As soon as Immortal General Meng arrives, he heads straight to the You family. He asks, “Where is You Qing? And the child he brought back to the You family last time, where is he?!”

“You Qing…”

The You family members look at each other, hesitant, “You Qing hasn’t been home much lately.”

So, at the moment, they have no idea where You Qing is.

“Find him and bring him back.”

Immortal Meng says sternly to the You family, his face tense, “I want to see them within three days.”

The You family: “…”

They stare at the forceful Immortal Meng, feeling confused. Immortal Meng had been friendly on his last visit. So, why the sudden change?

“Immortal General, we will send someone to find them right away.”

The head of the You family immediately dispatches people to search for You Qing. He cautiously offers Immortal Meng a cup of tea. Then, he probes, “May I ask why the Immortal General is looking for my son? Has he offended you in some way?”

Immortal Meng doesn’t take the tea, nor does he answer. He unconsciously rubs his fingers against the armrest, his brows furrowed deeply.

The sword he took from You Qing has turned into a huge problem. That dark sword seems ordinary. But it is linked to the Silver-Masked Demon Lord!

The Silver-Masked Demon Lord is notoriously unpredictable. One moment, he might be smiling, inviting you to drink with him. The next, he might turn on you for how you hold the cup, taking your life in an instant.

No one in the cultivation world can figure out the Silver-Masked Demon Lord’s temperament. Meng Yun can’t figure him out either. But, he knows that no one in the cultivation world wants to be associated with that demon right now.

Thinking back on the sword he brought back, Meng Yun can only curse himself for not listening to the advice! If he had known the sword was connected to the Demon Lord, he would never have touched it, even if it cost him his life.

The three days he has to wait feel like an eternity to Meng Yun. 

Meanwhile, for Ming Qiao, the three days of traveling are also a challenge. “Big brother, how much longer do we have to keep hiding?”

In the bumpy carriage, little Ming Qiao is nestled in You Qing’s arms, hiding among the cargo. The two of them are on their way to the sect mentioned in the flyer. The journey is long, and walking isn’t an option.

Ming Qiao’s health is weak, and any delay on the road can lead to him not making it.

“Not much longer.”

You Qing has never traveled far away, but he is thorough in his planning. Before setting out, he studied the map. He learned the places they would pass through and the approximate travel time.

In just over a day, the cart they are riding will reach its destination. The goods this carriage is transporting are being delivered close to the sect’s location.

Satisfied with the answer, Ming Qiao curls up obediently in You Qing’s arms. His chubby hand searches the storage ring. At last, he finds a piece of corn bun. “Big brother, this one’s for you.”

“Eat it, it tastes good!” Ming Qiao originally had two pieces of corn buns, and he already gave one to You Qing earlier.

You Qing presses his lips together but doesn’t take it. He knows the child likes this food, so he doesn’t want to take it from him.

Ming Qiao insists on feeding it to him, whether he wants it or not. The two of them are sitting close, but You Qing’s cold, handsome face does nothing to intimidate Ming Qiao.

“Brother, eat it”, Ming Qiao’s soft voice contrasts sharply with his actions. One chubby hand grabs You Qing’s cheek, while the other swiftly stuffs the corn bun into his mouth.

You Qing: “…”

He looks at the little one who just force-fed him, now smiling softly at him, his gaze is complicated.

“Brother, I’ll take care of you in the future. Don’t turn into a bad person, okay?”

After feeding the corn bun, Ming Qiao insists on giving You Qing his usual reminder. When You Qing first heard this, it felt strange. Now, he’s used to it.

“Mm.” He casually responds under the child’s expectant gaze.

Aside from the corn buns, they also have other dry rations, which You Qing gathered. Ming Qiao’s storage ring holds herbs, clothes, and some other basic stuff. It also has a cleaver and a black sword, which are weapons.

He has a lot of stuff, all kinds of odds and ends—except for money. Ming Qiao wanted to take something out and trade for money, but You Qing wouldn’t allow it. You Qing feels these items aren’t ordinary. Taking them out may attract more trouble than they’re worth.

“Big brother, I want to sleep.”

“Go ahead and sleep.”

“I want to hear a story.”

Ming Qiao rubs his eyes and yawns. He loves falling asleep to a story, even if it’s just the beginning of a random one, he’ll drift off soundly.

You Qing doesn’t know how to tell stories. He lowers his head, looking at the drowsy child in his arms who refuses to close his eyes. After a while, like in the past few days, he begins to tell little one about his mother.

Ming Qiao said his father often talked about his mother. But, You Qing knows nothing about her, so he can’t tell those stories. You Qing can only talk about his own mother. The You family has some old servants. From them, You Qing learned a bit about his mother.

“My mother was very beautiful. There wasn’t anyone in town more beautiful than her.”

“She was brought back by my father from somewhere else. They say she was an orphan with no family.”

“She had a good temper, was very gentle, and always spoke softly.”

You Qing speaks slowly. He knows so little about his mother that if he speaks too fast, he will run out of things to say quickly. As You Qing’s quiet voice fills the air, the child in his arms breathes more evenly, gradually falling asleep.

You Qing looked down. The child had his eyes closed. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, like crow feathers. The child clings tightly to him, holding his clothes with both hands, clearly depending on him.

You Qing presses his lips together. He never wanted to get involved with such a soft and fragile child. He has grown up without getting close to anyone. But this child had barged into his life so suddenly that he had no chance to leave him behind.

The cart they’re riding in is the last one in the convoy. The driver is an old man with white hair. His hearing is poor, and people usually have to shout to get his attention. Even when they shout loudly, the old man doesn’t always hear them.

The others in the convoy often curse at him, calling him “the old deaf man.” Since the old man can’t even hear the other people in the convoy, he certainly can’t hear the two children hiding among the cargo.

Among the goods, there is food. After the convoy sets off, the old man gradually piles clothes and local specialty foods into the cart.

With the clothes, Ming Qiao is kept warm, and he sleeps comfortably. As for the food, Ming Qiao is tempted. He swallows hard but refrains from stealing any.

“Qiao Qiao has no money.”

After waking up, Ming Qiao smells the food again. He rests his little head on You Qing’s shoulder, looking dejected, like a downcast kitten. Without money, he can’t buy any of the delicious things among the cargo. You Qing glances at him, then awkwardly pats his head.

“When we get there, I’ll earn money.”

“Qiao Qiao will earn money too.”

Now that both of them are awake, they start chatting again. “Brother, if we post a flyer, do you think we can find my daddy?”

Ming Qiao and You Qing both still hold on to the small recruitment flyer for the sect they are heading to. You Qing says that some sects are short on people. They post ads to recruit.

Ming Qiao, thinking of the flyer, suddenly has an idea. He doesn’t know where his father is now, but if they put up a flyer, can they find him?

“Qiao Qiao, are you sure your father’s name is Wu Ye?”

“Mm! That’s right.”

Ming Qiao nods seriously and says, “Daddy’s name is Wu Ye, and mommy’s name is Ah Heng.”

You Qing hears these names and frowns slightly. He is young and hasn’t traveled much. But, he knows a bit about the famous sects and people in the cultivation world. He has never heard of the name Wu Ye.

As for Ah Heng, it sounds like a name that includes the character “Heng”. A few well-known people have that character in their names. The most famous are Immortal Maiden Lu Heng and Immortal General Qing Heng. (Immortal Maiden/Fairy: refer to a beautiful, ethereal, and graceful female immortal, typically with magical powers or wisdom)

Immortal Maiden Lu Heng is a sword cultivator from the Jingxiu Sect. She has a fiery temper and loves to fight. She would slap anything in her way, even a passing dog.

Immortal General Qing Heng is the junior brother of the Lin Tian Sect’s head. He is known for his cold, aloof nature. He avoids socializing and spends most of his time in seclusion for Cultivation.

“The things in your storage ring, the ones your parents gave you, are all very valuable.”

“Your parents can’t be ordinary people.”

You Qing calmly analyzes, “I haven’t heard your father’s name yet, but your mother might be Immortal Maiden Lu Heng.”

Hearing You Qing mention both Immortal Lu Heng and Immortal Qing Heng, Ming Qiao hesitates for a moment. He is unsure which name to choose.

“Brother, I have a letter daddy wrote to mommy.”

Ming Qiao takes out a letter from his storage ring. He hands it to You Qing, then props his chubby face on his hands. He asks his brother to read it for him.

“There’s my mother’s full name on it, but Qiao Qiao can’t read it.”

Ming Qiao has heard his father mention “Ah Heng” in his sleep but has never heard his mother’s full name. He knows it’s written in the letter, though.

You Qing takes the letter, preparing to carefully examine what kind of “Heng” it is. However, as time passes, You Qing’s handsome face grows more and more tense. After a long while, he returns the letter to Ming Qiao, squeezing out a few words: “I… I can’t read it either.”

The letter’s handwriting is so messy that, after a struggle, he can’t recognize a single word in it.

Ming Qiao: “…”

Not knowing many characters, Ming Qiao puts the letter into his storage ring with his small hands. Afterward, he glances at the slightly frustrated You Qing and moves closer to him, softly comforting him:

“Brother, it is not embarrassing.”

“Qiao Qiao won’t laugh at you.”

You Qing remains a bit sulky.

Since they can’t read the letter now, Ming Qiao decides they should join the sect and become disciples first! The recruitment flyer from the sect clearly stated that newcomers would receive an Extreme-Yin Lotus!

He needs to eat that Extreme-Yin Lotus. Otherwise, he might die from his illness before they can find his parents.

Another day and a half passed. Ming Qiao, still drowsy, is carried out of the cart by You Qing. They have arrived.

“Brother, am I heavy?”

Ming Qiao, being carried once again, wraps his small arms around You Qing’s neck and asks.

You Qing shakes his head. “Not heavy.”

This sickly child is very light. You Qing feels like he hasn’t taken good care of him. When Ming Qiao first appeared, he was still chubby, with rosy cheeks. But in just a few days, the little one’s face has visibly turned pale.

You Qing knows the reason. The child’s most important medicine has run out. The remaining medicine in the storage ring isn’t strong enough for him.

“Qiao Qiao, close your eyes and sleep a little.”

They haven’t reached the sect entrance yet. So, You Qing looks down at the tired child and softly says, “When you wake up, you’ll be able to eat the Extreme-Yin Lotus.”

“Okay.” The child obediently responds and closes his eyes.

The small sect they arrived at isn’t far from the prestigious Jingxiu Sect. However, this sect is in no way comparable to the Jingxiu Sect, which everyone dreams of joining. 

This small sect is called the Suiyi Sect. Its entrance plaque is so neglected that the paint has chipped off. It has not been touched up. At the entrance with the peeling plaque, there is a simple formation and a test stone. (Suiyi – 随意: Literally means casual/free will XD)

The test stone is used to check spiritual roots, and the magic formation tests one’s temperament. You Qing looks at the test stone, then at his own hand. Suppressing his emotions, he walks over, knowing what the results will be.

“Broken spiritual roots.”

Sure enough, the test stone gives the result he expected. You Qing stands there, staring at the result for a long time without moving.

“Hey, you’ve finished the test. What are you standing around for? Go walk through the magic formation.”

A young man with a high ponytail appears beside the test stone at some point, chewing on a blade of grass. When You Qing looks over, the man raises his chin at him. “I set up this magic formation. If you can last two hours inside, I’ll let you join the sect.”

You Qing: “…”

He pauses for a moment. The next second, he carefully hands the still-sleeping child to the man. He says seriously, “Three hours. I’ll last an extra hour. Please take care of him for me.”

Bai Yu: “?”

Before Bai Yu can even respond, the cold-faced boy has already entered the magic formation. The grass in Bai Yu’s mouth drops as his whole body freezes.

“Dam… Wait! I don’t know how to take care of a kid!”

He has no idea how to properly hold such a small child!

——————————————————

Author’s note:

Qiao Qiao: Learning skills and finding my parents!