Elder Shi and the others had been desperately searching for Zhao Ling'er throughout these past several days.
However they did not manage to find Zhao Ling'er herself. But they did eventually find Anu instead.
"Anu what is wrong with you? Why are you crying so much?"
Tang Yu and Anu enjoyed the very best relationship among all their peers. When they had been living back in Nanzhao Kingdom together, they had been childhood sweethearts who harbored a secret mutual crush on each other. Seeing Anu who had always been so quirky and perpetually happy like a cheerful singing lark now wearing such a bitter expression on her face, Tang Yu felt shocked and deeply distressed. He immediately rushed directly to Anu's side with concern.
"Tang Yu my little treasure sob..." Seeing Tang Yu appear directly before her eyes, Anu's fragile emotions became even more completely uncontrollable. She could not help but burst into heartbroken tears.
"Anu what is wrong? Tell me quickly please. Did you find the princess? It is alright if you did not. None of us have found her yet either so there is no need to rush. With so many of us searching together we can definitely..."
Being held directly and tightly by Anu without warning, Tang Yu's entire body stiffened slightly with surprise and awkwardness. He then gently patted Anu's trembling back while speaking with soothing reassurance.
Elder Shi who stood nearby frowned slightly with obvious disapproval at the sight of Tang Yu and Anu embracing so intimately. He clearly found their public display of affection quite inappropriate for their stations.
However when Elder Shi opened his mouth to speak and voice his displeasure, he was immediately interrupted by Anu's emotional words.
"Tang Yu my dear little treasure Anu found the princess successfully but then I lost her again so quickly. Anu is completely useless..." Anu cried bitterly while continuing to hug Tang Yu tightly for comfort.
After finally managing to find the princess after so much searching, only to lose her again almost immediately afterward, Anu felt deeply guilty and was completely overwhelmed with crushing shame.
"What? You actually found the princess? But how did you possibly lose her again?"
Upon hearing Anu's shocking words, Elder Shi's facial expression changed dramatically. He quickly took several aggressive steps forward and grabbed Anu's arm roughly like an eagle catching a helpless chick. He asked with deadly seriousness.
So many experienced people had been searching extensively and even enlisting the valuable help of members from the Lin Family Fortress in the Central Plains martial arts world. But unexpectedly a young girl like Anu had somehow found the princess first. This outcome deeply shocked Elder Shi.
Of course he was far more urgently concerned about why Anu had subsequently lost the princess and where exactly she might be located now.
"Elder Shi you are hurting me..." Anu's face twisted with genuine pain as Elder Shi gripped her arm far too tightly.
"Foster father please!" Tang Yu who stood protectively beside her also looked at Elder Shi with an extremely nervous expression while pleading desperately for mercy.
Seeing Tang Yu's obvious deep concern for Anu made Elder Shi feel even more upset and irritated by their relationship. However after a brief tense silence he finally released his painful grip and simply stared intently at Anu while waiting for her explanation.
"Anu had originally found the princess successfully and was returning with her safely. But on the way back we met an old man who said the princess could not return to Nanzhao with us under any circumstances. He insisted she had to follow him to Mount Shushan instead. Then the old man forcibly abducted the princess right in front of me and Anu could not stop him no matter what I tried."
After briefly explaining exactly what had happened during their encounter, Anu's expression of deep sorrow and guilt returned to her tear-stained face.
"Is it truly the swordsman from Mount Shushan?" Upon hearing Anu's detailed explanation, Elder Shi's volatile emotions calmed down considerably. He actually felt much more relieved about the situation.
Although he genuinely did not understand why the people from Mount Shushan would want to abduct their princess, it had been a swordsman from Mount Shushan who had originally rescued the princess from the palace initially. Therefore the people from Mount Shushan should logically not wish to harm the princess in any way. As long as she had not been abducted by the dangerous Moon Worship Cult everything should be acceptable.
Moreover from another important perspective, the emperor had sent him on this mission to retrieve the princess mainly to protect her from the serious harm threatened by the Moon Worship Cult.
But if the princess could successfully hide herself within Mount Shushan's protected walls, she would actually be extremely safe there. No matter how tremendously powerful the Moon Worship Cult might be, it would be completely impossible for them to harm the princess while she remained safely within Mount Shushan correct?
"Godfather what do we do now?" After hearing the full explanation of what had happened, Tang Yu's concerned eyes fell upon Elder Shi as he asked for guidance.
"If it truly was someone from Mount Shushan who took the princess away then the princess is actually at least considerably safer than she would be in our own hands. We can then return to the capital to report to His Majesty about this mission with genuine peace of mind. However we still absolutely need to verify whether the person who took the princess is genuinely from Mount Shushan or not. Is that Young Master Alex not supposedly from Mount Shushan? Let us go back and ask him directly."
After a long moment's thoughtful silence, Elder Shi finally spoke with determination.
Regardless of other considerations, whether it truly was someone from Mount Shushan who took the princess away must be thoroughly investigated and confirmed.
...
Alex and his companions after camping outdoors for one night searched again diligently throughout the next day. But they still could not find any trace of Zhao Ling'er anywhere.
The Drunken Swordsman remained contentedly by Alex's side throughout the search. Every single time it became time for dinner he would eagerly watch Alex prepare an entire table generously full of delicious and exotic food. Naturally he stayed primarily because of Alex's seemingly endless supply of exquisite wine.
As for Alex's mysterious storage space ability, the Drunken Swordsman did not have much of a surprised impression about it. After all his own wine gourd actually possessed some similar storage space features built into it.
Once upon a time when Li Xiaoyao was being actively hunted by the Moon Worship Cult back in Yuhang Town, the Drunken Swordsman had even been able to use his magical wine gourd to cast a powerful spell. He had successfully sucked numerous Moon Worship Cult disciples directly into the gourd itself.
After yet another full day of searching with absolutely no positive results whatsoever, Alex and the others finally gave up on camping outside again. Alex raised his hand deliberately and cast his teleportation spell with practiced ease. The portal connected directly to the Lin Family Fort.
"Huh we are back already! How incredibly convenient this magic is! I desperately need a nice hot bath and a good long night's sleep..."
Although it was certainly not her first time personally experiencing teleportation magic, Lin Yueru remained genuinely amazed at how easily she could return directly to the Lin Family Fort. After stretching her tired muscles luxuriously she spoke with obvious eagerness.
"Well I definitely need to get some proper rest as well. That way I will have considerably more energy to practice the Sacred Heart Technique properly tonight" Liu Jinyuan said calmly with his characteristic gentle smile on his face. He turned gracefully and left the group.
"What an absolutely magical spell! It can actually cross hundreds of miles in a single instant." As for Li Xiaoyao and the Drunken Sword Immortal, it was their very first time witnessing this space teleportation spell in action. They stood completely dumbfounded with amazement.
"Young Alex although your overall cultivation level is admittedly not particularly high, the various magic you know and can use is extremely magical and impressive." The Drunken Sword Immortal was also quite knowledgeable and well-traveled. But he remained deeply shocked by the incredible magic of space teleportation. He felt that the mysterious secrets of this remarkable young man seemed absolutely endless.
Alex smiled slightly at the Drunken Sword Immortal's continued amazement and wonder.
Among all the various magic from the Marvel plane that Alex had learned, he valued the magic of space teleportation and the tactical means of mirror space manipulation the very most. They were both extremely practical abilities in countless situations so it was completely understandable that the Drunken Sword Immortal would be so amazed by their utility.
After all they represented completely different cultivation systems. The significant differences between them were naturally worth carefully learning from and studying.
"Young Master Alex it is wonderful that you have returned safely. Elder Shi and the others have been waiting impatiently for you."
At this moment with the sudden return of Alex and his group, Elder Shi and his companions who had been waiting anxiously for an entire day immediately got the news. They rushed directly to meet Alex and the others without delay.
"I heard that someone from Mount Shushan forcibly took the princess to Mount Shushan. Does Young Master Alex know anything about this situation?"
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