After returning from the Alliance Leader Mansion, Shen Lingxi remained in a state of despair, confining herself to her courtyard and never venturing out.
Sometimes, after waking up, she would simply sit on her bed, staring blankly at the blankets.
Sometimes, she would sit at the desk in her room, holding a book and resting her chin in her hands, her gaze fixed on a single page for hours.
Other times, she would sit on a stone stool in the courtyard, staring vacantly at a small tree for the entire day.
***
Shen Lingxi’s abnormal behavior raised a high level of alarm among the elders of Saintess Mountain. To address this, they held a special discussion meeting.
As soon as the meeting began, the Great Elder got straight to the point, his expression grave.
“I have called you all here today to discuss the Saintess’s condition. I want everyone to analyze this. What exactly is going on?”
“Her soul has been wandering for one month now. If she continues like this, it won’t do. She will be ruined.”
Hearing the Great Elder’s words, the Law Enforcement Elder stroked his long beard and said, “In my humble opinion, the Saintess has hit a bottleneck in her cultivation. She is likely just deep in thought, trying to figure out how to break through.”
“I encountered the same thing back in the day. After entering a 100 or 1,000-year retreat, the breakthrough comes naturally.”
“The Saintess is still young, so she lacks experience in this regard.”
“Therefore, I believe there is no need to worry.”
The Great Elder nodded repeatedly. “Reasonable. Quite reasonable. I was the same way back then.”
The Elder of Heavenly Martial Peak disagreed, sharply pointing out the issue. “Nonsense! After the Saintess came out of the Secret Realm, she went straight to the Alliance Leader Mansion. She only became like this after returning from there.”
“So, in my view, she must have sparred with the Alliance Leader and lost. Now, she is questioning her entire life.”
“However, the Alliance Leader is a young genius with seasoned experience, while the Saintess only recently received the Inheritance. It is only natural that she couldn’t compare and lost.”
“I encountered a similar situation back then and was depressed for exactly two months. During those two months, I did nothing but drink. I drank until I finally understood.”
“So, my suggestion is to send the Saintess some wine to help her forget her sorrows.”
The Great Elder thought about it and realized there was some truth to that, so he nodded again. “Reasonable. Quite reasonable. I will have a disciple deliver some Spiritual Wine later.”
Listening to the discussion between the three elders, Elder Zhu of the Alchemy Pavilion felt her face darken. Finally, she could no longer hold back and spoke up. “Have you three… never considered that she might be lovesick?”
Lovesick?
The three elders looked at one another. What a niche and foreign word. They had never heard it before.
Seeing this, Elder Zhu couldn’t help but rub her aching forehead. She had forgotten that these three were entirely focused on the path of cultivation and had never concerned themselves with worldly emotions; naturally, they wouldn’t understand.
The Great Elder asked with some surprise, “The Saintess is in love? Why have I never heard of this? When did she get a male companion?”
“Great Elder, if our Saintess is in love, then so be it. It’s not like she’s from the Divine Maiden Palace. If those women lose their virginity, that ghostly Goddess Cultivation Technique of theirs is broken, hahaha… sob… hic…“
The Elder of Heavenly Martial Peak took the opportunity to mock the Divine Maiden Palace, but as he laughed, old tears began to flow uncontrollably.
“Why is he crying?” the Law Enforcement Elder asked, stunned.
“Because back then, he was beaten so badly by the Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace using that technique that he questioned his very existence. He didn’t recover for a full two months,” the Great Elder explained.
Afterward, the Great Elder looked toward Elder Zhu. “Elder Zhu, it seems you have quite a bit of experience in matters of the heart. The task of counseling the Saintess shall be entrusted to you.”
Elder Zhu fell silent, not responding for a long time.
“Elder Zhu, is there a problem?” The Great Elder smiled. “If you need any help, just ask.”
“Great Elder, I’m afraid I cannot comply.”
“Why?” The smile on the Great Elder’s face froze.
Elder Zhu hesitated for a long time before deciding to be honest. “I have simply read a few more romance novels than most. The Saintess’s condition looks very similar to the lovesickness described in those books. It was merely a guess.”
The Great Elder fell silent.
The other elders did the same.
Just then, the door to the meeting hall was pushed open, and an unexpected person burst inside.
Every elder present was astonished.
The Saintess?
Why was she here?
Everyone was confused.
Shen Lingxi skipped the pleasantries and asked, “Great Elder, does Saintess Mountain possess any magical treasures for finding people?”
The Great Elder was stunned for a moment before replying, “We don’t have anything like that. However, on the top floor of the Library Pavilion, there is a book on deduction methods.”
“That book records how to use the Deduction Method to find someone.”
As soon as the Great Elder finished speaking, Shen Lingxi rushed away, leaving the group of elders staring at one another in confusion.
***
After leaving the elders’ meeting, Shen Lingxi headed straight for the Library Pavilion. With the help of the disciples stationed there, she quickly obtained the book on deduction.
The book was titled *Encyclopedia of Deduction*.
Shen Lingxi gave it a brief scan. The book did indeed contain the deduction methods for finding people, just as the Great Elder had said.
Carrying the book, she hurried back to her courtyard.
As soon as she returned, she impatiently began to study the *Encyclopedia of Deduction*.
Her logic was simple.
Rather than continuing to give up on herself, spending every day in a daze and pining away, it was better to take action.
She was going to find Gu Ming.
However, the only person who knew anything—the Alliance Leader—had already forgotten Gu Ming.
Now, she was the only one who remembered him.
Therefore, she could only rely on herself.
No matter what method she had to use or how much time it took, she had to find him.
Then, she would make him fulfill his promise—
To take her to see her parents.
With that thought in mind, Shen Lingxi began reading the *Encyclopedia of Deduction* with great enthusiasm.
It had to be said that the Deduction Method was incredibly difficult to learn. Its intricacies were profound, and since she had no teacher to guide her, she had to figure it all out on her own.
One step at a time, she would slowly master the path of deduction.
One year later, Shen Lingxi reached the entry level of the Deduction Method. She excitedly tried to deduce Gu Ming’s location, but she failed.
Two years later, she reached a minor level of mastery. She tried once again to deduce Gu Ming’s location, but the result was still failure.
Five years later, she reached grand mastery of the Deduction Method. She tried once more to deduce Gu Ming’s location, yet it still ended in failure.
…
I don’t know how many years passed. Shen Lingxi’s Deduction Method had long since reached the peak of perfection, yet she still could not deduce Gu Ming’s whereabouts.
It was only then that she truly realized Gu Ming’s entire existence was being shielded by some powerful treasure, making it impossible to find him through deduction.
And all of this was the work of the Alliance Leader.
Just as Shen Lingxi was at a loss for how to proceed, a meeting of the Righteous Path Alliance reignited her hope.
“Everyone, look at the portrait in your hands. This is a rising star of the Demon Cult, the new Guardian for the Demon Cult Leader,” the Alliance Leader said, leaning his hands on the conference table with a serious expression.
Shen Lingxi already had a grudge against the Alliance Leader, so his words usually went in one ear and out the other. However, out of boredom, she felt curious about what this rising star of the Demon Cult looked like—the one giving the Alliance Leader such a headache.
She opened the portrait, and her breath hitched.
‘Brother Gu Ming?!!!’