The treasure hunt is over.
Han Jiang escaped the illusion before Cang Jingqi. The shadowy figure had disappeared, leaving only her and Cang Jingqi.
"Han Xiaoman, how did you get into my illusion?" Cang Jing asked sarcastically.
Han Jiang stood up from the ground. Cang Jingqi still had his eyes closed and his mouth didn't move, but a voice could still be heard. It seemed that due to the illusion, the two of them were partially connected in their consciousness.
“A shadowy figure helped me resonate with you,” Han Jiang answered truthfully.
"..." Cang Jingqi opened his eyes, straightened the wrinkles in his clothes, and smiled as if nothing had happened, "He's actually a pretty nice person."
Han Jiang didn't want to waste any more words; she needed to find Han Qi quickly to avoid ruining Wen Xu's strategy.
Now that Cang Jingqi is awake, she can leave.
"Where are you going?" Cang Jingqi asked as Han Jiang lifted his leg and walked outside.
Han Jiang said, "Go find my junior sister. Your Highness, since you are alright, please leave quickly."
Cang Jingqi raised an eyebrow, not expecting Han Jiang to let him go. After all, he wasn't injured, shouldn't he be asked to stay and help?
Han Jiang had no such intention. At most, she and Cang Jingqi were half allies, only needing to provide cover when necessary. If she were to go on a mission with him, given his spectator-like interest, he would definitely press for details. Cang Jingqi was not as easily fooled as Chi Jin; Han Jiang had learned this lesson well back at the medicine manor.
Before the two could exchange more than a few words, another explosion was heard.
Immediately afterward, Wen Xu rushed out with several children: "Han Jiang! Thank goodness you're here! Quickly take these children away; they are victims who have already undergone the transformation from human to demon!"
Wenxu shooed the children toward Hanjiang, then turned back to the site of the explosion.
Hanjiang took over the task, counted the number of children, and then prepared to leave with his men.
Cang Jingqi went there the moment the explosion rang out, leaving only Han Jiang with seven or eight children.
As she walked down the corridor, Hanjiang heard birdsong in the darkness. She slowed her pace and looked up at the sky; the moon was about to set, and this long night was finally coming to an end.
Chi Jin and his team happened to run into Han Jiang.
After a second headcount to ensure no one was missed, the Vermilion Bird Pavilion surrounded the entire mansion.
As the sun gradually rose, the explosives were ignited one after another.
Explosions continued to erupt from beneath the mansion, as the shadowy figure attempted to destroy everything before leaving.
Amidst the sparks, Cang Jingmo flew out carrying Han Qi, followed by Wen Xu.
Along with the rubble, there was also a demonic aura. The children, who had been suppressed, suddenly went berserk, attacking those around them.
Too many things have happened in a short time, and Hanjiang doesn't know which side to take care of first.
Chijin took out a white bead from his pocket, attracting the children to come closer.
The precious pearl detached from the golden hand and flew to the center of the children, gradually emitting light. Rings of light spread outwards, and with each ring, the children's consciousness recovered a little. Until the pearl gradually turned from white to transparent, shattered, and vanished in the wind.
The children lay on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.
The area outside the city fell silent, save for the chirping of birds in the early morning.
The results of the Three Gates Treasure Hunt were never announced. Feng Huo Ying Shuang Lou insisted on holding the event again, but Chi Cheng believed that the losses were too great and it was not appropriate to hold it again. He suggested waiting for the next general election.
The Vermilion Bird Pavilion also disagreed with holding the competition and, based on the existing results, concluded that "the Tranquil Heart Pearl should be won by the Vermilion Bird Pavilion."
So everything was dropped, and everyone went home.
Han Jiang went to find Chi Jin to inquire about the children's whereabouts, but she didn't find him. Later, when she asked about the bead, she learned that it was the Tranquilizing Bead.
With the Tranquility Pearl shattered, the Vermilion Bird Pavilion had no choice but to shamelessly admit that they had won it.
The authorities didn't blame him much, after all, Chi Jin made an outstanding contribution to the "human-demon transformation" event, and the Vermilion Bird Pavilion was highly praised as a result, which spread widely among the people.
People generally believe that this "treasure" should rightfully belong to the Vermilion Bird Pavilion.
The child, purified by the Tranquilizing Pearl, did not exhibit any symptoms of madness due to the clash between demonic and spiritual energy. After a few days of observation at the Vermilion Bird Pavilion, the child was sent home.
The mansion was completely destroyed, leaving nothing behind.
Fortunately, the older children had good memories and were of great help to the Vermilion Bird Pavilion in converting the formation and finding the shadowy figure.
Since the beginning of winter, no one knows where Cang Jingqi has gone.
That day, Hanqi was sent back to Hanshan by Cangjingmo, and Wenxu secretly came to find Hanjiang.
After Wen Xu persuaded Han Qi to leave, he and Cang Jingmo went to find the remaining children.
According to the original plot, the two will be trapped in an illusion.
In the original book, after the female protagonist wakes up from her illusion, she falls into the male protagonist's illusion. The female protagonist awakens the male protagonist, and the male protagonist is moved.
Wen Xu thought she would successfully replace the female lead, but she herself became trapped in an illusion and couldn't wake up. Even after Han Qi arrived and woke up the male lead, he also woke her up.
"My 'like' rating is stuck at a mere 25%. Just being close friends isn't nearly enough to make my heart flutter!" Wen Xu sighed. "How could I make such a stupid mistake!"
"Sister Wen, what did you encounter in the illusion?" Han Jiang asked with concern.
Wen Xu, as if responding to a sudden jolt, stood up abruptly: "It's nothing, I need to go back and make the next plan."
"Can you tell me what happens next? Maybe I can help." Han Jiang didn't want to passively move forward anymore. She was also a transmigrator, so she had to act like one.
“No need, you don’t need to participate in the following plot,” Wen Xu replied. “You just hold Han Qi back, Cang Jingmo and I will go to the desert alone.”
"But I can't just do nothing, Sister Wen is working too hard all by herself." The more Wen Xu didn't say anything, the more Han Jiang felt something was wrong.
Wen Xu said, "Don't worry, I can handle everything."
In the following days, Wenxu did not come to see Hanjiang again.
The shadowy figure used some unknown means, but after Han Qi and the other two found the child, it was Han Qi who was first out of control.
The first explosion occurred when the spiritual energy within her body erupted.
Cang Jingmo sealed the spiritual power within her body once again.
Hanqi fell asleep after returning, and Hanjiang planned to wait for her to wake up before going to find Hantian.
She wanted to know too much. A strange fear arose in Han Jiang's heart; once she understood everything, she would be inextricably linked to this world.
Like Cang Jingqi, Han Jiang has been living as an observer since she transmigrated to this world. She doesn't want to get involved in anything here because she knows she will eventually go home and leave this place.
She had read many time-travel novels, in which the protagonists either stayed in the world of the book or left, but were required by the system to take their lovers with them.
But Hanjiang doesn't want to stay here; she has family and friends in the real world.
She had no system; she relied on Wenxu to get home.
She neither wanted nor could she become entangled with anything here.
But with so much happening, she couldn't help but be involved.
Just treat it like reading a novel; stop when you see the truth of the story. Han Jiang told herself this.
Wen Xu said that she wasn't needed for the rest of the story, so after helping Han Qi find the answer, she could just stay in the villa and not go out. She wouldn't be disturbed while sleeping inside, and could peacefully lie down until the finale.
The next day, Han Tian asked Han Jiang to visit him when he had time.
It's always faster for a problem to find someone than for someone to find a problem.
"Master, you were looking for me?" Han Jiang arrived at the mountaintop.
Han Tian gestured for Han Jiang to sit next to him, took out two books, and said, "Xiao Man, do you still remember the time nine years ago when I took you as my apprentice?"
Han Jiang had prepared her explanation in advance, as she was worried that Han Tian would ask her about her past.
“Master, to be honest, the lightning a few months ago made me forget many things, but I didn’t want you to worry, so I didn’t say anything. I think the things from the past shouldn’t be very important and shouldn’t affect my life.”
Han Tian's expression was not good. He stood up and left his seat: "Xiao Man, wait here for a moment. Your teacher will be back soon."
Before an incense stick had burned, Han Tian returned with a small incense burner in his hand.
He lit the incense burner: "This incense burner is a ritual implement that will help you recover your memories. Let's meditate together here, and I will guide you through the process of recalling them."
Memories come from afar, and the approach of winter seems like a long dream.
In her dream, she was born in a remote village...
Nine years ago—
Han Tian didn't want to take on any apprentices; he found it too troublesome. On the day of the election, he slipped away from the Four States Sect and Cang Jingqi and fled to Yanzhou.
"You really don't want to take on apprentices?"
"I don't want to." Taking on a disciple is like raising a child; you not only have to provide for their food and lodging, but also teach them cultivation and how to be a good person. What a huge responsibility it would be if you didn't teach them well! It's not that Han Tian lacks a sense of responsibility, but rather that he's too responsible. He doesn't have the ability to teach someone well; blindly taking on disciples would only hurt others. That's what he told Cang Jingqi.
Cang Jingqi thought he was talking nonsense.
"Where do we go next?" Cang Jingqi was suddenly called out by Han Tian.
Han Tian pulled two pages of paper from his pocket and slapped them on Cang Jingqi's chest: "Here! It is said that there is a place in Yanzhou that gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and it is a good place for cultivation."
Cang Jingqi carefully read the contents in his hand: "Spirit Gathering Altar? Isn't it forbidden to build such a thing?"
“The back!” Han Tian said. “That’s the previous page.”
"Yanzhou is a remote place, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, where villagers can live up to a thousand years," Cang Jingqi muttered. "Where did you tear this from? It sounds like a myth. Even demons don't live for a thousand years!"
"I don't remember. Let's go take a look."
Cang Jing clicked his tongue. How could Han Tian not remember? He must have gone to the Four Continents Sect's library to peek at the forbidden books again. No wonder, if forbidden books were taken, they would definitely be investigated, but who would know if a few pages were missing?
Han Tian saw a desolate mountain in the distance, with a patch of green in the middle: "Aqi, look, only that village is green."
Cang Jingqi spotted the altar in the center of the village at a glance. He took out the paper in his hand and said, "Han Tian, there's something strange about that altar."
The two quickly settled in the village and split up to inquire about the situation.
Cang Jingqi headed straight for the altar, but was stopped by a girl on the way: "You're from out of town, aren't you!"
"Hello, little sister, what is this altar used for?" Cang Jing asked.
The girl said, "It's for drying clothes at home."
Indeed, there were no sacrificial objects in the center of the altar; there were only a few poles with two pieces of clothing hanging on them.
Cang Jing thanked the girl and inquired with others, but to no avail.
The altar itself has no spiritual power, and from its appearance alone, it is no different from the spirit-gathering altar in the book.
Could it be that the Vermilion Bird Pavilion missed one when sealing the Spirit Gathering Altar? Since the locals don't know, let's go back and report it so that the government and the Vermilion Bird Pavilion can investigate.
Cang Jingqi noticed that the girl had followed him all the way, probably because she was afraid that he, a stranger, would do something bad.
It must be mentioned that this girl possesses extremely strong spiritual energy; if nurtured, she will surely become a promising talent, perhaps even surpassing Han Tian.
Han Tian, on the other side, also failed to get any information and met Cang Jingqi at the village entrance. As he approached, he tripped over a pebble and nearly fell.
"You're almost the sect leader, and you're still so reckless," Cang Jingqi teased. "You really won't take any disciples? The youngest sect leader of the Four Continents Sect doesn't even have a single disciple. Who will you pass the position to in the future?"
"Spit it out!" Han Tian naturally understood the hidden meaning in his friend's words.
"I met a young girl whose spiritual talent is quite remarkable."
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