He had initially thought finding this woman was only a matter of time, and that night, he clearly knew the power of his attack. It was not something this woman could withstand. Even if she didn't die, she would be severely injured.
Yet, this half-dead woman was now nowhere to be seen, and no body was found. Ning Beichen, holding the phone, flew into a rage, scolding his subordinates mercilessly.
The fact that this sorceress was alive meant the trouble was far from over.
Ning Beichen had no idea about her current condition, nor when or how she might retaliate, or if she'd be too scared to do so.
Moreover, after their encounter, this sorceress had gained some understanding of Ning Beichen's strength. Next time, she might not engage him directly but would operate from the shadows, employing sorcery or schemes against them.
This was the root of Ning Beichen's headache.
Another concern was that he feared she might use the same kind of sorcery as before, which was incredibly difficult to deal with. He didn't have another vajra pestle.
The vajra pestle gifted to him by the Living Buddha was already broken. Even if Ning Beichen wanted another one, he couldn't get it.
The Living Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism had already attained nirvana and ascended to heaven. Not a single relic, not even a gallstone, was left behind.
After hanging up the phone, Ning Beichen pondered for a long while. Since he couldn't find the sorceress, he could only prepare thoroughly to counter her revenge.
Even without the Living Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism, the East was not without other Living Buddhas. And a Living Buddha was not the only one capable of dealing with sorcerers.
At this moment, Ning Beichen recalled someone. He should say, a woman, and a very beautiful young woman at that.
Her name was Li Haitang, a girl he had met in Rome.
However, she wasn't a foreigner; she was also from the East. Their paths crossed in Rome when she was on vacation.
At the time, her wallet and identification had been stolen by a thief, leaving her stranded in Rome with no money for food or lodging. It was during her most desperate moment that she met Ning Beichen, who was there on business.
Seeing Ning Beichen, who looked like a fellow countryman, Li Haitang boldly asked for his help. To her surprise, Ning Beichen was indeed from the East.
Ning Beichen, seeing her plight as a young woman, thought that as compatriots, everyone faces hardship sometimes, and he should help if he could. So, he not only found her a place to stay and eat but also helped her retrieve her wallet and identification.
Afterward, they became "good friends."
Ahem! Ahem! The kind of friends who could share a bed.
However, Ning Beichen later learned that Li Haitang was a Miao woman, and not just any Miao woman, but a Miao sorceress. This terrified Ning Beichen, and he fled back to Alexandria by plane that very night.
Now, encountering Tara, the sorceress, Ning Beichen thought of Li Haitang.
Perhaps Li Haitang had a way to deal with this sorceress. After all, being a Miao sorceress, she couldn't be worse than Tara, a foreign sorceress.
But the mere thought of meeting her made his legs go weak. However, he couldn't afford to worry about that anymore.
That afternoon, Ning Beichen briefed Feng Wu and his subordinates, telling them to protect Liu Yilin. Then, he bought a plane ticket by himself to find Li Haitang.
He dared not bring Liu Yilin along. Who knew what extreme reaction Li Haitang might have after he had run away last time.
At eight in the evening, Ning Beichen arrived in a small county town and checked into a hotel, planning to find her in the mountains after dawn.
Unexpectedly, before he could set out, Li Haitang appeared before him.
She was still the beautiful girl she was back then, but now she appeared much more mature, more alluring, and even more captivating.
This time, Li Haitang appeared before Ning Beichen wearing Miao ethnic clothing, with a traditional Miao curved knife at her waist.
And she wasn't alone; she had brought five or six Miao men with her.
"Hi, Haitang, long time no see."
Seeing her entourage, Ning Beichen felt a bit flustered and greeted her.
"Take him away."
Without a word, Haitang directly instructed the Miao men she brought to seize Ning Beichen.
"Hey, hey, Haitang, Haitang, what are you doing?"
"It's me, I'm Ning Beichen."
Ning Beichen shouted loudly. These were Li Haitang's people, and Ning Beichen didn't want to hurt them.
But Li Haitang ignored him. The Miao men, escorting Ning Beichen, walked away ostentatiously. No one around tried to stop them; in fact, some were laughing and watching the spectacle.
"Haitang... Haitang, what are you doing? Hurry up and tell them to let me go."
Ning Beichen wailed like a pig being slaughtered.
"Shut up. If you weren't Ning Beichen, I wouldn't bother tying you up."
Likely annoyed by his incessant shouting, Li Haitang told him to be quiet.
"Alright, I'll be quiet. Haitang, if you're taking me somewhere, I can walk myself. There's no need to escort me like this. Look at all these people watching; I've lost so much face!"
Ning Beichen said with a wry smile.
"You don't need to worry. They're envious of you."
Li Haitang told him.
"Li Haitang, do you think I'm an idiot? Do people envy this? Why don't you go and tie them up instead?"
Ning Beichen said, half-laughing, half-crying.
"Believe it or not. Alright, stop making noise. Let him go."
Li Haitang commanded.
The Miao men then released Ning Beichen's hands and stopped escorting him. However, they remained on either side of him, preventing him from escaping.
"Haitang, why do you greet me with this kind of stunt as soon as we meet? By the way, how did you know I was coming to find you?"
Ning Beichen asked her curiously.
"There's nothing I don't know. The moment you decided to come find me in your heart, I already knew."
Li Haitang gave him a mysterious glance.
Ning Beichen's mouth fell open, stunned by her. This woman was too magical; she knew as soon as he thought of her.
"Haitang, are you telling the truth or lying?"
Ning Beichen asked disbelievingly.
"Lying. Do you think I'm a celestial being?"
Seeing Ning Beichen's reaction, Li Haitang suddenly smiled charmingly, like spring wind melting a thousand miles of ice, making Ning Beichen's heart skip a beat uncontrollably.
"Then how did you know I was coming to find you?"
Ning Beichen pressed her, unwilling to give up.
"The latter part of what I said was a lie. The former part is true. There's nothing I don't know here. The moment you entered this area, someone already notified me."
Li Haitang stopped teasing him and explained.