Chapter 56. Crime and Punishment. Part Two.

It took him just under three days to get around every shop and store in the city, not missing even the smallest and most insignificant merchants. He even visited the city auction house, where they refused to provide any information about buyers, but inadvertently reassured him by informing him that no auctions had been held in the past two weeks.

The elderly man asked people about the novice under various pretexts, but in none of his stories did he mention anything bad about the novice (of course, he didn't mention that the novice he was looking for had killed his apprentice), fearing that such information might attract unnecessary and dangerous attention from the guards and the sect. If it became known that he was planning to kill a sect member, his life would be at great risk.

Most of the merchants and vendors he questioned knew nothing about his apprentice or the young novice or were unwilling to share any information with the old shopkeeper. Others mentioned that they had seen them, but upon further questioning, it turned out that the details didn't match: dates, appearance, cultivation, and they had simply seen someone similar.

Some didn't want to talk to him at all, driving him away, and the man had to appease and bribe them. This strategy didn't work at the Heavenly Beasts Palace; they refused to say anything, deeming his status in the city's merchants' and cultivators' guilds insufficient for such inquiries.

Despite these setbacks, he was undeterred and, as they say, fortune favors the persistent. In one store, both his apprentice, who had bought an expensive Spiritual Invisibility Pill, and the young black-haired novice at the second level of Qi Condensation, who had asked extensively about the store's assortment, were seen within hours of each other. The former was recognized from a portrait the man had brought from home, while the latter was remembered because the visit of any Fire Dragon Sect member is a significant event that will be remembered for a long time after.

The man obtained a detailed description of the probable killer of his apprentice. This alone would likely have been enough to identify the killer by asking the right people, but he wanted to be completely certain. So instead of immediately going to informants with the description, he spent a small fortune on an expensive talisman that helps create portraits from memory and gave it to the seller who told him everything. This allowed him to obtain a visual representation of the hated young killer. Looking at it, the man thought involuntarily, "Nature gave you beauty and talent, but in return, gave you a black heart and soul."

But he didn't stop at obtaining the portrait. Instead of going to informants who could have easily identified the young sect member, he decided to continue visiting shops and stores to find out exactly what items that bastard had forced his apprentice to buy.

After three days of visiting all the shops and stores and expending great effort, he managed to retrace part of his apprentice's path and learn a few things:

"First, this little bastard initially visited the stores personally, asking the vendors about what they had in stock and what they didn't. However, as far as I know, he didn't buy anything himself... Then, after a few hours, Zark entered several shops and bought a few items: namely, a Light Distorter Talisman, a Spiritual Invisibility Pill, and an Odor Eliminator Potion. After that, Zark was seen on the outskirts of the city, but his trail ends there. No one saw the artifact on his head... Was it invisible? Or did that bastard remove it? No, right now it's not that important…

Regarding the purchases: each of the items could be used in various situations individually, but all three together... in my opinion, they can only be used in two situations: escaping from a stronger opponent or attempting a secret assassination. The first can be dismissed, I think. So, by entrusting the purchase of these items to Zark, the novice wanted to cover up a murder? Or am I missing something? Okay, there's no point in thinking about this now; I'll have more time for that later. For now, I should finally go to the informants and find out this bastard's identity. I hope I have enough money left for these spirit stone-hungry scoundrels..."

But then, a wave of fatigue suddenly washed over the man, his legs buckled, and he fell. After a moment, he struggled to his feet, but the weakness didn't leave him.

"How many days have I been without sleep? Nine? Eleven? I don't remember... But it seems my old body, at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, has reached its limit, and the Qi within me is no longer enough to keep me in optimal form. Until now, I hardly felt anything, just a slight fatigue. It seems the thirst for revenge gave me strength, but now everything has hit me all at once. If I stay awake any longer, I'll die before I can get my revenge.

Alright, I've already learned the most important things; that bastard won't disappear in a dozen hours. I should leave the visit to the informants for tomorrow and go home to sleep now; my head is splitting..."

Immediately after falling out of the blue, the man slowly headed home, hoping to rest and regain his strength. But this desire was not meant to be fulfilled, because halfway to his house, on one of the deserted streets of the lower city, he met a tall, broad-shouldered man who appeared out of nowhere. And he was dressed in the crimson robes of the Fire Dragon Sect.

Seeing him, the old man's heart froze, and after his subsequent words, it sank into his heels.

"You're Belindor, right? The owner of the eponymous shop in the lower city?", sect member asked.

"Why is he here? How does he know my name? Is he here because I was looking for a sect novice? But what's the big deal, I didn't say anything bad about him. What should I say to him? Lie? His cultivation... I can't feel it. So, it's unlikely to work..." — many thoughts flashed through his mind at once, but none of them helped him, and he had no choice but to answer truthfully:

"Yes, I'm Belindor, honorable member of the great sect. Unfortunately, I do not know your noble name."

"You don't need to. The only thing you need to know right now is that you're coming with me to the Fire Dragon Sect to tell everything you know to an important person."

Upon hearing this, the old man, Belindor, realized that his story seemed to be coming to an end. He still wasn't entirely sure why they came for him, but now it didn't seem particularly important to him. He had heard of people who were "invited" to the sect in a similar way and what was done to them there. Almost none of them returned. And he doubted that he would be one of the lucky few to come back. At that moment, he resigned himself to death and to the fact that he would not be able to avenge his nephew. But he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"And if I wish to refuse your generous invitation? I am a member of the city's trade and cultivation guilds, and I have rights."

Hearing this, the sect member smirked and replied:

"You have no choice, little guild member, an elder's order overrides your "rights."

These words were enough for Belindor; there was no more time to waste. Despite his fatigue, he began to raise his left hand, preparing to release the Water Blade technique into the opponent's face to buy himself time and attempt to escape.

But before his hand could rise even a couple of centimeters, he was grabbed and immobilized by a massive scaly red tail that appeared at incredible speed. It wrapped around him so tightly and strongly that he couldn't move his hands or legs, even breathing was difficult. As a result, his plan to use the Water Blade as a distraction became unfeasible.

"You wanted to use some technique against me? I knew you would try something like that. All of you do. Foolish, very foolish. Trying to resist someone at the Foundation Establishment stage with Qi Condensation level power? True madness. But to make sure you don't try to surprise me anymore, one thing needs to be done. — saying this, the sect member pulled a thin green needle from his spatial ring and immediately plunged it deep into Belindor's chest.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest, after which he completely lost control over the Qi inside his body. The sect member then performed another partial transformation, and large red wings sprouted from his back. He began to flap them quickly and soon lifted off the ground, still holding the old man with his tail.

After some time, though Belindor couldn't be sure how long their flight lasted, they reached the Fire Dragon Sect and stopped at a modest building.

"Elder Byron, as my master requested, I brought you the man who was going around the city with a portrait of your disciple."

"Thank you, junior Geron. I will inform your master that you have done me a good service. Leave this man at the door and you can go. I'll handle the rest."

"Yes, elder"

Disciple Geron pulled the needle from his captive's body and dropped him at the doorstep before flying off to his own tasks. Immediately after Belindor fell, an irresistible force dragged him into the building, pulling him through several rooms and corridors until he stopped at the feet of a real old man, who, even compared to him, seemed ancient.

Gathering all his remaining strength, he asked with difficulty:

"What is my crime, elder? Why was I brought here like this? "

This question seemed to slightly surprise Byron, who remained silent for a few seconds before replying:

"Your crime… is that you tried to find out something about my disciple without having sufficient power. Had you been at the Nascent Soul stage, you would not have committed any crime, and I wouldn't have even considered touching you. So your main crime is that you are weak.

Well, enough about that… First, you will tell me exactly what you wanted to know about him."