Looking at Niannian's bright eyes, Shen Weixun felt extremely entangled.
The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
"Third Senior Brother?"
After waiting for a long time without hearing anything further, Niannian couldn't wait to grab Shen Weixun's arm and looked at him eagerly.
Finally, unable to withstand the poor look in the little girl's eyes any longer, Shen Weixun steeled his heart and told her what he knew.
"Didn't I help you track down the mastermind behind your abduction? After I traced it back to that village, I found that someone had inquired about that village just like me. After further investigation, I discovered that this person was the master.
"He entered the village with the eldest senior brother, but no one has seen them come out since. The locals said that the village is a deserted ghost village where people who go in never come back. There's only one way in and out of the village, so it's highly likely that the master is trapped in the village now. His life or death is unknown."
For Shen Weixun to say that the master's life or death was unknown, Niannian instinctively understood the gravity of the situation.
They all had special means to contact the master.
They just wouldn't use such means unless it was necessary.
The master hadn't taught her, but he had taught the other senior brothers.
Once this method was used, as long as the master was still alive, there would definitely be a response.
Since the third senior brother said that the master's life or death was unknown, it meant that he had used this method but received no response at all, which was why he came to this conclusion.
Niannian was flustered for a moment.
What kind of powerful thing could trap the master? Or perhaps...
Having been exposed to metaphysics since childhood, Niannian had understood the meaning of death at a very young age.
So now she didn't dare to think too deeply.
She quickly threw the messy thoughts out of her head. The little girl anxiously grabbed Shen Weixun's sleeve and said, "Third Senior Brother, I'm going to find the master."
"I was afraid you'd have this kind of thought, which is why I didn't dare to tell you. The master has such high cultivation, and he had the eldest senior brother with him. Even they are now of unknown life or death. What good would it do if you went?"
Shen Weixun sighed helplessly.
In fact, he didn't hold out much hope in his heart.
Before the master drove them down the mountain, his behavior was really strange.
It was very much like he was leaving a last will and testament. He had arranged things so well for all of them junior brothers.
He only took the eldest senior brother, who always obeyed him.
He even stuffed all the property of the Taoist temple into Niannian's Qiankun bag and didn't keep anything for himself.
It was very much like he was leaving an inheritance.
So a long time ago, Shen Weixun had had a bad premonition. He just kept having a glimmer of hope because he thought his master was powerful.
This time, when he traced the matter to that village, found the master's trail, and tried to contact the master using the special method but received no response at all, even he panicked.
But he knew his own limitations.
If the master's current situation was beyond his ability to solve, then it would be useless for them junior brothers to go. They'd just be courting death.
"I can do it! I'll be useful. The master said that my attainment in the inheritance of the right path is even higher than his. Maybe I really have a way. Third Senior Brother, please take me to find the master."
Niannian was so anxious that tears were about to fall.
The glistening tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Her childish voice was both aggrieved and determined.
Shen Weixun remained silent. He didn't want Niannian to take risks out of his own selfishness, so he would never agree to such a request.
When the little girl didn't get a response for a long time, she pouted her lips, extremely angry.
Stubborn as a bull, she turned around and was about to go upstairs.
Seeing her aggressive look, Shen Weixun knew something bad was about to happen. He quickly called out to her, "Niannian! Where are you going?"
"Humph, if you won't take me, I'll go by myself!"
Goodness, these words really gave Shen Weixun a fright.
This kid was really good at drawing divine travel talismans, and it was Niannian who had initially told him the address of the village.
If the little girl was really angry and said she was going by herself, she might really stick two talismans on her legs and run there.
Not to mention how much such an action would consume her energy.
She was just a half - grown child who knew nothing about the society and the ways of the world. It would be strange if she didn't get into trouble if she traveled alone.
Of course, Shen Weixun couldn't just let Niannian be so willful.
But he really couldn't persuade her.
In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and say, "Alright, stop making a fuss. I'll take you, okay?"
Actually, Shen Weixun was going to go anyway.
After all, that was his own master. So even though he knew he might be overestimating his own abilities, he still wanted to go and confirm it in person.
Since Niannian was so insistent and disobedient, he had no choice but to take the little girl with him.
"Third Senior Brother, are you serious? You're not allowed to lie. Liars will turn into puppies."
Niannian turned around and looked at Shen Weixun with extremely distrustful eyes.
Shen Weixun was almost laughed out of anger. He nodded helplessly again and again.
"It's true. When have I ever lied to you? You don't need to pack anything else. Just take your Qiankun bag and tell your parents. Then we can go."
Seeing that the third senior brother looked serious and didn't seem to be kidding her, little Niannian immediately felt relieved.
She nodded heavily and went upstairs to get her little satchel.
Her parents weren't at home, and neither were her elder brothers.
Some were at work, and some were at school.
The little girl was in a hurry. All she wanted was to go out with the third senior brother quickly and find the master.
It wasn't until the car started that Shen Weixun's reminder made her remember.
Oh~
She had forgotten to inform her parents.
She quickly took out her watch phone and called each of them to report.
When her parents received the call, they were stunned for a while before reluctantly agreeing.
There was nothing they could do. What else could they do if they didn't agree?
The child had already left, and she was determined to go. They couldn't persuade her back.
But Yu Shanhe wrote all this down against Shen Weixun.
He even put Shen Weixun at the top of his blacklist.
The village they were going to was quite far away.
It would take about twenty - odd hours to drive there.
Niannian was worried about the master, so she didn't have the excitement she had when she first went on a long - distance trip.
She just hoped that the car could drive faster.
Along the way, the little girl didn't really want to get out of the car.
Except when she had to meet her physiological needs, she sat obediently in the car all the time.
Finally, after rushing on the road like this, they arrived near the village.
This was a relatively remote small county in the south. They still had to walk on a dirt road for quite a while before they could reach the village smoothly.
But after they got here, they didn't rush into the village immediately.
Instead, they first found a fairly decent hotel in the small town and checked in.
They were going to inquire about the news of the village first.