Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Early morning, at the patrol team's camp.

Li Yuan prepared the medicinal liquid, then used the Concealing Breath Jade Pendant to absorb it, releasing the spiritual liquid.

After making some preparations, when I arrived, there were already two people standing in the yard.

The one leaning against the wall was not tall, but had broad shoulders and was wearing a well-tailored light gray short jacket.

He was in his early twenties, with a square face, high brow bones, and lips pressed into a line.

The one next to him was half a head taller and had a slender build. He was also wearing a grayish-blue dress, but the fabric was noticeably finer than the first one's, and there was an inconspicuous silver thread embroidered around the collar.

He was twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with delicate features, a slightly pointed chin, and a calm gaze, as he surveyed the furnishings in the courtyard.

Upon seeing the vice-captain's badge on Li Yuan's waist, the two men bowed in unison.

"Wang Qi." The shorter one spoke first, his voice surprisingly loud.

"Wang Yuan." The taller man followed, his voice softer.

Li Yuan nodded, and without exchanging pleasantries, briefly described the portrait of Qian Si that he had prepared the night before, as well as several routes around the market.

After hearing this, Wang Qi grinned.

"It won't be difficult for the three of us to team up with someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining."

Wang Yuan glanced at him but didn't reply.

Li Yuan took out the small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, and divided the dark green liquid into three portions.

He drank one serving himself, and poured the other two into two small bowls he carried with him, then handed them over.

"The breath-suppressing potion will significantly reduce your aura after drinking it."

Wang Qi took the bowl, brought it to his nose, smelled it, frowned, and then gulped it down.

"bitter."

Wang Yuan picked up the bowl, took a sip, frowned slightly, but didn't say anything and quietly finished drinking.

As the medicine entered my stomach, a slightly bitter, cool sensation slid from my throat down to my chest and abdomen.

Li Yuan could feel his spiritual energy fluctuations receding, his Qi Refining Level 5 aura being suppressed to about the level of Qi Refining Level 3 or 4.

The three discussed some specific details and then decided to stake out the area.

"Let's go."

The three left their lodging and circled around the north alley to the vicinity of the side alley.

The door to the room where Qian Si lived was closed, and the crack in the wooden door was clearly visible from the alley entrance.

Li Yuan didn't stop, and led the two past the alley entrance to continue forward.

"Wait outside the east gate of the market first; he will most likely leave the market through the east gate."

The three walked along East Street through the market and stopped in the shadow of a low wall outside the East Gate.

Wang Yuan took out a cloth from his storage bag, placed it in front of him, and then scattered some things on it.

While waiting for others, Wang Qi squatted down by the wall, his mouth never stopping.

"Deputy Captain Li, how many years have you been working in this market?"

"It's not short."

"Captain Wang mentioned you, saying you're quick-witted and have good observation skills. You were the first to discover Zhao Wu's lead."

Wang Qi glanced around, lowered his voice, and became more serious.

"To be honest, do you know who might be working for Qian Si?"

Li Yuan glanced at him.

"have no idea."

Wang Qi's mouth moved, but Wang Yuan spoke first, his tone indifferent.

"The family is already investigating. The Li family is currently the most suspected, and I guess others have their own suspicions, but there's no conclusive evidence."

Wang Yuan tucked his hands into his sleeves.

"Putting aside the intelligence we've gathered, just looking at the surface, Li Family Market is expanding, the surrounding area is clean and tidy, and there are few demonic beasts. On our side, however, there are more and more demonic beasts, and independent cultivators and shops are constantly leaving."

"It's too coincidental." Wang Qi chimed in, scoffing. "The monsters in our market are getting more and more rampant, while the Li family market is peaceful and quiet. Most of the rogue cultivators who ran away have gone there."

Wang Yuan pulled a hand out of his sleeve and gestured towards the east.

"Although we suspect the Li family, we lack evidence, and we need to find out how the Li family managed to control the demonic beast."

"If a beast tide were to form, it would be a devastating blow to the market."

Li Yuan leaned against the low wall, his gaze sweeping over the figures entering and exiting from the east gate, without making a statement.

The three waited for nearly an hour, during which several groups of people came and went from the east gate.

As the sun rose higher, the shadow of the low wall shortened.

Wang Qi couldn't squat any longer and had just stood up to stretch his legs when Li Yuan's gaze suddenly fixed on him.

A person walked out of the east gate.

He was in his early thirties, with high cheekbones, an uneven nose, and thin lips. Half of his left ear was missing, which was particularly noticeable in the morning light.

Dressed in a gray linen short coat, with a small cloth bag slung over his back, he walked at a moderate pace, heading southeast along the dirt road leading out of the city.

Qian Si.

Li Yuan didn't move. He waited until Qian Si had walked several dozen feet away and his figure was about to disappear into the bushes by the roadside before emerging from behind the low wall.

"Keep up, keep your distance, and don't make a sound."

Wang Yuan packed up his stall, and the three of them chased after him along the dirt road, maintaining a distance of fifty or sixty feet.

Li Yuan took out a concealment talisman, patted it on his body, and infused it with spiritual power. The spiritual power aura on his body further decreased, almost weaker than the first level of Qi Refining. As long as someone followed him from a distance, they probably wouldn't be able to detect him.

Wang Yuan and Wang Qi also used concealment talismans, and the three of them suppressed their auras very low.

Furthermore, Qian Si kept walking forward without looking back, so the first half of the tracking went smoothly.

About three miles outside the market town, the dirt road forks.

Qian Si didn't take the main road, but turned onto a narrower country path on the right.

The bushes on both sides of the path gradually thickened, obstructing the view. Wang Yuan, holding a magical artifact, slowed his pace, increasing the distance between them to seventy or eighty feet.

Wang Qi followed behind Li Yuan on the right, while Wang Yuan was in front, the three of them forming a loose triangle.

After walking for about 15 minutes, Qian Si stopped beside a dry stream.

Li Yuan and his two companions hid behind a clump of bushes, about seventy or eighty feet away.

Qian Si's figure could be vaguely seen through the gaps in the bushes, but it wasn't very clear.

He squatted by the stream, put the cloth bag on his back on the ground, and faced the opposite side of the stream, as if waiting for someone.

Before long, a person emerged from the bushes opposite.

He was of medium build, wearing a bamboo hat pulled low, obscuring his face. He wore a worn gray robe, with something bulging at his waist; his cultivation level was unclear from the distance.

Li Yuan looked back and saw that Wang Yuan had changed his magic weapon. He shook his head slightly, meaning not to make a move, which suited Li Yuan's wishes perfectly.

The man in the straw hat walked up to Qian Si, and the two stood on opposite sides of the stream, less than ten feet apart.

The voice was kept very low; it was impossible to hear what was being said at this distance.

Li Yuan sensed a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy and turned around to see that Wang Yuan had a talisman stuck to his ear.

The two talked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

In the middle, Qian Si took out a roll of something from his cloth bag and handed it over. The man in the straw hat took it and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he also took out a small cloth bag from his waist and threw it to Qian Si.

After the handover was completed, the man in the straw hat turned and left, disappearing into the bushes opposite him in a few breaths.

Qian Si tucked the small cloth bag into his pocket, slung the cloth bag over his shoulder, and walked back the way he came.

Wang Qi leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on the direction Qian Si had gone.

"Chase after him and capture Qian Si," Wang Qi said urgently, his voice low. "The goods are all on him; we've caught him red-handed."

"No." Wang Yuan grabbed Wang Qi's arm and pulled him back.

"We were too far away just now, so my 'Hearing Talisman' didn't pick up much information. Now that you've captured Qian Si, what about the other side? They didn't even take off their hats, and we didn't even see their faces. Once they get the news, they'll immediately change their people and routes, making it much harder to investigate later."

Wang Qi clenched and unclenched his fists, glancing reluctantly in the direction where Qian Si had disappeared.

"Are we just going to watch him run away? Who knows what kind of intelligence that roll of paper he's carrying is—"

"The family wants the entire line, not just a few coins." Wang Yuan's voice was not loud, but very steady.

"Today we know the rendezvous location, the method of rendezvous, the other party's physique and approximate cultivation level. That's enough. Go back and report, let your family decide what to do next."

Wang Qi gritted his teeth, exhaled, and gradually relaxed.

Li Yuan remained silent throughout.

Wang Yuan handled it well. Catching up with Qian Si was easy, but after alerting the enemy, the connection behind him was broken.

The three returned the way they came, remaining silent.

After entering the market, the three parted ways at the east entrance of the street.

Wang Qi and Wang Yuan went to the Wang family to report, while Li Yuan returned to the patrol team's station to find Wang De.

After listening to the report, Wang De noted down the location, time, and physical characteristics of the other party, and nodded at the end.

"Well done. I'll report this to the family now, and the rest will be left to them to investigate."

After leaving his residence, Li Yuan walked along North Alley for a while before returning to his lodgings. The afternoon sun was just right.

After bolting the door, Li Yuan sat down at the table and spread out the talisman paper.

Dip the brush in vermilion and begin writing.

The cleansing talisman flowed smoothly between the two strokes, with almost no loss in the transmission of spiritual energy from fingertip to pen tip. The seal was applied with a flash of inspiration, and it was complete.

The talisman for warding off evil spirits started a little slowly, and the turning point of the spiritual runes in the middle required a slight adjustment of the spiritual energy frequency, but the rotation of the wrist became more and more natural. Finished.

The warning symbol, the arc of the sensing spirit pattern, was completed in one smooth, even stroke. The spirit energy was completely withdrawn at the end, leaving no residue. It was finished.

Li Yuan continued practicing, then folded the talisman paper and put it aside. With a thought, the panel appeared.

[Progress of Crafting Enlightenment (White) Permanentization: 43/50]