Chapter 2525: Marked for Surveillance

Can ordinary humans even meddle in a Heavenly Demon's experiment?

Ling Jinbao laughed. "Yanxia Bay is heavily guarded; we need to find a way to infiltrate. The Great Emperor's meaning is that this Baisong City is likely closely connected to it. As long as we uncover this connection, striking from Baisong City might be easier."

The little stone figure nodded, understanding.

Ling Jinbao turned to He Lingchuan. "The bird yaoguai just said there are many caravans entering and leaving Baisong City, but there's only one road leading north from Baisong City now, and it basically transports things to only one place."

Yanxia Bay.

"Located in a remote area, not on a trade route, with meager agricultural yields, yet it can still support such a massive population. Interesting." He Lingchuan said to Dong Rui and Ling Jinbao, "Let's find a pretext and go into the city to look around first."

Before Zhu Xiuer could speak, he said ahead of her, "Madam is entering the Doukou Garden."

The Spider Queen was disgruntled, but she also knew her form was special and easily noticed.

Ling Jinbao was eager. "Pretend to be merchants and go in?"

He hadn't done this kind of thing a few times before.

And having stayed on the Earth Mother's back for a long time, he also wanted to get down on the ground and walk, breathe some fresh air.

Dong Rui shook his head. "Not appropriate. I previously tailed a caravan; they came out of Baisong City, about fifty large carts. By my observation, only about ten carts here were heavily loaded; the rest were basically empty, the wheel ruts very shallow."

"Didn't get good cargo on the return trip?"

Caravans aim to make money; they stress departing fully loaded and returning fully loaded — selling goods at the destination for money, then buying new goods there to transport to the next location; only this way is efficient. Long-distance trade all requires attention to empty-load rates; places where cargo can't be picked up, caravans won't like to go to in the future.

"I feared it was an isolated case for one caravan, so I tailed three more; basically all the same. Enter fully loaded, leave empty." Dong Rui said, "Only running one way shows this place has no special products. Caravans shouldn't like coming, so how can it be bustling with traffic like now?"

He Lingchuan made the decision. "Looks like there are special circumstances inside the city; we shouldn't pose as independent merchants. Best to blend into a caravan and enter."

……

With He Lingchuan's drive, three hours later he, Dong Rui, and Ling Jinbao had blended into a caravan and walked unimpeded through Baisong City's main gate.

With the Mirage Horn in hand, impersonating the caravan's clerks was no trouble, while the three real caravan hands were all stuffed into the Earth Mother's embrace.

This caravan came from Tuocheng ninety li away; this time they transported oil, knives, and candy. According to the caravan hands, the caravan ships goods to Baisong City every ten days or half a month, stays in the city one or two nights, unloads, and leaves, rarely purchasing new goods from Baisong City, so the return empty-load rate is indeed high.

High as it is, the caravan owners don't mind; the people running errands for them are happy to have it easy.

Who are the caravan owners? A few wealthy merchants of Tuocheng, said to all have official backgrounds. These caravan hands also said other cities send supplies to Baisong City; they always encounter other caravans on the road.

When asked what Baisong City's people live on, the three caravan hands thought a moment and said there are mines outside the city, and a large lake, and also farmland.

The Earth Mother's avatar, the little stone figure, quietly told He Lingchuan, "This entire Baisong City has a barrier forbidding earth escape."

After the revival of heaven and earth's spiritual Qi, though Xuanjing isn't as rare as before, which city would keep an anti-escape barrier active every moment?

Barriers burn money.

A small country's small city, and a remote small city at that — why activate such a barrier? Could there be yaoguai proficient in earth escape nearby, always sneaking into the city to eat people?

The city gate guards' inspection of passing caravans wasn't strict either; they just checked the leader's credentials and let them pass.

Just then the clouds parted to reveal the sun; bright sunlight fell on the city gate. He Lingchuan took two steps, his gaze sweeping over his companions, and froze.

Huh?

One look from him and Dong Rui knew something was wrong, asking quietly:

"What is it?"

"Nothing." He Lingchuan smiled. "I just thought the fried cakes at that stall by the wall base look good."

Ling Jinbao immediately said, "I think so too; I'll go buy a few."

He hurriedly left the group, quickly bought six fried cakes, and returned — sugar filling, red bean paste, and vegetable filling, all available.

But from He Lingchuan's perspective, everyone in the caravan, including the three of them, actually had a yellow thread stuck to their bodies!

This thing, he was truly familiar with it:

Divine Gaze!

Usually only those who have been to a god's temple and been marked by a god would have this kind of mark on them; our side never entered a temple.

However, they had just passed through the city gate.

He Lingchuan looked back and could still see the crowd queuing outside through the gate tunnel.

This made it very clear: under the same sunlight, the people waiting to enter the city were clean, nothing on them, but after passing through the city gate, their bodies gained this yellow thread.

Does the Heavenly God treat the city gate as a temple gate? Outsiders go in and out, and gain a tracking line.

Seeing this, He Lingchuan instead felt relieved. Everyone entering has it, so it's not specifically targeting the three of them.

Which Heavenly God is so idle as to tag every passing pedestrian?

But this also means Baisong City definitely has something fishy; otherwise a Heavenly God wouldn't specifically keep it under his eyelids, monitoring it so closely.

However, the three caravan hands whose identities they impersonated had entered and left Baisong City many times before, and when captured they didn't have this thread on them.

He Lingchuan was quite certain, because there was sunlight then too.

This shows the Divine Gaze doesn't follow constantly; perhaps it retracts after leaving the city and going far.

Most likely, because daily traffic through the city gate is truly considerable; if a Heavenly God had to watch every person tightly for a lifetime, that wouldn't be realistic either.

Perhaps they care more about outsiders' movements in Baisong City? Meaning, the moment an outsider enters Baisong City, the Heavenly God or local forces know.

Interesting; this trip counts as coming to the right place.

He Lingchuan didn't make a fuss, and alongside his companions gnawed on fried cakes while following the caravan through the streets.

Must admit, these fried cakes were crisp outside, glutinous inside, fillings delicate — unexpectedly delicious; even Ling Jinbao wanted to go back and buy more.

The Baisong City before them was actually quite prosperous; streets lined with shops, goods dazzling, citizens coming and going.

He Lingchuan used the sunlight to look; most people had no yellow threads.

Only outsiders like them had been marked.

Or more precisely, only those who recently passed through the city gate were followed by the Heavenly God's gaze.

Passing the market, Dong Rui glanced inside and happened to catch a household slaughtering a pig; the fat pig squealed loudly, commoners all watching, a woman even took out silver to buy meat. Her face was red, as if broken out in a rash.

(End of Chapter)