Chapter Fifty-Seven: News Arrives

Xuan Yuan Zhe was far less formal than the patriarch of the Xuan Yuan family. With him, Tang Wei could afford to be a bit more unrestrained, teasing, “Of course your father has something good to share with you, that’s why he called you over!”

“I don’t buy it. That’s because you don’t know the old man like I do. Let me tell you, whenever he calls me, it’s rarely for anything good!” Xuan Yuan Zhe bantered back with a mischievous grin.

“This time you’re mistaken. Today, I’ve called you here precisely because there’s something good I want you to do!” Who would have thought the normally solemn family head could utter something so lighthearted?

Xuan Yuan Zhe looked utterly incredulous. “Old man, come on! That didn’t sound like you just now!”

Zi Xuan and Tang Wei burst out laughing together, their mirth so infectious that even the Xuan Yuan patriarch looked embarrassed. He knocked Xuan Yuan Zhe on the head and said, “Enough with the nonsense. Just come with me!” Then he turned to Zi Xuan and the others. “Would you two care to join us as well?”

“We’re free now. Let’s go and see what’s happening!” Tang Wei was quick to agree; when something exciting was afoot, she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

At the entrance to the main hall, the family head instructed, “Dongfang, just you come along. The rest of you wait here.” The group of five then made their way, twisting and turning, to a courtyard lush with flowers and herbs.

“We’ll do it here. The spiritual energy is abundant, and there’s a restroom just up ahead. Later, Dongfang can help Zhe’er over if needed,” the patriarch explained as he stopped.

“What on earth is going on, old man? Why did we have to come all the way to the inner courtyard?” Xuan Yuan Zhe couldn’t help but ask.

Before the head could reply, Tang Wei cut in, “Didn’t we tell you? Something good! I want you to try that elixir I refined last time. After this, you won’t have to worry about your sister beating you anymore!”

“Really? There’s such a good thing?” Xuan Yuan Zhe still looked skeptical. Fortune like this never seemed to fall into his lap.

Zi Xuan chuckled, “Of course! But after you’ve absorbed the effects of the pill, you’ll probably need to visit the restroom—so we picked a suitable place for you to try it.” He was quite happy to see someone else suffer as he once had.

“Alright, let’s get on with it,” said the family head, producing a pill from his sleeve and handing it over.

Without hesitation, Xuan Yuan Zhe tossed the pill into his mouth and sat down cross-legged to meditate. Less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn had passed before he jumped up, grinning. “Not bad at all! The spiritual energy in this pill is truly abundant!”

“Less talk, you’d better dash to the restroom now!” Tang Wei reminded him, helpfully.

He hadn’t even opened his mouth to reply when his cheerful expression twisted in pain, his face quickly turning the color of pig’s liver.

Zi Xuan shouted, “Dongfang, hurry up and carry your young master to the restroom!” He knew all too well what that sensation felt like.

“Dongfang, quickly! Help the young master inside!” The family head, seeing Zi Xuan so anxious, barked his orders.

“Can’t…hold…it…any…longer!” Xuan Yuan Zhe pressed his legs together with all his might, urging Dongfang on.

Dongfang hurried over, scooped him up, and sprinted toward the restroom. They’d barely gone ten steps when a loud “bang” was heard, followed by a wave of stench.

Tang Wei burst out laughing, hand clamped over her nose and mouth. Between laughs, she asked Zi Xuan, “Why does it smell so bad? When it was your turn, it wasn’t this awful!”

Zi Xuan, also covering his nose and mouth, shot her a look and said to the family head, “Patriarch, let’s find somewhere to hide. This is unbearable!”

“Mm! Mm! Mm!” The family head nodded three times and ushered them into a side room, clearly struggling himself.

Once inside, with the doors and windows closed, Zi Xuan finally answered Tang Wei’s question. “I didn’t have many impurities in me, but Xuan Yuan Zhe’s been cultivating out here for over twenty years. This must be much tougher on him than it was on me, ha!”

Tang Wei released her grip and laughed heartily. “Hahaha! And you held out for so long, but he couldn’t even last…! This will be the humiliation of Xuan Yuan Zhe’s life, hahaha!”

“You were all so quick, but this is just beyond—” The family head’s face was a shade of soy sauce, and he didn’t even finish his sentence. A faint stench still lingered in the air, forcing him to say, “Let’s wait in the main hall instead.”

The three of them rushed out, bumping into Xuan Yuan Yunshuang on the way. “Dad, what’s going on—” She stopped mid-sentence upon seeing her father’s strained expression and followed them silently to the hall.

The patriarch explained the situation to her, and Yunshuang immediately realized that she might have even more impurities to purge than her brother, given her higher level of cultivation. The thought sent a shiver down her spine—it was truly terrifying.

Sensing the father and daughter had things to discuss, Zi Xuan quickly pulled Tang Wei away to take their leave.

Over the next few days, Xuan Yuan Zhe spent three days bedridden. On the fourth day, when he resumed his cultivation, he discovered he’d advanced two levels—he was now at the eighth stage of the Qi Refining period. He couldn’t help but sigh, “To taste the bitterest hardship is to rise above the rest; it really is true.”

What he was most grateful for was that only the five of them had witnessed the embarrassing incident. Hopefully, they would keep his secret. Otherwise, if his little sister found out, or if word spread, he’d never show his face again—utterly mortifying! The second day after it happened, when Tang Wei and Zi Xuan came to visit, he was so embarrassed he hid under the covers and refused to come out, only emerging after repeated assurances that they wouldn’t laugh or tell anyone.

During Xuan Yuan Zhe’s recovery, many cultivators brought children for Tang Wei to identify, but none were the right one. Even information from outside, once verified, turned out to be false leads.

And so, Tang Wei was once again about to meet a cultivator named Li Si, who claimed to possibly recognize the child. She was growing weary of these encounters, but unwilling to miss any news of Ya Ya, she forced herself to go.

In the reception hall, she saw a shifty-eyed man, fidgeting nervously and glancing around. Judging by his appearance, he looked like someone who had seen better days. Tang Wei immediately felt there was little hope and sat down heavily, her expression frosty.

Zi Xuan, however, remained courteous and refined. “Sir, may I ask where you saw the person from our missing person notice?”

Able to come and go freely in the Xuan Yuan household, Li Si must have had some ability, but at this moment, his mind was in turmoil and he stammered, “My name is Li Si. I saw Zhang San bring a little girl. Later, we went drinking, Ouyang Qianru… then he got scared and had to hide for a while…”

The broken phrases made little sense, but Zi Xuan patiently reassured him, “Don’t be afraid—take your time. We can’t understand you otherwise. Don’t you want the elixir? It’ll let you advance two levels!”

Whether it was the lure of the elixir or Zi Xuan’s calming tone, Li Si took a few deep breaths and spoke more clearly. “A few days ago, I saw Zhang San bring a little girl to B City to exchange for a few spirit stones at the Xuan Yuan family. I remember the little girl’s name was Ya Ya, about five or six years old. But…”

“But what?” Zi Xuan prompted urgently.

Li Si glanced at him warily, but seeing no anger or impatience, continued, “I saw the photo. She looks similar, but the hair was different. The little girl Zhang San brought had messy hair, like a watermelon rind.”

“Do you know where Zhang San brought her from?” Zi Xuan pressed on, still calm.

Li Si grew more composed, his account becoming more coherent. “I’m not sure. He said he was headed to S City, but something happened on the train and he got off halfway. When he came back, he had the little girl with him. That’s all he told me.”

Hearing this, Tang Wei tilted her head in thought. The train from B City to S City passed right through her hometown, Y City. Heart pounding, she asked, “He got off the train on the way to S City?”

“Yes, that’s what Zhang San said!” Li Si replied, then suddenly seemed to remember something. “Oh! That little girl had a small red birthmark behind her ear!”

With a bang, Tang Wei leapt from her chair, darted over, and seized Li Si by the collar. “You really saw a red birthmark behind her ear?”

“You—you—you—” Li Si was so startled he could barely speak.

Zi Xuan hurriedly pulled her away, soothing, “Senior sister, don’t panic. Take it slowly. Let’s get all the details first, alright?”