Chapter 196 - Blackhole

After a wondrous experience with the ritual, after a refreshing bath in the river, after bidding their farewells to Kaosmandu, Tubli, and the river beasts, Xinyi and company left the place which was once a snowy peak but transformed into a lush greeneries of life and nature.

The same way when they came, they took their places on Nianshi and Meirga's heads, Xinyi stayed with Ming, comfortably sitting sideways on Shijian the Qilin's back. His hand sn.a.k.e.d her waist to keep her safe.

As they soared above the clouds, unexpectedly, Xinyi sensed Xionmao's presence. This was new to her and tried to call the panda through telepathy. Surprisingly, the panda replied.

"My lady, hurry back. Madame Lifen is missing. I told the animals to search for her but they can't find her." This was the alarming news the panda related.

"What? When did this happen and why can I communicate with you from here?"

"This is part of your power as a Chief Guardian. But this will only work at a certain distance, or if you wish to communicate with a specific guardian, like what we're doing now," Xionmao said. "The governor's mother disappeared last night while an enemy attacked your Anjing Pavilion. And one thing, the attackers have the aura of people not from this world."

"What do you mean not from this world?"

"In literal sense, they are not from this world and might be related to your origin."

Unknowingly, Ming was watching her face and saw her scowl knitted her fine eyebrows depicting more like a wiggling caterpillar, making Ming worry.

With thumb and index finger, he softly stretched her brows to the sides, straightening it. "What are you thinking? You look worried. Tell me." 

Xinyi gazed at him, full of uncertainties. She looked at the group as if asking if the guardians felt what she felt now and helped her tell Ming the bad news. But no one was looking at them. The rest were in pleasant sightseeing at the views below. Her eyes moved back to Ming and decided to be the bringer of the terrible news. But before telling Ming, she thought of hastening their flight.

"Nianshi, Meirga, let's move faster. We need to go back to Fengfu as soon as possible." Then facing the lady dragon, she said, "Meirga, is there a way we can go straight to Fengfu without passing the forest and tunnel?"

"No other way, Xinyi. The late Sorceress did this to keep these spirit landforms safe from intruders."

"I understand. Okay, everyone listen up. I just received news that something is happening in Fengfu right now and a troublesome one. But I can't tell much for now. The only thing I know is that my mother-in-law disappeared last night and they are still searching for her."

"What?" All exclaimed. 

"What happened? Why did Ma disappear?" Ming said, anxious. He was away for how long he couldn't tell, but it felt like an eternity for him. Now, he was expecting a joyous reunion. Instead, another calamity took over — a painful one. To hear his mother was nowhere to be found, crashed into him. 'Of all people, why Ma?' A hand clenched his chest.

Everyone could see and felt his pain. This was his mother that they were talking about. Not his brother. Not his horse. Not Fengfu. But his beloved, precious, and one and only mother.

Those who knew Lifen had been a part of her jolly and motherly disposition. They too were distressed with the news.

If he was in pain, so was Xinyi. Lifen was also her Ma, not just because she was her mother-in-law, but her mind had accepted that Lifen was her own treasured mother: a loving, caring, and kind one. If she could, she would teleport them all back to Fengfu right at this moment and personally search for her. 

To hell with healing the spirit landforms and saving the world if she couldn't even keep her Ma and her newfound precious family safe and sound. Almost losing Ming was already unbearable and had to drag her feet and willpower in every way to find and heal him. So much more for this wondrous mother she recently gained. In fact, she was more than a parent to her. She was her best friend. No way she would let anything happen to Lifen. 

In spite of the fact that Lifen's whereabouts were not known yet — if her life was at risk or she was only sightseeing somewhere safe — but she could vividly perceive Xionmao's fears in his tone of voice, telling her there was more that he couldn't say yet. 

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Silence. Each one on their own while some who hadn't known Lifen wouldn't dare say a word otherwise they might say something wrong instead of easing the heaviness engulfing them.

However, Meirga broke the spell. "Xinyi, how about I'll teleport all of us directly to the tunnel first and go back to the forest later, like after we find your Ma?"

"That would be great, but can you do it? From here to there is quite far."

"I think I can do it. I feel stronger now."

"As you wish, but don't do it if it will make you weak or collapse later. Don't forget. We need you. Nianshi needs you." She severely emphasized the last sentence.

While listening at Meirga's plans, a queasy feeling gnawed at Nianshi's innards. 

"Are you really sure about this?" Nianshi asked. "Everyone can tell the distance is really far. Remember, you would transport the whole group, including me — a huge dragon — with the addition of Sir Ming and the Qilin. This is too risky."

"Trust me, dear. I can." Meirga said with confidence.

He was still not at ease. He knew the level of difficulty in transporting a sizeable group in a spatial domain was high. He and the late Sorceress had traveled this way before, and they even met some tears in the teleportation tunnel, almost losing their lives in the process. 

"Lady Xinyi, I know we are in a hurry, but I don't think it is wise to cut this trip. You need to heal the forest first so that the power chain will get stronger before we race back to Fengfu City." He said without restraint. "With a stronger power chain, the Chiangdas can gain stronger power. So, if Madame Lei had a mishap or is now facing an enemy, it would be wise if we are stronger than the enemy. I'm also sorry to tell you that hurrying won't help much in finding her." 

No one dared to butt in because Nianshi's words were somewhat the right path to take. However, Meirga's frail womanly emotion had trouble understanding her hubby's logic. 

"Hey! Don't be insensitive. Sir Ming and Xinyi are awfully sad right now. I was in a frenzy too when I lost you. I thought I'd die if I couldn't find you." Meirga retorted. "If you were in their shoes, would you not fly home at lightning speed if you hear your mother or I disappeared?

Nianshi's countenance darkened with the thought of losing her. "Of course I'll fly home fast, but this situation is different." 

Although his reasoning was legitimate, Meirga somewhat saw the true grounds for his fears — her safety. "What are you hesitating about?" Meirga said in frustration.

"What you'll be doing is too risky." And told them about his difficult spatial travels with the late Sorceress, though he didn't want Xinyi to hear these. Thus, he warned Xinyi first before she would ask how to perform such a stunt. "This is not the right time for you too, my lady. Don't even think about it. Controlling this power is not a walk in the park. So think first before doing anything dangerous."

Xinyi shut her mouth, pondering. Ming was afraid for his Ma and in deep contemplation on which path was the best to take, based on Nianshi's logic explanation. The rest did the same. But Meirga was not a quitter when she set her mind into action.

"Husband? Come on. Trust me. Don't be afraid. I can carry us all to the tunnel, safe and sound. I promise." She said with twinkling eyes.

Nianshi shrugged indifferently. He knew Meirga well. She wouldn't stop until he would give in.

"Fine. As you wish, but don't be reckless. If you see that it's not working or even sense a slight problem in the space, stop it before it'll get worse," added Nianshi, sighing. Deep worry reflected in his eyes.

"Yes, I will." Meirga blushed. Thankful that Nianshi gave in for her, and also for his concern. This showed how much he loved her. 

Meirga then informed her passengers she needed to transform into her human form before using her teleportation power. So, her commuters transferred on Nianshi's back. And she flew above Nianshi, changed to a human, and landed on the other dragon's back.

She sat composed on Nianshi's head, focused all her essence within her mind, imagining a large white light encircling all of them, and said, "Transport."

The sun was glaring. The clouds sailed by peacefully in the blue skies. No flying beasts of any sort. Everyone was waiting and in great anticipation for the success of the teleportation when... a black hole appeared directly above them. Not a tiny, weeny hole, but a wide vortex, one that rotated from outside to inside, and had a gravitational siphoning effect.

However, the forceful sucking had only one target — Meirga. 

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