The week following our gambit was a lesson in patience. The line had been cast, the bait was in the water, but the deep-dwelling predator we sought was cautious. The city outside our walls was abuzz with the legend of the "Sage's Enlightenment Pill," but within our pavilion, a quiet, focused discipline reigned. We did not wait idly; we used the time to sharpen our own blades.
My forge became the center of my universe. The mountain of Monster Cores we had acquired was my new training ground. With each passing day, my proficiency with the "Soul-Guiding Hand" grew exponentially. I could now refine three, sometimes four, Tier 1 cores simultaneously, my spiritual threads dancing in the air as I soothed and purified the chaotic remnants within. My collection of milky-white Soul Orbs grew steadily, a tangible measure of my progress. The constant, intense work pushed my cultivation to its absolute peak; I was now a hair's breadth from breaking through to the Dou Zhe stage, a transformation that would represent a true qualitative leap in my power.
Ming, too, was not idle. He had taken his training to a new level of precision. The days of explosive, uncontrolled vortexes were over. I would often see him in the courtyard, sitting perfectly still, a single teacup placed on a railing twenty feet away. He would sit for an hour in silent concentration, and then, with an almost imperceptible shimmer in the air, the teacup would tremble, lift from the railing, and glide smoothly across the yard to settle gently into his outstretched hand, not a single drop of tea spilled. It was a display of control that was, in its own way, far more terrifying than his earlier displays of raw power. He was mastering the surgeon's scalpel, not just the sledgehammer. His own aura had solidified, and I could sense that he, too, was close to a breakthrough, having reached the pinnacle of the 8th Duan of Dou Zhi Qi through his relentless focus.
Our informant kept us abreast of the rumors. The hype surrounding the pill had reached a fever pitch. It was said that high-level Dou Shi masters from neighboring cities had made journeys to Wu Tan City just to inquire about it. A visiting Dou Grandmaster had apparently offered Treasurer Meng a small fortune for it, an offer the old fox had politely declined, stating his duty to achieve the best possible price for his mysterious client. Our bait wasn't just bait anymore; it had become the most sought-after treasure in the region. We knew it was only a matter of time before our true target made his move.
The first probe came five nights after we had delivered the pill.
I was in my forge, deep in a meditative state, when Ming appeared at the door. "Showtime, Qing-er," he whispered. "Someone's making a move on the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."
I immediately abandoned my work and followed him to the main hall. He had set up a small, ornate bronze mirror on the table. He placed his hand over it, and a sliver of his Dou Qi flowed into it. The surface of the mirror rippled, and an image swam into view. It was a bird's-eye view of the street outside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, seen from the rooftop opposite. It was a simple Dou Qi tool, a "Thousand Li Mirror," that allowed for remote viewing. Another treasure i had 'found' in Master Bai's study.
In the mirror's reflection, we saw a group of five figures, clad in black from head to toe, creeping through the shadows towards the shop's front entrance.
"Amateurs?" I asked.
"Don't think so," Ming replied, his gaze intent. "Watch."
The figures moved with practiced silence, disabling the simple tripwire alarms near the windows. One of them, clearly a lock-picking expert, began to work on the shop's main door. Just as he was about to succeed, the air around the entire building suddenly hummed. Faint, intricate lines of light flared to life on the walls and door of the pavilion, forming a complex, interlocking defensive formation.
The would-be robbers were caught completely by surprise. Before they could retreat, two heavy-set figures dropped from the roof of the pavilion into the alley behind them, cutting off their escape. They were the shop's hidden guards, both peak Dou Shi experts, their faces grim and their Dou Qi flaring.
The ensuing 'fight' was a brutal, one-sided affair. The robbers, despite being skilled, were outmatched. Within a minute, all five were subdued, disarmed, and dragged inside the now-glowing pavilion.
The show was over. But Ming was still staring intently at the mirror, which was now focused on the bound form of one of the captured robbers.
"Look closer," he murmured. I leaned in. He used his Dou Qi to magnify the image. The man's sleeve had been torn in the scuffle, revealing a small, green-and-gold insignia tattooed on his forearm. The insignia of the Galeo Clan.
"They're Galeo Clan soldiers, disguised as common thugs," I breathed, the pieces clicking into place.
"Exactly," Ming confirmed. "This wasn't a random robbery. This was Jia Lie Bi, using deniable assets to try and steal the pill. He wanted to study it, to figure out its secrets, without paying the price or revealing his hand. The probe failed, but it tells us something important. He's desperate."
Jia Lie Bi's desperation led him to a more subtle approach three days later. Force had failed, so now he would try guile.
News reached us that Jia Lie Bi himself was making a grand, public visit to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. He didn't come as a buyer. He came, he claimed, as the city's foremost alchemist, to offer his "professional expertise" in verifying the authenticity of this so-called legendary pill for the good of the community. It was a masterful political move, framing him as a guardian of the public trust while giving him the perfect excuse to get close to our creation.
We watched again through our Thousand Li Mirror. The meeting between the two old foxes, Treasurer Meng and Jia Lie Bi, was a masterclass in passive aggression.
"Treasurer Meng, you understand my concern," Jia Lie Bi said with a magnanimous smile, his gaze fixed on the jade box sitting on the counter. "An item of such rumored power… we must be wary of charlatans. As a Tier 2 Alchemist, it is my duty to protect the citizens from fraud."
"Your concern is most noble, Alchemist Jia," Treasurer Meng replied, his own smile just as smooth. "However, my duty is to my client and the security of his property. The pill's authenticity speaks for itself through the energy it radiates. You are welcome to observe it, of course, but I cannot allow you to handle it directly."
A tense negotiation followed. Jia Lie Bi, using his status, tried to persuade the old merchant, but Meng held firm. Finally, a compromise was reached. The box was opened, and Jia Lie Bi was allowed to lean over the counter and observe the pill from a close distance.
He stared at it for a long time, his face a mask of intense concentration, jealousy, and disbelief. He murmured comments about its strange energy signature and perfect condensation. Then, as he straightened up to thank Treasurer Meng, he made his move. In a gesture that seemed entirely accidental, his flowing sleeve brushed against the side of the open jade box for a fraction of a second.
"My apologies, how clumsy of me," he said with a small laugh.
Ming, watching through the mirror, narrowed his eyes. "He did it."
I knew exactly what he meant. Jia Lie Bi hadn't just touched the box. He had left something behind. A spiritual marker, a faint, alchemical tracking brand. It was a classic technique described in the journal, a way for alchemists to track valuable items or spy on rivals. His plan was simple: wait for the box to be returned to its mysterious owner, and then follow the spiritual trail right to our doorstep.
He had taken the bait. And in doing so, he had sprung our trap.
That evening, our servant was summoned by Treasurer Meng. He reported Jia Lie Bi's visit and "accidental" touch, which he had found suspicious. He asked for instructions.
My instructions were simple. "Tell Treasurer Meng that due to the repeated attempts to acquire the pill by force and subterfuge, my master has grown concerned. He has decided to withdraw the item from sale for the time being to ensure its safety. Please retrieve the box and bring it back."
The next morning, the jade box was once again in my possession, resting on the stone platform in my forge.
"He'll be trying to track it now," Ming said, standing by the door. "His spiritual sense is probably reaching out, searching for the signal from his marker."
"I know," I said with a confident smile. I placed my hand over the box. The "Soul-Guiding Hand" activated, and I immediately felt the foreign trace Jia Lie Bi had left behind—a small, intricate brand of his unique spiritual energy. It was cleverly designed, meant to be undetectable to anyone but himself.
But to my soul-sense, it shone like a beacon.
I didn't remove it. Instead, I began to work, drawing on the most esoteric theories from Feng Moyuan's journal. I carefully isolated the tracking marker. Then, with threads of my own, far more refined spiritual energy, I began to weave a complex formation around it. I wasn't destroying it; I was hijacking it. I was creating a feedback loop, turning his listening device into a microphone that would scream back at him.
When I was finished, the marker was still there, but it was now encased in my own, more powerful spiritual array.
"It's done," I announced.
"What did you do?" Ming asked.
"The next time Jia Lie Bi extends his senses to track his marker," I explained, a predatory glint in my eyes, "he won't get a location. Instead, my formation will use the connection he created to send a targeted psychic pulse directly back into his own soul. It won't injure him, not seriously. But it will be a violent, jarring shock. It will be the spiritual equivalent of a thunderclap going off inside his head."
Ming's grin was wide and full of admiration. "So, he'll know."
"He'll know more than that," I corrected. "He'll know that not only was his trick discovered, but that it was dismantled and turned against him by a spiritual practitioner whose skill and control are vastly superior to his own. He'll know that the mysterious 'Master Bai' is not someone to be trifled with."
I looked at the jade box, a feeling of absolute victory washing over me. We were no longer the ones being hunted. We had just turned the tables completely.
"The fish has been pulling on the line," I said, looking at Ming. "I think it's time we gave it a good, hard yank."