The Shade

The old man sniffed the air and even tasted some of the dirt left behind, which somehow told him exactly where to go.

He followed in Hao Xuan's footsteps as if he could see them and stopped only upon reaching the boundary of the abandoned Beast Market.

He reached into his baggy robes and took out a small pouch filled with black sand. After emptying it on the ground he began to write in the sand with his index finger. Once finished, he carefully held the pouch over the sand and every grain of it flew back inside.

Approximately ten minutes later Song Yi appeared around the corner. She had changed from her usual aristocratic clothing to something a lot more in line with what the average cultivator would be wearing.

"I got your message. Did you find him?" she asked while strolling in.

He lowered his head respectfully, "Princess, you are late," and pointed to the alley turning left, "You will run into him if you go down that path."