Chapter Sixty-Eight: Tricked Me Again

During their cultivation at the academy, all mobile phones would be collected and managed centrally. This was partly for security reasons, and partly to prevent distractions from interfering with the students’ training. Cultivation was a tedious and monotonous process, and not everyone possessed the same degree of self-discipline or ideological awareness. In this era, nothing consumed people’s time and energy more easily than a mobile phone. As a result, if one needed to contact the outside world, they had to use the telephone at the communications office; likewise, anyone wishing to reach a student could only do so through this line.

The phones at the academy’s communications office were all monitored, and the surveillance was even stricter than that of the strategic forces. The moment anything inappropriate was said, the call would be immediately cut off, and serious consequences would follow.

Zhang Ziying followed the instructor to the communications office and picked up the phone.

“Hello?” she said.

“It’s me, Liu Bin,” came the reply.

“Brother Bin, why are you calling me out of the blue? Is there something wrong?”

“Yes, it’s important. Can you reach your childhood friend right now?” Liu Bin asked.

“You mean Da Fei?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s happened to him? Why the urgency?”

Liu Bin’s tone grew indignant. “Don’t even mention it. That rascal played all of us for fools.”

Zhang Ziying was taken aback and pressed him for details. “What exactly happened?”

“Do you remember the mysterious expert who appeared during the Xiuyuan Tower incident?” Liu Bin asked.

Her heart pounded fiercely. She ventured, “I remember. What about it? Don’t tell me that person was Da Fei?”

Liu Bin sighed. “I don’t even want to talk about it. It’s my fault for being so stubborn. Because this involved extraordinary individuals, I didn’t let you all get involved. If I had known, I should have had you help investigate.”

“I won’t say more. I’ve sent a video file to your instructor—you’ll understand after watching it. In short, either get in touch with him as soon as possible, or give me his contact information.”

Zhang Ziying was still rather dazed. She replied, somewhat muddled, “But I only have his mobile number. Can’t you just look it up at the county bureau?”

“You don’t know where he is either? I thought you did, that’s why I called you directly,” Liu Bin said, surprised.

“I really don’t. He’s left Yudong on a road trip. But I heard him mention his first stop would be Mount Wudang.”

“Wudang, huh? Alright, try calling him first. Give me his number.”

“Alright.”

After giving Liu Bin Li Yunfei’s number, Zhang Ziying hung up eagerly and turned to Instructor Wu, who was sitting nearby, holding a tablet with interest. “Instructor Wu, Brother Bin said…”

Wu Zhijie waved his hand, rewound the video to the beginning, paused it, and handed her the tablet with a smile. “Take a look.”

Zhang Ziying stepped forward, took the tablet, and pressed play.

The screen showed five surveillance feeds, already processed by Cheng Jing. As Wang Lin had explained earlier, the footage zoomed in and out at key moments, with red circles marking crucial times and the fire exit clearly indicated.

Zhang Ziying, being a detective by training and meticulous by nature, instantly grasped the situation—even someone less astute would have understood immediately.

After watching the video, her expression shifted through a myriad of emotions, and she muttered between gritted teeth, unsure whether to laugh or cry, “That scoundrel! He kept it from me too—and just left on a whim, calling it a fortuitous encounter, what nonsense!”

Instructor Wu Zhijie chuckled. “Is this fellow your boyfriend?”

Zhang Ziying hesitated and replied evasively, “We grew up together as childhood friends. I have no idea how he became so strong, but he kept it from me.”

With that, she returned to the phone and dialed Li Yunfei’s number.

Now that she knew Li Yunfei’s true identity, his inexplicable week spent in the countryside suddenly made sense. Apparently, he never intended to reveal his abilities, and when he intervened that day, it was probably to protect her.

This thought brought a touch of sweetness to Zhang Ziying’s heart. At the very least, it meant her safety mattered more to him than hiding his strength.

Wu Zhijie, observing her expression, understood without needing confirmation, so he said no more.

Zhang Ziying was truly the pride of heaven—not only for her exceptional talent, but also for her beauty and charming demeanor. No man could honestly claim he was immune to her allure. Yet, it seemed this beautiful phoenix had already given her heart to someone, and not just any ordinary person. Many admirers would be heartbroken by this revelation.

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later…”

Zhang Ziying hung up, frustrated. That infuriating guy—he promised not to go anywhere without signal, and now he’s disappeared on me again.

But on second thought, now that she knew he was no ordinary man, his penchant for venturing into remote, aura-rich mountains was understandable.

She was filled with a pressing desire to see him, or at the very least, contact him. Yet if she couldn’t reach him, there was nothing she could do.

Still, knowing Li Yunfei was not just an ordinary person brought her a sense of relief, lifting her spirits immensely.

…

Yudong County.

Liu Bin had also tried calling Li Yunfei, but the line was likewise unreachable.

Cheng Jing attempted to trace Li Yunfei’s phone using technical means, but it proved impossible—he was in a place with absolutely no signal.

Liu Bin then shared what he knew about Li Yunfei’s intention to head for Mount Wudang.

He called Zhang Ziying again to confirm when Li Yunfei had set out and asked for his license plate number. With this information, Cheng Jing used the Sky Eye system to check highway surveillance.

This time, they quickly located Li Yunfei’s car and tracked it along the highway. They discovered that while he was indeed heading in the direction of Wudang, he hadn’t gone straight there.

He exited the highway midway at Badong County in Nan Prefecture, followed the provincial road out of Badong, and then turned onto a rural path without surveillance. From that point onward, his trail vanished.

For several days after, Li Yunfei’s car did not appear on any monitored roads nearby.

He Ming and Liu Bin were left scratching their heads. If the guy wanted to go to Mount Wudang, why not just follow the highway? Even if he was tired and needed to rest, wouldn’t it be nicer to find a hotel in town for the night? Why insist on heading into the countryside?

Wang Lin stroked his chin and mused, “I get the feeling he knew someone would be looking for him and deliberately headed for places where he couldn’t be tracked. His counter-surveillance instincts are very strong.”

Liu Bin gave a wry smile. “Of course they are. The guy’s a retired reconnaissance soldier. He probably realized the flaw he’d left behind was too obvious, so he hurried out of Yudong.”

“A spur-of-the-moment trip, huh? I fell for it.”

Wang Lin nodded in sudden understanding. “That explains it.”

Cheng Jing, having no further options, leaned back in her chair. “So what do we do now? Stake out at the foot of Mount Wudang?”

Everyone turned their gaze to He Ming.