“Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao.” 

The voice outside becomes clearer, accompanied by knocking sounds. The gentle tone is like a spell, calling his name while promising other things.

“Come out, and I will take you to see Immortal Qing Heng.”

Upon hearing the name Immortal Qing Heng, Ming Qiao instinctively tries to climb out of bed. His little chubby hand presses down on Bai Yu’s arm, and his gaze falls on Bai Yu’s sleeping face.

Seeing Bai Yu, Ming Qiao’s little head suddenly becomes a bit clear-headed. He looks at the door, then back at Bai Yu. A few seconds later, his little chubby hand turns into a fist as he gives his head a little thump.

“Don’t open the door.”

Ming Qiao thumps his head softly and says, “Daddy said not to open the door.”

Daddy told him not to open the door to strangers. Remembering his father’s words, Ming Qiao leans back and lies down on the bed again.

“Qiao Qiao, this opportunity only comes once… If you don’t come out now, you will never see Immortal Qing Heng again.”

“Ah, I see Immortal Qing Heng! You look just like his child.”

Ming Qiao had hit a wall when asking the disciples of the Lin Tian Sect earlier. But now the person outside the door gives him the answer he wants to hear.

He sits up again. Staring into the darkness toward the door, Ming Qiao’s little bun face tightens little by little.

“Senior brother!”

He calls out and shakes Bai Yu’s arm to wake him up: “Someone is calling for Qiao Qiao!”

He shakes vigorously. But usually alert at night, Bai Yu doesn’t wake up this time. 

“Senior brother, wake up!”

Seeing that he can’t wake up his senior brother, Ming Qiao feels uneasy. The noise at the door grows louder. The once-gentle voice calling for Ming Qiao is now more urgent.

“Come out, be good, Qiao Qiao. Big brother will take you out to play. You can have anything you want.”

The door shakes violently, and Ming Qiao feels as if the person is trying to pry it open. He is scared. Not knowing how sturdy the door is, he still shivers with fear. He climbs down from the bed, and uses a table to brace against the door.

With the door secured and the windows closed tight, Ming Qiao shuts his eyes and hugs Bai Yu, resolutely deciding to remain silent.

Time passes slowly.

The table he’s using to brace the door shakes violently with the trembling door. Just as Ming Qiao thinks the table will be overturned, an angry female voice interrupts the strange tone at the door.

“Illusionary Sea Crying Technique, you are a demonic cultivator, Huang Gui!”

As the furious voice falls, the sound of a sword unsheathing echoes.

With the sword drawn, daylight rushes in to cut through the night.

Another sword strike dispels the illusionary sounds, restoring clarity.

The third sword is for attacking.

The three strikes awaken Ming Qiao from his daze. He stares blankly at the white light outside the window, unsure if it’s day or night. Bai Yu, who couldn’t be awakened earlier, jolts awake.

After sitting up, he almost blurts out a curse. Fortunately, Ming Qiao’s little face appears just in time. It prompts him to swallow his curse.

“It’s Lu Heng outside.”

Bai Yu is very familiar with Lu Heng’s techniques. Upon recognizing Lu Heng, he also keenly realizes that he has been sleeping so deeply. He has probably fallen for the illusion.

He picks Ming Qiao up and checks him carefully. He murmurs, “Thank goodness, thank goodness, you’re okay.”

Once Bai Yu wakes up, Ming Qiao feels no more fear. His little hand wraps around Bai Yu’s neck as he softly asks, “Senior brother, can we go outside?”

He wants to see Lu Heng outside.

“It’s dangerous outside.”

Bai Yu states that it’s dangerous, but he’s already dressed and standing. He instructs, “Qiao Qiao, senior brother will help Lu Heng. You must be good and not run around.”

There’s only Lu Heng outside, if Lu Heng can’t handle it, then his Qiao Qiao will be in danger too!

So, for safety, he needs to team up with Lu Heng to fend off the enemy.

Ming Qiao listens to Bai Yu’s instructions and obediently nods, “Okay, Qiao Qiao won’t run around.”

“Hmm! Our Qiao Qiao is the most obedient.” 

After Bai Yu says this, he places Ming Qiao back on the bed and piles up a stack of talismans from Mo Fan in front of him. In addition, he sets up a simple protective formation. Once he finishes these tasks, he pushes the door open.

As the door opens, Ming Qiao sees the outside, where Immortal Maiden Lu Heng stands. Lu Heng wears plain clothes. Her long hair is up, held by a simple hairpin. This gives her an ethereal, unforgettable look.

Ming Qiao stares at Lu Heng’s face without blinking. He looks at her face. Then, he takes out a small mirror his senior brother made for him to have a look. 

In the mirror, his little face appears tender, with a rounded chin, unlike Lu Heng’s beautiful oval face. His eyes and nose don’t seem to resemble hers at all. Ming Qiao holds the mirror, and his pretty little face slightly furrows.

Just as he is about to continue looking in the mirror, the demonic cultivator Huang Gui outside suddenly shakes his wide robe. The next second, a child tumbles out from within his robe. A six or seven-year-old child, with a bun hairstyle, rolls onto the ground. He crashes into the door and tumbles into the room.

He sobs loudly, his cries coming in gasps, as if he is in extreme fear. Seeing the child crying, Ming Qiao puts away the small mirror. He goes to comfort him, saying, “You don’t need to cry, my senior brother is fighting the bad guys.”

The child continues to cry, and perhaps he is crying too hard. He stumbles and falls to the ground. Ming Qiao sees him fall and thinks he has fainted from crying, just like he did before. In such a situation, he needs to act quickly to help him calm down.

“Senior brother!”

Ming Qiao stands up, not to rush to help, but to call for the adults. Before his call for help even finishes, the child on the ground rolls over. His face now shows as he looks toward the bed. It is a face covered with age and scars!

Bai Yu and Lu Heng are entangled with Huang Gui and cannot stop the child in time. 

“Qiao Qiao, throw the talismans at him!!!” 

Although Bai Yu doesn’t clearly see the child’s face, he instinctively knows that there is trickery involved. He shouts in anger, “Don’t let him get close to you!”

Ming Qiao obediently grabs the talismans and throws them at the child with the old man’s face. One talisman after another flies out, but the child with the old man’s face shows no fear whatsoever. He grins wickedly, his skeletal hands reaching toward Ming Qiao.

Ming Qiao has never seen such an ugly face or such terrifying skeletal hands. He runs out of talismans and trembles as he calls out to Bai Yu. “Senior brother, Qiao Qiao is scared!”

Ming Qiao’s quivering voice reaches Bai Yu’s ears, causing his heart to ache. He forms seals to summon lightning. He wishes to strike Huang Gui down with a bolt of thunder right then and there. 

Huang Gui ranks very high on the list of the hundred demons. Neither Bai Yu nor Lu Heng expected to encounter him here. Moreover, the strength Huang Gui displays seems much stronger than before! 

“Lu Heng, restrain him!”

Bai Yu turns to the side, handing Huang Gui over to Lu Heng. While he casts a fire technique toward the child, who is facing away from him. He doesn’t see the child’s face, but he sees the child’s outstretched skeletal hands! The fire technique combined with the lightning technique struck the child’s back.

A muffled groan sounds, and the child turns his face, revealing a shocking sight to Bai Yu.

“Gongsun E!” 

Thirty years ago, a demon harmed countless children to perfect his cultivation methods – Gongsun E! Bai Yu has seen this eighth-ranked demon in the demon catalog. At that time, his evil deeds were exposed, and he was slain by Immortal Qing Heng at Qinghai.

But how can he be resurrected now?! Seeing this demon so close to his little child makes Bai Yu’s heart sink.

Now he understands why the disciples of the Lin Tian Sect are here, but this demon is not holding back. It seems this demon is a habitual offender who doesn’t fear the ordinary disciples of the Lin Tian Sect at all!

“Gongsun E, if you want to capture someone, take me instead. I won’t resist.” 

Bai Yu swallows hard. He stares at Gongsun E and says, in a hoarse voice, “Don’t touch him. He’s just a sick little child. He is of no use to you.”

Gongsun E wants to capture children with spiritual power. Bai Yu hasn’t measured Ming Qiao’s spiritual power. In his eyes, Ming Qiao, if not cultivated, might not even survive an ordinary life.

“You catch me, I—”

“I don’t want someone like you, an adult.”

Gongsun E interrupts Bai Yu, a terrifying smile spreading on his ugly, twisted face. “This child’s eyes look so much like Qing Heng’s, I really like him.”

Qing Heng is Gongsun E’s sworn enemy, hated to the bone. Now, he thinks Ming Qiao resembles Qing Heng, which is definitely not a good sign. Bai Yu is burning with anxiety, he can’t afford to engage him any longer, so he quickly forms a seal.

Gongsun E watches him with nothing but mockery in his gaze.

“Want to kill me? Do you think you’re Qing Heng?”

“Hahaha, tell Qing Heng that I, Gongsun E, will surely repay the grudge of Qinghai one day.”

Gongsun E laughs wickedly, grabbing the child from the bed. Ignoring the glowing light from the formation around the child, he jumped out of the window. Having lived for over a hundred years, his years of fame alone surpassed Bai Yu’s. No matter how skilled Bai Yu is in mystical arts, he can’t hold people back like Qing Heng can do. Ming Qiao is taken away from the room. 

Huang Gui, who is entangled with Lu Heng, is not as strong as Gongsun E. He is forced to retreat after being beaten by Lu Heng and Bai Yu. As the two demons disappear, Bai Yu’s face turns ashen. He turns to search for the disciples of the Lin Tian Sect.

The Lintian Sect’s disciples are patrolling the city. They see unusual activity at the inn. As they rush back, they just happen to run into Bai Yu, who is looking for them.

“Bring Qing Heng here.”

Bai Yu suppresses his surging emotions. He speaks slowly and deliberately: “Gongsun E has resurrected, he has captured my Qiao Qiao.”

“He said my Qiao Qiao looks just like Qing Heng.”

Bai Yu’s words strike the group like thunder. Especially the last sentence, causing Yang Jian’s face to pale.

“How can it be Gongsun E?!”

Yang Jian recalls the little one he just saw not long ago and then thinks of the infamous Gongsun E. His head buzzes. It’s over. If the little one resembles their Immortal General, he is likely in great danger!

“Immortal Qing Heng is in seclusion…”

Yang Jian says, his face turns white. But under Bai Yu’s intense gaze, he hesitates and suddenly remembers someone.

“Right, Xie Qingyun is here! He’s right here!”

“I have a sound transmission paper from Immortal Qing Heng. It can be sent to Xie Qingyun, asking him to find the little one.”

Xie Qingyun is Qing Heng’s elder brother, he does not belong to any sect, even the Lin Tian Sect.  Though Xie Qingyun and Qing Heng are biological brothers, due to the death of the Xie family years ago, their relationship has suffered. They call each other brothers, but their coldness towards each other is similar to that of strangers.

Yang Jian wonders if this sound transmission will make Xie Qingyun care about this matter.

“Alright, I’ve sent the message to Xie Qingyun.”

Yang Jian tells Xie Qingyun the little one’s name, age, and appearance. When describing the appearance, he doesn’t forget to add, “This little one’s eyes look like Immortal Qing Heng’s.”

After sending the message, he waits a moment and receives a response—

Xie Qingyun replies with one word: “Oh.”

Yang Jian cannot decipher what he means, so he decides to return to the sect.

“I will ask Immortal Qing Heng to come out of seclusion! If he cannot, I will have the sect’s leaders or the masters come!”

Yang Jian rushes around, and Bai Yu doesn’t waste time but heads out to find the child. With another child gone missing in the city, all the adults with children dare not hold onto any hopes of luck. 

They abandon their plans to search for treasures in the Xisha Forest and leave with the children, walking tirelessly. The adults hurriedly search for the lost child. Meanwhile, the kidnapped child, tearful, has already entered the Xisha Forest.

Gongsun E and Huang Gui’s hideout is in a secret realm within the Xisha Forest. The secret realm is not very scenic and doesn’t seem to contain any treasures. Ming Qiao sits on a hard stone, holding back tears, asks Gongsun E: “Are you going to kill me?”

Gongsun E licks his lips and smiles, “Of course, I will kill you. But before I do, I want to understand one thing.”

Ming Qiao: “…”

Ming Qiao sniffs, then asks, “What thing?”

“What is your relationship with Qing Heng?”

The reason Huang Gui mentioned Qing Heng’s name during the illusion is that they overheard the child’s conversation with the disciples of the Lin Tian Sect. Gongsun E stares at the pretty little face in front of him, his eyes filled with undisguised malice.

If this child truly is Qing Heng’s, he will be so excited. Ming Qiao’s chubby little fists rest on his leg, unsure of how to respond. 

Gongsun E does not expect to hear an answer from a little one. He has his own ways to confirm.

“Qing Heng killed me more than once. The first time he killed me was in the Xisha Forest.”

“At that time, his fingertip was cut, and a drop of blood fell…”

Ming Qiao’s face turns pale even before he finishes hearing Gongsun E’s method of verifying his identity. His little body cannot withstand too much turmoil. Scared, being captured and threatened… Ming Qiao can no longer hold on and spits out blood at Gongsun E.

Due to being a bit too close, Gongsun E gets sprayed in the face: “?”

Gongsun E’s already ugly face becomes even more twisted. He almost cannot restrain himself and raises his hand to crush this child’s head. Ming Qiao does not see the wicked demon’s foul expression. After spitting out blood, he clutches his heart and collapses.

Gongsun E: “!”

Gongsun E quickly supports the soft little body, gritting his teeth as he says: “It is not your time to die yet!”

“Huang Gui, take him to find the Flesh Spirit Mushroom.” (Rou lingzhi, can also be referred to as Reishi Mushroom.) The Flesh Spirit Mushroom is a great tonic, but once picked, it decays immediately and cannot be preserved.

Gongsun E hands the soft little body to Huang Gui, instructing him to wake the child up then bring him back. Huang Gui takes the child and retreats.

A day later. 

Ming Qiao, discarded in a place filled with Flesh Spirit Mushrooms, slowly opens his eyes.

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The author has something to say:

At this moment, the big uncle: oh… indifferent face.

The future big uncle: Baby, kiss!