Chapter Four: The Pursuit

Wang Yong furrowed his brows deeply, his gaze sweeping over her before shifting to the little beggars crouched at the street corner.

He was struggling within himself, torn over whether to proceed with this matter.

If he did, there was a chance it might spiral out of control. The Pan family might not be able to locate the "daughter," and as the letter had stated, Pan Hong’s daughter had passed away early last spring.

Pan Hong and his two sons had already been exiled. Pinning a daughter on him now would only implicate Pan Tao’s family, who was harboring “her.” It was uncertain whether this could add to Pan Hong’s crimes and change his sentence to death. If Pan Hong were executed, his eldest brother and uncle would certainly feel a greater sense of justice.

Yet the risks were increasing.

If he didn’t act, all his efforts would have been for nothing, and he would feel deeply unsatisfied.

How could he have been mistaken? The informant he sent had clearly seen a little girl of the right age at the Pan residence.

Thinking of the sketch his informant had provided, Wang Yong’s eyes instinctively scanned ahead, but the girl was nowhere to be seen on the street. The man she had called “Daddy” just emerged from a tavern with a jug of wine, arm in arm with another man, walking forward.

Which man would take his daughter out drinking?

Wang Yong snapped back to reality, his mind racing in a thousand directions. He immediately urged his horse onward in pursuit.

Liu Jing, a step behind, looked down at the paper bird in his hand. Seeing Wang Yong galloping ahead in haste, his eyes flickered slightly. After a moment’s thought, he decided to follow from a distance.

He could not steal Wang Yong’s credit, but at least he wanted to know what he was doing in secret—it might prove useful someday.

Pan Jun weaved through the crowd, turning at corners and ducking into alleys, desperate to shake off the pursuer behind her. Occasionally glancing back, she could no longer see Wang Yong, yet her instincts kept flashing warnings of danger—clearly, she was still not out of harm’s way.

[What are you waiting for? Help me!]

Though the spirit realm’s consciousness was somewhat begrudging, it still reached out through the net she had opened.

This was its first time openly observing this world with its own spirit sense since arriving here. Previously, to avoid alerting Pan Jun, it had only seen the world through her eyes.

This world was very familiar to it. For most of its existence spanning millennia, the world looked much like this.

It quickly spotted Wang Yong closing in behind and noticed officers gathering from all directions. Now it understood why Wang Yong hadn’t found Pan Jun yet but still held fast to her trail.

[Go forward, turn right after two alleys, run to the end—there’s a small grove there, no one else around.]

Following its instructions, Pan Jun ran.

The spirit realm’s consciousness involuntarily observed the nearby people. Seeming to know its thoughts, Pan Jun chatted with it silently as she ran.

[Planning to ditch me and find someone else?]

Spirit realm: Who exactly is inside whose mind?

Pan Jun: [Do you think you can run away? If you dare run, I’ll take you down with me.]

She spoke with absolute certainty. Since she had once trapped it in a net, the spirit realm dared not move.

Though it had been studied in its previous life, the young researcher had only shown professional skill—it did not truly understand her.

In this life, though it had accompanied her since birth, her life was simple: she never left the house, was cherished by her parents and brothers, and her days were filled with reading, taking medicine, or cultivating. Her emotions were like a straight line.

Only two major upheavals had disturbed her: two months ago when her adoptive father Pan Hong was arrested and the family exiled; and just now, when she nearly implicated the whole Pan family.

Even when she was gravely ill last year, her mood had barely fluctuated, leaving the spirit realm uncertain whether she was truly so resolute.

Regardless of her nature, it certainly was not.

Having existed for so long, it had no desire to be undone by an impulsive youth.

Before the thought fully formed, Pan Jun slowed her mental tone and asked leisurely in her mind:

[Besides, can you find a cultivation genius more talented than me in this world?]

Born with awareness of cultivation, able to refine innate energy, hailed as a prodigy during the previous world’s spiritual revival, possessing vast cultivation knowledge—who could surpass her?

The spirit realm fell silent, responding with action instead of words.

[Wang Yong is still two alleys away but uncertain of your exact location. He has sent people scattering in all directions to search. He is now the closest to you.]

It continued:

[In front of the grove is a temple, and not far to either side are fields. Beyond that are houses. Further than that, I cannot see.]

Satisfied, Pan Jun ran into the grove—a plum orchard now lush with leaves and dotted with tiny, thumb-sized fruits.

She scanned the area, moving deeper into the woods, picking up a few stones from the ground and casually tossing them...

The spirit realm glanced at where they landed.

[Do you have enough spiritual energy to set a formation now?]

Pan Jun sat cross-legged behind a tree. Her breath shifted, and she seemed to merge with the plum tree behind her, focusing on her cultivation.

[Watch carefully. I need to restore some strength and spiritual energy.]

The spirit realm complied, watching Wang Yong draw nearer. Hesitating briefly, it released a portion of its spiritual energy.

The energy appeared within her meridians, and Pan Jun immediately sensed it. Surprised but swift, she guided and circulated the energy.

Besides the internal spiritual energy, she also refined some from the environment and her own vitality, transforming all into qi. After circulating it through the entire cycle, she stored it within her dantian.

Once all the qi was fully assimilated, she opened her eyes and directed the energy to various formation points...

Moisture thickened in the grove and mist began to rise. Wang Yong, who had been searching relentlessly, finally arrived.

That little girl must be hiding something!

Wang Yong’s suspicion solidified. His informants had likely been right—Pan family was harboring Pan Hong’s daughter, though how they had gotten the tipoff and prepared in advance he did not know.

The thought of soon gaining merit and possibly uncovering treachery within the Jinyiwei loyal to his uncle sent tremors of excitement through him.

Though unrelated by blood to Wang Zhen, his status was far below that of his nephew Wang Shan, but he was capable—what could Wang Shan, a drunk and good-for-nothing, accomplish?

If only Wang Zhen could see his abilities...

Wang Yong’s eyes gleamed as he reached the edge of the grove. He glanced down at faint footprints, then looked up at the dim outline of the trees. A smile crept across his face—did they think hiding here would evade his spies?

His hand rested on his blade as he slowly stepped into the woods...

Unnoticed by him, the deeper he entered, the thicker the mist grew, until his figure blurred.

Pan Jun rose silently, a stone in her right hand. She spread her left hand and silently commanded the spirit realm:

[Give me the scissors.]

The scissors were those she used for sewing.

Without question, the spirit realm manifested a pair of scissors in her hand.