They stayed in the village for almost a week. Baili Yu only gave the command to continue with their travels once that doctor nodded and said that Tang Doudou's health was fine now.

  "Grandpa Tian, are you inside?" Since they had to leave tomorrow, Tang Doudou came to Tian Weishi's door to say goodbye to him. During these days, she spent most of her time with Tian Weishi. He would tell her about a lot of the strange things he saw when he was young. However, whenever she asked him about his family, he would pretend to fall asleep in order to avoid the topic. She was happiest when he would cook with her and discuss culinary matters with her.

  Although she really couldn't bear to part with this grandpa, there was no banquet in the world that lasted forever. It was time to say goodbye.

  As Tang Doudou was thinking about all of this, she had already knocked several times, but there was no response from within at all. Tang Doudou turned to Qing Yu who was behind her and said, "Qing Yu, call someone over to ram open the door!"

  It wasn't that she was being rash, but that she had seen too much news about how old people would pass away in their sleep due to things like high blood pressure.

  With how old Tian Weishi was, it was hard to guarantee that the same didn't happen to him.

  Qing Yu saw that Tang Doudou seemed very worried and immediately went to find some guards.

  She soon returned with four guards following behind her.

  "You guys think of a way to get the door open without making too much sound!"

  In the case that Tian Weishi was only sleeping, it'd be bad if they made too much of a ruckus and startled him.

  The guards accepted the command, then one stepped up and pulled out the sword from his waist. He slid the blade into the seam of the door and lifted up slightly. There was the sound of a light clink.

  The guard withdrew and cupped his fist towards her. "Madam, it's done!"

  Tang Doudou couldn't quite react for a moment. It was that easy?

  Hence, Qing Yu reacted faster. She walked up and pushed the door open.

  Although the door opened, there was still no response at all. Tang Doudou couldn't be bothered to ask the guard how he managed to open the door so easily anymore and rushed in. However, Tian Weishi was nowhere in sight.

  "Grandpa Tian!"

  She looked through every nook and corner of the room before sitting down on the stool, a bit disappointed and sad. Tian Weishi had disappeared without a sound!

  Wait, that wasn't right!

  Her gaze immediately lit up again. Baili Yu had stationed hidden guards all around. If Tian Weishi had really left, they definitely would have seen him!

  When her thoughts reached this point, she couldn't sit still anymore and ran out to head towards Baili Yu's carriage.

  "Big evil spirit! Baili Yu!" After jumping onto the carriage, Tang Doudou was taken aback for a moment. Baili Yu wasn't on the carriage either!

  What was going on?

  Could it be that they had picked this time to disappear together?

  Just as her thoughts were diving off in random directions, the sound of a guard's voice came from outside the carriage. "Master, Lady Doudou came over."

  "Hm? Where is she?"

  Tang Doudou lifted up the curtain just as Baili Yu was looking over.

  She jumped and landed with a thump on the ground, then immediately started running over while shouting, "Grandpa Tian has disappeared!"

  A trace of confusion flashed through Baili Yu's eyes. "He disappeared?"

  "I was going to go say goodbye to Grandpa Tian earlier, but after knocking for a long time there was still no response. I was worried that something had happened to him so I had the guards open the door. However, when I went in, there was no one inside. Big evil spirit, didn't you assign hidden guards to patrol the surroundings? Can you go ask them if they saw where Grandpa Tian went?" Tang Doudou said all of this in practically a single breath. It was clear that she was very worried.

  Baili Yu patted her shoulders, indicating for her to first calm down. Then he ordered Ye Chuan to bring all of the hidden guards that were on patrol yesterday over.

  Ye Chuan's expression turned more serious and he didn't move.

  Instead, he knelt on one knee in front of the two and bowed his head. "Tian Weishi indeed left yesterday night."

  "Why haven't you reported it?" Baili Yu's eyes were a little cold as he looked at Ye Chuan. Everyone here could see how close Tang Doudou and Tian Weishi were. In addition, Baili Yu knew after what he heard on the roof that if something happened to Tian Weishi, Tang Doudou would definitely be hurt to death.

  That was why he had also strengthened the defenses on that side these past few days so that the black-clothed men outside the village would have no chance to enter.

  Although he had clearly given the command to report as soon as anything unusual happened, as the leader of the hidden guards, Ye Chuan had actually kept the situation secret……

  "Master……" Ye Chuan lifted his head and looked towards Tang Doudou who was standing beside Baili Yu. He wanted to say something, but hesitated.

  Tang Doudou was so impatient she was practically stomping her feet as she pressed, "Speak ah! Where exactly did Grandpa Tian go?"

  Ye Chuan has been so strange lately. It couldn't be that he disliked her to the point he also disliked Tian Weishi, and hence chose not to pay attention to matters concerning him?

  A strange expression flashed through the depths of Ye Chuan's eyes and he lowered his head once again. "Ye Chuan knows he has failed his duty and asks Master to give punishment."

  Baili Yu's eyes turned completely cold when he saw that Ye Chuan was willing to take punishment rather than reveal Tian Weishi's location. Ye Chuan had been with him for decades and this was the first time he had dared to disobey his command like this.

  "What stupid punishment ah!" Tang Doudou was beside herself with anxiety. She pulled Ye Chuan up and said, "Grandpa Tian is already so old. Will your conscience really be able to take it if something happens to him?"

  Ye Chuan shot her a cold glance as he replied, "Tian Weishi has traveled the Jianghu for dozens of years. You hadn't even been born when he was sending waves throughout the Jianghu. It's more likely for something to happen to you than to him."

  After he finished speaking, he faced Baili Yu again and said resolutely, "Master, Ye Chuan promised Tian Weishi not to tell anyone about his whereabouts."

  Upon hearing this, Tang Doudou could guess what happened. Tian Weishi had left of his own free will. Perhaps because he was afraid she would miss him, or perhaps it was due to some other reason, but he didn't want anyone to know his whereabouts.

  "Doudou." Baili Yu reached out and tugged her into his arms. "Don't worry. In reality, Tian Weishi isn't as old as he looks. When he was young, his hair had turned white in one night due to his family being massacred. That's the only reason he appears so old."

  "His hair turned white in one night?" Tang Doudou was stunned. How hurt, how much despair must he have been in for his hair to turn white in just one night?

  Was the fact that Tian Weishi refused to talk about his sons and daughters also related to this?

  "En. Tian Weishi was once famous on the Jianghu. Not only was he known as the Godly Chief, his martial arts also could not be underestimated. Ordinary people have no way of hurting him."

  Even so, she still felt really worried as she gazed towards the outskirts of the village. Grandpa Tian had been living in obscurity for so many years, why would he leave so suddenly?

  There was definitely a reason behind it.

  __________

  Credits: Translated by Chiyomira

  [Chiyomira's Corner]

  Enjoy~