Chapter 1113: Jiangtian Reappears

Chen Ling looked at the anxious and worried girl in front of him and calmly shook his head.

"Defining a person's good or bad based on worldly stereotypes is the most shallow and arrogant approach. Your brother isn't that kind of person... He won't care if you smoke or drink; he'll care more about what you've done."

Chen Ling was telling the truth. If Xi Renjie had judged Chen Ling's character based on stereotypes back then, he would have shot him in the head. But he didn't do that... He knew that even though Chen Ling didn't look like a good person, he had never done anything bad, which was why he let him go.

Hearing this answer, a glimmer of light flickered in Xiao Tao's moist eyes. She pressed her lips together, said nothing, but nodded gently, then continued walking towards the library.

The Integration Faction's library wasn't large. Most of the shelves were filled with popular science books, and the study room was relatively quiet. After Chen Ling and Xiao Tao entered, they chose a window-side seat, partly for the ventilation and partly so they could speak softly without disturbing others.

Xiao Tao arranged her books, taking out stationery from her pencil case and placing them one by one on the desk. By now, she had completely calmed down. After rubbing the corner of her eye, she earnestly asked, "Brother Chen Ling, is there anything you don't understand?"

Without a word, Chen Ling opened his notebook and began asking questions based on what he had read the previous night.

Xiao Tao was indeed an academic whiz. She could answer those knowledge points as if reciting from memory after just a glance, making Chen Ling feel like he was back in high school, experiencing a sudden enlightenment.

After explaining several knowledge points in a row, Chen Ling couldn't help but ask, "Don't you spend your evenings reading novels? Where do you find so much time to study?"

Xiao Tao's face flushed slightly. "What's wrong with staying up late to read novels...? I can understand these things just by listening in class; I don't need to spend extra time after class."

Chen Ling was speechless. Indeed, learning requires talent. Chen Ling sighed deeply to himself.

Teacher Xiao Tao's private tutoring session lasted for about a whole morning. Fortunately, Chen Ling didn't have classes that morning and didn't need to go to the classroom. By the end of the morning, he had a good grasp of most of the knowledge points he didn't understand.

Just then, a commotion from the library entrance interrupted Chen Ling's thoughts.

Xiao Tao looked out curiously, seeing Miao Miao and others anxiously gathered, seemingly searching for something. She frowned, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked towards the group.

Chen Ling didn't move. From that distance, he could clearly hear the conversations outside the door.

"Sister Miao Miao, what's wrong?"

"Xiao Tao, have you seen Linglong and Xiao Bai today?"

"No, I haven't."

"It was their turn to collect withered leaves yesterday, but it seems they haven't come back all night..."

"What??" Xiao Tao froze, then her face turned pale. "How could this happen...? They're old enough not to just wander off... Have you told Teacher Ye?!"

"We've already notified Teacher Ye. Old Wolf and the others have also gone out along the withered leaf collection route to search for them, but there's no progress yet..."

Xiao Tao's brows furrowed deeper. After asking the group a few more questions, she returned, looking visibly troubled.

"What happened?" Chen Ling asked.

"Two students who went to collect withered leaves are missing..." Xiao Tao's face showed clear anxiety. "How could this happen...? It was supposed to be my turn to collect them last night! But I wanted to stay up late to finish that novel, so I asked Linglong to switch with me... How could she, how could she just disappear??"

"Has this ever happened before?"

"Of course not. The Mother Tree's canopy is special; it's like a domain. It not only retains color in the Ash Realm but also dispels calamities... That's why the Integration Faction has never been attacked by calamities throughout their years in the Ash Realm. By all accounts, it should be absolutely safe.

The withered leaves shed by the Mother Tree are excellent fuel; a small piece can burn for a long time. All the wicks used by the Integration Faction are made from this material, so people take turns collecting withered leaves every day, but they never go beyond the canopy's range... In all these years, no one has ever gone missing while collecting withered leaves."

"Could they have just left on their own?"

"Absolutely not... Linglong might be an exception, but Xiao Bai is such a timid person; there's no way he would venture into the Ash Realm by himself..."

When Xiao Bai was mentioned, Chen Ling immediately thought of the young man who had been so scared he knelt on his first day. Given his timid nature, he certainly wouldn't venture into the Ash Realm alone.

Regardless, Xiao Tao wasn't responsible for investigating the disappearance of the two students. For now, they could only trust Teacher Ye and Old Wolf. Xiao Tao took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and continued explaining the problems to Chen Ling...

Even so, Chen Ling felt that Xiao Tao seemed a bit out of sorts.

"Let's stop here for today. These knowledge points are enough for me to digest for a while," Chen Ling said proactively. "Go do what you need to do; don't worry about me."

Seeing this, Xiao Tao didn't insist further. After a brief farewell to Chen Ling, she jogged out, her expression visibly anxious.

Chen Ling packed up his notes and headed straight for the office upstairs.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

As Teacher Ye's voice rang out, Old Wolf and the others pushed the door open and entered, their expressions somewhat grave.

"Well? Did you find them?" Teacher Ye asked.

"...No." Old Wolf shook his head. "We've searched the area under the canopy and within a few kilometers of the canopy in the Ash Realm... We haven't found any trace of them."

Teacher Ye's brows furrowed deeply as he fell into thought.

"This shouldn't be happening..."

"There's one more thing..." Old Wolf hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if it's my imagination... but I seemed to smell lingering traces of the Crimson Heaven Sect in the Ash Realm beyond the canopy."

Hearing the words "Crimson Heaven Sect," Teacher Ye's eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly raised the teacup in his hand and took a small sip. "The Crimson Heaven Sect, you say..."

"Teacher Ye, there are rumors circulating in the human domain that the Red Star is about to return, and the Crimson Heaven Sect is making unusual moves precisely at this time... Could there be a connection between the two?"

Teacher Ye paced around his office for a long time, lost in thought. In the end, he didn't answer the question but instead countered with a question of his own:

"Can you track them?"

"...It's very difficult." Old Wolf shook his head. "An entire night has passed, and with the various calamity auras mixed in the Ash Realm, it's incredibly hard to track them by scent... All I can say is, we'll try our best."

"Hmm." Teacher Ye nodded slightly. "Give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll think of other solutions."

Old Wolf and the others bid farewell to Teacher Ye and turned to leave.

As they opened the door, they saw a figure in a large red theatrical robe, carrying several notebooks, already waiting outside.