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The feeling of being controlled by her body remained largely unchanged. If what Cang Jingmo said was true, the deeper one went into the secret realm, the more Cang Jingchongxue's spiritual power manipulation would gradually disappear.
So, have they been standing still?
The cold snap has stopped, and we are now observing the four prefectures.
Just like when I first came in, nothing around me had changed.
Their location in the secret realm remained unchanged. It is highly likely that they fell into an illusion as soon as they entered the secret realm, so they never moved within the secret realm and were just going around in circles in the illusion from beginning to end.
Cang Jingmo noticed that Han Jiang had stopped, so he also stopped and turned to ask Han Jiang what was wrong: "What's wrong?"
Han Jiang raised both hands and waved them haphazardly for a moment, then realized something was wrong. How should he depict the illusion?
"You think this place is big and empty?"
Han Jiang hurriedly waved his hand, unable to open his mouth or lip-sync.
"are you tired?"
No, no! This charades and guessing game is so uncoordinated! Helpless, Han Jiang squatted down and used his hand to write the characters for "illusion" on the ground.
Cang Jingmo followed Han Jiang's hand and gestured on the other side: "Illusion?"
Han Jiang immediately nodded, then clenched his right fist and swung it into the air, signaling Cang Jingmo to break the illusion.
“This is no ordinary illusion; I’m afraid we can’t break it as usual,” Cang Jingmo said.
There was nothing around, and he had no idea where to shoot. Han Jiang stared at the water's surface, where he could see his blurry reflection. Was there really water below? Were they walking on water?
It doesn't look like ice; it's not a smooth, polished mirror surface.
When you stomp your foot hard on the ground during the cold season, you can create a faint ripple that spreads gently.
Cang Jingmo understood the meaning of Han Jiang and focused his strength to smash the ground.
But nothing changed, except that the water splashed bigger and spread further.
"This water absorbs spiritual energy. When the spiritual energy I condensed touched the water's surface, it was absorbed and did not cause any harm."
If fists don't work, there are still weapons! Han Jiang pretended to hold a sword with his right hand, and with two fingers of his left hand, he made a sweeping motion in the air.
"Weapons cannot be brought into the secret realm."
A single sentence extinguished any new hope.
If Hanqi and Cang Jingmo can pass through the secret realm, then there must be a solution. Could it be that only the female lead can pass through? That's just exploiting the protagonist's plot armor!
Han Jiang crossed his arms and reached into his pocket for the fire talismans that he hadn't finished using.
If the ground was actually water, the fire talisman would go out immediately, right? Han Jiang lit a fire talisman, which landed on the ground. Ripples spread across the water's surface, and splashes of water leaped out of the plane, engulfing the flames.
The film on the water surface seemed to have dissolved, revealing a small hole.
If you extend your index finger during the cold snap, you can touch the water below.
She glanced at Cang Jingmo, stepped back a few paces, and asked Cang Jingmo to perform.
However, when the flames ignited by demonic energy come into contact with the water's surface, the spiritual energy is absorbed, and the flames have no effect on the water's surface.
"Bringing a male lead is completely useless!" Han Jiang cursed inwardly. "He's not even as reliable as cannon fodder like me when it really matters!"
Han Jiang searched her body; the fire talisman was gone, but the short knife that Cang Jingqi had given her before was still there.
This dagger has suffered alongside her, digging graves in Xuanzhou and digging in the ground here, yet it hasn't fulfilled the purpose a dagger should.
Cang Jing Chong Xue only remembered to check Cang Jing Mo's personal belongings, forgetting about Han Jiang.
The short knife is much duller than before, so it's definitely not good for cutting vegetables, but it's still good for digging.
The membrane was softer than Han Jiang had imagined; it was probably a non-Newtonian fluid. Cang Jingmo couldn't break it with a punch, but he could slowly chisel it open with a knife.
Water flooded the ground, and with a "crack," the ground collapsed, and both people fell into the water.
When the cold descends, you can't swim; the more you struggle, the weaker you become.
The dagger slipped from my hand and drifted away, its whereabouts unknown.
Unable to open his eyes underwater, Han Jiang squeezed them shut, trying to grab onto something.
The sound of water filled his mind, and Han Jiang was still thinking: if this was an escape from an illusion, then he should wake up instead of drowning.
Let's take a gamble; otherwise, we're doomed anyway.
Relax your body as the cold descends and let yourself sink.
Consciousness gradually blurred, then instantly returned to full clarity—
She suddenly sat up in the water, half of her body submerged. There was no one else around; Cang Jingmo was gone.
Han Jiang wiped the water off his face, struggled to get out of the water, and walked ashore.
It was just a tiny piece of land, a small island in the middle of a vast ocean. Around the island were many broken pillars, and in the center was a stone throne with a sword enshrined in it.
It is exactly the same as the sword hanging in the center of the Cangjing Hall.
Well, could she be the first to find the Azure Mirror Sword?
She tried to open her mouth, but still couldn't make a sound. For a moment, she found it very funny that Cang Jing Chong Xue's manipulation of spiritual power had become her standard for distinguishing whether she was in an illusion.
Still in the illusion.
Han Jiang circled the Cangjing Sword twice, unsure whether to take it or not. It was a blatant trap; taking the sword would mean stepping into a deeper illusion, while not taking it meant there was no other way to break free.
All around was a vast expanse, making it impossible to distinguish the colors of the water and the sky.
She didn't know what the Cangjing Sword should be like. The sword in front of her wasn't stuck in the throne, but rather its tip was pointing down and its hilt was pointing up, suspended in mid-air above the throne.
Logically, it should be inserted into the throne, which is why Cang Jingmo kept saying to draw the sword.
Inside the Cangjing Hall, the sword is suspended in the center of the hall, similar to the state of this sword.
Han Jiang remembered that the sword was hanging from the ceiling of the main hall, but she couldn't see what was up there because it was too dark inside. She looked around at the pillars next to her; they were very similar to the pillars in the Cangjing Hall, only upside down.
She began to wonder if the place beneath her feet was an island in the water or an island in the sky.
She gripped the hilt of the sword, but instead of taking it out, she turned the blade so that the tip was pointing upwards.
The island suddenly shook and then tilted, as if something was emerging from beneath it, threatening to overturn the entire island!
The cold-water island became unstable and tilted, eventually falling into the sea.
The island collapsed towards her, its dark mass covering her location and plunging her into the water.
As Han Jiang continued to sink, she felt a wave of dizziness. She tried desperately to surface, but it seemed as if a force in the water was pulling her away.
No matter how much she struggled, it was no use. Her consciousness was no longer blurred and then cleared up like before. Instead, she was consciously in pain, and then slowly succumbed to despair, just like someone who was truly drowning.
Why haven't you woken up from this illusion yet?
My body kept sinking downwards, as if there was no bottom, only an endless abyss.
I can't see anything, and I can't hear anything except my own heartbeat.
While still in the illusion, Han Jiang heard her own heart pounding and began to relax her body. The force pulling her down lessened by a third, and she stopped sinking, but she also couldn't float up.
The sound of paddling came, and a figure approached her, trying to help her break free from that force and float upwards.
Han Jiang no longer had the strength to struggle and could only cling to the dark figure.
It's so familiar, I can tell just by touching the clothes—Cang Jingqi.
The two of them poked their heads out of the water, and Han Jiang finally got some fresh air. He gasped for breath, and his voice returned at that moment: "Aqi...you found me."
Cang Jingqi hugged Han Jiang tightly and swam towards the shore.
“Xiaoman…” Cang Jingqi let go of Han Jiang’s hand when they reached the shore, but Han Jiang still held him tightly.
Han Jiang pressed his head against Cang Jingqi's chest, wrapped his arms around Cang Jingqi, gripped the back of Cang Jingqi's clothes tightly, lowered his head, and breathed softly, slowly calming down.
It's like grasping at a straw; if you let go, you'll sink back to the bottom of the water.
Cang Jingqi gently patted Han Jiang's back: "It's alright, Xiao Man, I'm here."
After regaining her senses, Han Jiang released Cang Jingqi, looked at him with a dazed expression, and then suddenly pounced on him, hugging him again.
Seemingly surprised by Han Jiang's initiative, Cang Jingqi stood there stunned.
Han Jiang was a little unhappy, grabbing Cang Jingqi's hand and hugging herself: "Why aren't you hugging me?"
"Oh, oh..." Cang Jingqi hugged Han Jiang back.
"You're so stupid..." Han Jiang muttered.
"How badly are you injured?" Cang Jingqi asked.
Han Jiang nuzzled his head against Cang Jingqi's neck: "I'll definitely get better faster than you..."
"Now that it's resolved, give me an answer..."
A reply? Oh right! Han Jiang remembered that she had made a promise to Cang Jingqi before. She solemnly straightened her posture, put some distance between herself and Cang Jingqi, sniffed, cleared her throat, and said seriously, "Cang Jingqi, do you want to be with me?"
"What if I don't want to?" Cang Jingqi asked with a smile in his eyes.
Han Jiang laughed too: "You're not allowed to not think about it."
"Why? You're forcing me."
"Because I don't want to return those two thousand taels of gold to you," Han Jiang said with a grin.
"Han Xiaoman, you owe money and won't pay it back—"
"How is it?" Han Jiang stared into Cang Jingqi's eyes and suddenly said, "Cang Jingqi, your eyes are so beautiful, like the stars in the sky."
Cang Jingqi leaned close to Han Jiang's face, feinted a shot, and kissed him on the cheek.
Han Jiang jumped up: "You attacked me from behind?"
Cang Jing leaned back, his hands braced on the sand, and looked up at Han Jiang: "Hmm, I'm launching a sneak attack. Are you going to launch a sneak attack back?"
"I haven't settled the score with you yet! That time at Hanshan, you...you, that was the first time I kissed someone else..." Han Jiang's voice trailed off as he spoke, feeling a little embarrassed to be so blunt.
"This is my first time too, so can we call it even?"
"No." Han Jiang grumbled and slowly moved to sit down next to Cang Jingqi. She was a little nervous, after all, they were alone together, and based on her experience watching TV dramas, it was a good time for a kiss.
Want a kiss? Han Jiang blushed deeply. Would it be inappropriate for a girl to take the initiative? That damn Cang Jingqi, why didn't he say a word at this crucial moment?
She spent ages mentally preparing herself, completely unaware that Cang Jingqi had already moved closer to her.
"Han Xiaoman, what are you thinking about?"
"nothing……"
"Do you want to kiss me?" Cang Jingqi asked with a smile.
Just as Han Jiang was about to say that Cang Jingqi was blunt, Cang Jingqi suddenly kissed her.
Cang Jingqi was absolutely right. The kiss was completely devoid of technique; the two of them were just tentatively exploring each other.
Han Jiang opened one eye and saw that Cang Jingqi's eyes were closed. He was overjoyed and reached up to Cang Jingqi's arm to close the distance between them before slowly closing his eyes.
Following Han Jiang's movements, Cang Jingqi pulled him into his arms. He dared not make any large movements, only adjusting his posture to match Han Jiang's actions.
"Cang Jingqi, how can a twenty-six-year-old man act like a child?" Han Jiang laughed.
"You sound quite experienced, Han Xiaoman?" Cang Jing gritted his teeth.
It's not that I have experience, it's just that when I see male leads on TV, they all seem to have great kissing skills. I never thought that when it's my turn, I'll be such an innocent girl.
Seeing Han Jiang smile without answering, Cang Jingqi pressed his lips to Han Jiang's: "You'll get the hang of it after a few more times."
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