and the other came recently. They are both quite young and rather...attractive."

"Hmph, you brat, all talk and no action!" Ma Bao sneered, his eyes full of disdain. His sect had entrusted him with important responsibilities, yet he spent his days indulging in romance and fooling around with young girls. It seemed Uncle Lu's judgment was correct; this kid was indeed unreliable!

He casually put the matter of Shen An out of his mind and devoted all his attention to the surveillance of Liu Zhengfeng.

At dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the eastern horizon was tinged with the pale light of dawn. Hengyang City was still asleep, with only a few rooster crows breaking the silence.

In the backyard of Bailianfang, Li Qingde was already wide awake.

He got up, put on his coat, and paced back and forth in the courtyard, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Tomorrow is the day of the "Sword Pact".

Although Senior Brother Shen appeared confident, his subordinate was truly restless and unable to eat or sleep.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. So Li Qingde decided to stop sitting there and personally go to Shigu Academy, the venue for the "Sword Testing Tournament," to inspect it again and ensure that the venue setup for tomorrow was perfect.

Shigu is situated at the confluence of the Zheng and Xiang rivers, surrounded by the river, making it the most beautiful place in the prefecture. It has been established for nearly a thousand years.

This place is the cultural heartland of Hengyang and even the entire Hunan region. Historically, only the sound of reading aloud could be heard, but no swords were seen. Now, however, it is about to become the stage for a duel in the martial arts world.

Li Qingde carefully inspected the designated martial arts area and confirmed the tea and water seating prepared for the guests. After working for half an hour, he felt somewhat relieved. Just as he was about to leave, the door of a guest room in the academy creaked open, and a middle-aged scholar in a blue robe came out.

The scholar appeared to be around thirty years old, with high cheekbones and a thin face. When he saw Li Qingde there, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Manager, it's not even dawn yet, why are you busy here?" the scholar asked as he strolled over with his hands behind his back.

Li Qingde wasn't very educated, which was why he always held a certain admiration for "literary spirit"; otherwise, he wouldn't have strongly recommended that Shen An choose the prestigious Shigu Academy as the venue for the conference. He quickly stopped what he was doing and respectfully bowed in response:

"I am the manager of the Hundred Refinements Workshop in the city. I have come in advance to check the venue in order to avoid any oversights that may disturb the peace of the academy. May I ask your surname, sir?"

"My surname is Wang. I'm just passing through and need the lodging," the scholar replied, then his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "A sword-testing tournament? I've heard it's related to something like the 'Light-Music Fairy' or the 'Flower Thief'?"

"Exactly." Li Qingde was about to explain, "This was truly a matter of chance..."

He didn't finish speaking, but it was clear that the scholar surnamed Wang had no intention of listening any further.

He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and lamented the decline of morality and the loss of traditional values. He then shook his head, turned around, and went back to the inn, slamming the door shut behind him, preferring to stay out of sight.

Li Qingde was left outside, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.