Chapter 65
Shortly after Yu Tianqi left Xingfu Community.
In a hospital somewhere in Jiangnan City, a male doctor who was sleeping in a dormitory suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.
He pinched his chin and muttered to himself, "Is Taoist Tianqi also in Jiangnan City? Then this matter is becoming a bit difficult to handle."
"If he finds my location, I'll be skinned alive even if I don't die."
"But now the plan has been carried out for the most part. If I dare to abandon it halfway, the deputy leader will not let me go easily."
"It seems that I must speed up the search for the 'Holy Seed.' After all, the 'Holy Seed' that I refined by sacrificing half of the city of Jiangnan cannot be left here like this. I must reclaim it."
"The Holy Seed blooms once every ten years and bears fruit once every ten years. Calculating the time, the day when the Holy Seed blooms and bears fruit is not far away."
"In less than a year, the fragrance of the Black Lotus will waft through Jiangnan City, and by then, it will have nowhere to hide."
"Before that, I must first find something for the old guys in the city to distract them."
"Otherwise, bringing the Holy Seed back to the cult safely won't be an easy task."
After finishing his thoughts, the male doctor returned to bed and lay under the quilt.
A while later, he woke up again.
He touched his dizzy head and looked around with puzzled eyes.
"Strange... Why do I feel like I've woken up once already? Could it be that I have a sleepwalking problem?"
"Forget it; I'll ask the teacher for help later. Maybe it's just the excessive pressure from work that's causing my hallucinations."
After saying that, the male doctor stood up, put on his clothes, and walked out of the dormitory.
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At eight o'clock in the evening, in Jiangnan City, in a dilapidated residential building located in the southern part of the city.
Zhao Lu's mother took leave from her housekeeping job early today because it was her son Zhao Lu's 18th birthday.
She wanted to celebrate with him.
Having placed the birthday cake she bought specially in the refrigerator, Zhao Lu's mother carefully took out her mobile phone and nervously checked the text messages that still had no reply.
"Strange, why hasn't my son replied yet? Today is his 18th birthday. Didn't he say he would come back?"
"But it's already eight o'clock in the evening; he should have been home a long time ago. What if he had an accident on the way?"
Thinking this, Zhao Lu's mother hesitated for a long time and decided to call her son.
But after hearing the busy tone on the other end of the line for a prolonged period, she began to feel inexplicably uneasy.
She tried several more times, but still, there was no answer.
As a result, Zhao Lu's mother became even more anxious.
"No, my son is so sensible; he should be fine."
"I guess he was delayed by something at school and didn't bring his phone with him, so he didn't call me back."
"Yes, that's it..."
Although she comforted herself this way, Zhao Lu's mother was still unsettled.
Then she thought for a moment and called Zhao Lu's class teacher first.
Upon learning that Zhao Lu had left school early that day, Zhao Lu's mother immediately turned pale.
She then called Bian Shouyi without hesitation.
After all, the only person she could think of who might find her son was Young Master Bian, who grew up with him.
"What's wrong, Auntie? What happened?" Bian Shouyi, who was practicing swordsmanship, put down the wooden sword in his hand, picked up his mobile phone, and asked.
"Master Bian, did Lu'er come to see you today?"
"Zhao Lu? I didn't see him today; what's going on?"
Hearing that Bian Shouyi had not seen Zhao Lu, Zhao Lu's mother completely panicked and became somewhat incoherent.
"Um, Master Bian, that is, Lu'er seems to be missing. I asked his class teacher, and the teacher said that he left school early."
"He promised he'd come back for dinner today, but he hasn't returned yet."
Hearing the anxiety in Zhao Lu's mother's voice, Bian Shouyi comforted her while putting on a coat hanging next to him and walking out of the practice room.
"Auntie, don't worry. I bet Zhao Lu is just busy with something, and that's why he hasn't come back yet."
"I'll go out and contact someone I know for you. I believe we should be able to find him. Don't worry too much."
"Okay, okay, thank you, Master Bian."
"Don't worry, Auntie; it's going to be alright. Zhao Lu isn't a child anymore; he'll be fine."
"Um..."
After Zhao Lu's mother hung up the phone, she stood in the dim old living room for a long time, then immediately grabbed the bicycle key hanging by the door and hurriedly left the house.
Even though Bian Shouyi kept comforting her, she still felt inexplicably anxious.
Zhao Lu's father had died in the chaos ten years ago, and she had raised Zhao Lu alone.
In many ways, Zhao Lu was everything to her. She dared not consider what would happen if something were to happen to him.
So Zhao Lu's mother decided to look for him herself.
The first place she was going was Jiangnan No. 3 High School, where Zhao Lu studied.
Boom!
Just as Zhao Lu's mother exited her community on her bike, thunder roared in the sky.
Soon, large raindrops fell from the sky, drenching all of Jiangnan City in a hazy rain curtain.
In her hurry to leave, Zhao Lu's mother didn't have time to check the weather and had not brought any rain gear.
She pedaled her bike, allowing the cold rain to pelt her face.
The downpour made it difficult for her to open her eyes, forcing her to squint as she navigated.
As she turned off a pedestrian street on her bike, a bright light suddenly flashed beside her.
The next second, she heard the sharp screech of tires, and then she felt dizzy and was flung backward.
In a daze, she vaguely saw a crowd suddenly gather around her.
They surrounded her, their faces filled with terror, shouting something.
But although they were panicking and yelling, Zhao Lu's mother couldn't hear a word.
...
Two days later, Bian Shouyi and his parents found themselves at a funeral.
Bian Shouyi looked at the photo of Zhao Lu's mother on the tombstone, his face bearing the same expressionless demeanor that had persisted through the years.
After an unknown amount of time, Bian Shouyi suddenly turned his head and looked at his father.
"Father, Uncle Lu and the others still haven't found Zhao Lu?"
Bian Shouyi's father shook his head and replied, "No, they checked the surveillance cameras near the school and found that Zhao Lu seemed to avoid the cameras. After running toward the suburbs in the south of the city, he hid and disappeared."
Hearing this, Bian Shouyi appeared to consider something and whispered, "Okay, got it."
Having said that, he turned and walked out of the cemetery.
Seeing him in such a state, his mother seemed to want to speak.
But before she could say anything, her husband beside her grabbed her and shook his head, signaling her not to say anything unnecessary.
After Bian Shouyi walked away, his father said, "My son has grown up. He knows right from wrong in certain matters. Let him handle it."
"But Captain Lu said that Zhao Lu..."
"Don't worry; I'll have someone follow him discreetly."
"And Captain Lu mentioned that the high-ranking officials from the Mountain and Sea Division have also rushed to the southern part of the city, so Shouyi will be fine."
As he spoke, Bian Shouyi's father looked at Bian Shouyi's back and said slowly, "Shouyi has had such a smooth life. I hope that after this incident, he can gain some insights."
"Let's hope he doesn't suddenly realize that he is alone on the path of cultivation."
Despite Bian Shouyi's father saying all this, Bian Shouyi's mother still looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Seeing her uncertainty, Bian Shouyi's father raised his one-armed left hand, patted her shoulder, and said comfortingly, "Alright, let's go home; our son won't let us down."
"Alright..."
No one in this world can stay with you forever. Not even your shadow will be present on a cloudy day.
Therefore, some things and some people, once missed, will be irretrievable.
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