Master of Strange Dao

养起来,惠而不费,还能将其放在眼皮底下.

To keep them nurtured, without cost but plenty of benefit, while keeping them right under your nose.

暗影司的高层,横死概率极高,下面的探子其实也差不多.

The high-ranking officials of the Shadow Department faced a high likelihood of violent deaths, and the spies below them were not much different.

但起码下面真正在一线干活的探子,待遇其实还不错.

But at least, the spies truly working on the front lines received fairly good treatment.

逛了一天,不知不觉来到一座宅邸附近,苏离抬起头,看到远处的宅院大门.

After wandering for a day, Su Li found himself unknowingly near a mansion. He looked up and saw the distant gate of the estate.

"我平日里不走这边,都没注意到,竟然来到了老师家门口了."

"I don't usually come this way, and didn't even notice I had arrived at the teacher's doorstep."

"既然到门口了,就去见个礼,不然多没礼数."

"Since we're at the door, let's pay a formal visit; otherwise, it would seem disrespectful."

正说着呢,季宅门口,便有个老者,看到了苏离,对他遥遥见礼.

As he spoke, at the entrance of the Ji Mansion, an elderly man saw Su Li and greeted him from a distance.

"走吧,人家都看到你了."

"Let's go, they've already seen you."

余子清拍了拍苏离的肩膀,跟着苏离一起前往季宅.

Yu Ziqing patted Su Li on the shoulder and followed him to the Ji Mansion.

他给老首尊的名单上,还有最后两个人,没有亲眼检测过.

On the list he had for the Old Chief Venerate, there were two people remaining whom he hadn't verified personally.

一个是伏晓,一个是季伯常.

One was Fu Xiao, the other, Ji Bochang.

带上伏晓,最初其实只是顺带的,伏晓并不符合他要找人的要求,但拿到资料之后,才发现伏晓其实也符合.

Initially, bringing Fu Xiao along was incidental, as Fu Xiao did not meet the criteria he sought; only after obtaining the information did he realize Fu Xiao was actually suitable.

自从发现督主的化身越来越多,在寻找老宋他闺女的时候,见到的那个东厂的探子.

Ever since discovering the chief director's increasing incarnations and seeing that spy from the dong chang while looking for Old Song's daughter.

知道了督主一直都在让东厂的探子帮他物色合适的人选,种下化身.

He realized the chief director had always been using dong chang's spies to help him select suitable candidates to plant his incarnations.

余子清就列出来了一个必要线索.

Yu Ziqing then laid out a crucial clue.

督主如此丧心病狂的不断种下化身,其化身数量,必定是远远超出正常的十二个.

The chief director was so insanely relentless in planting incarnations, the number was surely far beyond the normal twelve.

余子清估摸着,哪怕他不断的收回无缘九阶,和价值不够高的化身,其现存的化身,估摸着也要上百,他必定要付出极大的代价.

Yu Ziqing estimated that even if he kept retrieving incarnations that couldn't reach the Ninth Tier or weren't valuable enough, his existing incarnations likely numbered in the hundreds, and he must have paid a great price.

如此大的代价,他本尊的实力,恐怕会跌落九阶.

Such a heavy price probably caused his true self's strength to fall below the Ninth Tier.

当挣脱了九阶的窠臼之后,余子清才灵光一闪,谁说督主的本尊一定得是九阶?

When breaking free from the Ninth Tier's constraints, Yu Ziqing had a sudden insight: who said the chief director's true self must be Ninth Tier?

九阶太扎眼了,九阶之下,七阶八阶,都比九阶合适.

The Ninth Tier was too conspicuous, below the Ninth Tier, the Seventh and Eighth Tiers were both more suitable.

最初,余子清猜测,其本尊,要么是重伤久不愈的九阶,要么是境界一直卡着不动的九阶.

Initially, Yu Ziqing guessed that his true self was either a severely wounded Ninth Tier that hadn't healed for a long time, or a Ninth Tier stuck at a standstill.

后来就把这个条件,下放到九阶之下.

Later, he applied this condition to those below the Ninth Tier.

之前余子清也问过苏离,暗影司第一次普查的时候,查的只是在职的.

Previously, Yu Ziqing had asked Su Li; during the Shadow Department's first census, only those in office were checked.

不在职的其实更多.

But in reality, there were more who were not in office.

都是些重伤残疾,走火入魔,修为受损等等原因,退下去的探子.

They were all spies who had retired due to severe injuries, disabilities, going Devilic, or damaged cultivation.

而余子清知道,督主修过千门八典内的秘法,想要瞒过一代罗盘,应该会很容易.

And Yu Ziqing knew, since the chief director practiced the Secret Techniques within the Thousand Sect Eight Classics, it should be easy to deceive the First Generation Compass.

再加上之前,老宋意外露出破绽,督主为了第一时间,把握这个送上门的机会,便借了暗影司的力量.

Moreover, when Old Song unintentionally exposed a flaw, the chief director seized this presented opportunity at once, using the Shadow Department's resources.

还给暗影司的探子发布了假任务.

He even issued false missions to the spies of the Shadow Department.

那个时候,余子清就猜测.

At that time, Yu Ziqing speculated.

知晓暗影司最近新编写的那套密文,知道如何发布任务能瞒过外面的探子,知晓很多细节上的问题.

That knowing the newly composed code of the Shadow Department, knowing how to issue tasks to evade the spies outside, and knowing many detailed issues.

那督主本尊,亦或者其某个化身,大概率是在暗影司干过,而且肯定是在近二十年内还在职.

That the chief director's true self, or one of his incarnations, likely worked in the Shadow Department, and certainly remained in office within the past twenty years.

还有之前伏晓为了撇清关系,送给他的一个线索.

There was also a clue Fu Xiao provided him to clear ties.

当年去过布施镇,又消失的那个探子,接触过的暗影司的人,其顶头上司是伏晓没错,但是中间还有好几个人.

The spy who had been to Almsgiving Town and disappeared interacted with people from the Shadow Department, whose immediate superior was indeed Fu Xiao, but there were several intermediaries.

这几个人,就是余子清这次应了大离的邀请,再次来大离都城的原因.

These individuals were the reason Yu Ziqing accepted Dali's invitation and returned to Dali's Capital City this time.

因为只是推动了暗影司内部的又一次检验,督主便抛出来一个大兑玉玺的线索.

Because he merely promoted another internal evaluation within the Shadow Department, the chief director tossed out a lead concerning Dadui's Jade Seal.

就足以证明,他觉得有人离他很近了,有人在查他,他感觉到了危险,不可能不管不问.

This was enough to prove that he felt someone was close to him, someone was investigating him, and he sensed danger; he couldn't possibly ignore it.

他可以不管不问,但能糊弄过去一次,可是那些人的目光没有转移走,他就一直处于危险之中,瞩目之下.

He could choose to ignore it, but even if he bluffed his way through once, as long as their attention remained, he would always be in danger, under their watchful eyes.

再加上,督主不可能一直跟阴沟里的蛆虫似的,一直不露面,藏头露尾.

Furthermore, the chief director couldn't continuously hide like a maggot in a ditch, never showing himself, always staying hidden.

那种情况下,他一动,反而更容易被人看到阴沟表面上的水波.

In such cases, any movement on his part would be more likely to make ripples visible on the surface of the ditch.

有一个明面上的身份,是肯定要有的.

He definitely needed an identity open to the public view.

经过以上线索,余子清最先要排除的,就是名单上的这几个人.

From these clues listed above, the first people Yu Ziqing aimed to eliminate were those on the list.

所以,余子清要来亲自看一看,亲自验证一下.

So, Yu Ziqing needed to see and verify in person.

前面他已经随便瞎逛,实则故意引去一些地方,悄悄去验证过好几个了.

Earlier, he had been wandering aimlessly, but in truth, he had led himself to places intentionally, secretly verifying several locations.

能经过罗盘验证,不是化身,也不是本尊,最后再加上详尽之极的资料,抵达判定的及格线,能完成判定.

Anyone who could pass the Compass's verification, being neither an incarnation nor the true self, with additional comprehensive data reaching the passing line, could complete the verification.

那这人就会被余子清直接排除掉.

Then this person would be directly excluded by Yu Ziqing.

现在只剩下伏晓和季伯常.

Now, only Fu Xiao and Ji Bochang remained.

伏晓和季伯常,都符合余子清说的条件.

Fu Xiao and Ji Bochang both met the conditions Yu Ziqing described.

要么受过重伤,要么修行出岔子,很长时间,修为都停滞不前.

Had either suffered severe injuries or faced accidents in cultivation, causing long-term stagnation.

近二十年内,在暗影司内任过职.

They had held roles within the Shadow Department in the past twenty years.

也跟当年消失的那个探子有联系.

They were also connected with the spy who disappeared back then.

余子清手托罗盘,跟着苏离进入了季宅.

With a Compass in hand, Yu Ziqing followed Su Li into the Ji Mansion.

很快就见到了季伯常,一直处于开启状态的罗盘,显示了结果,季伯常既不是化身,也不是本尊.

They soon met Ji Bochang, and the always-activated Compass revealed the result: Ji Bochang was neither an incarnation nor the true self.

但是,在看到季伯常的第一眼,他怀中作为判定道具的锈剑,却毫无反应.

However, at first glance of Ji Bochang, the rusty sword in his arms, used as a determinative tool, showed no reaction.

余子清面不改色,按照现在的人设,装模作样的用罗盘打了个招呼,然后继续跟着一起寒暄.

Yu Ziqing remained expressionless, staying in character as he greeted with the Compass, then continued to exchange pleasantries with them.

苏离给介绍了一下身份之后,季伯常立刻客气的招呼.

After Su Li introduced identities, Ji Bochang promptly greeted them politely.

"原来这位就是锦岚山的卿子玉卿少爷,久仰久仰,快快请坐."

"So this is Young Master Qing Ziyu from Jinlan Mountain. I've heard so much about you. Please, have a seat."

坐下之后,余子清验证完这里所有人,便收起了罗盘.

After sitting down, once Yu Ziqing finished verifying everyone there, he put away the Compass.