Chapter Thirteen: Cloaked in Splendor, Walking the Night

Outside the school, Gu Feng was weaving through the scattered shops nearby, purchasing the items he needed.

After several days of observation, he was now thoroughly convinced that the forest was extremely remote, a place hardly anyone would venture into.

His certainty came from the careful way he had monitored the area over the past few days.

Human attention is limited; no one can watch the big tree continuously for twenty-four hours. But Gu Feng had devised his own method.

On the first day, he spent the entire morning observing the spot, then rested in the afternoon, and resumed his watch at night. The next day, he slept through the morning and observed again in the afternoon.

Though he couldn’t keep uninterrupted surveillance for a full day, he ensured no time period was left unmonitored.

During his watch, no one had approached the tree in all that time, which put his mind at ease.

Now, what he needed was a set of dark clothing that would wrap him securely, along with some climbing gear.

To do a job well, one must first sharpen their tools.

He understood this principle well. As a student and an avid reader of novels, he knew that such missions required caution and stealth — moving unseen under the cover of night. After all, years spent reading stories were not wasted.

He was familiar with methods of concealment.

After selecting a deep black long robe, he moved on to other shops and finally chose a pair of leather shoes with smooth soles.

“Heh heh! This should be enough!” Gu Feng said excitedly, looking at himself in the mirror.

This time, he was thoroughly prepared. All that remained was to wait until darkness fell; once night cloaked the world, he could act. Everything was ready, only the crucial moment awaited.

Time passed; the sun dipped below the horizon and night slowly descended.

In an office belonging to the city’s law enforcement team,

“Where on earth did Yu Qijiu hide the items? We were following him closely. He shouldn’t have had time to move them,”

a team member murmured, stroking his chin, replaying the process of capturing Yu Qijiu in his mind, trying to find some clue.

As for Yu Qijiu himself, he had already been taken away. Where exactly, no one knew for certain, but it was probably one of the usual places.

The swift removal was because members of the God-Worshipping Cult like Yu Qijiu were notoriously difficult to extract useful information from. Keeping him here served no purpose.

More importantly, the matters involving Yu Qijiu were of such gravity that higher authorities were bound to take notice, hence the rapid transfer.

“Huh?”

“Do you remember how we first spotted Yu Qijiu during the capture?”

One team member suddenly asked, and the others fell silent, lost in thought.

One spoke up, “I remember we heard the sound of him crashing into a big tree. That’s how we found his trail and caught him afterward.”

“I remember too...” another added, “It was the noise he made while fleeing that gave him away.”

“That’s right,” the group nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Wang An's face darkened as a thought struck him.

“But have you considered this? Before that, they were extremely cunning, nearly shaking us off along the entire route. Why would he suddenly make such a noise at the last crucial moment?”

“With Yu Qijiu’s martial skills, no matter how panicked, he couldn’t have just missed avoiding those big trees. So why did he crash into one on purpose?”

“Captain, are you saying...”

“He did it intentionally!” someone suddenly realized, eyes lighting up with understanding.

“Intentionally?”

Those words stunned the others, plunging them into deep reflection.

“Why would he deliberately make a sound? Was he trying to call for backup, or...”

At that moment, another’s expression brightened as realization dawned.

“He crashed into the tree to lure us away. But why distract us...”

“The item is still there.”

Before he could finish, others spoke in unison, exchanging knowing glances. Their understanding of Yu Qijiu’s actions became crystal clear.

“Quick, notify the others and assemble,” Wang An urged hurriedly.

“If someone else beats us to it, the consequences would be disastrous.”

The others sprang into action.

...

Back at the inn, Gu Feng had packed everything and was ready.

For days now, the search for a room had faded from his mind, replaced entirely by thoughts of tonight’s operation.

He wrapped himself completely, covering his face with a black mask that left only his eyes visible.

“All set! This should be very safe now!” Gu Feng nodded with satisfaction.

In the mountains behind the town, Gu Feng moved cautiously, constantly scanning his surroundings, fearful of any sudden mishap.

His heart pounded like thunder as he treaded lightly forward, alert to every sound.

Reaching beneath the big tree, he found nothing unusual, which relieved him greatly.

Standing still, he carefully surveyed the area once more.

Then, preparing his climbing gear, he pressed his palm lightly against the tree’s surface.

Slowly, he climbed upward, soon reaching the treetop.

“There really is something here. What could it be?”

Gazing into the bird’s nest, he saw a package and his excitement surged.

He took a deep breath, gently grasped the parcel, and quickly climbed down.

Gu Feng cautiously opened the package and peered inside.

“Looks like a book?”

“Could it be some kind of secret manual?”

Thinking of the protagonist’s adventures in novels, his face brightened with excitement. He eagerly began examining it.

In the darkness, relying only on moonlight, Gu Feng could not clearly discern the text.

Yet the faint characters on the page were evidently extraordinary.

His heart swelled with anticipation and excitement.

At that moment, Gu Feng truly felt like the hero of his own story.

Moments later, he turned to the next page.

The brushstrokes on the page struck him profoundly.

He had never seen calligraphy so bold and vigorous, like a dragon or tiger, yet imbued with a certain ethereal grace, as if the characters themselves were clouds dancing in the wind.

He had never before seen someone write with such exquisite beauty.

“What magnificent writing!”

Gu Feng was utterly entranced, unable to resist praising it.

As a soon-to-be freshman at Tianlan University, he was far from unlearned—one might even say well-read—but precisely because of this, he appreciated the subtle artistry in the script all the more.

“What exactly does this book contain?”

His eyes shimmered with curiosity, a strong desire to uncover its secrets rising within him.

A cold breeze blew, sending a shiver through Gu Feng.

“I can’t stay here any longer. Besides, I can’t read clearly under the moonlight. Better to go back and examine it properly.”

“After all these years of reading novels, it’s embarrassing to make such a rookie mistake.”

With that thought, he closed the book, wrapped it carefully back in the cloth, and prepared to return to the inn.