Chapter 32: The Tracker and the Unexpected Discovery

Blackwater Area is the dirtiest and most chaotic part of Windmill Town. Beggars, homeless people, thieves, and fugitives all hide here. The government has tried multiple times to resolve this area, hoping to restore peace to Windmill Town.

Yet every time Blackwater Area is cleared, it doesn't take long for it to be flooded with residents again.

Unless the government can eliminate the occupations of beggars, homeless people, and thieves, Blackwater Area will only keep reappearing time and again.

In the end, the government was unwilling to spend the effort to manage Blackwater Area, letting those inside fend for themselves.

Lu Yu walked into Blackwater Area and instinctively held his breath, walking carefully, afraid of stepping on something unidentified.

The further he walked, the more dilapidated the buildings became, eventually leaving only a few broken walls.

From time to time, he could see scrunched-up homeless people under broken walls, using the walls during the day to block out the scorching sun, and at night to fend off the chilly wind.

The reason Blackwater Area gathers so many homeless and destitute individuals is because here they can find food.

The town's garbage is all thrown into Blackwater Area, gradually turning it into a landfill. People here can find something to eat and wear to barely survive.

Upon entering Blackwater Area, Lu Yu quickened his pace, and the follower behind him couldn't sit still, hastening their steps as well.

Lu Yu wound through complex shanties and broken houses, quickly shaking off the person behind him and hiding. Next, he only needs to observe people dressed in clean clothes within Blackwater Area to locate those following him.

The follower stood out in Blackwater Area. Though wearing ordinary clothes, within Blackwater Area, this was the most conspicuous attire.

After searching multiple times and not finding a trace of Lu Yu, the follower left Blackwater Area, and Lu Yu secretly followed, discovering the person tracking him was actually from Divine Weapon Pavilion.

"Lost him?" The Shopkeeper of Divine Weapon Pavilion looked at his subordinates, furrowing his brow.

He had already reported Lu Yu's information to headquarters; currently, he was waiting for a response from them.

Lately, Windmill Town has been unsettled, with underground gangs and Han residence clashing. Coincidentally, Lu Yu is with the Han residence, and the Divine Weapon Pavilion Shopkeeper dispatched someone to follow him to protect Lu Yu, using the name of Divine Weapon Pavilion at a critical moment to shelter him.

Although Divine Weapon Pavilion holds an esteemed position in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, in a tiny place like Windmill Town, it remains powerless.

Windmill Town is too remote and not a significant place, hence receiving little attention from above, making the Divine Weapon Pavilion's influence here extremely weak, with the most capable being the Shopkeeper himself.

If he himself gets involved in this matter, he can only protect himself, but there'll be no chance of protecting Lu Yu unless utilizing the name of Divine Weapon Pavilion.

"Alas~ step down! We won't meddle in this matter anymore; the rest will be up to Lu Yu's fate." The Shopkeeper of Divine Weapon Pavilion sighed in frustration; currently, without any response from higher-ups, he couldn't arbitrarily intervene.

Lu Yu discovered that the follower was indeed a clerk from Divine Weapon Pavilion. Upon returning to Divine Weapon Pavilion, the clerk then stayed on the first floor, attending to guests, with no further intention of following him.

Watching for a while, Lu Yu felt quite puzzled. What on earth was the Divine Weapon Pavilion Shopkeeper trying to do? Did he give up?

Lu Yu always felt something was amiss, walking and pondering, not figuring out what was wrong even after returning to Jimin Hall.

He kept feeling something was off.

Returning to the small courtyard, he practiced the Fierce Tiger Fist, continuously pondering the issue.

At lunch, Lu Yu unexpectedly noticed two roasted chickens on the dining table, seemingly freshly cooked.

Glancing at Tail with smoke smudges on her face, he asked, "Did you roast it?"

"Yes." Tail gently nodded, looking at Lu Yu, slightly anticipating his assessment.

Lu Yu tore off a chicken leg, took a few bites, and said, "The taste is a bit bland; add more chili next time."

Tail hurriedly jotted it down, planning to add more chili next time she roasts chicken.

Looking at Tail, Lu Yu said, "If you like cooking, should I find you a mentor? You could become a chef in the future."

Lu Yu was planning for Tail's future, thinking if she leaves him, she should have a skill to live better.

Although he could fry some dishes himself, teaching someone cooking was better left to the professionals.

Suddenly, Lu Yu froze, putting down the chopsticks, the notion of professionals struck him. Professionals… He felt like he grasped the key.

Seeing Lu Yu abruptly stop eating, Tail was somewhat at a loss—was it because the chicken wasn't tasty?

Lu Yu paced around the courtyard, inadvertently arriving at the entrance of Jimin Hall, glancing up to see the inconspicuous alley opposite.

The scenes of spotting watchers repeatedly contrasted in Lu Yu's mind, the sense of something being wrong growing stronger.

Suddenly, the mental image fixated on the vague silhouette he inadvertently glimpsed in the dim alley across.

Professional! The word flashed through Lu Yu's mind like lightning shattering the darkness; he realized where the issue lay.

The first time he discovered a watcher, it was by chance, and the moment he was spotted, the other vanished.

Today, having actively lured out the follower, he could distinctly feel the presence in the crowd.

If the watchers he discovered in those instances were the same person, their stealth skills couldn't be so poor; he wouldn't be able to sense being tracked.

In reality, when Lu Yu first saw the watcher, he wasn't even sure if they were a monitor—perhaps just an ordinary passerby.

This shows that the other party's surveillance skills are very advanced, basically not attracting his attention, and it's impossible to be easily discovered by him like today.

Thinking of this, Lu Yu felt a chill down his spine. What exactly is going on? Who is monitoring him?

Looking outside, he felt eyes watching him everywhere. Lu Yu vigorously shook his head and patted his own head. He was a bit paranoid.

However, he can now confirm that besides the Divine Weapon Pavilion, there is another power surveilling him.

Recalling what happened last night, Lu Yu suspected that people from the Wild Wolf Gang were tailing him.

If no one was tailing, how would the Wild Wolf Gang know which room Han Yu was in at the inn?

Upon realizing that people from the Wild Wolf Gang were surveilling him, Lu Yu felt a crisis looming. The Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Gang is a Martial Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation stage; with his current strength, he is definitely no match.

Moreover, his Hundred Refined Greatsword has been taken for enhancement, temporarily losing his trump card. If attacked by the Wild Wolf Gang at this moment, the consequences would be unthinkable.

With his current strength, dealing with Martial Cultivators at Body Refinement level five poses no problem, but dealing with level six is somewhat difficult.

If he had the Hundred Refined Greatsword, he would dare to fight even those at Body Refinement level seven.

Therefore, Lu Yu decided to lay low for a while and hide.

"My strength is still too weak!" Lu Yu sighed, returned to the courtyard, called Little Tail, packed up and left Windmill Town.

Without a trump card, he always feels a bit uneasy. He plans to return to Windmill Town once his Hundred Refined Greatsword is reforged.

After getting some marching pills from the Shopkeeper at Jimin Hall, he quietly left Windmill Town with Little Tail. He told the Shopkeeper he was going out to search for the Wild Wolf Gang's whereabouts.

He found an abandoned house in the mountains to temporarily stay; this was discovered by Lu Yu while searching for beasts earlier. There is a water source not far away, and living short-term would not pose any issues.

Having Little Tail tidy up the house, Lu Yu seized the time to train. He plans to master all techniques of the Fierce Tiger Fist to perfection. With this, he would have the confidence to deal with Martial Cultivators at Body Refinement level six.

Using the forest trees as imaginary enemies, training the Fierce Tiger Fist yielded excellent results. The uneven terrain of the forest with obstacles fostered variability in the techniques, enhancing adaptability.

The experience bar for the techniques rose at a visible rate; it wouldn't be long before the Fierce Tiger Fist reached true perfection.

During breaks in training, Lu Yu caught a few wild rabbits for Little Tail to eat. He also trimmed felled trees and blocked drafty gaps in the house.

Nearby the dwelling, he hung bells bought cheaply on trees using thin wires as a warning system.

Even though Lu Yu doesn't think those monitoring him could track him here, that does not stop him from ensuring alertness around his residence.

Bringing Little Tail along was partly to prevent the Wild Wolf Gang from targeting her to force him out. He won't leave such a weakness.

On the other hand, it was to have Little Tail help with chores like laundry and cooking...

This also helped train Little Tail's skills. The more she learns, the easier it will be for her to find a job in the future. Lu Yu convinced himself this way to bring Little Tail along.

After several days of diligent training, Lu Yu finally mastered the Fierce Tiger Fist to perfection; every move and technique exuded the awe-inspiring aura of a fierce tiger.

Once reaching perfection in the Fierce Tiger Fist, Lu Yu could intimidate wild rabbits with just one glance, causing them to become extremely tense, muscles tight and motionless.

However, Lu Yu found the rabbits stared into paralysis tasted particularly bad, so he still used his hands to catch them instead of shocking them with his gaze.

After the breakthrough, Lu Yu spent half a day in the forest solidifying his realm to ensure he could instantly employ the mastered Fierce Tiger Fist.

Feeling he was ready, Lu Yu sought Little Tail, preparing to return to Windmill Town to check if his Hundred Refined Greatsword was enhanced.

Unable to find Little Tail in the wooden house, Lu Yu headed towards the water source.

Little Tail wasn't in the wooden house, most likely gone to fetch water.

After walking a few steps, he saw Little Tail stumbling toward him, appearing very alarmed, having even dropped the water jar.

"Someone... Wild Wolf Gang..." She ran too urgently and nervously, stuttering and taking a long time to utter a sentence.

Lu Yu responded quickly, hurriedly asking, "People from the Wild Wolf Gang?"

Little Tail nodded heavily, pointing toward the direction of the water source.

"Don't speak, wait for me back in the house. I'll go take a look." After saying that, Lu Yu cautiously headed toward the water source.

This water source is the only flowing source in the area; encountering people from the Wild Wolf Gang was unexpected yet justified.

Lu Yu didn't expect to randomly find a place and still encounter people from the Wild Wolf Gang. Fortunately, their residence is a bit of a distance from the water source.

Close to the water source, Lu Yu saw two men filling water bags, and they had quite a few bags, seeming like they were representatives sent out by others to fetch water.

"You fill some first, I'll go take a leak."

One suddenly put the water bags on the ground, undoing his belt while walking away.

The other man filling water called out, "Go further away! Don't let us drink your piss!"

"Got it! I drink this water too." Saying that, the man lifted the leaves in front and entered the forest.