Chapter 32 Dream (Part Two) Where are you?
A gray-white mist filled her vision, and the screams of men and women filled her ears. Qingxing frowned slightly, waved the Endless Wood around, and a streak of blue light cut through the mist, causing it to recede slightly.
She tentatively asked, "Guda?"
There was no response.
But the screams subsided. Qingxing blindly took a few steps forward, and after confirming that the white mist was still centered on her, she raised her hand and cast a summoning spell:
"A roe owl!"
The ferocious beast charged forward, swallowing up all the surrounding turbid air. Qingxing squinted in the fierce wind; as her vision widened, she saw the surrounding scenery:
The sky was azure, and the surroundings were still full of peach trees, but unlike the Blood Peach Forest, they did not have the color of blood. Instead, they had pink flowers like ordinary peach trees, with green leaves interspersed among them.
This is Peach Blossom Valley, Qingxing's Guess.
But Peach Blossom Valley was destroyed five hundred years ago, and what she is in now is probably a giant illusionary dream array.
The Illusionary Dream Array is at most a mid-level array, not too difficult. So Qingxing simply gathered her spiritual power slightly, then suddenly threw the Endless Wood to the ground, trying to forcefully break it open.
Even though the ground trembled from her force and peach blossoms fell all around, the formation showed no sign of breaking.
Qingxing stopped, feeling a little strange: Who on earth is so free to set up a dream array in the Blood Peach Forest?
It couldn't possibly be the Duanmu family's property, could it? Could it be something used to fight monsters?
That doesn't make sense.
Qingxing was a bit overwhelmed, and remembering the others who were still outside fighting the monsters, she decided to put aside these doubts for now and deal with them after they went out.
Once the ferocious beast had completed its task and dissipated, the surroundings had become open. Since she couldn't break the formation by force, staying in the same place wasn't a solution. So she simply chose a direction that looked good and decided to observe the interior of the peach grove first. To avoid getting lost, she even made a mark on the spot.
The air was filled with the fragrance of peach blossoms. The further you walked, the more abundant the peach blossoms became. Occasionally, birds would fly by and linger among the branches for a few moments, chirping and chattering noisily. As soon as Qingxing approached, the flock of birds was startled by her footsteps and flew away in fright.
Unlike the terrifying atmosphere of the Blood Peach Forest, this place is a scene of "birds singing and flowers blooming".
I wonder whose memories are contained within the Dream Array, that they could restore every blade of grass and every tree in Peach Blossom Valley so realistically.
Qingxing walked on the soft, damp earth, looking around as she went. She found that the scenery here was all pretty much the same. Peach Blossom Valley was so vast that it probably had no end.
After a moment's thought, she took out a talisman from her bag and wrote on it with a single finger:
"Safe, do not return."
As the last stroke was made, the talisman shrank instantly and disappeared from sight.
Seeing this, Qingxing breathed a sigh of relief. This was a new technique she had just developed a few days ago, combining a communication talisman with a teleportation array, precisely to break through limitations under such specific circumstances. She had originally planned to find an opportunity to try it out, but now it seemed to have been quite successful.
However, the talisman paper was limited, and Duanmu Tingzhu was very stingy, so she didn't make many. The ordinary talisman paper from the other side couldn't be passed over, so she could only write a one-way note to indicate that she was still safe and sound.
With Elder Qinghe and Master overseeing things outside, there shouldn't be any problems.
Having done all this, Qingxing had no more worries. She tapped the inexhaustible wood, thinking that it was time to start looking for the array's core.
The Dream Array works on the same principle as Qiao Su's previous poison, the Dream Incense, both forcing someone into a dream. However, the Dream Incense makes the victim dream on their own, while the Dream Array forces entry into someone else's dream.
This dream can be real or fabricated; in short, it is ever-changing and can easily make people lose their minds. Therefore, many cultivators in the world who mistakenly enter the Illusionary Dream Array will come out in a daze.
As for the placement of the array's key points... it all depends on the mood of the person who designed the array.
Qingxing sighed softly, admitting for the first time that she was somewhat unlucky.
She stopped, about to draw a spirit-summoning array to find a flying divine beast to help her see the way, when suddenly there was a rustling sound from the bushes ahead. Qingxing focused her mind and suddenly threw the Endless Wood in that direction.
"Hey, young lady! I am a human being!"
A handsome young man parted the branches and slowly walked out. Qingxing saw his appearance clearly and stopped in time. The pine tree just stopped in front of the newcomer's forehead, and a strong wind blew off a few pieces of his eyebrows.
The man was dressed in green and wore a golden crown; judging from the fabric alone, he was clearly a wealthy young master.
Qingxing, unsure whether he was a member of the formation or an outsider, dared not lower her guard and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Duanmu Rui, from Wuning Village over there. Just call me Arui." The young man smiled politely. "May I ask where you come from, young lady, and why you're carrying this frightening... stick?"
“This isn’t a stick.” Qingxing put away the Endless Wood and walked closer to Duanmu Rui. “My name is Qingxing.”
The appearance of Duanmu Rui was strange, and Qingxing had never heard of the "Wuning Village" he mentioned. She pondered carefully. She had walked for so long without seeing any people. This suddenly appearing creature was probably the protagonist of this dream.
She paused, then casually made up another lie: "I've heard that Peach Blossom Valley is very beautiful, and I thought I'd come and visit. Seeing it today, it truly is beautiful. However, while everyone praises the stunning scenery of Peach Blossom Valley, I've never heard of 'Wuning Village' that A-Rui mentioned. I wonder what kind of place it is?"
Duanmu Rui wasn't surprised that she hadn't heard of it, and said casually, "It's normal, it's normal. Miss Qingxing, you may not know, but Wuning Village has always been a secluded place. The villagers seek a peaceful place, so naturally it's unknown to others. If you're interested, and we have the chance today, how about I take you for a visit?"
This suited Qingxing's wishes perfectly, and she nodded in agreement: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Arui."
Finally, he added, "Just call me Qingxing."
"Okay, please, miss."
Duanmu Rui led the way, with Qingxing a few steps behind him. Her gaze was sharp as a knife, as if she wanted to stare him through.
They walked through the forest for a long time, but strangely, the path ahead not only did not widen, but became narrower and narrower. In the end, Duanmu Rui even led her into a dark cave.
The cave was initially very narrow, forcing Qingxing to bend over slightly. After struggling for several hundred meters, a light suddenly appeared in the distance. She looked up and saw the interior:
The bright light came from the blazing sun in the sky, and the people below were basking in the sun, sitting, lying, running, or jumping on the lawn. Without exception, they were all teenagers, both boys and girls, and all wore a uniform, somewhat eerie smile.
This must be "Wuning Village," Qingxing thought.
She followed Duanmu Rui out of the cave and stared at them intently.
"This is Wuning Village. Everyone lives here happily," Duanmu Rui introduced to her. "Qingxing, please come with me."
Qingxing nodded, and after Duanmu Rui walked away first, she didn't rush to follow. Instead, she secretly took out a talisman from her bag, put another identical one on the back, and quickly wrote: "Ask Tingzhu if he knows Duanmu Rui?"
The talisman disappeared instantly, and Qingxing waited quietly. After a short while, it suddenly reappeared.
Instead of answering her question directly, Duanmu Tingzhu asked:
"Where are you?"
Qingxing thought for a moment and then wrote again: "I accidentally entered a magic circle. What happened?"
This time she waited for a long time, but there was still no reply. Qingxing thought they must be busy dealing with the demons and had no time to pay attention. Duanmu Rui was urging her from ahead, so she put aside her thoughts and slowly walked forward.
"This is Qingxing, I met her by chance in Peach Blossom Valley." Duanmu Rui smiled, first introducing her to the crowd that had gathered around, then pointing to them and saying to Qingxing, "These are villagers from Wuning Village, this one wearing a red flower in her hair is called Duanmu Ting, that one with one eye is called Duanmu Yuan, and that one with dark skin over there is called Duanmu..."
A string of names popped out like beads, and Qingxing's eyes followed Duanmu Rui's fingers. The more she listened, the slower her mind went, and her brows furrowed slightly.
These people... all have the surname Duanmu?
Could these all be Duanmu Tingzhu's relatives?!
Qingxing was filled with doubts, but she didn't show it too much on her face and listened quietly to Duanmu Rui's story.
Duanmu Rui seemed tireless, reciting the names of the villagers one by one as if she were completing a task, determined not to stop until she finished.
The sun's position in the sky hadn't changed, but whether it was Qingxing's imagination or not, she felt that the surrounding temperature was gradually rising, and she was getting hotter and hotter.
The villagers remained oblivious, like lifeless supporting characters in a sketchbook, listening only to Duanmu Rui's words.
"The one without hair is called Duanmu Xi'an, the short one is called Duanmu Li, and the extremely thin one is called Duanmu Wu..."
Duanmu Rui spoke faster and faster, and Qingxing's mind could hardly keep up with his pace. Sweat had already seeped from her forehead, and clear water droplets ran down her cheeks, dripping from her chin into the soil and evaporating instantly.
She looked at the people in front of her and had a feeling that something was wrong.
Everyone was smiling, and their smiles were so uniform that she hadn't noticed them before, but after looking at them for a while, she realized that regardless of gender, the size and upturn of their mouths were exactly the same, as if someone had drawn a thousand identical masks and pasted them on one by one.
Despite feeling burning hot all over, Qingxing broke out in a cold sweat.
She raised her hand and tugged hard at Duanmu Rui's sleeve: "A-Rui?"
Duanmu Rui ignored her, still smiling, and kept saying, "The one with the birthmark on her face is Duanmu Ling, and the one with the limp is Duanmu Lian..."
This person is gradually becoming insane; persuasion through words alone will probably be ineffective.
Qingxing raised her hand and forcefully shoved the inexhaustible wood into the ground.
The spiritual energy spread out from her center, and everyone, including Duanmu Rui, suddenly froze on the spot. They lowered their heads abruptly, like lifeless dolls.
Just then, an echo came from Duanmu Tingzhu's side. After an explosion, a yellow talisman unfolded in front of Qingxing:
“Duanmu Rui was my elder brother. He died five years ago.”
The messy, dark gray handwriting reflects the writer's mood.
Qingxing's heart sank to the bottom. The communication talisman disappeared before her eyes. She looked up and met Duanmu Rui's empty and lifeless gaze.
Behind him were hundreds of other people in the same situation.
creak—
They both tilted their heads at the same time, their mouths splitting open to their earlobes, from which blood flowed continuously.
Duanmu Rui stiffly raised a hand and pointed at her, saying, "The one with the stick is called Qingxing."
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