Hun Zang and Ruie Gaojun were both secretly searching the forests and markets for Suo Jing's hideout. But they couldn't find it, as virtually no one knew where Master Suo Jing resided.

  They had been searching for a long time. They had almost thoroughly scoured the entire Hegong Clan market overnight, but there was no sign of Suo Jing. Now, they were heading to the Han Qiantian Clan to find him. Fear clouded their faces; if they couldn't find the book in time, their death was certain, for there was no one in this world more ruthless than Lao Xuan. Discussing this worry and concern, they were walking along a forest path.

  On the same path, two travelers were approaching from the opposite direction. They stopped them and inquired. Ruie Gaojun asked one of the men:

  "Forgive us for blocking your way, but we need your help. Can you tell us if you have seen Master Suo Jing anywhere ahead?"

  All the travelers looked at each other, shook their heads no, and started walking away. Both were very disappointed. Now, they had no other option but to go to the Han Qiantian Clan and wait for Master Suo Jing.

  In deep disappointment and anger, Hun Zang broke the silence.

  "He will definitely return to the Han Qiantian Clan, and perhaps he resides somewhere there. Now, we have no choice but to go to the Han Clan."

  Agreeing with Hun Zang, Ruie Gaojun also nodded yes, and both proceeded towards the Han Clan.

  While Hun Zang and Ruie Gaojun were advancing towards the Han Clan with dangerous intentions, on the other side, Mei Gui, Qing Yu, and Gu Zong had reached the main gate of the Lian Qingxue Clan.

  The heavenly beauty of the Lian Qingxue Clan, however, showed Gu Zong a glimpse of the Lianxiao Clan. The halls, the library, the corridors, the huge lotus ponds, even the roofs everything was a literal copy of the Lianxiao Clan. It didn't feel like Gu Zong had come to the Lian Qingxue Clan; he was under an illusion. Everything felt familiar, as if this had happened before.

  Gu Zong froze right at the entrance. His eyes were simultaneously seeing thousands of memories. Everything was known, except for one thing: the people. Sky-robed people were walking everywhere. Some were tending to the lotus ponds, some were entering and leaving the library, and some were sitting in the hall playing music. A truly extraordinary sense of peace enveloped Gu Zong, as the gentle music played by the disciples on the Guqin resonated a profound tranquility throughout the clan.

  Mei Gui and Qing Yu stood there, staring at Xiao Tang for a long time. They thought Xiao Tang was worried about what would happen when he faced Master Xian Yong Ming, but what did they know what he was feeling?

  Just then, some disciples approached them. Since they recognized the three of them, they politely requested their entry tokens. Mei Gui and Qing Yu showed a jade token from their belts. Then, when the disciples looked at Xiao Tang, he began looking around, wondering what to do now. After searching in his clothes for a while, he finally found the jade token. But when Gu Zong looked at Mei Gui, she glared at him with a sour face and said:

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  "You really are a donkey. You don't even know what's loaded on your back. You can't even keep a token properly, idiot."

  After hearing this, Gu Zong felt very angry at her, but he couldn't say anything because he deeply respected women and had never misbehaved with any girl. So, poor him could not give an inverse reply to anything Mei Gui said. Though, he did lightly kick Qing Yu on the back.

  Inside the Physician's Hall, Han Wuang Shi lay unconscious because the disciples had given him sleeping medicine so that his body could rest more. These disciples knew very well that as soon as the Master felt slightly better, he would again start working or leave on some new journey. If that happened, his wounds would not heal quickly.

  The disciples diligently cleaned the room, applied medicine to his wounds, lit an incense that calmed and stabilized the mind, closed the door, and left. Zao Yun and Ying Xia, after their music practice, also came out and saw some disciples escorting some people to the guest house. Seeing them, they too followed them there. They immediately recognized that these were the merchants and likely came to buy lotus seeds, as they did every year. Their arrival was also a good thing, as this year, the lotus flowers in the pond had blossomed more than in the past five years.

  Zao Yun and Ying Xia entered laughing, and everyone else left. Seeing them, Mei Gui and Qing Yu bowed respectfully to greet them. Imitating them, Gu Zong also bowed in greeting.

  A while later, everyone was sitting at a low wooden table, drinking tea. The room was filled with the clinking of teacups and a sweet fragrance, but there was also a gentle silence. Breaking this silence, Ying Xia spoke with the calmness and composure that was his nature:

  "We are very happy to meet you again this year. The yield of lotus seeds has been quite good this year."

  Mei Gui replied with respect:

  "Yes, we have come here to buy seeds, but this time, we have one more piece of business."

  Hearing this, Zao Yun and Ying Xia looked at each other. They were not worried, just a little perplexed, as the Lian Qingxue Clan's interaction with the outside world was only related to two things: first, the lotus flowers and seeds, and second, their centuries-old music healing system, which was the reason the Lian Qingxue Clan was famous.

  Zao Yun asked, "Please feel free to tell us what your business is. We are here to assist you."