I Overthought It

The next day.

The sky was just before dawn, not yet bright.

The paths of the Crown Prince's Palace were still shrouded in the deepest blue-gray hues of pre-dawn. The wind chimes at the eaves made a very light tinkling sound in the morning breeze, like a whispering farewell.

Gu Chengyin stepped out of his bedchamber into the not-yet-dissipated night, his robes fluttering slightly in the morning mist.

The crisp morning mist rushed into his lungs, diluting his chaotic thoughts.

Today was the day the sect inspection tour would depart.

Gu Chengyin boarded his carriage, passing through the silent palace paths and the not-yet-fully-awakened Shendu City, heading towards the south city gate.

On the streets, early-rising peddlers had already started setting up their stalls. White steam billowed from steamer baskets, mixing with the aroma of freshly baked flatbreads, exceptionally tempting in the cold morning breeze.

The sound of horse hooves stepping on the bluestone pavement came from afar; it was the early shift of the city patrol guards changing over.

Everything was in perfect order, as if today were just another ordinary day.

But Gu Chengyin knew it was not ordinary.

At exactly the hour of Chen, the Great Luo imperial court's sect inspection team would depart from Shendu, with their first stop being the Qingjian Sect a thousand miles away.

This team included him, Jingzhe of the Celestial Master's Mansion, elites of the Golden Feather Guards, experts from noble families, and special envoys from the Qingjian Sect...

And in the shadows, who knew how many pairs of eyes were watching.

Every step could lead into a trap.

Every moment could bring an ambush.

Therefore, he had to be cautious.

The camp outside the south city gate gradually became clear in the morning light.

This was a temporarily cleared open space, originally a drill ground outside the city, now requisitioned as the assembly point for the inspection team.

When Gu Chengyin stepped down from the carriage, he could see from afar that quite a few people had already gathered in the camp.

The neatly lined-up armored soldiers of the Golden Feather Guards wore bright armor, their swords and spears gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the morning light.

The noble family experts gathered in twos and threes were mostly dressed in casual clothes, but their auras were deep and heavy, their eyes sharp.

There were also several carriages already hitched to horses. The most striking of them was a large, spacious carriage flying a tall flag with a black background and gold lettering, bearing a flamboyant Luo character.

That was the symbol of the Great Luo imperial court.

Seeing Gu Chengyin appear, Chen Busha immediately came forward to greet him, his movements crisp and neat, without a trace of excess.

Junior Preceptor Gu.

Chen Busha cupped his hands in greeting, his voice steady and powerful:

All personnel have arrived and are ready to depart at any time.

Pausing for a moment, he took a half-step forward and added in a lowered voice:

The people from the Qingjian Sect have arrived and are resting in the third carriage on the left.

Many experts from the noble families have come, and I have broken them up and integrated them into the team.

Gu Chengyin nodded slightly. He was now the leader of the Shendu inspection group.

Chen Busha was now the deputy leader of the Shendu inspection group, which was also the convention for sect inspections.

The Ministry of Rites was responsible for coordination, and the Golden Feather Guards were responsible for escorting. Each performed their own duties without interfering with the other.

With Chen Busha around, it indeed saved him a lot of worry.

Thank you for your hard work,

Gu Chengyin said, his gaze sweeping across the camp.

He saw that although the Golden Feather Guard soldiers were neatly lined up, there was a trace of imperceptible tension in their eyes.

After all, this time they were going deep into the cultivation world. What they faced were no longer mortal bandits and rogues, but real cultivators who could summon the wind and rain.

He saw that although the noble family experts pretended to be relaxed, they faintly maintained a vigilant distance between their positions.

Gu Chengyin's gaze finally landed on the largest carriage.

The curtains of the carriage were drawn, making it impossible to see the situation inside.

But within thirty feet of that carriage, there was no one. It wasn't that no one wanted to get close, but that they didn't dare to.

The aura of a Golden Core cultivator, even if deliberately restrained, would make Foundation Establishment cultivators instinctively feel oppressed.

Lin Qingyan was inside.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Busha:

Pass down the order, we depart exactly at the hour of Chen.

Yes.

Chen Busha complied, turned around, and strode toward the center of the camp, relaying the order in a loud voice:

Everyone listen to my command, we depart exactly at the hour of Chen!

The order was passed down level by level, and the entire camp immediately sprang into action.

The Golden Feather Guard soldiers began checking their equipment and sorting out their horse harnesses.

The drivers checked the wheels and axles, feeding the horses their last bite of forage.

The noble family experts walked out of their resting places and found their assigned positions.

And the curtains of those carriages were also lifted one by one, and the people inside successively revealed themselves.

Gu Chengyin saw Jiang Jianli come out of the third carriage.

After getting out, she first looked around, her gaze lingering on Gu Chengyin for a moment. She nodded slightly in greeting, and then walked towards the group of Qingjian Sect disciples.

Jiang Qingzheng also got out of the carriage.

This Qingjian Sect elder's graying hair was combed meticulously, and he wore a gentle smile on his face.

He walked up to Gu Chengyin and cupped his hands in greeting:

Junior Preceptor Gu, did you rest well last night?

Thanks to Elder Qingzheng's blessing, everything is fine.

Gu Chengyin returned the greeting, his tone polite.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, nothing more than superficial formalities.

The hour of Chen was approaching.

After ending the pleasantries, Gu Chengyin walked towards the largest carriage.

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the carriage wall:

Aunt?

Enter.

Receiving Lin Qingyan's permission, Gu Chengyin then lifted the curtain and entered the carriage.

Lin Qingyan's gaze swept over Gu Chengyin's face, then moved away to look out the window:

My inner demon is very stable, you don't need to worry.

Good.

Gu Chengyin nodded, and the last bit of doubt in his heart dissipated:

The team will depart exactly at the hour of Chen. I won't disturb you anymore, Aunt.

After exiting the carriage, Gu Chengyin walked around the camp, checking the preparations everywhere.

Everything was ready.

At exactly the hour of Chen, the morning sun leaped out from the eastern horizon.

Golden light sprinkled over the camp, and the morning mist slowly dissipated in the sunlight, revealing the rolling green mountains and the winding official road in the distance.

Gu Chengyin stood on the largest carriage, gave the team one last scan, and then looked at Chen Busha.

General Chen.

Chen Busha strode forward and cupped his hands:

Please give your orders, Junior Preceptor Gu.

We can depart.

Yes!

Chen Busha turned around, faced the team that was packed and ready to go, took a deep breath, and his voice rang out loud as a bell:

The Lord has ordered, depart!

As the order was passed down, the entire team, like a long dragon, slowly drove out of the camp and set foot on the official road.

Gu Chengyin was just preparing to enter the carriage, but at this very moment, he suddenly sensed something.

A feeling of being watched.

It didn't come from the camp, nor from the team, but from a high place.

Gu Chengyin abruptly turned his head and looked up at the wall of the south city gate.

There seemed to be two figures there.

They were very blurry; separated by too great a distance, their faces couldn't be seen clearly.

Gu Chengyin narrowed his eyes, trying to see more clearly.

But just then, a gust of wind blew past, rolling up the banners on the city wall and blocking his line of sight.

By the time the banners fell back down, there was no one left.

It was as if the two figures from just now were merely his hallucination.

Gu Chengyin looked for a moment before withdrawing his gaze, bending down, and slipping into the carriage.

He officially set out on the path of the sect inspection.

What Gu Chengyin didn't know was...

The two figures on the city wall hadn't left.

They had just retreated into the shadows on the inner side of the city wall.

Shangguan Yunying stared at that carriage and said reluctantly:

Your Highness, Gu Chengyin has left.

Luo Zhao's gaze was similarly fixed on the largest carriage in the team. After a long while, she suddenly spoke:

"Yun Ying, do you think my aunt..."

Luo Zhao paused mid-sentence, eventually shaking his head.

"I'm probably just overthinking it."