Chapter 2219: Wanted

Luan, with his great strength, pushed the cart forward with long strides. The road was bumpy and uneven, leaving Qin Sang's entire body sore. He couldn't help but lament how long it had been since he felt so weak.

He wore a beast-hide hat and a wind-resistant grass cloak, which his mother had expertly woven from a soft type of wild mountain grass. The family Qin Sang inhabited here was considered well-off in the area. They lived near the city, and both his parents were diligent, unlike many of the poorer families in the mountains.

Whenever they encountered fellow villagers on the road, people would become a little evasive upon seeing Qin Sang. Each time, Luan would intentionally engage them in conversation, loudly announcing that his younger brother had recovered from his illness. Understanding his elder brother's thoughtful intentions, Qin Sang cheered up and greeted the villagers with a smile. Seeing Qin Sang's noticeably improved complexion, and being inherently kind-hearted people, the villagers no longer felt afraid. The group then walked towards the city gate, chatting and laughing.

People continuously streamed towards the city gate from both inside and outside the walls. Leveraging their proximity, they secured a spot in front of the city gate with a good vantage point and clear view. Luan carefully set the wooden cart down, then leaned on its handle to exchange hunting stories with his companions. Qin Sang had little to do. He politely acknowledged the villagers' greetings, his gaze wandering as he surveyed the surrounding scenery and the bustling crowd. This was a very novel experience.

When Liuli ascended to the Great Thousand World with the Storm Realm, her only long journey was accompanying Zunchen and others to Fengju Yumeng. Could it be that she encountered a place along the way that still retained its ancient appearance? If this scene was merely a fantasy conjured from ancient records, it would be difficult to imagine it feeling so real. Thinking about it, perhaps Qin Sang's conjectures were biased, as he hadn't experienced a Heart Devil Tribulation himself and thus couldn't truly empathize.

Qin Sang's gaze swept across the faces in the crowd, and he suddenly noticed one particular person. In front of the city gate, over a dozen people leaned lazily against the city wall, sunbathing. From their attire, they appeared to be a group of beggars. Lost in a "Great Dream of Spring," they were drowsy and indifferent to their surroundings; even the large crowd gathered at the city gate couldn't rouse them. What caught Qin Sang's attention was an old man among these beggars. He lay on a straw mat, his face extremely aged; had his chest not shown a faint rise and fall, onlookers might have presumed him dead. Though his clothes were tattered, they were remarkably clean, setting him apart from the other beggars. The moment Qin Sang laid eyes on the old beggar, he sensed the man was no ordinary person. Though he had no specific reason, Qin Sang trusted that even without his cultivation, his discernment of people remained intact.

Thump, thump, thump!

Just then, a squad of guards emerged from the city gate. "Scram! Scram!" the guards shouted, using their batons to drive away the beggars. Some beggars, unable to dodge in time, took a hit and grimaced in pain, yet dared only offer a forced smile.

"He! He! Wake up! Quick, wake up! If you don't run, you'll be beaten to death!"

A kind-hearted beggar vigorously shook the old beggar awake, pulling him to run. Despite his aged appearance, the old beggar had a surprisingly sturdy build. He rolled over and got to his feet in one swift motion, not forgetting to snatch the straw mat from beneath him. By then, the guard shooing away the beggars had caught up. Presumably, seeing the old man was too frail and a single blow might prove fatal, the guard feigned two strikes but didn't actually hit him.

This was how others saw the scene, but Qin Sang, with his keen perception, noticed details that ordinary people missed. That guard was not as kind-hearted as he appeared; given his status, beating an old beggar to death would be no different to him than killing a stray dog. In the final moment, the fierce glint in the guard's eyes intensified rather than diminished, yet his baton somehow failed to strike the old beggar. The old beggar, meanwhile, seemed to have anticipated it, his steps appearing calm and unhurried.

"Martial arts? Or…" A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind. If he had indeed discovered a cultivator so quickly, his luck would be quite good. Many cultivators had peculiar habits, disguising themselves as old beggars to experience the mortal world, which wasn't unimaginable. However, Qin Sang also knew that some martial arts could exert force from a distance. In this era, there were plenty of skilled hunters who made a living from their craft; his elder brother, for instance, had apprenticed under an old hunter since childhood. Based on this alone, it was impossible to determine if the old beggar was anything more than a mortal.

"Big Brother," Qin Sang called, pointing to the old beggar and feigning pity. "That old man is so advanced in age and still has to beg. Have you seen him before, Big Brother?"

Luan scratched his head. "I think I saw him before you got sick. These past few days, I've been busy tending to your illness and buying medicine, so I haven't specifically asked. He probably came from another village, disowned by unfilial children and driven out."

Since the village was close to the city gate, most of the beggars who frequented the area were familiar faces. Luan paid him no mind, turning his head to continue chatting with his companions. After all, who would spare a thought for an old beggar when they were preoccupied with their own families' livelihood? As they spoke, the group of beggars pushed and shoved their way into a rocky hollow, continuing to sunbathe.

Qin Sang's view was obstructed. After a moment's thought, he decided not to rush into contacting the old beggar, as his intentions would be too obvious. As a powerless mortal, he needed to proceed cautiously, step by step. 'A small city, yet it hides dragons and crouching tigers,' Qin Sang thought to himself.

This city was called Fengcheng, governing many villages scattered across its surrounding plain. The plain itself was encircled by mountains, with only one rumored path leading out. Xi's parents had never left Fengcheng in their lives, so their knowledge of anything beyond the mountains was purely hearsay. It appeared that the kind of states common in later eras had not yet formed here; in Xi's memories, Fengcheng didn't belong to any known country. The Lord of Fengcheng was their leader, ruling this basin.

Whoosh!

From the city, another arc of light shot forth, eliciting gasps of surprise from the crowd. The long arc of light soared towards the horizon, traversing the mountains until it vanished from sight. 'That cultivator has left…' Qin Sang thought to himself, noticing that the area behind him was now packed, with more figures continuously arriving from afar.

Just then, another guard ran out of the city and handed a long wooden box to someone who appeared to be a commander. This person was burly and muscular, a head taller than Luan, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding great authority.

Thud!

The commander took a step forward, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, and the chaotic chatter immediately subsided. "You few, post these portraits!" he commanded. The commander opened the wooden box, summoned several guards, and had them bring glue. Inside the wooden box were several portraits. The guards carefully unfurled the first one and cautiously pasted it onto the wall.

"Who is this?""Are they catching people again? This drawing is really good!""He's handsome too, even more so than Xia, the city's celebrated beauty! How have I never seen such a good-looking person before? I wonder what crime he committed."

People pointed and whispered about the portrait. The portrait was clearly a wanted poster, depicting a man's face drawn with exquisite skill, making him appear remarkably lifelike. As others admired the portrait, Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat, for the man on the wanted poster was none other than his true self!

"Listen up!" the commander drew the saber from his waist and declared loudly, "These individuals are heinous villains who have committed countless murders! Whoever sees anyone in these portraits must immediately seize them and report it to the City Lord. Anyone who dares to conceal this information will have their entire family's heads personally chopped off by me!"

Hearing the commander's menacing threat, many people trembled with expressions of horror. Immediately after, the guards posted the second, then the third… As the third portrait was posted, the guards' movements suddenly became very gentle. Upon seeing this one, a fervent burst of exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"So beautiful!""Such a beauty exists in this world!""Our village belle is a mere firefly; she is the moon in the sky! How could I have ever been infatuated with that plain woman before!"

The third portrait was indeed of an exceptionally beautiful woman. Even a mere drawing of her captivated many, leaving some beating their chests and stamping their feet, while others fell into a stupor. Luan, beside Qin Sang, was also stunned, drooling without realizing it. Consequently, even the fourth portrait, which also depicted a beautiful woman of remarkable elegance, failed to draw most people's attention away from the previous one.

There were a total of five portraits: three men and two women. Qin Sang stared at the portraits, his eyes deep. The people depicted were all his acquaintances. The first and third were of him and Liuli, while the other three were unmistakably Zhan Yan, Xu Mu, and Jing Zhen!

Why had they entered Liuli's Heart Devil? If Liuli had conjured them, why were there only these three, and not Zhang Yan? Could it be that… Qin Sang's mood became incredibly heavy, and he felt a sense of foreboding. Ever since entering this illusion, as Qin Sang observed more and more unusual signs, a persistent sense of unease had lingered in his heart, refusing to dissipate. He suspected that this was not Liuli's Heart Devil at all! The reason Zhan Yan and the others appeared, while Zhang Yan was notably absent, was because Zhang Yan had been trapped elsewhere at the time and hadn't entered the illusionary realm. This meant that when the full moon reached its zenith, everyone within the illusionary realm was likely drawn inside. The reason only their portraits were displayed was because they were human cultivators, and this was human territory. At this very moment, in the territory of the other races, Patriarch Yuan Xiang and the others might also be wanted!

"Why has it become like this?" Qin Sang's mind reeled, but he maintained a placid expression. Wearing the grass cloak, which concealed both his hands, he remained uneasy and subtly used his left hand to cover the iron ring on his right. The portrait only showed his face, not his full body, but Qin Sang was still worried about his Thousand Jin Ring being recognized. He didn't know the consequences of his identity being exposed, but his intuition told him it would certainly not be good.

Qin Sang recalled his previous experiences; everything had gone smoothly since entering the illusionary realm. The timing of Liuli's tribulation had been precisely calculated by True Master Ning; by all accounts, he should have already entered Liuli's Heart Devil by now. However, it now seemed that an accident had likely occurred at the last moment.

"Where exactly am I now?" Qin Sang thought of the divine mountain and the cultivators of other races attracted by the ancestor's token, and he felt an increasingly ominous premonition. Hong Tian had instructed him to find the "seed," but could it truly be born within this illusionary realm? If this were caused by changes within the illusionary realm itself, True Master Ning would surely have warned him in advance to take precautions. The fact that True Master Ning said nothing strongly suggested that the anomalies were instead caused by the changes in the sacred land, brought about by those cultivators of other races! Liuli's Heart Devil Tribulation had coincided with this, leading to him being swept into the illusion instead of entering her Heart Devil? Or, had the illusion and Liuli's Heart Devil Tribulation merged? No one could answer Qin Sang, and he currently had no means to find the answers himself. At this very moment, Qin Sang's concern wasn't for his own predicament, but rather whether Liuli's Heart Devil Tribulation would undergo an unusual change as a result, leading to unpredictable consequences! The thought of the divine mountain made him even more uneasy.

The ancestor of the other races had commanded them to contend for a seat on the divine mountain, indicating that the mountain was undoubtedly connected to this illusionary realm. Perhaps it could offer them some form of refuge within the illusion, helping them escape. However, Liuli was undergoing tribulation at the time and had no time to refine the stone platform; ironically, her cultivation was also the lowest. If Liuli's Heart Devil Tribulation had truly merged with the illusion, it would be an unprecedented situation, and Qin Sang was at a loss for how to proceed.

The only good news was that Liuli, like him, should have also assumed a different identity, meaning her true self wouldn't be recognized from the portraits. But who knew if the mastermind had other ways of identification? The mastermind was posting portraits everywhere, perhaps still unaware that they had possessed other people's bodies, but the truth would be discovered sooner or later. The illusion was baffling and beyond his expectations. Qin Sang's priority was no longer to help Hong Tian find the seed, but to locate Liuli as quickly as possible. Contacting Hong Tian was currently impossible for Qin Sang; Hong Tian had explicitly told him he would only act during the final struggle for the "seed."

Pat!

A sharp pain in his shoulder interrupted Qin Sang's thoughts. Luan finally snapped out of his daze, struggling to tear his eyes away from the third portrait. He patted Qin Sang's shoulder. "Little brother, hurry and recover from your illness. Once you're better, Big Brother will find you a wife just like her." His grand pronouncement drew laughter from his companions.

"Thank you, Big Brother." Qin Sang forced a smile, pondering how he could break out of this situation.

The wanted individuals were clearly cultivators. In his current guise, Qin Sang had very little room to maneuver; it would be easy to expose flaws in the eyes of a true cultivator. Though the arc of light had shot into the sky, that cultivator might not have truly left. It could be a mere illusion, with the individual secretly monitoring everyone.

With his past cultivation experience, Qin Sang knew that by finding a secluded place to cultivate in seclusion, he could easily sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, embark on the path of cultivation, and dispel his illness. But now he dared not cultivate rashly, nor even leave the village without permission. Without a reasonable explanation, suddenly becoming a cultivator or inexplicably disappearing would certainly arouse the mastermind's suspicion. Even if it only attracted a Qi Refining stage cultivator, he would have no way to escape.

There was no talk of traveling to the capital for imperial exams here, and Xi was no scholar. To leave Fengcheng, one either learned hunting from their father or became a merchant's apprentice. It was said that merchant caravans would periodically arrive in Fengcheng, bringing novelties from beyond the mountains and recruiting apprentices in the city. However, traveling with a caravan was no safer than hunting in the mountains, and no one knew if there were villains among them.

Regardless, one needed a healthy body. For now, it seemed he could only slowly recover from his illness before considering other options. Thinking this, Qin Sang felt greatly troubled.

After the commander finished his announcement, he left guards to watch and returned to the city. However, the people remained captivated by the portraits, lingering and unwilling to leave.