Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 288 - 255: Burden of Fame, Son of Destiny

Chapter 288: Chapter 255: Burden of Fame, Son of Destiny

"Has there been no movement?"

Three days had passed, and Zhou Ping’an called for a meeting with three people.

Apart from Lin Huaiyu and Miss Qing.

This time, in the main hall of the County Yamen, Tang Lin’er was present.

He was an operative,

and also the main force in distracting the enemy by rustling the grass to scare the snake.

"Over the past three days, there have been a total of eighteen confrontations within and outside the city, and thirty-nine serious incidents took place. Upon investigation, it seems none were affected by external influence; they were all normal occurrences."

Miss Qing frowned deeply.

She too found it difficult to make a move against the current situation.

Mainly, there was no breakthrough.

With hundreds of thousands of people gathering within the city, as long as Li Yuankang did not overtly instigate provocation, he could change his appearance and hide undetected.

Lin Huaiyu’s eyes, rarely showing anxiety, spoke softly, "Everything being normal is the greatest abnormality.

Last time, after we left the city and saw that Lin Residence was unguarded, Li Yuankang immediately made his move. This shows he can’t control his hatred and lacks the patience to endure.

If he is not taking action, it must be that he has something more important to do than making a move right now."

Tang Lin’er raised an eyebrow.

He couldn’t quite understand why they should place so much importance on a defeated opponent.

It seemed like an overreaction to him.

"My lord, I think we might as well respond to constancy with constancy...

He’s just a scholar who practices demonic cultivation, without the protection of his family’s status and useless subordinates. He doesn’t warrant our close attention.

Now, Fang Buping of the Red Lotus Guangyun Sub-branch, after taking over East Mountain County, has looted the wealth of large families and with his cruel tactics, has rallied and trained fifty thousand able-bodied men.

Before long, they will be able to form a force..."

"You are right; we indeed must guard against Fang Buping.

But Li Yuankang is not merely a scholar who has practiced some demonic cultivation."

Zhou Ping’an shook his head.

He was well aware of what the three people before him were thinking.

Not only did Tang Lin’er have some doubts,

but even Lin Huaiyu and Miss Qing didn’t quite understand his decisions.

However, they trusted him completely, believing he was unlikely to do anything futile and certainly could discern priorities.

Their belief was blind.

How could Zhou Ping’an possibly explain convincingly?

In his heart, he truly felt that if they couldn’t find Li Yuankang this time, he might deeply regret it.

Moreover, there was a very clear sense of looming crisis,

convincing him that Li Yuankang, this former County Magistrate’s son who merely practiced the Five Desires Evil Art, was growing rapidly.

If he wasn’t found soon, it would be too late.

If this person managed to achieve Great Achievement of Five Desires before him, perfecting the cultivation of the five desires, then if he struck at the commanding generals during a battle with the Red Lotus Army, it could lead to a complete collapse.

Moreover, Li Yuankang might even join the Red Lotus Army, imposing some form of restraint on him.

If they couldn’t eliminate the high-end combat power of the Red Lotus Bandit Army immediately,

and were completely entangled,

Qingyang City’s current advantageous position could very well be ruined.

The enemy’s restraint now was for the sake of the strongest explosion later.

One must never underestimate someone suspected to be the Son of Destiny like Li Yuankang.

Though bestowing the moniker "Son of Destiny" on a demon brat was somewhat absurd,

whether a person is beloved by heaven and earth and blessed with fortune has never been related to their character.

Even someone who is utterly evil and cruel can turn into a dragon upon meeting the right opportunity.

He felt that a foe like Li Yuankang, who repeatedly turned misfortune into fortune and fought stronger after each battle, seemed to have this kind of "cockroach life."

’So, if he’s not causing trouble now, there must be a reason for his inaction.’

A flash of spiritual light briefly crossed Zhou Ping’an’s mind, yet he couldn’t quite grasp it. Suddenly, he looked up at Lin Huaiyu: "What did you just say?"

A statement from Lin Huaiyu seemed to have touched the spiritual mechanism,

but he wasn’t sure which one.

"Li Yuankang cannot restrain his hatred and lacks patience?"

"Not that one."

"He has extremely important matters to attend to?"

After a moment’s thought, Lin Huaiyu added.

"Yes, Li Yuankang must have extremely important matters to attend to first.

So, what is most important to him? It could only be cultivation...

Because he feels he can’t defeat me and to turn the tables, he needs strength."

Zhou Ping’an clapped his hands and laughed.

He had come to an understanding about something.

It was a case of missing the forest for the trees.

To know, Li Yuankang practiced the "Five Desires Evil Art," without the kind of convenient environment I have.

He had neither the Mind Wish Power Silk Threads to counter the endless demonic thoughts nor the availability of online videos to spread his fame.

"Fame—that’s what I’ve grasped hold of, his Achilles’ heel."

"Fame? Yes, exactly, fame. We’ve actually overlooked the fundamental aspect of the cultivation of Five Desires Evil Art."

Lin Huaiyu and Miss Qing exchanged glances.

Both recalled the night when they first laid a trap to lure Li Yuankang into an ambush.

The reason they were able to set up a successful ambush and probe the true identity of this County Magistrate’s son

was simply that the cultivation path Li Yuankang followed was to indulge desires without restraint.

This impulsive behavior led to his slip-up.

It shouldn’t have been so easy to overlook such an important matter.

However, Zhou Ping’an claimed that he had cultivated the "Five Desires Demonic Scripture," and after reaching the Fourth Realm... Lin Huaiyu and Miss Qing, including Tang Lin’er, were misled by his method of cultivation.

They believed that the practice of such demonic arts might just involve meditating, firming the will, and forcibly overcoming demonic thoughts to make breakthroughs all the way.

Now, it seems Zhou Ping’an’s approach may only be an exception.

And Li Yuankang couldn’t possibly do the same.

Another reason is.

Despite Li Yuankang’s dire need to hide his identity, appearing in public would mean certain death.

He couldn’t possibly indulge his desires anymore to enhance his strength.

But is there a possibility?

That he might still be indulging his desires, just in a different way of cultivation, deceiving the eyes of us?

"Greed, Lust, Appetite, Desire for Sleep, Fame... The Demonic Tome of Five Desires does not require any specific sequence for cultivation.

Last time I encountered Li Yuankang, his cultivation and techniques suggested he might have cultivated Greed and Lust...

Moreover, during the night raid on Lin Residence, he displayed the strength of the Fourth Realm, using strategies of the Desire for Sleep.

Thus, it can be determined that he may not have achieved success with the Appetite aspect... or perhaps it’s the Fame aspect that’s still lacking refinement."

Zhou Ping’an said this, and things became clear.

Given Li Yuankang’s wariness and the status of his family before he fled, since he had a backup plan, it was unlikely he lacked the funds to cultivate Appetite.

Even if he was down to his last penny, with his abilities and cunning psychic attacks, he could easily enter any wealthy family in Qingyang City and acquire a substantial amount of money.

Therefore, it can be deduced that he has already cultivated Appetite successfully.

The only area that’s difficult to cultivate and impossible to circumvent is that of "Fame."

His practice of demonic arts spelled death upon exposure.

Yet, he still needed to gain fame.

That’s quite the dilemma.

Therefore, it’s likely that he left Fame to be the last desire he would cultivate.

"Scholars, formidable martial artists, swordsman from Jianghu... There are a bit too many who have come to respond to the call for talents this time, desiring a position due to their scholarly achievements.

To cultivate the desire for Fame, a little bit of reputation won’t suffice; it must be someone outstanding among the lot.

In that case, they should be easy to find."

Miss Qing also came to this realization and joyfully said,

These days, she had sent many people out to search both openly and in secret, and the fact that she had found not a single clue had made her quite impatient.

Now that they had a direction, she could no longer contain herself, swiftly standing up, she added, "We will also need Commander Tang’s assistance in this matter. Once we have a suspect, it might be tough to confirm without extra hands."

Miss Qing’s thought process was simple.

With Li Yuankang’s caution, the slightest hint of danger might cause him to abandon his efforts to make a name for himself and hide completely, never to surface again.

Then, with Five Desires Evil Art’s ability to alter muscles and bones, if he were committed to hiding...

Even if Zhou Ping’an were to face him, there’s no guarantee he would be able to recognize him.

It’s not feasible to expect tens of thousands of residents to pinch each other’s bones and check muscle and bone strength.

It would be no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

Hence, either don’t engage at all or cast a wide net and act simultaneously.

"In recent times, individuals with capabilities and fame have begun to emerge.

Not only the talents brought in by the call for recruitment and the martial experts that appear from time to time, but also leading figures from various industries receive praises from everyone."

Miss Qing had the intelligence reports, and she was well-informed about the rumors circulating in Qingyang City.

She already had some targets in mind.

Turning her head to contemplate, she silently made a mental calculation, "People of prestige, even if not a hundred, there would be seventy or eighty of them.

I will compile a list here, and we will need to dispatch a large number of people to act simultaneously."

Tang Lin’er turned to look at Zhou Ping’an.

"Alright, three thousand city guards divided into one hundred teams. Once the target is confirmed, we start tonight at dusk, beginning from the east of the city.

The rest will keep a tight surveillance.

Lin Huaiyu and I will coordinate from the center...

Miss Qing, your intelligence team will blend into the crowd and secure all key routes, cutting off Li Yuankang’s path out of the city.

Even if you cannot stop him, make sure he is closely monitored; we can’t let any suspicious activity slip through."

Zhou Ping’an nodded in agreement to this suggestion.

"Yes."

The others responded solemnly.

...