As he jogged, he followed the woman who had once been a princess of the Qing clan. Now, she looked like a frantic beggar, and he concluded she was not well in the head. It seemed a natural consequence, considering the constant assault of qi she endured.Her fall from a clan princess to a ragged beggar was steep, made worse by the knowledge that her own family wanted her dead just to silence the matter. Her life must have been rough. The pressure had likely pressed on her mind like a boot on fruit, slowly crushing it.

"Does she truly have a baby?" Liu Xing wondered. He jogged behind her, tempted several times to stop her. After all, she was trying to kill a baby. But he decided to observe from afar, giving him a chance to follow mindlessly and process the situation. Luckily, she avoided the main roads, instead choosing an overgrown path that forced her to scramble through bushes and climb trees.

Liu Xing leaped onto a small cliff as high as three people, landing on the edge to watch the woman's ungraceful, monkey-like climb. Her eyes shone with madness, and the qi around her pushed and pulled as if trying to make her fall. She clawed at the stones and protrusions as if they owed her money, allowing her to steadily ascend. As he observed, he opened his spatial bag and released two Eyes of Lightning, ordering them to survey the city. He then switched his focus to Fang Ruxue. Seeing that she was still safe and talking with several people, he shifted his view to the women on the grassy land, who had decided to wash their clothes in a nearby river.

From his eye on Fang Ruxue, he knew Second Master Qing's actions had created a commotion, and gossip was already spreading. However, it seemed they had not yet decided to unleash their full capabilities to hunt him and this woman. They must have decided to handle this silently, which was good for him. It meant he still had time to plan before they acted openly.

When his two newly released Eyes of Lightning reached a sufficient altitude, he ordered them to separate. One flew toward the Qing clan compound, while the other headed east. He wanted to monitor the Qing clan's movements, especially the old man he had just helped break through. He still hadn't received his reward, and he hoped the old man was generous enough to halt his clan's pursuit. The chances were slim, but a chance nonetheless. The other Eye went to monitor the east gate of Water Tower City. He suspected that gate was controlled by the Qing clan, and if they moved, they would use it—assuming his hypothesis was correct.

The woman finally succeeded in climbing the cliff. Her breath was ragged and sweat streamed down her face, making her look even more dirty and disheveled. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, then shouted, "I know you're observing me!" before running again, her pace slower now.

Soon, the Eyes of Lightning arrived at their destinations. He could see the Qing clan compound—once bustling with workers and servants—was now quiet. The other Eye saw a gate manned by several cultivators, ranging from the first to the third stage of the Lock Opening realm. Each of them looked tense, which suggested they had received news from their clan.

He rubbed his chin as he considered what to do. First, he needed to accept the implication that his presence on this island was already compromised, thanks to that incredibly sharp gardener who still baffled him. How could he have gleaned so much from so little? Was he some kind of genius? What would have happened if he had stolen the money instead of exchanging it? Would he have had more trouble learning about him? Was it a mistake to go into the Qing clan? Liu Xing shook his head. He didn't think the fault was his. He had been stealthy. If he had found a bank instead of the Qing clan and taken the same actions, he was sure the outcome would have been different. He was merely unfortunate that this specific gardener was there.

As the woman reached a river, she cursed and began to swim. Liu Xing reasoned that since the Qing clan knew of his existence, the whole city would know about him sooner or later. This hindered his plan to gather information and endangered Fang Ruxue. The smart thing to do was to retrieve Fang Ruxue, return to the grassy land, and get off this island. However, he couldn't do that. The key to the Heaven Severing Pill was in this city. He had a feeling Fang Ruxue could gather important information. And while dangerous, this city was like a pot just placed on a fire. The water wasn't boiling yet, which meant they could accomplish much before it did. Moreover, the cultivation level on this island didn't seem too high, giving him options when things eventually hit the fan.

"I need to be calm, careful, but also not too negative and cowardly," he muttered. He needed to seek opportunities and take risks, or he would fail his mission to retrieve the Heaven Severing Pill, and he didn't want to risk his future.

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His mind told him that following this woman was a waste of time. However, he didn't know what to do with her. She was in the same boat as him. If she didn't secure herself, her former clan would kill her. But he didn't want to take her in. She seemed to have mental problems, and while he already had thirty people to protect, he didn't want to add another glaring weakness. Still, he was intensely curious about her baby. She was called a "cursed mother," after all. What was her baby? Was it cursed too?

Interestingly, his gut feeling told him he couldn't ignore the baby, so he decided to see the full picture before making a decision.

As the woman emerged on the other side of the river, Liu Xing crossed it in a single jump. The woman, whose name he realized he still didn't know, decided her soaked and filthy clothes were hindering her motion. She tore them off and ran half-naked. Upon seeing her body, Liu Xing felt not a speck of lust, but only a pity that made him sigh. The woman's body was covered in bruises. Some were blue, some red, some black, some purple; others leaked yellow, nasty pus. Her body was so emaciated that her shoulder blades protruded from her back and her ribs pressed against her skin. It was a miracle the woman could run at all. A normal person in her condition would have lost all their energy in the first hundred steps.

For a moment, he thought about helping her reach her baby, but then he remembered why she was running so desperately and decided against it. Her intentions were evil and deserved no help.

As they ran, Liu Xing monitored the area. At one point, he ordered the Eye of Lightning over the gate to wander deeper into the city. Fang Ruxue was currently talking with an old man. His skin was full of wrinkles, his hairs were white, and he looked at her with a fondness, as if she were his granddaughter. He had taken her to a dark back alley, but Liu Xing judged it wasn't dangerous. The old man was whispering as if telling her the secrets of the universe. Liu Xing was hopeful the information would be important.

A change occurred at the Qing clan compound. Several carriages stopped in front of the gate, and people walked out. One was the academy boy ignored by a girl, while others were men and women who strode with dignity, some with their hands behind their backs, some gliding over the pavement. The majority wore the Qing clan's color scheme, but some wore gold, green, and red. He couldn't sense their qi with his Eyes—another weakness he needed to amend—but he felt they were at least at the fifth stage of the Lock Opening realm.

"They are conducting a meeting," Liu Xing muttered. Some were perhaps city officials, which meant information about what happened earlier would spread even wider.

He fought his anxiety and switched his vision to the grassy field. His shark was chomping on a mantis-like spirit beast the size of an adult. It was similar to the first spirit beast he had killed when he got the gun. Though it looked weaker, he suspected the grassy land was its territory. Since Tide Walker had defeated it, the area was now safer for the women.

He switched his focus back to Fang Ruxue, then to the Eye of Lightning roaming the sky of White Tower City, then to the Qing clan compound, where he glimpsed another carriage stopping. A man who looked to be in his forties stepped out, with a chiseled jaw and harsh eyes. His body was large, and his cultivator's robe couldn't hide the giant muscles underneath. When he arrived, the entire Qing clan came out, and everyone—including Second Master Qing—showed him respect, which he acknowledged with a nod. From this sight alone, Liu Xing knew this was the leader of the Qing clan, and from the way he carried himself, he was at the very least at the peak of the Lock Opening realm. They entered the clan proper, and he imagined an intense meeting would be held.

He switched his vision again and again, marveling at his new ability. This technique, as he had expected, was useful. While not an offensive technique, it gave him reassurance. He couldn't imagine how stressed he would be if he were just following the beggar woman without knowing the situation elsewhere.

Almost four hours later, the beggar and Liu Xing had left Water Tower City far behind them. They were approximately to the southeast of the city. The cursed mother in front of him ran with short breaths, her body drenched. She had looked terrible before, but now she looked horrendous, with leaves, mud, and dirt clinging directly to her skin. She almost looked like a zombie that had just clawed its way out of a grave.

Soon, a small, shabby hut emerged in his vision. It was made from decaying bamboo, with leaves for a roof and a small window cut near its open door.

"I-I finally arrived," she said, gasping for breath. "I-I'll show you my devotion by killing that cursed baby!"

Liu Xing stared at the hut intensely, wondering what kind of baby it would be. Just then, a black dog emerged from the hut. Its body was thin, but its eyes were red and mad. White foam filled one side of its mouth, while the other was busy dragging something, drenching its jaw in blood. It took him a fraction of a second to comprehend the horrifying image.

The thin, black dog was dragging a baby by the ankle. A red line smeared the ground behind the infant, whose feet, stomach, and hands were soaked in blood.

As if only now realizing its mortal wounds, the baby began to cry out.

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