He lowered the wooden sword to a relative altitude of 200 meters, flying at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour.
Forest peaks rose like bamboo shoots, amidst emerald waters and green mountains.
Deep-cut canyons, hanging waterfalls, layered terraced fields, and ancient temples on cold mountains passed by.
Pine waves obscured the sun, and brooks babbled...
Scene after scene of breathtaking beauty came into view.
After passing through dense primeval forests, hundred-zhang waterfalls, and a fairyland-like grand canyon, Tao Bai chose to land on the highest peak of Yue Province.
Having flown for nearly two hours, Tao Bai needed to come down to rest a bit and replenish his spiritual power.
"Achoo!"
When the wooden sword landed on the summit, the defensive shield automatically withdrew.
The biting cold air rolled over Gui Nianqiu, making her sneeze involuntarily.
The temperature here was only about 12 degrees Celsius.
Without much spiritual power to protect her body, Gui Nianqiu felt uncomfortably cold;
Her small face turned flushed, and she kept breathing warm air onto her hands.
A thousand mountains, no birds flying;
Ten thousand paths, no human traces.
From the mountaintop, the two could see scattered wooden houses in the distance, with smoke curling up from cooking fires in a few spots within the village among the terraced fields.
Gui Nianqiu threw herself into Tao Bai's arms to steal some warmth first.
Then she mumbled, "Tao Gege, I'm hungry."
"We'll go down the mountain right now to beg for alms,"
Tao Bai replied, patting Gui Nianqiu's head.
Then he began humming a little tune:
"The little monk went down the hill to beg for alms,
The old monk had a warning:
The women down the mountain are tigers; if you meet them, you must dodge...
Passing one village and then a stockade, the little monk pondered secretly:
Why do tigers not eat people, and why do they look so cute...
The old monk whispered to his disciple, this kind of tiger is the most dangerous of all..."
When he sang to this point, Gui Nianqiu punched him playfully from within his embrace.
Tao Bai ran a couple of steps away and continued humming:
"The little monk was so scared he ran away fast..."
Note: The song Tao Bai hummed is called 女人是老虎, the melody is brisk and lively.
With a thought, Gui Nianqiu took a cloak out of her storage pouch and draped it over her shoulders, then chased after Tao Bai.
Laughing and playing, the two descended the mountain.
They walked along a winding path to the entrance of the stockade.
Dried corn and chili peppers hung from the wooden houses on both sides of the green stone slab road.
The wooden door of the very first house was slightly ajar.
Tao Bai stepped forward and knocked.
A response came from inside, and a moment later, the wooden door opened with a creak.
An old woman wearing indigo-dyed homespun clothes poked her head out.
Gui Nianqiu stepped forward and spoke,
"Hello, Grandma. Sorry to disturb you. We are passing through and were wondering if we could exchange some money for a hot meal?"
The old woman looked the two up and down.
Both were carrying travel bags.
The woman was about 1.65 meters tall, wearing a camel-colored cloak, dressed in extraordinary attire. The man was 1.77 meters tall, looking quite tall, dressed in a Daoist robe that appeared to be of fine texture and high value, giving him an even more extraordinary bearing.
The old woman stepped aside.
"Come in.
The food in the mountains is simple.
I hope you don't mind.
As for money, just give whatever you see fit after you eat."
"Grandma, do you live here alone?"
Tao Bai asked curiously after entering the house, feeling that it was deserted yet sensing the aura of another person.
"Sigh,"
The old woman sighed.
"My granddaughter just came back for the holidays a few days ago, and then she disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
Tao Bai's brow furrowed. "How many days has it been? How old is she?"
"It's been three or four days. She just turned eighteen."
The old woman sighed again and added,
"There aren't many households in the village.
I've checked them one by one, but my granddaughter is nowhere to be found.
She might have gotten lost in the deep mountains and wild forests nearby.
I have no money, so the villagers aren't willing to organize a search party to go into the mountains, and my legs aren't good.
Sigh."
"Nianqiu, can you cook?"
"Of course."
"Then go help Grandma."
Gui Nianqiu responded and followed the old woman toward the kitchen.
She took down half a strip of cured meat, removed the rind, and sliced it deftly.
She washed some snow peas and wild vegetables, placing them in a basket.
The old woman sat on a small stool, adding firewood to the stove.
Before long, Gui Nianqiu served a plate of glistening stir-fried wild vegetables, followed by a plate of cured meat stir-fried with snow peas.
She served steaming bowls of rice for the old woman and Tao Bai, and finally filled a bowl for herself.
It was a simple meal, yet Gui Nianqiu ate with great relish, a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes.
Tao Bai also felt an appetite and ate heartily.
The three of them quickly finished the food.
Gui Nianqiu voluntarily cleared the dishes.
Tao Bai took out ten thousand yuan in cash from his bosom and handed it to the old woman.
The old woman tried to refuse, but she couldn't outlast Tao Bai and was "forced" to accept the money.
Feeling somewhat apologetic, she offered them a jar of candied fruit.
"Grandma, I might be able to try and help find your granddaughter.
But I need to know her name, her Ba-zi, and I need an article of intimate clothing she has worn recently,"
Note: The "Ba-zi" (八字:Eight Characters) in Chinese folklore.
Tao Bai said as he stood up.
"Young man, what did you say? You can really help me find my granddaughter?"
The old woman was agitated upon hearing this.
"I can't guarantee I'll find her, just that I'll try," Tao Bai said calmly.
Although with his Three Realms Origin Array, theoretically, as long as the soul was within the Three Realms—
Alive or dead—
It was almost impossible not to find it.
If her granddaughter were truly dead, or if the truth were far crueler than that, there would be no need to tell her the truth.
So, Tao Bai didn't want her to have too much hope.
"Okay, I'll go get her intimate clothing right now."
The old woman said, walking toward the wooden stairs.
Soon, the sound of footsteps came from upstairs.
Gui Nianqiu tugged at the corner of Tao Bai's robe.
"Tao Gege, can you really find her?"
Tao Bai gave Gui Nianqiu a look of certainty.
A moment later, the old woman came trembling down to Tao Bai, holding a pink bra and a pair of white panties with some slight stains, intending to hand both items to him.
"Grandma!"
Tao Bai hurriedly waved his hand, stopping her.
"The bra is enough. Take the panties back!"
The old woman placed the panties on the armrest of the wooden sofa in the living room, then walked up to Tao Bai and provided the name and the Ba-zi.
Pan Yaoyin.
After confirming the details with the old woman, Tao Bai took a sheet of talisman paper from his storage pouch and held it between his fingers.
The old woman only saw a talisman paper appear out of thin air in Tao Bai's hand and found it miraculous;
The hope in her heart grew unconsciously.
Gui Nianqiu, standing aside, was already accustomed to this.
The hovering talisman paper emitted an invisible suction force, frantically absorbing the residual aura from the underwear.
Tao Bai drew out some "blood of resentment" from his body, condensed it on his fingertip, wrote Pan Yaoyin's name and eight characters on both sides of the paper, and drew two runes.
"Blood guides the three souls, Qi connects the seven spirits. If the bones are not yet cold, obey my command. Origin must appear within the Three Realms. Talisman, go!"
As the incantation finished, the yellow talisman flew out of the house with a flutter, disappearing into the dim night.
A moment later, Tao Bai said to the old woman,
"I have a sensation, though the connection is very weak.
We'll go see what happened.
Grandma, you wait here at home.
If we haven't returned past the Hour of the Rat, it means even I am powerless in this matter."
"Go then."
The old woman's voice sounded weathered and weary.
"Nianqiu, let's go."