Chapter 59: Taking Senior Sister on an Elopement, Discovered

The two of them stepped into Wangtian Tower. The ground floor was bustling but ordinary, with only a superficial layer of opulence. A waiter quickly hurried over to greet them, towel draped over his shoulder.

Xiao Yifeng greeted him with the ease of an old regular. He leaned in slightly, his voice low and confident. “Third floor. VIP section. Find us a private booth with a view.”

As he spoke, he flicked a piece of loose silver into the waiter’s palm.

Feeling the weight of the tip, the waiter’s smile instantly widened into a beaming grin. He bowed low, his attitude shifting from polite to obsequious. “Of course! Young Master, Young Miss, please follow me. I have the perfect spot.”

Su Miaoqing looked around with wide eyes, taking in every detail like a curious child. The waiter chattered nonstop as he led them up the stairs, boasting about the establishment’s history.

The second floor was grander, filled with wealthy merchants and boisterous diners, but it still felt grounded in the mortal world.

However, when they stepped onto the third floor, the atmosphere transformed.

Intricate carvings of coiling dragons and dancing phoenixes adorned the rosewood beams. The air was scented with expensive sandalwood, and the decor was antique and elegant. It was a world apart from the noise below.

Wangtian Tower sat on the busiest street in the city, yet the third-floor VIP hall was an oasis of tranquility. The spacious hall held fewer than ten tables, spaced far apart for privacy. Currently, only four were occupied.

The luxury shocked Su Miaoqing. She had always assumed mortals lived in mud huts and squalor; she never expected them to possess craftsmanship that could rival nature itself.

The waiter led them to a secluded booth by a window overlooking the city. Once seated, Xiao Yifeng didn’t even look at the menu. With practiced ease, he rattled off a list of the restaurant’s most expensive signature dishes.

The waiter, noting Xiao Yifeng’s extraordinary bearing and casual confidence, couldn’t help but offer a compliment.

“The Young Master has an expert eye! The ‘Braised Ling Fish’ is our crown jewel—fragrant, smooth, tender, and sweet. It’s famous within a hundred miles of Wangtian City. Please wait a moment; I will have the kitchen prioritize your order.”

After the waiter bowed and retreated, Su Miaoqing turned to Xiao Yifeng, her confusion finally bubbling over.

“Xiao Feng, be honest. You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

Xiao Yifeng didn’t blink. “I came once, years ago, with my parents and some elders. That meal cost my family an arm and a leg—it was practically a bloodletting. I only remember the names because of how much my father complained about the price. I’m just putting on a front to not lose face; inside, I’m actually quite nervous.”

Hearing this, Su Miaoqing covered her mouth and giggled. Since she had zero concept of mortal income or poverty, she didn’t probe further.

She had no idea that for the real Xiao family, eating at Wangtian Tower would have been a fantasy. They wouldn’t have dared to step foot in a regular inn, let alone this palace of gluttony.

The service at Wangtian Tower was swift. In no time, a spread of dishes—perfect in color, aroma, and taste—was laid out before them.

Su Miaoqing, who had grown up eating spirit fruits and meat from spiritual beasts, was enchanted. She took a bite of the fish and her eyes lit up.

“Delicious!”

She praised every dish endlessly. If the high-grade spiritual beasts she usually consumed knew they were losing a taste test to a common river fish and some mortal seasoning, they would likely die of shame all over again.

The two ate and chatted, the atmosphere light and joyful. Outside the window, the sun began to set, painting the sky in vibrant hues of orange and purple. From their high vantage point, the view of Wangtian City bathed in twilight was breathtaking.

For Su Miaoqing, this was her first meal outside the confines of Wuya Hall. Good food, beautiful scenery, and a sense of freedom made her feel as if the sea was vast and the sky boundless.

She couldn’t stop picking at the Braised Ling Fish. “Xiao Feng, this is amazing. When we get back, we have to make the Hall’s kitchen learn this recipe.”

Xiao Yifeng watched her, a pang of sympathy striking him. She was a cultivator of high status, yet she had never truly lived. Everyone, it seemed, had their own cage.

Seeing him lost in thought, Su Miaoqing waved a hand in front of his face. “Xiao Feng? What are you thinking about?”

Xiao Yifeng snapped back to reality. “Nothing much. Just wondering what Master and Mistress are doing up on the mountain right now.”

At the mention of her parents, Su Miaoqing pouted. “What else could they be doing? Mom and Dad are probably lecturing the Senior Brothers at the dinner table. Or maybe Dad is currently yelling at someone for breathing too loudly.”

Xiao Yifeng chuckled. They exchanged a conspiratorial smile, enjoying their small rebellion.

However, far away in the Wuya Hall of the Wentian Sect, the scene was not nearly as peaceful as they imagined.

Su Qianyi was pacing back and forth in front of the Inquiry Heart Hall, anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Lin Ziyun stood beside him, her face pale with worry.

It had started in the morning. After Xiao Yifeng left, Su Miaoqing had declared she wouldn’t eat lunch and locked herself in her room.

At first, the couple thought she was simply throwing a tantrum over Xiao Yifeng’s departure.

At noon, Lin Ziyun sent a servant to call her for lunch. There was no response, only a note slipped under the door saying she wasn’t hungry. Knowing her daughter’s temper, Lin Ziyun had the food left outside.

By evening, the food was still untouched.

When knocking yielded no answer, Lin Ziyun’s motherly intuition screamed that something was wrong. She forced the door open.

The room was empty.

Panic ensued. Su Qianyi and Lin Ziyun mobilized the disciples, turning the entire back mountain of Wuya Hall upside down. But there was no trace of Su Miaoqing.

Just as the sun was setting, Lin Ziyun thought of a terrifying possibility and sent Xiang Tiange to the sect’s main gate.

Now, the couple waited, their nerves frayed.

A streak of light cut through the sky. Xiang Tiange landed clumsily, jumping off his flying sword before it even fully stopped.

Lin Ziyun stepped forward, grabbing his arm. “Tiange! Did you find any news of Qing’er?”

Xiang Tiange nodded, his face flushed with exertion and bad news. “Master, Mistress, it’s not good. I spoke to the gate guards. They said… they said that shortly after Xiao Feng left this morning, Junior Sister Qing’er approached them.”

He swallowed hard. “She was holding Mistress’s identity token. She told the guards that Xiao Feng had forgotten an important item and she needed to deliver it to him immediately. Seeing the token, the guards didn’t dare stop her. They let her out.”

Su Qianyi and Lin Ziyun froze.

Lin Ziyun frantically patted her waist. Her identity token was gone. It had vanished without a trace, likely stolen during one of Su Miaoqing’s affectionate hugs earlier that morning.

“That unfilial daughter!” Su Qianyi roared, swinging his sleeve violently. A burst of Qi shattered a nearby stone planter.

“Qianyi, calm down!” Lin Ziyun urged, though her own voice trembled. She turned to Xiang Tiange. “Tiange, recall the other disciples. Don’t let them search aimlessly anymore. Tell them to eat and rest. Your Master and I will handle this.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Xiang Tiange bowed and hurried away.

Once they were alone, Lin Ziyun turned to her fuming husband. Her voice softened. “Qianyi, that girl must have gone chasing after Xiao Feng. They only left this morning, so they can’t have gone far. The most important thing is to bring her back safely.”

Su Qianyi snorted, his face red. “She truly doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth! Running off into the mortal world alone? She’s going to be the death of me. Just wait until I get my hands on her!”

“What use is getting angry now?” Lin Ziyun sighed bitterly. “We need to find her before something happens.”

Su Qianyi summoned his flying sword, ready to tear open the sky. “I’m going.”

“No,” Lin Ziyun stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. “You stay. Wuya Hall cannot be without its Master. besides… if she sees you, she’ll just dig her heels in and fight. You two will scream at each other, and she might run off again. Let me go.”

Su Qianyi’s eyes bulged. “She wouldn’t dare!”

He paused, the anger deflating as he realized the truth: his daughter absolutely would dare. He sighed heavily, looking suddenly older. “Fine. You’re right. I can’t handle her when she’s like this. Go, bring her back. Coax her home first… I’ll discipline her later.”

Lin Ziyun nodded. She turned to leave, then hesitated.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said.

She made a quick detour to her room to grab a few essential items, then mounted her flying sword and shot into the night sky.