The young man surnamed Ye arrived at Flying Cloud Town under the cover of night and knocked on the tea stall owner's door.
He then went to the town's only inn, dragging the innkeeper out of bed.
"Young Master, the person you mentioned did indeed stay at my humble establishment for about half a month, but he left two days ago. There was indeed a little girl who came looking for him; she had come once a few days earlier. But that day, she happened to run into that guest as he was leaving, and the two of them went out together. Where they went, this humble one does not know."
"Do you know anything about this person's background?"
"This humble one does not know. I only know that guest seemed to be traveling around, somewhat mysterious."
The young man pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then do you know how he left? By horse or by carriage?"
"This... that guest hired a carriage to come to town. Oh, this humble one remembers now! The driver who brought him said mysteriously that this guest was 'not an ordinary person.' As for why specifically, this humble one does not know."
The young man had already reached a conclusion in his heart. This was no ordinary kidnapper, but a cultivator. He had abducted this little girl, though for what purpose was unknown.
"If Young Master is asking where this guest went, this humble one has a guess. We only have one main road here leading to Liancheng. No matter where this guest intended to go, it's eighty percent likely he would first go to Liancheng before deciding his direction."
The young man nodded, tossed over a piece of gold, then turned and leaped out the window, soaring into the air. The innkeeper was so startled he dropped the gold. This was truly not an ordinary person!
By now, the young man was thinking of the carriage he had encountered on the road. When his Divine Sense had swept over it, he had detected two low-level cultivators inside. At the time, he had assumed they were just ordinary loose cultivators wandering the mortal world, so his Divine Sense had swept past without a second thought. Now, thinking back, it was very likely they were the people he was looking for. However, he felt some confusion. There were two cultivators and one mortal on that carriage. The mortal was, of course, the driver. Could it be that the little girl had also become a cultivator?
Holding this question, he rode his flying sword, heading back along that road to search.
Inside the carriage, it was pitch black, but outside there was a faint glow. Mo Tiange, curious, leaned against the window, watching the stone the driver had placed in a lantern.
This was a Moonlight Stone. In the cultivation world, it wasn't considered particularly rare; many people used them as decorations in their Cave Abodes. But in the mortal world, it was a treasure worth a thousand pieces of gold.
She couldn't help but secretly take out her Liuli Bead, only to find it had no effect on the Moonlight Stone. It seemed the glow wasn't due to Spiritual Qi.
The Liuli Bead felt cool and smooth in her hand, emitting a hazy white light under the moonlight, seemingly absorbing Spiritual Qi again. Unfortunately, even if it absorbed to capacity now, she couldn't use it. Her meridians were blocked; Spiritual Qi simply couldn't enter.
She sighed helplessly and looked up at the perfectly round moon in the sky, only to jump in fright the next moment.
The moon... someone was flying past the moon!
Before she could make sense of it, that figure suddenly swooped straight down. Meanwhile, the driver in front pulled on the reins, shouting "Whoa!" The carriage jolted and came to a stop.
Li Yushan, who had been sleeping, was jolted awake and shouted angrily, "What's going on?"
From outside came the driver's terrified voice: "Immortal Master, there's... there's someone..."
"What person?" Li Yushan pushed open the carriage door and stuck his head out, only to be startled himself.
Standing in front of the carriage was a young man. This aura... he was absolutely a Foundation Establishment Stage expert!
He hurriedly got out of the carriage and clasped his fists. "This junior Li Yushan pays his respects to Senior."
The young man nodded and spoke: "There's one more person in the carriage. Why hasn't she come down?"
Li Yushan quickly turned back, pulled Mo Tiange out of the carriage, and said with an ingratiating smile, "This is my younger sister. She's just a child and doesn't understand manners. Please forgive her, Senior."
"Your sister?" The young man frowned slightly, his gaze falling on Li Yushan's hand. "If she's your sister, why treat her like this? Aren't you afraid of hurting her?"
Li Yushan was startled. Seeing Mo Tiange's pained expression as he gripped her arm, he quickly let go. "This junior is a crude person. I was just in a hurry and..."
"Is that so?" The young man's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them.
Li Yushan nodded repeatedly, his face filled with awe. It wasn't that he had never seen a Foundation Establishment Stage senior before, but they simply wouldn't pay him any attention, so he had only glimpsed them from afar a few times. Seeing this young man, who wasn't old yet was already at the Foundation Establishment Stage, filled him with both envy and jealousy. Looking at the young man's robes, they seemed to be the attire of a major sect, adding another layer of envy. Unfortunately, his own Spirit Root was inferior. Getting into a sect was difficult enough, let alone reaching Foundation Establishment. He respectfully cupped his fists again. "May I ask what instructions Senior has? If there is any way this junior can be of service, I will not refuse."
The young man, however, did not answer. His gaze was like a knife as he scrutinized them, finally settling on Mo Tiange. He asked gently, "Little girl, what is your surname and name? Can you tell me?"
Mo Tiange looked at him, then at Li Yushan. She wanted to escape Li Yushan's clutches, but she was also afraid this person might not be good either. Although this big brother seemed kind, Li Yushan had also seemed that way at first. You can know a person's face, but not their heart.
Li Yushan grew anxious. "Senior, she really is my younger sister..."
Before he could finish, the young man snorted and with a wave of his hand, Li Yushan was suddenly flung to the ground.
Stunned, before Li Yushan could say anything, the young man sneered coldly. "Don't think I don't know you kidnapped this child." Having said that, he ignored Li Yushan and only asked Mo Tiange, "Little girl, is your surname Mo? Do you live in Mo Village in Liancheng?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange was greatly shocked. How did this person know?
The young man continued, "Don't be afraid. I was entrusted by your father to come fetch you. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."
These words caused both Mo Tiange and Li Yushan to be simultaneously shocked—one with pleasant surprise, the other with terror.
Li Yushan had assumed her father had long since lost contact. How could he have expected someone would be sent back right at this moment, and that it would actually be a high-level cultivator! He couldn't help but regret. If only he had waited a few more days, he might have even gotten some benefits.
Hearing news of her father, how could Mo Tiange hold back any longer? She blurted out, "My father? Where is my father? Are you here to take me to find him?"
The young man smiled. "If you are the little girl from Mo Village, then that's correct."
Mo Tiange nodded repeatedly. "I am."
Finally having found the person, and without anything having happened to her, the young man also breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward and looked her over, asking, "Was it this person who kidnapped you? Did he mistreat you?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "It was him. He pretended to exchange insights with me, sealed the Spiritual Qi in my meridians, and said he wanted me to be some kind of Cauldron..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the young man's expression changed. He glared furiously at Li Yushan, who was sprawled on the ground. "What a disgrace to the cultivation world! A child this young, and you actually set your sights on her!"
Seeing that he had offended a powerful expert and that the kidnapping was indeed indefensible, Li Yushan quickly cried out, "Senior, wait! Hear me out!"
The young man sneered again. "Fine, go ahead and say it. Do you have some unspeakable hardship?"
"Senior, it's true I had ill intentions. But this little girl... she is truly one in a million in this world. Senior, do you know she has a Pure Yin constitution? Dual cultivation with her— Ah!" A gust of sharp wind. Li Yushan's head jerked to the side, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The young man looked at him coldly. "You actually dare try to tempt me with this? Your heart is truly deserving of death. What use is keeping you alive!"
Li Yushan's face turned pale with terror. Knowing the young man before him had killing intent, he immediately reached into his robe. A talisman ignited, and he leaped up and began to flee at astonishing speed.
The young man's figure didn't move. Only the long sword behind him flew out of its sheath, streaking away. Li Yushan let out a single "Ah!" before thudding to the ground. The sword flew back and sheathed itself.
The young man snorted coldly in the direction of the corpse.
Mo Tiange was terrified. Although she had long thought that if she ever gained power, she would cut Li Yushan into a thousand pieces, suddenly witnessing such a bloody scene filled her more with fright than satisfaction.
So this was the difference between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining. She hated Li Yushan to the bone, wanting to escape his clutches but unable to. Yet before this Foundation Establishment senior, Li Yushan was nothing more than an ant, extinguished with a wave of the hand.