The look in Li Yuxian's eyes sent a cold shiver down my spine. It was a lecherous one, the same way that I had seen men look at beautiful young women on the streets in the commoner's world. Had he given up on Chu Xi already and decided to move on to … someone else to dual cultivate with?
The thought disgusted me, and I wondered if I should tell Wen Shiyin what I had overheard from him before. Not that I was in any position to judge against dual cultivation, but the fact that he would change his targets so quickly—especially when Chu Xi was close to becoming daoist companions with him—was despicable. Wen Shiyin deserved better than being tricked by someone like this.
Fortunately, she seemed too busy with the search to even notice his show of interest. She had summoned an artifact that looked like a lantern, each of its six sides a different color of tinted glass. As she walked, her spiritual power flowed steadily from her hand into the center of the lantern, making it spin in a rainbow swirl.
That was one of the most intricately built demon trackers I had ever seen, and her attention was fully focused on it, waiting for the moment that the device would signal the location of our target.
Gossips could wait then, I thought as I glanced around. Most other senior disciples were holding various trackers of their own as well. After considering for a moment, I reached inside my pack and fetched a tracking talisman for myself.
A light thudding of footsteps sounded from behind me. I turned and found Qi Lian's smiling face. "Senior Yun," he said almost naturally, "is that also used for tracking?" He nodded at the talisman I was holding. "Could you show me how it works?"
I smile a bit embarrassedly. The talisman was used for the same purpose indeed, but much less accurate and reliable than an artifact. I never learned how to use one of those because … I had never gone on trips like this without Bai Ye, and he had always made me stay by his side. I never had to put any effort into tracking danger or finding my own path.
"It works for rough positioning only," I said. "Since I rarely hunted for demons—"
"Why would she be looking for footprints if she knew how to use a real tracker?" Guo Lingling's scoff cut me off. "Not everyone is able to master one of those. Talismans are pathetic substitutes for those who fail to learn how to use a real tracker properly."
Qi Lian frowned. "Every approach has its advantages and disadvantages. We came on this trip so that we could learn everyone's unique skills, Guo Lingling. What is yours exactly? Expertise in insults and sarcasm?"
Guo Lingling glared at him. I sighed inwardly at the bickering that was about to start again, and I was going to say something to make them stop when Wen Shiyin suddenly said, "I found them."
Everyone quieted, and all eyes landed on her lantern. It had stopped spinning. A shaft of golden light shone through a pinhole on one of its surfaces, lighting up the forest path in front of her.
"Where are they?" someone asked excitedly.
"Follow the light. It will lead us," Wen Shiyin said and started making her way towards the direction of the golden light.
Guo Lingling gave Qi Lian and me a triumphant look before following on. Qi Lian shook his head. "What's she so smug about? It's not like she is the one that found the target."
Well, she was just smug about the fact that she managed to prove me incapable, though I kept that thought to myself. There were better things to focus on than pointless arguments like this, and after all, she wasn't the only one in this group that was too competitive to be cooperative, as I saw from the corner of my eyes that many others with demon trackers were looking at their equipment defeatedly, now that Wen Shiyin had found the way before they did.
The light from Wen Shiyin's lantern was steady, leading us onward. We continued through a stretch of the forest with tall pines, their branches and leaves so dense that I could barely see the sky through them. Even the forest floor was wetter than usual under their huge shadows, and the ground was covered with mosses and mud.
We trod carefully, watching every step. The forest was quiet, unlike most of those that I had been to in the past with Bai Ye …
My steps slowed at the thought. No, it was actually unlike ANY of those that I had been to before. Almost a little … too impossibly quiet.
The deeper we went into the woods, the more this unusualness started making me uneasy. When we were still walking half an hour later, I couldn't hold my suspicions anymore. "Senior Wen," I called out. "Something is off about the woods … It's been too quiet for too long. No birds, no insects … Even for noon, this is too unusual."
Wen Shiyin halted. She looked at me, and it seemed like she was going to say something when someone else exclaimed: "I recognize how the branches twist on this tree! We were just here … ten minutes ago!"
Everyone exchanged looks with one another, and all eyes landed on Wen Shiyin again. She frowned slightly and raised her lantern. "This hasn't failed before," she mumbled and lifted a finger over it, guiding more spiritual power into the artifact while she chanted softly. The lantern spun again, and when it stopped this time, it glowed like a bright star in her grip. Six shafts of light shone through it, one from every side of its six colored panels.
"This is not possible," she gasped.
A murmur rose from the crowd. "What does it mean?" someone asked.
"It found something … right here." Wen Shiyin's face paled, her head snapping up.. "Right here … among us."
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