The empty city was destroyed (8)
"What are you saying? Who are you?" Wu Yue's voice was too soft for Ye Yingying to hear clearly, but judging from her expression, she was clearly provoked by something.
Faced with Ye Yingying's questioning, Wu Yue was lost in her own thoughts, completely ignoring the voices from the outside world.
Ye Yingying frowned, about to wake her up, when she suddenly realized that the world had suddenly darkened, and the sky, which had been cloudless just moments before, was now completely shrouded in rolling dark clouds.
In an instant, large raindrops, accompanied by bursts of thunder, pelted the ground, and the originally hot air instantly became exceptionally cool.
Upon seeing the torrential rain, joyful smiles spread across the faces of the people. They knelt down in droves, bowing towards the direction of the palace, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to the royal advisor for his blessings.
"It's miraculous! It's miraculous!"
"That's wonderful! The Imperial Advisor has heard our wishes!"
"Long live the Imperial Advisor! Long live the Imperial Advisor!"...
Faith transformed into cries that converged into a massive wave, which then flowed down the earth's streams into countless homes.
The sight before Ye Yingying horrified her. This was no imperial advisor; this was clearly a deity.
She looked around and then at her companions. At this moment, everyone on the street was kneeling on the ground, and only the three of them were standing, which seemed extremely out of place.
Wu Yue was still in a daze. Ye Yingying had no choice but to exchange a glance with Zhao Yuxiao, signaling him to leave with his men.
Zhao Yuxiao nodded to her, then reached out and grabbed Wu Yue's arm to leave.
Just then, a series of bells rang out in the distance, their deep and resonant tones dispelling the torrential rain. The weather changed abruptly again, thick fog rolled in, obscuring the distant scenery and leaving only flickering red lights.
The moment the bell rang, the people who were prostrate on the ground suddenly stood up in unison. They remained silent and quietly dispersed in all directions.
The scene before her was so bizarre that it sent chills down her spine. Ye Yingying realized something was wrong and immediately reached out towards the other two people, only to grab empty air.
Her heart tightened, and she looked around, only to realize with a start that she was enveloped in a white fog and could not see anything.
The world suddenly became eerily quiet, with only the increasingly rapid heartbeats audible. Ye Yingying scanned her surroundings, when a rustling sound suddenly came from somewhere.
She immediately looked in the direction of the sound, but the noise didn't disappear; instead, it grew closer. Then, she recognized it as a series of footsteps, unhurried yet enough to make one's heart pound.
As the outlines in the fog became clearer, Ye Yingying made a palm strike, ready to strike.
She patiently observed the approaching figure, a person about her height, who appeared somewhat thin. The person moved with steady steps, calmly approaching Ye Yingying even when they could see each other's shadows.
Ye Yingying was puzzled. She seemed to recognize the figure in her mind, but she couldn't quite place it.
The man drew closer and closer, and an imminent sense of crisis welled up in Ye Yingying's heart. At this moment, there was no time for Ye Yingying to think any further!
Without hesitation, she raised her hand and struck out with her palm, aiming straight for the other person's neck.
Just as their fingertips were about to touch, Ye Yingying suddenly saw the other person's face clearly and couldn't help but exclaim, "How is it you?"
Upon closer inspection, the visitor turned out to be Shao Ling.
At this moment, Shao Ling was as handsome and fair-skinned as he was in the inn, and Ye Yingying's sudden attack did not frighten him.
The young man's eyes lit up with joy when he saw Ye Yingying: "Miss Ye! We meet again!"
Ye Yingying silently withdrew her hand, staring at him suspiciously, and asked, "What are you doing here? Weren't you going to find your companions?"
"Um... well..." Shaoling scratched her head awkwardly, "I couldn't find it and was just about to go back to the inn when the fog rolled in and I ran into you."
"Let's not talk about that now. I just heard someone say that this fog is related to the curfew. Let's go back quickly!" As she spoke, Shaoling stretched out an arm to Ye Yingying. "I know how to get back. Hold on tight to me."
How could he know? Ye Yingying glanced at his arm, still wary, and said decisively, "My companions and I got separated in this fog, we can't just leave them here."
Shaoling was slightly taken aback: "Well... we can't just wander around outside all the time, what if the prison guards find us?"
"How about I take you back first, and then I'll come out and help you find them?"
Shaoling waved her hand, signaling Ye Yingying to take it, her tone becoming increasingly sincere: "Miss Ye, I assure you, I am not your enemy."
Their eyes met, and the boy's eyes were filled with unwavering determination, without a trace of impurity. Ye Yingying was touched, but hesitation still prevailed. She considered how to speak when she heard the crisp sound of chains clanging in the distance.
"not good."
The moment he heard the noise, Shaoling's eyes snapped to alertness. Without even asking Ye Yingying's opinion, he grabbed her wrist and ran in the opposite direction.
The boy looked thin, but he was surprisingly strong. Ye Yingying was forced to run after him, pulled along by his grip. The two weaved through the thick fog, the sound of chains clanging echoing around them, sometimes near, sometimes far, making it impossible to pinpoint their location.
But Shaoling didn't hesitate at all and ran straight in the designated direction. Although Ye Yingying was full of doubts, now was not the time to question her.
The clanking of chains, whether human or ghostly, grew increasingly rapid, as if they had discovered their presence. At first, there were one or two clangs, then three or four, and then the sounds surged from all directions, relentlessly pursuing them like hunting dogs. This reminded Ye Yingying of the agonizing chase she had experienced in the Qi family ancestral land, when she was pursued by the Azure Golden Hou.
"We're almost there!" Shaoling suddenly said.
Before them appeared an inn adorned with lanterns, and standing at the entrance was Yun Yatou, the girl who had recruited them during the day, with a nervous-looking Zhao Yuxiao beside her.
When Zhao Yuxiao saw the two of them, his eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly gestured for them to come in. The two rushed into the inn, and Yun Yatou quickly closed the door, shutting out the sound of chains outside.
"Are you two out of your minds!" Yun turned around, her braids flying, and angrily scolded the two of them, "Didn't we already remind you about the curfew?!"
You didn't say the curfew would come so suddenly. Ye Yingying rolled her eyes inwardly, but still apologized to her.
Why bother arguing with a little girl? She's just a part of this illusion. What if what she sees is different from what I see? It might cause even more trouble.
"Hmph." Yun Yatou crossed her arms and muttered to herself, "I've never seen anyone so disobedient before. One or two is one thing, but a whole group of you is like this."
A group of people… Ye Yingying listened, then turned her gaze to Zhao Yuxiao beside her: “How did you all get back?”
"We met Senior Yun, and he brought us back."
"You saw him?!" Ye Yingying suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Where is he?"
"Um... in the guest room upstairs." Zhao Yuxiao said this with a somewhat embarrassed expression, "But, well, senior doesn't seem to be in a good mood."
"What's the meaning?"
"that is……"
Zhao Yuxiao didn't know how to describe Yun Yanqiu's state. It was somewhat similar to the panic he felt when he saw Ye Yingying injured in Yuancheng, but not as intense. It was just a faint, somewhat absent-minded feeling, as if he had fallen into some kind of depression from which he couldn't extricate himself.
Thinking about this gave Zhao Yuxiao a headache. Senior Yun and Wu Yue had only been in the illusion for a short time, and they both seemed to have lost their souls.
"Hey, go see for yourself, I can't explain it clearly either."
Without saying a word, Ye Yingying rushed upstairs, leaving the three of them staring at each other in the lobby.
Seeing this, Yun said decisively, "Now that everyone's back, go and rest. Don't go out during curfew, you hear me!"
The other two nodded repeatedly. Then, Zhao Yuxiao looked at Shaoling, one of the men, and asked curiously, "Haven't you found your companion yet?"
"Ah, not yet." Shaoling chuckled dryly.
"Then isn't he in a very unsafe situation right now?"
“It’s alright,” Shaoling said, her expression somewhat forlorn. “She has her own way…”
Upstairs, Ye Yingying went straight to Yun Yanqiu's bedroom and knocked on the door.
When no sound came from inside the room as expected, Ye Yingying became nervous, wondering if he had been tormented by the witch spirit lock again.
Fortunately, the door was not closed. Ye Yingying pushed it open and saw Yun Yanqiu with his back to her.
He turned around and was somewhat surprised to find it was Ye Yingying.
"How are you?!" Ye Yingying rushed to Yun Yanqiu, grabbed his arms tightly, and carefully examined him to see if he was feeling unwell.
After checking her over and finding nothing seriously wrong, Ye Yingying breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at Yun Yanqiu and saw that he seemed stunned. Thinking he was startled by her sudden intrusion, she quickly explained, "Zhao Yuxiao said you looked upset, so I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yun Yanqiu suddenly lowered his head and hugged her waist, burying his head in the crook of her neck without saying a word.
Caught off guard, Ye Yingying's heart skipped a beat. Listening to the heavy breathing beside her ear, she slowly reached out and stroked Yun Yanqiu's back.
The two embraced for a while without saying a word.
Ye Yingying could tell that Yun Yanqiu had something on his mind, but she wasn't in a hurry to ask. She wanted to hear him bring it up himself.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Yingying's hands were starting to ache, and Yun Yanqiu finally spoke, "I saw an old friend."
"Who is it?" Ye Yingying asked softly.
“He was a close friend of mine in the past,” Yun Yanqiu replied softly. “I thought I would never see him again…”
His voice trembled slightly as he said this.
Ye Yingying was taken aback, quite surprised by what he had said. She had never heard of Yun Yanqiu having any close friends. In Ye Yingying's memory, Yun Yanqiu had always been alone, sitting cross-legged in the Xuanming Realm, cultivating all day long, oblivious to everything around him.
Did Yun Yanqiu have close friends before? Ye Yingying felt a little lost. She should have been happy. She clearly heard him mention past events she didn't know about, so why couldn't she be happy?
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