The elders echoed each other, convincing themselves that Xiao Luo looked like their Lil Tang—the child who got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge many years ago. Suddenly, one elder became very emotional. Crying, he asked Xiao Luo, “Lil Tang, is that you? Are you Lil Tang?”
Lil Tang?
Frowning slightly, Xiao Luo turned to look at that elder.
“Lil Tang, I…I am Grandpa Li. You were so young then. I was the one who taught you how to take in the spiritual energy of the world and convert it to your own True Inner Force. Do you…do you still remember that?” the elder asked in an extremely caring voice.
He was so emotional that his voice trembled. Who could have imagined that the missing Xiao Tang would become an unfathomable master in his twenties? And he showed up at the crucial moment and ended the crisis of the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect. The elder found Xiao Luo to be kind.
“Lil Tang, I’m Grandpa Mo. I taught you how to use a sword.”
“I’m Grandpa Zhang. I taught you how to read and write. I taught you how to write your name.”
“And me…and me. Lil Tang, your hair was so long and messy. I used to cut your hair. I bet you must remember me because I used a gourd ladle to cover your head. I cut off the hair outside of it while the hair inside was untouched. Your other grandpas commented I had cut a jarhead haircut for you. Hahaha!”
The other elders also tried hard to cozy up to Xiao Luo—or, as they believed, Lil Tang. There was no way to confirm if things had happened as they had claimed.
Xiang Yangyan was the only one who kept silent. As a leader, that unrealistic illusion would not overwhelm him. Lil Tang was only eight years old when he got lost in the forest. Xiang Yangyan had found him. To be more accurate, he found Lil Tang’s bloodstained clothes and bones. Beasts had probably eaten the poor child. He did not tell anyone about his discovery back then because he did not want the incident to cast a shadow on the other disciples. He was afraid they would be reluctant to take future adventures in the Forest of the Infinity Edge.
Xiao Luo felt confused. Since when did he become Lil Tang?
He explained, “I’m sorry, but you might have made a mistake. I’m not Lil Tang. My name is Xiao Luo.”
Xiao Luo?
The ten-odd elders looked dumbfounded and exchanged glances with one another.
The elder who had called himself Grandpa Li said with a smile, “Of course, Xiao Luo might be your new name. But your family name is Tang when you were a child. You are our Lil Tang. You got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge when you were eight years old. We spent half a month looking for you, but we could not find you. My poor child, you must have suffered a lot of hardship throughout these years.”
“I’m sorry. But it cannot be me. I have always been called Xiao Luo, and I never got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge,” explained Xiao Luo earnestly.
Huh, what is going on here?
“It is not him?”
“Impossible. Those eyes and that nose are the same as Lil Tang’s. He must be Lil Tang.”
“Then, why did he claim he never got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge and has always been called Xiao Luo?”
“Some powerful master must have messed with his memory in some mysterious way. Yes, that must be the case.”
“Yes, what you say makes sense.”
The elders exchanged their opinions and were still convinced Xiao Luo was their long-lost Lil Tang. They unconsciously pinned their hopes on him, for the young man could help the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect rise to the top again.
“Stop talking nonsense. This young man is not Lil Tang!”
Xiang Yangyan, who had kept silent for a long time, finally spoke. If he did not speak up, he was afraid that the blunder would get worse. He understood why the elders had hoped that the invincible young man was their Lil Tang, but he had to tell them the truth. After a long sigh, he said, “Lil Tang is already dead. The beasts got to him. The only thing I found was his bones.”
Hah?
The ten-odd elders were all wide-eyed when they heard the news. They were at a loss for words, and the hundreds of disciples went into a frenzy as the word spread.
“Leader, did you find Lil Tang?” asked an elder immediately.
Xiang Yangyan nodded and replied, “Why would I lie to you?”
“Why did you not tell us back then?”
Elder Li lost his temper and burst into tears. He had been trying so hard to coax Xiao Luo to remember Lil Tang’s past and convince Xiao Luo that he was Lil Tang. It turned out to be a great blunder. It was such a shame that he felt he had lost face.
The other elders also felt ashamed. They had hastily made claims that Xiao Luo was Lil Tang when, in fact, he was not. The situation had just gotten awkward!
“Alas…”
Xiang Yangyan let out a sigh without speaking.
“Master, Master…”
At that moment, Zuo Xiangming and the others had arrived at the mountain peak and hurried into the main hall. When he saw that Xiang Yangyan and his apprentice brothers and sisters were safe and sound, Zuo Xiangming felt relieved.
…
…
The elders and the leader of the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect had sustained internal injuries. They needed some time to recover, but their disciples were all fine.
The Ziyue Cave Heaven sect members treated Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor as their most distinguished guests because they had rescued their sect. Both of them were served the best food, the best wine, and the best clothes and were lodged at the best place. Xiao Luo had changed into a white robe, in which he looked extremely handsome and charming. He had superb power. It was only natural that many of the female disciples of the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect had fallen in love with him.
Zuo Xiangming finished drawing the map to the sacred place of the Light Clan in two days. That was a guide that Xiao Luo had needed. Zuo Xiangming rolled it up and gave it to him.
“Thank you!” said Xiao Luo gratefully.
“My pleasure, Senior. It is the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect that should be the one to say thank you,” Zuo Xiangming said. He regarded Xiao Luo as their savior, and he felt comfortable calling Xiao Luo his Senior. He did not feel awkward at all.
“Looks like our journey here is over, and a new one is about to begin. I look forward to it!”
The Duck Emperor was still in its sailor suit. He had been dressing up and doing his hair a lot these days. He even got a new hairstyle and combed back the feathers on his head with care. It was the legendary hairstyle preferred by the bosses.
Zuo Xiangming broke into a smile. Then he asked, “Senior, who are you? Do you merely want to visit the sacred place of the Light Clan to see what it is like?”
Ignoring the first question, Xiao Luo only answered the second one. He said jokingly, “Of course. What else can we do there? Create trouble?”
“Oh, of course not. Hehe…”
Zuo Xiangming was slightly embarrassed and scratched the back of his head as he smiled awkwardly. He felt he had asked a stupid question.
…
…
The teleportation portal was outside of another building. It looked like an enormous oval mirror, but the surface of the mirror was colorful lights.
The news that Xiao Luo was leaving had spread across the Ziyue Cave Heaven, so hundreds of disciples were already gathered there. When Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor arrived, the female disciples had butterflies in their stomachs and were all fascinated by him.
“How could Xiao Luo be so handsome?”
“Yeah. Where did he get that face? He’s so handsome!”
“His strength is immeasurable, and he is so charming. Could he be from the sacred place of the Light Clan?”
Gazing at Xiao Luo, all decked in white, the female disciples felt their cheeks burning. It was only natural that they regarded this handsome and strong man as their Prince Charming.
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