Chapter 25: Secrets in the Cave
Dawn slowly spread across the Misty Shadow Mountains.
Han Feng remained hidden among the trees, his body pressed against the cold stone of the mountainside.
He hadn't moved for hours.
The cave entrance remained completely still.
No one had come out.
No one had entered.
Yet Han Feng knew the spy was still inside.
The faint connection of the Tracking Gu confirmed it.
The small insect had been attached to the spy's clothing the previous night. Han Feng had acquired the Gu several weeks earlier through the Black Moon Sect's outer resource hall. It was only a low-rank tracking Gu, useful for following a target over short distances.
It had three limitations.
Its range was limited.
Its connection weakened behind thick formations or large amounts of spiritual interference.
And its tracking effect would disappear after roughly one day.
It wasn't powerful enough to expose someone's entire movements.
But for Han Feng, that was enough.
The faint sensation coming from the Gu told him only one thing:
The target was still inside the cave.
Han Feng narrowed his eyes.
"Good. At least I know he hasn't left."
He didn't dare approach immediately.
The cave could contain formations.
There could be more cultivators inside.
The spy might even have discovered the Tracking Gu.
Han Feng had to assume the worst.
He waited another hour.
Nothing changed.
Finally, he reached into his storage pouch and removed a small black insect.
The Hearing Gu.
It was another low-rank Gu he had obtained after becoming an Outer Disciple of the Black Moon Sect. Its ability was simple: it could amplify distant sounds and transmit them to the user's spiritual sense.
Its limitations were equally obvious.
It couldn't penetrate powerful formations.
It couldn't clearly transmit sounds through extremely thick stone.
And the farther away the target was, the more distorted the voices became.
That was precisely why Han Feng had waited until morning.
The cave was relatively quiet.
There was less environmental noise.
He carefully released the Hearing Gu.
The tiny creature crawled onto the rock beside him before disappearing into a narrow crack.
Han Feng closed his eyes.
His consciousness followed the Gu.
At first, there was nothing.
Only the faint sound of wind moving through the cave.
Then—
A voice.
"...still not certain."
Han Feng's eyes opened slightly.
He concentrated.
The Hearing Gu adjusted its position.
The sound became clearer.
"We need confirmation before we approach him."
Another voice answered.
"But the characteristics match."
Han Feng's expression changed.
Characteristics?
He remained perfectly still.
The first voice continued.
"The age is close. The appearance is similar. And there's something else..."
A brief silence followed.
"...the energy fluctuations."
Han Feng's heartbeat accelerated.
The conversation was still too vague.
They could be talking about someone else.
He refused to jump to conclusions.
Then he heard the words that changed everything.
"If he really is the heir, we have to reach him before the Shadow Sect does."
Han Feng's pupils contracted.
The heir?
Who are they talking about?
He listened carefully.
The second man lowered his voice.
"We still don't know whether the Celestial Pattern has awakened."
Han Feng's breathing stopped for half a second.
The Celestial Pattern.
There was no doubt now.
They were connected to the mystery surrounding his power.
But there was another problem.
They still didn't know for certain that he possessed it.
That explained the surveillance.
They weren't hunting him because they already knew the truth.
They were investigating him.
Han Feng's thoughts raced.
The spy had followed him.
He had deliberately exposed a weakness during his cultivation.
The spy had taken the bait.
But perhaps the spy had not been trying to kill him at all.
They had been trying to confirm something.
His identity.
His connection to the Celestial Pattern.
And possibly his status as an heir.
Han Feng slowly opened his eyes.
"So that's why they didn't attack."
If the people inside the cave wanted him dead, they had already had opportunities.
Instead, they had watched.
Observed.
Tested.
That meant there were still things they didn't know.
And that was an advantage.
Han Feng carefully severed the Hearing Gu's connection.
He didn't want the people inside to detect the spiritual fluctuation.
Then he remained motionless.
He had learned something far more valuable than the identity of the spy.
He had learned that there were at least three forces involved.
The Black Moon Sect.
The mysterious group inside the cave.
And something called the Shadow Sect.
Possibly the same organization—or perhaps a completely different faction.
He couldn't assume anything yet.
Then the Tracking Gu suddenly trembled in his perception.
The spy was moving.
Han Feng immediately became alert.
The connection shifted deeper into the cave.
Then stopped.
A moment later, the connection weakened.
Han Feng frowned.
"Formation?"
Probably.
The spy had entered an area where the Tracking Gu could no longer maintain a clear connection.
Han Feng didn't panic.
He had expected limitations.
He had already obtained what he needed.
Information.
Nothing more.
He slowly stood.
There was no reason to enter the cave.
Not yet.
Entering now would reveal that he had discovered the surveillance.
Worse, he might be walking directly into an ambush.
Han Feng looked toward the cave entrance one last time.
"You think you're hunting me."
A faint smile appeared.
"But now I know you're looking for me."
That difference mattered.
He turned away and disappeared into the forest.
He didn't destroy the Tracking Gu.
He didn't retrieve it.
If the spy discovered it later, they might assume it had simply failed because of the cave's spiritual interference.
That was useful.
Let them believe the Gu had stopped working naturally.
Han Feng moved deeper into the mountains, carefully changing his route several times.
He wasn't going back to the cave.
Not yet.
First, he needed to return to the Black Moon Sect.
There was something he had to investigate.
The words Celestial Pattern had appeared in an ancient scroll inside the outer archive.
Now strangers outside the sect were using the same term.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
Someone had preserved knowledge of the Celestial Pattern.
Someone was searching for its heir.
And someone called the Shadow Sect was apparently searching for him as well.
Han Feng clenched his fist.
For the first time since his reincarnation, he realized that the Celestial Diagram might not simply be a gift.
It might be a legacy.
And if that were true...
Then there were probably people in this world who already knew exactly what it was.
He looked back toward the distant cave.
"I need answers."
But answers had a price.
And Han Feng had no intention of paying that price with his life.
For now, he would return to the Black Moon Sect.
He would continue pretending to be an ordinary Outer Disciple.
He would investigate the ancient records.
And he would allow the people watching him to believe that they were still one step ahead.
Because the greatest advantage wasn't knowing everything.
It was knowing what your enemy didn't know.
And at this moment, Han Feng knew something they didn't.
He knew they were looking for him.