Chapter 273 : Following the Trail
The appearance of the merperson was truly unexpected, making the current situation increasingly complex.
After careful consideration, Yun Qingyue said: "Those people were already difficult to deal with, and now with a merperson added to the mix, the three of us will find it challenging to accomplish much. Let's first gather more people. Together, we might find a way to rescue the others."
Tan Xin also felt this plan was reasonable. After all, they had barely escaped from the native tribe tonight—returning now would be like sheep entering a tiger's den. Though launching a surprise counterattack might be effective, such a risk wasn't worth taking. Any further reconnaissance could wait for later.
Jiang Mo had no objection to her Senior Sister's words, but she couldn't help dwelling on tonight's encounter with the merperson. She privately communicated with the system: "System, when the merperson appeared earlier, did you see him?"
Though the system had become both dramatic and lazy under its host's influence, this was the main storyline quest. Since even its host had become serious about it, naturally the system was paying attention too. It had been constantly observing the surroundings, but unfortunately, ever since boarding the ghost ship and truly entering the main quest, the system's auxiliary capabilities had sharply declined. The situation remained the same now: "No, I didn't detect anything."
Jiang Mo wasn't surprised by this response and asked further: "Can you scan the tribe now and try to locate the merperson?"
The system extended its sensors for a scan, but like before, achieved nothing. The tribe appeared to be utterly ordinary, with no spiritual energy or even excess energy fluctuations. Yet the system still couldn't scan it—its extended sensors seemed to enter a fog, becoming disoriented and unable to see clearly.
Finally, with no alternative, the system dejectedly replied: "I can't, Host. I can't scan the tribe, and I can't find the merperson." Feeling useless, it added compensatorily: "But there is indeed a pond behind the tribe, with flowing water that connects to the sea."
In other words, the merperson could reach the tribe through the waterway without coming ashore, and while remaining in water, his powers wouldn't be greatly limited. With just the three of them, they truly would struggle to contend with him.
Jiang Mo turned these thoughts over in her mind several times, and realizing she couldn't learn anything more, she stopped conversing with the system.
The three decided to contact others first, but in the deep night, finding people would be difficult. Tan Xin was especially qualified to speak on this: "Though the spirit beasts on this island aren't particularly high-ranked, they become unusually active at night and less so during the day. Many people were ambushed last night, so they've likely found places to hide tonight. It would be better to wait until daylight to search for them."
Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo didn't object. In fact, after the night's commotion, they were quite tired. So Jiang Mo proactively suggested: "In that case, let's find a place to rest for the night."
The three didn't waste time, finding a large tree to rest on, making do for the remainder of the night.
Of course, the rest of the night wasn't entirely peaceful. They didn't know what happened to the hiding cultivators, but during their time in the tree, at least six or seven groups of spirit beasts passed nearby, with the closest coming right to the base of the tree.
Tan Xin was certain that without a barrier concealing them, they couldn't escape the beasts' sense of smell, yet for some reason, none of the creatures attacked. They came and then left, seemingly intentionally avoiding something. Tan Xin made no response, merely opening his eyes to look as the beasts departed, then closing them again to meditate, appearing as serene as a still pond.
Meanwhile, Yun Qingyue wasn't oblivious either, though she remained even more composed than Tan Xin, never once opening her eyes throughout.
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The night passed both quickly and slowly. Those who had hidden through the night breathed sighs of relief as dawn broke.
Jiang Mo immediately noticed the decrease in spirit beast activity in the forest. She opened her eyes and stretched lazily—a normally ungraceful action that somehow conveyed a sense of languid ease when she performed it.
Yun Qingyue opened her eyes just in time to witness this scene, her gaze lingering on Jiang Mo for a moment before quickly withdrawing.
Tan Xin, who hadn't slept much during the night as he both meditated and kept watch—though this vigilance proved unnecessary—also opened his eyes when he heard movement. Once the three descended from the tree, he asked: "Shall we go look for others now?"
Hearing this, Jiang Mo rubbed her stomach: "No rush, let's find something to eat first."
Iron needs food for strength, and the little White Tiger had always been fond of eating—now her body required energy replenishment. For such a large tiger, she had only eaten two spirit fruits yesterday that she didn't even enjoy, which was quite a hardship. Not to mention the fight with the natives last night; she was already hungry when they escaped, and after a night, she felt like her front was touching her back.
Yun Qingyue and Tan Xin didn't say anything, as they shared the same feelings after losing their spiritual energy support.
So the three searched the area with empty stomachs, looking for prey or spirit fruits—filling their stomachs took priority. However, before finding food, they encountered two separate groups of lone cultivators who were on the verge of fighting.
Coincidentally, Yun Qingyue recognized both groups and should have been able to speak with them.
A red-robed Crimson Blood Sect disciple and a white-clad Xuanqing Sect disciple were facing off. They had been arguing about something earlier, and now tensions were high, with both ready to draw weapons at any moment. Though Yun Qingyue didn't want to reveal her identity or connect with acquaintances, seeing this scene made a vein throb on her forehead. She stepped forward and shouted: "This island is fraught with danger—we should be united against external threats. What are you doing?!"
The atmosphere had been explosive, but this sudden interruption drew everyone's attention. The Crimson Blood Sect member responded irritably: "This doesn't concern you. Mind your own business."
Yun Qingyue's brows furrowed, and Jiang Mo was even more displeased—under normal circumstances, she would have already stepped forward to teach them a lesson.
However, now wasn't the time to create trouble, so Tan Xin came forward to mediate, relating last night's events.
This calmed both sides. Having been on the island for less than two days, they were unfamiliar with its situation. Having not encountered the natives, they were unaware of their danger and strangeness, which was why they still had the mindset to argue about righteous versus demonic paths. But now, with a common threat, other grievances could be set aside.
However, after hearing Tan Xin's account, the two groups had very different reactions. The battle-hungry Crimson Blood Sect members were eager to test themselves against the natives, while the Xuanqing Sect disciples planned to seek protection from their elders.
This wasn't because the Xuanqing Sect members were cowardly, but because they had self-awareness—though they didn't recognize Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo's identities, Tan Xin was present. Especially considering Tan Xin's current state, though not the weakest of the three, he clearly wasn't the strongest either. If all three had fled in distress, using Tan Xin's combat ability as a benchmark, the Xuanqing Sect disciples didn't believe they could match the natives.
The Crimson Blood Sect members similarly couldn't defeat the natives and the merperson—they were just more reckless.
Ignoring the Crimson Blood Sect's inquiries about the tribe's location, Jiang Mo recalled the dozen streaks of light she had seen when the ghost ship incident occurred. She turned to the Xuanqing Sect disciples and asked: "Do you know where the elders who came with you are?"
The Xuanqing Sect disciples were forthcoming: "We saw our sect's markers. Following them will lead us to them."
Yes, this was one method for sect disciples to regroup. Although in most cases such effort wouldn't be necessary, everyone on the island had lost their spiritual energy, leaving only this cumbersome approach. The method was effective though—once the first disciple left a marker, fellow sect members who saw it would gradually gather.
Though Jiang Mo had been in the Xuanqing Sect for years, she had spent most of that time secluded in cultivation within the sect, rarely venturing out for training except for the Canglán Secret Realm incident. She was unfamiliar with these practices, but Yun Qingyue knew them well, including that the markers of sect elders and disciples were slightly different.
With this in mind, Yun Qingyue asked: "Which elder are you looking for?"
The Xuanqing Sect disciples all looked at her, but after some thought, concluded there was no reason to withhold this information. One of them said: "We just discovered a Peak Master's marker. It should be Peak Master Qingyu gathering disciples."
Upon hearing this, Yun Qingyue felt a sense of relief—she had also seen the dozen streaks of light escaping the ghost ship two days ago. She had known one of them must have been her master, and had also witnessed the deep sea spirit beasts that had pursued them, naturally causing her great concern. Now, hearing news of her master gave her some peace of mind.
Just then, someone from the Crimson Blood Sect muttered: "Strange, is a Xuanqing Sect Peak Master also nearby? We're looking for our elder too. Surely they couldn't be together?"
Everyone present had keen ears and eyes and naturally heard this. Their expressions all turned peculiar.
The Xuanqing Sect disciples frowned deeply, clearly displeased with such a suggestion. As one started to step forward to say something, a fellow disciple held him back: "Let it go. Now isn't the time for arguments. Finding the Peak Master quickly is most important." Then, changing tack, he added: "We've all lost our spiritual energy, and we don't know the Peak Master's current situation..."
Although Peak Master Qingyu was using this basic method to gather disciples, suggesting her condition might not be much better than theirs, having a sect elder present was always reassuring.
Jiang Mo heard both sides' words, but didn't notice her Senior Sister's subtle gaze at that moment. Without thinking too much, she directly said: "Our enemies aren't each other right now, and this island is full of dangers. We might as well go together. If both your seniors are in the same place, our search will be easier, and we'll be better prepared for whatever comes next."
Though the two sects didn't get along, the greater situation took precedence, and there wasn't much dispute. Finally, the group reached a consensus and followed the markers, which truly pointed in the same direction.