Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 73 Tracking

The wharf in Qiantang is located in the east of the city. It's about two miles down the Qingxi River.

The two left the inn, turned onto the main street, and headed east.

Jiang Xun had traveled this road by carriage last night, but it looked different during the day.

The streets were even more bustling than yesterday, filled with martial arts practitioners carrying swords and knives, walking or standing in twos and threes, making the whole street noisy.

"Wow, so many people." Jiang Xun looked around. "Where did they all come from?"

"They came from the surrounding area." Li Tang walked beside him, her eyes glancing around. "The news just spread, and so many people have already arrived. There will probably be even more tomorrow."

Jiang Xun casually asked, "Did they all receive an invitation from Mirror Lake?"

"You think just anyone can catch Mirror Lake's eye?" Li Tang looked at the crowd of martial arts practitioners on the street. "Most of them are just here for the fun of it."

"You seem to know your stuff." Jiang Xun glanced at her.

"That's right." Li Tang raised his chin, looking proud. "My father hired famous teachers for us. Although my martial arts skills aren't great, I still have a good eye. I can tell what school and style it is at a glance."

Jiang Xun laughed: "Then you're quite knowledgeable. Look at those two over there—who are they?"

He casually pointed to a stall on the side of the street.

The stall was selling roasted chestnuts, steaming hot and with an aroma that made your mouth water.

Two people, one tall and one short, stood in front of the stall, both dressed in brightly colored robes, as vibrant as a peacock spreading its tail.

The tall man had a bulging cloth bag hanging from his waist, with a few colorful silk threads sticking out of the bag's opening.

The shorter man was holding a skewer of candied hawthorns and licking them with great relish.

Li Tang glanced at it and laughed: "Are you testing me?"

"Yes, let me test you." Jiang Xun looked at her. "Tell me."

"It's from the Golden Silkworm Sect of the Southern Region," Li Tang blurted out.

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "How did you figure that out?"

"Look at their clothes," Li Tang said, pointing to the two men. "These colorful robes are commonly worn by disciples of the Golden Silkworm Sect. And the tall guy has a cloth bag hanging from his waist; it contains jars of Gu worms, which they call 'Hundred Gu Bags,' and they carry it everywhere they go."

"The Golden Silkworm Sect?" Jiang Xun's interest was piqued. "What kind of sect is that? Are their martial arts very powerful?"

"The Golden Silkworm Sect isn't known for its martial arts," Li Tang shook his head. "It mainly focuses on using medicine, practicing Gu poison, and raising insects and snakes. It's quite famous in the Southern Region, but not many people in the Central Plains know about it."

"There are sects like that?" Jiang Xun clicked his tongue in amazement. "Practicing Gu? Raising poisonous insects? They don't sound like good people."

"That's not entirely true," Li Tang thought for a moment. "Although the Golden Silkworm Sect acts mysteriously, it's not exactly an evil sect. They have their own rules and don't harm people easily. I've heard that their ancestors researched these things in pursuit of immortality."

"Immortality?" Jiang Xun scoffed. "Anyone actually believes in that?"

"Exactly, we don't believe it either." Li Tang laughed as well. "But some people in certain places do believe it. I heard that Emperor Sheng'ai of the previous dynasty listened to the sorcerers and pursued immortality, engaging in alchemy and stargazing, which caused widespread suffering among the people and ultimately led to the downfall of the country."

Jiang Xun nodded.

Emperor Sheng'ai had heard of this story—when he was a child in Jiangzhou, he overheard his private tutor telling this tale.

Emperor Sheng'ai was the last emperor of the Dasheng Dynasty. He reigned for more than 20 years, but he was obsessed with elixirs and astrology, neglecting state affairs and causing chaos in the country. In the end, he was replaced by the Dayong Dynasty.

"Immortality?" he muttered. "If such a thing existed, what would be the point of living so long..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and slowed down.

"What's wrong?" Li Tang followed his gaze.

Ahead was a crossroads, bustling with people, vehicles, and vendors' cries, all mixed together in a lively atmosphere.

A wonton stall stood at the intersection, steaming hot, with several customers engrossed in their food, their slurping sounds audible from afar.

A middle-aged man selling groceries was squatting nearby. A blue cloth was spread on the ground, with needles, thread, combs and hairpins on it. He was looking down and picking through something.

Everything is normal.

But Jiang Xun's gaze suddenly froze—beside the wonton stall, there were two people, one sitting and one standing.

Both of them were dressed in ordinary gray cloth clothes, and looked like ordinary people.

But after observing for a while, Jiang Xun noticed something was wrong.

The two men were positioned strangely—one was sitting on a stool on the left side of the stall, and the other was standing under the sign on the right.

They were seven or eight steps apart, seemingly unrelated, but their eyes would occasionally meet, not too close, not too far, just enough to exchange a message.

Moreover, their eyes never left the shop across the street.

Jiang Xun squinted, stared for a moment, and suddenly understood.

"What did you see?" Li Tang leaned closer, her voice unconsciously lowering.

"Golden Feather Guard," he said softly.

Li Tang was taken aback: "What?"

"Those two are Golden Feather Guards," Jiang Xun repeated, his voice soft and quick. "They're passing messages. The one on the left has his hand hidden behind the stool, making hand signals. The one on the right glances at the screen every now and then, exchanging coded messages."

Upon closer inspection, Li Tang indeed saw that the person on the left had their right hand hidden behind the stool, with only a few fingers showing, which moved occasionally.

The movement was so subtle, like a mosquito's leg, that you couldn't see it unless you were staring at it.

"How did you know it was the Golden Feather Guard?" she asked in a low voice.

"Such behavior." Jiang Xun's gaze swept over the two men. "In Qiantang City these days, who else but the Golden Feather Guards would act so furtively?"

"The Golden Feather Guard?" Li Tang frowned, his voice lowering. "What are they watching?"

Jiang Xun didn't answer immediately, but followed the gazes of the two people.

At the other end of the crossroads, a scholar had just come out of a shop.

Wearing a blue robe and a square scarf, her delicate face was almost translucent white—the woman dressed as a man was most likely the Fairy of Mirror Lake.

Jiang Xun narrowed his eyes.

The two Golden Feather Guards never took their eyes off the scholar.

As she walked east, their eyes followed her eastward as if drawn by a thread; when she stopped to look at the roadside stalls, they squatted down and rummaged through the goods, pretending to be serious, but their eyes were always on her.

His movements were so natural, like a play he'd practiced eight hundred times. But the deliberate effort he showed was as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head, to Jiang Xun, a disciple of the Thief Saint who had grown up in the streets.

"They're following that scholar," Jiang Xun said.

"Isn't that..." Li Tang recognized it too, her voice filled with surprise, "You mean the one from Mirror Lake Fairy?"

"It's her." Jiang Xun nodded, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Why are the Golden Feather Guards watching her?" Li Tang had no liking for the Golden Feather Guards, and her tone carried a hint of worry. "Should we go and warn her?"

"No need." Jiang Xun shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. "She's already found out."

Li Tang was taken aback. When she looked at the scholar again, she noticed that he had indeed paused slightly.

It lasted only a moment, as short as a ripple on the surface of water caused by the wind.

The scholar didn't turn around, but merely turned his head slightly and glanced back out of the corner of his eye.

From that angle, you could see the two Golden Feather Guards perfectly.

But she did nothing and continued walking forward at a leisurely pace, as if she knew nothing.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned her head and glanced at Jiang Xun and the others.

His gaze was faint, as faint as an autumn breeze, sweeping over lightly, yet carrying an indescribable sharpness.

Li Tang stuck out her tongue: "She's spotted us."

Jiang Xun laughed: "So what if they found out? Anyway, we—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning, instantly cleaving through my chaotic thoughts.

He now understood why the Golden Feather Guards were following that scholar.

Dragon crystal.

The Golden Feather Guards were also eyeing the Dragon Crystal.

"What's wrong?" Li Tang asked softly when she noticed his expression was off.

"It's nothing." Jiang Xun withdrew his gaze, the smile on his face fading slightly. "Let's go to the dock."