Volume One: A Beauty Brings Calamity — Chapter 34: The Young Lady Is Missing

"Master, I have finally succeeded in condensing the third spiritual sigil!"

Before the words had even faded, Jiang Hao collapsed straight backward, lying on the floor and gasping for breath, as if he had completely exhausted his strength.

"To condense three spiritual sigils in less than half a day with the cultivation level of an early-stage Spirit Spring realm practitioner—this is a commendable result," Feng Ling'er said with a gratified smile, her eyes filled with approval.

"Master, your disciple is merely showing a bit of diligence. To be able to succeed is entirely due to your excellent guidance!" Joy radiated from his face, and Jiang Hao could not help but offer praises to Feng Ling'er beside him.

"You brat, you are becoming more and more glib," Feng Ling'er replied with a faint smile, her tone laced with playful teasing.

"Hehe!" Jiang Hao rubbed his head, then sighed with a pained expression: "Master, I never expected that setting up a spiritual array would consume so much spiritual energy. In just a few hours, I have burned through thirty-four spiritual energy pills!"

Jiang Hao looked at the storage ring on his finger, shook his head, and gave a wry smile: "If I keep consuming them at this rate, the pills I have on me won't even be enough to fill the gaps in the teeth of a single Bewildering Array!"

"That is enough for now; you need not cultivate any further," Feng Ling'er interrupted his grumbling, speaking with earnest gravity. "At this moment, you have become relatively skilled at condensing the sigils; you only lack the final step of linking them together to form an array."

"What you need most right now is to improve your cultivation as quickly as possible. After all, with the cultivation of an early-stage Spirit Spring realm, it is truly very difficult to successfully set up a three-sigil spiritual array!" Feng Ling'er warned him solemnly.

"Master, I understand," Jiang Hao replied with a nod, making a silent resolution in his heart.

Just moments ago, whenever Jiang Hao had prepared to link the three sigils together, he would feel dizzy and his spiritual energy would deplete rapidly. Even by swallowing spiritual energy pills continuously, he could not keep up with the rate of loss within his body.

Clearly, Jiang Hao understood that his current cultivation level was insufficient to support the construction of a three-sigil array. Generally speaking, setting up such an array required not only skilled technique but also a cultivation level reaching the Spirit Sea realm. After all, the power produced by a three-sigil array was comparable to that of a practitioner at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Sea realm; it was not something a Spirit Spring realm practitioner could easily achieve.

In Feng Ling'er's words, it was no small feat for Jiang Hao to have condensed the third sigil at all. Perhaps he had not yet realized that he already possessed the strength to set up a two-sigil array at his current stage.

As the two were conversing, a familiar voice drifted from a corner of the room: "Braised lion's head... steamed osmanthus fish... stir-fried black bear paw..."

On the bed, Fan Caiyun was still fast asleep, her cherry lips muttering about various delicacies, with a few droplets of saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.

"This girl, still thinking about food even in her sleep," Jiang Hao said, shaking his head helplessly.

Feng Ling'er glanced at the sleeping Fan Caiyun and reminded him: "It is getting late; it is time to depart from here."

"Remember to place this little girl into the storage ring." After this final instruction, Feng Ling'er retreated into the pendant on Jiang Hao's chest and fell silent.

"Yes, Master." Jiang Hao nodded, looking out the window where the bright moon was already hanging high above the branches.

"Before leaving Yongan City, I should head to the Wanbao Pavilion to find Pavilion Master Qin and purchase some healing pills. After all, who knows when I will return to the city next."

Jiang Hao had already made up his mind: once he returned to the Misty Forest, he would not take a single step out of it until he had successfully mastered the Sky-Breaking Slash and the Bewildering Array. Although the Misty Forest was exceptionally dangerous and infested with demonic beasts, it was undoubtedly the best place for him to cultivate.

Soon, Jiang Hao changed into a black robe, walked out of the Xike Inn, and headed toward the Wanbao Pavilion with long, swift strides under the cover of night.

"Have a safe journey, young master! We look forward to your next visit!" the waiter called out warmly, waving behind him.

After Jiang Hao had traveled some distance, the waiter frowned and wondered softly: "That’s strange, why is the young lady who was with him earlier nowhere to be seen?"

"Never mind, as long as there is money to be made," the waiter said, looking down at the fifty silver coins in his hand with a wide grin before turning back into the inn.

...

Inside a quiet room on the seventh and highest floor of the Wanbao Pavilion.

Qin Yumei was dressed in a red nightgown, elegant and graceful, like a flower blooming in the night sky. She stood by the window, gazing up at the bright moon, lost in thought, as if recalling the past.

"Back then, to avoid the persistent pursuits of those aristocratic heirs, I said goodbye to my father and brought Xiao Tao to this remote branch of the Wanbao Pavilion in Yongan City, returning to the Imperial City only a few times in haste."

Qin Yumei's voice was as soft as the breeze, carrying a hint of melancholy.

"I never expected to stay here for several years," she sighed, filled with emotion.

"In all these years, it has been rare to encounter a practitioner as unique as Young Master Jiang, yet he cannot be used for my purposes. It is truly a pity!"

Time seemed to freeze in that moment; Qin Yumei's thoughts drifted away with the moonlight, as if merging into the bright night sky.

*Creak!*

At that moment, the door to the room was pushed open gently; if one did not listen closely, the sound of footsteps would be impossible to detect.

"Xiao Tao, what is wrong today? Why are you being so cautious? And you forgot to knock before entering?" Qin Yumei still stood by the window, her back to the door, feeling somewhat puzzled.

A moment passed, and still, no one in the room spoke. Qin Yumei sensed something was amiss; she instinctively channeled her spiritual energy and turned around quickly.

Before she could react, a gust of wind rushed toward her. In an instant, a dark shadow appeared by her side and dealt a heavy blow to her neck.

"You are... Han..." Before Qin Yumei could finish her sentence, everything went black, and she lost consciousness.

The figure in the black robe immediately took out a prepared sack, shoved Qin Yumei's limp body into it, and sighed, "My apologies, daughter of the Wanbao Pavilion."

Without another word, the figure hoisted the sack onto his shoulder, leaped out of the window, and landed lightly on the ground.

"Qin Jiantang, do not blame this old man for abducting your daughter; I am merely following orders. After today, once the deed is done, you will have gained a son-in-law." The black-robed man glanced back at the sign of the Wanbao Pavilion.

Then, he sprinted away, vaulted onto a nearby rooftop, and dashed along the eaves toward the most prosperous inn in Yongan City.

...

"The young miss is gone!"

"How were you protecting the young miss? If any harm comes to her, you might as well end your lives to atone for your failure!"

"Everyone, get out there and find her! Even if you have to dig three feet under Yongan City, you must find her!"

Half an hour after the departure of the black-robed man, the Wanbao Pavilion suddenly blazed with light as Yan Tao shouted angrily at her subordinates.

The next moment, the men of the Wanbao Pavilion poured out of the gates, rushing in all directions of Yongan City to begin a carpet search.