Chapter 00010: Tracking in the Mountains
# Tracking in the Mountains
Chapter 10
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 10: Tracking in the Mountains
The coin had a carved image of a flying kite on both sides.
The coin itself was a bluish-green color, and the kite depicted was a blue kite.
"Yes, these tokens are distinguished by their colors," Hu Yang Shanze suddenly remembered.
"Wait, this blue kite coin isn't yours!"
The white-robed youth cut in, "I lent it to Mr. Sha."
Hu Yang Shanze spoke slowly, while the gray-clad man showed a hint of impatience: "Since you're here now, I have a question for you. Answer quickly, and I'll leave just as fast."
"Go ahead and ask."
Shanze, or mountain spirits, are sometimes given more common names in certain places:
Land Deities.
In areas where spiritual energy gathers and life thrives, mountain spirits gradually come into being.
If they receive an imperial decree from a human emperor, they gain the ability to wield primordial power and manage the land.
However, if the empire falls or the decree expires, the mountain spirit's power diminishes, eventually returning to a wild state.
Although Hu Yang Shanze had once been decreed by the Kite Kingdom, it didn't even have a mountain temple.
The main reason was that it spent most of its time sleeping, neglecting its duties.
Over time, the local creatures stopped seeking its help and simply ignored it.
But now, faced with the summons of this gray-clad man, it had no choice but to respond.
Hu Yang Shanze was still groggy from sleep, but its rational side told it that this person was not to be trifled with.
"Forty to fifty days ago, a sand leopard came here. I need you to find out where it went," the gray-clad man said bluntly.
"That creature usually nests in the Western Mountains, so it's rare to see one here."
"A sand leopard? Hmm—" Hu Yang Shanze's voice dragged on.
"Let me look into it."
The two waited for over a quarter of an hour.
Suddenly, a small deer emerged from the grass, unafraid of the strangers.
It even shook its head in front of them.
Hu Yang Shanze said, "Follow it."
The deer turned and ran, and the two quickly followed.
After crossing two peaks, the deer headed toward a cliff and stopped at the edge of a steep rock.
"Did the sand leopard come here?" The white-robed youth crouched down and found a few dark stains on the rock.
"Bloodstains, but they're old."
The deer leaned its head over the edge of the rock.
"Did it jump?"
The deer nodded.
Strange.
The sand leopard, already severely injured, had fled here.
Why would it then jump off the cliff to its death? The two exchanged a glance and began descending the cliffside, making their way to the bottom of the ravine.
The air here was damp and cool, much more so than on the mountain, and the vegetation was denser.
After searching for a while, they found no trace of the leopard's body.
The white-robed youth looked up at the cliff.
"It was already badly injured. Falling from such a height, it couldn't have survived."
There were no large trees at the base of the cliff to cushion its fall.
"Hu Yang Shanze, is it still in the mountain?"
"You asked for its whereabouts, and I showed you."
This time, a beech tree nearby spoke.
"It's no longer in the mountain."
A mountain breeze swept through, stirring up a small whirlwind on the ground.
Leaves and dirt swirled together, gradually forming a shape.
The wind-shaped figure wasn't just a leopard—it also included a four-limbed creature!
The white-robed youth stared in surprise.
"Besides the sand leopard, there was also a... person who fell from the cliff?"
The two figures lay motionless on the ground.
"Did they kill each other?" The white-robed youth frowned.
"Then where are the bodies?"
Soon, two more whirlwinds formed, shaping new figures.
"Two people came and were... killed?" The white-robed youth's expression darkened.
"Ah, I see now. No wonder my two subordinates never returned!"
"Then a group of people came and carried away the two bodies?"
The white-robed youth tried to make out the details, but the dirt-and-leaf figures were too vague.
They were roughly human-shaped, but their faces were impossible to discern.
"Who were these people? Where did they come from?"
He asked twice before the beech tree finally replied in a deep voice:
"I don't know. Too much time has passed, and all traces have faded. Only the wind spirits remember this much."
The gray-clad man wasn't discouraged.
He took over the questioning: "At least tell us which direction they went after leaving Gourd Mountain."
The beech tree's branches pointed in a specific direction.
It was the direction they had come from—
"Blackwater City?" The white-robed youth's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"I knew it. The missing guards from Donglai Prefecture must have found a clue."
But even after tracking this far, they only had a vague direction.
Blackwater City wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either.
"They went to Blackwater City? That makes things easier," the gray-clad man said with a smile.
"The most direct approach is often the most effective."
The forest fell silent as Hu Yang Shanze departed.
The two walked a hundred paces toward Blackwater City when the gray-clad man suddenly paused.
He raised his hand and shot out a beam of white light.
A sharp cry came from the woods ten meters away, followed by the sound of flapping wings.
Following the noise, they found traces of blood under a large tree.
The bloodstains on the ground were faint, but fortunately, the white-robed youth was skilled in tracking.
After walking another fifteen meters, they found a hawk lying on the ground.
It was larger than an ordinary eagle, with its wings and abdomen pierced.
The blood oozing from its wounds had turned a dark green.
"Ever since leaving Blackwater City, I felt like we were being watched. Turns out it was just a little monster," the white-robed youth said, pressing his foot against the hawk's neck.
"Who sent you?"
The hawk gasped for breath, its beak wide open.
"Speak," the white-robed youth increased the pressure.
"Otherwise, the poison will reach your heart, and you'll be dead within minutes!"
The hawk let out a pained cry and finally spoke: "If I tell the truth, will you spare me?"
"Of course," the white-robed youth smiled.
"Why would a swan bother with a sparrow?"
The hawk quickly replied, "I'm just a mercenary. I was resting at the Red Mountain Tavern when someone came in and hired me to follow you and report back."
"Who was it?"
"I don't know. I just take the money and do the job!"
The gray-clad man suddenly interjected, "Don't listen to its lies. This is a domesticated monster!"
A domesticated monster, of course, had an owner.
The white-robed youth's gaze turned sharp, and he stomped down without another word:
"Talk!"
￥￥￥￥￥
The next morning, as the He family was having breakfast, a servant rushed in to report:
"Two guests have arrived, claiming to be under the command of the Northern Expedition General of Xunzhou!"
He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at his father.
He Chunhua was also slightly surprised, his expression turning serious.
"Take them to the Suhong Hall for tea."
The Suhong Hall was where the He family received guests, suitable for small gatherings.
He stood up and gestured to He Lingchuan.
"Lingchuan, come with me."
He Yue and Lady Ying both looked puzzled.
Why was the master bringing the eldest son to meet guests from Xunzhou?
As the head of the household, He Chunhua didn't need to explain his actions.
Without another word, he led the butler and He Lingchuan to the front hall.
(End of Chapter)