The man looked at her with disapproval. He didn't want her to get involved, but she wasn't just anyone, she was a cultivator from the sect, and a pretty strong one for her age. His opinion didn't matter in this case.

  “In the nearby village of Fe Yuan, one of the victims who allegedly escaped from a secret facility has reportedly appeared,” the man explained. “Officially, however, only one woman has seen him, and she allegedly gave him shelter.”

  “So it's unconfirmed information,” May stated.

  After a moment, she remembered that she should have used her new ability to detect lies during the conversation. She didn't suspect the old man of lying, but it was a good moment to test its effectiveness.

  However, she had to use it sparingly, as it consumed too much Qi and, worse, could be detected, since the man was also a cultivator.

  “Yes. No one took her words seriously, as she didn't have a very good reputation in the village,” said the man, and May confirmed his words as true thanks to her [Dim Eye of Truth].

  However, she quickly turned it off again. She decided to try to use it only when the man was speaking, to save energy.

  “Let me guess, the man disappeared?” May tried to guess.

  “That's right. Except for that one woman, no one was able to confirm her words,” he said truthfully. “She didn't find out anything interesting either. That's why the investigation was deemed futile.”

  “The victims' families think otherwise,” May replied.

  “The family? Most of these people had no one. The brothel set up the commission because some of its workers might have been caught up in it. If not for that, no one would have cared about the disappearance of a few homeless people. Prostitutes, however, that’s a different matter…” he said, and after a moment he fell silent.

  He forgot for a moment that he was talking to a child and wasn't sure if talking about such things was appropriate... But then again, this was a mission where you had to risk your life and most likely kill someone. Talking about prostitutes isn't much worse here.

  May smiled, which slightly surprised the gray-haired old man. “Where can I find this woman?”

  With my ability to detect lies, I will easily be able to determine whether she was telling the truth or if she is simply insane...

  Although her ability to detect lies was of relatively low rank, it was objectively a rare skill within the sect. Otherwise, it would be extremely easy to consistently find the culprit of every crime.

  The man gave her all the information she needed. She asked a few more questions, such as the location of the village and details about the suspected alchemist. Once she had learned everything she wanted to know, she officially accepted the mission.

  She headed for the exit. Seeing her haste, the man was slightly afraid that she might be acting too impulsively.

  “Hey, wait!” he called out. “You don't want to go there alone, do you? You should at least take someone with you!”

  May didn't even turn to look at him and left the building.

  She had come there precisely so that she would not have to work with anyone. It was solitude she desired, which is why his words were meaningless to her.

  She went to the market square, where she hired a horse-drawn carriage to take her to the nearby village of Fe Yuan. It was quite expensive, but money wasn't a problem for her at the moment. She could afford a bit of luxury.

  “Where are we going, Honorable Cultivator?” asked a man dressed in intricately decorated folk costume with a long curled mustache with great politeness. It was a high-class carriage, so the service was also top-notch.

  Helping her get inside, he bowed low.

  “To the village of Fe Yuan,” she replied briefly.

  The man frowned, clearly not entirely pleased with this information. However, his expression quickly changed back to a cheerful one, as he did not want such an important customer to notice his displeasure. Unfortunately for him, May noticed.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, sorting through her belongings in the carriage.

  “Nothing. Fe Yuan is just... generally known for its modesty...” he replied reluctantly.

  Modesty...? Is that a nice way of saying it's poor?

  It wasn't that surprising. Outside the capital, the Island Mountain Sect was rather underdeveloped, even the capital of Eastern Court seemed backward, let alone the rural areas.

  “What exactly do you mean when you say that this village is... modest?” she asked, although she already knew the answer.

  The man twirled his mustache and coughed awkwardly.

  “Well, it's the poorest village in the immediate vicinity. It's also known for its high crime rate.”

  “Really?” May was surprised, she had never heard of this village before. “How is that possible when it's so close to the capital?”

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  The man just shrugged.

  “I'm sorry, I don't know the answer.”

  “That's okay. Let's go.” She replied, losing interest in the subject.

  Their carriage set off. It was snowing, but fortunately, due to its proximity to the capital, even the surrounding villages had a fairly well-developed road system, which were essential for merchants who traded various goods. The further they went, the worse the roads became, but not so bad as to hinder their journey.

  Finally, they arrived at their destination.

  “It looks better than I expected,” she said, stepping out of the carriage without waiting for the coachman's help.

  Perhaps it was the snow that covered most of the imperfections, but the village seemed quite charming. It was a large settlement with dozens of houses, even an inn and a few other large buildings.

  “Dear Cultivator, I would still recommend caution,” said the coachman thoughtfully.

  May nodded and paid him to wait for her. She had no intention of returning on foot.

  She went to the inn to get some information. Inside, there was a rather pleasant smell of warm meals. She attracted the attention of many people, but despite the warnings, did not feel threatened. They looked at her with interest rather than hostility.

  She paid one of the inn's servants a coin to get information about the woman she was looking for.

  “Ah... You mean Clumsy Mao? The one whose husband hanged himself...?” She asked, and May nodded awkwardly. “Uh-huh. Go straight towards the shrine and turn right towards the hill... Once you cross it, you'll pass three households. She lives in the last one, right before the river. It's crooked and ugly, you'll definitely recognize it.”

  May thanked her and left. Fortunately, in such small communities, everyone knew everyone else and knew almost everything about everyone. Finding information about someone here was extremely easy.

  She headed to the place indicated by the woman. She had no trouble finding it and easily spotted the rather run-down and indeed crooked building. It looked as if it could collapse at any moment.

  When she reached the door, she knocked calmly. No one answered. She knocked again.

  “Who's there?!”

  She suddenly heard a rough and unpleasant female shriek. May frowned and took a deep breath.

  “I am a cultivator from the Sect and I am here regarding your report. I would like to discuss the matter,” she replied, trying to sound professional. She decided that this approach would be most appropriate.

  The door slowly opened. She saw an elderly, hunched-over woman who could barely stand with her cane. Her entire face was blotchy and wrinkled, and she had characteristically thickened and red hands, which were probably the result of frostbite. The sight of her alone made May feel sorry for her.

  “What do you want?! Haven't you tormented me enough?” The woman howled, twisting nervously. “You don't believe me! And you, girl, won't believe me either!”

  May began to wonder what the previous cultivators from the sect had done to her to make her react this way. She seemed terrified, even though there was only a little girl standing in front of her. May sighed quietly.

  She decided to immediately use her ability to detect lies. She activated [Dim Eye of Truth] and asked hastily, as it was draining her Qi quickly.

  “Did you truly see the kidnapped man yourself?” she asked seriously, looking her straight in the eye.

  The woman stiffened and trembled slightly. It was as if the stern tone of the interrogation had caused her to feel discomfort. However, she quickly composed herself.

  “Yes! How many times do I have to say it?! Over there! A fat man was sleeping by the table!” she said, and May sensed only truth in her words. “He was just saying something about alchemists! About experiments... But you already know that, since I told you! You're not listening!”

  May verified that her words were true... Or at least she herself believed them to be true. The skill only confirmed what the woman believed to be true and false. Considering the woman's condition, it could not be ruled out that she might be hallucinating, but it was unlikely. Her words were most likely true.

  “I believe you,” she replied. “That's why you have to tell me everything. Shall we go inside? It's quite cold.”

  Reluctantly and muttering from time to time, she let her in. The woman sat down immediately, without showing even a shred of hospitality. May was met with an unpleasant sight upon entering. Her house was in a truly deplorable state.

  There was an unpleasant smell of excrement coming from a nearby bucket, and trash and dust were spread all over the floor. It wasn't much warmer inside, and the woman quickly covered herself with a blanket.

  May sat down on a chair on the opposite side.

  She began to ask her questions. Unfortunately, the answer to most of the questions was: I don't know, I don't remember, or maybe yes, maybe no.

  Uh... This is going to be tough. No wonder the sect's cultivators gave up, talking to her is... exhausting.

  May was patient, though. Despite the lack of information, it was clear that the woman was genuinely concerned about the matter.

  “You have to save him... Poor thing... He was barely alive,” she muttered.

  Unfortunately, the man slept most of the time. And when he wasn't, the woman wasn't very talkative either, so they didn't converse much.

  “One day he just disappeared,” she said, and May confirmed the truth of her words. “I found traces of blood in the garden, someone must have taken him! That alchemist!”

  “Describe his condition to me.”

  The woman began to tell her story. According to her, the man was barely alive when she found him. In other words, the location from which he had escaped could not have been far away. Additionally, the fact that they found him so quickly...

  Hmm... However, no one in the village believes her, so even if that's the case, they must be well hidden. At the same time, since a mortal escaped them, they are probably quite incompetent in general. The person they abducted escaped? What a humiliation for the cultivators.

  However, she did not expect more from people who conduct experiments on humans.

  May asked the woman even more questions, but she seemed tired, so she decided there was no point in bothering her any longer. She left the building and returned to the carriage.

  “Welcome back, Esteemed Cultivator. Are we returning to the capital now?” he asked, bowing low.

  “Not yet,” she replied, stepping into the carriage. “I heard there is an alchemist somewhere nearby. Do you know where it is?”

  The man frowned. “Yes... I have heard, but...”

  “In that case, take me straight to him,” she interrupted. Now she had to find out what the main suspect in the case had to say...

  And so they set off on the rest of their journey, which was not very long. About twenty minutes from the village, May noticed a fairly large brick building with a distinctive white color that blended into the snowy landscape. Only the smoke coming from the chimney made it visible. May noticed two people in front of the building who were arguing heatedly.