(five)
Now that things have come to this point, Wen Su and Zhou Ziqiu have a general understanding of the place, and now it's time to figure out a way out.
"Jump into this pond again?" Wen Su asked, but Zhang Yifeng shook his head.
"I tried it, but it didn't work."
Wen Su clicked his tongue.
"Why don't we wait until daytime to take action? We'll have better light then and be able to see things more clearly," Zhou Ziqiu suggested.
This is indeed a good idea. The fire Wen Su lit could barely make out things within a meter of its perimeter, as if something unseen was constantly devouring the light. It was clearly unwise to set off now.
"That's the only way then," Wen Su said, sitting down by the fire. Zhou Ziqiu's shirt, which had been set up earlier, was almost dry, so Wen Su took it down and handed it to Zhou Ziqiu.
Zhou Ziqiu took the coat and put it on, then tried to return it to Wen Su, but Wen Su refused. Wen Su turned around and saw that Zhang Yifeng's expression was a little strange, so he asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Yifeng shook his head: "It's nothing."
Wen Su asked casually and didn't pay much attention to it. He gestured for Zhou Ziqiu to sit next to him, and after Zhou Ziqiu sat down, he offered his shoulder for Zhou Ziqiu to lean on and sleep.
"Thank you." Zhou Ziqiu smiled slightly, leaned in, and closed his eyes for a short rest.
At this moment, Zhang Yifeng also sat down. He picked up a twig and wrote something on the ground. Wen Su looked down at it, then looked at Zhang Yifeng with a look of inquiry in his eyes.
Is he human?
Since falling into this space, the idea that matter determines consciousness that Zhang Yifeng had learned no longer applies. Although he didn't believe in ghosts and gods before, he had to believe after this incident. So now it's hard for him not to overthink things. Besides, he had seen Wen Su draw talismans, so he should understand these things.
Why do you think that?
Wen Su moved slightly and asked in response from the ground.
Now, Zhang Yifeng wrote a long passage, which explained why his expression had been so unnatural earlier.
“He had a long scar on his neck. I’m a medical student, and there’s no way he could have survived that kind of injury.”
Upon seeing this line of text, Wen Su was slightly shocked.
He had been wondering whether Zhou Ziqiu was a human or a ghost, and if he was a human, how he could live for a thousand years, and if he was a ghost, how he could have a human body. But after seeing Zhang Yifeng's words, he was certain of one thing.
He moved his hand again and wrote a reply to Zhang Yifeng: "He is my companion."
So Zhang Yifeng didn't say anything more. He stretched out his foot to wipe away the writing on the ground and closed his eyes to go to sleep.
Before long, of the three who were awake, only Wen Su remained awake. He helped Zhou Ziqiu adjust his coat, looked at Zhou Ziqiu for a moment, and then looked away, keeping his eyes open until dawn.
Because the fire was lit by a talisman, it was still burning when the two woke up.
With the daytime light, which wasn't bright but was sufficient, Wen Su and Zhou Ziqiu gained a clear understanding of their surroundings—if Yu Nan was a mix of willows and coconut trees, this place was the willows' own domain.
However, the willow trees that cover the ground here correspond to the underworld. Willow trees are considered yin and attract ghosts. It is taboo to bury the dead near willow trees, because if a person is buried under a willow tree after death, their soul will be trapped by the willow tree. Therefore, willow trees have another name in the metaphysical world: the soul-nailing willow.
Before the two woke up, Wen Su had carefully examined the surrounding willow trees and had a clear idea of what was going on. So after they woke up, Wen Su stood up, stomped out the fire, and said, "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Zhang Yifeng, who had just woken up, was still a little groggy and didn't understand Wen Su's words.
"Of course I'll take you out." Wen Su smiled.
"Have you come up with a solution?" Zhou Ziqiu stood up from the ground, looking around but still had no clue.
“Of course.” Wen Su pointed to the surrounding willow trees, his tone casual. “Isn’t this the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation?”
"What?" Zhou Ziqiu was stunned for a moment. He quickly observed the willow trees carefully and then he realized that the willow trees surrounding the two of them were spaced at different distances, and they were vaguely divided into eight gates.
He was slightly surprised.
“Let’s go.” Wen Su shook his head. He had already constructed a three-dimensional diagram of this formation in his mind, so all they needed to do was follow him. “Enter through the Life Gate, exit through the View Gate, and burn the two willow trees at the View Gate to break this formation.”
This formation must be broken. They have ways to enter the underworld, but not in this way. Moreover, such a thing cannot exist in the underworld. Someone must have left it here. Although they don't know why that person left such a thing in the underworld, anything that could potentially harm the living must not be left behind.
Zhou Ziqiu nodded and followed Wen Su's footsteps. Although Zhang Yifeng didn't know what they were talking about, he could only follow them in this situation.
The group entered from between two willow trees with a slightly wider gap in the southeast corner, and then wandered through the woods in a winding path, always passing between the slightly wider gaps between the willow trees.
During the journey, Zhou Ziqiu asked Wen Su curiously, "Where did you learn all this?"
Would a declining family teach its younger generation so much?
"I learned it on my own, it's so boring."
To achieve such high scores through self-study, one wonders if those aristocratic families who boast about the talent of their younger generation feel ashamed upon seeing a true genius like Wen Su. Zhou Ziqiu smiled and praised, "Very impressive."
Wen Su laughed too; the word "humility" seemed to be absent from his dictionary: "Of course."
About twenty minutes later, the three of them finally circled around to the Jing Gate in the due west direction. Wen Su raised his hand and drew a Karmic Fire Talisman on the willow tree. The talisman burned and completely consumed the two willow trees.
Strangely, the sound of the burning willow tree was not the crackling sound of burning wood, but rather like the crying of a baby. It sounded particularly eerie in the silent forest, and Zhang Yifeng immediately shrank back to Wen Su in fear.
A moment later, the two willow trees turned to ashes and fell to the ground, but the surrounding scenery remained unchanged, and the group returned to the pond.
Zhang Yifeng looked at Wen Su in surprise. Wasn't it said that burning those two trees would break the formation?
Wen Su remained calm and, after walking to the edge of the pond, suddenly jumped into it.
Seeing this, Zhang Yifeng thought that jumping into the pond would allow him to return, and hurriedly tried to jump in after him. Zhou Ziqiu quickly stopped him, as he could sense that Wen Su was still underwater.
"He swam up in a little while."
Zhang Yifeng looked at him suspiciously, but a minute later Wen Su did indeed dive out of the pond, holding something in his hand. It was obvious that he had gone into the water to retrieve this thing.
After getting ashore, Wen Su put the things in his hands on the ground. Zhang Yifeng and Zhou Ziqiu glanced at them. Zhang Yifeng didn't know what they were, but Zhou Ziqiu looked surprised.
“This is…” Zhou Ziqiu knelt on one knee, examining the object.
It was a round copper plate, with a smaller plate in the center surrounded by two increasingly larger copper rings. Because it had been in the water for too long, the blue surface had turned green, but the patterns on it were still clearly visible. On the palm-sized plate in the center were five gemstones of different colors, namely yellow, green, blue, red and brown, with their tops polished very sharp.
This is a compass commonly used by Taoist priests. It is called the Five Elements Extinguishing Magic Tool, or Feng Shui Compass or Luo Pan. Nowadays, Taoist priests mostly use it to assess Feng Shui, but it can also be used as a powerful magic tool to combat evil spirits. When used in conjunction with Qimen Dunjia, it requires the life essence of the caster. The spell can only be cast for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Once this time is exceeded, the formation will automatically activate and backfire on the caster.
“This is the key point of the formation.” Wen Su also knelt down beside Zhou Ziqiu. The pond was located in the very center of this willow grove, and the key point of the formation was set at the bottom of the pond. Originally, he had only gone into the water to try his luck, but the key point of the formation was indeed at the bottom of the pond.
Zhang Yifeng didn't understand and asked, "If we destroy this array's core, can we get out?"
"Very likely, yes." Wen Su wiped his face, removing all the water.
"How do I destroy it?" Zhou Ziqiu asked. He tried to touch the magic artifact, but then immediately pulled his hand back as if he had been burned. The gems on the artifact also lit up for a moment.
"Are you alright?" Wen Su grabbed Zhou Ziqiu's hand and glanced at it. His fair fingertips were red but not injured. He simply blew on them to make sure he was alright before looking at the magic artifact again. The artifact's reaction just now suggested that it should still be usable.
Yes, of course it can be used; the formation is still intact.
Thinking this, Wen Su directly reached out and inserted his five fingers into the five gems in the center of the compass. Fresh blood flowed continuously from the wound, flowing along the patterns on the compass like a riverbed.
"Creak—"
The magical artifact began to spin after sensing the blood, and Wen Su's hand followed suit, but twisted in the opposite direction of the artifact. He was trying to use his own strength to turn the activated Five Elements Annihilation Magic Artifact back!
Wen Su was in excruciating pain, but the magical artifact was still spinning. He quickly drew the dagger from his waist with his other hand and inserted it into the gap of the artifact. With a "ding," sparks flew, and the dagger began to hum, fighting against the artifact alongside its master.
The surrounding scenery changed the moment the magic artifact was activated. The sky suddenly turned red, and the willow trees around him seemed to come alive, swaying their branches and striking Wen Su. Zhou Ziqiu reacted quickly, wielding his long sword and slashing the branches in the air.
Why is it raining?
18:57:01
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