Chapter 313 - Observations
Zou Tian observed the market from the shadows, no one aware of his presence. For the first time in several days, he’d spotted a potential target—a young man wearing a green robe.
The manuals stated that an important task for a spy was establishing communications, and Zou Tian, during his nearly four weeks in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, had yet to do so. His goal, therefore, was to slip a note addressed to Elder Kang inside the young man’s pocket.
Zou Tian had tried twice before. Both times, the target had been distracted by a transaction with a merchant. Both times, he’d had the perfect opportunity to slip in the note. Yet both times, he’d decided not to follow through with the act.
It was frustrating.
The problem was that most cultivator robes didn’t have pockets on the outside, including the official one worn by Poison Claw Sect members. All pouches were located inside the robe, close to the wearer’s body. Some cultivators wore full undergarments covering almost the entirety of their skin underneath their outerwear. Others didn’t. And it was difficult to determine which a cultivator chose from observation alone.
Per the manual, a spy shouldn’t care whether the target was a young man or a young lady. Either was just as valid a target as the other.
Unfortunately, Zou Tian wasn’t quite good enough at his chosen career yet to ignore the difference. Placing his hand inside a young lady’s robe, even with the goal of avoiding all actual contact, just hadn’t felt right. He wasn’t even that bold with Wan Ai yet!
Of course, his failure made him feel horrible about himself. After all, the information he’d gathered was important, and he had no other safe way to get it where it needed to go. But he’d waited until he found a male interested in making a purchase at one of the stalls before proceeding with such a crucial task.
Master would be fine with the decision, but Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu would definitely be disappointed.
A lull in the crowd allowed Zou Tian to slip from his hiding place, wearing an average, forgettable face he’d crafted using Master’s ring and plain, utterly common clothes that no one would feel were out of place. The target had his eye on a necklace with a purple charm, maybe a present for a young lady friend.
Perfect.
Not for the first time, Zou Tian thanked the heavens for the manuals.