Data-Driven Daoist

They stood in a copse in the forest, one side shielded by a thicket of bushes and the other by a small group of trees and vines. From here, Yu Han could see the main path leading down the mountainside by their huts, and the few side paths, one of which led to the nearby cesspool.

Three Sect disciples walked down the main mountain path, with Tan Ruoxuan in the lead.

"They're from the Law Enforcement Hall," Yu Han said.

"Do you think we should tell them?" Huang Niuniu asked. "They can help us, right?"

"That's not the best idea," Fang Zhao said. "The Sect Master wants this Sect to become Orthodox, but for now, there is still much infighting. Their connections up high might tell them whatever we tell the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Yeah, I agree with Red Eyes," Li Yao said. "The Mad Bloodhounds are chummy with the Liang Clan, remember? One of the great five clans." He turned to Yu Han. "And from what you said, these fellows know I've been snooping around. Even if we tell them, without a crime actually happening, there might be no evidence."

"But they're the Law Enforcement Hall," Huang Niuniu said. "If they don't enforce the law, what's the point?"

"When Brother Yu got knocked out by Gong Muhua, did they enforce the law?" Fang Zhao said.

"Cow Girl, I know you're angry. I am too." Li Yao snapped his fingers twice in front of his chest. "If we give away what we know now and the enemy finds out, they'll hide any evidence. Next time, they'll be extra careful, and we might not even know where they'll hit from. Now, funnily enough, we're in the shadows while they're acting in the open. If they find out how much we know, this will be reversed."

"So what does it matter even if we're in the shadows? Can we do—" Huang Niuniu stopped. "The Hidden Realm. They know we'll be going there. They'll make a move then."

Li Yao nodded. "They probably don't plan to kill, with the rookie token on us. But they want you enough to try something. We just don't know what. But at least we know they're up to no good."

"We can set a trap," Huang Niuniu said. "The two trespassers yesterday were Levels 4 and 6. What can we, one Level 2, two Level 1, and a Level 0, do to them?"

"And a Level 10," Yu Han said.

Huang Niuniu beamed.

"I have an idea," Yu Han said. "What kind of clan is the Liang Clan?"

The three Law Enforcement Hall disciples had checked Yu Han's hut and were now moving towards Huang Niuniu's place.

"They're a weird bunch," Li Yao said. "They mostly do their own thing. No shops in the city nor the Outer Sect marketplace. Said they don't accept Sect disciples unless they marry in. They manage the Sect's various formations. Most seem to be of the scholarly kind. Like a clan of hermits unconcerned with worldly matters."

"If they're hermits, how did the Mad Bloodhounds get so close to them?" Yu Han asked. He moved a few vines to get a better view of the Law Enforcement Hall disciples. The movement caused water to drop from the canopy. "I heard one of the guys calling the nobles parasites last night. Didn't sound like they liked nobles much."

"The guy they're close with married into the Liang clan," Li Yao said. "Or so they say."

"Can this one guy give them enough guts to interfere with the Law Enforcement Hall's work?" Yu Han said.

"A core disciple of non-noble origin," Li Yao murmured. "And a direct disciple of the Liang Patriarch, and also his son-in-law. Bloodhound One saved his arse in the Hidden Realm when they first joined the Sect. It's a well-known story."

"Well, fuck it," Yu Han cursed. "Thinking back, the Law Enforcement Hall didn't find anything strange about previous disappearances. Either this backing really is that powerful, or they've perfectly hidden any evidence."

"So what do we do?" Li Yao asked.

Tan Ruoxuan's head flicked in their direction.

"They’ve noticed us. The senior disciple in the lead, Tan Ruoxuan," Yu Han said, "seems to have some connection with Wen Liujie, who's the senior disciple at the Night Alchemist's Yard."

Li Yao snorted. "Didn’t take you for a gossip, tubs."

"I'm just guessing here." Yu Han laughed. He stepped out from the copse and raised an arm towards the three, waving. "We don't mention the Mad Bloodhounds. But we can at least mention what we can. If they appear again tonight, I've got a surprise for them."

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Memory Pearls. Fei Rui's ability to visit dreams. Memories of Sima Yan's condescending voice. Yu Han grinned. They'll set two mutts on each other.

Tan Ruoxuan hopped from the path to a stone and with one last jump, landed in front of Yu Han. Her mismatched earrings shook back and forth, her ponytail swaying.

"Are you all running away?" She pointed at the sacks Yu Han and Huang Niuniu held. "Where?"

"Monsters appeared last night," Yu Han said, with the best impression of a scared fatty. "They jumped on the roof and started digging around the yard. I think they did something to the roof, too, with how long they were growling up there."

Tan Ruoxuan's gaze intensified. "What did you see?"

The other two Law Enforcement Hall disciples caught up. They were both male, and nodded towards Li Yao and Fang Zhao respectively.

"I heard them," Yu Han said. "They were growling, but the noise was different from Filth Eating Ghouls. It was much quieter. If not for Fei Rui waking me up, I might have only noticed while they were snacking on me."

"Fei Rui?" Tan Ruoxuan asked. "Who is that?"

Yu Han held up the palm-sized crab. Fei Rui raised a claw and clicked.

"My accorded Spirit Beast," Yu Han said proudly. "We only accorded yesterday in the Heavenly Friendship Palace."

"Monsters prowling so openly in the Outer Sect’s centrum is a serious matter." Tan Ruoxuan nodded. "Though I suspect it might not be monsters. They wouldn't prowl in such an organised manner. Either Primal Beasts, Spirit Beasts, or humans." She turned, her ponytail flicking behind like a whip. "Follow us."

The group went to Yu Han's hut.

"Search every grass and pebble," Tan Ruoxuan said, and the other two disciples went to work. One jumped on the roof, the other went behind the hut. Tan Ruoxuan started with the front yard.

"Do you think this has anything to do with Senior Feral Spots?" Yu Han asked nervously. "If it's Spirit Beasts, I mean. We came to an agreement because of Elder Chang. But what if—"

"You don't have to worry about Feral Spots. He's a talented but idiotic fool," Tan Ruoxuan said. "Never malicious."

Huang Niuniu was glaring at Yu Han too. He could feel her gaze boring into him like a drill.

Relax, girl. This is an act! Why're you getting so defensive about a worm? Yu Han didn't know if he was feeling jealous or aggrieved.

"Senior Tan, come up here," the man on the roof said with an urgent note in his voice.

Tan Ruoxuan jumped up to the roof. She brushed aside some of the thatch and took out a well-concealed piece of paper.

"Formations..." Tan Ruoxuan said. "A Common Grade Thunder Stun Manifestation Formation."

"A what?" Yu Han asked.

"A formation to stun the hut," Tan Ruoxuan said.

They found four more formations around the hut.

"If all of them went off at once," Tan Ruoxuan said, "whoever was in the hut would be out cold."

"Can a Spirit Beast do this?" Fang Zhao asked, eyes almost falling out.

Nice acting! Yu Han wished he could give a thumbs up.

"Not likely," Tan Ruoxuan said. "This is human work."

"I definitely heard growls, though," Yu Han stressed. "They didn't sound like a human language at all."

Tan Ruoxuan gave him a contemplative look. "There are... ways."

"Someone's targeting you, Tubs," Li Yao said. "But why?"

"I don't know. What would I—ah." Yu Han stopped.

"Did something come to mind?" Tan Ruoxuan said. "Do not hide anything for your own good."

"T-This—" Yu Han shifted from one foot to the other "—I have an agreement with Elder Chang. I am unsure how much I can share."

"That's fine," Tan Ruoxuan said. "I know what you're talking about. Certainly, people might target you for those."

"Han'er, does this mean someone might be targeting Senior Feral Spots too?" Huang Niuniu said. "What if they tricked the poor senior into… you know? And if we didn't coincidentally find him, he might have already perished!"

Now that's a bit too far-fetched—

"You might be on to something, Junior Huang," Tan Ruoxuan said. "Feral Spots's stupidity is common knowledge, and the Gorge-Crawling Earthworm Tribe has their fair share of adversaries."

...Wow. Yu Han couldn't complain about the results.

"What if they're jealous of my good relationship with Senior Feral Spots?" Huang Niuniu's eyes popped.

It doesn't seem like she's acting at this point.

"That's not a bad guess either," Tan Ruoxuan said. "We have to check your hut too."

There, they found 13 array papers.

"This is an organised attack on the Sect's prestige!" One Law Enforcement Disciple shouted.

The other nodded, while Tan Ruoxuan scribbled something down.

"We check Li Yao and Fang Zhao's abodes." She pointed at the group, including the crab. "Stick with us."

They found array papers there too.

"Fuck!" Li Yao cursed, then looked at Yu Han. He came near and whispered, "You only noticed because of the crab, right? Right?"

"Get good, loser." Yu Han shoved him away.

"This is troubling," Tan Ruoxuan said. "You have three options. Either spend the night at the Law Enforcement Hall, the Night Alchemist's Yard, or stay at your own places. The Law Enforcement Hall is short on hands with the recent upheaval, though, so we can't protect all four of you at once. It's easier if you stick together."

If I'm at the Law Enforcement Hall, I doubt they'll spy on us. Yu Han ran his fingers through his hair. "What if they still try something if we go to the Night Alchemist's Yard?"

"At their own peril," Tan Ruoxuan scoffed. "Most underestimate Night Soil Collectors. But it's a dirty job that needs to be done. The yard has its own protections."

"Will you still send someone?" Yu Han asked.

One of the disciples whispered something to Tan Ruoxuan. "The Law Enforcement Hall has its plans. Telling you now might jeopardise it. Which time did these 'monsters' arrive yesterday?"

"I'm not sure," Yu Han said. "Maybe halfway through the night, around the end of the hour of the ox?" That was around 2 or 3 a.m. in modern time standards.

"Be safe. Don't try anything risky," Tan Ruoxuan said, scanning Yu Han, Huang Niuniu, Li Yao, Fang Zhao, and finally Fei Rui. "You have the aura of schemers. But remember, the Sect is your ally, not your enemy."

The disciples left after telling them again to be extra careful. Li Yao and Fang Zhao also packed up and headed over to the Night Alchemist's Yard. They had some simple food, spent the day training and going through missions they might be able to take in the Hidden Realm.

Then they acted out a play, with Li Yao acting as Ma San, Fang Zhao as Sima Yan, and Yu Han as Pang Jiming.