Xie Zhe's logic has always been meticulous, but I'm afraid no one can answer those questions.
But... the most worrying thing, but which no one thought would really happen, happened today.
Wen Ying disappeared.
She didn't come back until nightfall. Although Han Chang didn't say anything, he actually started to worry in the afternoon. He couldn't sit still in the room, always pacing back and forth, like an uneasy caged animal. He rarely did this before, only when he was genuinely anxious about something. Of course Xie Zhe is one of his own, he doesn't need to hide anything in front of his friends.
But even so, he still didn't take the initiative to ask any more questions about Yingying. Of course, they were "quarreling", which is normal. In the past, Wenying had never gone out shopping, but that was always with Mrs. Jiaomo. He admitted that he was a little worried, but he was afraid that he was worrying too much. When it comes to brother and sister, blood is thicker than water. No matter how noisy they are, they will always miss each other.
Jiao Mo's departure left a shadow on them. Although there were no scars left by resentment on Wenying's body, they were still too close to Wenying. If someone from the Wuyong clan really came to visit, it would not be difficult to catch Wenying first in this small place and then threaten them. Just thinking about it made Han Chang feel restless.
Of course Xie Zhe knew, he asked him at dusk:
"You... didn't argue so fiercely, did you? She hasn't come back yet. I'm a little worried, after all, the world is not peaceful. Even if the world is calm on the surface, we are still living a turbulent life."
"You don't need to tell me." Han Chang sighed softly through his nose, "But - wait a minute. In the past, when I approached her rashly, she would deliberately avoid me and get angry with me. Every time she said she was She was about to lose her temper, but when she saw me she became aroused again, and then she continued to show off to me. Although...she should have grown up after so long, but I am still a little afraid of her. She never seems to have really calmed down. time, no matter what, if I find her again, I will make such a fuss."
"Girls' minds are so difficult to understand."
"More difficult to understand than ghosts and gods?" Han Chang smiled briefly. Faced with the fox demon's teasing, Xie Zhe just said:
"I'm afraid it's harder to understand than ghosts and gods."
So they waited a while longer. Before it got dark, Han Zhang went out for a walk first, while Xie Zhe stayed here. After all, if Wenying came back from other places first, it wouldn't be appropriate to see them away. The sky always gets dark quickly in autumn. Xie Zhe had just heated a pot of water and before it had cooled down, the cold wine suddenly came back - through the window.
"Be careful," Xie Zhe, who was almost hit, raised the kettle, "If this gets spilled..."
"Gone!"
"What?"
"She's nowhere to be seen."
Hanshang's aura was somewhat disordered. Xie Zhe put down the kettle, and then noticed that his face was pale, and he didn't look like he should after exercising. Even if it's a monster, if you have to search the whole town in such a short period of time, your face shouldn't be bloodless.
"Did you, did you search the whole town? Could it be that you were searching too quickly and didn't notice?"
"No! There is no trace of her at all. She disappeared! Not even a trace of her presence was left!"
Xie Zhe felt a chill in his heart. Listening to Han Chang's description, it definitely doesn't sound like Wenying left here on her own initiative. Moreover, it was just a small fight between brother and sister, and there was no need to play the role of "running away from home." The two of them thought of only one possibility at the same time.
"I'll go look for it with you!"
"What should I do with your injury?" Although Xie Zhe's wound has healed, leaving only a scar, Han Sheng's worry is justified - the implication is that the Wuyong clan's people can track him down.
"I don't care about that. What's the point of asking whether I was exposed or not after Yingying has been caught?"
Han Chang nodded, turned around and jumped down from the window. Xie Zhe took his sword and jumped down. The street was still barely lively at night. The two suddenly jumped down from the second floor, causing everyone around them to look over. They ignored the eyes of others and immediately ran in one direction. Han Chang took him to the place where the two of them had their quarrel at first, which was not far from here.
"She ran away from here and separated from me." Han Shan sniffed the air beside a big tree. "It stands to reason that her breath will stay here for a while, at least it will not dissipate tonight. But this smell has been completely erased, as if someone did it deliberately."
"If it's the Wuyong clan, he must have the means to do this. Damn it...are there any other clues?"
"No clues!"
"..."
Xie Zhe rubbed his temples. He knew that Han Chang was a little emotional, and he could completely understand it. He suggested that he and Han Shang walk along the streets she walked through again and ask about the shops she might pass by along the way. What if anyone remembers her? Xie Zhe didn't know where the girls liked to hang out, but he knew that the one who asked Ying had never eaten. So he was responsible for asking about the food stalls in the inns and restaurants one by one, while Han Chang was responsible for asking where Yingying might have been.
They didn't even know when Yingying "disappeared", and they couldn't guess which stores she had passed. The two of them were like headless chickens, they both just fell into deeper confusion after getting negative answers again and again. Finally, they stood blankly on the street until people on the street began to return home. In the deserted night, there were only a few people walking in a hurry, and no one would even look at the two lost souls on the street.
Han Chang sat on the ground, holding his hair unconsciously with his hands. Xie Zhe said nothing as he could see his regret.
"I shouldn't have hesitated, not at all!" He tightened his fingers. "It was because of my presumption that I missed an important opportunity. I'm afraid that when I hesitated, she had already..."
"Don't think about this now. Whether it's your responsibility or not, we shouldn't waste any more time!"
Xie Zhe was so clear-headed because he knew that sitting still was not an option. He couldn't empathize with Han Chang's mood, but he knew that his friend was suffering from his own torture. Self-condemnation is something that should be done after the matter is over, not while it is still unresolved. However, this was not uncommon for a decisive person like Han Zhang, and Xie Zhe had no choice. Time waits for no one, and he has to force him to cheer up and deal with all this.
"I know I shouldn't think, I can't control it - I've never been like this before." Hanshang's voice seemed to be trembling, "She is my sister."
At that last sentence, he seemed to choke. Xie Zhe thought that he shouldn't say it. These words are like magic, pushing people's emotions to the edge of collapse.
"Let's go, we can't waste a moment."
He stretched out his hand towards Han Chang. Han Chang took a deep breath, forced himself to cheer up, and patted the dust off his body. At this moment, an old lady carrying a basket walked up to them. Her movements were trembling, as if she might collapse at any moment. Xie Zhe saw this and was about to help her, but she waved her hand. Xie Zhe glanced at her basket and found a few cooking cakes left in it.
"Old lady, we don't want to buy anything."
They should be hungry, but they don't feel hungry. Anxiety and sorrow fill their stomachs. But the old lady shook her head and asked in a voice as thin as a mosquito:
"You...are looking for someone?"
"Yeah, we might not have time - well, let's just say, you... know what?"
"The girl you are talking about..."
The old lady stretched out her hand to sign something, but the heavy basket prevented her arms from lifting it. Han Chang immediately helped unload the basket containing the cooking cakes and took it, looking at her seriously. The old lady thanked her awkwardly and continued to gesture:
"Is it, about this high, and... her hair is, this long - about here, black and shiny. She is wearing white clothes with a bit of blue, and her steps are very brisk..."
Xie Zhe was stunned for a moment, but Han Zhang blurted out the word. Xie Zhe immediately realized that the unusual hair and eye colors of most monsters would be a deception in the eyes of ordinary people, but he had a celestial eye.
"Yes, such a girl...where did she go? Was she kidnapped?"
The old lady tilted her head, thought for a while, and said to Xie Zhe:
"Well, she didn't seem to have been kidnapped by someone...she seemed more like she was chasing someone."
"Who are you chasing...?" Han Chang was stunned for a moment, then asked, "About when?"
"It was just in the afternoon. I remember this girl. You see, my legs and feet were not very good. I almost tripped when I was walking on the road... There was nothing wrong with me. A few pancakes fell out and were all stained. I definitely couldn’t sell it. The girl came over and not only asked me if I was okay, but also offered to buy my dirt-stained cooking cakes. I definitely couldn’t sell them, and just as I was trying to shirk away from her, she suddenly I saw someone in the crowd, and then I chased after her. Her silver was stuffed into my hand. How could I possibly catch up with my old arms and legs... Look, this is money, this is I left some good cooking cakes for her. If you know her, why not take them for her."
"Who is she chasing?! Did you see clearly?" Han Chang asked eagerly.
Xie Zhe glanced at the basket and saw that the three biscuits inside were clean.
"I-I don't know about this. I just remember she yelled, what - nine?"
"Warm wine? Warm wine?!"
Han Chang had already had this hunch when she mentioned the sudden appearance of the person, but Xie Zhe's reaction was a little slower. The old lady said hesitantly, maybe so.
"Then where did she chase her? Was there anyone else nearby?"
"This...I really don't know this. But in terms of direction, it seems to be heading to the west. Did that girl encounter any trouble? I don't dare to do this. Something shouldn't happen to such a smart and lovely girl. Something is wrong..."
Han Chang didn't have time to say thanks, and suddenly rushed towards the west, as fast as a gust of wind or a bolt of lightning. The old lady took the silver and looked at Xie Zhe blankly. Xie Zhe shook his head, held the old lady's withered hands tighter, and asked her to hold on to the money. Immediately afterwards, he chased Han Chang without looking back.
"Calm down!"
He shouted from behind, his voice harsh in the quiet night. But Han Sheng ignored him and kept running, his feet almost bursting with flames. Xie Zhe frowned, and while running, he drew out the Wind and Cloud Slash, creating a gust of wind under his feet. Han Chang suddenly stumbled and rolled several times on the grass. He stood up in embarrassment and asked sternly:
"what are you doing?!"
"Think about it, why is there no scent of hers!"
"I don't know what the purpose of warming the wine is, but he must have done it deliberately! Do you think I haven't thought about the hidden aura?"
"Are you serious? You said you know Wenjiu, and you finally think...does he know how to do something mean?"
"——I won't risk Wenying's life!"
"You don't want to accuse your brother wrongly, do you?! Don't forget, Wuyongshi has not cleared the suspicion!"
"..."
Hanshang seemed to be calmer.
