Chapter Fifty: Where is Yaya?

As she entered the grand hall, the head of the Xuanyuan family was already seated at the place of honor, waiting for her. After escorting her inside, Xuanyuan Zhe didn’t even greet her before leaving, revealing the strained relationship between father and son. Tang Wei paid it no mind and instead began to study the patriarch seated above. He appeared to be not yet forty, likely just having reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining. His expression was gentle and serene, quite in keeping with his storied reputation for virtue.

At the same time, the Xuanyuan patriarch was carefully using his spiritual sense to gauge Tang Wei’s cultivation. Yet when his spiritual energy swept over her, it felt as though it fell into a bottomless abyss with no return. At that moment, a wave of spiritual pressure emanated from her, a force he had only ever sensed from their family ancestor. Alarmed, he immediately rose from his seat, his manner suddenly deferential. “To have attained such profound cultivation at so young an age, you are truly a dragon among men!”

“You flatter me, Patriarch Xuanyuan. I have only been fortunate in choosing a good master. And please, don’t call me ‘Senior’—just call me Chen Shiyi,” Tang Wei replied lightly, taking a seat nearby and casually picking up the tea a maid had just brought.

“Shiyi! An excellent name, and it suits you very well. Might I ask who your master is?” The patriarch wasted no time, seizing the opportunity to inquire into Tang Wei’s origins.

Tang Wei, though not the sharpest, could see through his intentions this time and quickly responded, “I rarely see my master, and he’s never told us his name.”

The patriarch smoothly changed tack, “I see. Then may I ask—”

“There’s no need to investigate our background, Patriarch Xuanyuan. My senior and I have lived in the mountains all our lives, never venturing out, leading the simplest of lives. We only came here because my senior’s daughter was abducted, and we had no choice but to search for her. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be wandering the world at all. You needn’t worry about us causing trouble in your domain.” Zi Xuan strode in from outside, interrupting the patriarch’s probing.

Embarrassed at having been caught out, the patriarch asked, “And this is…?”

“Oh, this is my junior. Patriarch Xuanyuan, you may call him Chen Xuan,” Tang Wei introduced him.

After the necessary greetings, Zi Xuan took a seat beside Tang Wei. The patriarch once again surreptitiously probed Zi Xuan’s cultivation. Sensing that his level matched Tang Wei’s, a storm brewed in his heart, and he made a swift decision: unable to afford offending them, he must treat them with utmost hospitality.

With that, he tactfully asked, “So, regarding your little Ya-ya, would you like the Xuanyuan family to help in the search?”

“Patriarch Xuanyuan, you may have misunderstood. Our Ya-ya is only five years old. At the scene of her disappearance, we found traces of cultivators’ activity. Coincidentally, we heard your Xuanyuan family was recruiting disciples at the time, so we wondered if she might have been brought here,” Zi Xuan replied straightforwardly, knowing honesty was the best approach with a fox like this patriarch.

“This…” The patriarch hesitated. He was well aware that rogue cultivators would go to any lengths for a single spirit stone, and though the Xuanyuan family tried to avoid such things, sometimes, for the sake of recruiting disciples with good spiritual roots, they would turn a blind eye. He hadn’t expected such a small lapse to bring such formidable trouble—a grudge with two fasting-period cultivators could spell disaster for the Xuanyuan family.

Seeing his concern, Zi Xuan reassured him, “Rest assured, Patriarch Xuanyuan, we aren’t here to cause trouble. We just want to find Ya-ya. Besides, we don’t even know if she’s here. We must ask for your help. If you help us find her, my senior and I will be deeply grateful.”

“No need for thanks, as long as she’s within the Xuanyuan household, we’ll find her. However, the newly recruited disciples are not in the main estate. I must ask you both to wait a little while. Why not let Zhe’er take you to rest for a bit? Once the stewards from the other sites bring the children here, I’ll invite you to identify them.” The patriarch was determined to excuse himself and consult with the Grand Elder. At present, the family’s only fasting-period cultivator was the Grand Elder, while the guests were both at that stage, and who knew what forces stood behind them? The very survival of the Xuanyuan family might depend on the Grand Elder’s guidance.

Zi Xuan saw through his intentions and decided to give them a little warning, so they would weigh their decisions more carefully. Before he could act, Tang Wei, unable to contain herself, asked, “Patriarch Xuanyuan, how long will it take for the children to be brought here?”

“The nearest recruitment site is in City B, so they should arrive in an hour or two. The farthest will probably get here by tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Sister—tomorrow will be here soon enough!” Zi Xuan comforted Tang Wei quietly, then turned to the patriarch. “Patriarch, there’s something else. When we were at the foot of the mountain, there was a small misunderstanding with your disciples. My senior, being somewhat hot-tempered, accidentally set your front gate on fire. To make amends, would this bottle of pills suffice?”

Such pills had long been lost to the world—any family that gained even one would keep it as a treasured heirloom, yet here they were, offering it as a gift!

The patriarch, thrilled, took the bottle with trembling hands. “This… this is too generous! It was my disciples who offended you—how could I accept…”

“It was my senior’s fault, too. No matter what, she shouldn’t have burned your gate. Please, don’t refuse. These are just improved Vitality Pills my senior crafted. Since we can refine them ourselves, they aren’t so rare,” Zi Xuan replied with an easy air.

“That’s right, Patriarch Xuanyuan, don’t decline. I made these pills myself. There’s just one minor flaw—they cause a bit of a stomach upset at first, but once you get through that, you can advance one or even two levels in the Qi Refining stage, and cultivators at higher realms can also see significant improvement,” Tang Wei added, pleased that her pills were useful, though she didn’t understand Zi Xuan’s true intent.

The patriarch was inwardly astonished. A pill that could raise one’s cultivation by two levels—how precious was that? In the past, pills could at best replenish spiritual energy or heal wounds, but this was something else entirely! He must consult the Grand Elder immediately. Quickly finding an excuse, he summoned Xuanyuan Zhe to escort them to their quarters.

Meanwhile, several batches of children from nearby recruitment sites had arrived. Tang Wei went to check each group, but Ya-ya was not among them. Her hopes rose and fell with each attempt, her disappointment mounting every time she returned empty-handed. If this went on, she thought she might truly lose her mind.

So where was Ya-ya? After abducting her and taking her to City B, Zhang San had decided to train her for a while before sending her to the Xuanyuan recruitment site. One day, overcome by urges after so long without female company, he headed to his usual bar in search of a target. There he ran into Li Si, who shared his tastes, and they ended up drinking together.

But why must they chat while drinking? And of all topics, why did Li Si have to bring up Ouyang Qianru? And not just any story, but one about someone harassing her, the consequences of which were so dire that Zhang San sobered instantly, abandoning his quest for women and rushing home to take Ya-ya and find somewhere to hide. To him, survival was more important than women.

Thus, they missed the window to bring Ya-ya to the Xuanyuan family, and it seemed Tang Wei and her companions would have a long and arduous search ahead of them.