Chapter 58 Deliberately Creating Confusion

A few minutes earlier.

"Tch, that jerk Su Xiuyan overestimated himself and lost the target, and now he is taking his anger out on us."

A few men were wandering through the mountain forest, supposedly sent to search for the whereabouts of Shen Chang'an and the others. In reality, however, they appeared extremely sluggish and lacked any motivation to conduct a search.

"Keep your voice down. If anyone hears you, none of us will meet a good end."

"Hmph! I'm just feeling a sense of injustice for our boss. Back when we served under the Saintess, our positions weren't low at all. And now look at us, dumped here to act as mere scouts."

The person he referred to as the boss was the leader of the three.

The leader fell silent for a moment before asking, "Then do you want to go back and serve the Saintess?"

"Of course that's impossible..."

Putting aside whether the Saintess would even take them back, just thinking about the precarious situation she was currently in was enough to deter anyone from wanting to return.

As they were talking, the group walked past a clearing in the woods. Glancing up, they caught sight of a figure standing with his back to them on a hillside, seemingly observing something.

They were all too familiar with this figure.

Not long ago, this very same figure had led all of them on a wild chase deep into these mountains.

"It's Shen Chang'an!"

"Where is Jiang Yunyi?"

"I don't know, I don't see her."

"Never mind that, notify the others first."

"Wait, pull back. Let's get out of here before signaling."

Just as they uttered these words, Shen Chang'an in the distance turned around, his gaze locking directly onto them.

"Not good!"

"Quick, notify the others!"

Far away, Shen Chang'an suddenly broke into a sprint, accompanied by a rapid succession of explosive thuds. With every booming step, the ground beneath his feet caved in, leaving a small crater.

His speed was terrifyingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance and charged right in front of them.

However, the leading squad leader had already ripped the signal flare from his vest, violently yanking the fuse at the base. The miniature flare instantly shot up into the sky and burst open.

"Hahaha, Shen Chang'an, you're dead—"

Slash!

A sword blade pierced straight through his throat. Not a flicker of emotion crossed Shen Chang'an's face.

Such a blindingly fast sword.

The squad leader swore that this was undoubtedly the fastest swordsmanship he had ever witnessed—utterly devoid of any superfluous motion, clean, seasoned, precise, and ruthless.

With a sword so swift and decisive, why hadn't he been able to intercept him before pulling the signal flare?

Was it that he couldn't intercept him, or that he hadn't even intended to try?

Clutching this lingering question, he collapsed heavily to the ground.

"Boss!"

Cries filled with terror and rage erupted from the subordinates behind him. Shen Chang'an lunged forward two steps and delivered another swift flash of steel, severing the head of a second man.

Terrified beyond measure, the final remaining survivor turned and fled for his life.

Yet Shen Chang'an merely watched him run away without striking another blow, then turned and left the scene.

Not long after Shen Chang'an departed, Su Xiuyan arrived with his men, successfully intercepting the fleeing scout.

"Where is he?"

Taking in the grim scene before him, Su Xiuyan showed no concern whatsoever for his subordinates, demanding straight away to know Shen Chang'an's whereabouts.

"He... he got away."

Hearing this, Su Xiuyan's expression shifted drastically as he asked in a chilling voice, "Are you telling me that Shen Chang'an was beaten and chased off by you?"

"No, no, no, it's not like that! After I sent up the signal, he realized he didn't have enough time, so he left first."

Without listening further, Su Xiuyan bent down to examine the corpses. Silently estimating the time elapsed, he sneered, "Given how fast Shen Chang'an's swordsmanship is, you expect me to believe he felt pressed for time?"

An expert of Su Xiuyan's caliber possessed an acutely sharp judgment regarding wounds. With just a brief inspection, he was easily able to deduce Shen Chang'an's killing speed.

"I—I don't know either!" The surviving scout was dumbfounded. He had clearly tracked down Shen Chang'an's location, yet instead of receiving any reward, he found himself subjected to Su Xiuyan's relentless suspicion.

Su Xiuyan could not help but harbor doubts. Shen Chang'an had vanished for quite some time, leaving behind zero traces; yet now, he appeared the moment they let down their guard. No matter how one looked at it, something felt deeply amiss.

Right at that moment, another signal flare burst open in the sky. Su Xiuyan's expression darkened as he immediately issued an order: "Pursue!"

No matter what, he had to find the Dragon Maiden.

If he found Jiang Yunyi, everything else would be manageable; if he failed to find her, his troubles would be far from minor.

The group immediately sprang into action, charging toward the direction where the latest signal flare had been launched.

Moving at high speed, they arrived at the location within moments.

There lay two more corpses executed by Shen Chang'an, alongside yet another inexplicably surviving scout.

"How did you manage to survive this time?" Su Xiuyan demanded directly.

"He didn't kill me; he let me escape." This scout proved far more loyal than the previous one, answering without hesitation.

Su Xiuyan pondered inwardly: What exactly is Shen Chang'an playing at? Why reveal his tracks, and why always leave a single survivor behind after a massacre?

"Is he doing this on purpose? Leaving a single witness... but what's the point?"

Failing to deduce any logical explanation after a brief moment of thought, Su Xiuyan snapped orders out loud: "Tell the scouts to separate! Do not group together anymore. The moment anyone discovers the whereabouts of Shen Chang'an and the others, sound the signal immediately!"

His orders were swiftly relayed down the chain of command. The scouts all received the instruction and promptly dispersed into the wilderness, continuing their hunt for Shen Chang'an.

Meanwhile, at a distance, Li Qingqing watched the pursuing scouts break away from their previous three-man formations, a triumphant smirk blooming across her face. "He really is doing just as you anticipated."

"I don't quite understand," Shen Chang'an murmured in a low voice. "What is your purpose in having them scatter these scouts?"

Li Qingqing chuckled softly, whispering, "Daoist Priest Shen, how many of the men he brought along do you suppose used to be my subordinates?"

Shen Chang'an pondered for a brief moment before replying, "Quite a few, presumably."

"Exactly," Li Qingqing said, a cold edge creeping into her tone as she gritted her teeth. "He came here to hunt you down with a war of attrition in mind, using these men's lives as currency to buy yours. Naturally, he wouldn't bring too many of his true confidants."

"And under such circumstances, if I were to suddenly make an appearance, how do you think he would react?"

Picturing Su Xiuyan's cruel and deeply paranoid temperament, Shen Chang'an remarked, "He would suspect his own men, believing there's something shady about them."

"And in that case, what if some of them decided to listen to what I have to say?"

Shen Chang'an raised an eyebrow, perplexed. "Listen to you? Surely that's not possible?"

Although Li Qingqing still retained the title of Saintess, she had long since lost her power base. The remnants left behind followed her neither out of genuine loyalty nor righteousness—whether for survival or self-interest, none of them were likely to blindly pledge allegiance to her.

After all, this was the White Lotus Cult, not some righteous orthodox sect; where would loyalty even come from in such a place?

"Then just wait and see, Daoist Priest Shen," Li Qingqing said, a sinister, enigmatic smile playing across her lips.