Chapter 21

    They had only ten years.

    Now that Zang Qing Fu had someone to take care of him, Zang Zilu, his father, felt somewhat reassured. If anyone should go to the Immortal Lands, Zang Zilu was the most suitable candidate. He wouldn't let this world collapse because his students and daughter were here.

    Opening the last two Qi points wasn't easy. It required a special elixir to force them open, which would damage the points. They would need to consume Floral Jade Honey, which the Liu family had in abundance.

    At that moment, Qi Ling appeared. "Master, only the bearer of the Underwater Palace can meet the Great Deity."

    Upon hearing this, Liu Yi You felt a surge of joy, but her face remained impassive.

    This demeanor she had learned from Tong Tian.

    Several people in the room frowned. Liu Fuzhen asked, "Who is the bearer of the Underwater Palace?"

    Liu Yi You tried hard not to smile. "It's me, Seventeen," she said.

    "If you must go, I will go with you," Liu Fuzhen said firmly, frowning. This mission was too dangerous for a little girl.

    "Father, you still have Xiao Meng to take care of," Liu Yi You reminded him.

    "But I can't let you travel alone."

    "Father, I still have my master," Liu Yi You said.

    Liu Fuzhen grumbled but had to agree. In the end, it was decided that Liu Fuzhen would accompany Zang Zilu to open his Qi points. He didn't notice the mischievous glint in his daughter's eyes.

    The girl prepared all the necessary items. She remembered the four magical artifacts: the gourd, the Asura wings, and the Mind-reading Diadem. All three were with members of her family.

    She had borrowed the gourd from her father during their visit to the tomb guarded by Ta Gui and had since returned it. The diadem was with Elder Three. The only artifact she had with her was the Asura wings. She didn't know what the fourth artifact on the Li Ya Continent was.

    After that, she went to Yi You Pavilion to see Lua Yuele and Xiao Meng.

    "Mother, where's Xiao Meng?" Liu Yi You asked when she didn't see her little brother.

    "Yi You, come here," her mother smiled widely, opening her arms for a warm hug, and lovingly stroking her head. "Xiao Meng is playing with Le Yian. Do you want some snacks?"

    Liu Yi You shook her head. "No, thank you. I just want to see my brother." She tilted her head. "Mother, who is Le Yian?"

    Lua Yuele gently held her daughter's cheeks, making her look into her eyes. "Have you forgotten? The child we took in."

    Liu Yi You was stunned. When had she ever taken in a child?

    Lua Yuele saw her daughter's puzzled expression and laughed softly. "I don't know either. Your father just said that you wanted him to be a playmate for Xiao Meng."

    Liu Yi You blinked. She really couldn't remember.

    Who?

    "Then I'll go find Xiao Meng," Liu Yi You said.

    Lua Yuele nodded. "Go ahead."

    It didn't take Liu Yi You long to find Xiao Meng. She saw the boy sitting in the pouch of the giant Pocket Mouse, shouting commands for it to run around. Another boy stood quietly nearby, watching.

    "Xiao Meng," Liu Yi You called out.

    The boy turned towards the sound of her voice, a wide smile spreading across his face. He quickly climbed down from the Pocket Mouse and ran towards Liu Yi You, jumping into her arms out of habit.

    However, his body was now bigger than his sister's. Liu Yi You had been traveling for three years, and Xiao Meng, now six years old, was both taller and chubbier than her. When he jumped at her, Liu Yi You didn't fall, thanks to her cultivation strength, but she was completely enveloped in his hug.

    Le Yian watched Liu Yi You with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

    "Sister, why are you so small?" Xiao Meng asked, frowning.

    "I'm not small; you've grown. And how many times have I told you to call me Sister Seventeen?" Liu Yi You pushed her now bigger brother back to stand on his own.

    "Xiao Meng has grown, so why haven't you?" he asked, still frowning.

    "When you grow up, you'll understand," Liu Yi You said, not wanting to answer his question.

    But Xiao Meng wasn't going to let it go so easily. He looked slightly displeased. Liu Yi You turned to Le Yian, who was standing quietly, and greeted him.

    "You must be Le Yian," Liu Yi You said with a smile to the boy who was neither fat nor thin.

    Now she remembered he was the boy she and Liu Tan had saved three years ago in Xiangping City.

    The boy nodded but didn't speak. He had been playing with Xiao Meng for some time but had never met Liu Yi You before. Three years had passed, and the girl in front of him still looked the same.

    "From now on, you can call me Sister Seventeen like Xiao Meng does," Liu Yi You said.

    The boy nodded again without speaking.

    "Sister, Le Yian doesn't like to talk. When he's around, Xiao Meng has to talk by himself. From now on, you must stay with Xiao Meng every day, understand?" Xiao Meng said.

    Liu Yi You stood on her tiptoes to pat her brother's head. "I need to travel a bit more. Once everything is settled, I'll come back and stay with you, okay?"

    "Again? You're leaving again?" Xiao Meng lowered his head to make it easier for Liu Yi You to pat him.

    "There, there, be a good boy. I have something for you," Liu Yi You said, taking out the Asura wings for Xiao Meng to play with.

    Knowing that the Asura wings could be dangerous if not controlled properly, Liu Yi You stayed to ensure Xiao Meng could handle it proficiently.

    This is what she would give to her younger brother.

    The necklace that sealed Tong Tian was entrusted to her Elder Five to pass on to her Elder Three.

    Since Ta Gui, Qi Ling, and Xiao Gui, now guardians, could not leave this world, they had to stay behind. The guardian beasts chose to remain at the Liu residence because of the abundant herbs available to them.

    Liu Yi You, not planning to take anything except her fish tank, cosmic ring, and bracelet, essentially prepared as if she were moving house. Although Liu Tan wanted to accompany his granddaughter, he knew his cultivation was too weak and would only be a burden. Thus, he chose to wait quietly.

    This journey concerned the life and death of many people in this world.

    After more than ten days, Zang Zilu finally opened all 108 of his Qi points.

    Now, the journey would only include Zang Zilu and Liu Yi You. At this moment, everyone was gathered at the entrance to the celestial world. Liu Yi You had a key given to her by the giant white cat, Xiao Bai, but she kept silent because she didn't want Zang Zilu to come along.

    "Vice Chief Zang, please take care of my daughter," Liu Fuzhen said helplessly.

    Although he didn't like Zang Zilu, who often acted like Liu Yi You's father, he knew Zang Zilu would help in times of trouble, albeit quietly.

    "Are you ready?" Bai Hu, the head of the Bai family, who now served as the guardian in place of the giant cat Xiao Bai, asked. He held a key to open the celestial gate. He placed his hand on a complex box that transformed into an intricate key.

    "Choose which gate to enter," Bai Hu said.

    Zang Zilu walked to the gate, ready to call Liu Yi You, but noticed her anxious demeanor.

    "Father..." A sweet voice called from a distance, causing Liu Yi You to smile broadly.

    "How did you get here?" Zang Zilu raised his eyebrows, looking at Zang Qing Fu hurrying towards them.

    "Father, Mother left me, and now you're leaving too?" The young woman looked at her father with tearful eyes.

    Zang Zilu didn't say anything, but turned to squint at the girl standing beside him and said, "Would you let your junior face danger alone?"

    "But you won't come back," Zang Qing Fu said, tears streaming down her face.

    "You are married; you should stay with your husband. Maybe this time I might bring your mother back."

    "Can you promise to come back?" Zang Qing Fu's face was filled with frustration and reluctance.

    "I can't promise."

    "Then you can't go." The father and daughter glared at each other intensely.

    Liu Yi You tried hard to keep from smiling, maintaining a serious expression instead.

    "Hurry up before the gate closes," Bai Hu urged. The celestial gate didn't open often.

    Liu Yi You walked straight to one of the doors at random. Zang Zilu followed but was held back by his daughter's delicate hand. He glanced at Gao Haoxuan.

    "Take good care of her," he instructed, then pried Zang Qing Fu's tear-streaked hand from his and handed it to Gao Haoxuan. He then turned to walk toward Liu Yi You.

    Instead of holding onto Zang Qing Fu, Gao Haoxuan hugged his master's leg instead.

    "Master, please don't go."

    Zang Zilu's face hardened. "Nonsense. Your junior sister is so young. How can you let her travel alone?"

    Gao Haoxuan shook his head vigorously. "She said she is fifteen. She can travel alone."

    Liu Yi You flinched slightly and forced a weak smile. The Liu family exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do. The gate had been open for a while and could close at any moment.

    "Master, in that case, please don't go. Senior Sister Zang will only be upset. I’m going to take my leave now. If I find your wife, I will definitely bring her back."

    Liu Yi You clasped her hands together and bowed to her master with a sincere and earnest expression.

    To Zang Zilu, however, it looked like a mocking gaze. He raised his index and middle fingers, pressing them into Gao Haoxuan's shoulder, making him collapse to the ground. He then turned to Liu Fuzhen.

    "Master Liu, please take care of my daughter."

    Liu Fuzhen nodded. "I will. Please take care of Yi You as well."

    "Father!" Zang Qing Fu, tears streaming down her face, stood next to the unconscious Gao Haoxuan. Though she understood, she was unwilling to accept it.

    Liu Fuzhen and Zang Zilu nodded to each other. Zang Zilu walked through the gate, ready to follow Liu Yi You, who was already standing inside.

    The gate was about to close...

    Just then, a young man carrying a boy the size of Liu Yi You ran through the gate, causing Zang Zilu to hesitate for a moment. The gate quickly moved to close.

    Seeing this, Zang Zilu rushed in as well, but...

    The gate shut.

    He collided with the gate, stumbling back several steps, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. Once again, he had been outwitted by his mischievous disciple.

    Inside the dimly lit room with its glow from night pearls, where only Liu Yi You and Zang Zilu should have been, there were now two additional people.

    "Hua, Le Yian, how did you two get here?" Liu Yi You blinked at the pair, one child and one adult.

    She scanned the other party's bodies and saw that Le Yian had opened one hundred and eight Qi points, while Hua was a half-sage and shouldn't be able to leave that world. Had she misunderstood something?

    "Le Yian said that going to the Celestial Land would be fun," the young man replied with a smile.

    "Le Yian?" Liu Yi You turned to the boy.

    "....." The boy remained silent, not explaining even a single word.

    Liu Yi You rolled her eyes. "Alright, since you're here, so be it."

    On the other side was the door to the Celestial Land, making Liu Yi You feel a bit excited.

    She had gone to find Senior Brother and Senior Sister Zang to persuade them to help keep their teacher from going. At first, she thought she wouldn't succeed, but at the last moment, these two had slipped in, causing Zang Zilu to miss the boat.

    Liu Yi You opened the door, meeting a bright light that made her raise her hand to shield her eyes. Outside the door was a dark cave where nothing could be seen.

    "It's too dark to see anything," Hua complained.

    Liu Yi You pouted. This was why she didn't want to bring anyone along.

    She could scan the area well and knew the directions perfectly. She took out night pearls to provide some light. As they moved forward, they found that the cave was quite narrow. Some points required crawling, while others needed swimming before they reached a large hall within the cave.

    Liu Yi You looked around uncertainly, but seeing a Buddha statue, she figured it might be a cave belonging to a Buddhist sect. She raised her hands in a respectful gesture and led the group out of the cave.

    Liu Yi You's mouth fell open when she saw a cement sign written in Thai:

    The Naga Cave