Meng Anli Must Have Run Into Trouble, or She Would Have Come

Meng Xiuchen had not yet reached the Crown Prince's residence with his men when he saw Liuyin standing at the entrance.

She was anxiously looking from side to side.

The moment she saw Meng Xiuchen, delight rose to her face, and she swayed toward him with graceful, quick steps.

"Where is Meng Anli?"

"You're asking us?" Meng Xiuchen pointed at his own nose.

Liuyin asked in return, "Weren't you escorting her here?"

There had been no shortage of times in the past when they had escorted Meng Anli over.

Meng Xiuchen looked as though he had suffered the greatest insult. "Why would I escort her here? She's so vicious, so overbearing, and you expect me to escort her? She can keep dreaming!"

His reckless barrage of insults made Liuyin frown, and her voice turned somewhat cold.

"Then why did you come?"

Meng Xiuchen blurted out, "To find Meng Anli. She didn't come here?"

Liuyin pondered this. "Could something have happened to her?"

Given how clingy Meng Anli had always been toward the Crown Prince, if she had not come at this hour, the only possibility Liuyin could think of was that she had met with some mishap on the road.

She could think of nothing else.

Meng Xiuchen thought so too.

He snapped, "Did someone beat us to the punch?"

He left with his men, preparing to search along the route.

Liuyin hurried inside.

The Crown Prince's attitude toward Meng Anli was rather subtle now. Today, he had clearly been expecting her to come.

The instant Liuyin stepped into the banquet hall, she met the Crown Prince's gaze as he looked outside.

Delight flashed across the Crown Prince's face, but he immediately put on a stern expression and lifted his chin slightly. "She's here? She dared make me wait an entire day. Make her wait outside for two hours before letting her in."

Liuyin: "..."

She explained the situation. "Crown Prince, outside..."

"It is indeed already dark outside," the Crown Prince interrupted. In a display of great mercy, he said, "Then let her wait for one hour."

Liuyin fell silent again, then said everything in one breath, "Meng Xiuchen came looking for Meng Anli, and I'm worried that Meng Anli may have run into trouble."

The Crown Prince looked stunned. "You mean Meng Anli didn't come?"

Liuyin emphasized, "It is very likely that something happened to her."

The Crown Prince was angry. "What could possibly happen to her? Is there an immortal in the Heavenly Realm who doesn't know she's my fiancée?"

Liuyin said, "Even the Meng family cannot find her. If nothing had happened, she would certainly have come looking for you, Crown Prince."

"That's true."

The Crown Prince found this deeply reasonable, and his expression softened.

"She must have run into trouble, or she would not have been unable to come find me."

He took out his Communication Mirror and called Master Zhang.

There was some noise on Master Zhang's end, along with the sounds of strings and pipes. After hurried footsteps, his side fell quiet.

"What are your orders, Crown Prince?"

"Go find out what happened to Meng Anli."

"Meng Anli? Something happened?" Master Zhang thought of what the headmaster had said at the banquet just now. "When did you mean she had an accident?"

"Master Zhang," the Crown Prince said through gritted teeth, "you reported her situation to me yesterday. Which day do you think I'm asking about?"

Master Zhang instantly sobered up. "What you say is entirely correct, Crown Prince, but nothing happened to her today. She cultivated as usual. The headmaster even said just now that the disciples of Gui Class had all become different people and were cultivating with exceptional diligence. Great Deity Yuantuo truly is remarkable."

"Today... cultivating?"

The veins on the Crown Prince's forehead bulged faintly in anger. She had actually skipped coming to see him just to cultivate?

Seeing this, Liuyin hurriedly whispered, "Perhaps it was required by Great Deity Yuantuo."

The Crown Prince's angry expression froze, and his fury immediately dissipated.

"That makes sense."

Master Zhang heard his tone soften. "No, no, it was not required by Great Deity Yuantuo. They did it of their own accord. Great Deity Yuantuo said that they should rest on their day off, yet not a single disciple took a break."

"Meng. An. Li!" The Crown Prince ground out each word and angrily smashed the Communication Mirror.

Liuyin jumped in fright and dodged the shards of the Communication Mirror.

The Crown Prince angrily flicked his sleeve and dropped heavily into his chair. "She really is something else."

Liuyin racked her brains. "Perhaps none of the Gui Class disciples took a break, so she was too embarrassed to do so either?"

The Crown Prince hesitated. "Is that so?"

"It must be," Liuyin said with a dazzling smile. "If the Gui Class disciples had all taken time off, then if she had the chance, she certainly would have come looking for you, Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince was soothed by her words. The tension in him slowly eased, and he beckoned to Liuyin.

Liuyin drifted toward him bonelessly and nestled into his embrace.

The Crown Prince lightly twisted a stray lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "She admires me so deeply that once she has any free time, she will certainly come looking for me. When that happens, remember to leave her hanging first."

"Yes~"

For the time being, Meng Anli set aside her revenge. Like a spring shoot breaking through the earth, she desperately drank in the spring rain, absorbing the cultivation methods Master Yuantuo and her master had taught her.

But three months passed, and her cultivation remained at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

She could sense the spiritual energy within her growing ever fuller, as though she were about to break through.

Yet several days had passed, and there was still no breakthrough.

She planned to ask Yuan Tuo to take a look and offer her some guidance.

Before class ended that afternoon, Yuan Tuo said, "Tomorrow is another rest day. Make your own arrangements."

Without hesitation, Meng Anli said, "I'll continue cultivating here."

Lu Yao said as well, "Me too."

Guang Ling crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't have anything to do."

Yuan Tuo looked at Guang Ling, who had already broken through to the Deity Transformation Stage. "You brat, aren't you going home to see your little sister?"

Guang Ling hesitated. "I do miss her, but I use the Communication Mirror to see her every day."

Only by becoming stronger could he protect his sister better.

This Teacher Yang truly was capable. He had to seize this opportunity.

Yuan Tuo was about to say more.

The clever Mo Ziqian's eyes curved into crescents. "Teacher, do you have something to do? Are you unable to come tomorrow?"

Yuan Tuo gave a light cough, looking somewhat unnatural. "I need to return to the North Sea."

He had only been away for three months, yet his subordinates had actually rebelled.

He had to go see what was going on.

"Tch." Guang Ling waved a hand and curled his lips. "Old Yang, you're not being sincere. If you have something to do, just say so. Yet you claim it's because you want us to go home."

"You little brat, no respect for your elders," Yuan Tuo scolded with a smile. Then he reminded Meng Anli, "Be careful when you go out. Don't go to places with few people, and try not to return to the Meng family."

When Guang Ling heard his earlier reminder to Meng Anli, he had wanted to tease her.

But upon hearing that last sentence, he held his tongue and looked at Meng Anli with sympathy.

She had a home but could not return to it.

She was truly pitiful.

Yet Meng Anli smiled happily. "Thank you, Teacher. I'll be careful, and I won't return to the Meng family either."

"Mm."

Yuan Tuo made further arrangements for them to stay safe when going out.

Seeing that he was about to leave, Meng Anli called after him. "Teacher, I want to ask why I still cannot break through."

Yuan Tuo took one look at her and understood her current condition.

"Don't rush. It's like building pavilions and towers—you must first lay a solid foundation. Otherwise, before you have built many floors, the whole thing will come crashing down."

Meng Anli felt somewhat worried and ashamed.

The reasoning was sound, but three months had already passed and she still had not broken through. Would Teacher and Master think she was too useless?

Yuan Tuo saw through her concerns and said with a smile, "Do not overthink it. Neither of us values cultivation rank. Otherwise, I have hundreds of methods to make you a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal overnight."

Meng Anli was finally reassured. "Thank you, Master."

"Mm. What is accumulated deeply bursts forth richly. You must guard against arrogance and impatience, and cultivate with peace of mind."

"Yes."

Yuan Tuo vanished.

Outside the fence, Master Zhang quietly withdrew.