Chapter 300: Clues about Ta Lo

"If they hadn't rejected us from living in Ta Lo, none of the subsequent tragedies would have happened."

Xu Wenwu stated his belief with indifference.

"It was Ta Lo that harmed us, and now they have locked her behind the doors deep in the mountains as a form of punishment..."

"I know it's hard for you to believe, but if she hadn't told me herself, I wouldn't dare to believe it either."

"What... are you talking about?"

Xialing, who had been silent all this time, couldn't hold back anymore.

"Mom has already passed away. Did she know she would face this kind of punishment beforehand?"

"No, it was when I was in a state of sadness and disappointment after your brother left."

Xu Wenwu's face revealed a warm smile that Xialing hadn't seen since their mother's death. He patted his own chair.

"At that time, I was sitting here, reading books, and then she spoke to me... as if she was really in this room. I could even feel her breath, feel her hand brushing against my back..."

"She told me that she needed my help to rescue her from the hands of her people. She left us clues, hoping that we would find her!"

"...?"

Shang-Chi snapped out of his shock. Now he understood what his father meant by his "mental state not being right" earlier.

If his abnormal mental state during the previous incident led to his breakdown and the revealing of flaws that led their enemies to find them, why would he have a mental breakdown when he hadn't experienced the stimulus of their mother's death?

And this level of breakdown is just too outrageous!

"Dad! Mom has already passed away. She couldn't possibly have a conversation with you or leave clues for us to find her...

You also said that your mental state wasn't right before, and we don't blame you for what happened to Mom. Mom wouldn't blame you either. But now your condition has worsened, and you need to see a doctor!"

"..."

Xu Wenwu raised an eyebrow. He knew it would be difficult for his son and daughter to believe this, so he sighed and pointed at Shang-Chi's neck.

"Then, what about this?"

"Shang-Chi, Xialing, ever since you were born, you have been wearing these gemstone necklaces from the Ta Lo Realm. These are the clues your mother left for us!"

He pointed to the ancient books on the table with a resolute tone.

"The entrance to the Ta Lo Realm, where your mother comes from, is a secret. Even until now, I haven't been able to find the correct path there. But I know these two gemstones can help me find it.

I had planned to try other methods to give you more time, and because I didn't want to destroy the mementos your mother left behind..."

"But now that you've come back earlier, I don't want to wait anymore. I need to immediately find a way to the Ta Lo Realm, bring your mother back, and reunite our family!"

"Give me the gemstones, and then come with me. You will witness with your own eyes whether what I say is true or not!"

When the gemstone was placed on the eyes of the dragon statue and the dazzling water magic revealed the secret passage to the Ta Lo Realm, Shang-Chi and Xialing were truly shocked.

"The passage to the Ta Lo is guarded by a shifting labyrinth, but there is a direct path through the forest that opens only once a year—on the Qingming Festival.

To pass through, you need to know the precise route and the exact time it opens. And now, we know."

He smiled at Shang-Chi.

"These past years, I have been rebuilding the Ten Rings not just for revenge but also for the Ta Lo."

"What do you plan to do if they refuse to open the gates?"

Xialing couldn't hold back. In that instant, she truly believed that her mother's soul was still here.

"Then..."

Xu Wenwu nodded as a matter of course.

"We'll raze the village to the ground."

"There is still some time until the Qingming Festival. You can rest here for a while, and then we'll go together..."

"...I think we need some time to think."

Shang-Chi's expression was grim. It was evident that Xu Wenwu harbored deep resentment toward the elders in the Ta Lo Realm who prevented him from being with his mother.

Since that is the case, "razing the village to the ground" is not a joke.

But the most serious problem is that I don't know who to believe right now—

Should I believe my father, whose mental state is clearly deteriorating? Should I let him trample over mother's homeland if he is just delusional and hallucinating?

But if I didn't believe him, the Dragon Eye gemstone necklace is indeed a clue left by their mother. She definitely wanted them to find the Ta Lo Realm someday. But is she really trapped behind that door?

Back then, he witnessed their mother being killed by those people with his own eyes. The people from the Ta Lo were not involved, so how could they have imprisoned her soul?

However, he knew who he should seek confirmation from.

Life, souls, and dimensional spaces—those are areas where Chairman Oaks excells.

If I could see the Chairman, then I would surely get the answers!

So he forced himself to calm down and said seriously to his father:

"Dad, Xialing and I need some time to digest this information... Can we be alone for a while?"

"...Of course."

Xu Wenwu was pleased that his son didn't immediately oppose his decision. He nodded contentedly.

"You can discuss it among yourselves. We still have plenty of time... If you encounter any difficulties, come find me.

After all, we are a family, and our goal is to reunite as a family, right?"

"I understand..."

Shang-Chi nodded solemnly and glanced at his sister before turning and leaving.

Xu Wenwu smiled as he watched his children's departing figures and murmured to himself:

"Look, Yingli... They have truly grown up...

Although the power of the Ten Rings is still not abundant, with their help, things will surely go much smoother."

He turned to look at the picture of his wife on the altar, her beauty becoming even more captivating in the candlelight.

"Soon, we will be reunited..."

...

Shang-Chi's room remained the same as when he left all those years ago, with someone regularly cleaning it.

"Chairman, are you there?"

Shang-Chi made sure no one was watching outside and called out in a low voice.

"Yes, I am. Close the door."

Oaks's voice came from the void, and Shang-Chi's face lit up. He quickly closed the windows and door.

In the next moment, Oaks's figure abruptly appeared on a chair, startling Xialing.

Although Oaks had said he would secretly follow them, his sudden appearance was still unexpected.

"Don't worry, I can sense nearby life forms. There is no one monitoring here."

Oaks waved his hand dismissively, and a flash of electricity passed through his hand.

"There are no listening devices either. It's more accurate to say that high-tech gadgets are extremely rare in this residence. They are mostly concentrated underground."

"My dad... is a nostalgic person."

Shang-Chi sighed with a complex expression.

"Chairman, just now..."

"I have been listening the whole time, and I also discovered some interesting things."

Oaks looked at Xialing, who had just calmed down.

"Xialing, you haven't been away for long, do you know that a few years ago your father captured an actor?"

"An actor?"

Xialing was taken aback and shook her head after a moment of thought.

"I don't know... They never tell me about the affairs of the Ten Rings. I'm like a forgotten person here."

"Well, I just discovered this actor...,"

Oaks spread his hands and then looked at Shang-Chi.

"Do you remember? What happened before I recruited you into the Benevolence Society, that fake Mandarin?"

"Ah! Is it him?"

Shang-Chi clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly.

"I remember! At that time, I even thought that my dad had actually gone to carry out a terrorist attack on the US government, and I was worried that he would come to arrest me..."

"If it's that person, I've heard about him."

Xialing's eyes widened.

"They actually captured him?"

"Yes, and he's still alive."

Oaks pondered for a moment, feeling somewhat emotional.

"But the point is not him, it's his little companion—"

"Shang-Chi, Xialing, when your father went to explore the entrance to the Ta Lo Realm, he also picked up a pet. Did you know about it?"

"A pet?"

The two looked at each other and shook their heads in confusion.

"We have never heard of it!"

"Yes, this little thing claims to have grown up with your mother in the Ta Lo Realm."

Oaks waved his hand and opened a spatial portal. A cute little creature, round and furry, emerged from it.

It had a gray body, six legs, four wings, and no distinct features. It was a Dijiang, Morris.

"This little guy was discovered by the actor below, and he is surprisingly able to communicate with it -

But I brought it out."

Oaks patted Morris's back. He couldn't figure out where its head was.

"So now we have a 'local beast' as our guide. We can enter the Ta Lo Realm at any time and also gain some understanding of what's inside to some extent.

By the way, it wants you to take it home."

"Home... back to the Ta Lo Realm? But with my dad..."

Shang-Chi's expression became conflicted. Morris knew the way to the Ta Lo Realm, which meant they could ignore the Qingming Festival and the shifting labyrinth.

But what exactly is the Ta Lo Realm?

Is Mom's soul really there?

"I have already verified what your father said earlier, and those things simply don't exist."

Oaks interrupted his hesitation with his next words.

"There is indeed a gate on a mountain in the Ta Lo Realm, but that is the place where the 'Great Protector' sealed the Dweller-in-Darkness.

From the time your mother died until your father found the entrance and picked up Morris, no one from the Ta Lo Realm has come out. It is impossible for them to have taken away your mother's soul."

Oaks paused and pointed at himself.

"The Ta Lo Realm is a different dimensional space, and I also have a different dimensional space. Unless they can 'ensnare souls' across space, there is something very wrong with this."

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