Ji Youzhi shook his head. "I’ve never heard of it."
Before he finished speaking, another familiar voice came from behind him.
"Where is this? Why is there fog everywhere?"
It was Ji Youcheng’s voice!
Ji Youzhi and Ji Youran quickly turned around and yelled, "Third Brother! Over here!"
After a moment, Ji Youcheng finally found them by following their voices.
"Second Brother, Seventh Brother, where are we? Why do I feel so uneasy?" Ji Youcheng looked around. Visibility was probably only about fifty-five to sixty-five feet. However, the three brothers, standing face to face, could clearly see each other.
"Third Brother! Why are you alone? Where’s Suisui?"
"Suisui? She... she fainted!"
"Fain... fainted?"
"Yes! She fainted even earlier than I did! By the way, since you’re here, where’s Mom? Where’s Little Eighth? And Second Sister-in-law?"
"Second Brother and I just met up too. We’d been wandering here for quite a while before we found each other. Why don’t we keep walking and see if we can find Suisui, Mom, and the others!" Ji Youzhi suggested this, and neither Ji Youcheng nor Ji Youran opposed.
Thus, the three brothers proceeded in one direction together.
They hadn’t walked far before they saw Ji Youze. Upon seeing him, the three brothers curiously gazed at his face.
Ji Youcheng even exclaimed in astonishment, "Little Eighth, your poker face is truly something else! Even in a place like this, your expression doesn’t change a bit. Aren’t you afraid some monster might pop out and eat you?"
Since childhood, Ji Youcheng had loved to tease Ji Youze, yet every time, his teasing was met with nothing more than an expressionless glance from Ji Youze.
"The situation here is very strange," Ji Youze said. "I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it, but I don’t sense any danger."
Speaking of danger, Ji Youzhi nodded in agreement. "I don’t sense any dangerous atmosphere here either. By the way, have you seen Mom, Suisui, or Second Sister-in-law and the others?"
Ji Youze shook his head, indicating he hadn’t.
"Then let’s continue searching. There’s no clear direction here. Now that we’ve found each other, it’s best we don’t separate again!" Ji Youran, who, from his frequent experiences of getting lost and into trouble, had learned a thing or two, suggested.
"Alright! Let’s go!"
「In the Lotus Pond」
Xiaosuisui pouted. She looked at her grandmother, who, just like the previous three times, had come in and sat down by the pond to chat with her. She cautiously asked Lady Ji, "Are we really going to leave Uncles outside and not let them in?"
Lady Ji nodded. "Those little rascals are all good-for-nothings who don’t know how to strive. When something major happens, they’re no help at all and even need you to step in. How can we not punish them a little?"
Xiaosuisui blinked and said, "It’s not that Uncles are too weak; it’s that the old monk is too powerful. I can feel it. He’s even more formidable than Big Uncle by about thirty percent!"
Xiaosuisui’s intuition was not wrong. Liao Kong’s Buddhist Dharma had reached a state of perfection, and his title as the foremost figure in the Central Plains’ Buddhist world was not unearned.
"Well then... let them wander outside for now. You’ve been staying in the Imperial Palace these days, and Grandmother hasn’t had a proper chance to talk with you. So now, you can spend some good time with Grandmother." Lady Ji reached into the Lotus Pond, scooped up a handful of water, and asked, "Do you like being in the water this much? The weather is turning cooler; be careful not to catch a chill."
Ah Ling, standing to one side, chuckled. "You don’t need to worry, Your Ladyship. This pond water is my life source; it has the power to nourish all things. When Master soaks in it, her Divine Soul grows progressively stronger."
"To think this pond water has such benefits! Oh, why hasn’t your Second Aunt come in yet?"