Chapter Fifty-Two: Missing Person Notice

"Zi Xuan! Are you sure this will work?” Tang Wei asked hesitantly.

Zi Xuan grinned mischievously. “Of course it will! Just watch me. Oh, and since you can't get used to calling me Chen Xuan, just call me Little Xuan from now on!” She giggled, as if she had just taken great advantage.

Tang Wei rolled her eyes but said nothing. Still, in her heart she agreed with the idea—once she got used to calling him Little Xuan, she wouldn’t accidentally slip up.

Seeing her silence, thinking she was upset, Zi Xuan hurried to explain, “Look, you just called me Zi Xuan in front of Xuan Yuan Zhe! Do you know how much that startled me? I can’t get used to calling you Shi Yi either—I always call you Senior Sister! Isn’t this a good solution?”

“I get it!” Tang Wei replied curtly, unable to resist his shameless persistence.

Zi Xuan saw Tang Wei finally relax a little and let out a sigh of relief. In his heart, he became even more determined to find Ya Ya as soon as possible.

In the Xuan Yuan family’s training grounds, Xuan Yuan Zhe burst in, breathing heavily. “Old man! I need—need your help with something!”

“You have no manners—always barging in and causing trouble. You should learn to be steadier, like your eldest sister. How can I trust you with the Xuan Yuan family acting like this?” The patriarch of the Xuan Yuan family couldn’t help but scold him upon seeing his appearance.

“Old man, you’re getting more and more long-winded. Eldest sister isn’t steady—she’s cold as ice! If I were any more like her, you’d have two ice blocks staring at you all day. Wouldn’t you freeze to death?” Xuan Yuan Zhe retorted.

“Oh, is that so?” came a voice as cold as winter from behind. Xuan Yuan Zhe shivered and quickly changed his tune. “Of course! I want to learn from eldest sister. She’s mature, steady, beautiful as a fairy, kind-hearted, gentle, considerate…”

“That’s enough, little brother! Do you think you can fool eldest sister that easily? You’re doomed, anyway.” A mocking, gloating voice cut off his flattery.

“Xuan Yuan Yun Qian, that’s enough! Don’t try to stir up trouble between me and eldest sister! And show some respect—don’t even call me brother!” Xuan Yuan Zhe fired back, indignant that she would undermine him behind his back. Did she not know that crossing their eldest sister was asking for trouble?

“What’s that supposed to mean? Just because I came out two minutes after you, I have to call you brother? Hmph! If you have the guts, beat me first!” With that, she turned to their eldest sister and pleaded, “Eldest sister, see how obedient I am? Take me with you tonight, okay? Little brother’s being defiant—just leave him at home.”

“None of you are going anywhere tonight.” Xuan Yuan Yun Shuang declared coldly, then walked straight to the patriarch. “Father, I’ve arranged everything for tonight’s auction of the millennia ginseng. We’ll definitely secure it.”

“Good! I trust your handling of things, Shuang’er. Go ahead.” The patriarch replied warmly, then glared fiercely at the two younger ones. “You two stay home. If anyone tries to sneak out, prepare to spend a month in the meditation chamber!”

Xuan Yuan Yun Qian shot Xuan Yuan Zhe an angry look, and, still not satisfied, ran behind him and gave him a hard kick.

With a loud thud, Xuan Yuan Zhe fell flat on his face. Normally, he would have shouted at her and the two would have started fighting. But today was different—he got up still grinning, not the least bit angry. Both the patriarch and Xuan Yuan Yun Shuang, who knew them best, found this odd and wondered, “Has the sun risen in the west today? How strange!”

Even Xuan Yuan Yun Qian sensed something was off and asked curiously, “Hey, little brother, why aren’t you chasing me?”

“I have no time for you, little girl. Step aside—I have business to discuss!” Xuan Yuan Zhe put on an air of magnanimity and strode up to the patriarch, declaring with gusto, “Old man, I’m acting on someone’s behalf now!”

Seeing his attitude, the patriarch wished he could throw him into the gutter and stomp him a few times, but his usual restraint told him to endure. After composing himself, he asked mildly, “What is it?”

Eager, Xuan Yuan Zhe began to describe Zi Xuan and Tang Wei’s plan, growing more excited as he imagined adventuring in the world. He was so thrilled that stars nearly danced above his head.

As they listened, the patriarch and Xuan Yuan Yun Qian’s faces grew darker and darker. Finally, the patriarch couldn’t restrain himself and smacked Xuan Yuan Zhe hard on the head, scolding, “You rascal, was this your idea?”

Only now did the slow-witted Xuan Yuan Zhe realize something was wrong. He stammered, “Old man, don’t blame me! I just made a suggestion—the plan was all the eldest’s idea.”

“Wow, little brother, you’re amazing! This is the first good thing I’ve ever seen you do. Not bad!” Xuan Yuan Yun Qian praised him playfully, patting his shoulder for encouragement. But judging by their elders’ expressions, the siblings were the only happy ones.

Xuan Yuan Zhe even dared to say, “Thank you, thank you!”

“You two troublemakers! Always stirring chaos! I’ll beat you within an inch of your lives!” The patriarch was so furious his mustache trembled. Without caring for dignity, he grabbed a staff and chased them around the training grounds.

“Hey! Little brother, stop following me! Go the other way!” Xuan Yuan Yun Qian even arranged their escape as they ran. Truly impressive.

“You’re the one following me! Why don’t you run the other way?” The two bickered as they fled, turning the whole training ground into a scene of utter chaos.

Xuan Yuan Yun Shuang couldn’t stand it any longer. Shaking her head, she walked over, snatched the staff from the patriarch, and advised, “Father, why get angry with them?” Then, with a cold face, she ordered, “If you two don’t come apologize to Father right now, you’ll be spending the night on the swing!”

The two, still eager to escape, dared not take another step and obediently walked over to apologize. Of all people, they feared eldest sister Yun Shuang the most. If they angered their father, there was still hope for mercy, but offending eldest sister meant no one could save them—a punishment was certain.

What was “the swing”? It meant being hung upside down in a tree with a large vat of water below. The victim had to keep their body bent; if they relaxed for a moment, their head would plunge into the water. Even for cultivators, stronger than ordinary people, one night of this was enough to halve their life.

The siblings dreaded this most. Once, Xuan Yuan Zhe angered his eldest sister and was hung up all night. When he finally lost strength, he ended up drinking half the vat of water just to survive. He was so traumatized that for more than half a month, the sight of water made him dizzy.

After this farce, when night fell and the underground market opened, a large notice seeking a missing person was posted in the most prominent spot at the auction hall. No one knew how Xuan Yuan Yun Shuang managed to convince the patriarch.

The notice read: “Missing Person—A five-year-old girl. No further details, but several large headshots of Ya Ya from various angles were attached.

Anyone who finds her and brings her to the Xuan Yuan family will receive two specially crafted Vitality Pills. Anyone who has seen her or can provide relevant information will receive one Vitality Pill upon confirmation of the lead’s authenticity. (Vitality Pill: Any cultivator in the Qi Refinement stage who takes one will, after a bout of diarrhea, gain at least two cultivation levels. Other improvements may vary.)

The owner has previously sworn on the Stone of Karma: if anyone took Ya Ya away unintentionally, as long as she is returned safely to the Xuan Yuan family, they will still be rewarded with two Vitality Pills, with all previous grievances written off.

All the above is guaranteed by the Xuan Yuan family.”