The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan stood in the crowd, watching the Taoist priest make hand gestures and mutter incantations. It was unclear whether he was performing a ritual or calculating something; his Taoist robe was quite ornate.

It was an open-fronted robe, reaching down to the calves. Though described as a Taoist robe, it looked more like a long gown, with no sleeves. The sleeves were the same length as the body, suggesting it was custom-made for him.

The Taoist robe was embroidered with various auspicious Taoist patterns: the sun, moon, stars, the Eight Trigrams pagoda, dragons, phoenixes, cranes, and so on. The gold and silver threads gave it an air of nobility and luxury. Wang Zhenhuan tilted his head and whispered to Ao Shuang, "..."

"Brother, this Taoist priest must be no ordinary person, right? His Taoist robe is so magnificent..." Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged Taoist priest turned to look at them.

"Shh—" Ao Shuang reached out and hurriedly interrupted him. She pulled him behind her and then cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to the middle-aged Taoist. The Taoist saw Ao Shuang's gesture.

Her expression softened, she nodded to him, and then turned away. Ao Shuang pulled Wang Huanzhen out of the crowd and to a corner before saying to him, "It's not good to talk about others to their faces."

"I didn't expect that Taoist priest could hear from such a distance." Wang Zhenhuan was also a little frightened. They were a good dozen feet away from the Taoist priest.

He spoke softly into the Taoist's ear, and to his surprise, the Taoist could hear him. This alone was enough to confirm that the Taoist's cultivation was not low. Moreover, judging from the respectful attitude of the surrounding soldiers towards him...

This person must have deep connections with the government, and might even be an official. After hearing Wang Huanzhen's words, Ao Shuang rolled her eyes at him and said, "How low could a Taoist priest in purple robes be in terms of cultivation?"

The robe was exquisitely crafted, embroidered with gold and silver threads; it was clearly no ordinary item. If I'm not mistaken, it must have been a gift from the Emperor, specially commissioned for this purpose.

"The current emperor? Then isn't this Taoist priest some kind of imperial advisor? No wonder the soldiers around him are so respectful. But now the Jurchens are advancing south, and Tokyo is besieged..."

"Why is this person not in the capital city of Tokyo, but in this small town?" Wang Zhen asked with some doubt.

"Who knows? Perhaps he sensed that the Song Dynasty's fate was sealed. Or perhaps he never had any desire to become an official. Such a wise person is beyond our comprehension. Since he has arranged for soldiers to seal off the surrounding area..."

"We don't need to get involved in this matter anymore. You were in such a hurry to come back earlier because you were looking for someone, weren't you? Why aren't you in a hurry now?" Ao Shuang waved her hand at him and said.

"Oh right, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it, brother." Wang Zhenhuan hurriedly stood up and asked the people around him. He asked more than a dozen people, and they all shook their heads, indicating that they didn't know.

Those who knew said that almost no one from the vicinity of the Huaihe River sinkhole had managed to escape. Wang Zhenhuan grew increasingly uneasy as he listened; could it be that Xiao Liuzi had really fallen into the sinkhole?

For a moment, he was completely bewildered. He had clearly met Xiao Liuzi just before descending into the cave. He never imagined that this meeting would be their last. In truth, he had already come to terms with it.

Since the two had met and become acquainted, it must be fate. He had even planned to take Xiao Liuzi south with him, but unexpectedly… He patted his head in frustration.

The series of events that had occurred in the past few days had left him completely disoriented. So much so that he forgot to say goodbye to Xiao Liu Zi before leaving. If it were before he and Ao Shuang went down into the cave...

Tell Xiao Liuzi to stay away from here, and this won't happen. He held his head and squatted on the ground, his heart filled with self-blame and regret.

Seeing this, Ao Shuang squatted down beside him. She patted his shoulder and comforted him, "This is not your fault. I didn't expect that the ancient ferocious beast Qiongqi would be suppressed beneath that cave."

It wasn't you or me that caused this cave to collapse, but rather the Qiongqi. You don't need to blame yourself. Besides, I observed that the waiter wasn't stupid; the earth dragon had already turned over before the barrier shattered.

Maybe he's already escaped. He's not here; he's probably somewhere else, waiting for us to come back and find him.

Wang Huanzhen raised his head upon hearing Ao Shuang's words. Looking at the blinding sunlight in the sky, a sudden thought flashed through his mind: Ao Shuang was right; just because they didn't see Xiao Liuzi here didn't mean he was dead.

He felt as if he had forgotten something, having been knocked unconscious by the river's backflow the previous night. Although he had woken up long ago, his mind remained hazy, making it difficult for him to think clearly.

Wang Huanzhen frowned, racking his brains to figure out what he had forgotten. Where was he waiting for him? Where? Waiting for him? Suddenly, Wang Huanzhen remembered that he had gone to Puji Temple with Xiao Liuzi that day.

The first place Xiao Liuzi took him to was the Earth God Temple at the foot of Puji Temple Mountain. He jumped up in surprise, pointed at Ao Shuang, and shouted, "I know!! The Earth God Temple!!"

"What land temple? This land temple in Xiayi has been abandoned for many years. Now, I guess only the foundation is left." Ao Shuang explained subconsciously, completely confused.

"It's the Earth God Temple. Xiao Liuzi told me before that he was an orphan since childhood, and the temple keeper raised him. And that day when I went to Puji Temple..."

Xiao Liuzi once took me to the ruins of this earth god temple. Brother, you were right before. If Xiao Liuzi had fled for refuge beforehand, the only place I could think of was the earth god temple we had visited together!

Wang Zhenhuan explained to Ao Shuang as he quickly walked out of town. Hearing his explanation, Ao Shuang suddenly understood. After a moment's thought, he nodded.

"Very likely! Since this local temple is the only place he's ever been with you, he might be waiting for you there. Let's go! Let's hurry over and check!"

As Ao Shuang spoke, she quickened her pace to catch up with Wang Huanzhen. The two of them jogged along, quickly leaving Xiayi Town. Wang Huanzhen followed the familiar path up the mountain.

Arriving at the dilapidated earth god temple, Wang Zhenhuan was the first to step inside. He was about to enter the courtyard when Ao Shuang stopped him, looking solemnly at the entrance and speaking softly.

"Be careful, something's not right in this courtyard."

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Zhenhuan closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, but found nothing amiss. He then looked up at Ao Shuang and asked, "What do you mean by that, brother?"

"There are indeed people in this courtyard, but the aura they exude is more like that of an anomaly," Ao Shuang explained after glancing at him.

Wang Zhenhuan was startled and quickly activated his spiritual energy to protect himself. After exchanging a glance with Ao Shuang, they entered the courtyard one after the other. There, they saw a familiar figure with his back to them.

Wang Zhenhuan instinctively called out, "Little Six!!"

Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, the figure turned and glanced at him before running into the woods...