The two, having eaten and drunk their fill, did not set off immediately. Instead, they planned to rest and recover their strength where they were.
"Haitang, do you think we'll really be able to find him?"
Liu Yilin had asked her this question countless times along the way, so Haitang, accustomed to it, replied.
"We definitely will. We both need to believe in his capabilities. If he hasn't returned, he must be trapped somewhere."
"Mmm, I believe it too. Deep down, I can sense he's alright."
Liu Yilin nodded and said.
"Don't worry, we will definitely find her."
The two women comforted each other, and the search for Ning Beichen was the driving force for their joint progress.
While they were resting, Liu Yilin's gaze suddenly swept across a certain spot, and she saw a fleeting black shadow, causing her to stand up nervously.
"Yilin, what's wrong?"
Since Haitang's back was to the direction of the shadow, she hadn't seen it.
"I just saw a black shadow."
Liu Yilin said to Haitang, while scanning the surroundings with her eyes. Yet, strangely, the shadow had vanished.
"A black shadow? How big was it?"
Haitang knew Liu Yilin wouldn't joke at a time like this and quickly became vigilant.
"It was roughly the size of a human, but I'm not sure if it was a human shadow."
Liu Yilin said to Haitang.
"Could it be that besides the people who invited us here, there are others?"
Haitang murmured curiously. As a Miao shaman herself, she naturally wouldn't fear any ghosts or spirits.
"Could it be Ning Beichen?"
Liu Yilin suddenly thought of this.
"Impossible. If it were Ning Beichen, he would definitely come out to see us."
Haitang said with absolute certainty.
"That's true."
Liu Yilin was somewhat unwilling. She truly wished that the shadow had been Ning Beichen.
"Let's look again. I'm very sure I wasn't seeing things just now."
Liu Yilin collected her thoughts and said to Haitang.
"Okay, you observe this side, and I'll observe behind you."
Haitang and Liu Yilin began to divide their tasks.
However, no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find the shadow Liu Yilin had mentioned. In the end, even Liu Yilin began to doubt if she had imagined it.
After all, they had both been incredibly tired throughout their journey, constantly searching for Ning Beichen's whereabouts without a single day of proper rest.
"Yilin, I think you're too tired. This is a good place to rest. Why don't we rest here for a day? What do you think?"
Haitang was somewhat worried about Liu Yilin's condition.
Since Ning Beichen's disappearance, Liu Yilin hadn't rested properly, and Haitang worried that her body wouldn't be able to withstand it if this continued.
"Alright."
Liu Yilin didn't insist further. Indeed, as Haitang had said, even though she was anxious about Ning Beichen's disappearance, there was nothing she could do.
If Ning Beichen were to return, he would have done so by now. If he hadn't, it must be due to some irresistible circumstances.
"Yilin, why don't you sleep first? I'll guard you, and when you wake up, it'll be my turn."
Haitang said to her.
Given their close relationship, there was no need for formalities. Besides, it didn't matter who slept first, so Liu Yilin didn't refuse. She opened her sleeping bag and began to sleep.
As soon as Liu Yilin lay down, her eyes closed, and exhaustion filled her body. In less than a minute, she had fallen into a deep sleep, indicating that her spirit had reached its limit, and if she didn't rest, something would go wrong.
Whether a Grandmaster, a Great Grandmaster, or even a mortal transcender, one still needed to rest when it was time. Even if a person were made of iron, their spirit was not.
Moreover, humans not only experienced fatigue in their bodies and spirits but also due to many other factors that could cause exhaustion, some of which humans couldn't fully understand yet.
Watching the sleeping Liu Yilin, Haitang beside her felt a pang of heartache.
Originally, she could have lived a peaceful, stable, and happy life. However, after meeting Ning Beichen, her life's trajectory had completely changed. In Haitang's opinion, it was hard to say whether it was for better or worse.
But the path was her own choice. Just like Haitang herself, from the moment she decided to become a Miao shaman, she knew that her life could only be one of solitude.
Just as Haitang withdrew her gaze from Liu Yilin, she turned her head and suddenly saw a fleeting black shadow, and this shadow was very familiar.
Because this shadow had shared countless intimate moments with her. Others might misremember, but Haitang would absolutely not.
"Ning Beichen!"
Haitang exclaimed, because the shadow just now was indeed Ning Beichen's.
But when she tried to get a closer look, she found that the shadow flashed and disappeared at the wall.
Haitang hurriedly chased to the spot where the shadow had disappeared. No one responded whether she touched it with her hand or called out. The wall was still the wall, and there was no shadow around.
At this moment, Haitang immediately knew that Liu Yilin hadn't been mistaken earlier; there had indeed been a black shadow here.
But the shadow was strange, seemingly harmless, or perhaps a lingering image. And as a Miao shaman, if the shadow were something evil, it wouldn't have escaped her detection.
Haitang originally wanted to wake Liu Yilin to discuss it, but seeing how soundly she was sleeping, she ultimately didn't wake her.
Haitang cautiously watched her surroundings, waiting for the black shadow to appear a second time.
However, the shadow didn't appear for a long time, making Haitang increasingly anxious.
Because she couldn't understand why Ning Beichen's shadow would appear here, what had happened to him? Why only a shadow, and no sign of the person?
Haitang arranged some items used in witchcraft on the open ground. She intended to use witchcraft to investigate, but this would have to wait until the black shadow appeared again.
Time ticked by, and Haitang grew more and more tense, mainly worried that the shadow might suddenly appear while she was unprepared to perform her ritual.
"It appeared!"
Suddenly, the black shadow emerged from the wall, causing Haitang to become agitated and quickly begin her witchcraft.
Seeing the bells on her ankles, they emitted a jingling sound along with her shamanic dance.
Then, a green circle appeared on the ground. As the black shadow entered the green circle, Haitang hurriedly shook a shamanic artifact in her hand.
Mysterious witchcraft transformed the ground into a cage, and when the black shadow was trapped within the cage, Haitang hurriedly asked.
"Ning Beichen, is that you?"
Meanwhile, Ning Beichen, far away in another world, was leading his companions to fight monsters. He suddenly sensed something and immediately stopped, as he thought he had just heard Haitang calling him.
However, Ning Beichen quickly shook his head, thinking he was perhaps missing her body too much, causing him to hallucinate.
"Kill! Extra rations tonight."
Ning Beichen ignored the auditory hallucination and commanded Cao Shuo and the others.