Chapter 122: The Narcissus Has Disappeared

It was a yellow paper calling card.

“Liu Wuya, forty-eighth-generation Sect Master of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.”

Beneath the name was a photograph in which one could vaguely make out a weathered middle-aged man. Under the photograph ran a line of small print:

“An exemplar to all swordsmen under heaven; the very model of a mature man!”

“For fuck’s sake! Of course it’s this card. He hands it out to everyone he meets.”

Qin Xuan was nearly in tears.

“This… this…”

Dongfang Qingwan was stunned. She had no idea why that little white dove had brought her such a thing, and her expression turned exceedingly strange.

“Ahem. This is my master’s calling card. You can keep it, of course, or simply throw it away…” Qin Xuan coughed as he explained, then reached out and snatched it.

The snow-white little dove was caught in his hand. He clenched his fingers.

Poof!

The little white dove burst apart at once, scattering a cloud of white spiritual energy that soon vanished into the air. In Qin Xuan’s hand, however, there now lay a yellow paper scroll.

He opened it without hesitation.

“My disciple Qin Xuan, it has been half a month since you descended the mountain to gain experience, and your master misses you greatly. You handled the matters concerning the flower demon and the ghost cultivator admirably. As for the Soul-Refining Pearl, there is no need to worry; I have already entrusted an expert to keep close watch on the Thousand Radiance Ghost King’s movements. There is only one thing I must remind you of: a young man who is not romantic has wasted his youth. Heh heh heh. Never forget it…”

Qin Xuan ignored the final sentence completely.

“A young man who is not romantic has wasted his youth”—did that mean his master wanted him to be as unrestrained and flirtatious as himself, bringing several beautiful women back home? The thought was enough to make Qin Xuan’s head ache.

It was not that Qin Xuan did not want to. It was simply that…

He had followed his master since the age of eight, and more than a decade had passed since then. The two of them had always lived together, yet hardly a single woman had ever come looking for his master. What use was youthful recklessness? In the end, he was still alone and miserable.

In Qin Xuan’s view, rather than end up as tragic as his master, it would be far more reliable to devote himself wholeheartedly to one person and walk hand in hand with her to the ends of the earth.

The three of them entered the villa. Dongfang Qingwan and Liu Qianqian whispered to each other nearby.

“Qianqian, Qin Xuan’s master is surnamed Liu too?”

Liu Wuya. The name sounded imposing enough, but it was the shared surname that had caught Dongfang Qingwan’s attention.

“Yes. The Romantic Swordsman, Liu Wuya. That name is famous throughout the cultivation world.”

Liu Qianqian smiled.

“The Romantic Swordsman?”

Dongfang Qingwan pondered the title. Before long, the way she looked at Qin Xuan had become somewhat peculiar.

As the saying went, one took on the qualities of those nearby, whether vermilion or ink. Qin Xuan had followed his master for more than a decade, so he must have turned out much the same…

Had Qin Xuan known what she was thinking, he would certainly have cried out that he was being wronged. Unfortunately, he noticed nothing of the sort. His thoughts were still fixed on the message his master had just sent.

The Thousand Radiance Ghost King?

It seemed his master already knew who stood behind that ghost cultivator. Since the man was called a Ghost King, he was undoubtedly a powerful existence comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator in the cultivation world—in other words, someone on the same level as Qin Xuan’s master.

Cultivators began with Qi Refinement, the initial stage of entry into the path. Next came Foundation Establishment, when one successfully laid the foundation for cultivation. After that came the Golden Core stage, followed by the Nascent Soul stage.

For swordsmen, condensing a Sword Heart was equivalent to Foundation Establishment, while transforming the Sword Heart into physical form was equivalent to forming a Golden Core. Liu Wuya had now reached the stage where his Sword Heart was fully matured and he had achieved unity between man and heaven. Against a Nascent Soul cultivator, he would not be at the slightest disadvantage.

“The Thousand Radiance Ghost King… He actually managed to provoke an old monster at the Nascent Soul stage. Good grief. I hope nothing goes wrong. Fortunately, Master has already made arrangements…”

Qin Xuan knew that if he confronted someone at that level head-on, he would certainly die without a burial place. The gap between them was simply too vast.

Just then, the three of them finally pushed open the door and entered the main hall. Almost simultaneously, they realized that something was wrong.

“Shuixian?”

Liu Qianqian called out as she looked around.

Qin Xuan stared at the table. Unlike usual, there was no enticing dinner waiting for them. Not a single light was burning anywhere in the villa, leaving the entire place cold and deserted.

Where had Shuixian gone?

Dongfang Qingwan appeared even more anxious. She hurried into the kitchen and looked around, but Shuixian was nowhere to be found.

Could she be resting in the rear garden, having forgotten to prepare dinner?

That thought crossed Qin Xuan’s mind. He searched the rear garden, but still found no sign of her.

“Qin Xuan, what should we do?”

Dongfang Qingwan hurried over to him, at a loss. Shuixian had saved her life, and the two of them had always shared a close relationship.

Returning home to find Shuixian gone filled her with panic.

If Shuixian had merely been human, there would have been little cause for alarm. But Dongfang Qingwan knew that she was a demon—and a beautiful flower demon at that.

Could someone have abducted her?

Liu Qianqian comforted her from the side. “It’s all right, Qingwan. Maybe Shuixian simply went out to play?”

“She wouldn’t. I told her not to leave casually unless she had something important to do.”

Qin Xuan frowned.

“Exactly. Even if she had gone out, she would never have forgotten to prepare dinner. Something must have happened.”

Dongfang Qingwan spoke with absolute certainty.

Now Liu Qianqian began to suspect something as well. Indeed, given Shuixian’s temperament, even if she had needed to leave for some reason, she would certainly have prepared dinner first and informed them beforehand.

“Qin Xuan, do you think someone might have captured Shuixian?” Liu Qianqian suddenly asked. “Last time, didn’t you deal with some old Taoist from the Purple Gold Temple? You said he was trying to capture Shuixian… Could it be him?”

“The Purple Gold Temple. Daoist Ascension…” Qin Xuan nodded gravely. “It’s possible.”

Although Daoist Ascension, his senior disciple, and his two junior disciples could not enter the villa, abducting Shuixian would have been exceedingly easy with adequate preparation. All they needed was to find a few strong men; they could break into the villa and carry her away without difficulty.

The Evil-Repelling Restriction and the Purple Star Yin-Yang Formation were designed to target ghosts, monsters, and those who had committed murderous deeds. Naturally, they could not stop ordinary people.

“You stay here and do not go outside. I’m going to look for her.”

Qin Xuan turned and headed out.

Liu Qianqian was eager to join him, but she knew someone had to remain behind to watch over Dongfang Qingwan. She hurriedly flashed in front of Qin Xuan.

“Little Qin Xuan, you stay here and protect Qingwan. How about I go look for that Taoist?”

“Do you know where to find them?”

Qin Xuan did not agree. Instead, he questioned her.

“If I don’t know, can’t I search? Or do you know?”

Liu Qianqian countered.

“I can call my senior brother and ask him. What about you?”

“I…”

Liu Qianqian was left speechless and retreated to one side in frustration.

“Girl, just stay put and wait for me to bring Shuixian back.”

With that, Qin Xuan’s figure flashed and vanished.

Dongfang Qingwan stood dazed at the villa entrance, her heart still filled with worry. Neither she nor the others had been home all day, and no one knew how long Shuixian had been missing. There was no way to guarantee that nothing had happened during that time.

What if it really was that Taoist from before who had abducted her?

From Dongfang Qingwan’s perspective, the Taoist wanted to capture Shuixian simply because she was a demon. If she had fallen into their hands, would they exorcise her? Seal her away? Or do something else?

Qin Xuan had never told them that Daoist Ascension and his followers sought to capture Shuixian for a far more sinister purpose. They had surely already harmed quite a number of beautiful female demons.