Li Hanyu smiled and said, "Yushan set off early, departing at mid-3 AM. With his Dao practice greatly improved and not missing the ti, surely he won't miss the examination this ti."
Upon saying this, Li Hanyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, eyes bright, "Now that Uncle Huang's family is sent off, I am also free and can welco him post-examination in Yizhou."
"Brother Lu, are you looking for Yushan? Shall we go to Yizhou together later?" Li Hanyu smiled.
Lu Zheng, "..."
Seeing Lu Zheng's silent deanor, Li Hanyu's family finally sensed sothing was amiss.
Li Hanyu couldn't help but ask, "Brother Lu?"
Lu Zheng took a deep breath, "I just ca from Yizhou Prefecture."
The three from the Li family looked at Lu Zheng, all silently waiting for him to continue.
"But I didn't sense Brother Zhu's presence in the State Academy," Lu Zheng said.
"What?"
"Impossible, right?"
The Lu River God's couple was incredulous, and Li Hanyu exclaid in surprise.
"Even if Brother Zhu doesn't reveal his cultivation, at least he wouldn't hide his presence, right?" Lu Zheng stroked his chin and pondered.
Li Hanyu looked at the sky; it was already around 3 p.m., so she imdiately said, "I'll make a trip to Yizhou Prefecture."
Lu Zheng nodded, "I'll go too."
The two bid farewell to the Lu River God's couple, then split the river to disembark at the ferry and Li Hanyu paused before heading to Yizhou Prefecture.
Their speed, seemingly slow but actually fast, quickly brought them into Yizhou City and to the State Academy.
Though Li Hanyu's cultivation wasn't as high as Lu Zheng's, it was not difficult to actively sense an unhidden presence by opening her heart spirit.
A mont later…
Lu Zheng smacked his lips and couldn't help but say, "Could we be overthinking? Perhaps Brother Zhu restrained his presence to show respect for the examination?"
Li Hanyu blinked, "Could that be?"
Lu Zheng pointed to a nearby tavern across from the academy, "Let's wait there."
Li Hanyu had no objections, so the two proceeded to that tavern.
At this ti, many taverns near the academy were full, but luckily, this tavern was the largest and pricey enough to still have space available.
The two went to the third floor of the tavern, found a small table by the window, and sat, ordering a few cold dishes and a pot of tea, quietly waiting.
...
The ti quickly approached 5 p.m., and after a day-long provincial examination, it finally concluded.
The academy's doors swung open as countless scholars erged, so elated, so dejected, others maintaining their poise.
So dispersed, so called for friends, and so ate nearby.
The two waited until the last candidate exited the academy, and the staff swept up and closed the doors, yet they still saw no sign of Zhu Yushan.
Lu Zheng frowned silently as Li Hanyu's chest heaved, clearly unsettled.
"Brother Zhu left at 3 a.m.?"
"Yes, mid-3 AM."
"The examination began at early 7 a.m., leaving a gap of one and a half hours," Lu Zheng said.
"We didn't notice any traces of magical combat along our way," Li Hanyu's eyes flickered with slight panic, "Could he have been kidnapped by a Great Power?"
With Zhu Yushan's cultivation being strong, his sudden disappearance worried her even more.
"Let's go! Back to the River God's Mansion!"
Li Hanyu slamd the table and, together with Lu Zheng, rushed back to the Lu River God's Mansion.
...
After informing the Lu River God's couple, Li Hanyu went to her bedroom, took a piece of Zhu Yushan's clothing, captured his scent, and cast the Qi Tracking technique.
Yet, there was no result.
"Can't find it!" Li Hanyu's pupils contracted.
The possibility of not finding a presence was nurous, but one was that the person had died.
Li Hanyu's legs gave way, nearly collapsing, but her mother, Madam Li, supported her from behind, urgently comforting, "My child, don't panic; Yushan is not soone destined to die prematurely. While there is an incident now, it certainly won't lead to his demise."
The River God nodded, "I will send out Water Mansion soldiers to investigate along the way."
Only then did Lu Zheng find ti to speak.
"Madam, please hand Brother Zhu's clothing; let try it."
By then, Li Hanyu's mind was already in turmoil, and she hurriedly passed the garnt to Lu Zheng.
The Lu River God's couple looked at Lu Zheng, knowing that the White Cloud Temple had no particular expertise in seeking people, did they?
Lu Zheng nodded, then patted the gourd, causing a copper mirror to fly out, expanding in the breeze to a span of about one foot.
The copper mirror's edges were encircled by cloud patterns, its front reflective, and the back engraved with the Immortal Realm of Cloud Palace, emitting a series of ethereal Dao resonances.
Lu Zheng manipulated the seal technique, grasping a wisp of Zhu Yushan's aura, and cast incantations using the copper mirror's talisman inscriptions.
In the next mont, layers of clouds and mist were displayed on the copper mirror's surface.
Honestly, Lu Zheng also felt nervous during the wait; if unsuccessful, it raised the likelihood of Zhu Yushan's death significantly.
Fortunately, after a mont of drifting clouds, they dissipated, finally revealing Zhu Yushan's figure on the mirror surface.
"Yushan!"
Li Hanyu exclaid and hurried to Lu Zheng's side.
The River God's couple also gathered around, concerned about their son-in-law while marveling at Lu Zheng's magical treasure, the Treasure Mirror.
In the mirror, Zhu Yushan seed to be in a water-filled cavern, surrounded by darkness, with only a Luminous Pearl beside him gleaming with radiant light.
He was using the Water Avoidance Technique to displace the surrounding water, leaving only half a ter of space around him.
Not far from Zhu Yushan was a one-zhang-long old turtle, its front half in the waterless space, the back half in the water, its mouth opening and closing as if communicating with Zhu Yushan.
anwhile, Zhu Yushan listened quietly, his hands moving continuously as though practicing so kind of seal technique spell.
"Where is this? Why couldn't I find him earlier?" Li Hanyu wondered.
Seeing Zhu Yushan unhard, Li Hanyu also felt relieved.
"This old turtle isn't simple at all!" the Lu River God pondered and said.
"Let have a look." Lu Zheng nodded, about to pan the view back when he noticed the water in the mirror suddenly churning.
"Hmm?"
In the next mont, in the mirror, the old turtle and Zhu Yushan both took action, each casting spells to manipulate the water into forming chaotic currents that appeared to form an array.
"There's an enemy!" exclaid the Lu River God, eyes fixed intently, voice decisive.
Indeed, the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror was not just any magical treasure; even amid the chaotic surge of spiritual Qi during the spellcasting combat, it clearly showed the actions of Zhu Yushan and the old turtle without a trace of blur.
Lu Zheng panned back the view and saw, far from the person and turtle, outside the water array or cavern, a sturdy man clad in green, attempting to rush into the cave.
This person continuously waved his hands, stirring up torrents to assault the array. However, as the array was integrated with the terrain, it steadfastly protected the cavern space, blocking the man's entry.
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