Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 210 Who is the Stone Dragon?
"Are you suspicious of any targets?" Cha Nan asked Wu Qing.

Although Shi Long is most likely still in Kyushu Prefecture and hasn't left, most of the ordinary people in Kyushu Prefecture have been cleared out.

The martial arts practitioners who crowded in mostly came from various sects, and their social connections could corroborate each other, so the probability that Shi Long was in disguise was not too high.

Of course, if Shi Long is also skilled in disguise, that's another matter.

However, even disguise is not a long-term solution.

After all, fellow disciples and elders in the sect mostly have preconceived notions about the people around them. If someone changes too much compared to before, they will be suspected sooner or later.

Therefore, even the most famous masters of disguise in the martial arts world rarely impersonate someone for a long time. They only pretend for a while, and then stop once they get what they want.

“There are a few, but… I’ve checked, and none of them should be!” Wuqing said.

Cha Nan then understood why Wu Qing was the frontline commander of the team searching for the Stone Dragon and obtaining the Longevity Formula.

Her talent is indeed unique in finding people.

"Oh, I see!" Cha Nan tapped the table, feeling like something was missing, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Among his men, there were quite a few with exceptional martial arts skills, but almost none who were exceptionally intelligent.

Even those who are quite shrewd in their calculations, such as Xiao Ting, Yuan Suiyun, and Chai Yuguan, are actually better at actively setting up conspiracies and plotting against others from the shadows. If they were to come out and use limited information to make inferences and judgments, they wouldn't necessarily be much better.

A melodious and pleasant sound drifted over, and this wasn't the first time.

But each time they followed the sound, the place was already deserted.

"It's her again! What exactly does she want?" the big-eyed young man said, somewhat displeased.

Recently, he's been the one who chases after the enemy several times, only to find himself empty-handed.

The big-eyed youth is called Wang Xiaoshi, a disciple of Tianyi Jushi Xu Xiaoyi, while Zhuge Zhengwo is Xu Xiaoyi's junior brother, so he and Wuqing can be considered to be from the same sect.

Upon hearing this, Wuqing offered no reply.

He didn't know what Bai Yunfei was up to.

Even in the original storyline, there was absolutely no explanation as to why Bai Yunfei wanted to join in the martial arts tournament.

From a character perspective, Bai Yunfei is a princess of the previous dynasty. If her intention was to incite conflict in the martial arts world and then take advantage of the chaos to restore her kingdom, her motives could be somewhat justified.

However, Bai Yunfei did not seem to have any intention of restoring the country.

At first, she didn't even know her true identity; it was as if she was just... joining in the fun.
"Are you still going to look for her?" Cha Nan asked, looking at Wang Xiaoshi who was about to chase after her.

Wang Xiaoshi nodded and said, "That's right! Even if I lose the chase a hundred times, I will still chase after it for the hundred and first time!"

Cha Nan exclaimed in admiration, "Young man...you really have perseverance!"

He thought to himself, "If I had used this willpower on flirting with Wenrou, she would be pregnant with her third child by now."

Wuqing suddenly glanced at Cha Nan, and although he didn't say anything, his eyes held a strange look.

“This time, I’ll go with you!” Cha Nan said, throwing out Cloud Sea Deer Thunder Wind and Gale Falcon.

“You ride the bird, I ride the deer, we'll surround her together, in the sky and on the ground.”

After saying that, Cha Nan rode off on the deer.

Under the silvery moonlight, a giant crane was carrying a woman dressed as a man in white, flying into the distance into the darkness.

She did not conceal her female characteristics, so anyone who wasn't blind could tell her true gender at a glance.

However, she also possesses a free and easy spirit that rivals that of men. It is this generosity and composure that gives her an extremely attractive charm, even though her appearance is not particularly outstanding.

"What a clear and refreshing breeze, my friend!" Cha Nan's voice rang out beside Bai Yunfei.

The deer, as if treading on floating clouds, ran freely alongside the giant crane.

The cloud deer cannot fly, but it has an exceptional ability to stay airborne. Once its speed and jumping ability reach a certain level, gliding in the air is essentially equivalent to a brief flight.

"Yes! The moon is beautiful tonight, my friend!" Bai Yunfei replied with a smile, showing no embarrassment at being caught.

"Although it may be a bit presumptuous, may I ask you what brings you here?" Cha Nan went straight to the point.

"Why you do it, I'll do it too!" Bai Yunfei said.

“That makes sense! But if you play the flute every night like this, will you be able to bring out the stone dragon?” Cha Nan asked.

At this moment, the Cloud Deer's body had already begun to fall. No matter how good its ability to stay in the air was, it was still not flying.

Of course, Cha Nan can transfer at any time.

However, so far, most of the unlocked flying mounts are indeed not as beautiful as Bai Yunfei's giant crane, so... he continues to choose to ride the Cloud Sea Deer.

After all, when it comes to looks, Yunhailu is definitely not inferior.

"That's not necessarily true. Maybe we're kindred spirits!" Bai Yunfei replied with a smile. She actually took the initiative to lower the crane's flight altitude and continue to maintain the same altitude as Cha Nan.

"Why do I feel like... you're just going through the motions?"

"It couldn't be to observe our movements up close... No, that doesn't make sense! You should be acting discreetly instead of actively exposing yourself," Cha Nan continued her analysis. Bai Yunfei: "You seem to have thought a lot about this."

“I’m not a very smart person, so I have to make up for it with hard work and think more... Eventually I’ll be able to grasp the key points.” Cha Nan responded in this way, and that was indeed what he thought.

In the martial arts world, you can't survive without martial prowess, but having only martial prowess... doesn't seem to be enough either.

"So, have you thought of anything yet?" Bai Yunfei asked.

Cha Nan thought for a moment and replied, "Do you know Shi Long?"

“No!” Cha Nan looked into Bai Yunfei’s eyes and shook her head.

Bai Yunfei doesn't seem naive, but her eyes are so clear that you can almost read her true thoughts through them.

“You know who’s playing the role of Shi Long!” Cha Nan’s previously interrupted inspiration suddenly burst forth, and she spoke up.

Then he saw the change in Bai Yunfei's eyes.

“It’s true!”

“Shi Long could not have left Kyushu Prefecture, but Kyushu Prefecture has been thoroughly searched, yet he still hasn’t been found. Besides the fact that he is very good at hiding and has mastered powerful techniques of disguise, concealment, and impersonation, there is another possibility... that the real Shi Long may have died or never shown himself.”

“He’s just a front!” Cha Nan said.

"Only because the stone dragon doesn't exist can we not find him."

"Everyone has been fooled!"

Although Cha Nan's analysis lacked substantial evidence and seemed more like his own delusion, he had already come to believe in this inference.

When too much power is mobilized, no one can truly remain invisible.

Unless this person never existed.

As for why Cha Nan was able to discover this, it wasn't because he was particularly smart, but because he didn't continuously immerse himself in the atmosphere of pursuing results and wasn't overwhelmed by the overall tension.

He was relaxed, so in this state, he could freely unleash his imagination.

Because it was Shi Long who escaped the world of Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty carrying the Longevity Manual, everyone assumed that finding Shi Long would lead to finding the Longevity Manual.

The two were equated.

But what if the stone dragon is already dead, and the secret of immortality has already fallen into other hands?
As for the person who truly obtained the secret to immortality, why did they stubbornly remain in this world instead of leaving to avoid the limelight, and instead create such a grand spectacle? Perhaps they had other reasons.

Perhaps there are people in this world he can't bear to part with, yet can't take with him.

Or perhaps, there's some career they can't let go of.

Cha Nan's first thought was Lan Haiping, whose martial arts skills were good enough to deal with Shi Long.

In the world of Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, Shi Long is only a second-rate character, but he was once nominally the number one in Yangzhou. His martial arts skills are not bad, and ordinary people would never be able to kill him.

Moreover, Lan Haiping would never abandon Bai Yunfei and Lan Xiaodie to flee to another world alone, so... could it be that he obtained the Longevity Formula and then deliberately created a smokescreen to divert attention?
"You're very clever; you actually figured out the truth on your own," Bai Yunfei said with a smile, looking at Cha Nan.

This attitude put Cha Nan in a dilemma.

If Lan Haiping was the one who impersonated Shi Long and caused this turmoil, should Bai Yunfei have this attitude?
She also said that she only knew part of the truth?
"Finally... finally I've caught up with you!" Wang Xiaoshi's voice came from behind.

The swift falcon was not as large as the crane, nor was it particularly fast, so it struggled to keep up.

If Cha Nan hadn't been chatting with Bai Yunfei and slowed down, he might not have been able to catch up again.

Wang Xiaoshi stood on the back of the Gale Falcon and turned to look at Bai Yunfei.

For a moment, he was almost petrified, staring blankly at Bai Yunfei sitting on the back of the crane.

"That look in his eyes...something's not right!"

"Is this a sign that Wenrou is about to be cuckolded?"

"That's... in line with the Wen family's consistent style!" Cha Nan thought to herself, but she didn't try to wake up Wang Xiaoshi.

After all, although Bai Yunfei has a unique temperament, his looks are not in Cha Nan's good range.

As a loyal fan of good looks, Cha Nan would absolutely choose Lan Xiaodie over Bai Yunfei.

Even though Bai Yunfei's personality and demeanor are far superior to Lan Xiaodie's.

"Hello! I'm Wang Xiaoshi!" Wang Xiaoshi blushed after only getting halfway through his self-introduction.

Seeing Wang Xiaoshi's predicament, Bai Yunfei said in a friendly manner, "I am Bai Yunfei! Your lightness skill is excellent. If I weren't relying on the crane, I wouldn't be able to dodge you every time."

Wang Xiaoshi's face turned even redder: "You...you remember me?"

Cha Nan almost covered her face, unable to bear to look.

Although the character is supposed to be an innocent young man, he's too innocent!

　I'll update another chapter tomorrow during the day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)