Chapter 52: The Search
The three of them arrived at Luo Cong’an’s small courtyard, greeted by the gentle mountain breeze.
The courtyard was quite spacious, as the Mount Longhu range was vast, even on a global scale. The developed areas for dwelling were naturally not small either. Given Luo Cong’an’s special identity and status, the authorities would never neglect her.
As they approached the courtyard gate, Chen An paused. The gate wasn’t closed as he’d expected, but rather stood open, revealing a glimpse of the scenery within. Subtle sounds could be heard from inside, a rustling that sounded like a broom sweeping the ground.
He turned to Luo Cong’an beside him. Just as he was about to speak, a surprised shout echoed from within the courtyard. The voice was clear and pleasant, and apart from Eileen, the other two were familiar with it.
“Chen An!”
“What brings you here?”
He rarely left his residence on Mount Longhu, let alone had any female acquaintances. The one greeting them was naturally the exceptionally talented student, Lin Jingq.
As expected, the next moment, the girl’s light and nimble figure appeared before them. Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail, and she held a broom and dustpan in her hands. A fine sheen of sweat dotted her forehead. It seemed the rustling sound they’d heard was her sweeping the courtyard.
The girl first noticed Chen An, and then the two women standing beside him. Her master was, of course, no stranger. However, the woman in the black dress standing beside him surprised Lin Jingq, her pupils widening slightly. Her black dress swayed in the wind, hinting at a graceful figure beneath. Her face was exceptionally exquisite, which was precisely why Lin Jingq was so astonished.
She had met many influential people, especially women. Her master alone could make any other woman pale in comparison. Yet, this woman in the black dress she met today possessed a demeanor and appearance that rivaled her master’s.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Lin Jingq politely averted her gaze. Her eyes fell on the young man and her master. She raised her broom and smiled.
“Master, I specially came over to clean up the courtyard for you today. It’s all tidied up now.”
“I even cleaned out that abandoned guest room for you!”
As she spoke, the girl couldn’t help but place her hands on her hips, striking a pose as a good disciple eager for praise.
Luo Cong’an was momentarily taken aback. Her red eyes had somehow returned to normal in front of Lin Jingq. It seemed she could now seamlessly switch between her obsessive and gentle states. This was a kind of compromise. The obsessive self disregarded everything except for “Mister.” However, Luo Cong’an still possessed a trace of conscience and had feelings for her disciple, Lin Jingq.
Wait a minute… As she listened to her good disciple’s filial words, Luo Cong’an suddenly realized something. There should have been three side rooms in the courtyard for sleeping. One had always been abandoned, and another was reserved for Lin Jingq. This little girl was quite clingy and would occasionally stay with her master for a night. So, Luo Cong’an’s original plan was to seize this opportunity, appeal to her emotions and reason, and have “Mister” share a room with her, leaving the other vacant room for that big Moth to sleep in. But now…
However, considering the girl’s good intentions, she couldn’t bring herself to blame her. Luo Cong’an could only grit her teeth and sigh.
“Xiaoqiu, you really are my ‘good disciple’…”
***
Tonight was destined to be an extraordinary night. Deep in the back mountain, in the heart of Mount Longhu, stood an unremarkable Taoist temple. Under the misty moonlight, a figure appeared. He groped his way closer, his expression respectful, and gently knocked on the door.
“Enter.” A cold male voice came from within.
Meng Mao didn’t rush to open the door. Instead, he performed the customary courtesies outside before rising and pushing the courtyard gate open. The area behind the gate was empty. He continued forward, passing through two more doors and three thresholds, before finally seeing the owner of the voice.
It was a man sitting on a futon, meditating with his eyes closed. Meng Mao glanced at him, then quickly lowered his head, feeling a bit intimidated. Although they were both among the Seven Sons of Longhu, Meng Mao always felt an inexplicable fear when facing this Senior Brother. It was hard to pinpoint, much like how a student would feel speaking to their homeroom teacher, barely daring to make a sound.
The meditating man slowly opened his eyes, and the surging spiritual energy around him gradually subsided. Meng Mao, sensing the extent of this spiritual energy fluctuation, was inwardly astonished. He bowed respectfully.
“Senior Brother, it seems your cultivation has improved again.”
Facing the compliment, the man’s expression remained impassive. He stood up, his hands clasped behind his back, leaving Meng Mao with a profound silhouette. The man’s indifferent words drifted into Meng Mao’s ears.
“Merely a bit of wind and frost.”
Meng Mao was stunned and felt even more admiration. As expected of the Senior Brother, even his casual remarks were so philosophical and full of wisdom. He doubted he would ever achieve that effortless grace in his lifetime.
He didn’t notice that in the blink of an eye, his Senior Brother had stealthily moved his head, glancing at his expression, then swiftly retracted his gaze, maintaining his enigmatic posture. The man let out a slight cough and asked.
“Speak. What is it?”
Called upon by his Senior Brother, Meng Mao dared not delay and quickly regained his composure. He thought for a moment, organized his words, and said, “Senior Brother, we’ve received another message from the authorities. They say that incidents of Fierce beast causing trouble are increasing across the country, and we may need to prepare for it.”
He paused, then continued: “These Fierce beasts originally subsisted on the essence of heaven and earth. Their cultivation is mostly crude, and they typically inhabit remote, uninhabited deep mountains and forests. Those that actively come out to cause trouble should be isolated cases.”
“But based on the current signs, things are extremely strange.”
At this point, Meng Mao’s expression showed hesitation.
“According to the authorities’ deductions, they’ve concluded that it’s caused by some nefarious individuals.”
His hesitation did not escape the Senior Brother’s eyes. The Senior Brother didn’t reply directly but asked, “What? Do you have a different opinion?”
Meng Mao nodded. He voiced his thoughts.
“I happened to experience one of these so-called Fierce beast disturbances when I was down the mountain.”
Meng Mao recalled the scene from that time, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.
“Actually, rather than calling it ‘causing trouble,’ I felt more like they were… searching?”
(End of Chapter)
