The two of them had almost traversed the entirety of Yuli District.
The address from the intelligence seemed inaccurate—the innermost shack in the fourth alley from the north side of Yuli District. Inside, only a near-dead elder was curled up; at his age, he could not possibly be Xu Fang.
Since they had never made contact with Xu Fang beforehand, Jiang Wang's only tracking art, Tracing Thoughts, was of no use.
The same was true for Chong Xuan Sheng; he had grown accustomed to crushing everything with Chong Arts.
"Is the intelligence accurate?" Jiang Wang couldn't help but ask.
"The matter was entrusted to Uncle Seven-Fingers. He was my uncle's old subordinate, a former scout in the military. He shouldn't have made a mistake." As Chong Xuan Sheng spoke, he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Small eyes really are a liability—I underestimated the man!"
He was quite adept at self-criticism, to the point that Jiang Wang often found himself at a loss for retorts.
Calling him fat or mocking his small eyes didn't bother him in the slightest, and he himself said those things far more frequently than anyone else.
"You mean..."
"Though Xu Fang is already crippled, his vision remains. It's possible he discovered someone investigating him... but this is a good thing!"
It meant he still had spirit, still had thoughts—of course that was a good thing.
Chong Xuan Sheng turned back and found the shack again; the elder was still curled up inside.
Chong Xuan Sheng shook him. After a long while, the elder finally opened his eyes.
"Where is the person who lived here before?" Chong Xuan Sheng asked.
Among the dense web of wrinkles, it was impossible to distinguish grime from age spots.
Those murky eyes stared blankly at Chong Xuan Sheng, unmoving, with no intention of speaking.
Lifeless—that was the most direct description. Killing him would be fine; letting him live like this would be fine too. Life or death made no difference.
Methods based on human desire and nature would have little effect on such a person.
"Interesting."
Chong Xuan Sheng nodded, turned, and walked straight out.
He casually woke a beggar sleeping soundly in some corner and asked bluntly, "Do you want to eat a pancake?"
The response was the growling of a hungry stomach.
Chong Xuan Sheng pointed back, "The person who lived in that shack before—where are they now? Help me find them, and you'll have pancakes to eat for the rest of your life."
The beggar's eyes darted about, but he didn't move.
Clearly, he didn't believe it.
Though starving, he had long since grown weary of the lies and mockery of these nobles.
A flicker of anger appeared in Chong Xuan Sheng's eyes, but he did nothing. With his status, he wouldn't stoop to quibble with such people.
"It seems building trust isn't so easy," he said, looking at Jiang Wang with a sigh.
Jiang Wang stepped forward, looked at the beggar, and said, "Stand up, and I'll give you a gold ingot."
The beggar remained utterly unmoved.
Clang!
Jiang Wang's long sword left its sheath, the blade pointing at him, a cold gleam faintly visible. "Stand up, or I'll cut off your legs."
The killing intent was so genuine.
The beggar leapt to his feet with a start.
Jiang Wang sheathed his sword, produced a gold ingot, and placed it in his hand. "It's yours."
The beggar stood there dazed, still not comprehending what had happened.
Jiang Wang said gently, "You can test if it's real."
Only then did he seem to awaken from a dream, biting it with his teeth.
"Now, help me find the person I'm looking for. When you find them, I'll give you another ingot. I don't care about gold; I only care about whether promises are kept."
Without another word, the beggar took to his heels and ran.
Chong Xuan Sheng clicked his tongue in amazement. "You've grown much sharper since receiving your title!"
Jiang Wang glanced at him. "You're cleverer than me, but you're far too impatient!"
Indeed, how could he not be impatient!
They had only a single year to dismantle Chong Xuan Zun's power under Wang Yiwu's watchful eye.
This was almost a fanciful tale.
On the surface, he hosted lavish banquets from dawn till dusk, the very picture of composure. But in truth, he was already burning with anxiety.
He had expended an incalculable cost to temporarily remove Chong Xuan Zun from the board.
Yet he had never truly defeated Chong Xuan Zun!
In one year, when Chong Xuan Zun returned in strength, the momentum would be unstoppable.
Jixia Academy was known as the Dragon Gate of Qi, and Chong Xuan Zun was already a "dragon"!
"Aren't you anxious?" Chong Xuan Sheng asked.
"Of course. But I've already pushed my capabilities to their limit. Beyond that, urgency is useless."
"Your temperament... you'd make a fine seed for cultivation," Chong Xuan Sheng remarked.
"Back when I could only lift a wooden sword, someone praised me for the same thing. It's not such a rare compliment." Jiang Wang was utterly indifferent. "Aren't you going after Xu Fang?"
Chong Xuan Sheng smiled and walked off, though his steps were unhurried.
If Xu Fang had truly gone into hiding, if he still had any thoughts about the world, he would also know that he could not escape the sight of those dim, watchful eyes wandering here.
After only a few alleys, they heard a strange noise.
"Who goes there?"
Chong Xuan Sheng turned to see a dark figure emerge from a corner and dash outward.
The noise was a bit too deliberately obvious, but Chong Xuan Sheng didn't care.
With a reach of his hand, an intangible yet tangible force "pulled" the figure before him.
The man's hair hung in a messy tangle over his face, so filthy that his features were unrecognizable. He was dressed in rags, his entire body emanating a sour stench. Only his eyes remained lively.
Having been pulled before Chong Xuan Sheng, he didn't cry out in panic, merely asking in a hoarse voice, "The Chong Xuan family?"
There was no need to ask who it was.
Besides Xu Fang, who else in this place could recognize Chong Arts?
Chong Xuan Sheng released his grip, letting the man land before him. "Mr. Xu, you've made me search far and wide."
"Heh heh." Xu Fang panted a couple of times, using a hand to push back his tangled hair. "Look at me—what about me resembles a 'Mister'?"
His voice was hoarse and grating, so unpleasant it made one frown.
Chong Xuan Sheng folded his hands behind his back. "If I wish for you to be, then you are. Even if you don't look it!"
"Whatever it is that has driven you to such trouble, you've found the wrong person." Xu Fang said, his eyelids drooping, without a ripple of emotion. "I'm merely waiting for death now. There's nothing I can do."
He truly appeared as though his heart had turned to ashes.
Yet Chong Xuan Sheng asked with chilling cruelty, "Then why haven't you died yet?"
He should have died long ago, but he hadn't.
Life was worse than death, yet he refused to die.
Naturally, because there was resentment in his heart, hatred that still burned!
"You cannot help me, and I cannot help you," Xu Fang said. "I am already a cripple."
I am a cripple, so you cannot help me. I am a cripple, so I cannot help you.
The despair within these words was something anyone could understand.
"You were indeed a cripple before, but now you're not so crippled. Because I am someone who can make even trash useful," Chong Xuan Sheng said.
What Xu Fang had said was, "I am already a cripple"—meaning, before his current circumstances, he had not been one. This was the sliver of dignity he retained for himself.
But Chong Xuan Sheng trampled it without mercy.
"You are cruel," Xu Fang said.
"Therefore, you should have a little confidence in me now," Chong Xuan Swearing.
Xu Fang let out a dry wail—whether of weeping or laughter, it was hard to tell—then, as if afraid of disturbing someone, swallowed half of it back.
...
Not long after leaving Yuli District, Jiang Wang considered for a moment, asked Chong Xuan Sheng and Xu Fang to wait, and turned back alone.
When he found the beggar, the man shrank back in alarm, eyeing him with extreme vigilancy.
He feared Jiang Wang would go back on his word and come to reclaim the gold.
Jiang Wang looked at him and said, "I came looking for you specifically to give you a piece of advice. Hand the gold over, and you can live a decent life for a while. If not... you will die."
Compassion was something no one in Yuli District believed in.
But this unusually clean youth looked so different.
The beggar thought for a moment, then suddenly crawled before Jiang Wang, kowtowing repeatedly. "Take me with you, my lord! I'll follow you from now on! I'll do anything!"
However.
Jiang Wang shook his head and turned to leave directly.
"This world is cruel. You are of no use."