51: Chapter 51 The Immortal Cultivation Sect's Journey Across the Land

Zhang Mu didn't know what kind of background those two had, so he didn't dare to follow too closely.

Arriving at the school, he got out of the car and entered the campus.

He disguised himself as an alumnus who had already graduated to handle some business, first running to the administrative building to chat with his counselor for a bit and ask which companies in his major offered better benefits.

The counselor sounded somewhat surprised, asking, "Zhang Mu, are you worried about not finding a good job?"

He brushed it off with a few words, and once the conversation was done, he got up and left.

Before leaving the building, he adjusted his expression and demeanor, taking on the look of a disillusioned graduate who missed the easy life of campus, and wandered slowly around the school.

He was very familiar with the campus and knew that if any visiting Government Personnel were on official business and staying overnight, they would be arranged in the more remote West Campus, where students rarely went.

However, he didn't head straight there, instead going to the East Campus, then the North Campus, and only then strolling toward the West Campus.

Arranging the destination as the second-to-last stop was more natural than putting it last; otherwise, it would look too deliberate.

So much time had passed, and no Government Officials had come to his home to look for anyone, so he didn't think anyone would notice him wandering around the school.

But after all, he was the one who gave the herbs to Ye Ming, so just in case, it wouldn't hurt to be extra cautious.

He strolled leisurely into the West Campus; the only places suitable for outsiders to stay and work were the three apartment-style dorm buildings near the perimeter wall.

Zhang Mu continued to walk slowly, appearing to be sightseeing, but in reality, he was avoiding all surveillance areas.

He soon reached the bottom of the first building. He didn't go up but squatted at the base of the wall in the shade, pretending to cool off, while his Mental Energy quietly drifted toward the apartment building.

At such a close distance, although he still couldn't accurately perceive the gender and appearance of the people inside, it was enough to eavesdrop on their voices.

Ten minutes later, he withdrew his Mental Energy.

They weren't in this building.

Zhang Mu's expression remained unchanged as he stood up, followed the wall to the second building, and swept his Mental Energy across it.

First floor, no one. Second floor, third floor, fourth floor, also none. Fifth floor, still no... Ah, here they are.

His eyes widened for a moment as he controlled his Mental Energy to focus on the room where the conversation was coming from.

...

Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo returned to the school, unaffected by the bad news that the Special Investigation Bureau might disband at the end of the year, leaving them unemployed.

They even claimed they were scouting the market for future startup plans and, with great interest, ran to the cafeteria to buy a large handful of skewers to bring back to the dorm.

They had great appetites; by the time they reached the building entrance, all the skewers were already in their stomachs.

Patting their bellies with lingering satisfaction, they walked side by side into the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor, where Ye Ming was staying.

"I think, if we really start our own business, we shouldn't do skewers," Yue Ruo said, reminiscing about the spicy and delicious lamb skewers.

"This stuff is a technical skill. Let's change to something simpler."

"Simple things have too much competition. Leave it to me. I'll grill, and you can handle the skewers in the back kitchen."

The tone sounded like a joke, but whether it was true or not, only Zhao Qi knew in his heart as he stepped out of the elevator upon reaching the fifth floor.

Yue Ruo followed closely, and the two walked one after the other to the door of Ye Ming's room.

"According to that jerk of a Chief, the case will be closed within three days of him coming over."

"Ye Ming has been here for quite a while. Let's give him a heads-up that he can leave in a few days to put his mind at ease."

"Sure."

Having agreed on the core of their conversation, they straightened their clothes, put on the serious expressions of "we are professionals," and pushed the door open.

"Mr. Ye." Zhao Qi looked at Ye Ming, who was sitting at his desk flipping through a book just like he had for over ten days, feeling a bit of admiration in his heart. What strong patience.

If it were someone with a worse temper, having their freedom restricted for so long, they would have flipped the table and smashed the door long ago. Even if not, they would at least be emotional.

"We have finished investigating the specific details of the matter. If there are no surprises, your thesis data will be handled as fraudulent."

"This is also a violation. You will be disqualified from your degree application. Of course, this isn't our jurisdiction; the school will take over from here."

After he finished speaking, Yue Ruo took over: "We still have some finishing work to do. Once that's done, you can leave."

Ye Ming didn't turn his head, his calm voice coming through: "Alright, thank you both for your hard work."

Feeling like they were being mocked, Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo didn't get angry. They exchanged a look, chuckled inwardly, and turned to leave the room.

At the doorway.

Yue Ruo smacked his lips:

"Honestly, when I first received this case, I thought the Special Investigation Bureau finally had some proper work to do. Turns out, it was just a fraud case."

"It's fine, I guess," Zhao Qi rubbed his crew cut. "It's much better than that woman who claimed she never slept for forty years, saying she secretly slept while others were out farming."

Standing there and pondering for a few seconds, Yue Ruo nodded in agreement: "True."

"Besides, what do you think she hoped to gain by telling that lie?"

"Ye Ming faked his thesis data to rush and get rid of Fu Xiyuan, who wouldn't let him graduate. The motive is very clear."

"God knows. Maybe she just enjoyed being spread around as a miracle."

"There are no miracles in this world. Whether it's China, Eagle Nation, or other countries, there are plenty of such rumors and shows, but in the end, they are all debunked."

"Either it's a script, or the person is lying."

"Alright, I'm tired after running around all morning. Let's go back and take a nap."

Zhao Qi interrupted the idle chat and walked toward his room. Yue Ruo didn't object and went back to his own room.

...

At the base of the wall in the shade outside the building.

"So that's how it is..."

Zhang Mu, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, felt the tension he had built up for Ye Ming's safety slowly relax.

Since the person would regain freedom in a few days, he didn't do anything unnecessary to avoid causing accidents that might lead to Ye Ming being kept under house arrest.

He stood up, went to the school gate, hailed a taxi, and returned home.

Sitting on the living room sofa, Zhang Mu leaned back and pondered deeply.

Judging from the conversation between the two self-proclaimed Special Investigation Bureau investigators, Blue Star had no organizations like the "Dragon Team," and naturally, no supernatural powers.

This matched Zhang Mu's guess after sensing the composition of the air on Blue Star.

Just like all green plants need sunlight for photosynthesis to grow.

The prerequisite for nurturing supernatural powers is the existence of the necessary material foundation—supernatural energy.

If Blue Star had no sunlight, it couldn't grow green plants; if Blue Star had no supernatural energy, it naturally couldn't give birth to supernatural powers.

This made perfect sense.

Rubbing his chin, Zhang Mu narrowed his eyes.

Hiss... I was planning to use modern technological products to help me get stronger faster in the Other World. This seems like an opportunity.

If I go to collect various technological products myself, not only is there a risk of being watched, but since I'm alone, the efficiency is also slow.

Also, the herbs were given to my senior brother. After he is released, he will inevitably ask about the source.

Although I can brush it off, there are loopholes.

If I expose my supernatural powers in the future, it will be easy for the Government Officials to trace this line back to me.

I must find a way to reasonably make supernatural powers appear on Blue Star while distancing myself.

What would be the best way to handle this...

He summoned his panel to scan the magic he had already learned, his brain spinning wildly to think of the best solution.

Soon, he scanned two magic spells he had mastered not long ago.

【Shadow Technique (0%) — Transform into an invisible phantom, capable of penetrating solid objects of a certain thickness without magical reinforcement, 8MP.

Transformation Technique (0%) — Create illusions, displaying a false appearance of one's own body, 8MP.】

He let his thoughts wander based on these two spells.

Visitors from beyond the sky?

That's too ridiculous. I haven't seen what aliens look like. Imitating images from science fiction works makes it easy for people to notice the source and then debunk the lie.

Then, Spirit Qi Recovery?

That won't work either. Testing the air composition didn't reveal any unknown elements; empty words would be easily refuted.

Hmm... What about before the era?

That seems promising!

Zhang Mu stood up abruptly and paced in the living room: "Magic Academy... no, no, no, that doesn't feel right. In China, it should be a Cultivation Sect."

"After the Cultivation Sect sealed its doors for fifty thousand years, in order to understand and integrate into the new era faster, they sent out a World Walker to find someone with affinity. The herbs were obtained by the one with affinity. I originally thought it was me, but the one who truly has the immortal affinity is my senior brother."

"Not only does this distance me, but it also solves the trouble with my senior brother's project, and allows supernatural powers to reasonably appear in the world."

"Most importantly, it lays the groundwork for me to entrust the ruling institutions of various countries to help collect materials once I become strong enough in the future, in the capacity of a World Walker of the Cultivation Sect."

"Four birds with one stone!"

The prototype of the plan had emerged; the next step was to perfect the details.

Zhang Mu sat back on the sofa, pondering.

The magic currently mastered is not versatile enough, and the demeanor of a Cultivation Sect cannot be supported yet; it has to be done step by step.

First, fabricate a World Walker to appear, let those two investigators know of the existence of the supernatural, and help my senior brother get out of trouble.

Then, toss around some deeds of showing off in front of people.

Now that the internet is so developed, it can spread across the country in a day. Within a week, excluding areas with poor infrastructure, most countries in the world will be able to receive the news.

The only thing to be careful about is whether the invisibility ability of the Shadow Technique and the illusions of the Transformation Technique can evade the monitoring of various information-gathering instruments in modern society.

I'll buy some and test them to find out.

Thinking of this, Zhang Mu immediately got up and went out, rushing to the largest shopping mall in Su City.