Chapter 397: Surveillance
Less than the time it took to smoke a cigarette, Yang Haoran's phone rang.
The caller was none other than Luo Dui.
"Emissary Yang, the target's current location has been pinpointed for you. She's currently in Cool Water Township."
"Alright, I understand. I'll head over now. Thank you, Luo Dui," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"You're welcome. Be careful. If anything unexpected happens, remember to notify me immediately," Luo Dui said.
"I know. I'll leave it at that for now."
After hanging up, the smile on Yang Haoran's face deepened. His biggest concern just now had been the inability to pinpoint Zhao Hong's location. If that were the case, finding the target would have been much more difficult.
It would have been fine if the target had indeed returned to her hometown as the gatekeeper old man said, but if she hadn't, where would he even begin to look for her?
Fortunately, his worst fears hadn't materialized. Since the target's location had been accurately pinpointed, it naturally saved a lot of unnecessary trouble.
However, according to the records, Zhao Hong's hometown truly was in Cool Water Township.
Yang Haoran had initially thought that Zhao Hong's return to Cool Water Township might just be a pretense, an excuse for her leave of absence, but to his surprise, Zhao Hong had genuinely gone back to her hometown.
However, Yang Haoran couldn't be certain if something had happened in Zhao Hong's home.
According to the information in the data, Zhao Hong was now the only one left in her family. Since there were no relatives at home, what could have possibly happened?
Yang Haoran didn't quite understand the reason. He figured it was best to get to Cool Water Township first; many questions should resolve themselves once he was there.
The journey from Lecheng to Cool Water Township was not only quite far, but the road conditions were also poor. By the time Yang Haoran and Bai Xue traveled over mountains and through valleys to reach Cool Water Township, night had completely fallen.
"What do we do now? " Bai Xue asked Yang Haoran inside the car.
Just as Bai Xue's words fell, the sound of gongs being struck reached their ears.
"That sound is. . ."
Bai Xue was unfamiliar with the sound and didn't know what it meant, but for Yang Haoran, who grew up in the countryside, it was far from unfamiliar.
"Someone's holding a funeral. Let's go take a look," Yang Haoran said.
"What's there to see at a funeral? " Bai Xue asked, puzzled.
"I learned from the old man that Zhao Hong is a warm-hearted person. Since there's a funeral here, we might just run into her there."
Yang Haoran couldn't be certain if Zhao Hong was genuinely warm-hearted or if there was another agenda behind her helpfulness.
However, since others considered her warm-hearted, she should usually enjoy helping people, at least on the surface. Otherwise, how could she have earned such a good reputation?
If she enjoyed helping others, then how could she be absent from a town funeral? Perhaps Zhao Hong's return to Cool Water Township this time was precisely for this event.
Bai Xue was skeptical, but Yang Haoran didn't explain further, driving towards the sound.
A moment later, the car stopped. In front of them, a family was indeed holding a funeral. A Yin-Yang Master chanted scriptures and performed rites, while others banged gongs and recited something.
Yang Haoran hadn't parked his car alone; there were several other vehicles, presumably belonging to the deceased's family members or close friends.
No one noticed the extra car, as the area was quite noisy, the sounds of gongs and drums drowning out the engine. Hence, no one noticed another car appearing in the darkness.
Observing the funeral house ahead, neither Yang Haoran nor Bai Xue got out of the car.
"Do you sense anything? " Yang Haoran asked, looking at Bai Xue.
"There's a faint power fluctuation," Bai Xue replied after sensing for a moment.
Yang Haoran nodded. He, too, had sensed the faint power fluctuation, and besides that, he also detected the presence of Yin Qi.
"If there are no surprises, this power fluctuation should be emanating from Zhao Hong," Yang Haoran said.
"It's just that this power fluctuation is too faint; it's difficult to gauge her strength from such a weak ripple," Bai Xue remarked.
The issue Bai Xue raised was also Yang Haoran's concern at the moment. Regardless of whether this power fluctuation originated from Zhao Hong, even if it did, it would be extremely difficult to ascertain Zhao Hong's strength from such a faint ripple.
"Let's not rush for now. We'll observe the situation before making a decision."
Just as Yang Haoran finished speaking, a middle-aged woman emerged from the house opposite. She had an ordinary appearance and simple attire; by all accounts, she looked like a common farm wife.
However, the woman's appearance caused both Yang Haoran and Bai Xue's expressions to subtly change.
Because this woman was none other than Yang Haoran's target for this trip, the Spirit Master Zhao Hong!
Naturally, Luo Dui's transmitted file included a photo of Zhao Hong, and both Yang Haoran and Bai Xue had carefully reviewed her information, so they recognized her appearance.
The faint power fluctuation they had sensed earlier was indeed emanating from Zhao Hong. They couldn't be sure before because they hadn't seen Zhao Hong herself, but now that she had appeared, it was easy to confirm whether the weak power fluctuation was coming from her.
After Zhao Hong came out and spoke a few words with the Yin-Yang Master, she re-entered the house. Shortly after, she brought out several stools one after another and handed them to the Yin-Yang Master.
In a short span of time, Zhao Hong was constantly going in and out of the house, appearing very busy. From her demeanor, she seemed to be helping out at the deceased's home.
If they hadn't been able to sense the faint power fluctuation emanating from Zhao Hong, and hadn't known her identity as a Spirit Master, Yang Haoran and Bai Xue would have likely just perceived Zhao Hong as an ordinary farm wife.
"Why don't I go test her strength? " Bai Xue asked, looking at Yang Haoran beside her.
Yang Haoran shook his head, disapproving of Bai Xue's suggestion.
"That approach would easily 'beat the grass and startle the snake,' so let's not do that for now. We should observe for a while. If I can't think of a better method by then, it won't be too late to figure out a way to test her. However, we can't test her blindly, lest we test ourselves into a trap."
After confirming their target, they didn't go anywhere for the remainder of the time, staying in the car and closely observing Zhao Hong's every move, missing no detail.
As night deepened, many of those who had come to help at the deceased's home gradually began to return to their own houses. Zhao Hong was no exception; she, too, left the deceased's residence.
However, compared to the others who had come to help, Zhao Hong left the deceased's home much later—it was already past midnight.
Seeing Zhao Hong exit the deceased's house, Bai Xue turned her gaze to Yang Haoran.
"Brother Yin Officer, what should we do? Should we follow her? " Bai Xue asked.
"Following her might easily lead to us being discovered. Do you have a better idea? " Yang Haoran asked.
"A better idea? " Bai Xue's brow furrowed slightly in thought, then she asked Yang Haoran, "Is it enough if we can just monitor her?"
Yang Haoran nodded and said, "If we can monitor her without being discovered, that would naturally be best."
Receiving Yang Haoran's affirmative reply, Bai Xue beamed, a hint of smugness in her expression.
"If it's just for monitoring her, I do have a good method. However, this method can only observe her; it can't determine her strength."
"Cool Water Township isn't large. As long as she unleashes all the power within her body, I'll still be able to sense it, even if I'm not beside her, and make a rough estimate of her strength. So right now, you just need to use your abilities to keep a good watch on her," Yang Haoran said.
"Alright then, I'll show you my methods," Bai Xue chuckled, then closed her eyes.
As Bai Xue closed her eyes, various snakes throughout Cool Water Township seemed to respond to some mysterious summons, poking their heads out from inconspicuous corners.
Yang Haoran didn't know what Bai Xue was doing, nor did he sense the changes in the snakes in the area. Seeing Bai Xue close her eyes so earnestly, he couldn't help but ask,
"What are you doing?"
"Controlling the snakes here to achieve the goal of monitoring the target. Don't worry, I'm being very careful; she won't discover it," Bai Xue assured confidently.
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