Section 56: Departure (Part Two)

The carriage quietly rolled out of the city gates amidst the fervent atmosphere of the city of Gaul. Only Grant came to see them off. It was not that others lacked the desire to bid them farewell, but Grant had turned them down on their behalf. His official reason was that, following Hegel’s sudden death, his widow and daughter were still plunged in deep grief. The true motivation, of course, was that Grant had skillfully exploited Hegel’s demise, pointing the finger of blame at the Church while deliberately using ambiguous phrasing that cast suspicion even on Valencia, thereby further consolidating popular morale.

Thus, even if the Church learned that the entire scouting detachment had perished and deduced that Grant was an otherworldly traveler, they would remain temporarily powerless. Their immediate priority was dealing with Landia. With both sides poised like arrows drawn on a taut bow, the Church could not launch a large-scale military campaign against Grant in the short term. Their remaining options were limited to two: first, dispatching another team of assassins to eliminate Grant; and second, formally declaring both Grant and the assassinated Hegel to be blasphemers in order to preserve their own moral legitimacy. Yet, should the Church actually pursue the latter course, it would undoubtedly produce the exact opposite result. At the very least, the residents of Gaul would become even more skeptical of these so-called blasphemers. Even if the Church were to bluntly expose Grant as a traveler in the end, no one would believe it, dismissing the revelation merely as a cover-up for their own crimes. Furthermore, since the revolutionary army had taken control of the city of Gaul, they had opened granaries to relieve the populace, redistributed land from local tyrants and gentry, established communes, and implemented numerous measures to restore production and show genuine concern for the lower classes. Even if otherworldly travelers truly existed, most people would likely conclude that there was nothing inherently wrong with them.

Naturally, as Grant, precautions were still necessary. It was always best to prevent the Church from being driven to desperate measures, and buying a little more time for development was invariably beneficial. Besides, Gao Minghui, that fellow traveler, had behaved rather despicably, truly tarnishing the glorious image of travelers everywhere. Look at Grant and Fahrenheit—regardless of whether any of the previous figures might have been travelers as well, none of them had ever been driven so completely by lower-body impulses as him. Sometimes, one's origin felt like a form of original sin, and Grant was no exception. Therefore, in the event that travelers ever had the opportunity to openly and formally step into the light, it was necessary to suppress the impact of this incident and keep it hidden from as many people as possible.

Although simply eliminating those who knew the truth was the easiest solution, Grant was ultimately not Gao Minghui. He simply could not bring himself to murder people just to tie up loose ends after Gao Minghui had wronged them. Besides, even if he wanted to act, how could he possibly execute it? The two women were accompanied by Wei Wuji. Deploying a massive force could certainly slaughter all three of them, but the real question was how to explain this to the rest of the people. How could he simultaneously claim that Hegel had been heroically assassinated by the Church while secretly butchering his wife and daughter? Not to mention suddenly murdering Wei Wuji, whom he had repeatedly expressed a desire to recruit.

Could he possibly tell the public that Wei Wuji lusted after beauty and plotted to seize Hegel's wife and daughter, making them adulterous accomplices in a husband-murder conspiracy?

In the end, Grant chose to let them leave. While the incident was undoubtedly an inglorious stain for travelers, it was likely a subject equally too shameful for the mother and daughter to ever bring up again.

***

"Miss Cecilia, please board the carriage. Actually, they desperately wanted to come and bid you farewell, but I didn't allow them to. You should understand why," Grant said to Cecilia and her mother.

"Rest assured, such a humiliating matter—we, we won't speak of it either," Madam Serra said with indignation. Indeed, she had no intention of mentioning it, for airing such an affair was simply too absurd. Most people would likely believe the slander and assume that the excuses about otherworldly travelers were merely a cover-up for infidelity.

"Madam, I know Gao Minghui's actions leave you unable to remain calm at the moment. But I still want to say that not every traveler is like him. In truth, we are just like you—ordinary people with our own loves and hates. It is only that his love has brought you harm," Grant said with a bitter smile.

Madam Serra clearly had no desire to hear any words defending Gao Minghui. This ordeal would cast a lifelong shadow over her. Without uttering a single word, she walked toward the carriage, refusing to exchange another glance or word with Grant.

Cecilia, however, hesitated slightly before speaking: "Mr. Grant, I understand your meaning. You, for instance, are a good man. But I also hope you can understand us. We are the victims in this tragedy; no matter what, I can never forgive this."

Having said that, Cecilia also walked quickly toward the carriage. Grant watched silently as the two women climbed aboard, then turned to Wei Wuji, who stood shoulder to shoulder nearby. "Mr. Wei, what about you? Do you share the same view?"

Wei Wuji pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "I do not know. Yet I feel that you people are entirely different from those who practice soul-seizure. Although those who seize others' bodies occupy mortal vessels, their mindset remains largely akin to ours. You lot, however, are completely different. Whether it is you, Fahrenheit, or the late Gao Minghui, your arrival is altering this world, yet you always seem slightly out of step with it, never truly integrating into this realm."

"Out of step, never truly integrating into this world?" Grant murmured thoughtfully.

"I hope you understand that whether or not you are otherworldly travelers is of little importance. What truly matters is whether you genuinely consider yourselves a part of this world. If you truly regard yourselves as a part of it, stop treating this world like a chessboard. This world is real; it is neither a chessboard nor a game," Wei Wuji said sincerely.

The carriage slowly rolled forward. Wei Wuji concluded the conversation with a traditional Far Eastern cupped-fist salute, then strode quickly to catch up with the carriage. He would escort the mother and daughter far away from this painful and unforgettable place, heading toward Valencia to begin a new life.

***

Far beyond the reach of their vision, two figures faintly stood atop a small hill.

"Wei Wuji has left." On the astrolabe before him, two faint, flickering points of light coalesced. Philip carefully manipulated the instrument to spy on the individuals represented by those astral points—one being Wei Wuji, and the other, Grant. In particular, Wei Wuji was equally well-versed in Daoist magic. Even when he refrained from employing it, the spiritual aura emanating from the two of them on the astrolabe was exceptionally faint. Should Wei Wuji detect the surveillance, much like that previous encounter in the forest, even the astrolabe would struggle to capture his tracks.

It was precisely by relying on this astrolabe that Philip had previously managed to track Grant with such precision and launch an assassination attempt. Yet he had never anticipated that despite seizing the initiative, the sheer overwhelming might of his opponent would deliver a harsh surprise, forcing him to retreat in defeat.

As the astral point representing Wei Wuji drifted away and moved beyond the detectable range of the astrolabe, Philip immediately retracted his spell. Although the astrolabe was a powerful artifact, activating and maintaining it consumed a massive amount of vital energy. When observing targets such as Wei Wuji and Grant, the utmost caution was required, draining even greater reserves of energy.

Philip raised an eyebrow, preparing to speak. His previous failure to assassinate Grant had been deeply humiliating, and he had originally intended to strike again the previous day. However, with Wei Wuji’s return, he remained uncertain of his senior brother's stance and dared not act rashly. Otherwise, if his selfish motivations were exposed, he would be unable to justify himself either before Wei Wuji or before the Daoist Elder Council in the future. The wisest course of action was to avoid Wei Wuji entirely, striking only when left without the risk of interrogation.

Fortunately, the man by his side—who called himself Qi Mengyin—had gathered intelligence from the townspeople indicating that Hegel had died, that his widow was leaving the city of Gaul, and thus deduced that Wei Wuji would also depart. Unwilling to cross paths with Wei Wuji, Philip had patiently suppressed his impatience until the latter finally left.

"You need not go," Qi Mengyin suddenly remarked, observing Philip's eager expression, and handed over an object. "This is what you desired."

Philip took the item and unfolded it. It proved to be a portion of the *Golden Dragon Infant-Transformation Art*. The first part he had acquired contained the method for nurturing the spiritual infant; this section detailed the method for condensing the infant, though the final stage of the infant breaking out of its shell was still missing.

Surprised and delighted, Philip realized that with this manual, condensing his spiritual infant was within arm's reach. He asked in astonishment, "My last attempt failed, and just now I was thinking that since Wei Wuji has left, I would strike once more. To accept such a reward for a task unfulfilled..."

Despite his words, Philip was entirely reluctant to return the item in his hands. Qi Mengyin seemed to read his thoughts, offering a faint, calm smile. "Giving this to you is of no consequence. I never truly expected you to kill Grant; my sole intention was to rouse his vigilance and prevent him from dispatching troops. That objective has already been achieved, and this is what you deserve."

"Yet a portion remains missing," Philip said, his excitement tempered by lingering desire. Unable to help himself, he scanned the manual with a glance that took in ten lines at a time. The ink upon the pages was still fresh, evidently transcribed by the other party just moments before.

"That final section will naturally require you to fulfill one more task for me."

"What task?" Philip finally managed to tear his gaze away from the manual.

"It is too early to speak of it now. Wait until the struggle between Landia and the Church nears its climax," Qi Mengyin said, gazing into the distance toward the city of Gaul. "When you complete that final task for me, I shall naturally present you with the concluding part. For now, let us part ways temporarily. Having acquired this infant-condensation technique, you will undoubtedly need to seek a quiet place to study it thoroughly."

"Where are you going, then?" Philip asked, startled as his mind snapped back from the manual.

Qi Mengyin gestured toward the city of Gaul and replied, "I am going there."