51: The tracking bird has been locked on; trouble is brewing!

Jinling City, City Lord's Manor.

The night was thick, and the manor was brightly lit.

Inside the main hall, Hall Master Lin Feng of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall sat on the left, his face full of dejection.

Opposite him, Lord Zhou, a confidant of the City Lord, frowned deeply; a stack of blank search reports lay on the desk.

"Hall Master Lin, it's been half a month already."

Lord Zhou's voice was tinged with impatience.

"That Earth Spirit Turtle has seemingly vanished into thin air."

"We've scoured the river's surface and its depths, yet we haven't found so much as a single turtle hair."

Lin Feng shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Lord Zhou, it's not that we aren't trying our best."

"It's just that the beast is too cunning; it likely dove off to somewhere else long ago."

"Somewhere else?"

Lord Zhou slammed the table and stood up abruptly.

"Do you know how much importance the City Lord attaches to this matter?"

"A mid-tier Spirit Beast with human-like intelligence—that is an Opportunity once in a hundred years!"

Lin Feng nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, I understand. But..."

"But what?"

Lord Zhou interrupted him.

"I'm telling you, the City Lord has run out of patience."

"If we don't find that turtle soon, both of us will have hell to pay!"

Previously, he had sought credit by mentioning it to the City Lord.

Then, he had even given a guarantee in front of the City Lord.

If he were to say later that they hadn't caught it...

Wouldn't that be like making a fool of the City Lord?

When the time came, he wouldn't even know how he died!

It was all the fault of this cursed mouth of his!

As they were speaking, footsteps were heard from outside the door.

A Guard hurried in and knelt on one knee.

"Reporting to Lord Zhou, someone has arrived from the Prefectural City."

"The Prefectural City?"

Lord Zhou was taken aback.

"Who is it?"

"They say it's a tracking expert the City Lord hired for a huge sum, nicknamed 'Earth-Sniffing Nose,' Elder Qian."

Lord Zhou and Lin Feng exchanged a look, both seeing the shock on the other's face.

To make the City Lord's Manor spend a fortune to invite someone from the Prefectural City, this Elder Qian was certainly no ordinary person.

"Quickly, invite him in!"

Before long, a thin, withered old man was led inside.

The old man was about sixty years old and not very tall.

On his face sat a massive nose that took up nearly half of it.

Perched on his shoulder was a strange, palm-sized bird.

The bird was entirely golden with a sharp beak and tail, its small eyes darting around incessantly.

"Commoner Qian San greets Lord Zhou."

Elder Qian's voice was raspy but full of vigor.

"Elder Qian, you are too kind."

Lord Zhou quickly rose to welcome him.

"I have long heard of your great name. To have Elder Qian take action today is truly our honor."

Elder Qian waved his hand.

"Lord Zhou is too polite; there's no need for pleasantries. I heard you are looking for a mid-tier Spirit Turtle?"

"Exactly."

Hall Master Lin rushed to say.

"That beast is elusive. We've been searching for half a month with no clues."

Elder Qian nodded and reached out to stroke the bird on his shoulder.

"Little Gold, did you hear that? There's work to do again."

The bird named Little Gold let out a crisp cry, its eyes lighting up with a faint glow.

"Elder Qian, this is?"

Lord Zhou asked curiously.

"This is a Track-Seeking Sparrow."

Elder Qian smiled proudly.

"Don't let its size fool you; its nose is even sharper than mine."

"As long as it's given a bit of the target's scent, it can find it within a hundred-mile radius."

Lin Feng was overjoyed.

"That's wonderful! Let's go to the riverbank right now."

The group hurried to the banks of the Qiu River.

Elder Qian took a palm-sized compass from his robe, which was carved with complex runes.

"Show me any traces left by that turtle."

Lord Zhou was prepared and took out a stone.

"This was found at the bottom of the river. It should have that beast's scent on it."

Elder Qian took the stone and took a deep sniff under his nose.

"Hmm, a very strong Spirit Beast aura. And..."

His expression became serious.

"This is no ordinary Earth Spirit Turtle. This fellow's Bloodline is quite extraordinary."

As he spoke, he let the Track-Seeking Sparrow on his shoulder sniff the stone.

Little Gold immediately chirped excitedly, the light in its eyes growing brighter.

"Found it!"

Elder Qian held up the compass, and the needle on it began to spin frantically.

Finally, the needle stopped, pointing toward the southeast.

"It's over there, not far away."

Little Gold flapped its wings and took flight, circling the river a few times before flying downstream.

"Follow it!"

Lord Zhou shouted, and the group quickly gave chase along the riverbank... Meanwhile, deep at the bottom of the river.

The Earth Spirit Turtle Clone was sleeping in its cave when suddenly, a strong sense of crisis welled up in its heart.

It snapped its eyes open, and the cave was instantly illuminated by blue light.

In the dilapidated courtyard in the south of Jinling City, Li Qing, who was currently Cultivating, felt a sudden jolt.

"What's going on?"

His face changed drastically as he quickly closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the Clone at the bottom of the river.

Through his perception, he clearly sensed a strange power searching for something on the river's surface.

Moreover, this power was rapidly approaching!

"A Tracking Technique?"

Li Qing's expression turned grim.

He hadn't expected the other party to hire such an expert.

Inside the underwater cave, the Earth Spirit Turtle Clone slowly stood up.

He could feel the tracking power getting closer and closer.

"I can't stay here any longer."

Li Qing made a prompt decision and had his subordinates hide themselves for the time being.

Having used these subordinates for a while, it was inevitable that he had developed some attachment to them.

Then, Li Qing swam toward the depths of the cave.

The terrain at the bottom of the river was complex, with many natural caves and undercurrents.

Relying on its sensitivity to water currents, the Spirit Turtle moved quickly through them.

However, the tracking on the river's surface never stopped.

Little Gold circled in the air, letting out bursts of chirping as if reporting something to the old man.

"Strange, why is it constantly moving?"

Elder Qian frowned, the needle on the compass in his hand constantly changing direction.

"Has that fellow noticed us?"

Lord Zhou's face darkened.

"That's impossible, right? We're on the surface and it's at the bottom. How could it possibly discover us?"

Lin Feng also found it hard to believe.

"Elder Qian, could there be a problem with your Track-Seeking Sparrow?"

Elder Qian shook his head.

"Little Gold has never made a mistake."

"This only goes to show that the turtle's intelligence and talent are higher than we imagined."

He looked up at the Track-Seeking Sparrow in the sky.

"Little Gold, keep chasing!"

The Track-Seeking Sparrow let out a long cry, the light in its eyes growing even brighter, and its speed increased slightly.

At the bottom of the river, the Earth Spirit Turtle Clone swam even faster.

It used its innate Divine Ability to stir up undercurrents, attempting to confuse the trackers' judgment.

However, the pursuit on the surface remained relentless.

"Damn it!"

Li Qing cursed under his breath.

He hadn't expected the opponent's tracking methods to be so sophisticated.

If this continued, his true hiding place would be discovered sooner or later.

"It seems I can only..."

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Li Qing's eyes.

Since he couldn't hide, he would take the initiative to strike!

Having made up his mind, Li Qing suddenly stopped.

On the river's surface, the needle on Elder Qian's compass also stopped spinning.

"Why has it stopped?"

Lord Zhou asked in confusion.

Elder Qian's expression was grave.

"Something's wrong. This fellow has stopped."

As soon as he finished speaking, the river water suddenly began to churn violently.

A massive whirlpool formed in the center of the river, and the surface became turbulent with surging waves.

"Watch out!"

Elder Qian shouted and quickly retreated.

However, Little Gold didn't have time to dodge and was struck by a sudden water arrow.

"Little Gold!"

Elder Qian's face changed drastically as he tried to save it, but it was already too late.

A flash of blue light streaked through the water.

Little Gold let out a shrill cry and then plunged into the river.

The whirlpool gradually subsided, and the river's surface returned to calm.

Elder Qian stood dazed on the bank, his face filled with disbelief.

"Little Gold..."

He had raised this Track-Seeking Sparrow for over twenty years and had deep feelings for it.

Now, it had died right before his eyes.

"Elder Qian, my condolences."

Lord Zhou patted his shoulder.

"We will definitely settle this debt with that beast."

Elder Qian slowly turned around, his aged face full of hatred.

"You don't need to tell me; I will definitely have my revenge!"

He pulled another compass from his robe; this one was twice as large as the previous one, and the runes on it were even more complex.

"Since Little Gold is dead, I'll use this."

Lin Feng asked curiously.

"What is this?"

"The thousand-mile soul-chasing compass."

Elder Qian's voice was cold and grim.

"As long as the target is within a thousand miles, no matter where it hides, I can find it!"

He held the compass high and began chanting under his breath.

The runes on the compass began to glow, and an invisible force spread out.

At the bottom of the river, Li Qing, who had thought he'd solved the trouble, suddenly felt uneasy all over.

Targeted by something again?

He hadn't shown himself just now, not because he was afraid of them, but because he wanted to keep a low profile and develop his strength.

After all, Lord Zhou was backed by the City Lord, whose power was immense.

Their strength was naturally not weak; fighting against officialdom always meant hitting the small ones only for the big ones to come.

It was a massive headache.

Li Qing's expression was sour.

"What a nuisance!"

"Old man, you really don't know what's good for you!"