Urban Martial Saint

The Half-Moon Night spans two evenings, and only during the night can the Gold Silk Armor continue to point the way. Therefore, during the daytime, those Japanese ninjas didn’t move at all and stayed in the hotel to rest.

With no movement from the Japanese ninjas, those tracking them naturally stayed put as well. Ye Qing and Fu Qingping spent a whole day in the hotel, not even leaving their room to avoid being discovered by people from the Church.

During this day, Ye Qing was also keeping an eye on the movements of the Church’s members. However, their situation was similar to Ye Qing’s; these individuals were also hiding in the hotel, never showing themselves. This made Ye Qing even more certain that they must have some tracking device, which is why they could stay in the hotel without worry.

Having confirmed this, Ye Qing had developed a new plan. Although the specific situation regarding the Japanese ninjas was still unclear, it was evident these people were aware they were being tracked. And yet, they still boldly sought the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, which indicated they were well-prepared. If Ye Qing followed too closely now, he would risk falling into traps set by the Japanese ninjas and being noticed by the Church’s members behind him. This would result in being caught in a pincer attack, which would be dangerous. Thus, it would be better to let the Church’s people go ahead while he followed them, to first eliminate the risk of being sandwiched. As for whether the Japanese ninjas might have traps, letting the Church walk into them first would ensure Ye Qing’s safety.

Of course, Ye Qing was most concerned about the Wanyan Family. He was convinced they wouldn’t give up so easily. However, not seeing anyone from the Wanyan Family made him puzzled and wary. This absence could mean one of two things: either they gave up on the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, or they were confident in obtaining the tomb without needing to follow too closely. Thinking about it, Ye Qing felt the latter possibility was more likely, necessitating higher vigilance against the Wanyan Family.

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One uneventful day passed, and that evening, as soon as the moon appeared, the Great Elder took out the Gold Silk Armor again to resume searching for the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master. Following the previous method, he let the Gold Silk Armor float in the air, using its sleeves to point the way.

”Tonight is the last night of this Half-Moon Night period; it seems we might not find it this time,” one ninja murmured.

The other ninjas shared the same thought; after all, Huaxia was incredibly vast. Following the direction guided by the Gold Silk Armor, who knows when they’d find the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master? Perhaps the tomb isn’t in the South at all, but in the North!

The Great Elder didn’t pay attention to his subordinates; he kept his eyes fixed on the Gold Silk Armor. Strangely, viewing the Gold Silk Armor today felt somewhat different than yesterday. Though the sleeves were still pointing in a direction, the patterns on the Gold Silk Armor seemed to have changed.

”Doesn’t this Gold Silk Armor look different from last night?” the Great Elder whispered.

”Different?” Instantly, everyone gathered around to look at the Gold Silk Armor. Moments earlier, they hadn’t noticed, but now, carefully observing, they also realized something was amiss.

”Indeed, the patterns on it aren’t the same as yesterday. What’s going on?” a ninja remarked.

”Why did the patterns on the Gold Silk Armor begin to change?” another person noted.

As everyone watched closely, the patterns on the Gold Silk Armor indeed started to change gradually, much like water ripples, dispersing in some areas and converging in others. Initially woven to resemble clothing, within moments, strange patterns emerged on the chest area.

”Patterns are appearing?” a ninja queried in surprise, ”What kind of pattern is this?”

Everyone focused intently on the Gold Silk Armor, with no attention left for anything else. After a while of looking, the patterns gradually formed, and someone finally whispered, ”This pattern looks like... like a picture?”

”Not just looks like—it is a picture!” the Third Elder exclaimed excitedly to the Great Elder, ”Great Elder, could this picture indicate the location of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master?”

The Great Elder, alongside the others, carefully examined the Gold Silk Armor. The stripes on its chest indeed formed a picture, depicting a towering mountain. The mountain was distinctive, almost like a stone pillar reaching into the sky, surrounded by steep terrain.

”Does Huaxia have such a mountain?” the Great Elder asked seriously, sensing the picture was not merely a picture but surely indicative of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master’s location. The tomb could very well be on this mountain!

The ninjas exchanged bewildered glances; Huaxia had countless mountains, but who knew if there was one like this?

Seeing no one answer, the Great Elder grew somewhat angry and said sternly, ”What are you staring for? Quickly send this picture back and let them check through computers whether such a mountain exists in Huaxia!”

Finally, the group reacted, and a ninja promptly stepped forward, took a photo of the picture on the Gold Silk Armor, and sent it to Iga-ryu to await a response.

”Great Elder, what should we do now?” While waiting, the Seventh Elder approached and whispered, ”Should we continue according to the direction indicated by the Gold Silk Armor, or wait here for news?”

The Great Elder pondered briefly and responded, ”Continue onward; surely the direction indicated by the Gold Silk Armor won’t be wrong. Until the position in the picture is verified, we’ll follow the direction indicated by the Gold Silk Armor. If the mountain’s location aligns with our direction, it proves the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master must be on that mountain, and we can directly search it then!”

”Understood!” They all complied in unison, quickly packing and driving off downstairs.

As soon as the Japanese ninjas departed, Ye Qing received the news. The team of professionals dispatched by Zhao Chengshuang tracked the location indicator in three shifts, day and night. As soon as the Japanese ninjas moved, Ye Qing would undoubtedly receive word.

However, this time Ye Qing didn’t follow immediately, instead lingering in the hotel a bit, waiting for the Church’s people to mobilize first. He had planned during the day for the Church’s members to scout ahead; if the Japanese ninjas had traps, he wanted them to fall into them first.

Predictably, just ten minutes after the Japanese ninjas left, the Church’s people followed suit. These people evidently had no idea Ye Qing was also following, so they boldly proceeded. If they knew Ye Qing was tracking them too, they might’ve waited for him to go first.

Once the Church’s members left, Ye Qing, along with Fu Qingping, descended the stairs and drove slowly to follow them. Thanks to the locator, they weren’t scared of losing track of these people, and now it was time to let the Church pave the way.

Three teams progressed in succession; the Japanese ninjas led at the front, unaware of the situation behind them. However, they ignored the rear circumstances, as the Great Elder seemed to have everything under control, leaving nothing to worry about.

The vehicles left the hotel and drove for about two hours before the Great Elder received a message from headquarters.

”Great Elder, this mountain is indeed within Huaxia!” The ninja on the phone looked at the Great Elder and whispered, ”This mountain is called Chatiang Peak, located in the southern part of Xi Yuan County, Pingnan Province!”

”Does it match the direction indicated by the Gold Silk Armor?” the Great Elder quickly inquired.

The ninja glanced at the direction pointed by the Gold Silk Armor, gradually nodded, and said, ”That’s the direction!”

”Then it’s correct!” The Great Elder exclaimed with excitement, pointing at the Gold Silk Armor, ”I finally understand! On the first night, the Gold Silk Armor only indicates direction, and on the second night, it displays an image showing the specific location. Now, we just need to proceed to Chatiang Peak, and using the Gold Silk Armor’s guidance, we can easily find the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master!”

Everyone was slightly puzzled, and one person whispered, ”Great Elder, if that’s the case, why haven’t previous holders of the Gold Silk Armor received information about Chatiang Peak? Haven’t they inspected the Gold Silk Armor during Half-Moon Night?”

The question stunned the Great Elder; indeed, the Gold Silk Armor had existed for thousands of years, with countless individuals researching it. Surely someone must’ve seen it during Half-Moon Night. But why was the information about Chatiang Peak unknown to them?

After thinking about his experience with the Gold Silk Armor, the Great Elder whispered, ”Could this be a possibility? Last night, we let the Gold Silk Armor float in the air, which made it display the image tonight. Prior holders likely feared losing the Gold Silk Armor and wouldn’t have let it freely float through the night during Half-Moon Night. Therefore, the images didn’t appear previously!”

The group exchanged surprised glances; the Great Elder’s explanation seemed plausible. Could the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master truly be at Chatiang Peak? Narrowing the search to this mountain indeed made finding the tomb much easier.

”How far is Chatiang Peak from us?” the Great Elder asked gravely.