Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"whee."

"Please, please stop laughing... Your laughter makes me feel uneasy..."

-

When I opened my eyes, I was already in the main hall of my family's old temple.

"Well--"

Stretching and taking a breath of air so different from Hueco Mundo, Zheng Jing strode forward, pushed open the door of the main hall, went to the kitchen at the back to get a broom, mop, and rag, filled a bucket with water, and began cleaning the temple while humming a little tune.

He stayed with Lao Lan for almost a year. Although the flow of time was different on both sides, it was as if he hadn't cleaned the temple for several days in a row.

It's been a long time since I've done a proper cleaning. In the past, this would have taken Zheng Jing more than three hours, but now, even if I do it at a leisurely pace, it only takes less than an hour.

In the past, Tom used both his hands and feet to clean the kitchen; now, Zheng Jing has six arms to clean the old temple!

Wonderful, wonderful.

After putting the cleaning tools away, Zheng Jing clapped his hands, switched his four arms back to spirit mode, nodded in satisfaction, and then went to his room to get his phone.

The ultra-long standby time is really good. I haven't charged it for several days, and it still has 45% battery left.

"Ok?"

Zheng Jing, who was checking his account as usual to see if there were any pending messages from the past few days, discovered that Xue Qing still hadn't replied to his messages today.

Yes, it was the message he sent the day he set off to find Lao Lan, and Xue Qing still hasn't replied to it today.

what's the situation?

Zheng Jing scratched his cheek.

If it's normal that Xueqing hasn't come to the temple these past few days because she's been busy, then it's strange that she hasn't even replied to the message she sent that day.

Frowning, Zheng Jing shoved his phone into his pocket, grabbed a power bank with about 80% battery left and a charging cable, stuffed them into his backpack, and headed towards the temple gate.

"Hey, Zheng Jing, you're back!"

As Zheng Jing walked out and turned to lock the temple gate, an old man who had been strolling by called out to him.

"Teacher Liu."

Zheng Jing looked at him: "You're taking a walk by yourself today? Why didn't you bring Xiao Meng?"

Mr. Liu was the dean of studies at Zhengjing High School. He retired two years ago. Since then, on afternoons like this, as long as it doesn't rain, he takes his granddaughter Xiaomeng, who is on summer vacation, for a walk in the old street.

"Sigh, Xiaomeng's mom signed her up for a tutoring class..."

The old man shook his head.

"Let's not talk about that. Where did you and Xueqing go on vacation? You're back so soon, why didn't you stay a few more days—"

"Please wait a moment!"

Zheng Jing raised his hand, preventing the old man from starting with a long and difficult sentence.

"You mean, Xueqing and I are going on a trip?"

"Yeah, haha, Zheng Jing, you and Xue Qing are both adults now. There's no need to act like you did in high school. Besides, I never arrested you back then. Don't worry..."

"Please wait a moment. Um, who told you that Xueqing and I went on a trip together?"

"I heard from Xueqing's father that he took Xiaomeng to his place for dinner that day, but Xueqing wasn't there; her father said she was on vacation. When I brought Xiaomeng back, I happened to see you hanging a sign at the temple gate..."

At this point, Teacher Liu realized what was going on.

"What, you two... you really didn't sneak out together?"

Chapter 157: ?

Zheng Jing had barely entered the store when the proprietress, who was taking drinks out of the freezer behind the counter, noticed him.

"Hey! Sweetie, you're here!"

"Hello, Aunt Yu!"

Zheng Jing greeted him with a smile.

This Aunt Yu is Xueqing's mother, Dai Yu.

"Come on, sit inside, the air conditioning is really strong over there."

As she spoke, Aunt Yu walked over and handed Zheng Jing the iced cola she had just picked up.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Have a seat first, I'll come over as soon as I'm done here!"

Nowadays, most people order by scanning a QR code, and Xueqing's food stall is no exception. There's no need for Daiyu, the owner, to come and run around.

But those are customers from outside who come in to dine.

"No need, Aunt Yu, I'm here to see Xueqing."

"Ok?"

Aunt Yu was taken aback.

Didn't Xueqing tell you she went on a trip?

"Tourism? No."

Zheng Jing blinked, then asked, "Where did she go on vacation?"

"I remember we were going to Wujiang City, right?"

"Okay... I'll contact her online later! I'm off now, Aunt Yu!"

"What's the rush? Eat something before you go."

"No, no! You're busy, please give my regards to Uncle Cao!"

"Hey--"

Watching Zheng Jing run off with a grin, Aunt Yu couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

"This child, why are you being so polite with us?"

Zheng Jing wasn't just being polite.

He just hadn't figured out how to tell Aunt Cao Shuyu.

After starting university, Xueqing often traveled during holidays.

Moreover, each trip is very sudden.

They don't make plans or check travel guides; they always pack light and just go whenever they want.

If I can get in touch with Zheng Jing, I'll go with him.

If he couldn't get a meeting with Zheng Jing, he would go out alone.

Moreover, every time she goes on a trip, she only tells her family before leaving and rarely contacts them during the trip.

In addition, she hates taking photos, so you can't even tell where she is or what she's doing from her WeChat Moments.

It's like a koi fish that jumped from a pond into the world of martial arts.

After doing this so many times, Uncle Cao and Aunt Yu naturally got used to her whims.

But no matter the time, Xueqing never lost contact with Zheng Jing.

If it suddenly starts raining while she's hiking, she'll tell Zheng Jing.

If a restaurant on the street looks nice but is too expensive, she will talk to Zheng Jing about it.

Even when she bumped into Hakimi in a strange city, she had to chat with Zheng Jing about what color her dress was...

"Snapped."

Zheng Jing suddenly slapped his forehead hard.

He rushed over, forgetting the most direct and simple method.

Zheng Jing took out his phone and dialed Xue Qing's number.

"Hello, the user you are trying to reach has switched off their phone. Please try again later."

-

In the end, Zheng Jing turned back and told Aunt Cao about his suspicion that Xue Qing might have gotten into trouble.

Knowing that even Zheng Jing couldn't contact the other party, Uncle Cao also tried calling Xue Qing's cell phone to no avail, and immediately reported the case to the police.

"Uncle Cao, please feel free to contact me anytime if you have any news or if you need my help."

At the entrance of the Cao family's house, Zheng Jing changed his shoes while speaking to Xue Qing's father.

"Okay, okay... Zheng Jing, we really owe you a lot this time."

Cao Wenmiao forced a smile.

The strong and burly man reached out and patted Zheng Jing on the shoulder.

Zheng Jing could feel that the hands that had been flipping woks, stirring dishes, and chopping large pieces for over thirty years were trembling.

Why are you being so polite with me?

Zheng Jing smiled and opened the door to the Cao family's house.

"I'm leaving now, Uncle, please don't see me off. Take care of Aunt Yu."

"Okay, then be careful on your way."

"okay."

Zheng Jing closed the door.

Hearing the footsteps fading away outside the door, Cao Wenmiao sighed.

"Old Cao..."

Hearing the sound, he grimaced, concealing his weariness and worry, and turned around.

"Ayu, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll go check if there's enough food in the fridge."

Dai Yu shook her head vigorously, tears still streaming from her swollen eyes.

"Old Cao, if it weren't for me, Xueqing—"

"Don't overthink it!"

These words slipped out of her mouth, and Cao Wenmiao, realizing her mistake, quickly stepped forward and hugged Dai Yu, fearing her tone had been too harsh.

"Don't overthink it, this isn't your fault, and Xueqing will be fine..."

"..."

Outside the Cao family's gate, at the corner of the stairwell, Zheng Jing leaned against the wall with a furrowed brow.

He knew that Xueqing would travel frequently after starting university, which was indeed related to Aunt Yu.

Aunt Yu and Xueqing did not have a bad relationship.

As a stepmother, Aunt Yu truly treated Xueqing as her own daughter.

Xueqing acknowledged this, but some things...

In short, over the past ten years, Xueqing has felt respect and gratitude towards Aunt Yu, but unfortunately, she has not shown any familial affection for her.

"Miss Cao, Miss Cao, this time I really have to control you."

Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Zheng Jing went downstairs, found a bench in the community, sat down, and opened the control panel.

He can't just report the case and then do nothing but wait.

But right now, there seems to be only one clue: Xueqing's trip is scheduled to take her to Wujiang City.

Although relying on his perception to reach 19 points after activating the skill, Zheng Jing could search the entire city by force, but before taking action, he still wanted to see if there was a more efficient method.

With courtyard coins as payment, he can surely find items or players that can help improve the efficiency of finding people.

"Ok?"

As soon as Zheng Jing opened the exchange, he saw someone calling him in the trading group.

-

【Heavy as Mount Tai (Asia)】: Hey bro, are you there? @Like a handsome guy falling from the sky.