Chapter 114: Three Years of Life Remaining

"Second Uncle, it’s alright. I understand your intentions." Though I felt deeply disappointed inside, I didn’t want to cause any trouble for him. His idea was right; we couldn’t lose the bigger picture over minor matters.

Second Uncle stood there hesitating for a moment. "But I don’t want others to bully you."

"What should I do then?" I felt conflicted and frustrated. If only I truly had the skills, I could deal with Xing Yun myself and be at ease.

"How about this? I’ll find a place for you to train for a year or half a year. Learn some techniques first, then you can seek revenge against them," he said with a sigh, clearly resigned.

I gave a bitter smile. "A year or half a year… by then, who knows if Wang Ying will still be around."

Second Uncle glanced over as his five guardians approached. "Lord of the Underworld, any orders?"

"Choose someone to gather information on Wang Ying’s whereabouts. If you find her, rescue her. If she’s under some demon’s spell, help remove it. If all else fails, I will take action myself," he instructed them. Hearing this, my heart leapt with joy. Second Uncle was going to help me; this was more than half the battle won.

"Thank you, Second Uncle!" I said, overwhelmed with gratitude.

"My child, I am your uncle. It pains me that I cannot teach you the Underworld’s arts. But I cannot bear to see my nephew and his wife bullied. Rest assured, when you master your skills, I will restore Wang Ying to you whole and unharmed," he said, a faint smile touching his lips—the only one he’d shown that night.

"Alright! I will train hard. Also, Second Uncle, my good friend Wei Qi has disappeared too. Could you help me look for him?" Wei Qi was both a mentor and a friend to me; I didn’t want to lose him.

Second Uncle nodded and instructed his five guardians to keep an eye on this matter.

With everything arranged, he said, "There’s a place called Zhongguancun in Luohe Town. A man named Li Jinglian lives there. Go find him; this," he handed me a black fan, "will make him understand." Because Second Uncle was with me, I didn’t open it. I wondered why I had never heard Second Uncle mention Li Jinglian before. It didn’t matter; what mattered was what he would teach me. Would he be like Wei Qi’s master, Duan Sandao, who feared Xing Yun’s power and avoided me?

I doubted it. Since Second Uncle said so, he must be trustworthy, just as he first sent me to find Wei Qi.

After his instructions, Second Uncle left with his five guardians. I dared not linger with Wan’er; if that old villain Xing Yun appeared, I’d be stuck. I hurriedly mounted my Purple-Gold Steed and went to the county town to find an inn.

That night passed quietly. I slept holding Wan’er close, feeling at ease, though she was restless and woke early.

The next day, we headed straight to Zhongguancun. After inquiring about the village, we found Li Jinglian’s home. When we knocked, a woman in her thirties or forties opened the door. I hesitated—how should I address her? As Second Uncle’s friend’s wife, technically she was an aunt, but she looked young. Calling her “sister-in-law” seemed more fitting, though I worried about confusing family ranks. I settled on "sister-in-law" to sound younger. Nowadays, women dislike being called “aunt.”

"Who are you looking for?" she sized up Wan’er and me with some impatience.

"Hello, sister-in-law. I’m looking for Brother Li Jinglian," I said cautiously.

"Brother Li Jinglian? Sister-in-law? Who exactly are you looking for?" Her face darkened suddenly, as if about to slam the door.

What was going on? Had calling her “sister-in-law” caused trouble? "Big sister, please help us find Brother Li Jinglian. We have important matters for him. We’re sent by Wang Jun," I quickly changed my approach.

"Wang Jun? You’re sent by Wang Jun?" The mention of my Second Uncle’s name softened her expression, a glimmer of tears flashing in her eyes.

"Yes, yes, Wang Jun. He also asked me to bring Brother Li Jinglian this," I took out the black fan Second Uncle had given me.

"Give it here!" She grabbed the fan and was about to open it. I hurriedly stopped her. "Big sister, better not look inside—there might be secrets."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Secrets? What secrets could there be? Come in." She opened the fan as she led us inside, glancing down at it while walking.

The main room was well kept. She gestured for Wan’er and me to sit before going into another room. I guessed she was fetching Li Jinglian.

Soon she returned and asked, "Are you Wang Dachuan? Wang Jun’s nephew?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"You want to learn some techniques? What kind?"

She sat calmly and methodically. I thought, why ask so much? She’s a woman; why not wait for her husband to come out?

Still, I answered, "Something that takes little time and improves fast." Although Second Uncle promised to help find Wang Ying, I wanted to train quickly enough to rescue her myself.

"There’s no such technique. Even if there were, it would shorten your lifespan. You’re 19 now, and you’ve already lost three years of your life," she said evenly, her voice unmoved, as if at peace.

Her words stunned me. Who was she to know I had lost three years of life? A trickster?

"Big sister, you must be joking, right?" I asked.

"Joking? I don’t have time for jokes. Give me your hand." She took my hand, and at that moment, a chill ran through me—her hand was as cold as Wan’er’s.

She held my hand, closed her eyes slowly, then opened them after a moment. "Wang Dachuan, you’ve practiced Palm Lightning before? No—someone forced it upon your body."

Impressive! I had doubted her, but now I admired her. She knew about my Palm Lightning technique.

"Yes, big sister, I’ve used a few moves of Palm Lightning."

"Good thing you came early. Otherwise, you wouldn’t last a year. Without proper techniques to support you, your body can’t withstand Palm Lightning’s pull. You’ve lost too much blood and vital energy, which shortens your lifespan."

If she were the only one saying this, I might not believe it, but Second Uncle had said similar things. I was filled with dread. That old Xing Yun was ruthless, forcing me into the Underworld without any regard for my life!

Wan’er’s face grew anxious as she clung tightly to my arm, trying to comfort me.

"Big sister, what should I do?" I was truly worried. How many three-year spans do people have in a lifetime?

"There’s no better way than to force the Palm Lightning out of your body. If it stays, it could kill you."

I was reluctant. Having Palm Lightning gave me a sense of security.

"Big sister, what about your husband? Can he come out and take a look? Maybe he can help without removing it?"

"Your husband? Which husband?" She looked at me in confusion.

"Li Jinglian, of course! Isn’t he home?" I thought since his wife was so formidable, he must be even stronger.

She chuckled. "Wang Jun told you Li Jinglian was a man?"

Suddenly, I realized my mistake. I had assumed Li Jinglian was male since most Underworld travelers were men. I must have confused Li Jinglian with Li Jinglian. This woman must be the person I was looking for.

"Big sister, I’m sorry! I thought the name belonged to a man," I said, scratching the back of my head.

"Ah! Family is family. You’re just as foolish as Wang Jun," she laughed, shaking her head.

Looking into her eyes, I sensed her relationship with Second Uncle was unusual.