Nangong Jingtang’s disappearance affected the Peacock Tribe most of all!
They had waited for the stars and moon—three hundred thousand years—longing for the destined great demon’s rebirth, longing for Nangong Jingtang’s reincarnation.
To be honest, after so long they had already given up hope, believing that the Celestial Rebirth was merely a legend.
Yet just at their most desperate moment, hope arrived: Nangong Jingtang truly did reincarnate and return to life.
This rekindled every member of the Peacock Tribe’s hope of rising to prominence!
Three hundred thousand years ago, she had been the strongest in Chaotic Demon City and was universally regarded by all demon tribes as the First City Lord.
Even if her mind and memories had not fully returned, it hardly mattered—everyone in the Peacock Tribe believed that as long as Nangong Jingtang lived, their resurgence was only a matter of time.
But at the very moment of greatest hope, despair struck again!
Nangong Jingtang vanished!
No one knew where she had gone.
Their hearts burned with anxiety!
They searched ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) every corner of the surrounding ten thousand li but found no clue.
They could not help but speculate that perhaps Lady Nangong, consumed by longing, had gone herself to search for Ye Yu.
If they could find Ye Yu, perhaps they would find Nangong Jingtang as well.
But before the Peacock Tribe could set out, Ye Yu came—alone, without a trace of Lady Nangong by his side.
This was their final hope: if Nangong Jingtang had not gone to seek Ye Yu, could it be that she had truly disappeared without a trace?
Heavens above!
Must you toy with the Peacock Tribe so cruelly?
Every time at the critical moment, the situation flipped—we simply could not bear it!
When Ye Yu learned of the Peacock Tribe’s conjectures, he was speechless.
Longing-sickness and going out to search? Utter nonsense!
Did they think he did not know?
Nangong Jingtang, with her mind not yet fully restored, was most fearful of unfamiliar surroundings.
Without a companion, she would never spend the night away from home.
And now, after such a long time—today was the perfect end of the one-month limit.
If she had truly gone to find him, failing to locate him, she would surely return now to meet him.
Therefore, Ye Yu resolved to stay in the Peacock Tribe for a day, awaiting Nangong Jingtang’s arrival.
At the same time, he made other preparations: investigating whether, before her disappearance, Nangong Jingtang had shown any abnormal behavior or strange demonic qi fluctuations.
He could not rule out the possibility that she had been kidnapped!
Ahem—though that chance was small, it was not impossible.
A short while later, Ye Yu inspected the Peacock Tribe’s territory and found nothing amiss.
However, in the blessed grotto where Nangong Jingtang spent her days, he discovered a bamboo basket.
He wished to open it, but it was sealed with powerful runic barriers.
Forcibly breaking them might damage its contents, so Ye Yu did not hasten to open it.
Instead, he went to the spot where Nangong Jingtang most liked to stand and waited in silence.
Alas, a single day passed quickly.
Ye Yu did not see Nangong Jingtang arrive.
For some reason, though this hilltop was the highest point in the Peacock Tribe and offered an unobstructed view of all the scenery, his heart swelled with loneliness.
Not far off, the five elders of the Peacock Tribe gathered once more.
Last time they had stood here waiting for Nangong Jingtang; this time their gazes fell upon Ye Yu.
“Brother, I feel as though Ye Yu’s figure resembles Lady Nangong—both so forlorn, even lonely.”
“Nonsense! He’s a man and she’s a woman—how could they be the same?”
“No, you don’t understand; it’s the mood—the essence of it!”
“The essence of it? Spare me your metaphors! Instead of waxing poetic, why not think how to find Lady Nangong?”
“In truth, I agree with Third Elder. It’s not Ye Yu’s appearance that mirrors Lady Nangong’s, but the feeling he exudes. Love is like this: either you wait for me, or I wait for you. One person is solitude; two people are completeness.”
“Elder, you got me good—must admit, that last line is poetic!”
Meanwhile, Ye Yu drew back his gaze, his expression growing grave.
Had something truly gone wrong with Nangong Jingtang?
Turning, he descended the hill to set out in search.
Before he left, he encountered one of her students, carrying on his back a basket identical to the one in her grotto.
Seeing this, Ye Yu stopped him and asked, puzzled, “What are you carrying in that basket?”
The student, named Nangong Lin, answered proudly, “I’m carrying heart-knots I folded myself. It’s a custom unique to the Peacock Tribe: how much you love someone is shown by what you do, not what you say.”
“Making a heart-knot is extremely tedious. It requires nine hundred ninety-nine folds to complete one; a single misstep ruins the work. Thus the number of knots proves how much you cherish the other.”
“I like Xiaomei very much, so I intend to fold fifty heart-knots and present them to her when I ask for her hand!”
With that, Nangong Lin set down his basket and opened it, revealing the neatly tied knots within.
Ye Yu examined them and found they were indeed more intricate than those of Blue Star.
“If this basket is the standard for heart-knots, then could Lady Nangong’s be the same?”
Ye Yu took from his storage ring the other bamboo basket and placed it before Nangong Lin, asking, “Is this the standard basket for holding heart-knots?”
“Exactly. Hey—this looks like Lady Nangong’s basket! She asked me to teach her how to fold knots, and I gave her this basket!”
Nangong Lin tapped the basket’s seal a few times and effortlessly dispelled the barrier.
To everyone’s astonishment, inside lay over a hundred heart-knots!
Seeing this, Nangong Lin exclaimed in surprise, “Impossible! Lady Nangong made so many heart-knots—who was she preparing them for?”
“Look, there’s a bamboo slip inside.”
Ye Yu picked it up, opened it, and read earnestly:
...
- “I have folded over a hundred heart-knots, but I really cannot endure this any longer. This endless waiting torments me. I feel as if whispers constantly remind me that Ye Yu no longer wants me. I have had enough of these days!”
