Chapter 53: Convergence

Where is the Mountain Cave?

This question made Xiaosuisui shake her head gently. "I don’t know," she said. "Brother Yanchen told me he doesn’t even know how to get to that Mountain Cave."

"But where nearby could there be a Mountain Cave?"

Zhu Xiuxiu usually wasn’t the type to stay cooped up at home, but she hadn’t noticed any Mountain Caves around the village.

"There’s a THUMP THUMP THUMP sound, and the smell of incense that Auntie Zhou burns for their Ancestors."

Xiaosuisui repeated everything Zhou Yanchen had said. Zhu Xiuxiu gleaned useful information from this and, without saying anything further, immediately headed to the Hall.

In the Hall, Ji Youzhi had finished asking what he wanted to know. Just then, a white pigeon landed on his wrist. He read the message conveyed by the constables: several children had also gone missing from Ling Village overnight.

Ji Youzhi planned to go to the town immediately and meet with the constables.

Just as he stepped out of the house, he heard Zhu Xiuxiu call out, "Uncle Qi, wait!"

Ji Youzhi stopped and looked at her. "Is there something, Third Sister-in-law?"

"Look for a Mountain Cave. There should be a THUMP THUMP THUMP sound nearby, and a smell of incense ashes."

"How did you know?"

Ji Youzhi was stunned, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Trust me. Search in this direction; you won’t go wrong."

Zhu Xiuxiu had originally wanted to say that Suisui had told her.

But Uncle Qi doesn’t know about Suisui’s abilities, she thought. He likely wouldn’t believe a four-and-a-half-year-old child.

So, she chose not to mention it.

"Alright! Thank you, Third Sister-in-law. I’ll get going now."

After saying that, Ji Youzhi turned to leave.

However, Xiaosuisui suddenly darted out and clung tightly to Ji Youzhi’s leg, refusing to let go.

"Uncle Qi, Feifei!"

Ji Youzhi was speechless. "..."

Zhu Xiuxiu asked, "You took her to the foot of White Cloud Mountain using your lightness skill?"

Ji Youzhi grimaced. "Desperate times call for desperate measures!" Then, he gestured with his chin towards Zhu Xiuxiu, signaling her to coax the little girl.

Zhu Xiuxiu squatted down. "Suisui, be good and play with Third Aunt at home, alright? Uncle Qi is going to find Brother Yanchen. If you go with him, you’ll delay his journey."

But the little girl shook her head, hugging Ji Youzhi’s leg even tighter.

"No, no, no! I told Brother Yanchen I would go find him!"

One must always keep their word. She had said she was going to find Brother Yanchen, and so she would.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiuxiu’s mouth twitched. "Did you really tell him that?"

Xiaosuisui nodded vigorously. "I did, I did!"

Zhu Xiuxiu stopped trying to coax her.

Perhaps the little girl really could find him if she went.

Ji Youzhi, however, was reluctant. He needed to meet with the men from the Government Office.

What would they think if they saw a grown man like him carrying a small child?

Thinking this, he bent down to coax her. "Suisui, be good. Uncle Qi will get very tired carrying you and doing Feifei. Uncle Qi won’t do Feifei this time."

Xiaosuisui blinked. "Then Suisui will carry Uncle Qi and do Feifei! Suisui won’t get tired!"

Ji Youzhi was speechless again. "..."

This child doesn’t understand at all, he thought. I can’t reason with her.

"Fine, take her with you!" Zhu Xiuxiu made the decision. She took a face veil from her sleeve and put it on Xiaosuisui. "Keep wearing this, and don’t take it off."

Xiaosuisui nodded furiously. "I won’t take it off, I won’t! I’ll keep it on for a lifetime!"

Zhu Xiuxiu gently pinched her little nose and then let them go.

Of course, Xiaosuisui wouldn’t be the one to do Feifei. It was only fun if Uncle Qi did Feifei.

The uncle and niece quickly arrived at Baiyun Town and stopped in front of a small Tavern. This was the agreed-upon meeting point with the men from the Government Office.

"Why haven’t they arrived yet? Isn’t our Great Han’s number one Divine Hunter supposed to possess unparalleled lightness skills, said to be at the peak of perfection? Ling Village isn’t that far from here!"

As the man spoke, he was completely unaware that a young man carrying a small child was passing right by him.