At the Great Xia Sword Sect's residence.
Outside the door, the old man looked at the late-night sky, worry etched across his face.
He muttered softly under his breath, "Why isn't Sui'an back yet at this hour?"
Qin Xian pondered for a moment before speaking softly. "Today is the mortal Lantern Festival, with street fairs and lanterns. It's only normal for the little girl to stay out a bit late."
He smiled and comforted him, "It's fine—just look at how worried you are. She might only have just turned seven, but her cultivation is already at the seventh level of Qi Refinement. Mortals in the streets can't hurt her, so don't worry."
Li Nanting nodded slightly at his words, yet an unease lingered in his heart, as if some major event were about to unfold.
Time slipped by. Inside the room, Li Guanqi remained immersed in tranquil cultivation.
Li Nanting looked up at the sky. Midnight had long passed, and the hour of the Ox was fast approaching.
By now, even the clamor in Tianyu City had died down significantly, and the festive crowds wandering the streets had long since returned home.
Li Nanting was still anxious. He rose and paced the courtyard, puffing away on his pipe.
As the last wisp of tobacco burned out, he could no longer hold back. "No!"
"Summon the disciples at once! Have them go into Tianyu City immediately to look for her!"
Qin Xian also realized that matters were not as simple as he had thought.
Mischievous though Yu Sui'an was, she knew her limits. She had never stayed out until the hour of the Ox like this before.
Soon, all twenty-odd disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect were awakened.
Gathering in the courtyard, their hearts tightened when they heard what the elders said.
Tianyu City right now was a mixed bag, teeming with people from all walks of life.
Yu Sui'an usually scampered about between the eight peaks of the Great Xia Sword Sect, and there was not a single fellow disciple throughout the sect who did not know her.
Hearing that she had vanished, everyone felt their spirits tense. They nodded heavily and immediately set off on their flying swords toward Tianyu City!
Li Nanting hesitated for a long while before letting out a breath. "Phew... No, I have to go search for her myself! Keep an eye on Guanqi here for me. I'll be back as soon as I find Sui'an."
Qin Xian gave a slight nod, and Li Nanting instantly transformed into a streak of purple light, soaring through the sky away from Mount Tianyu.
The lodgings of the sects participating in the Hundred Sects Tournament were all situated around Mount Tianyu, some distance away from Tianyu City.
When Li Nanting arrived in the sky above Tianyu City, he naturally drew the attention of many onlookers.
Yet when they noticed the sect robes he wore, their gazes turned intrigued.
"Looks like an elder from the Great Xia Sword Sect. But... what is he doing in Tianyu City at this hour?"
Soon, many noticed that disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect had also appeared throughout Tianyu City.
They fanned out, seemingly searching for something.
From their shouted calls, some people gathered that they were looking for a little girl.
For a time, whispers and discussions broke out across the city, though no one knew what had actually happened.
Yet an entire night of searching yielded no results whatsoever.
Early the next morning, everyone returned to their quarters.
Li Nanting smashed a palm onto the table beside him, shattering it to pieces as he said in a chilling voice, "We must find Yu Sui'an! A living person can't just vanish into thin air without a trace! Did any of you uncover any clues?"
The disciples shook their heads one after another, but then Ye Feng spoke up, his expression grim.
"I heard that some Ziyang Palace disciples were drinking at a brothel street yesterday, and someone spotted the little girl there. I don't know if the two are connected."
Hearing this, Li Nanting abruptly stood up, ready to storm off.
Behind him, Tu Kui frowned and barked, "Old Li, what do you think you're doing?"
Li Nanting shook off Tu Kui's grip, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "What am I doing? Going to Ziyang Palace to demand an explanation, of course!"
Qin Xian called out in a deep voice, "Enough! Don't panic yet! Don't you have the little girl's life-bound jade slip? Check on her condition first!"
Li Nanting slapped his own forehead—he had completely forgotten about it in his distress.
He hastily retrieved a palm-sized, milky-white jade slip from his storage ring.
The name 'Sui'an' was carved on both sides, and right down the middle was a visible fracture!
At the sight of it, Li Nanting instantly clenched the jade slip, his voice turning icy.
"Grievously wounded!"
Qin Xian's eyes flickered as he said somberly, "You don't carry enough weight. I will go to Ziyang Palace myself! Tu Kui, look after Guanqi. The rest of you, continue searching the city and expand the perimeter!"
Li Nanting knew Qin Xian was right. Without delay, his figure transformed into a streak of light and shot away!
The others also took to their swords and rushed toward Tianyu City.
Meanwhile, Qin Xian teleported away, arriving directly at the residence occupied by Ziyang Palace.
The moment he reached the entrance, he was blocked by Ziyang Palace disciples. Qin Xian's face darkened as he spoke.
"Pass word inside. Tell them Qin Xian of the Great Xia Sword Sect has arrived."
Yet the disciple merely curled his lip and said, "The Great Elder stated that Ziyang Palace will receive no guests for the next three days. Please turn back, Senior."
Fury surged within Qin Xian upon hearing this. He barked in a deep voice, "Inform Old Man Miao that I, Qin Xian, demand to see him!"
Just then, a middle-aged man emerged from inside Ziyang Palace's quarters.
His features were resolute, yet tinged with a cold edge. "Great Elder Qin, the tournament match between our two sects is only two days away. What could bring you here at a time like this? If it's truly urgent, you can tell me as well."
Qin Xian regarded him with icy eyes and said softly, "I have only come to ask whether any disciples of Ziyang Palace saw a seven-year-old girl yesterday, dressed in a red floral-patterned padded jacket."
The man feigned contemplation for a moment, then smiled. "No. The disciples returned very early yesterday, and I didn't hear any of them mention seeing a little girl."
Qin Xian nodded with a darkened expression, unwilling to waste any more time on him.
Yet from the man's demeanor, he very likely knew something!
The man was clearly trying to brush him off. As Qin Xian turned to leave, he said chillingly, "You had better be telling the truth. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what the Great Xia Sword Sect might do."
The man maintained an indifferent smile. Once Qin Xian was gone, he spat toward the old man's departing back.
"What trash! Do they really think that just because that blind boy dragged their sect's ranking up, they can sit on equal footing with our Ziyang Palace?!"
Yet the moment the man turned around, he found an old man with white eyebrows standing right behind him.
It was none other than Miao Chuanjiang, the Great Elder of Ziyang Palace!
His eyes flickered as he glanced in the direction of Qin Xian's retreating figure, and then he vanished in a flash.
Back inside the hall, the old man rebuked angrily, infuriated by their lack of discipline, "All you do every day is stir up trouble!"
"Is she dead?"
All ten of them—the very disciples scheduled to participate in the final match two days from now—exchanged glances in silence.
In the end, Zhao Beichen stood up and said softly, "Heh, a bunch of useless trash."
Chapter 149