In the end, the spirited young Xu Ziling failed to find his little master, Annie. The troublesome little girl hadn't returned to Chengdu at all in the past few days, much less wandered around nearby, so it would have been a miracle if he'd found her.
And likewise!
Hou Xibai hadn't been found either, because... he hadn't even gone looking!
In fact, not only had Hou Xibai not gone looking, but on the very first night he'd sneakily infiltrated the "Dashi Temple" outside the city, carefully scouted it for nearly half an hour, then quietly left.
What exactly he'd done that night, or what he'd intended to do, remained unknown for now.
At any rate, three days later, having come up empty-handed, Xu Ziling had no choice but to follow their agreement and make his way to the Dashi Temple outside the city. Enclosed by red walls, with towering pagodas and layer upon layer of halls, the temple was so imposing and extravagantly luxurious that it even surpassed the government offices inside Chengdu. Before long, he found Shi Qingxuan in the deep, silent Arhat Hall.
"Miss Qingxuan!"
"So you're here. I'm not too late, am I?"
Xu Ziling looked at the gilded, thousand-armed Guanyin statue, which stood over five zhang tall at the very center of the far end of the enormous Arhat Hall. Then he glanced at the five hundred life-sized Arhat statues arranged neatly on either side of the hall. Their densely packed figures stood in various poses and formations throughout the great hall on this night. He couldn't help frowning, unsure why Shi Qingxuan had chosen such a gloomy, terrifying place.
"Oh, right!"
"I failed to fulfill your request and couldn't find Master Annie. I hope you won't hold it against me, Miss Qingxuan."
Seeing Shi Qingxuan,