The three of them wore serious expressions after hearing what was said. Whether or not Yun Xi's suspicion could be proven, it wasn't good news either way.
"There's no time to waste. Let's check the other city gate first," Mu Ningzhu decided without hesitation.
The four of them left the room and happened to run into Zhou Langchen. He clearly had just returned from outside. Yun Xi's eyes flickered, exchanging a glance with the other three before stepping forward and cupping her hands politely.
"Zhou Daoyou, how was your rest in the upper guest room last night? Have your injuries healed?"
Zhou Langchen froze for a second, his tone turning serious.
"I only disembarked from the airship early this morning and just checked in here. What rest are you talking about?"
Yun Xi didn't answer, instead asking, "Zhou Daoyou, do you remember us giving you that upper room?"
Zhou Langchen frowned. "That last upper room was reserved by Zuo Daoyou with double the spirit stones. How is it suddenly something you 'gave' me?"
Hearing that, Yun Xi turned back and glanced at the other three. Yep. This one also had an entire day's memory wiped. She let out a silent sigh. It was exhausting, this feeling of being the only one awake while everyone else dreamed.
She cupped her hands and excused herself, returning to the group and spreading her hands in a helpless gesture. Their second and last acquaintance had also fallen into the trap.
Mu Ningzhu looked conflicted, but it wasn't her place to explain things to Zhou Langchen—they weren't that close. She waved for the group to follow her. She still wanted to verify things again.
But this time, it was Zhou Langchen who blocked their way.
"Everyone, may I have a word with you in private? Something strange is going on. I might have a clue."
Mu Ningzhu didn't refuse this time, and Zhou Langchen followed them back into the room.
Once seated, Zhou Langchen introduced himself and said, "I was en route to my next training ground, but when the airship stopped here, I received a transmission from my sect. It said that a disciple of Mingjian Sect went missing in Shuangshan City. Later, other disciples who came to search for him also lost contact.
Not long after, the sect received a distress signal from somewhere near the City Lord's Manor here in Shuangshan City. I just used the sect's jade token to confirm the signal's origin—it's indeed close to the City Lord's Manor. I heard the heir of the manor is about to hold a Dao Companion ceremony, so I planned to use Mingjian Sect's name to enter and investigate."
When Mu Ningzhu heard the word "missing," she knew immediately it wouldn't be that simple.
Yun Xi's mind was also working fast. There might be a connection between the events.
After Zhou Langchen finished speaking, he looked at the four of them and said, "From what this Daoyou said earlier, it seems you've discovered something. Would you be willing to share it? It might help me locate my missing sectmates."
Yun Xi turned her gaze toward Mu Ningzhu. She was the leader of the group, so whether they shared their findings was her call.
Mu Ningzhu thought it over and finally nodded.
Yun Xi cleared her throat and explained that all four of them had lost one day's worth of memory. The other three confirmed it.
Zhou Langchen took a deep breath. He was now convinced the two events were connected. It was highly likely the missing disciples from Mingjian Sect experienced something similar. Perhaps one of them, like Yun Xi, hadn't lost their memory—and that's why the City Lord's people captured them.
Zhou Langchen rubbed his fingers thoughtfully.
"I'll leave the city with you. Let's see if whoever is behind this makes a move."
"We were just about to leave when we saw you and decided to ask a few more questions," Mu Ningzhu replied. With that, their group of four became five.
They arrived smoothly at another city gate of Shuangshan City. However, patrolling cultivators stopped them, asking why they were leaving and even brought up the upcoming coupling ceremony, suggesting they stay to witness it.
Zhou Langchen cupped his hands and said, "It's a joyous occasion indeed, and we'd love to stay. But we just received a transmission from our sect urging us to return immediately. We regret having to miss this celebration."
"What a pity," the guard replied. "In that case, I won't delay you. I hope you'll return to Shuangshan City another time."
The guard only expressed regret and didn't try to stop them. After parting ways, he resumed his patrol.
The five of them exchanged glances and headed toward the city gate. A line of cultivators was still queuing to enter, and everything looked normal.
They walked casually but remained highly alert.
After leaving the city and walking a distance, Yun Xi frowned and looked back at the plaque over the city gate.
"Could we have been wrong?"
Mu Ningzhu let out a breath. "As long as we made it out, that's what matters. Whatever strangeness is going on here, we'll report it to the sect once we're back. Let's leave first."
"Alright!"
Only Zhou Langchen didn't move. He had come to find missing disciples, and with no answers yet, he couldn't just leave.
He cupped his hands and said, "You all may leave first. I need to go back into the city."
But before he could finish his sentence, a formation pattern suddenly lit up under their feet. In the blink of an eye, the five of them vanished from where they stood—without anyone nearby noticing a thing.
The moment the array lit up, Yun Xi knew something had gone wrong. The next second, they were teleported away. But once the light faded, they realized they were still standing in the same place.
Only now, the gate of Shuangshan City stood eerily quiet. No cultivators were queuing to enter, and no guards were collecting spirit stones. The silence was chilling.
"What's going on? Are we still in Shuangshan City?" Qin Tongshuang asked, gripping her sword tightly.
The others also drew their weapons, eyes sweeping the area with vigilance.
Yun Xi extended her divine sense, her expression growing stranger by the second.
Zhou Langchen scanned the surroundings and said, "Let's go into the city. Maybe we'll find some answers."
Zhang Yan interjected, "I think we'd be better off getting as far away as we can."
Mu Ningzhu looked at the white mist swirling around them. She wasn't convinced they could leave, but no one would be satisfied without trying.
Yun Xi patted her storage pouch, pulled out two red cords, and handed one to Mu Ningzhu. She tied herself and Qin Tongshuang together. If anything happened, at least they wouldn't be alone.
Mu Ningzhu understood the intent and tied herself to Zhang Yan. Then she turned to Zhou Langchen and said, "Zhou Daoyou, we're going to try and leave. If you're not in a rush, you can wait here. If we're not back in the time it takes to burn an incense stick, then you can enter the city and investigate."
Zhou Langchen was honest. "I don't think you'll be able to leave. Otherwise, they wouldn't have teleported us here. I'll wait."
Qin Tongshuang cupped her hands. "You may be right, but we have to try, or we won't be at peace."
With that, she pulled Yun Xi forward, leading the way into the thick white mist. Mu Ningzhu also cupped her hands in farewell, following closely behind with Zhang Yan.
Zhou Langchen felt slightly offended by their dismissal, but he still trusted his own judgment.
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, Yun Xi and Qin Tongshuang reemerged from the fog to find Zhou Langchen waiting in the same spot. He said in a low voice, "You were gone for a quarter of an hour."
Moments later, Mu Ningzhu and Zhang Yan emerged as well.
Qin Tongshuang, still unconvinced, pulled Yun Xi with her and tried entering the mist again. They made two more attempts—same result each time.