Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Buddhist Dad 15
As the sky and the earth darkened, Zhuozhuo, with Gu Yan holding her head against her chest, took a few quick steps before stopping. Reaching forward, she felt around and discovered a large tree. Gu Yan's body and trunk had created a small, undisturbed world for her.
Zhuozhuo was confused and panicked. He tilted his head and tried to look at Guyan. "Dad, what's wrong?"
Before Gu Yan could say anything, a bright light suddenly shone from the darkness, originating from Gu Yan's chest. Suddenly realizing something, Gu Yan shouted, "What did you do?"
The heartbeat in my chest was like thunder, thump thump thump thump thump—
It was so intense that it didn't even feel like a heartbeat. It was more like someone was banging on the door. One could clearly see with the naked eye that Gu Yan's chest bulged high, then sank, then fell back down and bulged again in an instant.
Zhuozhuo subconsciously covered Gu Yan's chest with both hands, fearing that his skin would suddenly be broken by the thing inside. "Dad! Dad! Beast God Xinxin, stop beating!"
The violent heartbeat stopped for a moment, then started beating even faster. Zhuozhuo was so scared that he retracted his hand, then threw himself forward again, trying to suppress the Beast God's Heart.
"Zhuozhuo, don't be afraid," Gu Yan soothed calmly. He grasped Zhuozhuo's shoulders and moved her away, his expression delicately gazing at his chest. Gu Yan and Beast God Heart had coexisted for over twenty years. Though he mostly maintained an indifferent and hostile attitude, they could occasionally sense each other's intense emotions. Just now, for example, when he had questioned Beast God Heart, it had erupted in fury, and after Zhuozhuo spoke, its emotions had turned to aggrieved fury.
Why did the Beast God Heart seem to care so much about Zhuozhuo? Could it be that it was influenced by him?
Gu Yan's heart sank, and he didn't think this was a good omen. He moved his fingers and wanted to slap it again, wanting to hurt both him and the Beast God's Heart.
As if sensing Gu Yan's surging murderous intent, the Beast God's Heart suddenly calmed down, and even the light was retracted. In just a blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace.
Zhuozhuo was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Gu Yan, "Was Zhuozhuo dreaming just now?"
"No, I saw it too. The Beast God's heart is going crazy."
As he spoke, Gu Yan noticed the birds had all gone, and daylight had returned. He kept his gaze fixed on the direction the birds and beasts had gone, and immediately spotted them gathering at the foot of a small hill. Then he realized something was amiss. Both the birds and beasts appeared drowsy, some staggering on their feet, others sprawled on the ground. Soon, the beasts closed their eyes and became motionless, as if dead, if not for the breath they were still breathing.
A closer look revealed that these magical beasts were all shrouded in a pale yellow light. However, the light was so faint and shallow that it was perfectly hidden under the sunlight, so Gu Yan was not able to detect it immediately.
The next second, Gu Yan took out two gas masks from his backpack and put them on himself and Zhuo Zhuo. After doing this, he found that the Beast God's Heart was filled with anger as if it had been slandered.
Does this mean that these lights aren't poisonous miasma or something like that? But Gu Yan remained cautious and didn't remove his gas mask.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Zhuozhuo's voice was muffled. She looked curiously at the place where the monsters had fallen, and soon discovered a cave half-blocked by the monsters' tall bodies. Combining Gu Yan's guess, Zhuozhuo said naturally, "Ah, that's where the Beast God's body resides. It's his home."
Gu Yan felt the Beast God's heart's emotions. Well, there were no emotions. He rubbed Zhuozhuo's little head and asked in a low voice, "Zhuozhuo, are you afraid?"
"Don't be afraid!"
"Okay, let's go in then."
Zhuozhuo's face was filled with excitement. He clenched his fists and was about to shout "Go!", but suddenly he remembered something. He tugged at Guyan's collar and said hesitantly, "Dad, if Zhuozhuo died, would you adopt her as your daughter?"
The smile on Gu Yan's face disappeared, and his cheek muscles twitched a few times. He didn't say anything like "What nonsense, kid?" or "Why die? I'll die first." Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Zhuozhuo, don't be afraid. No matter where you go, I will find you."
"Can you really find him? It doesn't matter if you can't. Dad's waiting. Zhuozhuo, come find me," Zhuozhuo said pitifully. She vaguely knew that the system and the natives of the small world weren't on the same level. Just like you couldn't expect an NPC in the game to assassinate the dog planner in the real world, asking Gu Yan to find her would only leave him with repeated failures in the future, like a blunt knife grinding on his flesh.
Gu Yan smiled again, "Zhuozhuo can come find daddy, and daddy will definitely go find Zhuozhuo. Otherwise, there will be nothing to do for the rest of my life."
Zhuozhuo tilted her head in confusion. A person has to do so many things every day: eat, sleep, drink water, wash face, blink, talk... Could it be that she is dead, and Guyan can no longer even be exposed to the sun?
Without another word, Gu Yan stepped steadily into the cave, stepping over the bodies of the monsters. The interior of the cave was surprisingly taller and wider than the entrance, and the walls were smooth and flat, with rounded corners, like the bumper strips parents wrap around furniture to prevent their children from bumping into them. Deep grooves, ranging from one to four, ran parallel to each other, always connecting at some point, like a costly amusement park slide.
Zhuozhuo looked around, eager to go down and slide a few times. Gu Yan, on the other hand, pondered for a moment, his expression becoming increasingly serious. He squeezed Zhuozhuo's chubby little hand to draw her attention back, "Zhuozhuo, these slides look like serpentine paths. The legendary beast god might actually be a giant snake."
"Big snake." Zhuozhuo repeated it. The first thing he thought of was the snake they encountered when they first entered the Warcraft Forest. Then he remembered that the snake might trigger a reflex attack after death, and it would wrap around people and bite them.
Gu Yan's expression was heavy. "If the beast god is a snake, his body might not have decayed yet. If we approach rashly, we will be attacked."
Despite saying so, Gu Yan was already 90% certain. He'd assumed the greatest danger on this journey was the Beast God's Heart, and had prepared numerous countermeasures. He'd never imagined there was a Beast God's body possessing the unique characteristics of its species. But now that they were here, there was no reason to retreat. Furthermore, he and Zhuo Zhuo had nowhere else to turn.
Gu Yan held Zhuo Zhuo in one hand and a long sword in the other, a magical lantern floating at his side as he moved forward cautiously into the cave without hesitation. He carefully observed his surroundings, hoping to find any clues to avoid being caught off guard when danger struck.
Zhuozhuo also looked around warily, seemingly doing the same, but she couldn't hold out for more than two minutes before her shoulders slumped. Her head tilted, resting against Gu Yan's neck, her gaze fixed on the nearly unchanging cave wall, which swayed with Gu Yan's steps, making her sleepy like waves.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, Zhuozhuo thought of something and muttered, "Dad, the monsters outside are sleeping. Why does the Beast God's body ask them to sleep?"
These words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting Gu Yan's chaotic consciousness. Every sense was filled with the sense of danger. He swung his sword with a chilling urge. The air before him rippled like water, then returned to normal in the blink of an eye. The surrounding scene remained unchanged, but Gu Yan was certain they were in an illusion.
The Beast God's body wasn't meant to lure the beasts into sleep; it was a means of subduing its prey. In other words, Zhuozhuo and Gu Yan were now the Beast God's prey. If they truly fell asleep and lost themselves in this cave, death awaited them.
Gu Yan raised his large hand, grasped Zhuo Zhuo's neck, and shook her awake, scaring her with words, "Zhuo Zhuo, we are now trapped in the Beast God's illusion, just like those other beasts we saw. Perhaps the path we are walking on now leads to the Beast God's bloody maw, and we will be swallowed by him without knowing it. There should be many bones left under our feet."
Zhuozhuo listened with hazy eyes, trying to understand what Gu Yan meant. Gradually, her words transformed into images in her mind, giving her a start and bringing her back to full consciousness. She hugged Gu Yan's neck tightly and said half-timidly, half-bravely, "Dad, let's not go in. Let's go back to the door. When we get there, call the Beast God out to fight!"
A smile flashed in Gu Yan's eyes as he said, "In an illusion, the path behind you isn't necessarily the way back. Let's stop here while I find a way to break the illusion. Zhuozhuo, you're not idle either. Why don't you scold the Beast God's Heart? It must be a collaboration between it and the Beast God's body that got us both hooked."
When Zhuozhuo heard that there was also a share of the Beast God's Heart, the sleepiness that had just filled her head disappeared. She stared at Gu Yan's chest with eyes as bright as copper bells, as if they had penetrated his flesh and were staring at the Beast God's Heart. She said fiercely, "Beast God Xinxin, you are so mean! Zhuozhuo and Daddy will help you get home, but you want to eat Zhuozhuo and Daddy! Come out, Zhuozhuo will beat you!"
As expected, Gu Yan felt the anger and grievance of the Beast God's Heart again, as well as some sadness, sorrow and confusion. As if responding to the emotions of the Beast God's Heart, the illusion before him shook.
Gu Yan secretly cursed at the Beast God's Heart. What kind of emotional puzzle was this? It was as if he was very close to Zhuo Zhuo. At the same time, he seized the fleeting flaw in the illusion and swung his sword with all his might. It was as if the natural illusion was shattered like a torn scroll.
Their senses returned to normal, and they were still standing under the tree where they had been hiding from the beasts, but they were almost out of the treetops and stepping into the area where the beasts were heading. They looked over there and were suddenly startled. Zhuozhuo covered his eyes and screamed, "Dad, are those bones?! Such a huge pile! A whole bunch! All of them! So many, so many!"
Gu Yan's big hand covered Zhuo Zhuo's small hand, almost covering her entire face. He said in a light tone, "There are some bones. There are so many monsters in the forest. They have to hunt other monsters every day to fill their stomachs. We also saw some bones on the way here. These are no different from those."
"But there are so many here! So many bones!" Zhuozhuo was still in shock at the mountains and seas of bones.
"Yes, there are a few more here." Gu Yan said calmly, "This might be the dining hall for the monsters."
"The cafeteria?" Zhuozhuo pulled Guyan's hand away, a little hesitant but still mustering the courage to look over the entire area. Finding nothing scary besides the bones, she muttered, "This isn't the cafeteria. The cafeteria is in the big house. This is... the campground! The monsters dine here!"
Gu Yan nodded in agreement. "It really is more like a campsite. Zhuozhuo is so smart."
"Hehe." Zhuozhuo smiled and looked again, then found a problem. "Dad, where did all those monsters go?"
Gu Yan was also thinking. He wanted to ask Beast God Heart, but was afraid that it wouldn't cooperate, so he said it in a roundabout way, "Beast God Heart, it was when you were shining that you dragged Zhuo Zhuo and me into the illusion, right?"
Zhuozhuo believed it immediately after hearing it. He pointed his little hand at Guyan's chest and said fiercely, "Bad guy! Are you going to eat Zhuozhuo and Daddy? Lululu, I won't let you!"
Heart of the Beast God: "..."
Sad! Guilty! Wronged! Frustrated! Angry out of shame!
Gu Yan carefully discerned those emotions, wanting to beat this "wronged monster" to death. He sneered, "You wanted to harm Zhuo Zhuo, but your plan failed, and you still have the nerve to be angry at Zhuo Zhuo?"
The Beast God's heart was silent for a moment, then erupted in raging rage. It wished it could grow a mouth and scream out its injustice, only to stop itself from being scorchingly angry! It was angry at its divine opponent, Qi Gu Yan, and even more angry at its idiot teammate, the Beast God's body!
Gu Yan was just about to ask about the information about the illusion and the beast god's body when he saw a ball of warm yellow light floating out from his chest, forming a line of large characters: Please Heaven, distinguish between loyalty and treachery!
Zhuozhuo poked it curiously, and a small ray of light wrapped around his finger, "Dad, what is this?"
Gu Yan waved away the words and said calmly, "The Beast God's Heart said that it is willing to make amends and tell us the news of the Beast God's body."
Since Zhuozhuo can't read anyway, he can say whatever he wants.
The Beast God's Heart was shaking with anger, manipulating the warm light to rearrange it: Gu Yan, you have no shame!
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