All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

Chapter 58 Tracking

Zhang Cheng followed Kumārajīva northwards, falling behind him.

Along the way, he would occasionally be triggered by a sense of righteousness, and he would do good deeds as a matter of course.

Although the progress bar for "The Lone Ranger" doesn't show any changes, it hasn't been entirely without gains along the way.

Achievement Name: [Righteousness Reaching the Heavens]

Achievement condition: Successfully rescue or help one hundred people who are in dire straits and who have no direct interest in you.

This world is never short of people in dire straits. Although the phrase "in dire straits" is strictly defined, the sheer number of people in such situations is overwhelming. Zhang Cheng somehow managed to reach the hundred mark and also snagged a white item.

An unused white umbrella

Name: Unused Umbrella Quality: White Common Category: Equipment Effect: When the wearer enters the field, the field effect is forcibly switched to sunny.

Note: An umbrella that will never be used. After all, who needs an umbrella on a sunny day?

Although it still doesn't directly help in combat, Zhang Cheng felt that this forced sunny weather effect might come in handy someday.

Throughout the pursuit, he maintained a considerable distance from his target to avoid being detected by Kumārajīva.

Therefore, Zhang Cheng had no idea what the other party did every day.

All that is known is that after entering Tibetan territory, the other party separated from the nine followers and continued north alone.

Kumārajīva was a master of the Four Greats, and after abandoning his followers, he traveled at full speed, making him even faster.

Zhang Cheng followed them for eight or nine days, heading north, gradually reaching the northernmost edge of Tibet. If they continued on this route, they would enter the territory of Western Xia.

This allowed Zhang Cheng to instantly guess the other party's destination.

Kumārajīva left his entourage behind and came alone, which must be for matters of the martial world.

In the world of Tianlong, the only person in the Western Xia Kingdom with such a high status and who can rival Kumārajīva is Li Qiushui, the source of Zhang Cheng's martial arts skills and the mother of the current ruler of the Western Xia Kingdom, who left behind the secret manual in Langhuan Paradise.

Zhang Cheng cursed inwardly: "Damn it, that big monk really wasn't telling the truth. He's in seclusion all the way to Western Xia? But why is he coming to find Li Qiushui after I beat him up? Calling for reinforcements? Were they that close in the original story?"

As Zhang Cheng thought about it, he slightly shortened the distance between the two of them.

He followed Kumārajīva, traveling through the territory of Western Xia, and finally arrived at Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia.

Xingqing Prefecture was a city with high walls and deep moats, wide streets, and a constant flow of pedestrians.

Kumārajīva entered the city and, as expected, went straight to the palace without the slightest hesitation.

Zhang Cheng followed closely behind.

Although there were some skilled guards trained by Li Qiushui in the palace, they were clearly far inferior to Kumārajīva and Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng easily bypassed the layers of guards and followed behind Kumārajīva, watching him enter a building.

It was a courtyard that stood apart from the other palaces, with vermilion walls and green tiles, and upturned eaves, making it look different from other places.

Although he was unfamiliar with the layout of the Western Xia imperial palace, if Kumārajīva had indeed come to find Li Qiushui, this must be the Empress Dowager's palace.

If that's true, how could this monk have sneaked in without a word and entered someone's bedroom without even announcing it? Are they really that close? Could it be that he was Li Qiushui's lover when he was young?

Zhang Cheng hid in the shadows outside the palace, inwardly grumbling while debating whether or not to approach.

If two people haven't seen each other for a long time and are about to "do something," wouldn't it be a bit impolite for you to come up to them?

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a surge of internal energy colliding from deep within the palace.

Although the two did not make any noise that would alert the guards, it was not enough to fool Zhang Cheng, who was squatting outside the palace.

The fluctuation of internal energy vanished in an instant, clearly indicating that the two inside the palace had stopped fighting after only one move.

That's interesting. Zhang Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Since they started fighting right away, it was clear that the two weren't as familiar as he thought. However, given Kumārajīva's cultivation level, he shouldn't have been defeated in one move.

Or was there another expert in the Empress Dowager's palace who discovered Kumārajīva's whereabouts, forcing him to take action and subdue the discoverer?

Given Zhang Cheng's size, the environment inside the palace was hardly concealable. He could only wait outside the palace until Kumārajīva left before considering whether to go inside to investigate.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

Kumārajīva finally emerged from his bedchamber.

Following closely behind was a slender woman in a white shirt.

The two, one after the other, used their lightness skills to head west out of the palace.

To avoid being exposed, Zhang Cheng only glanced at him from a distance and did not see his face.

However, since the other party was able to keep up with Kumārajīva's speed, it must be Li Qiushui without a doubt.

He immediately set off to catch up.

After walking for a while, Zhang Cheng, who had been following the bright footprints, suddenly felt his senses sharpen.

It was triggered.

This ability has always been Zhang Cheng's greatest help, providing him with a wealth of knowledge about various factions and gangs. This is the first time it has been actively triggered.

After all, "Master Zhang" was just a newcomer to the martial arts world. He had no reputation and had never made any enemies, so naturally no one was going to target him.

Despite not detecting anything unusual through his own senses after receiving the warning, Zhang Cheng decided to trust the system's judgment.

He stopped using his lightness skill to chase after them and instead concealed his presence, lying in wait.

He lay there motionless, waiting for a long time, so long that he began to wonder if there was something wrong with the system—

Kumārajīva, whose footprints had been leading the way, actually returned. "Senior, have you discovered anything?"

The figure of the woman in white appeared out of nowhere, stood beside Kumārajīva, and shook her head.

Kumārajīva laughed and said, "I knew it. With our cultivation levels, we can move without leaving a trace. If someone were to follow us, they would be detected if they got too close, and it would be difficult to track them down if they were too far away. Senior must be overthinking it."

The woman spoke, her voice soft and melodious, like pearls falling on a jade plate: "Ever since I left the palace, I've had a constant feeling of being watched. But I've been hiding here for so long, and no one has come. I suppose I was just being paranoid. Grand Preceptor, let's go."

After they finished speaking, their figures flickered and disappeared from the spot.

Zhang Cheng remained lying in the grass not far away, still not getting up.

He felt uncomfortable in his current position, so he rolled over and lay on his back on the ground.

He lay there for a while longer. Then, the voices of Kumārajīva and the woman in white rang out again.

"Senior, you can rest assured now, right?" Kumārajīva's tone sounded somewhat helpless.

The woman in white was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "I'm sorry, Grand Preceptor, I was overthinking it. I have an old nemesis who is extremely powerful; if I hadn't been careful, I wouldn't be alive today. Let's go."

This time, the footsteps faded into the distance and disappeared completely.

Zhang Cheng waited a while longer until the warning in his mind of "clear senses" completely subsided before getting up from the ground.

That old hag, she was trying to fake me a shot.

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