"Xiao Yu?"
"What are you..."
En Ci instantly appeared beside Tong Yu, his face wearing an odd expression. The other man no longer looked as lifeless as he had moments ago.
But what could have stirred such emotion in him?
"Here."
"There are traces of someone else."
Tong Yu's eyes shone with a light that even he found startling as he pointed at the extra flowers placed there, murmuring to himself.
Those hadn't been left by him last time. But aside from himself, who else in the entire Douluo Continent...
Would come here to leave flowers?
"Huh?"
"Really?"
En Ci froze, his gaze following the direction Tong Yu indicated, his face equally astonished.
Over the decades, he and his disciple had visited this place countless times, yet aside from the two of them, no one else had ever come here.
Today was undoubtedly an exception.
"Her child..."
"That little one—he's still alive!"
A flicker of contemplation passed through Tong Yu's eyes as the faint image of a young boy surfaced in his mind.
In an instant, an emotion called joy surged through his entire body. Atonement—he had a chance to atone now...
If that child truly was still alive, then he had a chance to make amends. Of course, he knew the boy wouldn't want to see him.
But he would still silently protect him, until the day the boy no longer needed his protection. And when that time came...
He could finally die without regrets. He was a sinner, unworthy of living. The only thing that had kept him going all this time was the hope of atonement—to properly atone...
"Child?"
"You mean that boy named Tang..."
En Ci had clearly heard enough from him to form an impression, speaking thoughtfully.
"Tang Ziran!"
Tong Yu cut in. That was the name he had seen in one of Huo Lin'er's notebooks—a notebook he had kept to this very day. There was no mistake.
Though the only useful information in it had been the name "Tang Ziran," that was enough. It was better than knowing nothing at all.
"Right, Tang Ziran, was it..."
"He's actually still alive?"
En Ci nodded, somewhat surprised.
His disciple might have been foolish, but he wasn't evil. After realizing his mistake, he had immediately asked En Ci to find that boy.
But... it had clearly been a failure. Even for a demigod like him, by the time he arrived, it was already too late.
That boy had seemingly vanished into thin air. After erecting a grave for his mother, he had disappeared without a trace.
En Ci had assumed the boy was afraid his disciple might return—after all, that brat had once... right in front of the child...
"But he's really still alive?"
En Ci couldn't help but voice his doubt. An eight-year-old child, vanishing so abruptly—he thought it more likely the boy hadn't survived.
And even if he had, why would he suddenly return now? Wasn't he afraid his disciple might come back to finish the job?
"He must be alive!"
Tong Yu gritted his teeth, his voice firm.
He believed that child was still alive—he had to be!
"Teacher, if it's him... no, it must be him. I'm certain of it."
"These flowers weren't here before. He can't have gone far—at the very least, he must still be within Star Sea City!"
"I'm going to find him."
Tong Yu's mind raced instantly, his face filled with urgency as he spoke, already preparing to speed away from this place.
He must...
He must find that little one!
He had waited for this day for so very long. Since heaven had granted him such a chance for redemption, he absolutely couldn't waste it.
"You?"
"You'd better not go looking for him."
However, upon hearing his words, En Ci chuckled skeptically, then shook his head with a warning expression.
"If you truly want to atone to him, forget everything else—at the very least, don't let him see you."
"If you really do find him and appear before him, the moment he lays eyes on you, he'll be scared out of his wits."
En Ci spoke earnestly. His disciple had never changed over the years, whether it was his bizarre appearance or his ageless look of someone in their thirties or forties.
If that person were to actually see him...
Atone for him? It'd be a miracle if he didn't avoid you like the plague.
After all, seeing this face would make it hard not to recall the past suffering—who could endure that?
"Then..."
"What should I do?"
Hearing this, Tong Yu's expression instantly fell, but he still heeded his teacher's advice and couldn't help but ask.
"Take this."
En Ci's expression was calm as he pulled out a specially tailored black robe from his Soul Guidance Device and casually tossed it to the other man.
"This was originally prepared for you, but you never cared about your appearance before and didn't bother using it."
"Now you want to, don't you?"
He said somewhat helplessly. In the beginning, he had tried more than once to adjust his disciple's mindset but had never succeeded.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Tong Yu caught it in one swift motion and immediately donned the robe. Though it wasn't particularly stylish, it was clearly...
Far more presentable than not wearing it at all.
"Teacher, release my seal."
He said sincerely.
"..."
"Go on."
En Ci responded, and in the next moment, the already formidable aura within Tong Yu's body surged several times more freely, powerful Soul Power flooding through him.
Having done this, Tong Yu vanished instantly, his explosive speed leaving even En Ci momentarily stunned.
"This disciple of mine..."
En Ci shook his head helplessly. Having such a disciple was truly his misfortune. In the future...
He really ought to take on a normal disciple!
"If I get the chance."
"Maybe I'll find a young genius, preferably a boy with a dragon-type Martial Soul. Hopefully, the opportunity arises..."
En Ci murmured thoughtfully, his face contemplative.
"..."
Three days later.
"Teacher."
"Maybe you could help me look too."
Atop a high mountain in Star Sea City, Tong Yu wore a look of dejection as he couldn't help but glance at the elder before him.
He had been searching with all his might.
Over these three days, he had scoured every corner of Star Sea City, relying on his formidable spiritual power to scan nearly every passerby coming and going.
Yet even so, he hadn't encountered a single man who resembled the one in his memories.
He had tried his hardest, but clearly, Lady Luck wasn't on his side this time.
"Hmm..."
"Is there a chance that person has already left?"
En Ci wore a pensive expression. After three days of fruitless searching, it really couldn't be blamed on his disciple.
"Impossible!"
"Teacher, I have a feeling."
"He hasn't left Star Sea City."
Tong Yu took a deep breath and shook his head as he spoke.
He didn't know why he was so certain, but he felt this was his best chance at redemption. He absolutely wouldn't waste this opportunity.
"Is your search range too limited?"
"Tell me, how exactly have you been searching?"
En Ci asked thoughtfully.
"His name is Tang Ziran, but you can't just go around asking strangers their names on the street, so that approach isn't useful..."
"Then I have a photo of him when he was eight years old. I've been using that to search."
Tong Yu spoke earnestly, carefully enunciating each word as he pulled out a photo from his Soul Guidance Device. It showed a delicate-featured little boy.
"A photo..."
"Any other distinguishing characteristics?"
En Ci wore a pensive expression. Using an eight-year-old's photo to search for a middle-aged man?
This would indeed be difficult.
"Oh right, his Martial Soul was some kind of lion, a very very weak lion. That could count as a feature."
Tong Yu mused, recalling how the man had once released his Martial Soul in front of him. He still had some impression of it.
"A very very weak lion..."
En Ci fell silent again. Considering the other party had already been a 90+ level Titled Douluo back then, wouldn't any eight-year-old's Martial Soul seem weak in his eyes?
Trying to find a forty-year-old man using only an eight-year-old's photo and an unspecified lion Martial Soul...
This was truly an impossible task!
"Do your best."
That was all he could say.
"Teacher..."
"If it's not going well..."
"Would you help me search?"
Tong Yu asked thoughtfully, his face showing contemplation.
"Hmm... What?"
"I should help you search?"
The teacup in En Ci's hand nearly shattered from shock, as if he'd heard something utterly unbelievable.
"Teacher, as the saying goes..."
"When teacher and student work together, they can cut through metal."
Tong Yu said with complete seriousness.
"Xiao Yu."
"Your teacher is an Ultimate Douluo..."
"And you want me to go searching for someone?"
En Ci took a deep breath and spoke through gritted teeth.
He, the Imperial Preceptor of the Star Luo Empire, second only to the emperor, the most powerful figure in Star Luo, a demigod...
And you want me to go searching for someone?