In the mist, from the valley covered with pink petals on the other side of the lake came a lingering sound of melancholy music.
Standing in the white pavilion by the lake, Liu Wuyi felt like his patience began to grow thin. His son had been missing for days. How could he stay calm? However, no matter how anxious he was, he had to wait patiently, because as a loser, he was not eligible to step into the valley!
âBrother Liu, it has been years since we parted. How are you doing?â A voice rang loudly in the mist and that mysterious person Liu Wuyi had been waiting for finally showed up.
âBrother Yan, how are you doing?â Liu Wuyi greeted him, managing to hold back his impatience and anger.
After a short moment, a man dashed to him, skimming the lake. âBrother Liu, Youâve been a recluse for years. Itâs an honor to have you come to see me!â
âBrother Yan, Iâm flattered!â Liu Wuyi forced a smile.
Sensing something wrong, Yan Ke asked in confusion, âBrother Liu, you donât look in a good mood. Whatâs wrong?â
âHumph!â Liu Wuyi put away his smile with a snort. âLetâs put it straight. Whereâs my son?â he asked with a sullen look.
âYour⦠son?â Yan Ke was caught dumbfounded. âBrother Liu, how come Iâve never heard of your son?â
âBrother Yan, donât play dumb! Iâm sure you have known Zixiu is a boy!â
âWhat?!â Yan Ke was almost chocked by his own saliva. He widened his eyes in astonishment as if he had just heard the most absurd thing in the world.
Seeing that, Liu Wuyi grew even angrier. âBrother Yan, it has never occurred to me that some people would have kidnapped my son with dirty tricks! Maybe they did this becauseâ¦â
âWait!â Yan Ke interrupted him, waving his hand. âZixiu is a boy? How could your daughter turn into a boy?â he still couldnât believe what he had heard.
âIâm not joking! Zixiu is a boy and heâll marry a woman and have children in the future, so he canât marry Lingxiao. Brother Yan, youâd better find a decent girl for your son asap!â
âItâs⦠impossible! I saw it clearly that Zixiu was a girl when she was a baby!â
âAre you suggesting that I donât even know the gender of my own child?â Liu Wuyi said with a serious look. âIn any case, Zixiu wonât marry Lingxiao. Brother Yan, please donât make things difficult for us!â
Yan Ke was stupefied again. âBrother Liu, I donât understand what youâre talking about.â
âHumph!â Liu Wuyiâs voice sounded even colder. âBrother Yan, Lingxiao has reached the age of marriage, right? Even if it has never occurred to you to let him marry Zixiu anytime soon, your disciple, Luo Huali, is already eighteen and you must have allowed him to leave the valley⦠Dare you swear Zixiuâs disappearance has nothing to do with people of your sect?â
âImpossible! Huali is a good boy and he would never do such an indecent thing. Lingxiao is still in secluded cultivation, so he wouldnât haveâ¦â The rest words suddenly got stuck in Yan Keâs throat and his face turned pale as if he had just been struck by lightning. âThat brat has never been so obedient. How could he have been practicing martial arts for more than five days in a row? Gosh! I must have been fooled!â
âBrother Liu, calm down! Iâll be back soon!â With that, Yan Ke disappeared in the mist like a gust of wind.
âWhat the hell is going on?â Liu Wuyi had been certain that Yan Ke must have something to do with Zixiuâs missing, but now he wavered. After pondering for a while, he still couldnât connect his senior brother with a coward who dared not admit what he had done.
However, as he couldnât practice martial arts anymore since he had gotten injured years ago, he didnât dare enter the Valley of Fallen Blossoms recklessly, so he had to wait by the lake.
âAlas! Whereâs my stupid son? He doesnât even know how to use Qing Kung. What if he meets the bandits?â