90: Chapter 90 Valley Mouth Mist

Lin Muchen added a piece of wood to the fire.

The roar of beasts in the distance seemed to be getting a bit closer.

He frowned and listened carefully.

No.

It wasn't a beast's roar.

It was the sound of footsteps.

They were hurried and fast, coming straight toward the camp.

Lin Muchen immediately stood up, rushed to the side of the tent in a few steps, and lowered his voice: "Junior Sister Shen, wake up."

There was a rustling sound from inside the tent.

Shen Yueru lifted the curtain and emerged, a sword already in her hand. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming." Lin Muchen pointed into the depths of the mist. "Footsteps, at least three."

Shen Yueru's expression tightened.

The two exchanged a look and, without needing to say a word, simultaneously dodged behind a large rock nearby.

Just as they had hidden themselves, three people rushed out of the mist.

They were all dressed in black with their faces masked, and each held a saber.

The leader was a bit taller and held something like a Compass; the needle on the Compass was pointing directly toward the rock where they had just been hiding.

"Hand over the Ledger!"

The tall man in black shouted sternly, his voice cold and harsh.

Lin Muchen's heart sank.

This aura... it was exactly the same as the black-robed Cultivator he had killed in the ruined temple before.

Commander Zhao's men.

Shen Yueru glanced at Lin Muchen, her eyes asking: What should we do?

Lin Muchen signaled for her to retreat while he took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the rock.

The Five Elements Body Protection Aura instantly activated, a faint five-colored halo enveloping his entire body.

The three men in black immediately fixed their eyes on him.

"The Ledger isn't with me," Lin Muchen said. "You've got the wrong person."

"The Compass is pointing right at you." The tall man in black raised the Compass in his hand, its needle pointing firmly at Lin Muchen. "Cut the crap. Hand it over, and I'll leave your corpse intact."

System, analyze that Compass.

[Analyzing...]

[Target: Tracking Magical Artifact (Compass-type).]

[Principle: Tracks by locking onto the residual aura of a specific item.]

[Current Locked Target: Ledger (Obtained from the Black Wind Stockade secret chamber).]

[Lock Precision: High.]

[Recommendation: Seize or destroy.]

Lin Muchen now understood the situation.

As he slowly backed away, he said, "Fine, the Ledger is with me. But I don't have it on me; I hid it somewhere else. Shall I take you to get it?"

"Don't play tricks!" The tall man in black sneered. "Hand over your Storage Pouch, and we'll search it ourselves."

"That won't do." Lin Muchen shook his head. "Everything I own is in that Storage Pouch."

"You're asking for death!"

The tall man in black waved his hand, and the other two men in black immediately flanked him from the left and right.

Instead of retreating, Lin Muchen charged forward, kicking off the ground and rushing straight at the tall man in black.

The tall man in black didn't expect him to take the initiative; he froze for a moment before hurriedly raising his saber to parry.

Clang!

Lin Muchen's fist slammed into the saber's blade, jolting the man in black back two steps.

The other two men in black had already rushed behind Lin Muchen, their sabers swinging down.

Just then, Shen Yueru flashed out from behind the rock, her sword thrusting toward the left man's ribs.

The man on the left quickly turned to block the sword.

Feeling the pressure ease, Lin Muchen turned and kicked the man on the right in the stomach, sending him flying.

The tall man in black steadied himself, and the Compass in his hand suddenly glowed with a red light.

"Trap him!"

He shouted, and the red light from the Compass transformed into several chains that coiled toward Lin Muchen.

Lin Muchen mobilized his Water Element spiritual power and circulated the Water Cloud Art. His body slipped away like a loach, the chains brushing past the edge of his clothes.

He took the opportunity to close in on the tall man in black. Pressing his fingers together like a sword, he condensed the sharp Qi of the Metal Element at his fingertips and stabbed directly at the opponent's wrist.

The tall man in black hurriedly pulled back his hand, nearly dropping the Compass.

Lin Muchen saw his chance and grabbed for the Compass with his left hand.

Panicking, the tall man in black swung his saber at Lin Muchen's neck with his other hand.

Lin Muchen didn't dodge. His Five Elements Body Protection Aura withstood the blow, and his right hand gripped the Compass.

"Let go!"

He growled, and the powers of metal and fire erupted simultaneously.

The tall man in black screamed as the sound of bones shattering came from his wrist, and the Compass fell from his grip.

Lin Muchen snatched the Compass and threw a backhand punch into the man's chest.

The tall man in black spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, crashing into the thick fog.

Seeing their leader defeated, the other two men in black exchanged a look, turned, and fled, vanishing into the mist in the blink of an eye.

Shen Yueru wanted to give chase, but Lin Muchen held her back. "Don't pursue. The fog is too thick; watch out for ambushes."

He looked down at the Compass in his hand.

The Compass was still glowing faintly, its needle trembling as it pointed toward the Storage Pouch at his waist.

System, analyze this thing.

[Analyzing...]

[Discovered core inscription: Criminal Investigation Department - Bing-3.]

[Discovered residual Divine Thought mark (faint), likely used for remote location reporting.]

[Recommendation: Destroy immediately.]

Without a word, Lin Muchen squeezed his fingers.

Crack!

The Compass was crushed to pieces in his hand.

The faint Divine Thought mark within the fragments dissipated along with it.

"Let's go, we can't stay here," Lin Muchen said, throwing the fragments to the ground. "If they found us once, they can find us again."

Shen Yueru nodded, and the two quickly packed their things.

There was no time to pack the tent, so they left it behind.

Lin Muchen stomped out the campfire and grabbed his pack. "Head into the valley; let's find a hidden spot."

The two plunged into the thick fog, running toward the depths of the Misty Valley.

After running for about fifteen minutes, Lin Muchen found a hollow under a rock face, resembling a shallow cave, barely enough to hide two people.

"This will do," he panted. "Let's hide for a while and wait until dawn."

Shen Yueru leaned against the rock wall and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Were those three people all at the Foundation Establishment Stage?"

"The leader was at the third level of Foundation Establishment, and the other two were probably at the first or second level," Lin Muchen said. "Commander Zhao is playing for keeps this time, even bringing out a Tracking Magical Artifact."

"That Compass..."

"It's specifically for finding the Ledger." Lin Muchen pulled the Ledger from his Storage Pouch and shook it. "This thing is why we can't even get any sleep."

Shen Yueru looked at the Ledger and fell silent for a few seconds. "Senior Brother Lin, what do you plan to do with this Ledger?"

"I can't throw it away yet," Lin Muchen said as he put the Ledger back. "Commander Zhao wants it so badly, which means whatever is recorded inside could be his downfall. We'll keep it; it might come in handy one day."

"But carrying it makes us like sitting ducks."

"I know," Lin Muchen said, leaning against the rock wall. "So we need to find a way—either hide it in an absolutely safe place, or... use it to our advantage."

He closed his eyes.

System, what does the 'Bing-3' on that Compass mean?

[Analysis: It should be an internal serial number from the Black Rock City Criminal Investigation Department.]

[Speculation: Bing Squad, Tracking Magical Artifact number three.]

[The Criminal Investigation Department likely has a Bing Squad specifically responsible for tracking, equipped with standard Tracking Magical Artifacts.]

"A specialized tracking team..."

Lin Muchen opened his eyes and looked at Shen Yueru. "Junior Sister Shen, after dawn, are we still doing the mission?"

Shen Yueru thought for a moment. "Yes. Since we're already here, we can't have come for nothing. But we'll have to be even more careful."

"Alright," Lin Muchen said. "Then let's rest and take turns on watch. I'll take the first half of the night, and you take the second."

Shen Yueru didn't refuse; she leaned against the rock wall with her sword in her arms and closed her eyes.

Lin Muchen sat at the cave entrance, watching the fog outside that was too thick to disperse.

The Ledger situation has completely blown up.

The fact that Commander Zhao's men could track us to Misty Valley means their tracking network is more formidable than I imagined.

The rest of this journey probably won't be peaceful.

He touched his Storage Pouch.

If it really comes down to it, I'll have to use that method...

Let's see how things go first.