Clues to Ta Lo

"If they hadn’t refused to let us live in Ta Lo, none of the tragedies that followed would have happened."

Wenwu calmly laid out his beliefs:

"Ta Lo harmed us, and now they have locked her away in Ta Lo, behind the gate deep in the mountains, as punishment—

I know you find this unbelievable, but if she hadn’t told me herself, I wouldn’t have dared believe it was true."

"What… are you talking about?!"

Xialing, who had remained silent until now, finally could not hold back:

"Mom is already dead. Could she have known beforehand that she would receive this punishment?"

"No. It was after your brother left, when I had fallen into grief and despair."

A warm smile appeared on Wenwu’s face, one Xialing had not seen since her mother’s death. He patted his chair.

"At the time, I was sitting here reading, when she spoke to me… as though she were truly in this room. I could even feel her breathing, feel her hand brush across my back…

She told me she needed my help, that I had to save her from her people.

She left us clues. She wanted us to find her!"

"…"

Shaun snapped out of his shock. Now he understood what his old man had meant when he said Wenwu’s mental state was off.

If that had been why he had suffered a mental breakdown last time, exposing a weakness that let his enemies come after him, then why had he broken down back then, before his mother’s death could have traumatized him?!

And this was way beyond just being unstable!

"Dad! Mom is gone. She couldn’t possibly be talking to you behind some gate, and she didn’t leave any clues for us to find…

You said yourself that you weren’t in the right state of mind back then. We won’t blame you for what happened to Mom, and Mom wouldn’t blame you either. But you’re even sicker now. You need to see a doctor!"

"…"

Wenwu raised an eyebrow. He knew it would be hard for his son and daughter to believe, so he sighed and pointed at Shaun’s neck.

"Then what is this?"

"Shaun, Xialing, ever since you were born, you have worn gemstone necklaces from the Ta Lo Realm. These are the clues your mother left for us!"

He pointed to the ancient book on the table, his tone utterly firm.

"The entrance to the Ta Lo Realm where your mother was born is a secret. Even now, I have not found the correct route there, but I know these two gems can help me find it.

To give you time, I had planned to try other methods. I also did not want to destroy the keepsakes your mother left behind…

But since you have returned early, I do not wish to wait any longer. I need to immediately find a way into the Ta Lo Realm, bring your mother back, and reunite our family!"

"Give me the gems, then come with me. You will see with your own eyes whether I am telling the truth!"

When Wenwu placed the Dragon Eye Gems onto the Shenron Statue and dazzling water magic revealed the hidden passage into the Ta Lo Realm, Shaun and his sister were genuinely stunned.

"The passage to Ta Lo is guarded by the Moving Maze, but there is a direct path through the forest that opens only once a year—

During Qingming Festival.

To pass through it, one must know both the exact route and the precise time it opens. And now, we know both."

He smiled at Shaun.

"All these years, I rebuilt the Ten Rings not merely for revenge, but for Ta Lo as well."

"What are you planning to do? If they refuse to let you open the gate?"

Xialing could not hold back anymore. In that moment, she truly believed that her mother’s soul might still be there.

"Then…"

Wenwu nodded as though it were only natural.

"I will level the village."

"There is still some time before Qingming Festival. You can rest here for a while, then we will go together…"

"…I think we need some time to calm down."

Shaun’s expression was grim. Clearly, Wenwu harbored deep resentment toward the elders in the Ta Lo Realm who had kept him from being with their mother.

If that was the case, then "level the village" was absolutely not a joke.

But the most serious issue was that he had no idea whom he should believe—

Should he believe his father, whose mental state had obviously become unstable?

If Wenwu was merely suffering from delusions and hallucinations, were they really supposed to let him raze their mother’s homeland?

But if they did not believe him, the Dragon Eye Gem necklaces really were clues left behind by their mother. She must have hoped they would find Ta Lo someday, but was she truly trapped behind that gate?

Back then, he had watched his mother get killed by those people with his own eyes. No one from Ta Lo had been involved. How could they possibly have imprisoned her soul?

Still, he knew whom he should ask for confirmation.

Life, souls, pocket dimensions—these were all areas President Oaks excelled in.

If he could meet the president, he would surely get an answer!

So he forced himself to calm down and spoke seriously to his father.

"Dad, Lingling and I need some time to process this news… Can we be alone for a while?"

"…Of course."

Wenwu was pleased that his son had not immediately opposed his decision. He nodded approvingly.

"Discuss it as much as you like. We have plenty of time… If you encounter any difficulties, come to me. After all, we are family, and our goal is to reunite the whole family, isn’t it?"

"I understand…"

Shaun nodded solemnly. After glancing at his sister, he turned and left.

Wenwu watched his children leave with a smile and murmured slowly:

"See, Yingli… They truly have grown up…

Although the organization’s strength is still not quite sufficient, with the two of them helping, things should go much more smoothly."

He turned toward the altar beside him. In the candlelight, the photograph of his wife looked ever more beautiful and moving.

"Soon, we will reunite…"

Shaun’s room remained just as it had been when he left all those years ago. Someone had continued cleaning it regularly.

"President, are you there?"

After confirming that no one was watching outside, Shaun called out softly.

"Yes, I’m here. Close the door."

Oaks’s voice came from nowhere. Shaun’s face lit up, and he hurriedly shut the doors and windows.

The next moment, Oaks suddenly appeared in a chair, startling Xialing.

Although Oaks had said he would follow them in secret, that method of appearing was far too abrupt.

"Don’t worry. I can sense the lifeforms nearby, and no one is monitoring this place."

Oaks waved a hand as a flash of electricity flickered across it.

"There are no listening devices either. In fact, there are very few high-tech gadgets in the residential area. They are basically all concentrated underground."

"My dad… is a nostalgic person."

Shaun sighed, his expression complicated.

"President, just now…"

"I was listening the whole time, and I also discovered something interesting."

Oaks looked at Xialing, who had only just calmed down.

"Xialing, you have not been gone from here for long. Did you know that your father captured an actor a few years ago?"

"An actor?"

Xialing froze, then shook her head after thinking for a moment.

"I don’t know… They never told me about the organization’s affairs. Here, it was as if I had been forgotten."

"…All right. I found that actor just now. He is…"

He spread his hands, then looked at Shaun.

"You remember, right? That incident before I recruited you into the Benevolence Society—the False Mandarin?"

"Ah! Him?"

Shaun slapped his hand against his palm and nodded repeatedly.

"I remember, I remember! At the time, I thought my dad had really carried out a terrorist attack against the American government. I was even worried he would come take me away…"

"If it is that man, I have heard of him too."

Xialing’s eyes widened as well.

"They actually captured him?"

"Yes, and he has survived until now."

Oaks pondered for a moment, sounding somewhat wistful.

"But he is not the important part. It is his little companion—

Shaun, Xialing, when your father was exploring the entrance to Ta Lo before, he also brought back a pet. Did you know that?"

"A pet?"

The two looked at each other, then shook their heads blankly.

"We have never heard of that!"

"Yes. This little fellow says that he grew up in Ta Lo alongside your mother."

Oaks waved a hand and opened a Space Passage. A round, fluffy little creature ran out from within.

It resembled a yellow sack, red as cinnabar flame, with six legs and four wings. Faceless and featureless, yet able to understand song and dance—it was truly Dijiang.

Other than not being "red as cinnabar flame," every characteristic of this little creature showed that it was a Divine Beast from the myths of the Classic of Mountains and Seas: Dijiang.

"Chirp chirp chirp~"

The adorable Dijiang wriggled a few times and began climbing onto Oaks’s leg. The rich aura of nature around him felt incredibly familiar and comforting.

"This little fellow was discovered by the actor downstairs, who surprisingly could communicate with it—

But I brought it out."

Oaks patted Dijiang’s back, though he could not tell where the creature’s head was.

"So now we have a local beast as a guide. Not only can we enter the Ta Lo Realm whenever we wish, but we can also learn some information about what is inside.

Incidentally, it wants you to take it home."

"Home… back to the Ta Lo Realm? But what about my dad…"

Shaun’s expression turned conflicted. Dijiang knew the route to the Ta Lo Realm, which meant they could ignore both the timing of Qingming Festival and the Moving Maze.

But what exactly was happening in the Ta Lo Realm?

Was Mom’s soul really there?

"I already verified what your father said with it. None of that is true."

Oaks’s next words interrupted his hesitation.

"There really is a gate in the mountains, but it is where the Great Guardian of the Ta Lo Realm seals the Dark Monster.

From the time your mother died until your father found the entrance and picked it up, no one from Ta Lo ever came out. They could not possibly have taken your mother’s soul."

Oaks paused, then pointed to himself.

"Ta Lo is a pocket dimension, and I have one too. Unless they can cross dimensions to steal souls, something is seriously wrong here."