As the richest family of Floating Cloud City, just the various kinds of servants and maids already amounted to two or three hundred, and the atmosphere was normally exuberant and rowdy when they entered and exited. But when Yun Che entered, there was only a green clothed male servant gently sweeping the ground in the empty courtyard. Most of the hundreds of houses and halls had their doors tightly shut, making the atmosphere lifeless and stagnant. Only those rare and valuable flowers and plants that were still blooming with life became the only signs of vitality in the place.
Yun Che’s heart slightly felt anxious.
What was going on? Why would this place be so quiet and still? Where were the Xia Family’s people? Where were Uncle Xia are the others?
Yun Che originally snuck in here with the intention to directly find Xia Hongyi and ask him if Xia Yuanba had returned here, but didn’t expect that he would actually see such a desolate scene. As he was dazed, he didn’t deliberately hide his figure either. That servant who was sweeping the ground saw him the moment he turned around, and instantly screamed out startled: “Who… Who are you? When did you get in…”
As he screamed halfway, he discerned Yun Che’s face and instantly froze for a moment, and said hesitatingly: “You… aren’t you Xiao Family’s… um…”
Even though it had been three years already, other than some added coldness between Yun Che’s brows, there wasn’t really much change to his appearance. After all, the higher one’s profound strength realm was, the slower age would leave scars on one’s body. With the few great divine arts on him, as well as the blood of Phoenix and Dragon God, he had at least, over a thousand years of lifespan.
Yun Che advanced a few steps forward, and spoke without beating around the bush: “I am precisely that Yun Che who was kicked out of the Xiao Clan three years ago! Tell me, what happened to Xia Family? Where’s your lord? Has your Young Master come back in these two years? Why did Xia Family become like this?”
That servant lad looked fixedly at Yun Che for a while, and his expression became sullen at once: “My Lo… lord has left… He left a year ago…”
“Left?” Yun Che’s brows knitted: “Where did he go? Why did he leave?”
The servant’s voice started to carry a tearful tone: “My Lord did not want to leave either, but he really has gone through too much… I accompanied my Lord for over twenty years. He is gentle, kind and never sorrowful on the surface, but I had always known the pain inside him…. Ten-odd years ago, Madam had already passed away; after that, my Lord had often washed his face with his own tears when alone. For an entire ten-odd years, he never remarried. Later… later on, Young Miss entered the Frozen Cloud Asgard, and became a person half out of the world. But then my Lord, at the very least, still had Young Master… But even Young Master went missing; if said he’s alive, there was still no one who could find his live person, but if said he’s dead, no one could find his corpse either. No one knew just where he went, and whether he is still alive or not… Madam is gone, Young Miss became one of the Frozen Cloud Asgard’s people, and now my Lord’s only son went missing, his life uncertain. Even though my Lord had experienced trials and hardships for over half his lifetime, he still couldn’t handle it!”
“…Then where did he go? Don’t tell me, he went to search for your Young Master?” Yun Che said as his heart tightened.
“Yes.” The servant nodded: “My Lord said that if Young Master was really gone, then what was the point of the family being ten times more wealthier? A year ago, my Lord sold off the family possessions, disbanded the servants, and left by himself, only leaving I and Old Liu to keep an eye on this big and empty courtyard.”
“Then did he say where he was heading to?” Yun Che anxiously asked. Xia Hongyi only had Xia Yuanba as his only son. With no news of him and his life or death uncertain, it was indeed an unendurable blow.
The servant thought for a long while, and said: “When my Lord left, I also asked where he was heading to, but he did not tell me. However, I remember when I helped my Lord pack his things, my Lord held an ebony wood tablet and felt it for a long time. I secretly paid attention to that tablet. There were no words on the tablet at all, but on their engraved… a black colored crescent moon marking.”
Black colored… crescent moon…
Black moon?
Black Moon Merchant Guild!