I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 170

## Chapter 170: Tracking Mark

Through testing, Lu Changan discovered that by killing the target and absorbing their essence and soul, the mask’s acquired identity was not only a perfect simulation of appearance and aura.

There was a latent quality within the Hundred Illusions Mask that influenced him. Every movement, every smile, every frown, resonated with the inner temperament of the acquired identity.

It only took a moment.

He was as if possessed by the dead Pei Qiu Yan, bringing to life a stunningly beautiful, aloof Foundation Establishment cultivator.

His habits, tone of voice, and subtle movements, all reached the point of being indistinguishable from the real.

“As long as I don’t slip up, even those who know me well wouldn’t be able to detect my disguise.”

Lu Changan drew his conclusion.

This was a major difference from the previous method, which only used blood and mana aura to achieve a convincing disguise. It lacked the true essence.

Years ago, when he disguised himself as his junior brother Cheng, he could only ensure that the appearance and aura were indistinguishable. If he were around people he knew well, they might have noticed something was off.

Luckily, Cheng had been expelled from the sect for years, and Lu Changan was cautious and spoke little, so he didn’t show any obvious flaws.

After a long time, Lu Changan removed the Hundred Illusions Mask. His mind went blank for a moment, as if he was returning from an immersive role-playing experience to his own true identity.

Ordinary cultivators would experience a strong sense of disparity.

However, compared to the reincarnation and rebirth of the Nine-Seal Stele, this was just a drop in the ocean.

Squeek!

Seeing Lu Changan return to his original form, the Earth Rock Rat was overjoyed. It relaxed from its tense, bristling state.

It stretched out its paw and touched Lu Changan’s body affectionately, seemingly trying to distinguish between true and false.

…

The chaotic battles around Wu Qi Mountain were subdued for the next half year.

The intervention of the Li Huo Palace seemed to have served as a deterrent.

The spirit stones Lu Changan had given to Song Wenshu as a reward for his hard work (split among the three peak masters) weren’t wasted.

Song Wenshu occasionally brought some enforcement cultivators from the Li Huo Palace to patrol the vicinity of Wu Qi Mountain, stopping by Little Turtle Peak for a cup of tea.

In the eyes of outsiders, this demonstrated the good relationship between Wu Qi Mountain and the cultivators of the Li Huo Palace.

However, guests on Wu Qi Mountain being intercepted and killed on their way still couldn’t be entirely prevented.

It just wasn’t as brazen as before, and the crime scenes were at least dozens of miles away.

This situation, compared to most markets or the outskirts of Immortal Cities, was already considered quite good.

This was mainly due to the overall environment.

With the continuous war between the sects and Feng Guo, more evil spirits, rogue cultivators, and small-time crooks were taking the opportunity to stir up trouble and fish in troubled waters.

The real culprits, the true rogue cultivators and demonic cultivators, were only a small part.

In many cases, it was “temporary acting” by ordinary cultivators, like the deceased Pei siblings.

If Lu Changan hadn’t lived this long, had vast wealth, and encountered good opportunities, he might have also played the part of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, fishing with a bait.

One day.

The three peak masters of Wu Qi Mountain were having a meeting in the cave abode of Little Turtle Peak.

This meeting was initiated by Lu Changan.

“Recently, the incidents of murder and robbery, and the interception of guests around Wu Qi Mountain have increased. There’s a trend of resurgence and a return to chaos.”

Lu Changan spoke.

What he didn’t say was: in the past two months, his powerful soul had faintly sensed an unknown cultivator spying on Wu Qi Mountain from afar.

This spying might not have been directed at Wu Qi Mountain, perhaps it was to keep an eye on the guests.

As someone with a long lifespan and the Condensation Crystal Pill in hand, he needed a peaceful environment for cultivation.

“I’ve also noticed this. Recently, the guests who were intercepted and killed were basically cultivators with weak strength or backgrounds, and most of the incidents happened at night.”

Shi Xianzi nodded.

In the broader context, security had declined throughout the Liang Guo Immortal Realm, a common phenomenon, especially near smaller trading communities.

The sects were fighting a war, their manpower was limited, and they couldn’t handle every little case.

The deaths were just a few ordinary cultivators, and didn’t cause much trouble, so the sect wouldn’t take it seriously.

Song Wenshu was very busy lately, and these minor incidents on Wu Qi Mountain, which weren’t particularly outstanding, weren’t worth bothering him for a major intervention.

“Lu Daoist asked us to come here, do you have any suggestions?”

Ye Fei smiled.

As neighbors for so many years, he understood Lu Changan’s way of doing things.

“There are two plans.”

Lu Changan pondered.

“Firstly, if we don’t want to take the risk, we can spend spirit stones to hire a powerful cultivator to eliminate the rogue cultivators who have settled nearby.”

“Secondly, if the rogue cultivators are not strong, we can handle them ourselves privately, to make an example of them.”

Upon hearing this, the other two peak masters nodded slightly, indicating their agreement.

The three peak masters of Wu Qi Mountain had considerable wealth and strength, so both plans were viable.

“The premise is that we need to figure out the rogue cultivators’ strength. I’m not good at tracking.”

Shi Manrong mused.

Lu Changan and Ye Fei looked at each other.

“This matter will be entrusted to the two of us.”

Lu Changan had a second-order rat demon, with a keen sense of smell, skilled in tracking and investigation.

Ye Fei, besides his knowledge of pharmacology and poisons, also mastered a mysterious insect-controlling technique.

“Shi Xianzi has a high cultivation level and the most skills, if we need to fight, we’ll need your help.”

…

Over the next few nights, Lu Changan and Ye Fei secretly investigated.

They first checked the area within twenty miles of Wu Qi Mountain and found no trace or location of the rogue cultivators.

At noon that day.

Little Turtle Peak, in the pavilion by the lotus pond.

Lu Changan was sipping the spirit tea brought by his servant girl.

The Xuan Shui Gui was lying by the pond, staring fixedly at a certain direction, its eyes filled with a faint longing.

Lu Changan suddenly thought of Guan Qiao Zhi, who hadn’t written in years.

“Twenty years.”

He calculated roughly, Guan Qiao Zhi had been gone for more than twenty years.

When she left, Lu Changan was one hundred and seven years old.

A few days ago, Lu Changan turned one hundred and twenty-eight.

In a few more years, Guan Qiao Zhi would also reach one hundred years old.

Because she hadn’t been involved in any struggles, she had taken good care of herself and consumed a first-order longevity pill. He estimated that Guan Qiao Zhi could live at least until the upper limit of the Qi Refinement stage.

Swoosh!

A Foundation Establishment escape light flew from outside Wu Qi Mountain, heading straight for the mountain, interrupting Lu Changan’s thoughts.

“Uncle Lu!”

The soft, melodious voice of a woman came.

A slender, graceful woman in a blue dress landed in front of Little Turtle Peak.

She had bright eyes and pearly white teeth, looking graceful and refined.

The familiar features and voice stirred two different memories in Lu Changan.

The more distant memories had faded.

The recent memories were of one of the two servant girls on Little Turtle Peak, that aloof and determined girl in a blue dress.

“Bing Yun, you’ve come.”

Lu Changan rose, smiling.

The formation opened, and Mu Bing Yun entered this place that was once so familiar.

Twenty years had passed, the layout of the mountain, every blade of grass, every tree, remained almost unchanged.

The Xuan Shui Gui had just grown a little bigger.

That respected Uncle Lu, was still in white robes, his face ageless, peaceful and serene.

His handsome figure was like an ancient tree rooted in the earth, growing deeper and more stable with age.

At that moment, perhaps it was her own perception, but she felt a faint sense of grandeur.

…

“Bing Yun, I have seen Uncle Lu.”

Mu Bing Yun walked forward, her tone respectful, she bowed slightly.

As a descendant of an old friend, a former servant girl who was once close to him, Lu Changan didn’t make any polite remarks, but allowed her to sit freely in the pavilion.

The moment Mu Bing Yun entered the pavilion, she nearly slipped back into her old role as a servant girl, ready to serve tea and water for Uncle Lu.

She realized that those twenty years on Little Turtle Peak had left an indelible mark on her life.

“Right now, it’s quite chaotic around Wu Qi Mountain, you shouldn’t come here without any reason.”

Lu Changan took a sip of tea, looking at the former servant girl again.

Mu Bing Yun had already advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, it must have happened in the past two years.

This was more successful than he expected.

“Uncle Lu, within the territory of Liang Guo, other than the sect lands, where is there any real peace?”

Mu Bing Yun sighed.

Then, she explained the reason for her trip to Wu Qi Mountain.

“A few months ago, Zhu Ye Mountain Market, which was already chaotic, was attacked and conquered by a group of cultivators working together from within and without. There was fighting and looting everywhere in the market, the family shops suffered heavy losses, and several people were killed…”

Lu Changan hadn’t expected the security situation in Zhu Ye Mountain to be worse than Wu Qi Mountain.

The area around Wu Qi Mountain had only a handful of rogue cultivators, and no major incidents had occurred.

“The owner of Zhu Ye Mountain is the Feng Ye Huang family. The dao companion of the Huang family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator, ‘Huang Ying Chun’, that late-Foundation Establishment cultivator, didn’t intervene?”

Lu Changan’s eyes flashed.

“No. That late-Foundation Establishment cultivator is nearing the end of his lifespan, and he’s already old. Huang Ying Chun broke up with him two years ago, so he naturally wouldn’t fight for this…”

Mu Bing Yun explained.

“In the battle in the market, a new Foundation Establishment cultivator that the Huang family had painstakingly cultivated in recent years also unfortunately perished.”

Hearing this, Lu Changan basically concluded that Zhu Ye Mountain was going to become a place of trouble.

“Fei Yue Lake is a Foundation Establishment family close to Zhu Ye Mountain, the safety of their cultivators is being threatened. My second uncle and I have discussed it, we plan to upgrade the protective formation of Fei Yue Lake.”

“The Shi Xianzi of Wu Qi Mountain is a quasi-third-order array master, and she has a good relationship with Uncle Lu. Bing Yun would like to ask her to help with setting up the array.”

Mu Bing Yun stated her purpose.

“This is no problem. I’ll take you to visit her later.”

Lu Changan nodded.

His relationship with Shi Xianzi wasn’t ordinary.

“By the way, Bing Yun, when you came to Wu Qi Mountain, did you feel like anyone was watching you?”

Lu Changan asked.

“I felt that way at some point.”

Mu Bing Yun wasn’t sure, she was thinking hard.

Based on her understanding of Uncle Lu, if he asked this question, there must be a reason.

In the current relatively chaotic situation, being watched occasionally on the road was considered normal.

However, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, who was also a second-order talisman master, ordinary rogue cultivators wouldn’t dare to make a move.

Even without prior planning, a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t be able to say for sure that they could take down a mid-Foundation Establishment talisman master.

But Lu Changan had discovered that someone had placed a hidden tracking mark on Mu Bing Yun.

(End of Chapter)

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