Chapter 91: An Elder's Favorite Disciple
"The tracks indicate they headed east," Azure observed as I examined the disturbed earth where Rocky once was. "Two sets of footprints, probably male given the size and depth. They were struggling with something heavy."
Wei Lin and Lin Mei spread out to search the surrounding area while I concentrated on the main path.
"Look at these marks," Lin Mei called out, crouching to examine some crushed vegetation. "Someone definitely dragged something heavy through here."
"And recently too," Wei Lin added, picking up a fragment of rope. "This fiber's barely started to fray.”
I nodded, following the trail with my eyes. Whoever had taken Rocky had left clear signs of their passage – broken twigs, scuffed earth, even some frayed rope fibers caught on a bush. Either they weren't trying to hide their trail, or they were too focused on moving their heavy "prize" to care.
Liu Chen had been unusually quiet since we'd discovered Rocky's disappearance, which worried me more than his crying had.
"The spiritual residue is still fresh," Azure continued. "They can't have gotten far."
I was about to reply when I felt it – a surge of spiritual energy that made my skin prickle. My body instantly dropped into a defensive stance, expecting an ambush.
I spun around, ready for an attack, only to find... nothing but a cloud of dust where Liu Chen had been standing moments before.