A series of urgent and forceful knocks suddenly broke the morning's tranquility, waking Uncle Wang, the gatekeeper, from his deep sleep.

"Who is it? So early in the morning!" Uncle Wang muttered as he rubbed his sleepy eyes and groggily sat up.

The knocking didn't stop; in fact, it became even more intense.

"Coming, coming! Stop knocking!" Uncle Wang shouted impatiently.

Then, in a flurry, he grabbed a cotton-padded jacket from the bedside, haphazardly put it on, and without bothering to tidy up the clothes, hurriedly got out of bed to open the door.

In such a rush, he didn't even have time to put on his shoes properly, and stepped barefoot onto the cold ground.

When Uncle Wang finally arrived at the door and cautiously opened a narrow crack to peek out, he discovered that the person standing outside was a familiar face—Young Master Qin.

So he quickly opened the door wide and warmly invited, "Oh my, it's you, Young Master Qin! Please come in!"

Qin Xiaolin looked anxious and asked impatiently as soon as he entered the door, "Is Xiaoxi home? I need to talk to her urgently."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Wang was slightly taken aback, and then quickly replied, "The general went on a long trip a few days ago, and I'm afraid he won't be back for a while."

"Where did she go?" Qin Xiaolin asked anxiously.

"I don't know exactly where they went," Uncle Wang shook his head helplessly. "Perhaps the old lady knows."

Qin Xiaolin frowned, feeling increasingly uneasy.

"Is the old lady at home right now?" he hurriedly asked.

Uncle Wang thought for a moment and said, "The old lady went to Xiangguo Temple in the suburbs early this morning to offer incense, saying she wanted to pray for the general. I estimate she won't be back until the afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaolin strode out of the mansion, mounted his horse, and galloped towards Xiangguo Temple.

I haven't seen her since the palace banquet.

Since Xiaoxi woke up, she has been indifferent to him and repulsed by his approach. She originally wanted to find an opportunity to ask him clearly.

Unexpectedly, after returning from Shen Xu's house that night, his grandfather suddenly fell ill, so he took his grandfather out of the city overnight to find Huang Banxian, and only returned to the capital last night.

He felt increasingly uneasy, as if things were slipping out of his control.

Today is the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, and many people choose to go to temples to pray for blessings, hoping for good health and a bountiful harvest for their families in the new year.

As dawn breaks and the sky turns a gentle blue-purple, the temple is enveloped in a tranquil and solemn atmosphere.

At Xiangguo Temple on the outskirts of the city, incense smoke curls and the bell tolls melodiously.

Along the winding mountain road, people of all ages, men and women, held incense and candles or carried offerings on their shoulders, their faces beaming with longing and anticipation for a better life.

Before the incense burner, incense smoke swirls and mist rises.

In every corner of the temple, monks were busy but orderly carrying out their morning prayers.

Some believers also choose to meditate in the temple or participate in Dharma assemblies presided over by monks.

By the time Qin Xiaolin arrived at Xiangguo Temple, the sun was rising higher and the activities inside the temple were becoming increasingly lively.

He hurried along the winding path toward the back of the mountain.

As is customary, Xiaoxi's maternal grandfather and his wife would pray for blessings in the main hall and then go to the meditation room in the back mountain for quiet meditation.

Passing through a lush bamboo forest, one can occasionally hear the deep echoes of monks chanting in the distance, which, along with the dappled sunlight filtering through the bamboo leaves, adds to the tranquility and Zen-like atmosphere.

Qin Xiaolin quickened his pace and soon arrived at the meditation area surrounded by pine and cypress trees on the back mountain.

Finally, he arrived at the meditation room.

He knocked gently on the door, and Li Yi opened it. He looked surprised to see who it was: "Brother Qin, what brings you here?"

Hongying and Wanyue were sitting at the table eating vegetarian food when they saw him. They were delighted and said, "Xiao Lin, you've come at the right time. We were just about to have our vegetarian meal. Come on, sit down and have some with us!"

He sighed helplessly and slowly sat down.

Her face was full of anxiety, and she said urgently, "Grandmother, do you know where Xiaoxi has gone? I haven't seen her for many days. I have some important things I want to discuss with her."

Upon hearing his question, Hongying looked surprised and blurted out, "Xiaoxi didn't mention this to you?"

In her opinion, the two people were so close that they should have informed each other of their whereabouts.

"Sigh... She didn't leave me a single word." Thinking of Li Xi's cold attitude towards him, he couldn't help but frown slightly, and then continued, "So I hope that Grandmother can think carefully, have you noticed anything unusual about Xiao Xi recently?"

"Abnormal?" The other three people present all looked at him in surprise, clearly taken aback by what he said.

“That’s right, it’s abnormal.” Qin Xiaolin nodded.

His expression grew increasingly serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Ever since she woke up from that coma, I've gradually sensed that she seems to have become less sociable, as if she's completely changed her personality."

As he spoke, his unease grew stronger.

"Now that you mention it, it's true," Wan Yue said with a deep frown and a serious expression.

His once relaxed eyebrows now seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible force, revealing his inner doubts and worries.

Li Yi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but recall the scene of having a meal with everyone not long ago.

At that time, the table was filled with the aroma of a sumptuous feast, especially the mouthwatering sauerkraut fish, which was particularly eye-catching.

However, to his surprise, his sister, who usually loved sauerkraut fish and could even eat a whole plate by herself, only took a small bite of the fish he put on her plate that time and then stopped eating.

You know, she used to devour the whole plate of fish in no time!

This subtle change aroused Li Yi's suspicion, but the atmosphere was too cheerful at the time, so he didn't ask too many questions.

At this moment, Hongying, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up as if she had just remembered something: "Now that you mention it, I also remembered something. Xiaoxi hasn't been practicing her martial arts in the mornings as usual these past few days. Before, whenever she had free time, she would definitely get up early to go for a run and then gracefully perform several exquisite sword techniques. But now... sigh, I just thought that the child was too focused on playing during the New Year and became a little lax, so I didn't think too much about it."

After saying that, she gently shook her head, a hint of worry showing on her face.