The two discussed this rare opportunity, and before they knew it, it was almost dusk, but Li Chuang still hadn't returned. Li Wei began to worry, glancing towards the door every now and then. Seeing this, his friend said, "Has Li Chuang run into some friends and forgotten to come home?"

Li Wei shook his head and said worriedly, "He has no friends in Jinan Prefecture. I want to go and look for him to see if he's still there!"

My friend nodded and said, "How about I go with you?"

Li Wei refused, saying, "No need. You stay. What if Li Chuang comes back?"

Seeing him say this, his friend nodded and told him not to worry too much. Li Chuang was a young man in his twenties, so something must have happened to prevent him from returning.

Li Wei nodded. He wasn't particularly worried, after all, his younger brother wasn't a three-year-old anymore, so he must have encountered something that was causing trouble.

Thinking this, Li Wei gradually relaxed and slowly walked towards Baotu Spring Garden. He hoped to run into Li Chuang, who was returning late, but when he arrived at the entrance of Baotu Spring Garden, the huge open space was completely empty. All the students had already left, leaving only a few yamen runners carrying tables at the entrance of the garden.

Li Wei then went to check all the side gates of the garden, but still couldn't find any trace of Li Chuang.

But Li Chuang has gone astray from me, and might already be at a friend's house?

As Li Wei thought this, his anxiety slowly rose again. He suddenly worried that Li Chuang might just disappear from his sight forever.

When he almost ran back to his friend's place, the latter's eyes told him that Li Chuang had not returned!

At this moment, Li Wei suddenly regretted bringing his younger brother to this Daoist conference. If he hadn't come, Li Chuang might not have disappeared so inexplicably. He couldn't understand what he could have encountered that would cause him to disappear without even informing him.

Filled with deep worry, Li Wei spent a sleepless night. Even when he occasionally fell asleep, he would still be startled awake. But what awaited him was still the unknown whereabouts of Li Chuang.

The next morning, Li Wei went to the entrance of Baotu Spring Garden early. There weren't many students waiting to be summoned inside, but there were still quite a few, which showed how much they longed to take this shortcut to success.

Li Wei searched through the crowd for a long time but still couldn't find Li Chuang. He couldn't hold back any longer, so he rushed to the official in official robes who had verified his place of origin the day before and said in a pleading tone, "Brother, could you please go and inform him that I want to see the Thirteenth Prince?"

The official looked at him impatiently and said angrily, "Who are you? How dare you act so arrogantly here? The Thirteenth Prince is a member of the royal family. You can see him whenever you want."

Li Wei was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain, so he lied and said, "I am the student who went in yesterday. The Thirteenth Prince told me yesterday that I should come to see him today! No, you go and tell him that there is a person named 'Li Wei' outside looking for him. He will know as soon as he hears it."

Li Wei knew he had made a deep impression on the Thirteenth Prince yesterday, and he believed that as long as this person went to report, the Thirteenth Prince would see him. He was really out of options now, and could only trouble the Thirteenth Prince to check if a scholar named 'Li Chuang' had entered yesterday. He also thought of the Fourth Prince, but firstly, the Fourth Prince wasn't at the gate, and the yamen runners would probably have a hard time contacting him; secondly, he really didn't want to trouble the Fourth Prince under these circumstances, as he was a man of great importance.

"Are you telling the truth?" the official asked, half-believing.

“I’m telling the truth. Unless I don’t want my head, do you think I would dare to provoke the Emperor’s thirteenth prince?” Li Wei said firmly.

The official was finally fooled by him, stood up, and said to a yamen runner next to him, "Go and inform the Thirteenth Prince that there is a man named Li Wei outside who is looking for him."

Seeing that he had finally achieved his goal, Li Wei naturally bowed to the man dressed as an official of the imperial court, and then tactfully stepped aside.

After a while, the yamen runner came out and waved to Li Wei, saying, "Scholar Li, please come in quickly. The Thirteenth Prince wants to see you!"

Li Wei immediately took a step forward and rushed over, then followed the young yamen runner across the threshold.

The Thirteenth Prince was still in the same pavilion as yesterday, and everyone who entered still had to pass his inspection before they could meet the examiners.

Upon seeing the Thirteenth Prince, Li Wei immediately bowed and said, "This humble subject thanks the Thirteenth Prince for granting me this honor. If it weren't for a truly urgent matter, I wouldn't dare to bother you."

The Fourth Prince had already told the Thirteenth Prince yesterday that he had taken in a man named "Li Wei" as his advisor, and the Thirteenth Prince naturally remembered who this Li Wei was.

The Thirteenth Prince said, "What do you want? Didn't Fourth Brother already give you a letter?"

Li Wei said apologetically, "I am not here for myself, but to ask the Thirteenth Prince for a small favor. If you can find out where my brother is, I am willing to serve you like a slave."

Thirteen became increasingly confused and said, "Please speak slowly, I don't understand what you're saying."

Li Wei then recounted in detail how Li Chuang had not returned home all night the previous day.

The Thirteenth Prince frowned and immediately said, "That's not difficult. Wait a moment, I'll have someone check whether your brother has actually come in. If he hasn't, then I can't help you check."

Li Wei nodded quickly and said gratefully, "I only want to know if my younger brother has ever entered this door!"

Thirteen nodded and had someone bring over the list of all the students who signed in yesterday. He then personally checked it line by line, but he did not find Li Chuang's name, or even two similar characters.

Seeing the thirteenth master's furrowed brows, Li Wei had already guessed what was going on and said in a cold voice, "Thirteenth Master, haven't you noticed my brother's name?"

Thirteen nodded, glancing apologetically at Li Wei, and said, "It's very likely that your brother left on his own after you came in."

Li Wei stared at the list in disbelief until Thirteen pushed it in front of him and made him look at it himself.

Li Wei looked at the list almost three times, and indeed he did not find the name "Li Chuang".

Now, Li Wei was bewildered. He didn't understand where his younger brother had gone, and why he had left without even saying goodbye. The two brothers had relied on each other since childhood. Their parents had died early, and the two brothers had endured a lot of hardship together, but they had never been separated. So what could have made Li Chuang abandon him and disappear without a trace this time?