The little dwarf jumped off the rock, grabbed Fang He's trouser leg, and climbed all the way up to his shoulder.

“Close your eyes and listen to my directions,” he said seriously. “You must not stop or open your eyes until I say stop.”

The moment Xiao Cheng closed her eyes, all the sounds around her disappeared instantly, as if she were isolated in another space.

The situation was quite strange. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly felt a warm touch on the back of her hand. Fang He patted her reassuringly, then hesitated before taking her hand in his.

Xiao Cheng was stunned, her entire arm stiffening instantly, unsure whether she should move or not.

Until the dwarf's penetrating voice rang out very close to her: "Now, move forward."

Although they couldn't see where they were going, the dwarves' prompts always came at the right time, and they made it quite smooth along the way without even tripping over a small pebble.

Fang He calmly wrote on the back of Xiao Cheng's hand: "Taking a detour."

A tingling sensation came over Xiao Cheng, and her body stiffened again. It took her a while to realize what Fang He had written, and she drew a question mark to express her confusion.

But this time there was no response.

Fang He seemed oblivious to everything and even quickened his pace until the dwarf called out to them, "Stop, we've arrived."

These words seemed to break some kind of spell, and Xiao Cheng suddenly heard the sound of rushing water.

This is a riverbank, where the air is filled with moisture, giving it a cool and damp feel.

The two did not open their eyes rashly, but cautiously asked the dwarf, "Do we still need to keep our eyes closed?"

“No need. You can’t complete the next steps with your eyes closed.” The dwarf slid off Fang He’s shoulder in a few quick movements. “After all, you people like this are not qualified to enter the nest at all.”

The moment Xiao Cheng opened her eyes, she was stunned by the scene before her. They were still in the forest, but unlike the eerie atmosphere before, the environment here was like a real fairy tale.

Before me stood an enormous old banyan tree, its numerous aerial roots hanging from its branches and deeply embedded in the soil. All the leaves were completely still, suspended in mid-air, without making a sound.

The dwarf stood on a branch at the very bottom of the banyan tree: "Although it's very impolite, I still want to confirm one last time: do you really have a way to guarantee that you can lead our dwarf race out of the Cursed Forest?"

“If it were before, I wouldn’t be able to be completely sure, but now I can answer you very seriously, yes.” Fang He nodded confidently.

The dwarf was clearly infected by his confidence and couldn't help but ask, "So why? Why are you so sure?"

"because……"

Fang He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the small river beside him. Just when Xiao Cheng thought he was about to say something profound, he spoke softly: "Because fortunes change every thirty years, so don't underestimate a young man's potential."

Xiao Cheng: "..."

The dwarf: "..."

It's so bizarre, but so exciting!

The little man was truly convinced, and solemnly raised his arm, directing them to circle around the old banyan tree.

"Walk three and a third circles forward, then walk three and a third circles backward, then knock on the tree trunk three times and shout 'Open Sesame' three times."

Xiao Cheng hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but ask, "So, do you have some kind of obsession with the Third?"

"These are the rules of our dwarf tribe. Just follow them," the dwarf urged without further ado. "Be quick, or else..."

"Number three, who's in charge of opening the door, is about to go off duty."

Xiao Cheng: "..." Purely manual?! Why don't you just have him drive it?!

But after completing the entire process, she sensed something was wrong. A strange, invisible current detached from the banyan tree and suddenly entered her body.

Immediately afterwards, everything in front of her seemed to grow infinitely larger, until she saw pebbles the size of small mountains. Only then did she belatedly realize that it wasn't that things had grown bigger, but that she had shrunk.

Fang He shrank along with Xiao Cheng, but he seemed to have expected this, and he appeared extremely calm compared to Xiao Cheng.

With a soft creak, a delicate door opened at the base of the banyan tree, and a small, blue dwarf stood beside it with a sour face, urging listlessly, "What are you standing there for? Come in."

Holy crap, the Smurfs?

Xiao Cheng was shocked.

So this is how you merge similar items in a copy?!

The person who stood on the banyan tree trunk jumped down nimbly, and at this moment Xiao Cheng finally saw what he looked like. He could be described as a man, woman, young and old.

"Welcome to the Dwarves." He meticulously adjusted his hat, then proudly puffed out his chest. "Let me formally introduce myself. I am the chieftain of the Dwarves, or you can simply call me Number One."

The interior of the banyan tree was unexpectedly bustling. Xiao Cheng stared wide-eyed at the exquisite lanterns hanging from the ceiling: "Wow, how did they do that?"

"Thank you for the compliment." A dwarf wrapped in a white robe appeared silently in front of her, emerging from some corner.

"It was indeed written by me. Your beautiful princess, please allow me to tell you my name. I am number two, and perhaps you may call me... second brother."

Xiao Cheng was caught off guard and felt disgusted, her skin crawling with goosebumps. She glanced at him with a somewhat indescribable expression, but before she could say anything, Fang He said quietly from the side, "You dwarves raise chickens? I heard them clucking as soon as I walked in."

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