The Sect Leader System-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.

His time in Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town had been fruitful, giving him practical experience with his spycraft. He’d spent a week wandering the town, ensuring that his disguises didn’t cause anyone to take notice of him. Once he was positive those worked, he began testing himself.

Another week had been spent investigating the new Town Manager. Zou Tian had infiltrated the man’s house and office, eavesdropped on important conversations, and rifled through papers. Master would be glad to hear that the guy was relatively corruption free and doing a good job.

The Town Manager and his men weren’t cultivators, though, so Zou Tian had needed to find another way to truly challenge himself. And obviously, the most powerful cultivator in town was Town Lord Fatty Ren and his experienced fellow former Righteous Rain Sect members.

Zou Tian had walked into and out of the palace with impunity, tailed the Qi Gathering cultivators anywhere he wanted to follow, and generally snooped on the goings on. Which was boring as all get out. The Town Lord’s friends cultivated and trained. Town Lord Fatty Ren himself cultivated, trained, and ate.

Finally, Zou Tian had waited until Senior Brother Fatty Ren was alone in his throne room before stepping out of the shadows.

The man’s eyes had gone wide. “Junior Brother Zou Tian! You startled me!”

“Just checking in, Senior Brother. I’m leaving in the morning to head to Sixth Flawless Flowing City.” Zou Tian had then given a report about what he’d found in the town, which wasn’t much.

Fatty Ren had cupped his hands. “Gratitude, Junior Brother.” He’d paused. “Wait. This is the moment Master told me about. It has to be.”

Zou Tian, of course, had had no idea what the man was referring to.

“Master came to me almost four weeks ago and gave me these manuals.” The Town Lord had removed three books from his spatial ring. “The subject matter was spying. He told me they weren’t for me and that I’d know who to give them to.” He smiled. “And I do! They’re yours.”

The three books were titled Beginning Spycraft for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Intermediate Spycraft for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and Advanced Spycraft for Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

At first, Zou Tian had been quite confused by the gift. After all, he had a spycraft technique at Mastery. Why would he need books, too?

He’d been an idiot. The manuals laid out information in a thorough, logical, and straightforward manner and had an index that allowed him to quickly review topics as needed. They were the perfect supplement to his technique and taught him so much.

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The only truly confusing thing was why Master had waited until some small number of days after Zou Tian left the sect to arrange to have the manuals given to him instead of simply supplying them while he was still in the village.

There had to be a very good reason, obviously, but Zou Tian couldn’t figure it out. Master truly was unfathomable.

Zou Tian gave his head a small shake. Letting his thoughts wander in the middle of a mission could be deadly and was definitely something the manuals frowned upon. He refocused himself on the task at hand, feigning interest in a trinket on the table next to his target.

The boy was animatedly haggling with the stall owner, displaying not a lick of situational awareness.

Absolutely perfect.

Zou Tian reached for the trinket with his right hand, picking it up and giving it a slow examination. Simultaneously, his left hand snaked inside his target’s robe and deposited the letter in the boy’s pocket.

He then demonstratively shook his head, put the trinket back down, and wandered to another stall, leaving no one the wiser regdaring his actions.

The more experience he gained, the more he enjoyed being a spy.

Kang Ya-Ting was close to finishing a cycle when his muted door gong sounded, the signal that his assistant required his input but not for an urgent matter. Once the cycle was complete, Kang Ya-Ting took a few moments to center himself in meditation before responding.

“Apologies, Elder,” the assistant said after entering. “A Qi Gathering junior has a message for you.”

That was strange. Besides his relatives such as his granddaughter up until recently, Kang Ya-Ting had little to do with juniors in the Qi Gathering realm.

“Who is the message from?”

“He doesn’t know, Elder. It’s a sealed letter that was somehow put into his pocket without his knowledge.”

Curious indeed.

“Send him in.”

The young lad shook like a leaf as he kowtowed before Kang Ya-Ting. “Apologies, Elder. This lowly one does not know the origin of the message or its contents. This lowly one had nothing in that pocket this morning but discovered it there after a trip to the market.”

“Lay it before me and back away.”

The child did as ordered.

Kang Ya-Ting examined the paper with his spiritual sense. It appeared absolutely inert—plain, mortal grade paper with a wax seal. After dismissing the boy, he opened it.

Esteemed Elder Kang,

Please forgive this method of contact, but Sect Leader Chao Su has ordered this one to remain completely incognito. Howver, Master also instructed that, should this one need assistance while in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, this one should contact Esteemed Elder Kang Ya-Ting of the Poison Claw Sect.

This lowly one has discovered news that Master may find useful, but this one fears using a message device as even its miniscule amount of qi usage can be detected.

Based on the teachings of Master and of Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu, this one has devised a list of drops where messages can be left. A map of these locations can be found on the following page.

If the Esteemed Elder is willing to assist in this endeavor, please fly a red triangular flag atop the gate of the Poison Claw Sect’s branch for no more than five minutes just after sunrise any morning. This one will respond by having a circular pendant with a number on it displayed outside the warehouse of the Heavenly Transit Mercantile Association two hours later for five minutes. The number on the pendant will correspond to the location where my message can be found.

This one will have someone observe the gate each morning. If it is necessary to contact me, please fly a yellow flag instead. Note that my message may or may not provide different drop locations or a different place or form for letting you know which location to use.

Unfortunately, this one does not consider this message secure enough to deliver the aforementioned information.

Sect Master Chao Su’s Disciple,

Zou Tian

Kang Ya-Ting remembered the boy—borderline untalented roots but with a strong Shadow aspect—and the updates received regarding his progress. He’d recently advanced to Foundation Establishment using one of the Rising Tide Sect’s phenomenal Time dilation chambers and promptly disappeared about two months prior, whereabouts unknown.

Or they had been. Apparently, he was on a spying mission for Chao Su in the city.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Kang Ya-Ting immediately made arrangements to have the boy’s instructions followed to the letter, and the next afternoon received a follow up message.

Esteemed Elder Kang,

Gratitude for your assistance. This one would have had to take a risk to communicate by any other method. Master will be told how helpful our allies at the Poison Claw Sect are.

This one has discovered three items of interest:

1. When speaking in taverns, the vast majority of comments from Jade Chameleon Sect members regarding the Swift Blizzard Sect are complimentary. The same can be said for comments made by the Swift Blizzard Sect about the Jade Chameleon Sect, though with more undertones of a superior speaking of an inferior. It is this one’s belief that these conversations signal that the two sects are drawing closer together. Both sets of sect members express mainly negative comments about the Poison Claw Sect. The Jade Chameleon Sect members, of course, vehemently denounce the Rising Tide Sect, but Swift Blizzard Sect members also express extremely negative sentiments.

2. There is an area, a square, at the tournament grounds near the main stadium that Swift Blizzard Sect members avoid. Jade Chameleon Sect members treat the area normally. This one doesn’t know what the avoidance means but found it interesting. Please see a sketch showing the location of the square in the following pages.

3. Rumors abound that there is a Formations Master in the city, someone hired from an outside faction. The Formations Master has no known affiliation with or work regarding tournament preparations. This one has discovered a man meeting the speculated description at an upper class tavern, the Third Fortuitous Turtle. This one will continue to investigate.

Again, this one expresses much gratitude for the Esteemed Elder’s assistance. This lowly one asks that the Esteemed Elder have someone check to warehouse door once per week on this day for a signal for another drop.

Sect Master Chao Su’s Disciple,

Zou Tian

The boy’s message was eye opening, mainly because all three pieces of information were new. While the Poison Claw Sect’s branch spymaster could perhaps be excused for not noticing an area of the tournament grounds being avoided, things such as the sentiment of the two sects for each other and for the Poison Claw Sect as well as the rumors about a Formations Master in the city should have been detected.

Kang Ya-Ting wrote out a message to Elder Dai and had his assistant hand deliver it while he meditated on the news.