Zeng Shiyang decided to ignore Xie Lang, who thankfully had lowered his voice and was now speaking in a more restrained tone. He was no longer bothering everyone around them—just Zeng Shiyang. Han Yi walked silently beside them, unbothered by either of her companions.
Xie Lang then said, "Should we use that thing to find them now or not?"
Zeng Shiyang replied, "No. We need to make sure they're within range first. Otherwise, it's useless."
"And how would we know if they've left Cloudrest already or not?" Xie Lang asked.
This time, Han Yi answered. "We'll go to an information broker. They constantly monitor who enters and leaves the city—especially those who might be worth something. If they suspect someone is valuable, they log everything in case someone comes looking and is willing to pay. If we offer enough, we should at least learn when the twins left and in what direction."
Xie Lang asked, "And how do we find one?"
"We'll go to a well-known informant. He goes by the name Ya Fen—obviously a fake name, but that's none of our concern."
"Alright," Zeng Shiyang said, "we'll head over to him and ask about the twins. If they're still in the city and haven't been seen leaving, we'll use the institute's tracking method."
With that, the trio made their way deeper into the vast expanse of Cloudrest City. Eventually, they arrived at a seven-story building, striking in its appearance. Its smooth stone facade gleamed with a polished blue hue, as if carved from sapphires dulled only slightly by time. The edges were trimmed with silvery accents, and a series of delicate carvings ran across the arches—depictions of serpents winding through clouds.
The building was unmistakably under the protection of the Mistveil Serpents gang, a fact known by all who lived in Cloudrest. Numerous blue lanterns hung outside and within, casting a cold, flickering glow that served as both a warning and a declaration of ownership.
Inside, the trio ascended the stairs to the second floor. They moved through several narrow hallways before stopping at a plain wooden door. Han Yi stepped forward, knocked, and said clearly, "We're looking for Ya Fen."
She then revealed a token bearing the insignia of the Stone Path Hall Institute.
The door creaked open moments later, revealing several guards inside, all watching them closely.
The trio were led to another room. Inside, a man wearing a fox-shaped mask stood behind a desk. His cultivation was unrestrained, radiating the clear pressure of a high-stage Rank 1 cultivator.
"Stone Path Hall students, I assume?" he said.
The trio nodded.
"Well then, how can I help you three, honorable guests?"
"We're looking for two people—twins, to be exact," Han Yi replied. "Both have long black hair and green eyes. They're around twelve years old, and they each wield twin blades. I want to know if any of your men have seen individuals matching these features. Here's a sketch of them, drawn by our institute's experts."
She handed over a detailed sketch. Ya Fen studied it for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any idea when they might've entered Cloudrest?"
"Presumably within the last few hours," Han Yi answered. "Our lead informed us of their destination, but we didn't arrive in time to catch them."
Ya Fen tapped his desk. A subordinate entered and handed him a thick ledger. He flipped directly to a specific section and began reading. After several minutes, he looked up.
"We did record two individuals who match most of the details. However, their hair wasn't black—it was silver. Their eyes were silver too. They looked unusual compared to locals, so we documented them carefully. Other than that, their features match what you described. No twin blades were visible, but that could be due to hidden storage pouches or rings. They may have dyed their hair and altered their eyes with a pill, an elixir, or even a low-tier shapeshifting technique. Still, no other entries match your description, so I suspect they're the ones you're after."
Ya Fen didn't ask why they were being hunted—it wasn't his business. Instead, he signaled his subordinates again.
"I'll confirm this with the one who recorded them. He can verify whether the individuals match your sketch."
After a short wait, a masked man entered the room and approached Ya Fen's side.
"Do you recognize these two?" Ya Fen asked, showing him the sketch.
The man nodded immediately. "Yes, those are the ones that came into cloudrest. They stood out due to their strange hair and eye color, so I logged them in the records."
"Are you certain?"
"I'm sure," the subordinate confirmed with another nod.
"You're dismissed. Keep up your work—you'll be rewarded later."
The man bowed slightly and left, his happy steps barely concealed.
Ya Fen turned back to the trio. "Well, it appears these two are indeed your targets. As I suspected, they likely used some method to alter their appearance. According to the report, they left about an hour ago, traveling along the main road in a Jiang Clan carriage. Based on what we know, they're either traveling with the Jiang Clan because they were hired, or they paid for the escort. In the latter case, they might be dropped off before reaching Jiang Clan territory and continue on from there."
The trio exchanged glances, worry clearly visible in their eyes. Xie Lang muttered under his breath, "Those bastards."
Immediately, Zeng Shiyang jabbed him with an elbow, and Han Yi shot him a sharp look, warning him to keep his mouth shut. The matter of the Jiang Clan had to remain a secret—for now. The conflict was still in its early stages: quiet assassinations, the sabotage of key resources. No open war had yet been declared between the Jiang Clan and the Stone Path Hall Institute.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Ya Fen, a veteran in the information trade, had already noticed everything. His sharp gaze didn't miss the shift in their expressions the moment the Jiang Clan was mentioned. He also heard Xie Lang's muttered curse—and instantly connected it to the name.
Ya Fen lived by a code—like every other professional in his line of work: never ask why. But that didn't stop him from tricking clients into revealing valuable details. He made his living off information, and neutrality, in his eyes, wasn't about staying out of conflict—it was about playing both sides. If he could gather secrets from one party and sell them to their enemy, then he considered it fair business.
So, while he said nothing, Ya Fen silently noted the reaction. There was something between the Stone Path Hall Institute and the Jiang Clan. Something hidden. He'd be looking into that soon—just in case it could be turned into profit.
Han Yi paid Ya Fen's price without complaint, and left the building with her companions. The moment they were gone, Ya Fen began scribbling quickly on a scroll. A few minutes later, he handed it to one of his subordinates.
"Take this to one of our main branches in Darkveil Crossing. Give it directly to my superior, Watcher. Tell him it's something worth his time," he said. "Also, dispatch two special teams. One will tail those three and gather more information. The other will dig into their identities."
The subordinate nodded and left without a word.
Left alone, Ya Fen leaned back, tapping his fingers together thoughtfully.
"If there really is a conflict between the Jiang Clan and the Stone Path Hall, we can sell that information to both of their enemies. That kind of intel could make us a fortune. But we have to be the first to confirm it—can't let any other intelligence group beat us to it."
His thoughts turned analytical, sharp.
"We're talking about a clan and an institute—one on the cusp of becoming mid-tier, the other already a mid-sized clan. Both have multiple Rank 2 cultivators. A war between them could easily flatten a town. So why would they fight?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"If it's just because one side offended the other, then it's probably nothing. Grudges like that don't lead to real war unless there's deep hatred involved. But if it's over some precious resource… then things change. If it's valuable enough to push both sides into war, others will get involved. Enemies of both sides will come out of hiding. Even neutral powers might try to snatch the resource."
He paused, then smirked slightly.
"That's assuming the Empire doesn't step in. But judging from their recent behavior—or more precisely, their lack of it—they won't intervene. They've made it clear: Rank 2 forces are beneath them. In fact, they'll probably exploit the chaos to break more clans and institutes for their own gain. The only thing that would draw their attention is if the resource is valuable enough to threaten the balance."
Within minutes, Ya Fen had mapped out the potential conflict, its possible causes, and the ripple effects that might follow. Though his cultivation was weak for his age, it was his mind that kept him alive—and thriving. He had considered every angle and was already laying out contingency plans.
And that raised a question: if someone like Ya Fen had such a sharp mind… what kind of man was his superior?
But then again, rank wasn't everything. Power, talent, connections—many things shaped hierarchy. Intelligence was only one of them.
Ya Fen then murmured to himself, "Information can be as valuable as gold—if not more," a faint smirk tugging at the edge of his lips as he returned to his work, his brush gliding smoothly across parchment, already plotting the next move in the growing storm.