The Sect Leader System-Chapter 315: + Ring of Disguise

Zou Tian had spotted the former Jade Chameleon Sect branch leader, Teng Wuying, by chance as he exited the tournament grounds and followed him. The man either had some instinct or technique guiding him or he was simply paranoid because he’d somehow spotted Zou Tian.

He had, as per the manual, kept calm. Suspicion didn’t mean he was made. Calmly and purposely, he kept course past a few intersections before turning onto a side street.

Once out of the target’s sight, he’d had to hurry through an alley, step into a shadow, use the +1 Ring of Disguise—as Master had referred to it in the written instructions—to change his appearance. “Ring of Disguise,” Zou Tian understood as the device had the ability to shift his clothes, his appearance, or both at once. But what did “plus one” mean?

Anyway, he’d gotten ahead of his target and, after a turn, had been forced to trail him once again until he entered a tea shop. Zou Tian had been quite worried right before the end. If he’d been spotted again, there was no third disguise in the ring, and crafting a new one took time he didn’t have. He would have been left with only his own face, and since he was known in the city, he avoided using that appearance at all costs.

Obviously, the chance of someone who knew him being nearby and spotting him was almost infinitesimal, but one manual clearly advised against taking just such chances—no matter how slight a possibility of failure was, it would eventually end in disaster if allowed to stack with enough other chances on enough occasions.

The next time he had an opportunity to ask for a boon, he knew exactly what he wanted. His current ring was a fantastic treasure, obviously, but it didn’t have enough options for tailing a target solo. With a team and the ability to communicate with those team members, no disguises would be necessary, but he was rapidly finding the shortcomings of his current equipment when it came to following someone without having backup.

Five changes would be sufficient. Hmm. The current ring had two. Maybe that was the reason for the “plus one.” It had one disguise plus one extra, equaling two. That made sense. He’d request a +4 Ring of Disguise from Master.

Regardless, Zou Tian turned himself invisible and waited for a patron to exit the tea shop, slipping through the opened door before it shut. Teng Wuying wasn’t in sight, but Zou Tian made his way unseen to a back room where the man was in a booth setting up a silencing array.

Perfect.

Zou Tian unfortunately couldn’t penetrate the formation’s bubble. For one thing, the time he could spend invisible—mere minutes—was seriously limited without using an amount of spirit coins that would be easily detectable. And there were no shadows big enough to hide him that close to his target’s booth.

Besides, such silencing arrays generally contained an alarm function that notified the user when the threshold was pierced.

The situation was fine, though. The manuals had covered that exact scenario, suggesting that a good spy must know how to read lips. Zou Tian had spent quite a bit of time since being given the manuals learning that particular skill.

He settled into a shadow in the back corner of the room with a fantastic view of both sides of his target’s booth and quietly waited.

That patience paid off as who should appear but Mao Biya, the branch leader of the Swift Blizzard Sect.

It was all Zou Tian could do to keep himself calm. He just might have happened upon the most important meeting of his life.

Of course, he also felt a smidge of guilt. Master had specifically instructed Zou Tian not to spy on either sect’s higher ups, but that restriction was made in the context of not trying to infiltrate a rival sect’s grounds. He was in a public tea shop!

Still, if Master or—he shuddered at the thought—Wan Ai ever found out, Zou Tian would be in a load of trouble. Lucky for him, he was a spy, good at keeping secrets. And what they didn't know wouldn’t hurt him.

The now two targets exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Well, really, it was more that Teng Wuying placated Mao Biya by playing up her importance and appealing to her vanity. She didn’t appear to notice what he was doing, either, simply soaking it up instead.

Finally, though, they got to the meat of the issue. Teng Wuying had noticed that the Swift Blizzard Sect members were avoiding a particular area of the tournament grounds and wanted to know why. Though he obviously did his best not to use words that implied an accusation, she immediately turned defensive.

“I’m not faulting you for anything, Esteemed Sect Branch Leader,” he said. “I just need to understand what is happening and why.”

She basically replied that it was none of his business, and it took several long minutes of him stroking her ego before she finally relented.

“I was worried about one of the juniors discovering something off about the square or stumbling into the actual ambush, so I simply ordered them to avoid it.”

It was only for a very brief instant, but a look of complete consternation mixed with annoyance washed over Teng Wuying’s face before he schooled his expression. “Okay, Esteemed Sect Branch Leader, that makes sense. I just worry that someone from one of our rival sects might notice and wonder at the reason.”

Mao Biya scoffed. “Who pays attention to juniors?”

“True, but still, it might be a good idea to supply a reason for the avoidance, Esteemed Branch Sect Leader. Perhaps you can have one of your underlings explain that the Rising Tide Sect has been assigned a location that will require them to pass through that square frequently and that you prefer to keep your sect separate from theirs except during actual matches?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“I still don’t see why it’s important.”

“It took much trouble to arrange for our Esteemed Colleague to do his work, Esteemed Branch Sect Leader. It’s unlikely anyone will notice your juniors’ actions, but on the very minute chance that someone other than me does, it would be good for there to be a readily apparent explanation for them to discover. Otherwise, they might believe the square to hold some significance and investigate it. We wouldn’t want that to happen, would we?”

From the look on his face, a bit of his frustration leaked through, but Mao Biya didn’t appear to notice.

“Fine. If it’s that important to you, never let it be said that the Swift Blizzard Sect isn’t a competent and cooperative ally.”

Zou Tian almost laughed. It looked like it took every ounce of willpower Teng Wuying had not to roll his eyes.

The two didn’t talk about anything else consequential for a while, and it became clear that they’d be leaving soon. Zou Tian faced a decision—leave before them or after.

Each held advantages and disadvantages. Moving with the two present was an obvious risk. A less obvious risk, but one that might be greater, was that Teng Wuying, as paranoid as he appeared to be, might sweep the room with some method that could detect Zou Tian.

His cover, after all, was not infallible, especially when dealing with cultivators more than an entire major realm higher than him.

A patron in view in the front room though the open doorway looked to be readying himself to leave. Following after him would be the perfect opportunity to get through the outer door. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Zou Tian decided to risk leaving.

Unfortunately, a server came to check on the table just as Zou Tian tried to slip through the doorway, and an invisible Zou Tian couldn’t completely avoid contact with her.

She stumbled and looked around for what she’d tripped on while he slipped away. With the possibility of being found growing much greater, stealth and speed warred for primacy. He moved as fast as he could while still remaining silent.

Behind him, Teng Wuying’s suspicion had obviously been aroused. He darted up from his chair and dashed through the shop.

Luckily, the customer Zou Tain followed didn’t dawdle. He made it outside, the door shutting practically in Teng Wuying’s face.

Zou Tian had only an instant to get away. He was almost out of the qi that was keeping him invisible, and there were no shadows close enough to disappear into.

In that moment, though, he remembered something Master had said, something that Zou Tian had almost dismissed at the time. He’d been clearly instructed not to forget about the flying boots and that, according to the lore, he’d probably end up in a situation where using those boots was the only way to save him and the mission.

Master was prescient. He had to be. How else could he have possibly known that Zou Tian would end up with a problem that only those boots, which he hadn’t even used to that point except to practice, could solve?

With a thought, he channeled a tiny bit of qi into the device. From testing, he knew the amount of qi Master’s arrays could conceal, and Zou Tian used not a mote more or less. The device lifted him, still invisible, off the ground, over the roof of the tea shop, and into the shadows where he disappeared.

Heart beating wildly, he silently mouthed, “Gratitude, Master.”

He settled in to wait for a good long time, for most of the rest of the day, in fact. There was no reason to risk moving while Teng Wuying might still be observing.

As he waited, he pondered his recent actions. Why hadn’t he used the boots before that point? There had been times when he needed to get atop roofs, but he always just climbed.

Ah. Because that was the method given in the manuals, books that didn’t assume the reader had access to certain special tools. That was an oversight in his thinking that he needed to correct.

He went over the other items that Master had gifted. The listening devices and hidden camera were sure to be useful. Instead of sneaking into the tournament steering committee’s meeting while it was happening, Zou Tian could go in advance, plant the “bugs,” and come back later to retrieve the devices.

Much safer than infiltrating himself while four Golden Core cultivators were present…

It would have been dangerous to stick a tracking device on Teng Wuying or Mao Biya, but surely those would come in handy. The use for a writing implement that turned into a knife was a bit less obvious. As was a stick of candy that had to be chewed before it turned into an explosive that could be triggered?

Zou Tian could see the benefit of having access to an explosive, but why did it look like a stick of candy that was unlike anything he’d ever seen? And the wristwatch didn’t look like something he’d seen anyone wear. However useful the “laser” was, the device would make him stand out.

Master had to have a reason for creating those particular items, though, and Zou Tian committed himself to finding a use for each of them.

Teng Wuying had grown up with a bully for an older brother. And not only was Teng Jian a bully, but he could turn himself invisible using Illusion. Thus, from the moment Teng Wuying advanced to Foundation Establishment, his top priority was to learn how to detect invisible people.

As the door to the tea shop slammed in his face, he pulsed a technique he’d personally developed through the room. The waves of qi that returned to him formed a mental image that revealed no one other than the people he saw.

Quickly, he rushed outside to the street and used the same technique. Nothing.

Maybe the server girl was just clumsy, but she’d reacted just as he would have expected someone tripping over an invisible intruder to act. And maybe he’d imagined the slight scuffing of boots on the floor that seemed to be in addition to the sounds everyone else made.

Hmm.

Kang Ya-Ting reviewed the latest information retrieved from one of Zou Tian’s “dead drops.” That the boy had such detailed information about a private conversation between Mao Biya and Teng Wuying was startling. And a bit worrisome regarding the boy’s safety.

The actual information confirmed their worst fears. The two sects did have an alliance. They had secured the services of a Formations Master. And they were planning an ambush, almost definitely of Chao Su.

It was time to relay some of that to the man himself. Not too much, though. Any message could be intercepted, apparently, even if Chao Su’s blue dragons were much more difficult than any others.

Friend Su,

This one has made contact with a mutual friend, someone you know from here in the city. His messages have caused quite the commotion, including resulting in the spymaster of my branch sect being dismissed and me assuming that position.

I don’t think that most of the information is so important as to warrant you making a special trip to see me, but I would appreciate you taking time out of your schedule soon after you escort your sect members to the tournament, assuming your timetable is the same as you previously related. If your arrival has been delayed, maybe that special trip might be worthwhile.

As for that one piece of information that is important to know now, it has become apparent from multiple sources that the Jade Chameleon Sect and the Swift Blizzard Sect have grown much closer over the last couple of months. No official alliance has been announced, but absent strong evidence to the contrary, this old man would advise you to consider them so.

If the Rising Tide Sect were to decide not to attend the tournament under those circumstances, no one in my sect would second guess you.

Your Friend,

Kang Ya-Ting

Official Spymaster of the Poison Claw Branch Sect, Sixth Flawless Flowing City

There. Kang Ya-Ting’s ascension to the position was well known, and he was sure he didn’t give any other information away, such as Zou Tian’s identity or the Rising Tide Sect’s arrival date.

On the other hand, he seriously doubted that Chao Su would heed the warning. The man was too sure of his ability. That being said, he hadn’t failed yet, other than the unfortunate matter with Ye Zan.

Kang Ya-Ting sent the message and returned to reading reports. So, so many reports.