88: The forces in the capital became suspicious

The matter of the West Mountain Mining Cave was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the New Recruit Camp.

Zhao Kai's death, and "Mu Feng's" incredibly "good luck," became the main topic of conversation after meals.

"Did you hear? Captain Wang's team lost a man in the West Mountain Mining Cave, it was that Zhao Kai!"

"Tsk, how did it get involved with Mu Feng again? Last time, Qian Pi provoked him, this time it's his accomplice Zhao Kai. This Mu Feng, isn't he a jinx?"

"What jinx! I think he's a lucky star! Didn't you hear? During the collapse, Zhao Kai himself slipped and 'accidentally' pushed Mu Feng away, resulting in him falling in! Mu Feng was completely unharmed!"

"Really? Is it that eerie?"

"Exactly! Some people say that when the Yao Beasts rushed out, they didn't bite Mu Feng, they just roared at him, as if they had seen a ghost!"

"This Mu Feng... what is his background? He looks so simple-minded, could he really have some powerful backing, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger?"

In the mess hall, candidates gathered in small groups, discussing in hushed voices.

Many looked towards "Mu Feng," who was eating alone in the corner, with a mix of awe and scrutiny in their eyes.

This kid, he's probably not a simple character.

"Brother Mu Feng, sit here, sit here!" A young man of average build approached with a food tray, a wide smile on his face, "I heard about what happened in the mining cave last time, Brother Mu Feng truly has good fortune!"

Li Dong, no, Mu Feng, looked up, still maintaining his simple and honest demeanor, scratching his head as if flattered: "Ah, yes, yes, good luck, good luck. My mother said I've been lucky since I was little."

"How can it be as simple as luck!" The young man sat down uninvited, "My name is Sun Hong. In the future, in the camp, I hope Brother Mu Feng will take care of me."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, Brother Sun is too polite." Mu Feng quickly waved his hand, but his mind was clear. This Sun Hong had often pointed fingers at him behind his back before. Now, he was actively showing goodwill, undoubtedly because he thought he was "not simple" and wanted to curry favor early.

Several more people came over to chat, with no shortage of flattery and probing in their words. Mu Feng dealt with each of them with a simple-minded smile, not revealing anything.

At the same time, in a hidden mansion in the capital.

"What do you all think of this Mu Feng?" A middle-aged man in a brocade robe with an elegant face, toying with two jade marbles in his hand, asked in a calm voice.

Below him, a green-robed aide bowed and said: "Reporting to Your Highness, this person claims to be a Loose Cultivator, from the countryside of Qingzhou Prefecture. He embarked on the path of Cultivation after accidentally acquiring an Incomplete Manual from a mountain god temple. In several assessments in the New Recruit Camp, his performance has been quite... peculiar."

"Peculiar?" The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Your Highness. In the theoretical assessment, his score was above average, yet he was able to answer several obscure difficult questions; he easily passed the Illusionary Yao Beast Maze; in the West Mountain Mining Cave, he turned misfortune into blessing, while those who plotted against him suffered losses. He Tianzheng's side also seems to be giving him special 'attention'."

"He Tianzheng..." A fleeting, imperceptible glint flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, "This 'special selection' he's orchestrating is inherently strange. Could this Mu Feng be a catfish, capable of stirring up his pond?"

"Your subordinate has already sent people to Qingzhou Prefecture to investigate his background, but... He Tianzheng's people also seem to be investigating, and they are watching very closely."

"It's fine," the middle-aged man waved his hand, "Let them investigate. Our people will act in secret, without alerting anyone. I want to see who this Mu Feng truly is."

He paused, then added: "Over at the Demon Suppression Headquarters, several old fellows who are at odds with He Tianzheng also seem to have taken an interest in this kid. Let them make some moves too, it's better than us getting involved directly."

"Yes, Your Highness."

On the training ground of the New Recruit Camp, Li Dong was silently practicing basic boxing, his cloth clothes soaked with sweat. He could feel that the gazes falling on him were more numerous and more complex than usual.

"Brother Mu Feng, how diligent you are!" A clear voice came.

Li Dong stopped his movements and turned to see a young Cultivator in a light blue martial arts uniform, with a handsome face and extraordinary demeanor. He had some impression of this person, having seen him a few times in the crowd, but had never spoken to him.

"You are?" Mu Feng asked innocently.

"I am Lu Yunfei," the young Cultivator cupped his hands, a gentle smile on his face, "Observing Brother Mu Feng's boxing technique, it is simple yet subtly structured. I presume you have received guidance from a master?"

"A master, not really," Mu Feng scratched his head, "I just practiced it haphazardly from that tattered book I picked up in the mountain god temple, making Brother Lu laugh."

"Brother Mu Feng is too modest." Lu Yunfei walked over to him and casually demonstrated a few movements, "I also enjoy pondering matters of Cultivation in my daily life. I wonder if Brother Mu Feng has some free time, and we could exchange a few thoughts?"

Li Dong's heart stirred; this person's arrival was somewhat deliberate. On his face, however, he showed delight: "Alright! I was just worrying about having no one to guide me! Brother Lu looks like a very knowledgeable person!"

System Notification: Detected target Lu Yunfei, affiliated with the Seventh Princess's faction. This faction has doubts about the "special selection" hosted by He Tianzheng and is attempting to find a Breakthrough point.

As expected. Li Dong thought to himself.

The two then began their "exchange" in a corner of the training ground, with questions and answers. Lu Yunfei probed indirectly, trying to ascertain the origin of Mu Feng's Cultivation Technique, his background, and his master from his words.

"Brother Mu Feng, your boxing technique seems to carry a... hmm, a very unique Concept, not like ordinary Loose Cultivator Cultivation Techniques." Lu Yunfei asked as if casually.

Mu Feng "ah-ed," seemingly trying hard to recall: "Concept? I don't understand what Concept is. It's just that when I practice boxing, sometimes I think of the big mountain behind our village, and I feel very grounded in my heart."

"Big mountain?" Lu Yunfei was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, it's especially tall and especially steady!" Mu Feng gestured, a look of longing on his face.

Li Dong took advantage of the close contact with Lu Yunfei to secretly activate the System and analyze his aura.

System Analysis: Target Lu Yunfei, spiritual power is pure and peaceful, no signs of "spiritual essence" contamination detected.

It seems that this person from the Seventh Princess's faction, at least for now, has no direct connection to He Tianzheng's "Forbidden Experiment." Li Dong had made his calculations.

After a round of "exchange," Lu Yunfei found that after asking for a long time, the other party, apart from repeating the "Mountain God Temple adventure story" and some rural anecdotes, had not revealed any useful information. This Mu Feng was either truly simple to the point of being dull, or his cunning was terrifyingly deep.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Lu, I seem to understand something!" Mu Feng said with a look of "sudden enlightenment," nodding vigorously.

Lu Yunfei twitched his lips: "Brother Mu Feng is too modest. It has been very beneficial for me to exchange with you as well." He thought to himself: This Mu Feng is slippery; it seems ordinary methods won't uncover his true background.

After Lu Yunfei left, the simple smile on Li Dong's face gradually faded. The Seventh Princess's faction... it seemed the waters of the capital were deeper than he had imagined.

Prefecture Headquarters, secret chamber.

"General, that Mu Feng has been getting very close to Lu Yunfei from the Seventh Princess's Residence recently." Captain Wang Zhen reported, his expression somewhat grave.

The Silver-Armored General's fingers tapped on the table a little faster: "Seventh Princess? Hmph, she wants to get involved too?"

"Not only that, your subordinate also found that people from the Demon Suppression Headquarters are secretly inquiring about Mu Feng. This child seems to have become a hot commodity."

"A bunch of flies!" The Silver-Armored General snorted, "It seems our previous actions were still too small. Issue an order, keep a close eye on that Mu Feng! Especially his contact with external personnel; once detected, immediately cut it off!"

"Yes, General!" Captain Wang Zhen responded, "However... this child's movements are somewhat elusive; he often disappears suddenly, and our people have lost track of him several times."

"Disappear?" The Silver-Armored General's brows furrowed even tighter, "Useless! Send more men! I refuse to believe he can just fly away into thin air!"

He was also somewhat irritated; this Mu Feng was like a stone in a latrine, both smelly and hard, yet he was attracting more and more attention.

The night was as dark as ink.

Li Dong sat cross-legged on the bunk in the barracks, the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant emitting an almost imperceptible fluctuation, perfectly concealing his aura.

He could clearly sense at least three obscure auras monitoring him outside the barracks.

"They're watching quite closely." A cold smile played on Li Dong's lips.

He closed his eyes, but his Divine Sense quietly spread out. His contact with Lu Yunfei during the day, and the information provided by the System, gave him a clearer understanding of the current situation.

He Tianzheng wanted to use him, and other factions also wanted to find a Breakthrough point through him. This "The Chess Player" of his suddenly seemed to become very popular.

"The more attention, the more variables." Li Dong opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

He stood up and silently went to the window. Under the moonlight, several dark figures flashed in the distance.

"Want to prevent me from contacting the outside world? It's not that easy."

Li Dong's figure flickered, merging into the darkness like a ghost. With the profoundness of the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant, those surveillance eyes couldn't detect his departure at all.

A moment later, behind a secluded rockery in the New Recruit Camp, Li Dong "accidentally" met an unexpected person.

"Brother Chu, so late, are you also out enjoying the moon?" Li Dong reverted to "Mu Feng's" simple and honest tone.

Chu He turned around, and seeing it was Mu Feng, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, then quickly returned to calm: "Couldn't sleep, came out for a walk. Isn't Brother Mu Feng also?"

"Me too, me too. I was guided by Big Brother Lu during the day, my mind is a mess, can't sleep." Mu Feng scratched his head.

Chu He looked at him deeply: "Lu Yunfei? The Seventh Princess's man. Brother Mu Feng, you've been a very busy person lately."

"Ah? What busy person? I don't understand." Mu Feng looked bewildered.

Chu He smiled and said no more, only: "The night wind in the capital is cool, Brother Mu Feng should rest early."

"Oh, okay, okay."

Watching Chu He's retreating figure, Li Dong was pensive. This Chu He seemed to know a lot. He deliberately created this "accidental meeting" to see the reactions of all parties.

In the following days, Li Dong often used the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant to avoid surveillance, creating opportunities for "accidental" encounters with other candidates, and even some seemingly unrelated camp servants. These encounters, whether in the mess hall, during training breaks, or on the way to the latrine, all seemed so natural.

And these "coincidences" were naturally reported in detail to the Silver-Armored General.

"He spoke to so-and-so again? All insignificant people? Hmph, playing mind games!" The Silver-Armored General listened to the report, only feeling that this Mu Feng was becoming more and more like a clown, yet he couldn't grasp his true weakness.

Li Dong knew that this attention was a double-edged sword. The greater his reputation, the more eyes he attracted, and the greater his risk of exposure. But at the same time, this was also his leverage to influence the situation.

"He Tianzheng, the game you set up now has more players than just you." Li Dong lay on the bed, his hands behind his head, "You all want to know who I am, and what you want to get from me. Very good, then let you all keep guessing."

He began to think about how to subtly guide these gazes towards him in the direction he wanted. How to transform from a passively probed chess piece into a The Chess Player who could actively stir up the winds and clouds.

This capital was becoming more and more interesting.

The wind outside the window also seemed to carry a hint of an impending storm.