Chapter 30: Asking Wen Tingshu to Help Rescue His Father

Meng Nangnang wiped his mouth, tightly carrying the qiankun pouch as he took a tiny step toward the heavenly stairs. The Immortal Venerable was very tall, so he had to lift his head with effort to see his face.

“Immortal Shifu, Baby is going down the mountain to play for a bit.”

It was not polite to run right after eating, but Meng Nangnang could not care about politeness right now. Wowo-gege was hungry!

Wen Tingshu froze.

He was leaving right after eating and packing food?

He would not even stay for one night?

This decisive temperament reminded Wen Tingshu of that day in Xitai Village, when Meng Baixu had said without hesitation, “Today, I betray my sect and cut all master-disciple ties with him.”

He had only heard a few “Shifu”s, and now Meng Nangnang was leaving too.

A dull ache overflowed from his heart. Wen Tingshu clenched his palm. He had no reason to keep Meng Nangnang here. Though the Hengxue Sect led the world, the Fuguang Sect had always disdained associating with the righteous path.

Zhongli Yun was wrong. Meng Nangnang was not his little Sect Master. He was the Fuguang Sect’s little Sect Leader.

So had Meng Baixu sent Meng Nangnang over just to pack food?

Would he personally come to pick up the child?

Was he… going to let Nangnang leave?

Meng Nangnang swallowed. He felt that Immortal Shifu seemed a little unhappy. His dark, round eyes were full of honesty.

“Baby will come back in a while.”

The spring wind on Hengxue Mountain began to flow again.

So it turned out the child was just playful. Once full, he wanted to play. Back then, Meng Baixu had already disliked Hengxue Mountain for being boring, let alone a cub who was only one year and eight months old.

A smile bloomed in Wen Tingshu’s eyes. He crouched in front of Meng Nangnang and asked, “Shall I find a gege to play with you?”

Follow him? No, no.

Meng Nangnang shook his head like a rattle drum, his granny-gray little bun swaying back and forth.

Wen Tingshu asked, “What if you get lost down the mountain?”

Meng Nangnang said, “Won’t happen.”

Wowo would remember the way.

Wen Tingshu opened his palm. A shrunken golden magic ring appeared there, shaped like a golden bracelet, just right to slip onto the little cub’s fair, chubby wrist.

This way, he could sense Meng Nangnang’s location, condition, and whether he was safe at any time.

“If you encounter danger, hold this golden bracelet. It will immediately bring you back.”

The bracelet infused with Wen Tingshu’s spiritual power could resist the ill intent of all cultivators in the world.

Meng Nangnang nodded.

Wen Tingshu had often felt helpless over the fact that he could not descend the mountain. In the past, he could still send a puppet to follow his disciple. Now, with a head of white hair, he could not even take a step away.

He held Meng Nangnang and walked to the snow line, then placed him down.

“Play for a while, then come back. I’ll make flower rolls for you.”

Meng Nangnang carried the qiankun pouch. “Baby will definitely come back to eat.”

Extremely credible.

Wen Tingshu watched the little cub go down the mountain step by step. Two years ago, he had asked Situ Nanchun to help send Lanshe down the mountain. Two years later, he would not make the same mistake again.

Beside the heavenly stairs, a cultivator followed Meng Nangnang under orders, neither too far nor too close. He only needed to ensure the child’s safety. If anything happened, he would directly send a voice transmission to the Sect Master, and the Sect Master would naturally save him.

The cultivator followed Meng Nangnang around the peaks of Hengxue Sect. The little cub’s legs were short, but he could actually walk quite well.

Meng Nangnang was looking for a hidden place where Wowo could come out and eat.

But recently, there were too many people in Hengxue Sect. There were people by the water and people on the mountaintops.

As he walked, he finally found a secluded place. It was a green peak, and on the huge stone at the foot of the mountain were written the words “Dongyang.”

Meng Wowo discovered a quiet cave and said to his little brother, “Someone is following us. Teleport inside now.”

Meng Nangnang listened to Wowo’s instructions. “Okay, oh.”

In the blink of an eye, Meng Nangnang disappeared from the cultivator’s sight. Cold sweat immediately broke out. He did not dare delay and reported it to the Sect Master.

Wen Tingshu closed his eyes and sensed that Meng Nangnang was exploring a cave. His courage was truly great.

This cave belonged to Peak Master Dongyang. Peak Master Dongyang liked quiet, did not enjoy interacting with people, and covered his face with a gauze veil all year round. Even his disciples had never seen him.

Meng Baixu had once mentioned that Peak Master Dongyang’s temperament was somewhat like Wen Tingshu’s. The similarity lay in the aura of two people who never left through the front gate or stepped beyond the second gate.

Dongyang was even more like a person hidden deep in the inner chamber, unknown to the world. No one knew his personality, and no one would disturb him.

Did Meng Nangnang count as disturbing him?

Wen Tingshu thought for a while and did not call Meng Nangnang back.

In any case, Dongyang could also detect the little cub trying to enter. If he did not want to be disturbed, he would set up a barrier himself. Stopping a Golden Core little cub was as easy as turning over his hand.

Besides, letting Dongyang recognize the little Sect Master was no problem.

The cave entrance was small, but Meng Nangnang was even smaller. After squeezing in, there was a whole other world inside.

It actually looked like a flat desert. Every step sank into soft sand, absorbing all noise. It was even quieter than Hengxue Mountain. On Hengxue Mountain, one could occasionally still hear a few cow calls.

Meng Nangnang listened with perked ears for a while. After confirming there was no one here, he crouched down and untied the qiankun pouch.

A pit appeared in the sand dune. Meng Wowo landed steadily on his bottom and received a sesame naan before gnawing on it.

What delicious sesame naan!

No wonder Daddy had to run so far to buy it, oh.

Seeing him eat, Meng Nangnang became hungry again. Cultivator babies had larger appetites and digested faster than ordinary people. He and Wowo sat around the qiankun pouch, each holding a big naan and eating with relish.

After filling his stomach a little, Meng Wowo remembered the important matter of finding Daddy. “Where is Daddy?”

Hengxue Mountain did not have Daddy.

Meng Nangnang said, “Immortal Shifu said he’s seen Daddy, oh.”

Meng Wowo said, “Daddy came here!”

Meng Nangnang said, “Daddy bought naan flatbread and went home!”

The two filial sons looked at each other and licked their sweet naan. As everyone knew, little babies could not eat the prepared little steamed buns in Sect Leader Daddy’s qiankun pouch. It was unhealthy, oh.

Only Daddy could eat them.

In other words, after Daddy bought them home, Wowo and Nangnang could at most eat one.

If they wanted to eat lots and lots of little steamed buns, they had to stay here with Immortal Shifu and eat them freshly made.

Meng Wowo scratched his cheek.

Meng Nangnang imitated his brother and turned his milky little face into a serious face.

“Immortal Shifu makes lots and lots of little steamed buns every day. If Baby isn’t there, it will be wasted.”

Meng Wowo said, “Nangnang is right.”

Meng Nangnang also remembered eating and packing at the same time. “If we pack some every day, we can pack lots and lots to bring back for Daddy to eat.”

Meng Wowo nodded in agreement. Daddy had to eat more.

The two cubs grew thirstier the more they ate and began to stir, wanting to go deeper inside to find water.

They had only shifted their bottoms when a tea tray slowly floated out from inside and landed between the two cubs.

Wu?

Meng Wowo looked around. “Nangnang, this is a wishing place.”

The Fuguang Sect also had a wishing place. As long as they told the cave door what they wanted, Elder Grandpa would give it to them the next day.

Meng Nangnang hugged the teapot with both hands and blinked. “Nangnang wants candy.”

Several pieces of peanut candy appeared on the tea tray.

Meng Nangnang was excited. “Baby wants a sword!”

He remembered Wowo-gege had said he wanted a sword to learn sword flight.

This time, the wishing cave owner did not easily satisfy them.

Meng Wowo said, “Can only ask for food, oh.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a long sword inlaid with heavenly materials and earthly treasures slowly inserted itself into the sandpit.

Meng Wowo froze. Shi Wumi-gege had said this kind of precious sword was very expensive.

He rummaged through the qiankun pouch and poured out a handful of gold coins.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two little cubs rolled around in the sand until their hair was full of sand.

Meng Wowo had learned the cleansing spell. Meng Nangnang had not. In the end, he could only return to Hengxue Mountain dirty to eat.

Meng Nangnang still remembered politeness.

“Immortal Shifu, have you eaten?”

Wen Tingshu said, “I just finished making the meal.”

However long the little cub had gone out to play was how long the old father had been cooking here.

While cooking, Wen Tingshu had also hesitated. Would Meng Nangnang run away after packing enough?

But…

He could not cut corners on a meal by making dozens fewer dishes just because he had concerns.

His son had traveled a thousand li to come eat. He had to use all his skills.

Wen Tingshu steamed a bun bigger than the little cub’s face for him to hold and play with.

“Where did Nangnang go to play today?”

“Baby went to a cave.”

Meng Nangnang even showed Wen Tingshu what he had gained from the cave.

Wen Tingshu fell silent for a moment.

Peak Master Dongyang was born without a temper and did not know how to refuse others. That was why he pretended to be distant. He probably had not expected to meet a cub who made wishes.

Tomorrow, he would have Zhongli compensate him.

“After you eat, Shifu will teach you some spells.”

Wen Tingshu believed that since Lanshe had sent his son here, he must also have meant for Wen Tingshu to teach him.

Wen Tingshu did not mind personally teaching a cub who stood opposed to Hengxue Sect’s position.

Meng Nangnang pursed his lips. “…”

If only he could switch with Wowo-gege.

Meng Wowo had taken his place, so Meng Nangnang could only listen to Wen Tingshu’s gentle voice until his eyelids fought harder and harder. He fell asleep with his head pillowed on the steamed bun, his breathing full of a peaceful sweetness.

Wen Tingshu covered Nangnang with the blanket Meng Baixu had once used and breathed a sigh of relief.

His greatest fear was that Meng Nangnang would cry at night, wanting to find Lanshe.

***

Meng Baixu and the Left Protector circled around the outskirts of Xiling Mountain and found a suspected secret realm entrance. It was extremely inconspicuous.

The entrance was so transparent that it was almost invisible. According to experience, the small world inside should also be ordinary. For example, if it only contained a courtyard and two dogs, it meant the master’s cultivation during life had not been high.

“I’ll go in and investigate.”

Meng Baixu held his sword and flew toward the entrance. From a distance, it looked like a thin layer of mist. After entering, his vision suddenly became a vast white haze. He could see nothing, only empty space.

What was going on?

Meng Baixu subconsciously wanted to use the secret realm-clearing method he had learned at Hengxue Sect to break open this strange secret realm and take a look.

A quarter of an hour later, his eyes were still filled with endless white.

Meng Baixu’s expression turned solemn. He understood now. This secret realm was a boundless void. There was nothing inside. Moreover, the secret realm master’s cultivation was extremely high, one level stronger than the Renxu Secret Realm from last time.

The great Dao was the simplest. The simpler something was, the harder it was to find a flaw.

Meng Baixu closed his eyes and calmly sensed the cause of this secret realm—that is, the obsession that had formed it.

Dong…

The secret realm mercilessly expelled the outsider.

The Left Protector barely caught the Sect Leader as he fell from the sky. “What’s inside?”

Meng Baixu said, “Nothing.”

This was a secret realm twisted by obsession. A thousand years ago, the secret realm’s master had fallen in love with a mortal prince. Because their lifespans were unequal, the secret realm master imprisoned the prince. He created a formation himself, defying heaven, insisting that a mortal gain eternal life.

Until spiritual qi was severed and the cultivator died.

The secret realm master’s obsession was to remain together with that mortal. He wanted there to be nothing else between heaven and earth. The mortal could see nothing and touch nothing; his eyes could only see and his hands could only touch the secret realm master alone.

After listening, the Left Protector said sharply, “There is nothing inside, but there should be two people.”

Meng Baixu realized it. He could not see anyone probably because the secret realm was too pure and simple. Its logic was extremely direct and crude. It could only hold two people. The moment a third person entered, they would be rejected.

“Left Protector, let’s try entering together.”

“Fine.”

Sure enough, when the two entered together, they stayed a little longer. The secret realm seemed to be identifying which two people—between the original two and the newly entered two—were the pair that needed to be trapped here for all eternity, just like its master and his wife.

Clearly, Meng Baixu and the Left Protector’s combination was not recognized by the secret realm. After groping around for a while, the two were both expelled.

The Left Protector vaguely had a guess.

He was afraid Meng Fuguang and Xie Tongchen had accidentally entered this secret realm and been treated as a pair by the secret realm, then shut inside.

When the Sect Leader had been pregnant back then, after giving birth to the little Sect Leader, the little Sect Leader had become the third person. The secret realm could not tolerate him, so he had been sent out by the silver kite.

What kind of eyes did this secret realm have? Their Sect Leader and Xie Tongchen were irreconcilable enemies, all right?

To enter this secret realm without being rejected, one first had to look more like a perfect match than Meng Fuguang and Xie Tongchen, and second, one’s cultivation had to be higher than theirs. Otherwise, entering would only replace them, while the newcomers themselves could not come out.

The former condition was easy to satisfy, but the latter was difficult.

Where could they find a pair of extremely high-cultivation Dao companions, a match made in heaven, who were also willing to enter?

The Left Protector looked at Meng Baixu.

If they asked Wen Tingshu for help…

He hesitated somewhat, afraid that while saving the old one, the young one would end up trapped instead.

Meng Baixu asked, “Left Protector, do you have any ideas?”

The Left Protector paused and kept silent about the matter of Xie Tongchen likely being inside as well. After all, Xie Tongchen was their enemy. Saying it aloud would damage Meng Fuguang’s prestige. The Sect Leader would probably not be happy to hear it either.

After listening, Meng Baixu frowned.

He had to go ask Wen Tingshu for help?

But this sect leader had already betrayed his sect. If he lowered his voice and begged now, wouldn’t that mean he had no face?

Moreover, making that old thing leave the mountain was harder than ascending to heaven.