Chapter 93

PS: Sorry, this is the only update for tonight, I'll make up for it tomorrow!

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Zhao Chen seemed to have vanished into thin air. After passing through Funiu Mountain, he completely disappeared from people's sight. The search continued for three days, but Duan Zhixuan, finding no results, had to lead part of the Xuanjia Army eastward, while the main force from Luoyang extended their search in the other two directions.

On the imperial road from Chang'an to Luoyang, urgent messages were sent back and forth without pause. Emperor Li Er had entered a state of extreme irritability, issuing decree after decree, mobilizing the entire army of Luoyang in a determined effort to find Zhao Chen, vowing not to rest until he was found.

"Second Brother, you haven't slept all night!" In the Gannu Hall, Changsun looked at Li Er, who was leaning over a map, with slightly red-rimmed eyes. It was already the third watch of the night, but His Majesty showed no sign of wanting to sleep. In fact, since Zhao Chen's sudden departure, Li Er had hardly had a good night's sleep.

"Guanyinbi, where do you think this boy has gone?" Li Er straightened up, rubbed his slightly sore neck, and frowned at Changsun, sighing as he asked.

"Second Brother!" Changsun's eyes flickered, seemingly hesitant, but ultimately she looked at Li Er and said, "That's not the most important thing. The important thing is, what will we do if we find him?"

"Find him!" Li Er almost instinctively replied, "If we find him, we'll naturally bring him back!"

"Second Brother!" Changsun sighed, paused, and then looked at Li Er, saying, "Things are different now! Since Zhao Chen exposed his identity and left without a care, think about it, Second Brother, will he be the same as before? Will he obediently do whatever you say?"

Li Er's expression froze at Changsun's words!

Indeed! Zhao Chen was no longer the boy they had brought back from the Wei River. If it were before, he could have called the boy to do his bidding, but since Zhao Chen left Chang'an without a care, everything had changed!

Since Zhao Chen had exposed his identity as a disciple of an immortal and left Chang'an, it was not just a matter of their relationship returning to what it was before. Even if they found Zhao Chen, whether they could bring him back was a question!

Thinking of this, Li Er suddenly clenched his teeth and tightly gripped his fists. If only he had known then what he knew now!

Cheng Chumo had gone missing!

This was the news that came from Luoyang the next morning. On the day Zhao Chen left, Cheng Chumo had pursued him without hesitation, following the Xuanjia Army to Funiu Mountain.

Later, while everyone was searching for Zhao Chen's trail in Funiu Mountain, no one paid attention to Cheng Chumo. By the time they noticed, they could not find him either.

"How could this fool also go missing?" In the Cheng residence, Qin Shubao, who had just received the news, rushed in and asked Cheng Yaojin, who was in the room.

"I'm so angry!" Cheng Yaojin sat in the hall, breathing heavily. Hearing Qin Shubao's words, he said angrily, "This fool must have thought he was clever, shaking off everyone to find Zhao Chen on his own!"

"Given this fool's style, it's quite possible!" Qin Shubao thought for a moment and found Cheng Yaojin's words reasonable. As the saying goes, no one knows their child better than their father. Others might not understand Cheng Chumo, but Old Cheng knew his son's character well.

"Did this fool find Zhao Chen's trail?" Qin Shubao suddenly had an idea and looked at Cheng Yaojin, asking suspiciously.

"How could that be possible!" Cheng Yaojin shook his head vigorously. At Funiu Mountain, there were five hundred Xuanjia soldiers, and none of them had noticed anything. How could it be that only his son had found something?

"It's not impossible!" Qin Shubao mused, "These two boys are very close. Since Zhao Chen is a disciple of an immortal, he might have secretly given Cheng Chumo a telescope like the one the Emperor has!"

Cheng Yaojin was stunned at this. Qin Shubao was right. If Zhao Chen had given Cheng Chumo such a telescope, it was indeed possible that the fool had found Zhao Chen's trail and followed him alone.

While Cheng Yaojin and Qin Shubao were speculating, Cheng Chumo was struggling through the Qinling Mountains, far from Chang'an. It was still mid-winter, and the entire Qinling was covered in thick snow, several feet deep. Cheng Chumo trudged through the snow, one step at a time, heading deeper into the mountains.

It was cold! His body was almost frozen stiff, his limbs numb, especially his legs, which felt like they were no longer his own. The world was a white blur, and the thick snow on the trees would fall with a rustle when he approached.

The cold made Cheng Chumo long for the iron stove in Zhao Chen's residence. If he could sit by a roaring fire and cook a pot of mutton soup, it would be truly comfortable!

As he walked, Cheng Chumo's mind wandered, just as Qin Shubao had guessed. When hundreds of people lost Zhao Chen's trail in Funiu Mountain, only Cheng Chumo, using the monocular telescope Zhao Chen had given him, continued to follow Zhao Chen's trail.

At Funiu Mountain, when everyone thought they had lost Zhao Chen, only Cheng Chumo saw the mysterious sphere drift towards the Qinling Mountains. Recalling that Zhao Chen had come from the Qinling, Cheng Chumo immediately left everyone behind and headed into the mountains alone.

He had hidden his horse before entering the Qinling, not wanting anyone to know Zhao Chen's whereabouts, not even his father. He would wait until he saw his brother before doing anything else.

Cold and hungry, Cheng Chumo was in a pitiful state. His body was freezing, and his stomach was growling. He had a piece of frozen rabbit meat in his arms, but it was raw. Raw was better than nothing!

Cheng Chumo tore off a piece of rabbit meat and chewed it fiercely, then put the rest back in his arms. He still had a long way to go and didn't know if he would be lucky enough to catch another rabbit.

He had lost Zhao Chen's trail and was now moving in the direction Zhao Chen had described. He hoped he would find him!

Chewing on the rabbit meat, Cheng Chumo looked up at the white world and, with determination, continued forward.

Zhao Chen's original plan was to head directly to the sea, far away from Li Er and Chang'an, out of sight and out of mind.

There were many islands overseas. He could find a suitable one to settle down on, stabilize, and then find a way to inform Old Qin and the others. Even if Li Er found out, what could he do? Send people to the island?

However, when he reached Funiu Mountain and looked at the Qinling, he was suddenly moved. He had come from the Qinling, and since he was leaving, he might as well take one last look at the place where he had first appeared. Maybe he could find a way back!

He had been lost there before, with no warning. He had searched for a long time but couldn't find a way back, so he had come out.

Chang'an had disappointed him greatly. Since that was the case, he might as well try to find his way back to the original place. If he could find it, great; if not, he would have to head south to the sea.

So, after passing Funiu Mountain, he changed direction and headed towards the Qinling.

After several months away, the place looked the same, except for the thick layer of snow covering everything, burying the world in white.

In the snow-covered primeval forest, a military green tent stood in a grove of trees. Next to the tent, a hot air balloon was tied to a large tree, floating several meters above the ground.

For the past few days, Zhao Chen had been sitting in the hot air balloon, searching the area. He didn't think it was wise to search on foot in the deep snow.

One morning, after eating, Zhao Chen was about to go out again when he saw, in the distance, a snowman with ice and snow covering its hair and body, grinning at him.

"Cheng Chumo!" Zhao Chen stared at the snowman in the snow, stunned. After a moment, he recognized it as Cheng Chumo and called out in surprise.

"I found you!" Cheng Chumo stood there, looking pitifully at Zhao Chen, his voice filled with委屈 (grievance). As soon as he spoke, his lips trembled, and he started to cry.

"Stop crying, you fool!" Zhao Chen threw down what he was holding, rushed to Cheng Chumo's side in two steps, and, while scolding him, carried him on his back and quickly entered the tent.

The journey from outside the Qinling to this place was not short, especially in the middle of winter, with the mountains and fields covered in snow. Zhao Chen hadn't expected that Cheng Chumo, the fool, would follow him all the way here.

Zhao Chen didn't know how Cheng Chumo had managed to walk here on foot, but looking at his frozen, stiff body, he could imagine the hardships he had endured.

"Brother, do you have any food?" Cheng Chumo, frozen and hungry, immediately called out pitifully as soon as Zhao Chen carried him into the tent and laid him in the warm bed.

"Only now you're hungry?" Li Er glared at Cheng Chumo, who was lying in the bed, but still quickly prepared a hot meal for him.

Cheng Chumo had indeed suffered a great deal on his journey. He hadn't even finished his bowl of rice before he fell asleep on the pillow.

---

End of the chapter.