Chapter 929: Spy and Tracking

He Lingchuan tapped his finger twice on the edge of the sand table. "Has the Jintao Kingdom finally sent people in?"

It was as he had expected.

"Around five hundred people, ostensibly exiles and mercenaries from the western mountains of Jintao Kingdom, are actually regular soldiers. They are helping Fu Shanlie train river bandits in Longchuan." The Jintao Kingdom, still wary of Panlong City, did not dare to openly deploy its regular army, so it had to funnel support there under the guise of mercenaries.

"Provisions for nearly three thousand people are no small matter. The villagers of Longchuan have already sided with us, so who exactly is supplying Fu Shanlie's forces?"

The fundamental reason for the strength of Panlong City and the Great Wind Army was a secure and abundant food supply. Longchuan's area was about half that of Chimu Plateau, but its land and water were not as fertile, and it contained a large amount of wetlands and uncultivated wasteland.

The Xiji puppet army had a complex composition, with most members being outsiders. Local Longchuan river bandits accounted for less than thirty percent of their force. With merchant robberies now difficult, where were they acquiring their supplies?

As the commander of a city, He Lingchuan understood the importance of military provisions better than almost anyone.

As the Longchuan river bandits were being recruited, the villages and towns within Longchuan also grew more favorable toward Yuheng City, at least no longer engaging in armed conflict as before. Consequently, it became increasingly difficult for Fu Shanlie's army to obtain grain from Longchuan.

Hu Min immediately replied, "Some supplies are taken from villages, another part is purchased from Baishawan Free Port, and a portion was discovered by Fatty: Jintao is also secretly transporting grain to them."

The upper reaches of the Longchuan waters flowed through Jintao Kingdom.

"However, their forced grain purchases from the villages and towns in Longchuan have already sparked local discontent."

This number of Xiji puppet troops, confined to Longchuan, were neither locals nor engaged in production, and were bound to have a parasitic and exploitative effect on the local populace.

He Lingchuan nodded. "With the Emperor's Dew descending, how did they cope?"

The Emperor's Dew, by amplifying human greed, served as a perfect touchstone for assessing the quality of the Xiji puppet army.

At least during the first night of the Emperor's Dew, Yuheng City's performance satisfied both He Lingchuan and Wen Daolun. After months of intense and continuous training, the newly formed Yuheng Army had been completely transformed. Both its morale and organizational discipline were significantly stronger than before.

"We only know there were casualties, but the numbers are unknown," Hu Min said. "After you pacified Qianjinzai, the Xiji puppet army frequently engaged in fierce battles with various bandit groups, quickly alienating the people of Longchuan. Fu Shanlie then surrounded their stronghold with demonic vines, leaving only two pathways. That demonic vine wall was impenetrable, allowing no one to approach. As a result, they are isolated from the outside, and intelligence flow is difficult."

"Send avian demons for aerial reconnaissance?"

Hu Min shook his head. "They also sent raptors to circle overhead, making it difficult for our avian demons to approach."

"It seems Fu Shanlie has changed his plan from offense to defense, preparing to occupy Longchuan for the long term." He Lingchuan walked to the edge of the sand table. "After annexing several bandit groups, Fu Shanlie's territory expanded to eastern Longchuan, seizing control of the channels between Longchuan's wetlands and the outside, which facilitates communication with the Jintao Kingdom."

Unless this cancerous growth was removed, Jintao's spies, or even its army, could enter through Longchuan and run rampant in the former Xiji territory.

"Strange, why hasn't he withdrawn yet?" He Lingchuan muttered. "If he can't kill me, Yuheng City's complete occupation of Longchuan is only a matter of time. He won't be able to stir up any trouble there. This is the prevailing trend; his remaining in Longchuan is meaningless."

To be fair, Fu Shanlie had originally performed well in Longchuan, unifying a ragtag group and repeatedly repelling Yuheng City's attacks.

However, he suffered a significant disadvantage due to his position.

In Longchuan, he was a "bandit." No matter how well he performed, he was at best a prominent bandit leader. The river bandits who followed him still had to shed blood and sweat, fighting against government troops to earn a living.

He Lingchuan, on the other hand, was an "official." With the powerful tool of "pacification" at his disposal, he could dismantle the river bandits' will without shedding a drop of blood. When river bandits could transform into road managers and collect money from their positions, who would still be willing to follow Fu Shanlie?

He Lingchuan transformed this inherent power disparity into his tremendous advantage.

Before this, neither Wen Daolun, Commander Xiao, nor Panlong City had realized this.

Having failed in his sneak attack on He Lingchuan, Fu Shanlie should have known that the tide was irreversible. This was a strategic failure, so why was he still holding out in Longchuan?

The cost of remaining would only increase; cutting losses promptly would be the wise course of action.

Unless he had other considerations.

Hu Min added, "Also, Mr. Zhang, whom you invited from Panlong City, entered Longchuan the day before yesterday."

He Lingchuan rubbed his neck, producing two cracking sounds. "Both land and air reconnaissance routes have been cut off. Fortunately, Longchuan is rich in water; we can still conduct reconnaissance by water, can't we?"

The Xiji puppet army's stronghold was built on water. It was said that Fu Shanlie's sleeping couch was less than three *zhang* from the water.

"Mr. Zhang's first report indicated that the puppet army seems to have had internal disputes over the unequal distribution of the Emperor's Dew, leading to dissatisfaction among the river bandits."

River bandits had always emphasized fairness and profit, whereas armies, with their top-down vertical management, demanded obedience. For the Longchuan river bandits to transform into effective military combatants, they would need a period of adaptation.

He Lingchuan did not intend to give them ample time.

"When the Emperor's Dew first descended, it was actually a great opportunity; it's truly a pity to have missed it. The second wave of Emperor's Dew should have arrived these past two days." He pondered, "Where has Fu Shanlie been these past few days?"

"The night before last, he was drinking by the water enclosure in the stronghold, several pots in a row—Mr. Zhang saw it all. He also seemed to receive a letter; after reading it, he became very angry and cursed."

"What did he curse about?"

"He has keen senses, so Mr. Zhang dared not approach closely. He only caught fragments, something about schemes and intrigues, and about holding back the front line."

Who was Fu Shanlie angry with? Was the letter from Beijia? He Lingchuan hummed. "Make sure Mr. Zhang keeps a close eye on Fu Shanlie. Also, monitor the number of boats in the Xiji puppet army's water stronghold."

Boats were an essential means of transport in Longchuan, especially after the Xiji puppet army cut off land routes, making them primarily reliant on vessels for movement.

"Understood."

"Have our forces departed?"

"The third batch is already on its way."

"Good, very good." He Lingchuan inserted a small flag into Longchuan on the sand table. "It's time to bring this to an end."

Tonight, uncharacteristically free from military duties, He Lingchuan walked home.

Standing halfway up the mountain, he could see half the city lit up, even brighter and more bustling than when he had first arrived in Yuheng City.

Lights dotted the cityscape like stars. Behind every light, there was the simple happiness of a family.

Under his and Wen Daolun's diligent efforts, Yuheng City was thriving and improving every day.

Yet, the Celestials and Beijia always cast malicious glances this way. If the menace of the Longchuan bandit army was not eradicated soon, how much longer could Yuheng City continue to enjoy good days?

He was only halfway up the mountain road when flapping sounds came from the night sky.

He Lingchuan looked up, seeing two birds collide above him, flapping and fighting, sending feathers scattering, their screams incessant.

Soon after, the victor was decided.

The two birds tangled together and fell to the ground. The kestrel was on top, firmly pinning a thrush with its talons, with blood visible on both its talons and beak.

But the kestrel also had a red mark above its eye, and it kept blinking.

This thrush was quite large, almost equal in size to the kestrel.

It spoke before He Lingchuan, its voice breathless: "You've been followed. It's been watching you for the past two days, from the City Guard's office to your home, wherever you go."

"Oh? Well done." No wonder he had felt subtly, almost imperceptibly, watched these past two days.

Tracking by demons was always the most covert. Fortunately, he had sent out the kestrel to patrol.

He Lingchuan stroked the kestrel's head, fed it a pill, then looked down and asked the thrush, "Who sent you?"

"Longchuan!" the thrush chirped, covered in injuries and too pained to argue. "The Xiji army leader!"

"Besides watching me, what else did he send you to do?"

"He wanted me to also check Yuheng City's southern military camp."

He Lingchuan nodded. "How many informants has he sent to Yuheng City? Like you?"

What a coincidence. He had sent aerial informants to watch Fu Shanlie, and the other side had similarly sent birds to watch him.

Mutual surveillance.

"I've also seen two others: a blackbird and a Daurian starling."

They were all common small birds in the city, not easily detected.

"Where has Fu Shanlie been operating recently?"

"I don't know!"

He Lingchuan frowned. "When and where was your last report to him?"

"Yesterday, in Longchuan!" the thrush replied. "I reported to his subordinate."

"You didn't see him personally?"

"No."

He Lingchuan hummed and said to the kestrel, "I'm done questioning. You handle it as you see fit."

The thrush shrieked loudly, begging for mercy.

But the kestrel insisted on making it its dinner.

He Lingchuan paid it no mind. When Yuheng City sent forces into Longchuan, it had already declared to the entire region that any demons assisting the Xiji puppet army would be considered enemies of Yuheng City.

If these demons heard the warning but chose to ignore it, then they had no one to blame but themselves.

Soon, silence fell behind him.

After returning home, He Lingchuan first took a Godslaying Pill, then went to the back mountain to practice his blade techniques.

He Lingchuan had already taken two of the Godslaying Pills Aluo had refined from the Emperor's Dew. Of course, Aluo was not as reckless as He Lingchuan had been by Sansin Lake; she had refined the spiritual dew into three pills and instructed him to take only one every six hours.

The one he had just swallowed was the last of them.

He Lingchuan had already discovered that the best way for him to refine spiritual dew and advance his cultivation in the Panlong world was not through meditation and breath regulation, but by honing his body and training his martial arts.

After all, there were still some differences between the virtual and real worlds.

The mountain wilderness was silent, and no one was in the forest. He gradually practiced until he lost himself, and at some point, a faint, almost imperceptible white aura appeared around the Drifting Life Blade.

The blade aura had formed.

His essence, qi, and spirit all reached their peak, and suddenly, a Wave Slash cleaved out.

The blade's strike was silent, yet its brilliance flowed like water. The woodland five *zhang* away suddenly rustled loudly, as if a hurricane had swept through.

Two breaths later, branches and leaves drifted down.

A few more breaths passed, and over twenty trees, as thick as bowls, had fallen.

He Lingchuan's strike was a horizontal slash; all the plants in a five-*zhang* fan-shaped area in front of him, from bushes to trees, were decapitated!

They were all neatly and uniformly cut, as if measured with a ruler.

This stance, derived from the Wave Slash, had never been taught by Panlong City; it was He Lingchuan's own realization, a perfectly natural creation.

As he was about to raise his blade again, he had an epiphany, and his qi and blood instantly surged to his head.

He Lingchuan's movements suddenly stopped. He thought to himself, 'It's finally here.'