Before long, all four dishes arrived: salted crispy peanuts, braised pig’s head meat, eggs scrambled with scallions, and grilled lamb liver, accompanied by a small jar of fashionable lychee wine and two bowls of mixed-spice noodles.

Ding Songyan clinked wine bowls with Ren Youyang, took a gulp, then amid the sweet lychee fragrance and spreading aroma of alcohol, picked up a piece of richly braised pig’s head meat and chewed it slowly.

His current body was no stranger to alcohol.

As they chatted, Ding Songyan did not ask about the True Spirit Sect, nor did he inquire why Ren Youyang had come to Dingjiang Prefecture in Ning Province. He simply used the martial world anecdotes and jianghu tales he had heard as conversation fodder, throwing in the occasional compliment.

When acquaintance is shallow, keep talk light.

Ren Youyang drank and ate, his intoxication gradually deepening, and began commenting on the Jianghu’s Jade Tree Rankings.

"Those men on the list—not all of them, but seven or eight out of ten—have cultivation methods that enhance their appearance, or have consumed something with that effect. Su Yunzhang of the Celestial Maiden Sect, Yu Chongyuan of the Five Saints Sect, Gu Yi of the Luan-Feng Sect, Qi Yangbing of the Celestial Secrets Sect, Li Linquan of the Thunder Sound Gate, Chu Hanyuan and Zhao Zichang of the Six Dragon Sect—every single one of them. They wouldn’t necessarily attract such admiration purely on their natural looks."

Ding Songyan nodded deliberately in agreement while rapidly analyzing the useful information embedded in these words.

The Five Saints Sect carries the Fenghuang phoenix lineage."All colors under heaven gather unto you. That fits... The Luan-Feng Sect obviously descends from the Luan bird, which the Secret Classic similarly describes as "gathering colors"... The Six Dragon Sect derives from Yinglong the Responsive Dragon, ancestor of dragons and origin of phoenixes. That makes sense too... But the Celestial Secrets Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect—which god or beast do they correspond to?

The Nine-Tailed Fox has a description of "beguiles the world." For any lineage carrying that trait, if the men aren’t on the Jade Tree Rankings and the women aren’t in the Peerless Beauties, that would be impossible. Do the Celestial Secrets Sect or the Celestial Maiden Sect correspond to the Nine-Tailed Fox lineage?

And what about the Thunder Sound Gate one? Although I haven’t finished reading the Secret Classic, and remember even less of it clearly, among the thunder-related entries, none mention enhancing appearance or charm...

"Which one consumed a divine creature?" Ding Songyan asked, already guessing.

Ren Youyang chuckled.

"Li Linquan of the Thunder Sound Gate. In his youth, through a stroke of fortune, he obtained a Yao grass."

"Yao grass?" Ding Songyan did not bother searching his memory of the Secret Classic, because he could tell Ren Youyang would explain on his own.

"That’s right." Ren Youyang’s expression turned wistful, his smile mischievous. "Yao grass—what the Celestial Thearch’s daughter Yao Ji, the Goddess of Wushan, transformed into after death. Consuming it makes one ’pleasing to all.’ If even I feel something for him, imagine how the heroines and female heretics feel?"

A fierce and brawny Thunder Sound Gate disciple who consumed a "pleasing to all" Yao grass. What would that combination look like? Ding Songyan was momentarily curious.

"The ability to make people adore you and be willing to give you their finest things. How enviable." Ren Youyang joked. "If I’d eaten Yao grass, I wouldn’t have been thrown out of Emerald Willow House today. I would have gotten to see Courtesan Li."

"But then you wouldn’t have been able to demonstrate your natural charm and wit, Brother Youyang." Compared to the twenty-four-year-old Ren Youyang, who had only been in the jianghu for a few years, Ding Songyan’s "skill" in casual conversation was clearly far deeper. He had Ren Youyang smiling frequently, basking in the warmth.

What Ding Songyan was more curious about was something else.

"Consuming Yao grass doesn’t conflict with the cultivation method he was already cultivating?"

"Fruits, trees, herbs, and divine creatures that only have medicinal properties won’t affect whichever art you cultivate." Ren Youyang did not hide this.

In the jianghu, this was common knowledge.

He picked up a peanut, crunched it a few times, and cautioned Ding Songyan.

"What I said today about the Jade Tree Rankings, especially the part about Li Linquan having consumed Yao grass—don’t spread it around. I’m not afraid of them, but we’ll inevitably cross paths someday, and it would be awkward. That Li Linquan is irascible enough to deserve the words ’thunderbolt and lightning.’"

"Uh, Yu Chongyuan I am genuinely afraid of. Became a Grandmaster at twenty-six, broke through to the Heaven-Man Realm at thirty-three, and he’s only thirty-four now. The Spirit Platform Realm is within his reach. I truly can’t beat him."

"Rest assured, Brother Youyang. I’ve always kept a tight lip." Ding Songyan raised his wine bowl and clinked it to Ren Youyang’s again.

Ren Youyang was about to say more when someone suddenly approached from beside the lacquered wooden pillar nearby.

Ding Songyan stared in surprise. The person seemed to have been standing there the entire time, yet he had never noticed.

It was one of the guards he had previously seen with Ren Youyang at the Zhen estate—the one whose figure was ethereal and ghostlike.

The guard had not actually been invisible, nor had he used any trick of the eye, nor hidden himself in a blind spot beyond Ding Songyan’s line of sight. Rather, he had simply merged with his surroundings, becoming part of the environment. Standing beside the lacquered pillar, he naturally took on the "state" of that pillar.

The guard leaned close to Ren Youyang’s ear and spoke in near silence.

Ren Youyang listened, his canine ears twitching slightly, then looked at Ding Songyan with a mixture of puzzlement and curiosity. Ding Songyan had no idea what was happening and could only wait patiently.

While waiting, Ding Songyan studied the guard carefully and noticed that he too bore physical abnormalities, though they were largely hidden beneath his clothes. Without getting close and looking carefully, they would be hard to spot.

Both hands were tucked inside his sleeves, but the faint outline of claws was visible. Clear signs of bestial transformation.

After the guard withdrew to his original position, Ren Youyang smiled faintly. He beckoned to Ding Songyan, gesturing for him to move to the side of the table, closer to him.

Ding Songyan shifted over, full of questions.

"Brother, aren’t you a storyteller outside Dangkang Temple? Why are there two separate groups tailing you?" Ren Youyang leaned close to Ding Songyan’s ear and whispered.

His words hit like a thunderclap, startling Ding Songyan.

Someone is tailing me? Two groups? I had no idea! Ding Songyan was both alarmed and bewildered.

Ren Youyang maintained his position and continued in a low voice.

"One is the Zhen household’s retainer, Yu Wanxiong."

Yu Wanxiong... Master Yu? That name doesn’t match his demeanor at all. Then again, his parents couldn’t have predicted his future temperament or the path he would take... Why is Master Yu tailing me? The true provider of the Secret Classic is already dead. Tracing things further back, there shouldn’t be any connection between those involved and the original Ding Songyan... Wait. It’s because I just told stories to the "distinguished guest" this afternoon. Master Yu wants to see whether I’ve been influenced in secret? He’s guarding against that "distinguished guest" with extreme vigilance? Ding Songyan’s brow creased instinctively.

If that were truly the case, then my going to the North Lane pleasure quarter to wait around would look quite suspicious to Master Yu!

Is the Zhen household going to grab me and interrogate me later? Should I just go hide at the county office? 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"The other one is that person." Ren Youyang pointed discreetly with a finger.

Several tables away, by the window, a man was drinking alone.

He was ordinary in appearance, wearing a common headscarf, with two dishes and a pot of wine before him.

Ding Songyan glanced over with the corner of his eye. He did not recognize the man, but had a vague sense of having passed him on the street a few times in recent days.

In a sea of people, nobody paid attention to an ordinary stranger encountered in passing. But after Ren Youyang’s warning, the more Ding Songyan thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

Who is this person?

Who sent him to follow me?

Ren Youyang, visibly eager, whispered once more, "Brother, just go home normally. I’ll keep an eye on this person from the shadows and try to find out who’s behind it.

"As for the other matter, I don’t know why Yu Wanxiong is following you either. Internal disputes within your Zhen household aren’t my place to interfere, lest it complicate matters down the line.

"If you’re truly worried about it, go to the county office and find the Brightnight Sect—specifically Zheng Zhuxi. She’s young and not particularly strong, but her father is an imperial court official and her mother is a Brightnight Sect master, a figure who ranks among the Grandmasters. She’s also the righteous type, willing to stand up for people like you who have no standing."

Ding Songyan nodded slightly in response.

The Zhen household matter could wait. He needed to deal with the problem in front of him right now.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, he waved farewell to Ren Youyang, left the restaurant, and headed toward Chengyu Lane.

The evening breeze, carrying a touch of river coolness, cleared Ding Songyan’s head considerably. He calmed down and began thinking over several details he had overlooked.

What future business does Ren Youyang have with the Zhen household? Or rather, what is between the True Spirit Sect and the Zhen household?

Why was it Ren Youyang’s guard who detected the tails, not Ren Youyang himself?

He had only learned of it after his guard pointed it out...

When traveling incognito, did he truly treat himself as an ordinary man, not even bothering to stay alert? Was he that committed to the role?

Or was his guard’s cultivation method simply better suited to that kind of work?

Ding Songyan walked and stopped, pretending to "admire" the bustling nightscape of the prefecture city.

Lanterns hung high in every color, illuminating what looked like a prosperous and bountiful year in the mortal world.

Using the excuse of crouching to examine a painting, Ding Songyan glanced naturally behind him.

This was his fifth attempt at counter-surveillance. The previous four had yielded nothing.

His gaze swept quickly. He spotted the man who had been drinking alone at the restaurant.

So it’s real... Ding Songyan withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the paintings and calligraphy on the ground stall.

In this manner, he ambled slowly back to Chengyu Lane, giving Ren Youyang plenty of time to act.

He had just reached the well at the lane’s entrance when a dark figure suddenly darted out from the side.

Ding Songyan nearly jumped out of his skin and almost swung his folding fan at the figure.

"Brother Ding!" Xu Chang’an’s voice rang out.

Ding Songyan halted his swing. By the moonlight and starlight, he confirmed it was indeed the shifty-eyed Xu Chang’an.

"Are you trying to play ghost?" Ding Songyan snapped.

Xu Chang’an smiled sheepishly.

"Why are you back so late today? I’ve been waiting for you."

Wait. Why are you waiting for me? Ding Songyan glanced down the dimly lit Chengyu Lane, where barely any households bothered to hang lanterns.

Xu Chang’an produced a silver ingot.

"Brother Ding, yesterday’s affair was all thanks to you. This morning I went to Master’s place early and stole twenty-five taels of silver before the others arrived. The rest I split evenly with the other disciples. They don’t know how much Master actually had stashed away, after all.

"Th-these twenty-five taels are my thanks. Please don’t refuse. Five of those are for Bull."

You’re actually decent... But why did you have to use the word "stole" instead of something nicer? First come, first served... Ding Songyan cleared his throat.

"Since you put it that way, refusing would make me look ungracious."

He sighed and accepted the weighty silver ingot.

Xu Chang’an’s expression relaxed into a genuine smile as he headed home.

Ding Songyan took two more steps forward and saw Ren Youyang emerge from the shadows to the side and rear.

The True Spirit Sect disciple shook his head with a grave expression and said in a low voice, "Didn’t catch him."