Chapter 102 The Red Thread Connects Us

It was a blade of grass, an ordinary, unremarkable blade of grass.

But they had seen it not long ago, and she had even entered this illusion specifically because of it.

Guiyuan grass.

Meng Ting'er took Meng Chiwan's hand and gently placed the Rejuvenating Grass in her hand, saying, "I hope you like it."

The moment the leaf tip touched Meng Chiwan's fingertip, everything around became quiet, as if even the wind had stopped.

The world is collapsing and changing little by little.

In the end, only the Returning Origin Grass and Meng Chiwan, who stood in place, remained, along with the two people behind her.

Spring Terrace vanished, the boisterous feast vanished, and Meng Ting'er vanished as well.

At this moment, the boatman was overjoyed and exclaimed, "So there's actually such a way to break this deadlock!"

Meng Chiwan pursed her lips, looking at the Rejuvenating Grass in her hand, unsure whether to be happy or unhappy.

In short, Chen Yuanxing is saved.

Meng Chiwan carefully placed the Rejuvenating Grass into her storage bag and asked, "How long can the Rejuvenating Grass survive?"

The boatman said, "Five days."

Meng Chiwan frowned. Time was running out. She didn't even know which level of the Desolate Abyss she had reached, or how many more levels awaited her.

Meng Chiwan took a step forward, but someone grabbed her wrist.

Meng Chiwan turned her head to look, and Yun Xianqing formed a magic seal with his fingertips.

He placed the magic mark on her middle finger, as if leaving a shallow brand. She looked at it repeatedly, but she couldn't understand what it was for.

Meng Chiwan stopped in her tracks, raised her hand, and asked him, "What are you doing?"

Yun Xianqing replied, "That way, no matter where you go, I will be able to find you."

Meng Chiwan was immediately displeased, but he quickly added, "It has an expiration date; it will automatically unlock once you leave the Desolate Abyss."

Meng Chiwan wanted to ask how she found it, but suddenly she began to fall, as if the ground had been hollowed out.

She pulled Jinglan out and plunged it into the nearby soil, desperately trying to slow her descent. At the same time, she circulated her spiritual energy to try and stop the fall, but in that instant, she suddenly realized that she couldn't mobilize her spiritual energy at all.

A few moments of astonishment flashed in her eyes, but she calmly accepted the fall. However, she tightened her grip on Jinglan's hand, as if she wanted to nail Jinglan into the soil so that he would never reach the bottom.

It wasn't until she actually hit the ground that Meng Chiwan realized she didn't have to fight so hard, because someone had caught her below.

For some reason, it seemed like she was the only one who couldn't use her spiritual power for a moment.

Yun Xianqing caught her steadily, but the boatman had disappeared.

Meng Chiwan actually felt something was strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Because it was pitch black all around, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, Yun Xianqing was able to catch her so perfectly. Even she could only recognize who caught her by their scent.

Then she looked down and finally understood what was going on.

A bright red rope hung from the branded finger of hers, glowing faintly in the darkness, and the other end of the rope was tied to Yun Xianqing's hand.

For a moment, Meng Chiwan felt a bit absurd. The two of them had inexplicably become entangled in a wedding ceremony, tied together by a red thread.

Thankfully, it wasn't the red thread of fate from the God of Love.

So, the rope was what he meant by finding her. And, coincidentally, the rope actually glowed, making it visible even in the dark.

It was obvious that he was able to catch her safely thanks to this rope.

Meng Chiwan said quietly, "Can't you come up with a more decent way?"

Some people are shameless: "I think this is very dignified. Doesn't Chi Wan think so?"

Meng Chiwan felt a little angry, but now didn't seem like the time to be angry.

She got up from Yun Xianqing's embrace and said, "Your spiritual power can still be used, right? Light a lamp first, I need to check the surroundings."

Yun Xianqing obediently lit a lamp.

Unfortunately, it was still pitch black all around. The lamp seemed to be blocked as well, only able to illuminate his and her faces and upper bodies; it couldn't light up the surrounding environment no matter what.

If nothing unexpected happens, she has likely fallen into a trap. Or perhaps it's not so much a trap as an inevitable predicament.

She guessed that although she didn't use the Illusion-Breaking Technique this time, she might still have entered the next level.

"Yun Xianqing, do you know where this is?" Through the dim light, Meng Chiwan spoke in a very soft tone, which was appropriate for being in an unfamiliar, dark environment.

Tense, cramped, damp.

Because everything around us is unknown.

Therefore, the two people can only get closer together in an attempt to gain more security.

This is actually quite strange.

Because the two people do not trust each other.

In unfamiliar and dangerous environments, even the most delicate emotions seem to become unbreakable.

"I know." She heard Yun Xianqing reply softly, her voice almost whispering in her ear, slightly damp.

Meng Chiwan frowned impatiently, pushed the light away a bit, and then said, "If you know, why won't you tell me? What are you trying to keep me in suspense for?"

The person behind her didn't harass her; he maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far, the light just enough to envelop her, just like his gaze.

Yun Xianqing looked at her through the hazy light, seemingly lost in thought, but answered her perfunctorily, "This is the true Desolate Abyss, or you could say the deepest part of the Desolate Abyss. Perhaps you will find what you are looking for here."

Upon hearing this, Meng Chiwan glanced at him sideways and scoffed, "Do you know what I'm looking for?"

Yun Xianqing did not answer this time, responding with silence, but it was clear that the answer was yes.

Fortunately, Meng Chiwan didn't have time to chat with him, so she asked, "How do I find the Umbrella of Sorrow?"

Yun Xianqing smiled, seemingly pleased with her honesty. At this moment, he seemed to be the same Yun Xianqing he once was.

"Come with me." His voice came from the darkness, yet it gave people an endless sense of security.

Meng Chiwan followed behind him, asking questions casually, as if she didn't want the darkness to completely engulf the two of them.

"You seem to have been here before?" Meng Chiwan's voice was very calm.

He seemed to know his way around too well.

She wouldn't believe it if you said you'd never been here before.

Yun Xianqing didn't intend to hide it. He gave a soft "hmm" in his clear voice and remained silent for a while.

Then, seemingly realizing that Meng Chiwan was waiting for him to continue, he added, "When I first came out of the Yun family, I came here to find a Guiyuan Grass."

"Did you find it?"

“Found it.” “When you were looking for the Returning Origin Grass, was the scene you saw the same as the scene I saw?” Meng Chiwan asked curiously.

“It’s different. So I guess the Guiyuan Grass doesn’t present the same test to everyone.” Yun Xianqing’s voice sounded casual, but his answer was definitely not perfunctory.

Seemingly to put her mind at ease about the trip, Meng Chiwan asked again, "So what did you see back then?"

This time, Yun Xianqing did not answer her directly. He spoke very softly, but his tone seemed to have a hook: "Chi Wan, if you are afraid, you can come closer to me."

"...I'm not afraid," Meng Chiwan replied dismissively.

After that, he stopped trying to make conversation.

But when she quieted down, Yun Xianqing seemed very uncomfortable and said, "Aren't you going to ask any more questions?"

Meng Chiwan chuckled lightly: "There's no need for that."

I already know what I need to know.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Yun Xianqing slowed down.

Suddenly, a few crisp bell sounds rang in my ears, and the surrounding air turned cold, as if spring had suddenly turned into autumn. A gentle breeze blew by, followed by the rustling of falling leaves.

Meng Chiwan looked up from behind Yun Xianqing, and a faint light in the distance instantly caught her attention.

There, a blooming oil-paper umbrella sat quietly.

It was a pale blue umbrella, blooming there like a pure white orchid just beginning to open under the moon, its petals gently unfolding, carrying a serene fragrance that mingled with the rustling of falling leaves.

In an instant, Meng Chiwan realized that it was asking about the Umbrella of Sorrow.

She slightly furrowed her brows, but did not rush to retrieve it. Instead, she stood quietly in place, sensing the spiritual energy within her body that remained completely still.

She felt like this was a trap set for her, a trap that used the question of sorrow as bait.

If she were to jump in like this, no one knew what the consequences would be, and she couldn't gamble on whether she could bear the consequences.

“I can fetch it for you.” As if sensing her hesitation, Yun Xianqing gently twirled a few strands of her hair, his eyes dark, and chuckled softly.

Meng Chiwan shook her head and said, "We both know that if this is a trap, it won't matter who goes or what the outcome is."

The pale blue oil-paper umbrella still stood there, its surface rippling with very faint waves.

Meng Chiwan thought for a moment, then took out a handful of talismans from her storage bag. She flicked one of the talismans at the Wenbei Umbrella with her fingertips. The ripples on the pale blue oil paper umbrella suddenly twisted, and the talisman crackled as it burned.

Meng Chiwan smiled slightly, her fingertips holding a yellowed spirit-detecting talisman. With a light twirl of her knuckles, the talisman, carrying wisps of spiritual light, drifted toward the pale blue oil-paper umbrella: "Since we know it's a trap, we should at least test its depth first."

As soon as she finished speaking, the talisman burst into flames again about three feet from the umbrella. The firelight made the smile at the corner of her eyes fade a little, but she didn't take a step back.

That's impressive.

Just as Meng Chiwan was pondering a way to break the deadlock, Yun Xianqing suddenly coughed softly, his fingertips unconsciously pressing against his chest. He maintained his composure, but his eyes flickered with a moment of unease.

"What's wrong?" Meng Chiwan's heart tightened. Just as she was about to ask, she saw Yun Xianqing suddenly raise his hand to block her. The ripples on the pale blue oil-paper umbrella suddenly swelled, turning into a dark blue mist that precisely pierced his back.

"Cough..." Yun Xianqing groaned, staggered back half a step, his face turned pale at a visible speed, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Meng Chiwan's pupils contracted sharply as she supported him: "Yun Xianqing! How are you?"

Yun Xianqing grabbed her wrist; his fingertips were frighteningly cold. He forced a smile, but his voice was somewhat hoarse: "It's nothing."

Then he closed his eyes, his face looking as if he were in great pain.

Meng Chiwan frantically checked his pulse, only to find it chaotic and disordered, as if something was rapidly eroding his meridians.

She gritted her teeth, then remembered that she had a detoxifying pill she had kept for herself in her storage bag, so she quickly took it out and fed it to him.

The changes happened so fast that she didn't even understand how Yun Xianqing had suddenly become like this.

In such an environment, she had no way to carefully investigate Yun Xianqing's condition, let alone provide any treatment.

Judging from his condition, he doesn't seem to be poisoned; rather, he seems to be trapped in a nightmare.

The book says that asking about the "sorrowful umbrella" can ward off disasters and nightmares.

Meng Chiwan squatted there for a long time, pondering, before finally taking a step toward the place where she had asked about the umbrella.

Unbeknownst to her, with each step she took closer to the umbrella of sorrow, the red thread wrapped around her knuckles grew brighter and more dazzling, until she reached the umbrella itself, at which point the red thread had turned completely red, as if it had been soaked in blood for a very, very long time.

Meng Chiwan took out the Tuyan Token from her storage bag, hoping it would bring her some surprises.

However, the result greatly disappointed her, as the Demon Slayer Order did not react in the slightest.

Meng Chiwan stood still, exhaled a deep breath, and then reached out her hand, preparing to touch the wooden handle of the Wenbei umbrella.

The moment she touched it, a drop of water flowing down from the umbrella rib landed on the back of her hand, cool and refreshing, like a snowflake falling on her skin.

Meng Chiwan was slightly taken aback, and in an instant, she heard many sounds.

But what caught her attention the most was that somewhat familiar voice: "Mu Qi, if there is a next life, I really hope that I can meet you again."

The voice was calm, without a trace of sorrow. Yet, Meng Chiwan felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing it.

Mother, surprisingly, really likes Muqi.

However, Mu Qi is a great demon. Even the Meng family of Jingtai back then would never allow their daughter to marry such a great demon.

What exactly happened?

Could it be that Mu Qi hadn't become a great demon back then?

Meng Chiwan felt her mind was a mess, like a lump of paste.

But those voices still kept coming.

"Spring light should shine on me forever, otherwise I will kill whoever it shines on." The voice was indistinct, and it was impossible to tell who it was.

"My days are numbered, and our connection is destined to be short. If you leave, I fear I will never see you again," came Meng Ting'er's voice.

Many voices, many words, but in fact, every single one of them is an attempt to persuade someone to stay.

Meng Chiwan wanted to hear more about her mother, but suddenly, something bright appeared before her eyes.

A door stood in front of her, and Meng Chiwan reached out and pushed it open.

In the warm spring sunshine, a girl was taking a nap on a table in the courtyard, while a boy stood beside her, shielding her from the glaring sunlight.

The girl is Meng Ting'er. The boy is Mu Qi.

The moment she pushed open the door, Mu Qi's gaze fell upon her.

He seemed to be able to see her.

There was no ignoring as expected, nor were there any hurtful words.

Mu Qi waved to her and asked if she wanted to stay.

Meng Chiwan then asked if she would stay forever.

Mu Qi didn't answer because Meng Ting'er had woken up. It seemed that Meng Ting'er here also knew Meng Chiwan and asked her the same question.

Meng Chiwan was in a daze, wanting to answer something, but felt her knuckles burning slightly.

Meng Chiwan looked down and saw a red thread wrapped around her knuckles, neither too loose nor too tight, like someone flying a kite.

That red thread was so red it looked like it had been quenched with blood, so vibrant it was almost heavy, covered in a scalding heat, so red it was blinding.

It instantly brings people back to their senses.

"There's someone else waiting for me to rescue him." His voice was deep, not rough, but powerful.

The red line seemed even redder.