Chapter 17

Inside a guesthouse in Anyang Prefecture.

A tall, slender young man with sharp eyebrows and star-like eyes, dressed in golden attire, stood before Shi Wunian, bowing and saying, "Eagle Hall's Gu Changqing pays his respects to the Great Vow Master! Greetings to the two Immortals."

"There's no need for such formalities," Shi Wunian waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down. "You've come a long way, it must have been tiring."

"Thank you, Vow Master, for your concern. I have brought twelve of Eagle Hall's best men, all at your command."

"In the matter of pursuing the Armament Manual, I would rather hear your thoughts... You know about the situation, right?"

"Yes, on the way here, I have reviewed all the information."

"Do you have any thoughts on this?"

"There is no solution to this problem," the young man replied.

"Hmm?" Shi Wunian raised an eyebrow.

Gu Changqing, however, showed no fear and said, "Xiao Biehan disrupted our plans, and we have already missed the best opportunity to capture that young man. The world is vast, and the sea of people is wide. If we couldn't catch him in a few months, it will be even harder to find him in a few years, or even decades... We have never even seen this person."

"But don't we have a name?"

"There are thousands of people named Tang Jie in Wuxin Kingdom. Besides, names can be changed easily. Investigating based on a name might not yield any results."

"What about the portrait?" Xu Ruogu asked.

"It's even less useful," Gu Changqing replied bluntly. "A verbal description is only effective if the person has distinctive features, such as a mole on the face, baldness, or some unusual physical trait. For an ordinary person, a portrait alone is not enough to confirm their identity."

Everyone was momentarily speechless. Portraits, by nature, differ from the real person, and a portrait drawn from a verbal description, while it might look familiar to those who have seen Tang Jie, might not be recognizable to those who haven't.

Gu Changqing continued, "Moreover, the target is just a young man, still in his growing years. As a person grows, their appearance changes. After a long time, even someone who was once familiar might not recognize an old acquaintance, let alone a portrait that is not entirely accurate. If the target is also intentionally hiding, it will be even harder to find him."

"Are you saying we should just let him roam free?" He Chong asked anxiously.

"Of course not. I'm just saying that actively pursuing him might not yield results, but it doesn't mean we can't find him," Gu Changqing replied calmly.

"What do you suggest? Speak your mind," Shi Wunian said.

Gu Changqing answered, "To catch this young man, we first need to understand him. Before I came, I investigated everything about Xu Muyang and found that he had never known a young man named Tang Jie before. I believe Immortal Xu can confirm this."

"Yes," Xu Ruogu replied.

"That means this young man must have met Xu Muyang after he fled to Wuxin Kingdom. Immortal He, you pursued Xu Muyang all the way to Wuxin Kingdom. Did you give him any long periods of freedom during that time?"

"Absolutely not," He Chong replied. "I pursued him continuously, and we rarely separated. The longest we were apart was a few hours."

"That means he must have met the young man after the Cuiwei Mountain battle. The house was bought a month after the Cuiwei Mountain battle, and Tang Jie had already appeared by then. So, he must have met Tang Jie within that month. Before I came, I instructed the local disciples to investigate the area for signs of Xu Muyang. They found that a few days before Tang Jie bought the house, a massacre by bandits occurred in Xiaohexi Village at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, where almost all the villagers were killed."

"Do you think Xu Muyang did it?"

"I went to Xiaohexi Village. There are graves there, but no names. I had the graves dug up and the bodies examined, confirming they died from sword wounds. Some died from divine consciousness attacks."

"Indeed!" He Chong sneered. "Before I left after my defeat, I unleashed the Wrath of the Heavenly Deity, attacking the Eight Gates Locking Heaven Array. The array was hastily set up by Xu Muyang and was not very effective. To maintain the array, Xu Muyang must have been severely injured. He must have stayed to heal until a month later, when he encountered the bandit massacre and killed the bandits. This Xu Muyang, even on his deathbed, couldn't resist acting as a righteous hero!"

His tone was full of disdain.

"That makes sense," Gu Changqing continued. "Before I came, I had people investigate the nearby villages. Someone who had dealings with Xiaohexi Village confirmed that there was indeed a twelve-year-old boy named Tang. Unfortunately, their interactions were not deep, and the village was burned down, so we can't get more specific information. However, there is an 80% chance that Tang Jie is the last surviving villager from Xiaohexi, and Xu Muyang took him away after killing the bandits."

"What's the point of knowing this?" He Chong asked, dissatisfied.

"It's useful!" Gu Changqing replied. "Knowing who the target is helps us understand him. This young man... is not simple."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because despite our best efforts, we couldn't find him. Because Xu Muyang trusted him with the Armament Manual. Because he managed to get Xu Muyang to take him along!" Gu Changqing turned to Xu Ruogu. "Immortal Xu, as Xu Muyang's elder brother, do you think he would entrust a valuable treasure to someone he didn't trust?"

Xu Ruogu shook his head.

"Then, what about taking a young man he saved and living with him for half a year after killing the bandits?"

Xu Ruogu shook his head again.

Cultivators often do righteous deeds when the mood strikes, but if they save someone, they don't usually take them along. The fact that Xu Muyang took Tang Jie with him and even entrusted him with the Armament Manual before his death shows that Tang Jie must have something that made Xu Muyang value him.

Shi Wunian sighed, "No wonder we couldn't find this young man. We were deceived by his age."

If it were a regular young man in trouble, he might have made mistakes in his panic, giving the Heavenly Deity Palace a chance to find him. But now, with the target prepared and not in our territory, it's much harder.

Gu Changqing smiled, "Sometimes, being smart is a good thing. A smart person has ambition, and ambition has goals. Since we can't find him, let's change our approach."

"What do you mean?"

"He has the Armament Manual," Gu Changqing replied. "He must know its purpose. Vow Master, what do you think a young man with a key to a treasure would do?"

"Obviously, he would try to open the treasure," Shi Wunian's eyes lit up.

"Exactly!" He Chong clapped his hands. "If we station people at the array, he will eventually come to us!"

However, his words earned him a disdainful look from both Shi Wunian and Xu Ruogu, who silently cursed his lack of brains.

The Nine Absolute Extermination Array is an ancient array. To break it, one needs not only expertise in array techniques but also significant cultivation. With Tang Jie's current abilities, even with the Armament Manual, he couldn't possibly break the array.

If we wait at the array, it might take years, or even centuries. By then, the young man might be long dead, and the Armament Manual would be buried with him.

Gu Changqing said, "So, I have another question for Immortal Xu. Do you think Xu Muyang would have passed on the Xu family cultivation techniques to this young man?"

"Absolutely not!" Xu Ruogu replied firmly. "The Xu family cultivation techniques are only passed down through blood, not to outsiders. This is the foundation of our family's legacy, and he would never break that rule."

If Xu Muyang were a traitor to the Xu family, Xu Ruogu might not be so sure. But since Xu Muyang was thinking of protecting the Xu family even on his deathbed, he would never do such a thing.

"Does he have any other cultivation techniques?"

"No," Xu Ruogu replied. "My third brother was obsessed with array techniques and did not know other cultivation methods. He Chong can vouch for this."

He Chong nodded, "I fought him for two months, and Xu Muyang used every trick he had, but I never saw him use any techniques outside the Xu family. It's unlikely he had any."

"That means Tang Jie probably doesn't know any cultivation techniques, except for..." Shi Wunian wanted to mention the Zangxiang Scripture, but considering Xu Ruogu was present, he held back.

But Gu Changqing said, "The Zangxiang Scripture is just a basic cultivation technique and lacks methods for the Spirit Platform realm, so it doesn't count."

He Chong glared at him for revealing the name of the Zangxiang Scripture, but Gu Changqing smiled, "At this point, who can't guess what's going on? The only thing we don't know is the exact value and location of the treasure, so we don't know if it's worth the effort. The Zangxiang Scripture is a technique created by a great figure, and its name is not well-known. Even if you spread it across the world, no one would know what it is. There's no need to worry. In fact, it's better to be open about it. If we can't keep it a secret, we might as well not try. We can say it's a treasure left by an Immortal of the Immortal Platform realm, located within my Moqiu territory. That would be a reasonable explanation."

Shi Wunian nodded in agreement, "That's a good point."

Since we can't keep the news from leaking, we might as well downplay its value.

While Immortals of the Immortal Platform realm are powerful, major sects still exist. The relics of an Immortal of the Immortal Platform realm are worth Shi Wunian's attention, but not enough to make the six major sects go to war.

"But they might not believe us if we keep pursuing it," Xu Ruogu hesitated.

"So, the Vow Master should return," Gu Changqing said. "Your presence here only escalates the situation and draws attention from the Moon Washing Sect. Your initial arrival can be explained as a matter of the Heavenly Deity Palace's dignity, but staying longer would imply that the matter is more serious."

"What about the Armament Manual?" He Chong frowned, worried.

"While the Armament Manual is important, the real challenge is finding the person, not seizing the item. A strong man can easily deal with the target, so there's no need for the Vow Master and the two Immortals to stay here."

"That makes sense," Shi Wunian nodded. "In that case, we will return to the Heavenly Deity Palace tomorrow, and you, Hunter Eagle, will stay to continue the search. But what if the young man doesn't know cultivation?"

Gu Changqing replied, "To open the Nine Absolute Extermination Array, he will have to cultivate. Since Tang Jie can't get the Xu family techniques and the Zangxiang Scripture is not enough for formal cultivation, his next step will be..."

Shi Wunian understood, "The Moon Washing Academy! He will definitely try to enter the Moon Washing Academy. No wonder he headed north!"

"Exactly," He Chong said excitedly. "If we station people at the academy, we will eventually catch him. This is much better than waiting in the mountains."

"But the Moon Washing Academy is not easy to enter," Xu Ruogu said.

"True," Gu Changqing sighed. "But this young man seems smart. I hope he is smart enough to pass the various tests to enter the academy."

"The Moon Washing Academy only accepts boys under sixteen. This year's opportunity has passed, but he has three more years to try," Xu Ruogu said.

"Three years, we have to wait three more years," Shi Wunian and He Chong said in unison, sounding helpless.

Gu Changqing replied calmly, "For the Heavenly Deity Palace's thousand-year legacy, waiting a hundred years is nothing! Patience is the key to our success. Without patience, nothing can be achieved. Besides, waiting at the Moon Washing Academy is better than waiting at the array. Of course, I will continue to search for him, but the leads are limited, and the chances are slim."

"That's the best we can do," Shi Wunian nodded. "At the Nine Absolute Array, the Heavenly Deity Palace will station people to guard it year-round, ensuring the young man has no chance. We must also be cautious of smaller sects."

"Yes," Gu Changqing replied. "But I think he is most likely to choose the Moon Washing Academy. With the Armament Manual in hand, if he doesn't strive to walk the path of cultivation, he would be wasting resources. To facilitate the search, I hope to arrange for a few of my subordinates to enter the Moon Washing Academy."

"That's a problem," Shi Wunian frowned. "The Moon Washing Academy values a clear background. Our disciples here might not pass their inspection."

"That's not necessary," Gu Changqing replied. "We can send people directly from the Heavenly Deity Palace to the academy."

"How can they agree to that?"

"They will. The Moon Washing Sect is concerned about the leakage of secret techniques. We want the person, not the Moon Washing Sect's secrets. We can forgo the Purple Jade Heart Technique and the Divine Lightning Sword Canon, choosing only less important studies and accepting supervision. If the Moon Washing Sect agrees, they can send their disciples to our Heavenly Deity Palace academy for study, treating them as honored guests. We can offer them good exchange conditions, and it should work."

He Chong snorted inwardly.

Gu Changqing's words sounded good, but he was likely thinking of his own benefit, using the Heavenly Deity Palace's resources to cultivate capable subordinates.

Learning high-level techniques is never easy. One needs exceptional talent, merit, and loyalty. For most disciples, even ordinary techniques can significantly enhance their strength. These few people, learning the Moon Washing Sect's techniques, even if not powerful ones, will have unique value when they return to the Heavenly Deity Palace, ensuring their status and resources. They will be grateful to Gu Changqing, and his position will rise accordingly. Indeed, he is thoughtful.

However, Gu Changqing's plan is well-thought-out, leaving the Heavenly Deity Palace with little choice but to agree.

But all of this is based on Gu Changqing retrieving the Armament Manual. If he fails... He Chong thought with a cold smile, then you will have to give back everything you gained!

He and Gu Changqing had no old grudges, but his status in the Heavenly Deity Palace had declined after losing track of Xu Muyang, so he naturally felt unbalanced and hoped for Gu Changqing's failure.

"Reasonable!" Shi Wunian stood up. "I will report this to the Palace Master upon my return. From now on, everything here is under your responsibility!"

"Yes, I will not return to the palace until I retrieve the Armament Manual!" Gu Changqing bowed deeply, overjoyed.