Chapter 337: Swaggering
Meng Zhang showed no signs of panic due to Ye Feifan's disappearance. Ye Feifan had left an illusion here, undoubtedly to prevent anyone from discovering that he had departed. Sooner or later, he would return here.
After waiting for several hours, Meng Zhang noticed some anomalies. Being more attentive this time, he occasionally used his Deception Breaking Eye technique to observe and discovered how Ye Feifan sneaked in and out.
A faint, invisible wisp of green smoke drifted gently into Ye Feifan's residence, without making any sound. The wisp of green smoke landed softly on Ye Feifan's bed and immediately transformed into Ye Feifan's likeness, causing the previous illusion to naturally dissipate. The whole process was silent and uneventful.
Meng Zhang raised an eyebrow in surprise. He recognized it as a rare form of Smoke Manipulation, a variant of Wind and Dust Manipulation. Its speed was moderate, but it provided enough concealment.
Being able to use Smoke Manipulation in such a subtle and inconspicuous manner was not something an ordinary Refining Qi cultivator at the second level could achieve. During the many years in the Endless Sea of Sand, Meng Zhang had never encountered a cultivator skilled in Smoke Manipulation. If it weren't for the inheritance he obtained from the Taiyi Sect during the Trial Ground, he wouldn't have recognized this secret technique.
Ye Feifan had returned, and there shouldn't be any other unexpected events tonight, Meng Zhang thought.
At dawn, Ye Feifan did as usual, scavenging a pile of junk and heading to yesterday's spot to set up his stall and deceive people.
This time, Meng Zhang didn't follow Ye Feifan but returned to the warehouse. Yang Xueyi hadn't left and was busy dealing with various visiting merchants.
Because he had instructed a few clever Refining Qi disciples before leaving, they had already gone out early to inquire about the materials needed to refine the Lesser Foundation Building Pill.
The recipe for the Lesser Foundation Building Pill was still classified within the Taiyi Sect, and these Refining Qi disciples weren't qualified to know it yet. Meng Zhang gave them a long list of material names, mixing in the ingredients for the Lesser Foundation Building Pill. He turned it into a task issued by the sect for them to inquire around.
After returning to the warehouse and exchanging greetings with Yang Xueyi, Meng Zhang left once more.
In Great Wind City, there were specific places to gather information. By spending spirit stones, one could inquire about less important news. Meng Zhang went to a teahouse and used this channel to gather information about the Ye family.
The information about the Ye family was nothing new and not a secret. Meng Zhang didn't spend much spirit stones and obtained the information he wanted.
To be safe, Meng Zhang visited a few more places and gathered information about the Ye family through different channels.
After consolidating the information from various sources and combining it with his own observations, Meng Zhang formulated a bold conjecture.
As daytime passed and night fell, Meng Zhang once again arrived outside Ye Feifan's residence.
This time, Meng Zhang came prepared and learned from last night's lessons. Ye Feifan's illusion could no longer deceive him.
Ye Feifan's illusory figure continued to lie in bed, seemingly asleep. The wisp of green smoke quietly left the place and drifted outside. Meng Zhang followed from afar without revealing any traces.
That wisp of green smoke was extremely cautious, drifting around the streets. Once it slipped into the shadows, not even a trace of its shadow could be seen.
Fortunately, Meng Zhang's Deception Breaking Eye was powerful, and with the advancement of his Cultivation Base, the effectiveness of the Deception Breaking Eye improved, and its duration extended, allowing him to use it more frequently.
After circling the streets a few times and confirming that no one was tailing it, the wisp of green smoke quickly floated to its true destination.
It arrived at a not-so-small courtyard, far away from the bustling city, and appeared very serene. The exterior of the courtyard was protected by a defensive Formation to keep outsiders at bay.
The wisp of green smoke encountered no obstacles and floated gently inside, disappearing within the courtyard.
Meng Zhang activated his Deception Breaking Eye and carefully observed the protective Formation outside.
Great Wind City was originally situated above a massive Third Rank spirit vein. Since its establishment, the major cultivation families within the city had used various means to either attract spirit veins into the city or enhance the existing ones using Spirit Source Pearls.
As a result, the current Great Wind City was abundant in spiritual energy, but this energy was not dispersed randomly, nor was it absorbed freely by everyone. Depending on the location and the influence of various factions, the concentration of spiritual energy differed throughout the city.
The spiritual energy on the main streets was sufficient for Refining Qi initial-stage cultivators to absorb, but if one wanted higher concentrations, they needed to go to better locations and acquire more premium properties.
The courtyard Meng Zhang had secured in the warehouse provided enough spiritual energy for Foundation Building stage cultivators in their daily practice, and the price was naturally steep.
The location of the courtyard before him was quite good, situated in a relatively upscale area. The spiritual energy here was enough to support a small Second Rank Formation.
Despite having the assistance of the Deception Breaking Eye, Meng Zhang knew that he couldn't pass through the protective Formation without making a sound and secretly entering inside.
After some thought, Meng Zhang revealed his presence and confidently walked to the outside of the courtyard.
He lightly flicked his fingertip, and a strand of true qi gently struck the Formation, causing ripples to spread.
After a while, when he was certain that the people inside the courtyard had reacted, Meng Zhang called out, "Ye Feifan, my friend, I have come to visit you. Please open the door and let me in."
After waiting for quite some time and receiving no response from inside, Meng Zhang remained unperturbed and continued, "Ye brother, you wouldn't want me to stay on the street indefinitely. If passersby accidentally overhear something they shouldn't and leak it to the likes of the Huang Family cultivators, the outcome might not be so pleasant."
Perhaps Meng Zhang's threat had worked, as the defensive Formation trembled, revealing a door that could only fit one person at a time. Without hesitation, Meng Zhang sauntered in, showing no signs of concern for any traps inside.
As soon as Meng Zhang entered, the door on the Formation immediately closed.
Meng Zhang didn't look back and continued forward, entering a small garden within the courtyard.
"Aren't you afraid that I'll trap you here forever?" Ye Feifan emerged from one of the rooms and faced Meng Zhang directly.
"Why should I be afraid, Ye brother? It's actually you who should be afraid. If I stay here tonight and can't leave, by tomorrow morning, my clan members will visit the Huang Family and share everything about this place with their cultivators," Meng Zhang said nonchalantly.
He appeared entirely at ease, showing no signs of nervousness.
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