Zhao Ling’er’s Disappearance – Please Vote

"Junior Brother, have you lost your mind?!"

Xu Changqing was shocked and furious. He drew his sword at Chu Yang, unable to imagine that his junior brother would do something so utterly deranged.

"I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t panic just yet!"

Chu Yang smacked his lips and flicked out a stream of sword qi, slicing away the grandfather and granddaughter’s facial skin. Beneath it was another face.

"Human-skin masks! Something’s wrong with these two!"

Li Xiaoyao cried out, then stepped forward and pulled off their faces, revealing the faces of two unfamiliar men in their twenties.

A crescent moon was branded on their foreheads!

"Brother Xu, they’re Moon Worship Cultists!" Li Xiaoyao shouted.

Xu Changqing stepped forward to inspect them, then turned back in surprise and asked, "Junior Brother, how did you know?"

How did he know?

Of course, he had read the walkthrough!

"Although the granddaughter looked panicked on the surface, her aura was steady, like someone trained in martial arts. The old man was the same. He walked unsteadily, yet his aura was not disturbed in the slightest."

"I could tell at a glance that they were no good!"

Chu Yang spoke with complete certainty.

Li Xiaoyao scratched his head. "What if you guessed wrong?"

Chu Yang spread his hands. "Then I guessed wrong. What else could I do?"

Xu Changqing’s face turned livid.

Li Xiaoyao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Good thing you didn’t guess wrong…"

Chu Yang said speechlessly, "Compared to whether I guessed right or not, what matters more is that the Moon Worship Sect is very close to us. They already know our route!"

Li Xiaoyao was startled.

Xu Changqing fell into deep thought, his gaze solemn.

Chu Yang suggested, "Now that I’ve achieved Qi Refining, and Xiaoyao can also wield a sword in flight, why don’t we change the plan and return directly to Shu Mountain?"

Xu Changqing nodded. "That is the safest approach. Once Brother Li formally enters the sect as a disciple, we can openly fight the Moon Worship Sect."

Li Xiaoyao was immensely excited. As long as he joined the Shu Mountain Sect, it meant one foot had already crossed the threshold to becoming a great hero.

It was the greatest dream of his life!

"Clean up these two corpses first, then we’ll wait a little longer and see if we can hook a few more fish."

Chu Yang instructed Li Xiaoyao to clean up the scene. Then the three began waiting for their prey. With their companions having lost contact, the other Moon Worship Cultists definitely would not be able to sit still!

The sky gradually darkened.

The mountain forest became pitch-black, with only a trace of moonlight filtering through the mottled shadows of the trees.

Rustling sounds began coming from the grass.

Several Black Shadows suddenly darted out, seemingly searching for something.

"The gu insects are reacting violently. They should be here. Where did they go?"

"Could those two idiots really have been eaten by the Serpent Demon?"

"It’s not like they don’t have legs. If they couldn’t win, couldn’t they run?"

"This is a little strange…"

Before the words had even faded, three chilling streaks of sword light shot out from the darkness. A series of muffled pops rang out, and blood burst forth like fountains.

Chu Yang looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and nodded in satisfaction. "All right! Now the Moon Worship Sect won’t get any news of us for quite some time."

Using the moonlight, Li Xiaoyao flourished his sword, looking quite pleased with himself.

It was no wonder. This was his first time taking action. Rounding things up, it counted as officially beginning his path as a great hero.

"Let’s go, before anything else happens."

Xu Changqing was the first to fly away on his sword, seeming rather unwilling to witness such a scene.

"Senior Brother still needs more training…"

Chu Yang shook his head and had Li Xiaoyao dig up the corpses they had buried earlier. Then, with a Fireball Spell, he burned the Moon Worship Cultists and the gu insects on their bodies to nothing.

After the three returned to the Lin Family Fortress, Li Xiaoyao, who had been beaming with joy, received devastating news.

Zhao Ling’er was gone!

The furious Li Xiaoyao immediately sought out Lin Tiannan and demanded to know Zhao Ling’er’s whereabouts.

Lin Tiannan showed no trace of guilt. Instead, he looked at Li Xiaoyao with a complicated expression.

Liu Jinyuan seemed to want to speak but hesitated.

Lin Yueru was at a complete loss, as though she had been frightened badly.

Seeing their reactions, Chu Yang suddenly remembered something he had overlooked.

Zhao Ling’er was pregnant!

She had revealed the true form of a Descendant of Nüwa!

At that moment, Li Xiaoyao was frantically questioning Lin Tiannan.

"How could Ling’er just disappear for no reason?!"

"Little brother, please calm down. This matter is rather complicated."

"What’s complicated about it? I entrusted her to your care, and now she’s gone!"

"Sigh! Little brother, I’ll tell you the truth. Miss Zhao is a demon! She ran away on her own!"

"You’re the demon! You old bastard, I’ll make you pay today!"

With that, Li Xiaoyao drew his sword and was about to fight Lin Tiannan to the death.

Chu Yang reached out and held him down.

Li Xiaoyao struggled with all his strength and said anxiously, "Brother Chu, let me go! They don’t know where they took Ling’er, and they’re just brushing me off!"

Lin Yueru flew into a rage. She had previously gone looking for Zhao Ling’er and had been badly frightened by her half-human, half-snake form. Now, hearing Li Xiaoyao spout such nonsense, she could no longer hold back.

"That Zhao Ling’er is a Serpent Demon! It wasn’t just me who saw it. Some of the servants and maids saw it too. If you don’t believe me, go ask them!"

Li Xiaoyao’s eyes turned bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour someone. "Say that one more time!"

Lin Yueru glared back, her momentum not the least bit weaker. "I’ll say it if I want to…"

"Shut up, all of you!"

A flash of Conqueror’s Haki flickered around Chu Yang. Though he tried his best to restrain it, that terrifying pressure still frightened everyone present.

Lin Tiannan’s expression darkened, feeling as though he had been provoked.

Chu Yang took a deep breath and cupped his fists. "This is my fault. I didn’t explain things clearly to everyone beforehand. Ling’er is a Descendant of Nüwa, not a demon."

Everyone looked blank, apparently having never heard of Descendants of Nüwa.

Xu Changqing’s expression shifted slightly as he explained, "I once read some ancient texts in the Scripture Repository. They stated that when heaven and earth first opened, Pangu’s essence, qi, and spirit transformed into three great deities: Fuxi, Shennong, and Nüwa."

"These three great deities were also later known as the Three Sovereigns!"

"Because there were too few living beings in the world, the Three Sovereigns began creating sacred life in different ways. Fuxi used the fruits of the God Tree in the heavenly realm as vessels, infused them with his own essence, and created the gods, naming himself the Heavenly Emperor."

"Shennong used the plants and trees of the earth as bodies, infused them with his own vital energy, and created beasts."

"Finally, Nüwa mixed earth and water, molded human forms in her own image, then infused them with her own Blood Qi and spiritual power, creating humans."

"Later, Shennong disappeared, and the unintelligent beast race began rampaging through the human realm. Not long after, a ruler of exceptional intelligence appeared: Chi You."

"To seize living space, the beast race, led by Chi You, went to war against humanity. Humans could not resist, so they sought aid from the gods."

"A great war among the three races erupted. The beast race was driven into the demon realm by the combined forces of humans and gods. In the years that followed, friction began to arise between the gods and humans."

"Heavenly Emperor Fuxi grew dissatisfied with humanity’s disrespect toward heaven, so he sent down calamities and ordered the gods to destroy the earth. Nüwa led humanity in resistance, refining stones to mend the heavens and saving the surviving humans."

"Nüwa exhausted her strength and perished. Fuxi reflected upon himself because of this, eventually sealing the gates of the heavenly realm. The realms of gods and humans became completely separated."

"Though Nüwa died, she left behind descendants who have protected humanity for generations."

"Nonsense! Nüwa was one of the Three Sovereigns, a great deity. How could she be a Serpent Demon?"

Lin Yueru grew somewhat flustered and immediately refuted him.

Xu Changqing spoke respectfully, "Great Deity Nüwa was indeed half-human and half-snake in form. Not only is this recorded in ancient texts, but Shu Mountain also has a statue of Nüwa. The disciples worship it day and night, so we are very familiar with it."

"As for why Miss Zhao was human at first and then turned half-human and half-snake, I do not know."

Chu Yang continued, "Descendants of Nüwa are half-human, half-divine. Their bloodline normally remains dormant. But because Ling’er is pregnant, the bloodline hidden within her was awakened, which is why this ancestral reversion occurred."

Chu Yang and Xu Changqing were disciples of Shu Mountain, so their words carried considerable credibility.

Even though no one had heard of these so-called Descendants of Nüwa before, they had no choice but to accept that Zhao Ling’er was one.

"Then… does that mean we were wrong?"

Lin Yueru’s little face turned pale. She had been the one to insist that Zhao Ling’er was a demon. If anything happened, she would bear the primary responsibility.

"It is Lin’s ignorance. I truly had never heard of Descendants of Nüwa before. My daughter had never encountered such a situation either. I hope Brother Li can forgive us."

Lin Tiannan cupped his fists and apologized to Li Xiaoyao. However, Li Xiaoyao was completely distraught and could not hear a word Lin Tiannan was saying.

His mind was filled with only one sentence Chu Yang had spoken: "Zhao Ling’er is pregnant."

Two people going missing was far more serious than one. Li Xiaoyao was overwhelmed by terror, his entire body shaking violently as though he had the chills.

Seeing this, Lin Yueru was equally terrified. She backed away and quietly hid behind Liu Jinyuan.

Worried about Zhao Ling’er’s safety, Liu Jinyuan had no time to stay close to his cousin. He hurriedly said, "Uncle, now isn’t the time to discuss this. Quickly mobilize the people of the Lin Family Fortress and search for Miss Zhao!"

Lin Tiannan nodded.

Xu Changqing immediately rejected Liu Jinyuan’s suggestion and shook his head. "No! Ordinary people cannot accept Zhao Ling’er’s current appearance. Even if we explain it clearly, they may not accept it. It would be better for us to search ourselves."

"Senior Brother is right." Chu Yang slapped the back of Li Xiaoyao’s head and said irritably, "Why are you shaking? Can her two legs outrun us flying on swords? With the time you’ve wasted, we could have found her already!"

Li Xiaoyao suddenly understood and immediately rushed out the door.

"This is urgent. Senior Lin, please forgive this junior’s rudeness. We can only take our leave now."

Xu Changqing and Chu Yang cupped their fists toward Lin Tiannan, then followed Li Xiaoyao out.

Lin Tiannan watched their departing backs in silence. After roaming the Jianghu for decades, he had never made such an enormous blunder.

"After some time, I will personally go to Shu Mountain and ask the Sword Saint for confirmation. If it is true, I will take you to properly apologize to Miss Zhao."

Lin Tiannan looked at the deeply remorseful Lin Yueru, and his heart did not feel good either.

Lin Yueru stubbornly said, "This was my mistake. I’ll bear whatever consequences come myself!"

Lin Tiannan flew into a rage. "How will you bear them? If something happens to Miss Zhao, that would be two lives lost. Will you pay with your own life?"

"Then I’ll pay with my life!" Lin Yueru shouted before rushing out, vanishing from sight in an instant.

"Cousin, wait for me!" Liu Jinyuan was frantic. Yet he did not forget to bow to Lin Tiannan. "Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Cousin!"

Lin Tiannan trembled with anger and simply closed his eyes. Out of sight, out of mind.

After the two left the Lin Family Fortress, they set out together on a journey to find Zhao Ling’er.

Meanwhile, Chu Yang and the other two were also flying on swords in search of Zhao Ling’er.

To improve efficiency, the three split up. Chu Yang circled the nearby mountains several times, but his Observation Haki gave no response at all.

"How strange. Why can’t Observation Haki sense Zhao Ling’er? Could it be blocked by spiritual power?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out…"

The situation suddenly became troublesome.

Chu Yang had thought Observation Haki could easily track Zhao Ling’er, but she was currently in a half-human, half-snake "Nüwa state," constantly emitting spiritual power.

Just as electromagnetic waves could interfere with signals, Observation Haki could be disrupted by such powerful energy.

After searching fruitlessly for half the day, Chu Yang contacted Xu Changqing through a secret technique and learned that he had not found Zhao Ling’er either.

Late at night.

The three met atop a barren mountain.

Li Xiaoyao sat on the ground in a daze. The boy who usually talked the most could not utter a single word now.

Chu Yang patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Although we haven’t found Ling’er, I just cast a divination for her. The reading says that disaster will turn to fortune and danger to safety. Besides, she is a Descendant of Nüwa with deep blessings. You don’t need to worry too much."

Li Xiaoyao excitedly grabbed Chu Yang’s hand. "Brother Chu, is that really true?! Ling’er will be all right, won’t she?"

Chu Yang said firmly, "Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"

Xu Changqing looked at Chu Yang blankly. He had never heard that his junior brother could perform divination, but after some thought, Chu Yang spent every day in the Scripture Repository, so it was normal for him to know some miscellaneous things.

He just did not know whether it was accurate.

After all, divination was tied to one’s cultivation.

With Chu Yang’s assurance, Li Xiaoyao finally felt somewhat relieved. Exhausted in both body and mind, he slowly lay down on the grass.

"I promised Grandma and Auntie that I would protect Ling’er well, but such a huge thing happened in the blink of an eye."

"Along the way, I never took proper care of Ling’er. Instead, she accommodated me at every turn and even let me follow you all to eliminate demons…"

Li Xiaoyao stared blankly at the star-filled sky.

Chu Yang and Xu Changqing exchanged a glance, unable to help feeling emotional. People truly had to go through certain things before they could grow.

Xu Changqing consoled him, "You are still young. When you are young, all kinds of things happen, and all kinds of mistakes are made. Only by paying the price for them can you learn to grow."

Li Xiaoyao smiled bitterly. "This price is too great. I can’t afford it at all."

Meanwhile.

After transforming into a half-human, half-snake form, Zhao Ling’er was first misunderstood and driven away by villagers. Then she encountered the kind old Mountain God, who explained her origins to her.

Only after learning that she was a Descendant of Nüwa was Zhao Ling’er able to face her unusual state. She desperately wanted to see Li Xiaoyao.

On the road back to Suzhou City, A Nu suddenly appeared after using the "Crimson Thread" to sense Zhao Ling’er’s location.

Reuniting with her childhood playmate made Zhao Ling’er very happy.

The two talked for a long time, until Zhao Ling’er mentioned that she wanted to find Li Xiaoyao.

A Nu wanted to take Zhao Ling’er directly back to the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Zhao Ling’er pleaded desperately.

The two soon got into a small argument.

It happened just then.

Lin Yueru and Liu Jinyuan, who had gone out to search for Zhao Ling’er, discovered the two of them.

Lin Yueru had already felt guilty toward Zhao Ling’er. Seeing this, she assumed A Nu was bullying Zhao Ling’er, so without another word, she drew her sword and charged forward.

"Cousin, calm down! Calm down!" Liu Jinyuan hurriedly shouted.

If Lin Yueru could calm down so easily, she would not be Lin Yueru. Compared to using her brain, she preferred using the sword in her hand.

A Nu had a temper too. Though she was usually all smiles, once angered, she was just as reckless.

Seeing this inexplicable woman rush up and stab at someone with a sword, A Nu immediately cast a spell, a faint glow gathering between her hands.

After forcing A Nu back with a single strike, Lin Yueru had just wanted to explain things to Zhao Ling’er when she realized she could not move.

"What wicked spell did you demoness use on me?!"

Lin Yueru was shocked and furious.

"You’re the demoness! A Nu is Holy Aunt’s disciple and Nanzhao Kingdom’s future priestess!"

A Nu stamped her feet in anger, ready to cast a spell and teach this foul-mouthed woman a lesson!

Zhao Ling’er was startled by the sudden turn of events!

It was already deep into the night, dark and windy enough that people were impossible to make out. Zhao Ling’er had only recognized Lin Yueru after hearing her speak.

"A Nu, stop! She isn’t a bad person!"

"How is she not a bad person? Didn’t you see her trying to chop us with that sword?"

Hearing the two of them speak, Lin Yueru froze as well. "You two know each other?"

A Nu put her hands on her hips and snapped, "What else would it be?"

Liu Jinyuan hurried forward and apologized to A Nu and Zhao Ling’er before saying to Lin Yueru, "Cousin, I told you to calm down. Why wouldn’t you listen?"

Lin Yueru said aggrievedly, "How was I supposed to know they knew each other? I thought she was bullying Ling’er."

Seeing that their attitudes toward her were completely different from before, Zhao Ling’er timidly asked, "Brother Jinyuan, Sister Yueru, aren’t you afraid of Ling’er anymore?"

Lin Yueru’s face immediately reddened. Too embarrassed to know what to say, she could only murmur, "I’m sorry…"

"Miss Ling’er, my cousin acted rashly before. She did not know that you were a Descendant of Nüwa and mistook you for a monster, causing you such grievance. Jinyuan apologizes to you on my cousin’s behalf. Please forgive us."

With that, Liu Jinyuan gave Zhao Ling’er a deep bow.

The moment she heard the word "monster," A Nu became unhappy and shouted, "She is the princess of our Nanzhao Kingdom! Who are you calling a monster?!"

Liu Jinyuan hurriedly apologized. "Yes, yes, it was all our fault for failing to recognize you. Please be magnanimous, Miss."

"A Nu, forget it. They’re not bad people." Zhao Ling’er pulled back A Nu, who was preparing to flare up again, then asked curiously, "How did you know I was a Descendant of Nüwa?"

Seeing that Zhao Ling’er did not take it to heart, Liu Jinyuan smiled and repeated what Chu Yang had said.

"I see." Zhao Ling’er sighed. "If Daoist Chu had been there at the time, perhaps I wouldn’t have panicked so badly…"

A Nu asked curiously, "That Daoist Chu sounds impressive. He even knows about the Nüwa Clan. Holy Aunt was the one who told me all this, so how did he learn it?"

Thinking of the seemingly omniscient Daoist Chu, Zhao Ling’er felt an inexplicable sense of security. "Daoist Chu is learned in both ancient and modern matters. It is hardly strange that he knows these things."

A Nu did not understand, but judging from Zhao Ling’er’s attitude, she felt that he was probably as clever as Moon Worship Uncle.

Liu Jinyuan seemed to recall something and cried out, "Young Hero Li and Daoist Chu left Suzhou City this morning to look for you. Miss Ling’er, didn’t you run into them?"

Zhao Ling’er shook her head and told them about meeting the Mountain God and A Nu.

Liu Jinyuan said regretfully, "With the Mountain God protecting you, perhaps you simply missed each other."

Just as the three were engrossed in conversation, a voice suddenly cut in.

"I don’t mind you chatting, but could you let me move? I’ve been standing here for ages." Lin Yueru’s tone was full of resentment.

Zhao Ling’er cried out and quickly told A Nu to undo the spell.

A Nu glared fiercely at Lin Yueru and reluctantly dispelled the magic.

Learning that Li Xiaoyao was not in Suzhou City, Zhao Ling’er no longer wished to enter the city and prepared to leave with A Nu.

Lin Yueru and Liu Jinyuan followed closely behind.

A Nu watched Lin Yueru warily. "What are you trying to do?"

Lin Yueru snorted. "I’m going to make sure Ling’er gets safely to Li Xiaoyao. Otherwise, I won’t go back!"

"Sister Yueru, there’s no need for that," Zhao Ling’er said softly.

Lin Yueru lowered her head without speaking, but she showed no intention of leaving.

Liu Jinyuan sighed. "Miss Ling’er, just let us come with you. My cousin feels terribly guilty over this. She even had a huge argument with my uncle-in-law. If you don’t let her do something, she will never be at ease."

The understanding Zhao Ling’er realized Lin Yueru’s difficulty and smiled. "If that is the case, then I will trouble you both."

Joy appeared on Lin Yueru’s face.

A Nu quietly asked, "Princess, if we’re not going to Suzhou City, where are we going next?"

Zhao Ling’er was troubled as well. She was looking for Li Xiaoyao, while Li Xiaoyao was also looking for her.

As the top scholar, Liu Jinyuan’s mind was quick, and he immediately came up with an idea. "Let’s follow the route you had planned before. We might run into Daoist Chu and the others along the way."

With swift hands, Lin Yueru pulled out a map from her bundle and spread it before everyone.

After studying it for a while, Zhao Ling’er placed her hand on a tiny village.

Baihe Village!

The next day.

After searching all night without finding Zhao Ling’er, Chu Yang and the others could never have imagined that Zhao Ling’er had gone in the direction of Suzhou City.

They had searched in the complete opposite direction, which was why they had found nothing.

Though they had not found Zhao Ling’er, the three of them encountered someone unexpected.

In the wilderness, a group of travelers with perfectly synchronized steps suddenly appeared. The man at their head was broad-backed and powerfully built, with a face full of beard. He looked to be an old man around sixty.

The old man strode with the bearing of a dragon and tiger. Before he even approached Chu Yang, Chu Yang could sense the aura of slaughter from a battlefield.

Chu Yang muttered, "Such intense killing intent. He should be some general who retired from military service, right?"

The two sides passed one another.

The young men surrounding the old man silently placed their hands on the weapons at their waists, as if guarding against Chu Yang and his group.

Seeing how wary this group was made Chu Yang curious about their identities.

Just then, the old man suddenly stopped and quietly said to the nearest young man beside him, "Tang Yu, go ask for directions."

The young man bowed with cupped fists. "Yes, Foster Father!"

Their quiet exchange did not escape Chu Yang’s ears, and his expression shifted.

Tang Yu?

Foster Father?

Chu Yang roughly understood who this group was.

The old man at their head should be Shi Gonghu, one of the founding elders of Nanzhao Kingdom and the foster father of Shi Jieren, the leader of the Moon Worship Sect.

He had personally raised that great demon who had nearly destroyed the world.

From a certain perspective, he could also be said to have raised the first scientist in the world of immortals and martial arts…

Besides Shi Gonghu, a group of the Southern Barbarian General’s subordinates had accompanied him to the Central Plains.

The young man was his other foster son, Tang Yu. Having learned from the example of Shi Jieren, Shi Gonghu had been extremely strict in educating Tang Yu.

Tang Yu was even more pedantic than Liu Jinyuan, a scholar.

Seeing Tang Yu walk toward him, Chu Yang came up with a new idea.

Zhao Ling’er’s whereabouts were currently unknown. One more person meant one more source of strength. With that in mind, Chu Yang took the initiative to seek their help.

"Are you all going to Immortal Spirit Island to find someone?"

Tang Yu’s footsteps abruptly stopped, and shock appeared on his face.

Shi Gonghu, walking at the head of the group, heard him as well. He turned around and stared at Chu Yang.

At once, the entire group turned around in unison, a murderous aura rising from them.

Xu Changqing sensed that something was wrong. Recalling the Moon Worship Cultists they had encountered earlier, he mistakenly assumed this group belonged to the Moon Worship Sect as well.

A cold flash swept forth as his longsword left its sheath!

Xu Changqing said coldly, "You people really are impossible to get rid of!"

Shi Gonghu’s subordinates drew their weapons in unison. They were all standard-issue sabres, extremely similar to the weapons used by the Moon Worship Cultists.

Even Li Xiaoyao could not help drawing his sword and facing them down.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

Chu Yang looked at Xu Changqing with a face full of question marks. "Do you have a grudge against them?"