Ken Lin asked, "Bro, you're a cultivator too, right? Ever heard of Oracle Vision?"
Shawn Young paused for a second, then remembered that legendary Daoist spell. He nodded, "Yeah, of course I know it! 'Oracle Vision' is a pretty wild tracking technique!"
Ken Lin nodded, "In folk legends, immortals can draw a circle on a wall, water, or even their palm, and images pop up like a movie. That's Oracle Vision! It's a spell for projecting images, super useful for investigating stuff. It's been secretly passed down for centuries. Most people have heard of it, but hardly anyone's seen it for real."
Oracle Vision is an 'external projection' spell, just one way to dig up info. There are tons of folk magic tricks, like Mystic Eye (Heaven's Eye), Ear Report, Golden Mouth, and Spirit Writing. They all work pretty much the same—just different ways to get info, using eyes, ears, mouth, or hands. People have six senses, and if you master even one, you're set for life.
Both Oracle Vision and Heaven's Eye use your eyes to find out stuff and show images. But Heaven's Eye is 'internal'—only you see the picture. Oracle Vision is 'external'—other people can see it too. That's why Oracle Vision is great for convincing folks and planning your next move. As long as the person has a soul, you can use something connected to them to track them down, no matter where they are.
"So, Ken, you're saying you want to use Oracle Vision to track Leo Chen and find his secret ledger?" Shawn Young asked.
Ken Lin nodded, then waved his hand, "I think tracking with Oracle Vision is the safest bet. The thing is, I only know the incantation, but my power isn't strong enough to use it. You're way more skilled, so you should give it a shot!"
Shawn Young hesitated, "Uh, I've never tried that spell before. Not sure if I can pull it off!"
Ken Lin said, "Only a skilled cultivator can unleash the true power of Oracle Vision. It's super useful, and even in our country's Paranormal Task Force, barely anyone can use it. I'll teach you the incantation—just give it a try, Shawn! I believe you can do it!"
Shawn Young got excited and nodded, "Alright, I'll give it my best shot!"
Ken Lin said, "Good! Now sit cross-legged, bro. I'll teach you the incantation, and then you can try using your power."
Shawn Young did as told and sat cross-legged, hands folded over his dantian. Ken Lin began teaching him the Oracle Vision spell. After about ten minutes, Shawn had mastered how to use Oracle Vision.
"Ken, I want to try Oracle Vision now, but how do we get something related to Leo Chen?" Shawn Young asked.
Ken Lin smiled, "Haha, getting something related to Leo Chen isn't hard. Any personal item he's used will have his aura. Even a strand of his hair will let you use Oracle Vision to find him and watch his movements!"
Shawn Young said excitedly, "Oh! So we just need to get something Leo Chen has used."
Ken Lin nodded, "Leo Chen and the Burmese drug lord Nika are probably doing a secret deal downstairs. We need to get close and grab something from Leo Chen. Let's go check downstairs—I saw them in a corner earlier, maybe they're still there if we're lucky."
Ken Lin and Shawn Young left the private room. Ken Lin looked over the second-floor railing and saw Leo Chen in a corner downstairs, laughing and toasting drinks with Nika, the Burmese drug lord. It looked like their deal was going well—they were celebrating with drinks.
"Hmm—Ken, Leo Chen really is down there. But how do we get close and grab something from him?" Shawn Young frowned.
Ken Lin grinned, "Hehe, I've got an idea. Just wait here!"
After saying that, Ken Lin went back to the private room, popped open a beer, chugged a few gulps, splashed some on his shirt, rubbed his face until it was red, messed up his hair, and staggered out. He blew alcohol breath at Shawn Young and grinned, "Hehe—bro, do I look like a drunk yet?"
Shawn Young saw Ken Lin looking totally wasted—red-faced, messy hair, reeking of booze—and couldn't help but laugh. "Haha—you really do look the part!"
"That's the point! Watch me—" Ken Lin smirked and staggered down the stairs, heading straight for Leo Chen and Nika. He got close, then pretended to trip and fell loudly to the floor, grabbing their attention.
Leo Chen frowned, but in a place like this, drunken fools weren't unusual. He waved to a bodyguard, "Take this guy to the bathroom—let him sober up!"
But Ken Lin suddenly crawled up and wrapped his arms around Leo Chen, laughing drunkenly, "Haha—bro, let's have another round! I'm good for it—"
Leo Chen shoved him away, annoyed. "Damn it, who the hell is your bro? Get lost!"
Ken Lin plopped down on the floor, waving his arms and giggling, "I'm not drunk—I can drink more—hehe—let's keep going—"
Two bodyguards grabbed Ken Lin and dragged him to the bathroom. They shoved him inside and left—clearly, they were used to dealing with drunks.
Once they left, Ken Lin got up, whistled, peed, and slowly headed back upstairs. He waved to Shawn Young, "Hehe—got it! Let's go back to the private room and finish this!"
"Oh—okay!" Shawn Young hurried after Ken Lin into the private room, locking the door behind them.
"Ken, what did you get from Leo Chen?" Shawn Young asked curiously as soon as he sat down.
Ken Lin proudly held out his palm, showing a few gray-black hairs. He laughed, "Haha, I actually got a few of his hairs—more than enough! Now, try your Oracle Vision!"
Shawn Young smiled and nodded, "Haha, Ken, you really know what you're doing! I'll give it a shot right now—"
Ken Lin cleared off the table, put Leo Chen's hairs in the center, and said, "Alright, bro, you can start now!"
Shawn Young nodded, picked up the hairs, focused his energy, and quickly formed hand seals. He pressed his left hand on his right, palms together, channeling his true energy, and chanted: "Supreme Spirit Platform, gather the five organs, let images appear swiftly, heart and soul unite, let me see the truth, golden light shine, as the law commands—show!"
He flipped his hands and slapped them on the table—"whoosh—" a beam of white light hit the tabletop, and something magical happened. The surface flickered like a TV screen, and moving images appeared, getting clearer as Shawn kept channeling energy. Soon, he saw Leo Chen and Nika toasting drinks.
After a while, Leo Chen and Nika finished their drinks and chatted. Leo called for two beautiful women to keep Nika company, then headed for the main counter on the first floor of the Golden Splendor nightclub.
Leo Chen went behind the counter, and bodyguards blocked anyone else from approaching. Leo slipped through a hidden door—leading to a big basement with a coded lock!
Leo Chen entered a code—"beep beep"—and the basement door slowly opened. He hurried inside.
"Hehe—who knew this nightclub had all these secret passages!" Ken Lin said, surprised.
Watching the images, Ken Lin saw Leo Chen clap his hands and turn on the lights in the basement, which looked like an office, complete with a fancy desk, leather sofa, and a huge metal safe with an electronic lock. Leo Chen sat down, entered another code—"click"—and the safe popped open, revealing stacks of cash, gold bars, jewels, and expensive Cuban cigars. Leo carefully took out a black ledger from the bottom shelf.
"Oh! That must be our main target!" Ken Lin said, getting excited as he watched the images.