Wang Huhu Disappeared

"Please, Heaven, open your eye."

The black-robed youth bowed toward the heavens. Beneath the starry sky, a black Heavenly Eye opened and cast down a beam of divine light.

Everything atop Worry-Free Mountain appeared in Yang Xiao's mind. He saw the shock in his master Chen Wuyou's eyes, Shen Laodao pressing his palms together and chanting "Amitabha," Senior Brother Lei stepping through the gate and shuddering, Senior Sister Lei breaking into a smile, and all the flowers and grasses on the summit.

Although this was not his first time using Heaven's Eye Opening Technique, he still found it miraculous. This was what it meant to be a Heavenly Master.

He dismissed the Heavenly Eye. Miraculous it might be, but it consumed far too much magical power. In just three minutes, it had drained ninety percent of his reserves.

"Master, how was my Heaven's Eye Opening Technique?" Yang Xiao turned and bowed.

"Not bad." Chen Wuyou stroked his beard, only to feel a sting in his chin. In his excitement, he had nearly pulled his beard out. "The second floor of the Scripture Pavilion is the Heavenly Master floor. You may go up there."

Yang Xiao looked back at the Scripture Pavilion, a Blue Stone House barely twice a person's height. Try as he might, he could not imagine where its second floor could be.

"Yang Xiao!" Suddenly, someone called his name, anger evident in the voice.

He looked toward the sound. Dongfang Mingyue was approaching along the rear mountain path, carrying a seven-foot Azure Edge Sword, killing intent filling her phoenix eyes.

Behind her came all six of the fellow disciples who had climbed the mountain with him, each staring at him with hostility.

They're up to no good!

That was Yang Xiao's first thought. The next instant, he turned and hid behind his master. Of everyone present, only Chen Wuyou could shield him. As for Shen Laodao, it would be a blessing if he did not throw him into a pit.

Dongfang Mingyue pointed her sword at him behind Chen Wuyou. "Hand over little Huhu."

Yang Xiao froze. Wang Huhu was missing? Impossible. Judging by the hour, she should have come out long ago.

He poked his head out from behind Chen Wuyou and asked, "Wang Huhu disappeared?"

"Heh!"

Luo Kedi sneered. "I saw Wang Huhu leave after you with my own eyes. Don't tell me you know nothing about it."

Meanwhile, Shen Laodao slowly backed away, hoping to slip out of everyone's sight.

But how could Luo Kedi let him go? He turned toward Shen Laodao. "Shen Buyu, are you trying to flee out of guilt?"

Yang Xiao frowned. He had a good impression of Wang Huhu. Whatever else, she was a living, breathing person. He could not ignore this.

He stepped out from behind Chen Wuyou, only for Dongfang Mingyue's Azure Edge Sword to settle against his neck. Yang Xiao extended two fingers in a sword gesture, trying to move it aside.

But Dongfang Mingyue's cultivation was too high. Even with every ounce of strength he could muster, the Azure Edge Sword did not budge.

He gave a bitter smile. "We did see Wang Huhu on the rear mountain, but afterward, I left with Shen Laodao."

Everyone turned toward Shen Laodao, who nodded.

Dongfang Mingyue said, "Take us to where you parted ways."

"All right," he said.

Yang Xiao and Shen Laodao exchanged a glance, then led the way toward the rear mountain.

A breeze swept past. Chen Wuyou gave his beard a fierce tug. Wasn't he the sect master of the Carefree Sect? Apart from the brief moment when his disciple had used him as a shield, giving him some sense of presence, everyone had completely ignored him.

Chen Wuyou sighed, began worrying about the Carefree Sect's future, and followed them.

Wang Huhu had a formidable background. He could not afford to offend the people behind her. If something happened to her in the Carefree Sect, the sect would likely be a step away from annihilation.

Deep in the forest, Yang Xiao and Shen Laodao had deliberately chosen a remote clearing to keep their activities hidden.

Yang Xiao stared at the large hole in the stone hut for a long time without speaking. Wang Huhu had broken through the hut, so she should have gotten out. Yet they had seen no trace of her along the way.

"Where is she?" Dongfang Mingyue shoved Yang Xiao.

He looked at Shen Laodao, and their gazes exchanged a silent message.

Spotting Chen Wuyou following behind, he ran over. "Master, this is where Junior Sister Wang Huhu disappeared. I suspect she got lost. Please help us find her."

The moment he finished, he hurried behind Chen Wuyou.

"You!" Dongfang Mingyue pointed her sword at him.

Yang Xiao poked his head out from behind Chen Wuyou. With Chen Wuyou there, at least his life was safe.

At the sight, Dongfang Mingyue angrily swung her sword toward the forest. Azure Sword Qi split a large tree in two, sending cold sweat streaming down Yang Xiao's neck. Her cultivation was definitely above the Sea Condensation Realm. If he could not afford to provoke her, surely he could at least hide?

Chen Wuyou stroked his beard with a smile, but his heart was nearly pounding out of his chest. The worst possibility had come to pass. If he had not lived for over five hundred years and seen his share of major upheavals, he would already have fled with his two disciples.

"Please, Heaven, open your eye."

Chen Wuyou cast Heaven's Eye Opening Technique. A purple Heavenly Eye the size of a house appeared in the sky, its light enveloping all of Worry-Free Mountain.

A moment later, he frowned. At his level, his Heavenly Eye could find someone even if they hid in a crack between rocks. Yet there was no trace of her anywhere on Worry-Free Mountain.

"How is it?" Yang Xiao asked quietly. His life was at stake.

Chen Wuyou shook his head. "She isn't on the mountain."

Seeing Dongfang Mingyue about to draw her sword, he said to her, "Not a blade of grass or a single tree on Worry-Free Mountain escapes your master's heavenly eye. Wang Huhu isn't here. She must have gone down the mountain."

When Dongfang Mingyue stopped, Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he reconsidered. They had been on the summit the whole time, and Worry-Free Mountain had only one path down—the same one they had taken up. If Wang Huhu had gone down, how had they failed to notice?

"Master, is there another way down besides the path on the front mountain?"

Chen Wuyou thought for a moment. "There is another path on the rear mountain, but no one has used it for hundreds of years."

They arrived at the path Chen Wuyou had mentioned. Well, calling it a path was a stretch. Weeds covered the ground ahead, but there were signs that someone had trampled through them. Judging by the traces, the person had not even reached Yang Xiao's waist, which matched Wang Huhu's stature perfectly.

"See? I told you she ran off on her own," Yang Xiao said to everyone. He raised his chin slightly at Dongfang Mingyue, who lowered her proud head at the sight.

"Perhaps you were planning to do something to Wang Huhu and forced her to flee into the rear mountain," Luo Kedi said, stepping forward and drawing everyone's attention back.

Yang Xiao looked at Luo Kedi, and a cold gleam flashed in both their eyes.

"We'll know whether that's true once we find Wang Huhu," Yang Xiao said coldly.

Chen Wuyou stepped between them. "For now, split up and search for Wang Huhu."

Yang Xiao snorted and moved beside Shen Laodao. He did not dare go in alone. If he ran into Luo Kedi, his life would be forfeit.

Watching everyone fly into the forest, Yang Xiao turned to Shen Laodao. "Old Daoist, what realm do you have to reach before you can fly?"

The latter paused. "Didn't your elders teach you?"

Yang Xiao touched the Corpse-Binding Rope at his waist. When he had parted with Butcher, he had only just begun cultivating, and Butcher had never taught him that.

Shen Buyu burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you're one of those legendary outcasts of a lineage?"

Yang Xiao glared at him. Only then did he stop and say, "I have a Skyflight manual here, but with your Qi Gathering Realm cultivation, you won't get very high. It also consumes magical power. You'd be better off keeping your feet on the ground and walking."

With that, he brushed his Storage Ring, took out a flight manual, and handed it over.

Yang Xiao accepted it and flipped through it. The entire book contained only ten pages. The first described the method of flight: simply using magical power to lift one's body. The remaining nine pages were notes left by a predecessor.

They covered things such as how to avoid crashing into trees while flying, and remembering to watch one's magical power consumption so as not to suddenly run dry and fall out of the sky.

All of it was experience passed down by a predecessor.

Yang Xiao put away Skyflight. Looking at Shen Laodao, he had a flash of inspiration. "Old Daoist, don't tell me you wrote this Skyflight manual? Those bits about crashing into trees and falling out of the sky..."

"Nonsense!" Shen Laodao flicked his sleeve and flew into the forest.

Yang Xiao laughed loudly. Had Shen Laodao not reacted, he would still have been unsure. Now, however, he was certain that Shen Laodao was the author of Skyflight.

He tried Skyflight, supporting his body with magical power. He slowly rose three feet above the ground, but his earlier use of Heaven's Eye Opening Technique had consumed ninety percent of his magical power. In the blink of an eye, his reserves were nearly empty.

He could only land and walk into the forest. Finding Wang Huhu was the most urgent matter now.

Worry-Free Mountain was vast, and it was nighttime. In the darkness, Yang Xiao could only make out things within two meters. He dared not walk too quickly for fear of tripping over branches.

Strangely enough, after spending so long on the rear mountain, he had not heard a single bird, beast, or insect. The entire forest was deathly silent.

The night grew darker and darker, slowly reaching its deepest point before beginning to brighten again.

Yang Xiao searched toward the foot of the mountain, traveling farther and farther. By daybreak, he had reached the bottom.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

A rooster's crow drew his attention. He had heard nothing all night on the mountain, and where there were chickens, there was a good chance someone lived nearby.

He spotted a thatched cottage in the distance. The crow had come from the chicken coop beside it.

Then he saw the cottage door open. Wang Huhu came out, bleary-eyed, and stretched.

Just as he was about to approach, a white-haired old man emerged behind her.

Carrying a hoe on his back, the old man went into the field and began working. Wang Huhu went back into the cottage, brought out a hoe twice his height, and ran into the field to help.

The old man turned and said a few words to Wang Huhu. Yang Xiao was too far away to hear them. He only saw Wang Huhu shake his head and continue helping the old man loosen the soil.

Yang Xiao walked over. "Wang Huhu."

She jolted and turned to glare fiercely at him. Then she planted one hand on her hip and shouted, "Yang the scoundrel!"

Yang Xiao touched the Corpse-Binding Rope at his waist. "Master and our fellow disciples spent all night looking for you. How did you end up here?"

Wang Huhu snorted and turned back to hoeing. "You all wanted to study spells, and nobody would play with me, so I had to come out on my own."

The old man looked toward him. Yang Xiao smiled and nodded. The old man walked over to Wang Huhu, took her hoe, and held her hand. "Come have a meal at my house, then Huhu can go home with her family. How does that sound?"

Wang Huhu huffed. "I only met him two days ago. He isn't my family."

The old man smiled and led Wang Huhu into the thatched cottage. Looking back, he beckoned to Yang Xiao, who followed them inside.

The room was very simple, containing only a bed and a table.

Wang Huhu let go of the old man's hand and ran over to sit at the table.

"Have a seat, young man. I'll go cook," the old man said with a smile.

With that, the old man went outside, where the kitchen was. Yang Xiao sat beside Wang Huhu and said a few words to her, but she turned her head away, looking determined to ignore him.

Remembering what had happened yesterday, he said, "Didn't you want to know the secret of the stone wall? Come back with me, and I'll tell you."

"Really?" Wang Huhu turned to him and smiled, revealing a pair of little canine teeth.

Yang Xiao told her how gathering spiritual energy in his eyes allowed him to see through the stone wall's secret. As she listened, her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

By then, the old man had finished cooking. The meal was simple: a plate of stir-fried greens, a dish of stir-fried sweet potatoes, and a bowl of rice.

Back in the desert, Yang Xiao had even managed to swallow dry rations. How could he refuse a meal better than those?

Wang Huhu, however, surprised him. She picked up her rice and ate in great mouthfuls, looking nothing like a little princess from a great lineage.

"Does your family mistreat you?" Yang Xiao asked quietly.

In his mind, Wang Huhu should have tasted every delicacy from mountain and sea. How could she stomach food like this?

She froze, then snapped, "Your family mistreats you! My dad treats me really well.

"My dad used to farm. Later, he began cultivating and fought north and south for Great Zhou before being made a king.

"My dad told me that people must never forget their roots, so he often takes me out to experience ordinary life."