Zero muttered to himself, then ignored the strange stone and continued searching for firewood.
However, every few steps he took, he would hear a "thump, thump, thump" sound behind him. When he turned around, the sound was gone, and there was nothing on the ground except for that stubborn stone.
However... if you look closely, you'll find that the position of that stone has actually changed.
He kept looking back as he took a step.
Zero is certain! That stone is indeed moving, and it's moving along with him!
"Da da da"
This is zero moving.
"Knock knock knock"
This is the stone following behind.
Within this vast space, the following scene unfolded—
A boy was walking ahead, stopping from time to time to explore and examine his surroundings, while behind him followed a rock that kept bouncing around.
Every time the boy turned around, the stone would freeze in place, but once the boy turned back, the stone would begin its "following journey" again.
Over time, Zero lost interest in playing the "Red Light, Green Light" game and stopped paying attention to the small stone behind him.
I've basically explored all around, and all I see is emptiness and silence.
The lanterns, visible from the water's surface, became increasingly sparse as one walked further in, creating a rather dark and eerie atmosphere.
Ling decided not to delve any deeper and instead returned to discuss the matter with Ziyou...
But when he returned to the place where Ziyou was warming herself by the fire, he couldn't find Ziyou anywhere.
"Purple Nether!"
At that moment, Ling felt as if a piece of her heart was missing, and she felt very depressed.
Where is she?
Could something bad happen?
...
In an instant, countless possible scenarios flashed through Zero's mind, and his fists clenched involuntarily.
"I'm here—"
Suddenly, Ziyou's voice came from behind a stone wall.
Ling looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zi You peeking out from behind the stone wall.
"Zero, I'm here. There's still space behind here."
Zi You waved to Ling.
Ling suddenly loosened her clenched fists, and a weight lifted from her heart.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
A smile appeared on Ling's lips as she walked towards Zi You's direction.
After walking a few steps, they arrived at the "other space" that Zi You had mentioned.
"After you left, I finished drying the clothes and had nothing to do, so I wandered around and discovered this space."
Zi You explained to Ling, who had just entered.
Ling nodded and began to examine the buildings.
Compared to the outside, the lamps here can no longer be called lamps.
Under the vast expanse of brilliant lights, the golden walls, with their deep history, are engraved with a powerful totem.
Its body was covered with blue scales that shimmered with a yellowish-green light, just like peacock feathers, and yellow-tipped white hairs grew from the gaps in its scales.
It has three sections of black fur along its back, while its belly is covered in white fur. A tuft of purple fur adorns the tip of its tail, which, interspersed among the yellow-tipped white fur, gives it a radiant appearance!
Its large head had a single, upright fleshy horn growing from the middle. Its ears resembled those of a deer, and its eyes were long and narrow, yet as clear and bright as crystal.
It has a high nose tip, a yellow concave bridge, red eye circles, and auspicious cloud-like patterns on both sides of the nose tip.
With a dragon's head, an ox's tail, deer-like scales, and upright fur, sharp claws digging into the ground, it raises its head and howls, its golden eyes flashing with a chilling, menacing light—it's incredibly lifelike.
"Isn't this the ancient auspicious beast, the Qilin?"
Zi You had excellent eyesight and had already clearly seen the totem. She couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Zero approached and examined it for a while before finally nodding in agreement:
"It is indeed a Qilin, but do you also have the concept of Qilin in your upper realm?"
Ling tilted her head and asked Zi You a question.
"In music, one should follow the rules; in conduct, one should choose one's place carefully and settle down only after careful consideration. One should not tread on living insects or trample on living grass, one should not live in groups or walk with companions, and one should not fall into a net."
Zi You whispered.
"But it's just a legend."
Zero nodded in agreement.
Yes, whether in the human realm or the upper realm, the Qilin has always been just a legend.
"Hey, what's that rock here?"
Zi You bent down, wanting to pick up the stone that seemed very out of place in this golden hall.
But I couldn't pick it up.
"It's quite heavy... Is it embedded inside?"
Ling looked in that direction and saw that the stone that had been following him had somehow moved in front of him and was now at Zi You's feet.
"Isn't this the rock outside?"
Zero muttered something.
Zi You turned her head, pointed to the stone, and asked Ling:
You know?
Ling nodded and recounted to Zi You what had just happened outside.
"A moving stone?"
Zi You blinked her big eyes, seemingly unable to believe it.
Zero points to confirm authenticity:
"That's right, it doesn't move when you look at it, but it does move once you stop looking at it."
Seeing the obvious disbelief in Zi You's eyes, Ling pulled her close and whispered:
“You and I will turn our backs together. I will count to three, and then we will turn around together to see if the stone is still in the same place.”
Zi You glanced at Zero suspiciously, but ultimately acquiesced to this somewhat foolish and childish behavior.
The two turned around together, and after a while, Zero spoke:
"One, two, three, turn around!"
The two of them turned around at the same time.
"Hey, where's the stone?"
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