Portal

Both Xiao Meiying and Feng Lou were shocked to hear the name Lin Xiaohong. Feng Lou's reaction was more visceral. The name Lin Xiaohong triggered a flood of memories. He remembered the dark, damp basement underneath his house where he had imprisoned her, sealing it with earth. The realization that she had somehow escaped left him unsettled. She must have dug her way out.

Xiao Meiying, still reeling from the revelation, turned to Uncle Lin with urgency in her voice. "What happened next, Uncle Lin? What did you find out?"

Uncle Lin's expression grew even more grave. "After I saw Lin Xiaohong, I went up to her to ask where she had been all those months and where you were, my lady. But when I spoke to her, she was different. She didn't talk, she didn't respond in any way. It was as if someone had sucked the soul out of her. Her eyes were lifeless, like those of a dead fish. She kept chanting a strange name over and over again."

Xiao Meiying's heart tightened. "What name was she chanting?"

Uncle Lin took a deep breath before answering. "She kept repeating the name 'Xianlong.' It was as if that name was the only thing anchoring her to this world. No matter how much I tried to get through to her, that name was all she could say."

Feng Lou's mind raced. The name Xianlong was unfamiliar to him, but it clearly held significance. "Xianlong... Do you have any idea who or what that is?" he asked, looking at Uncle Lin.

Uncle Lin shook his head. "No, I don't. But whatever it is, it has a powerful hold over her."

Xiao Meiying's eyes widened in shock upon hearing the name. Her heart skipped a beat. Xianlong was the name of her previous life, the name of the queen inside her. The realization hit her like a lightning bolt.

The queen's voice inside her mind was equally stunned. "Xianlong... That's my name. How does this modern girl know my name? Why is she chanting it?"

Xiao Meiying's thoughts whirled as she tried to make sense of the situation. "Uncle Lin, did she say anything else? Any other clues?"

Uncle Lin shook his head again, looking troubled. "No, my lady. She just kept repeating that name, over and over. It was as if she was in a trance."

Feng Lou, noticing the change in Xiao Meiying's demeanor, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Meiying, do you know something about this Xianlong?"

"No, it just sounded familiar. I'm sorry," Xiao Meiying quickly explained, not wanting to reveal the presence of the queen inside her.

Feng Lou studied her face for a moment, sensing there was more to her reaction than she was letting on. He almost used the crown's power to compel her to speak the truth but decided against it. Respecting her privacy, he nodded and turned his attention back to Uncle Lin.

"What happened next?" Feng Lou asked.

Uncle Lin's expression grew somber as he continued. "While I was talking with Lin Xiaohong, trying to snap her out of her trance, your father went to meet with the leaders of the Mo Sect. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. In the sky, a massive portal appeared, and from it, a gigantic hand emerged. It ripped the entire sect from the ground and lifted it into the sky."

Feng Lou and Xiao Meiying exchanged shocked glances. Uncle Lin's voice trembled slightly as he recounted the harrowing experience. "I was one of the unluckiest ones. As the sect was being lifted, I fell. Despite my Diamond Jin martial arts, the fall was too great. I couldn't survive the impact."

Xiao Meiying's mind raced. The queen's voice whispered he was lying for some reason, but she pushed them aside. "Did you see what happened to my father?" she asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

Uncle Lin shook his head. "I didn't. The chaos was overwhelming. But if he was with the Mo Sect leaders, there's a chance he might still be with them—wherever that hand took them."

Feng Lou furrowed his brow in confusion. The divination spell had indicated that Xiao Meiying's father was in the underworld, specifically pointing to the portal in the sea. Could the spell have been wrong? Or perhaps the portal, intended to lead them to Xiao Meiying's father, had mistakenly sent them to the underworld instead? Feng Lou's thoughts were tangled in uncertainty.

Deciding he needed answers, Feng Lou turned to Xiao Meiying. "Something's not adding up here. The divination spell said your father is in the underworld, but Uncle Lin's story suggests otherwise. I think it's time we get some clarification."

Feng Lou raised his hand and called upon the power of the crown. The air around them shimmered, and the two ghostly figures materialized once more, their ethereal forms radiating a gray glow.

"We need your guidance," Feng Lou said, addressing the ghostly figures. "The divination spell pointed us towards the underworld, specifically the portal in the sea, to find Xiao Meiying's father. Yet, Uncle Lin's account suggests he might have been taken somewhere else by a portal. Can you help us understand what is happening?"

The white figure stepped forward, its voice calm and authoritative. "We are not sure if the divination spell was incorrect or correct. It is possible that the portal this retainer described could have taken the queen's father to a different realm."

Feng Lou asked, "Different realms, what do you mean?" 

The white figure explained, "The underworld is not a singular plane but a vast network of interconnected realms and sub-realms. Each serves a different purpose or houses different entities and souls. It is possible that the portal described by this retainer led to one of these realms, perhaps one that is not typically accessible."

"Creating portals through space is tricky. Only powerful beings, like you with your underworld powers or gods from different worlds, can make stable portals. Other portals are unpredictable and might send you anywhere," the figure explained.

Feng Lou listened intently, absorbing the information. "So, if the portal was unstable, it could have sent Xiao Meiying's father anywhere, possibly to a realm we cannot even imagine."

The white figure nodded. "Exactly. The instability of such portals makes predicting their destinations nearly impossible. It's like throwing a stone into a turbulent river and trying to predict where it will land."

Han Mei's mind raced with worry. "But if my husband is in one of these unstable realms, how will we ever find him?"