The constables and thugs were nothing but a cover. Their true identities were probably linked to Honor Pavilion. They did have quite a number of good items on them, after all, things that the average constable or thug wouldn't own.

First, there was the spirit stone, which was slightly smaller than the two An Jing had looted off the vice apothecary. But in Skysource, it was worth two thousand merits. Spirit stones were worth quite a bit in Void Embrace too, but no more than a set of good talismans. The reason the constable carried it around was the artifact that he had on him.

"An terrestrial-vein compass?" An Jing held an interesting vortex-shaped compass.

While he studied it, Yvelbane said, "Wow, to think that terrestrial-vein compasses have been simplified to such a degree. It seems sensitive, but is it even possible to get a good look at the flow of terrestrial veins like this?"

Based on the explanation, the compass appeared to be simplified and only had the function of detecting terrestrial-vein fluctuations. Functions that helped determine the flow and direction of terrestrial veins, the yin and yang distributions, as well as the rise and fall of terrestrial-vein qi were stripped away from this design.

It was a tool that was specialized for one purpose only: tracking down something or someone. Anyone less imaginative would have had trouble figuring out what it was used for, but An Jing was a starchild, born with the Spark and gifted all sorts of knowledge and experience that greatly expanded his horizons. One look at the compass and he immediately related it to the information he had gathered.

"I think these people are after the gold-eyed princess. It's clear that they're not from Grand Chen either. At the very least, they're not part of the authorities here!"

This was either an invasion from an outside faction or an escalation toward civil war by a faction in Grand Chen. It could also be an outside faction that was petitioned by someone within Grand Chen to fight for them!

It was clear that Honor Pavilion's target was the mysterious princess. He didn't know why they bothered with the terrestrial veins, but it definitely had something to do with the princess as well. Did her mere presence trigger fluctuations in terrestrial veins?

He stopped pondering aimlessly and tossed the useless artifact back. He couldn't be sure whether it was being tracked one way or another, after all. Yvelbane was much better at anything the compass could do anyway.

Apart from the spirit stone, the group also had some herbal pills, most of them for recovering qi. There were even qi-nourishment pills that helped with cultivation. As they were of decent quality, An Jing pocketed them. Apart from that, each one there also had a stimulant pill.

"This definitely isn't normal," An Jing said after he finished searching through their belongings. "They are far too rich. The group that's supporting them is by no means small!"

Though the herbal pills weren't expensive, there were far too many of them. The way they were produced also suggested a single source. In other words, this group had a pill refiner that provided them with a steady supply.

The spirit stone of high purity that was there to restore the artifact's power also stood out. While spirit stones were one of the most basic spirit items in Void Embrace, they weren't mined in large amounts.

Those types of jades were considered to be lower purity as they carried an elemental aspect. True aspectless spirit stones were sourced from spirit veins which only large factions like Grand Chen, the Heavenly Demon Cult and the five major sects of Dustdawn had access to. Nobody else could have large quarries within the deep mountains.

If An Jing included the spirit stones and herbal pills, the loot he got was worth more than four hundred liang of silver. The most precious thing, however, came from a tiny bamboo vial that the constable leader wore at his waist. Within it was a pill of blood-red color.

"A blood-brew pill?!" An Jing froze up for a moment, but snapped out of it. He didn't feel any rage or hatred. Instead, he calmly inspected the pill. "Hmm... It doesn't quite seem like the pills that the cult makes."

"It is indeed different," Yvelbane said. "The demonic cult's blood pills were produced by a conversion process that requires a lifevessel and sacrificial young children with lifearc potential and pure vigor. But this pill's vigor appears rather muddled. Not to mention... There's a hint of grief and death. These people don't even spare the old or sick... To think that someone would brew blood pills like that..."

"It's the missing people," An Jing said, exhaling calmly. "The slavers might've caught quite a few children, but it's not that easy to kidnap kids in Keensight. They had no choice but to mix it up with older people who lived alone or helpless vagabonds. These people aren't the demonic cult, but they're almost no different. What kind of monsters are behind all this?"

He raised a leg and kicked the head of the person that possessed the pill, causing it to turn 180 degrees and killing him on the spot. Having claimed a life, he turned around without batting an eye, looking toward Honor Pavilion. "I thought this would just be some minor incident. It seems like I can't afford to stay my hand. I'll have to kill those foul animals.

"Well, I had to kill someone for the others to make a report back anyway. Eventually, I'll gather all their names and kill them all. For now, I need to go back to put all this information together. After assessing the risk, I'll go back to Skysource to stock up on what I need." He immediately began to plan after assessing the situation. "Knowing oneself and one's enemy is the key to victory. I can't afford to rush this and let any of these monsters slip through."

"Setting a stable pace is always good," Yvelbane agreed.

An Jing disappeared from the room and left a single lotus drone at the entrance. When the people inside eventually awakened and noticed the corpse and how they had been robbed clean, they shrieked in horror.

Things didn't seem to improve when he got back to the inn. His room had been completely messed up. It looked like what would happen when the unruly children of one's relatives came to visit during new year's. The trinkets he had purchased such as the calligraphy and other decorations had been unpacked and carelessly left at random spots.

An Jing had a bit of an obsessive tendency and liked to put things together following a specific order, trash or not. This was clear from the strict and uniform way he trained the other disaster children at Direlife Manor.

However, he did have another quirk: being more forgiving to people whose days were numbered. He smiled at the sight of the break-in and said, "I will kill them all."