Xuanqing Guard-Chapter 68: Magical Artifact

Chen Tianwen smiled and took a sip of the wine in front of him, then grinned, "Go ahead, the dignified Shen Zongqi wouldn’t be so kind as to treat me to drinks for no reason. What’s up?"

He had just gotten off duty today when Chen Tianwen received Shen Hao’s invitation, saying he wanted to have him over for some drinks at his place.

After a few rounds, Chen Tianwen got straight to the point; he was curious what Shen Hao wanted from him today.

Shen Hao downed his wine in one gulp, then pointed at the sweet and sour pork on the table and said, "This is a new dish my cook developed—sweet and sour, really delicious. You should try more of it."

"Mm, it is really good... Now hurry up and spit it out, otherwise you’re ruining my enjoyment of good food."

"It’s really nothing else. Hm, after listening to your advice before, I went to see Households Commander Jiang, and now I’m one of his people."

"Really?!" Chen Tianwen subconsciously put down his cup and leaned in. He’d just helped analyze the situation before, didn’t expect Shen Hao to actually pull it off.

"Yeah, but the reason I sought you out today is something else."

"Go ahead."

"You once said that before joining Xuanqing Guard, you were an Ascetic Cultivator. So you should know a lot about all kinds of magic skills, right?"

"Hey, didn’t expect you remembered. Back then I was cultivating alone, had to rely on myself for everything—whether magic or Magical Artifacts, had to learn a bit or you couldn’t get anywhere in Cultivation. Why?"

"I came across a case—wanted to ask you, is it possible to snatch a normal child from a bustling street without anyone noticing?"

Chen Tianwen was stunned at first, but then his interest was piqued. After thinking for a while, he said, "Snatching a child in broad daylight, in front of everyone on a busy street? That’s a tough one. There are too many eyes and mouths around, and generally, kids are wary of strangers; even a small move can make them cry for help and draw attention.

If you’re talking about snatching someone without drawing attention, what you really mean is a Blinding Technique. Blinding Techniques are generally divided into two categories. One is to cover the target, making those around unable to notice anything out of the ordinary. The other is to mask the senses of those around, so they subconsciously ignore the target’s existence.

The former—covering the target—is most common, but if you’re casting on a lively child in a busy street, it’s basically impossible to succeed. Too many uncertain factors could interfere at the moment the magic starts; no way to be flawless.

The latter—masking the senses of the crowd—works in theory too, but even by your conditions, it’s not doable. Too many people on the street, the area is moving, the targets are shifting. The more people, the harder it gets—so also no way."

Shen Hao hadn’t expected this answer and frowned, "Truly impossible?"

"Of course, not entirely impossible either. In my experience, to use magic to control everyone on a street or just snatch a kid ’invisible on the street’, at the very least you’d need to be in the last three layers of the Primordial Pill Realm. But if someone really had that level of cultivation, would they bother with such a troublesome method to take someone?

So I think, if you really want to do what you just said—’snatch someone in front of everyone’s eyes’—the most practical method would be to use a pre-set Magical Artifact. That’d be a bit easier."

"A Magical Artifact?"

"Yeah. Hmm, how shall I put it. It’s like that Evil Chasing Disc you carry, only with a different array inside. You can set it up with a Bewitching Array or Blinding Technique array. After activating it, it can make the people nearby ’unable to notice’ within a certain scope. Since it’s pre-set, the casting process is extremely short and super stable, and you can perform high-level skills even at a relatively low cultivation level.

But these Magical Artifacts are rare and definitely strictly monitored. You should pay attention to this lead—might find something."

"Where does one usually get such Magical Artifacts?"

"Forget official channels. The Court regulates these things even tighter than Breaking Arrows. As for the gray market, they’re sold under the table. There are a lot of these channels—you must’ve come across some yourself."

"You mean Black Market?"

"Yeah, you’ll find leads there."

Shen Hao raised his cup and toasted Chen Tianwen, thinking to himself that inviting Chen Tianwen was absolutely the right move. The case that was a dead end finally saw a glimmer of light—even though it was just a sliver, as long as you keep digging through that crack, someday you’ll break through the fog and see the moon.

Chen Tianwen’s alcohol tolerance was average—just a bit better than Wang Jian, who was truly hopeless with drink. After half a jar of wine, he waved his hand that he couldn’t go on, scooped two bowls of rice with the sweet and sour pork, declared himself full, and left.

As for drinking, Shen Hao really admired the cultivators of this world. He’d never seen anyone try to cheat by using True Qi to force out the alcohol. Even if they drank so much they puked, no one tried to cheat.

The next day, Shen Hao had someone "invite" a man named Flying Dragon to the Black Banner Battalion headquarters, receiving him in an isolated Interrogation Chamber.

This Flying Dragon guy was a big bald brute with a face full of meaty flesh. No need for introduction—just his look screamed "bad guy."

Back when Shen Hao was a Small Banner Officer, he’d had a few dealings with Flying Dragon—not exactly familiar, but not strangers either. He knew Flying Dragon was mixed up in the Black Market, and had some skills there.

Flying Dragon, looking pale, finally let out a breath of relief when he saw Shen Hao walk in: "Shen Zongqi, it’s you! Scared me to death. I was just saying, how would your Black Banner Battalion trouble a small fry like me, hehe. Whatever you need, just say the word—I, Flying Insect, will go through fire and water for you!"

"Eh? When did your name change?" Shen Hao smiled and took a seat in the chair opposite Flying Dragon.

"Hehe, who’d dare call himself ’Dragon’ in front of you? Flying Insect sounds just fine to me."

For a big burly guy, just sitting in the Interrogation Chamber made him feel bone-chilling cold. Dragged straight from his warm bed early in the morning, no one said a word or asked anything, not even tied him up, but he was still scared to death.

"Sorry to bring you over, but with the crowds where you live, it’s inconvenient for me to visit. You don’t mind, right?"

"No problem! General Flag, whatever you need, just call on me—even if it’s mountain blades or sea of fire, I, Flying Insect, won’t even frown!"

The words sounded thunderous, but Shen Hao knew not to take them seriously. This guy was your textbook petty thief—he’d say anything, but never mean it. Might even curse him the second his back was turned, this so-called ’righteous’ Flying Dragon.

"Business with Magical Artifacts isn’t unfamiliar, right? I mean, in the Black Market."

"Hehe, what do you mean by that, Shen Zongqi?"

So much for acting all loyal—turned into nervous laughter the moment after.

"Think before you speak. Do you really not know where this is? Whether you walk out of here in one piece depends on you." Shen Hao leaned back in the chair, eager to see if this real scoundrel dared act tough in a Xuanqing Guard Interrogation Chamber.

"Aiyoh! Shen Zongqi, don’t say that. My brain’s slow—it just took a while to catch up, please don’t be mad. I know, I know you’re talking about those smuggled Magical Artifacts on the Black Market, but rest assured, I never touch those things..."

"Stop." Shen Hao raised his hand, interrupting, "Heard of Magical Artifacts for Illusion Arrays or Blinding Class?"