For a period of time, the other party would certainly be keeping an eye on the people coming and going from his shop.
A mocking smile touched the corners of the black-robed middle-aged man's mouth as he turned and walked toward the back courtyard.
'Then you can keep a good watch,' he thought. 'As long as you can afford the Spirit Stones for lodging here! But my patience is limited. If you go around making inquiries everywhere, then I'll have no choice but to report this truthfully to General Shanggong for her to handle!'
The black-robed middle-aged man didn't sympathize with Li Yan; rather, he was unwilling to offend Zhao Min. He knew that General Shanggong placed great importance on this new disciple. If this cultivator surnamed Li ran into trouble at his place, and that young woman rose to power in the future, he would have provoked someone he shouldn't have.
He was a man of great social grace and naturally didn't want to get involved in such matters.
Li Yan, having blended back into the crowd, kept his expression neutral, but his mind was rapidly replaying his conversation with the black-robed middle-aged man.
'Is this person truly acting according to the rules, or is this a deliberate act? It's possible he knows the burly man's true identity and is intentionally concealing it. Is this all arranged by that Nascent Soul cultivator? Is she so certain that I have no way of finding out where Zhao Min is? Right now, my only option is to secretly monitor the shop after I leave, to see if someone comes to retrieve the Jade Slip, or if this black-robed man leaves the shop himself. If either of those things happens, it would prove his earlier words about the burly man visiting twice in the last six months were all lies. No matter which scenario plays out, it would indicate that the two of them can get in touch quickly and don't need to come here to ask. And that would completely confirm the black-robed middle-aged man's identity as a hidden pawn or informant left in Mingdu City by the Nascent Soul cultivator.'
After a quick analysis, Li Yan headed straight back to the inn.
When he returned, he once again saw the Pseudo-Core Realm cultivator with the fish head and human body still sitting in the main hall, seemingly sipping tea out of sheer boredom. However, the steam from the tea had long since vanished. The moment he saw Li Yan, he was visibly stunned, likely wondering why this person had come back again. He had been waiting here all this time for news of the man leaving the city.
Li Yan paid him no mind. After finding an attendant and paying for another three days' worth of Spirit Stones, he plunged back into his room. He was going to start paying close attention to the goings-on at the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
For the past few days, Li Yan hadn't recklessly sent out his Divine Sense to probe the situation outside. He had been familiarizing himself with Mingdu City and now had a basic grasp of it. The Golden Core cultivators garrisoned in the capital wouldn't be patrolling constantly. It was unlikely that the appearance of his Divine Sense would be so coincidental as to be noticed by one of them. As long as no one raised an alarm, he figured the black-robed middle-aged man would expect to be secretly watched.
The strength he had displayed was on par with his opponent's. He assumed the other party believed that as soon as he used his Divine Sense to investigate, he would be detected.
After sitting cross-legged on the bed, Li Yan immediately released his Divine Sense. Soon, the scene in the backyard of the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion materialized within his perception. The backyard wasn't very large, but it was incredibly neat and tidy, arranged in a meticulous and orderly fashion. It looked like the work of an old military veteran, with everything placed in perfect order.
Beyond the courtyard, there was only a single hall and two rooms. At this moment, the black-robed middle-aged man was holding an ancient scroll, slowly reading it. He was completely oblivious to the probing of Li Yan's Divine Sense.
Seeing this, Li Yan smiled faintly to himself. He then slowly entered a state of meditation, but left a faint, almost nonexistent wisp of his Divine Sense near the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Even if a Golden Core cultivator's Divine Sense swept past, Li Yan was confident he could sense it in advance. And even if he was discovered, he could retract it instantly. It was normal for cultivators in the city to use their Divine Sense to investigate. His wasn't the only one, and as long as he wasn't caught red-handed by the owner and nothing major happened, others couldn't be bothered to care.
He was determined to see just who would come to retrieve his Jade Slip.
As Li Yan sat there, time passed unknowingly, and soon it was the evening of the third day.
To Li Yan's disappointment, in these three days, those who came to the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion were either genuinely there to buy materials or just Browse, leaving after making a few inquiries. Most were handled by the mortal attendant. Only three people interacted with the black-robed middle-aged man, and they seemed to be acquaintances of his. After chatting with them for a while, only one person left with two bottles of medicinal pills. The other two simply sat for a while before leaving directly.
Li Yan's Divine Sense observed everyone who entered the shop with extreme care. If the black-robed man had taken out his Jade Slip, Li Yan would have known for sure. He had left a little trick on it—not Divine Sense, nor Spirit Power, but a unique trace of his own poison. The amount was so minuscule it likely couldn't even harm a mortal. Li Yan was confident that even if a Golden Core cultivator handled the Jade Slip, there was a seventy percent chance they wouldn't discover it. When it came to the application of poison, Li Yan was a true master. Therefore, the moment the black-robed man took out the Jade Slip, Li Yan would be able to sense it instantly.
'I can't sense the aura of the Jade Slip. Could he be keeping it in his Storage Pouch this whole time?'
Li Yan pondered, and his initial judgment began to waver.
'It's been three days, and no one has come to get it. If the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is truly connected to Zhao Min's sect, they should have made contact by now. Could my judgment be wrong? Is this Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion just an ordinary shop, and the burly man he mentioned before actually real?'
Li Yan's eyes slowly narrowed. After a short while, he left his room, then activated the formation again, locking himself inside once more.
At this moment, in another room in the inn, several fish-headed cultivators were sitting together, their faces grim, communicating in low voices via voice transmission.
"Senior Brother Min, I just asked around. After that kid came out, he renewed his room for another five days. It looks like he doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon."
The Pseudo-Core cultivator addressed as Senior Brother Min was stroking a long catfish whisker by the corner of his mouth with two fingers. His eyes darted around a few times before he suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
"Hehehe, I think this is actually a good thing. First, it shows the kid is quite wealthy and doesn't care about Spirit Stones. So, if we kill him, not only can we avenge our junior brothers, but we can also get a lot of benefits from him. Second, the more he's afraid to leave the city, the more likely it is he's already discovered us. Although he acts indifferent on the surface, it's probably just a show for us. Therefore, we need to be even more vigilant and guard the four gates closely. Perhaps he's using a diversion, making us think he's going to stay here for a while to lower our guard. Didn't you see? When he paid for the room extension, he didn't try to hide it from anyone. It was likely done for us to see. Maybe he's already planned to slip away when we're not paying attention. Everything proceeds as it has for the past few days. Keep a close watch on him."
After hearing this, the others thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.
Li Yan was completely unaware of this. He only knew that the few fish-headed cultivators seemed to be watching him. Since he had no intention of leaving now, and no one dared to duel within the city, he didn't pay the matter much mind. His thoughts were currently consumed by the events at the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
On the other side, in the backyard of the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the black-robed middle-aged man put down his scroll. He lifted his head to look at the courtyard and stared blankly for a while, feeling puzzled himself.
'That cultivator surnamed Li has just been staying in his inn room all this time? Why hasn't he secretly monitored my place? It's been several days. Not only has he not left the inn, but even his Divine Sense hasn't appeared here. What on earth is he doing in that room? Could it be that he really has other business, and will leave directly once it's finished?'
The black-robed middle-aged man had an extensive network in the city. He didn't need to use cultivator methods to monitor Li Yan, as that might be detected. He only needed to make a quiet request, and then wait in his shop for the information to be delivered to him. He had determined that Li Yan would definitely not let his place off the hook, but in the past few days, apart from a few wisps of Divine Sense sweeping over the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion from above, no Divine Sense had lingered or circled here.
This made the black-robed middle-aged man increasingly puzzled by Li Yan's actions. For a moment, he also thought he might be overthinking things.
'Could he really not care about the Senior Sister he depended on for survival? That doesn't make any sense.'
The black-robed man stared blankly at the courtyard scenery for a while longer, his mind turning to the news he had received earlier.
'He renewed for another five days. I didn't realize he was so wealthy. Since you're willing to stay here, then it doesn't matter what you do. No matter what you do, it's already too late. It won't have any effect.'
Then, the black-robed middle-aged man pushed the thoughts from his mind, picked up his scroll, and continued reading.
Time meant little to a cultivator. A single session of meditation could often last for months.
Li Yan, in his cross-legged position, split off a wisp of his Divine Sense to keep an eye on the Hundred Dao Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. In a flash, another five days passed.
Li Yan opened his eyes, a look of bewilderment on his face.
'Another five days have passed. In these few days, the black-robed middle-aged man only received two customers. And during their respective transactions, I didn't sense the aura of the mark I left. Could I have really guessed wrong? Has the black-robed man kept the Jade Slip in his Storage Pouch this whole time, truly waiting for that so-called burly man to come and pick it up himself?'
Li Yan's gaze flickered uncertainly. He felt his judgment should have been correct, which was why he had waited another five days, hoping to see the black-robed man make a move. But all his actions were completely normal, which didn't align with his deductions at all.
According to Li Yan's judgment, the Nascent Soul cultivator who took Zhao Min as a disciple should not have discovered the existence of the "Heart-Entangling Twin Gu" on her. Therefore, she wouldn't know that Zhao Min was aware he was safe and sound. To stabilize Zhao Min's mindset for cultivation, she would surely want to let Zhao Min know of his situation as soon as possible. There was only one way to do that: get the Jade Slip they had agreed upon. How could she treat it so casually? If that were the case, it would only mean she didn't value Zhao Min, but then there would have been no need to go to the trouble of saving him.
None of this lined up with Li Yan's deductions. For a moment, he was utterly confused.
'Could it be that my Divine Sense probe was discovered by him?'
After thinking about it, Li Yan was still certain that the strength the other party displayed was his true level. It was impossible for the black-robed middle-aged man to know that his Divine Sense was so much stronger, allowing him to spy in secret.
Anxious, Li Yan simply stood up and began to pace back and forth in his room.
After a long while, he felt that his deduction should still be correct. The basis for this was that the other party definitely valued Zhao Min. Since his deduction was correct, but the current developments were so bizarre, where had he gone wrong? Was the black-robed middle-aged man acting this way to be safe, to slowly wear down his patience? Or did he truly have no intention of going out to deliver the Jade Slip? Or perhaps the cultivator coming to retrieve the Jade Slip was too far away and needed more time to arrive...
At this thought, Li Yan's expression suddenly changed. He stopped abruptly, the look of bewilderment on his face intensifying.