Sibling rendezvous

"Honorable Master He, there's still no sign of my sister and Qin Yu. Could we have taken the wrong direction?" Mo Yongxing, who was walking upstream, suddenly spoke up.

They had been walking in the tunnel along the river for over an hour, shining their powerful lights ahead, but all they saw was a continuous flow of water. They had no idea when it would end, and there was no trace of Mo Yongxin and Qin Yu.

"This shouldn't be right. Generally, we should be walking upstream!" He Ping also appeared puzzled.

"Master Mo, I believe Miss Mo and Mr. Qin might have gone downstream," another black-clothed man spoke up. "Normally, in such situations, everyone would choose to go upstream. However, we've overlooked one important factor—the depth of the water and Miss Mo's endurance. Even for a normal man, walking in this water is challenging, let alone Miss Mo. Even if they did choose to go upstream, after a while without seeing any end in sight, they might have decided to turn and go downstream."

"You're right. My sister couldn't possibly endure for this long in the water. They must have gone downstream," Mo Yongxing slapped his forehead and signaled everyone to turn and walk downstream.

He Ping hesitated but eventually agreed with Mo Yongxing's decision. The group turned around and headed downstream once again.

"Master Mo, there are footprints here!"

After walking downstream for over an hour, Mo Yongxing and his group finally reached the riverbank where Qin Yu and Mo Yongxin had previously walked. Under the illumination of their powerful lights, they could see distinct wet footprints. This discovery filled everyone with excitement. They hadn't chosen the wrong direction this time.

The group hurriedly proceeded inward. Before long, they found a pile of ashes—the spot where Mo Yongxin and Qin Yu had previously lit a fire. A burly man in black stepped forward, reached into the ashes, and twirled his fingers. He turned around and said, "The ashes are still warm. They can't have left long ago."

"If they haven't gone far, then let's pick up the pace and catch up with my sister and Qin Yu as soon as possible." Mo Yongxing's face lit up with joy. Suddenly, he noticed that He Ping seemed lost in thought and asked, "Master He, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Let's go. We should be catching up with Miss Mo and the others soon," He Ping paused for a moment, snapping out of his trance.

"Someone is lying on the ground up ahead?"

Not long after, Mo Yongxing and his group arrived at the Nine Stars Three Elements Formation and saw Li Long's body lying on the ground.

"Why is it Li Long? Didn't he fall into the Yellow Spring Water? Why is he here?" As they approached and took a closer look, they realized the body on the ground was indeed Li Long. They were puzzled, except for a glimmer of color that flashed in He Ping's eyes.

"Master Mo, Miss Mo is up ahead." Just as Mo Yongxing was perplexed, a bodyguard shone his powerful light around and spotted Mo Yongxin lying on the ground. He hurriedly shouted.

"My sister? It's really my sister."

Mo Yongxing quickly walked up and helped Mo Yongxin up from the ground, his spirits lifted. He called out, "Sis, what happened? Wake up!" No matter how Mo Yongxing called out, Mo Yongxin remained unresponsive, still unconscious.

"He Ping, come and see what's wrong with my sister. Why did she faint?" In his distress, Mo Yongxing had no choice but to seek help from He Ping.

"It's alright. Miss Mo was knocked unconscious by someone. If you pinch her philtrum, she will wake up." He Ping examined the back of Mo Yongxin's neck and spoke.

"Knocked unconscious? Who did this to my sister? And where is Qin Yu? Right, why is it only my sister? Where did Qin Yu go?" Only now did Mo Yongxing remember that Qin Yu was also missing.

"I didn't see him. Let's split up and search around."

After saying this, He Ping walked toward the altar inside, a look of excitement on his face that was hidden from the others. However, when he reached the altar, he found it empty, and his face darkened. He stubbornly continued searching around the altar, but in the end, he found nothing.

"Sis, you're awake. What happened? Who knocked you out? And where is Qin Yu?" Mo Yongxing pinched Mo Yongxin's philtrum, and soon she began to regain consciousness. He asked eagerly.

"I was knocked out?" Mo Yongxin gradually woke up, her eyes still filled with confusion. It took her a while to focus her gaze and rub her slightly sore neck. She murmured softly, "I remember that I and Qin Yu entered the Three Elements Formation, and then... it seems..." Mo Yongxin gradually recalled the scene. She had clung to Qin Yu like a wanton woman, seemingly even biting his ear, and then that guy knocked her out.

Mo Yongxin's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger as she thought about her actions. She had never allowed anyone of the opposite sex to touch her body, yet she had acted like a wanton woman, actively seducing Qin Yu.

"I wonder what that guy is thinking." Mo Yongxin felt a mix of resentment and anger towards Qin Yu. After all, she was a delicate and beautiful woman, and he should have treated her with more care and respect instead of knocking her out.

"Sis, what's wrong? Speak louder."

"What happened? Where is Qin Yu?" Mo Yongxin naturally wouldn't tell her younger brother that she seduced Qin Yu and he knocked her out without any response.

"I don't know. I only saw you and Li Long. Li Long is dead. He Ping told everyone to search for Qin Yu." Qin Yu pouted. His sister was really something. As soon as she woke up, she wanted to know about Qin Yu. She had no idea how worried he was when she fell.

"Where is He Ping?" Mo Yongxin's eyes flashed with a cold light upon hearing her brother's words and asked.

"He went to look for Qin Yu. He went in that direction ahead. Look, the person on the altar is He Ping." Mo Yongxin pointed her flashlight in the direction indicated, and it happened to shine on He Ping's face.

"You secretly keep an eye on He Ping's every move, but don't let him notice you. If he behaves unusually, report it to me immediately." Mo Yongxin's eyes flashed with a cold light. Those who dared to scheme against her Mo family would have to pay the price.

"Monitor He Ping? What's wrong with you, sis?" Mo Yongxing looked puzzled and asked in a lowered voice.

"I'll explain later. For now, just do as I say." Mo Yongxin saw that He Ping had already come down from the altar and didn't have time to explain to her younger brother.

"Miss Mo, why are you alone? Where did Qin Yu go, or how did this deceased person end up here?" He Ping approached the Mo siblings and asked.

"I don't know either. After Qin Yu and I fell into the cave, we walked downstream. Eventually, we found a riverbank and continued walking inward. Just as we were about to reach this place, we heard a scream. When we rushed over, we found Li Long lying on the ground with something piercing his body. Qin Yu examined the area and said it was a formation. Li Long must have triggered the formation and fell victim to a trap."

Moyongxin's words were partly true and partly false, but since Li Long was already dead, He Ping had no way of verifying the truthfulness of her words. Moreover, her main intention was to avoid arousing suspicion. Even if He Ping had doubts, it didn't matter.

"Oh, where did Brother Qin go again?"

"I don't know either. Li Long triggered the formation, and both Qin Yu and I got trapped in it. I activated a mechanism and fell unconscious, so I have no idea what happened afterward."

Moyongxin's statement was indeed truthful. If it weren't for Li Long breaking the jade plate, the Nine Stars and Three Talents formation wouldn't have been activated. Neither she nor Qin Yu would have been trapped in the formation, and she wouldn't have been injured or knocked unconscious by someone.

After listening to Moyongxin's words, He Ping's expression changed uncertainly, and he said, "Since that's the case, let's expand the search area. Perhaps Brother Qin might have gone somewhere else."

"Yes."

Meanwhile, the main character being searched for was still walking on the stone stairs. Qin Yu quietly calculated in his mind that he had already walked a distance of at least one kilometer on the stairs. Adding the two layers of caves above, considering the height as well, he was already deep underground, at a depth of one kilometer.

Such a long stone staircase, such a deep tunnel, required unimaginable manpower and resources. It couldn't be completed in a short period; it was undoubtedly a long-term project.

The torch in Qin Yu's hand was also almost extinguished. Fortunately, this type of mountain wood specially processed by the Entropy Clan burned slowly. Otherwise, it would have burned out a long time ago, and he wouldn't have been able to persist for so long.

"This staircase is way too long." Qin Yu felt helpless. Could it be that the Entropy Clan had nothing better to do and spent their days digging tunnels, resulting in such an incredibly long staircase?

In the end, the torch couldn't last until the very end, and Qin Yu once again found himself in darkness. Since he took the first step onto the staircase, his retreat was sealed, and the passage concealed itself underground.