Chapter 1633 - 1685: Heading to the Southern Region
Three days later, people from Master Void delivered the map, along with Master Void’s original decrypted translation of the manuscript. Everyone quickly opened it for examination.
A few seconds later, the hot-tempered Elder Feng slammed the table, shaking his head while shouting, "What is this nonsense? Just drawing a few lines is supposed to represent a map? That’s too simplistic."
Li Yifei leaned in to take a look; it really did seem a bit simple. There were a bunch of words written on the map, which Li Yifei didn’t recognize, and they didn’t appear to be Huaxia script either. He glanced at Master Void, who chuckled lightly, took the map in hand, and said, "Actually, the area isn’t very big. Back then, I suspected a few locations. After thinking about it these past few days, I can eliminate some places. In the end, there will only be two or three places worth questioning."
"That’s more like it," Elder Feng blew his beard and tapped the map in the air, saying, "Where are they? Point them out, I’ll find one."
Li Yifei quickly said, "Elder Feng, you shouldn’t trouble yourself to go personally. It’s easier for me to go alone if the area isn’t big."
"You?" Elder Feng glanced at Li Yifei and asked, "Can you handle Bai Shan?"
Li Yifei was momentarily at a loss for words; he really didn’t know what Bai Shan was. The elders hadn’t clarified what exactly Bai Shan was, nor even its specific appearance. But they had told Li Yifei that if he encountered Bai Shan, he would know what it was.
The explanation was like a tongue twister. Li Yifei finally understood that Bai Shan was a very peculiar thing with innate sealing effects. The main issue was that none of the five elders had seen Bai Shan, so they couldn’t describe it accurately. If Li Yifei wanted to find it, he would have to rely on himself to identify it.
Li Yifei had to go this time. He could ignore other matters, but Bai Shan was related to his son’s safety, and no matter how difficult it was, Li Yifei would make the journey.
Li Yifei shook his head and said, "I really can’t say; mainly, I’m unclear about what Bai Shan is, whether it has any offensive abilities, how strong it is..."
"We don’t know either. Why don’t I go with you?" Yao Lingfu suggested.
Trekking thousands of miles, traversing mountains and ridges, passing through swamps and toxic forests — Li Yifei couldn’t let Yao Lingfu go too. He shook his head and said, "Elders, let me go search first. If Bai Shan is powerful and I can’t handle it alone, I can call you for help."
Yao Lingfu nodded and said, "Alright then, let’s do it that way. You should go quickly and find Bai Shan soon, so we can first seal my dear disciple!"
Li Yifei gave a helpless nod and thought to himself — they’re set on having this disciple. During the past few days, when the elders referred to his son, they all used "my dear disciple." As for who the child’s mentor would be, for now, it seemed everyone wanted to be the boy’s master.
After arrangements were complete, Li Yifei informed the women at home, who didn’t have much to say. But Li Yifei had just returned recently and now had to leave again; although they said nothing, they felt a bit reluctant inside.
A child being ordinary worries parents, but being too excellent makes parents worry even more. At night, Li Yifei accompanied Jiang Ningxiang in the room. The two looked at each other silently. Jiang Ningxiang lowered her gaze to the child. The child had just fed and was now sleeping soundly with a pouty mouth.
On the surface, the child looked not much different aside from being more handsome and cute. But the innate energy within him was astonishing, far surpassing the Innate Vital Energy that Li Yifei obtained from the Kunlun Stone Wall, to the extent that the two were not even on the same level.
The child didn’t cry much, fell asleep immediately after being fed, would play quietly upon waking, and giggled endlessly when teased. Yet he remained very predictable, causing far less trouble than typical children and waking only a few times at night. After eating, he would continue sleeping soundly.
Li Yifei took the child and placed him in the crib nearby before returning to embrace Jiang Ningxiang.
Jiang Ningxiang leaned against Li Yifei, holding his large hand, and after a while, softly said, "Husband, be careful during this trip."
"Mm, I’ll try to find that Bai Shan. Even if I don’t, don’t worry about the child. I will protect him," Li Yifei replied.
The Li family’s third son’s information was confidential. Li Yifei strictly ordered his people not to speak of it, although there’s no guarantee it won’t be discovered by others.
Jiang Ningxiang nodded gently, looked at their son, and said, "I don’t know how to tell you — I wish for your safety, and I hope we can resolve this trouble for our son. I just wish for him to grow healthily, without calamities — like other children."
"Our child will surely grow up healthy, alright, let’s not overthink this. Let’s rest early; you’ll need to feed him in the middle of the night."
The lights went out, yet both could see each other clearly in the dark. Jiang Ningxiang’s brow showed a hint of worry. Li Yifei thought she was worried about him or maybe the child’s situation. He held her close, kissed her forehead, and said, "Good night."
Jiang Ningxiang nodded lightly, hugged Li Yifei’s waist in return, and stayed silent.
In the morning, Li Yifei woke up to find Jiang Ningxiang already feeding the child. After these few days, Jiang Ningxiang no longer felt shy. Even if she was feeding the child in front of others, she remained composed. Seeing her feeding the child, Li Yifei quickly got up, crawled over from the bed, stared at the baby’s little mouth, and licked his lips as if he were very hungry.
Jiang Ningxiang glared at him and said, "Go wash up, don’t tease me... and the baby."
"I’m not kidding. Ever since he was born, I can’t touch my things anymore." Li Yifei chuckled mischievously.
Jiang Ningxiang’s face flushed, and she turned slightly to the side.
Li Yifei followed her, insistently saying, "I don’t care; this time, I must have a bite when I get back!"
"Honey..." Jiang Ningxiang’s voice changed, her cheeks blushed even deeper, feeling more self-conscious. Li Yifei laughed heartily, gently pinched Jiang Ningxiang’s cheek, and said, "Alright, I’m going to freshen up."
Walking to the bathroom door, Li Yifei stopped and said, "But this must happen; consider it your reward to me."
Jiang Ningxiang pouted, thinking to herself, how could a father compete with his child for milk...
As she pondered, Jiang Ningxiang imagined Li Yifei like a baby, lying in her arms, his big mouth sucking vigorously...
After tidying up, Li Yifei said goodbye to his son and wife and went downstairs to meet the old group. Last night, he noted down the three places Master Void speculated about. Li Yifei also contacted some people who could assist him.
The places Li Yifei planned to visit were located at the borders of Huaxia, Laos, and Vietnam. One site was in Huaxia, while the other two were in Laos and Vietnam. Li Yifei’s first stop was the suspected location within Huaxia.
Before setting off, Master Void said, "It’s very likely to be a relic, similar to the Kunlun Cave Estate, so we don’t know what’s inside. You’ll have to judge for yourself, but remember, if things become impossible, retreat first and contact us for help!"
Li Yifei nodded and said, "I will."
Murong Yuanqing approached, patted Li Yifei’s shoulder, and said, "Don’t worry about the family. We old folks will wait for you to return, and we won’t leave until things are resolved. With us here, anyone with designs on my disciple will think twice!"
Yao Lingfu nearby said, "That’s my disciple!"
Master Liu gave Murong Yuanqing a cold glance. Though he didn’t speak, his meaning was similar.
Li Yifei quickly turned to walk towards his wives, lest the elders insisted on having him declare who should be his child’s master.
After bidding farewell to his wives, Li Yifei got in the car, waved, and Xu Shanshan ran over from afar with a big backpack. She dashed in front of the car, and if not for the driver braking quickly, Xu Shanshan might have been hit, but thankfully she wasn’t. The driver was pale with fright.
Li Yifei rolled down the window, stuck his head out, looked at Xu Shanshan, and slightly frowned, saying, "What are you doing?"
Xu Shanshan shrugged and replied, "I want to go with you!"
Xu Yingying, who was there to see him off, walked over and pulled her sister, saying, "Shanshan, don’t be ridiculous, move aside. Your brother-in-law is going for business."
Xu Shanshan answered, "I’m not being ridiculous! I’m also an Innate Expert; I can help him. This trip to the southern region is potentially dangerous, and having more people means more support."
Before anyone could dissuade her, Xu Shanshan continued, "Plus, I can keep an eye on someone for you. Otherwise, he’ll come back with a trail of romantic debts, and if he brings back a woman, you’ll be crying!"
Her reasoning was convincing, and the other women who intended to pull her away fell silent. Even Xu Yingying released her grip, furrowing her brow, thinking her sister’s argument made sense. Having Xu Shanshan along seemed beneficial; every recent outing by Li Yifei had resulted in romantic entanglements, a concern for the household women.
"Are you sure you can keep him in check?" Xu Yingying tilted her head and asked softly.
Xu Shanshan raised her eyebrows, exhaled, and said, "Unless his romantic luck surpasses mine and I can’t beat her, otherwise, no chance."
After speaking, she shot a challenging glance at Li Yifei.
Xu Yingying relaxed her brow, nodded slightly, and said, "Alright. You’re allowed to accompany your brother-in-law, but be careful, don’t cause trouble, and follow Yifei’s lead!"
Having passed her sister’s barrier, Xu Shanshan smugly glanced at Li Yifei, as if saying, "See, you didn’t agree to my request yesterday, but I have my ways."
Li Yifei pulled his head back inside, shifted to make space for Xu Shanshan.