Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The voice carried a hint of familiarity, but by the time Zhong Yixiao came to his senses, the person had already hastened to the stairs.

Zhong Yixiao let out a sigh and took a few steps to follow, but then remembered a child was supposed to be in his room, distracted by the beauty, his face flushed with embarrassment and shame.

Thinking of his child as more important, Zhong Yixiao quickly entered the room to find a shallow puddle on the floor and steam rising from the warm water in the tub, the room filled with a sweet, intoxicating scent.

Zhong Yixiao lost in thought staring at the bucket of hot water, wondering if it was used by that person.

The image of that person's clear, cold eyes flashed in his mind, causing his ears to turn red, and he shook his head, calling out "Jiaojiao" while searching the room.

Searching the entire room, even under the bed, Zhong Yixiao found no one, starting to panic, he hurriedly left to ask around, running into Zhuang Feiyu.

Upon seeing him, Zhong Yixiao urgently asked, "Brother Zhuang, have you seen Jiaojiao?"

Zhuang Feiyu, never seeing him so anxious, was also puzzled.

"Young Master Mo? Wasn't he always with you?"

Zhong Yixiao searched the inn frantically, causing a commotion that woke everyone, even alerting Alliance Leader Murong. By the time Mo Jiao heard about it, some time had passed.

Having regained his original form, Mo Jiao couldn't stay by Zhong Yixiao's side any longer, grabbing one of Zhong Yixiao's white robes, running out barefoot. Fortunately, the Left Protector, disguised as a coachman, was still there. Mo Jiao ran to the straw room where the Left Protector slept, waking him from his deep sleep.

Woken abruptly, the Left Protector swung a slap without seeing clearly, muttering "Don't bother me," but missed and got slapped to the ground instead. Realizing it was Mo Jiao, he was both shocked and frightened, quickly kneeling.

"Your... Your Excellency! How did you change back?!"

"Quiet, fool!" Mo Jiao scolded with a frown, "Do you want to draw all the righteous people here?"

The Left Protector immediately covered his mouth, looking around cautiously. Luckily, the door was shut. Mo Jiao turned away, adjusting his tight clothing, feeling constricted due to the smaller size.

The Left Protector gingerly touched his swollen right cheek, almost too swollen to be concealed by his human skin mask...

Feeling utterly wronged, he, the formidable Left Protector of the demonic sect, disguised as a lowly coachman and still often beaten, lamented his miserable existence.

Mo Jiao took a breath, wondering about Zhong Yixiao's situation and whether he would be anxious not finding his child. Mo Jiao quickly dismissed the thought; now back to his original form, there was no need to hide like a child. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to confront Qin Yu and seize the Qilin Exhaust?

"Why stay in such a place?"

While the Left Protector wallowed in self-pity, Mo Jiao's comment instantly switched his expression to one of grievance. If not for the sect leader's command to disguise as a coachman, would he stoop to living in a straw hut?

Mo Jiao, indifferent to his plight, ordered, "No need for disguise anymore. Get ready; we're leaving immediately."

The Left Protector tearfully complied, "Yes."

Mo Jiao decided to leave, finding the inn in utter chaos.

With Zhong Yixiao frantic and Murong Qing helpless, the entire inn was searched to no avail for the child that came with Zhong Yixiao. Zhong Yixiao, unable to maintain his composure, decided to search outside the inn, suspecting the child might have wandered off to explore the streets.

Zhuang Feiyu and Su Jingchuan, at Murong Qing's hint, joined him in the search, knowing the success of borrowing the Qilin Exhaust to save Murong Ling depended on Zhong Yixiao. Master He Yun of the Xianxia Sect, having stayed out of the martial world for years except for a recent challenge to the demonic sect leader, was nearly forgotten.

With no alliances in the martial world, not even with the martial alliance leader, but always siding with them during demonic exterminations, the Xianxia Sect's aloof and independent image was well established, making it uncertain for Murong Qing to borrow the sect's sacred Qilin Exhaust without a mediator.

Zhong Yixiao, as the direct disciple of Master He Yun, increased the chances of success with his involvement.

Yet, the usually calm and gentle Son of Snow Pavilion lost his composure, frantically searching for the child throughout Taoyuan Town under the heavy night, spending the entire night looking.

Naturally, the search yielded no results, and they returned to the inn empty-handed.

This wasn't the first time such a disappearance had occurred; last time, Mo Jiao said he was taken away by his uncle. Zhong Yixiao, frantic and eventually ending up in Qin Yu's hands, was relieved when the child returned, as they had only known each other for a few days back then.

But having cared for the child for nearly two months, Zhong Yixiao's affection had deepened. Losing the child this time filled him with guilt and worry, fearing Mo Jiao had wandered too far and couldn't find his way back, possibly hiding and crying in some dark alley...

...Though crying was unlikely; the child never shed tears.

Zhong Yi Xiao then thought of another possibility: what if the child had been kidnapped, trapped in a dark room with other children, dirty and pitifully huddled in a corner, waiting for rescue.

"Brother Zhong, don't worry too much. Although we can't find the person, that child might still be waiting for you somewhere. We mustn't lose our composure," Su Jingchuan said, patting Zhong Yi Xiao on the shoulder with a sigh.

"I was just as anxious when my junior sister was captured."

Zhong Yi Xiao looked somewhat pale, and Zhuang Fei Yu also advised, "Come on, isn't Master Mo skilled in martial arts? Ah Xiao, you shouldn't worry blindly. Maybe Master Mo went somewhere we didn't notice?"

Hearing this, Murong Qing also said, "Yes, Young Master Zhong, you were with that child all of yesterday. Do you know when he disappeared, or if he met anyone before that?"

Zhong Yi Xiao, who hadn't slept all night, looked extremely serious. After hearing the three men's words, he calmed down slightly and began to recall, "Last night, I had the inn's servant prepare hot water for Jiao Jiao to bathe, then I went downstairs for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, bought some candy on the street, and when I came back..."

At this point, Zhong Yi Xiao suddenly widened his eyes, his tone unexpectedly rising.

"When I came back, there was another man in my room!"

"A man?"

The other three showed expressions of finally finding a clue, and Murong Qing pressed, "What did this man look like?"

Zhong Yi Xiao frowned, "I don't know him. When I entered, he was... bathing. I thought I had entered the wrong room, so I left. Later, when I went back, he had come out, claiming he had entered the wrong room... then he left. When I returned to the room, Jiao Jiao was gone."

Speaking somewhat shamefully, and even with difficulty, but Zhong Yi Xiao still honestly said, "I had never seen that man before, nor was he a guest at the inn. I don't know his name or who he is, only that he was very handsome, exceptionally beautiful..."

With that, the three at the table exchanged even more embarrassed looks with Zhong Yi Xiao.

Moments later, Zhuang Fei Yu cleared his throat twice, breaking the awkward silence.

"Cough cough, that, Ah Xiao, did that... very handsome man say anything to you?"

Describing a man as handsome made Zhong Yi Xiao blush to even speak of it, but it was the truth, and in searching for this person, he couldn't overlook any detail.

With a flushed face, Zhong Yi Xiao said, "I've truly never seen him before. His appearance is very distinctive; anyone who sees him once would not forget his face. I don't know if anyone in the inn has seen him. He didn't say much, just that he had entered the wrong room and then left."

Murong Qing stroked his beard, retracting his probing gaze, and asked, "Then, have you lost anything?"

Zhong Yixiao blinked, saying, "No, it seems nothing valuable was lost. The only thing missing... is our Jiaojiao."

Hearing this, Su Jingchuan suggested, "Could that very beautiful man have taken your child?"

"Chuan'er!"

Murong Qing chided the use of such an informal nickname, leaving Su Jingchuan to sheepishly lower his head.

Zhong Yixiao felt there was merit in the idea, realizing, "Right, why didn't I think of that? I asked the servant, and after he delivered the water, no one approached my room. Yet, that man appeared out of nowhere, and after he left, Jiaojiao was gone..."

He was mostly convinced by his own speculation.

Zhuang Feiyu, seeing his thought process, agreed, "That person who suddenly appeared in your room could indeed have taken Young Master Mo. But what was his purpose?"

With no one knowing his motives, they pondered in silence until Murong Qing suddenly said, "This is Taoyuan Town, not far from Hongxiang Valley, which is filled with poisonous creatures no one dares to enter. Without the Qilin Exhaust, and with Master He Yun not yet arrived, Yan Suiyu won't let us into the valley. But Young Master Zhong, your child disappeared soon after your arrival. Could this be related to..."

"I also think this might be connected to Hongxiang Valley," Su Jingchuan added.

Zhuang Feiyu was skeptical of this theory, while Zhong Yixiao, now prone to believe anything, decisively said, "I'll ask around again to see if anyone saw the man in my room last night."

Zhuang Feiyu, suspecting Zhong Yixiao knew something, stood up, offering, "I'll come with you."

With a grave expression and a nod, Zhong Yixiao excused himself from Murong Qing and Su Jingchuan, departing with Zhuang Feiyu to continue their search.