Chapter 10: Found the direction home... A strange wind came from nowhere...

A strange wind, seemingly from nowhere, blew so hard that Shi Wenzhe couldn't see the courtyard clearly. She was blown about and couldn't stand up straight, so she mustered her courage and walked towards the ancestral hall. She intended to hide under the earthen niche in the ancestral hall to shelter from the wind, but unexpectedly, just as she was about to enter the house, golden light shone around the earthen house, and a semi-circular barrier appeared out of thin air. The strange phenomenon disappeared instantly, and she was bounced to the ground by the golden light. Her arms were covered in bloody marks, and the burning sensation made her jump around. Shi Wenzhe frantically touched her whole body, trying to relieve the pain.

Shi Wenzhe burst into tears and let out a painful howl.

As she was feeling melancholic and worried that she might die there, a terrified scream rang out. Shi Wenzhe looked around and saw a dark figure falling from the sky. Before she could react, she was hit on the ground with a thud.

"Wow, that's amazing! I'm not injured at all." Ming Shu looked at his body, which had fallen from a great height without a scratch, in surprise, thinking to himself that he might be a genius.

Shi Wenzhe: "..."

Shi Wenzhe said, "Big brother, you won't get hurt if you fall on me, but it hurts! It hurts so much I feel like I'm going to die." She shook her body, trying to shake the other person off, but he was too heavy. Shi Wenzhe gave up struggling and said dejectedly, "How long are you going to cushion me, big brother?"

"Ahhh, ohhhhhh." Ming Shu groaned awkwardly, quickly getting up to compose himself. "I'm sorry, young lady," he said apologetically. Then, he composed himself, adopting a dignified and profound demeanor, and asked, "What important matter has you summoned me for?"

"Huh? Me?" Shi Wen asked, pointing to himself in confusion.

Ming Shu asked in confusion, "If it wasn't you, then it was me? I was having a great time there when I was suddenly teleported here. I was quite startled." He raised an eyebrow at Shi Wenzhe to comfort him, and kept showing off, "Tell me, I'll agree to anything you ask. I'm the famous Right Protector of the Demon Realm—there's nothing I can't do."

Shi Wenzhe looked at her with a "I don't believe it" expression. She looked the other person up and down. He was dressed quite elegantly and looked good, but he didn't seem to be very bright.

Shi Wenzhe gave him a knowing look and said with amusement, "Right Protector?"

Ming Shu puffed out his chest proudly: "Hmph."

Shi Wenzhe pressed on, "So what's your name?"

Ming Shu said in a serious tone: "He does not change his name when he walks or his surname when he sits; this is Ming Shu."

Shi Wenzhe: "..."

"Hahahahahahahahahaha." Shi Wen pointed at the other person, almost laughing herself to death. She thought to herself, "Mom, come quick, there's a little idiot here, hahahahahahahaha."

Ming Shu looked completely bewildered: "What are you laughing at? Am I that funny?"

Shi Wenzhe laughed until her stomach hurt. She moved next to Ming Shu, leaning on his shoulder to support her upper body. She took several deep breaths but couldn't suppress her laughter. She said loudly, "Do you also think I'm a little fool? You said you were the Right Protector, hahahahahahahahaha."

Ming Shu looked unhappy. His pride and dignity had been deeply hurt by the other party. He said sadly, "Hey, keep your laughter down. You really hurt me."

Shi Wenzhe straightened up, clutching his stomach, and patted the boy's shoulder to comfort him, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. Only I know about this. Don't be so shameless as to tell others that you are the Right Protector in the future, or you'll lose face if you're exposed."

Ming Shu retorted unhappily, "Then I was originally the Right Protector."

Shi Wenzhe burst out laughing again: "Young man, it's not good to be so vain at such a young age. The Right Protector is clearly Qin Wenxue, why are you pretending to be someone else?"

Ming Shu: "..."

Ming Shu was struck dumb, and he stammered, "You said... who is the Right Protector?"

Sometimes I hear Zhe Moming say, "I ask about the snow in the quilt."

“Qin…Qin Wenxue.” Ming Shu’s heart was bleeding. He finally understood. So this little girl was the one who had been alone in a room with the Venerable One last night.

He looked Shi Wenzhe up and down. She was indeed a beauty, good-looking and quite amusing, but... not very bright. What was strange was that the Venerable One seemed to be having a lot of fun with her.

However, the fact that he got himself involved left the dog speechless.

"Your Majesty, how could you use my name to deceive young girls everywhere? My innocence, my honor, my Right Protector, waaaaaah!" Ming Shu pretended to wipe away her tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Seeing that his expression was slightly contorted, Shi Wenzhe kindly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Ming Shu gritted his teeth and said, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Alright." Shi Wenzhe didn't press further. She pointed to the golden array and the howling wind and asked, "Ming Shu, can you take me away from here?"

The night wind howled, chilling her to the bone. Shi Wenzhe looked at the dilapidated old ancestral hall and felt a chill run down her spine. The scene was too much like the opening of a classic Chinese ghost movie, which reminded her of unpleasant images.

Ming Shu pointed back at himself and asked, "Me?" He looked like a complete idiot.

"Hmm." Shi Wenzhe nodded: "Didn't you say that I summoned you? If so, then you're here to take me away, because this is my only wish."

Ming Shu: "..."

"Ah..." He scratched his head, looking troubled, his face scrunched up in a pained expression.

"Is it not allowed?" Shi Wenzhe observed repeatedly, his bright and sparse fox-like eyes almost squeezed into slits, making him look somewhat cute.

To be honest, it wasn't easy for the two of them to keep chatting in this strong wind for so long. The wind was so strong that she couldn't really see Ming Shu's face clearly. She only thought that his bright fox-like eyes were really cute and unforgettable.

Shi Wenzhe remembered a little white dog he used to feed back in his hometown. The little white dog belonged to the neighbor's grandma and would come over every day at mealtimes to beg for food. Every time Shi Wenzhe gave it meat, the little dog's big, watery eyes would look so adorable that it would melt Shi Wenzhe's heart.

Just like when Ming Shu looked up at her, she couldn't help but want to laugh, so she also gave a faint smile.

Ming Shu didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. He had been summoned but couldn't solve any problems, which seemed a bit embarrassing. However, he was thick-skinned and didn't care about being embarrassed. He just felt that the little girl's eyes were so kind, which gave him goosebumps.

Ming Shu smiled wryly, could only sigh, and said helplessly, "Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"

"..." Shi Wenzhe sighed and said, "No." "Besides, I don't quite understand what you said. I didn't actually summon you; you descended from the sky on your own."

Ming Shu smiled wryly, "You didn't summon me, but you summoned the great formation. The great formation and I are interdependent and can only appear at the same time. You really are..." Ming Shu shook his head, his tone full of helplessness, "You are really amazing..." Ming Shu hesitated.

Shi Wenzhe then spoke up: "Shi Wenzhe."

“Miss Shi, this restriction was set by the first Demon Lord of the Thirty-Three Palaces. No one has ever triggered it in the past thousand years. You are really amazing. You made a big move right away.”

"Really? That sounds amazing." Shi Wenzhe asked with a pained expression, "Did I trigger something incredible?"

Ming Shu said with a worried look, "This is indeed a terrible thing, and it's quite difficult to handle. If His Majesty finds out, we're doomed!"

Shi Wenzhe was curious; she had been there for so long but had never seen the Demon Lord. She asked, "What kind of person is the Demon Lord?"

Ming Shu looked at her with a strange expression, thinking, "You've already called him by his name, don't you know what kind of person he is?" He couldn't help but light a candle for Shi Wen, praying that the other party would get along peacefully with the Venerable One, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

"What's with that strange expression? Are you horrified? Or gloating?" Shi Wenzhe rubbed his arms and asked, "You didn't secretly talk about me behind my back, did you? That's not good, kid. How can you talk badly about people behind their backs?"

Ming Shu's expression became even stranger, and he hesitated to speak.

Seeing his constipated state, Shi Wenzhe didn't want to know anymore. She glanced around furtively. The courtyard was unusually calm, with an air of impending storm. She wouldn't forget the strange noises when she first came in. She could only concentrate on observing carefully.

Ming Shu looked at her with disdain: "Why are you acting so lewdly? You're a girl."

Shi Wenzhe didn't care. She didn't believe any girl could remain calm in the pitch-black, terrifying night. She was already quite impressive for not being scared to tears, okay?

Is this your first time here?

Ming Shu said, "No, I'm very familiar with this place."

"But you seem to be completely helpless about everything here."

Ming Shu: "That's because I really have no idea what to do here."

Shi Wen repeatedly asked, "Is it really not allowed to go out?"

Ming Shu said, "Really." He found a secluded, sheltered spot to stand. The withered trees in the courtyard looked like nameless ghostly hands in the night, and the falling leaves made them even more so. He had been away from this place for a very, very long time, so long that he had almost forgotten about this old ancestral hall.

It turns out that the place that used to be so solid and home-like is so vulnerable. After just a few years of weathering the storms, it has almost turned into a pile of mud.

His expression was somewhat complicated and melancholy, as if he was reluctant to part with something. Shi Wenzhe's heart softened, which reminded her of the first time she returned to her hometown. Although she had been wandering outside for many years, she was actually alone both at home and outside. She had become familiar with herself, but when she stood in the small courtyard overgrown with withered grass, pulling her suitcase, she still felt an inexplicable sense of trepidation upon returning home.

It's rather pathetic, but when a lost child finds their way home, they are always both excited and anxious, until they touch the door and feel at ease.

Shi Wenzhe also stood beside Ming Shu. The great formation was like a solid, silent wall, and they were birds trapped inside the wall, unable to find freedom.

That dead tree didn't really block out much wind, but it was the only large place in the courtyard that could be relied upon.

In fact, the tree was already dead and decayed, and its mottled bark was gnawed and corroded by insects and ants, with layers of tree debris falling off. But somehow, Shi Wenzhe could still smell a floral fragrance in this tree.

She didn't know what kind of fragrance it was, but the scent calmed her down, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

Ming Shu looked up at the moon, like a troubled young man, but he had no way to solve his current predicament, so he could only play with his hair in boredom.

Shi Wenzhe spoke softly, "Aren't you worried at all?"

Ming Shu braided her hair into a pigtail: "I'm in a hurry."

Shi Wenzhe gently combed his messy hair: "But you're in a good mood."

Ming Shu's fingers were so tangled that she couldn't untangle them or make them into a coherent knot: "I was just pretending; I was actually on the verge of dying of anxiety."