The Azure Sky Forest gets its name from its location nestled against the sky. From certain points within the forest, one feels as if they are standing in the heavens, hence the name. The scenery is breathtaking, but it is also incredibly dangerous, not because of any mythical beasts. Ancient rumors have circulated that the Azure Sky Forest holds a secret hidden by the heavens, and that anyone who ventures into it will be punished and die within.
This was later confirmed by others. Many people went in, but no one ever came out alive. The only person who came out alive became mentally disabled and died mysteriously not long after. People later believed that these things were the work of God, because the mentally disabled person who came back had no wounds on his body and died inexplicably without any warning or event.
From then on, the Azure Sky Forest became a forbidden zone for everyone. Although the Azure Sky Forest was behind Dragon Roar Valley, the two were slightly separated, and it was not difficult to enter through another path. After this incident, few people went in. Everyone valued their lives and was unwilling to gamble on an unknown probability. After saying this, Nangong Yu asked suspiciously, "Why did you say earlier that we wouldn't harm you? Is there some other hidden story about the Azure Sky Forest?"
The little girl looked at Nangong Yu and corrected him, saying, "It's Miss Xu who wouldn't harm us."
Nangong Yu: "..." Fine, I won't argue with a child.
After the little girl finished speaking, she turned her gaze back to Xu Yuehuai. "Legend has it that anyone who enters the Azure Sky Forest will be cursed. And recently there have been rumors that the heavens will punish those who enter the Azure Sky Forest, as well as the surrounding areas, treating everyone equally and sending down punishments."
The girl's words were somewhat unbelievable, but Xu Yuehuai didn't say anything. After believing in something for so long, if you just say it's feudal thinking and not a good thing, who wouldn't want to punch you? For their safety, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't say what you shouldn't say.
After leaving the girl's house, it was getting dark. Standing at the door, they could see the situation on the mountain at a glance. There was a group of fireflies halfway up the mountain. The girl came out to see them off. Seeing Xu Yuehuai looking at the group of fireflies, she said, "The older generation said that those lights are to remind future generations that this place is dangerous and that they should not go up. So they used this method."
While this claim may be unbelievable, there's nothing wrong with using this method to remember loved ones who have passed away.
Xu Yuehuai nodded, a smile on her face, "The deceased will be watching over you from heaven."
After she finished telling the story, Xu Yuehuai guessed that the men in the family had probably gone up the mountain and never returned, otherwise the two of them wouldn't have thought about the legend like that.
"Don't go up there. Your lives are precious. Don't risk them for a moment of pleasure. Actually, if it were Miss Xu, my mother and I wouldn't mind dying because of Heaven's punishment. We're just worried that you might get hurt because of this. You must be careful." The girl knew that her persuasion was useless. When no one responded to her when she said the first part of her sentence, she already knew the answer in her heart.
Xu Yuehua nodded and patted her head. "We understand. Don't worry, you and your mother will be safe and sound."
The little girl seemed to really enjoy being touched by Xu Yuehuai, a look of satisfaction on her face.
After obtaining the information, the group began their return journey. "This place is too eerie. It wasn't the bites of spirit beasts, but rather the heavens wanting to take their lives. Yet they still believe it."
Nangong Yu found it unbelievable, while Shi Murou weakly voiced her opinion from the side, "I think everyone has their own thoughts. We don't know exactly what happened back then that caused such a devastating situation, so we can't jump to conclusions."
Fu Ziyi chuckled, "Look at Senior Brother Nangong, his ideological awareness is still not as good as our Junior Brother Shi Mu."
Nangong Yu was speechless after being rebuked, and could only laugh to ease her embarrassment.
Xu Yuehuai remained silent throughout the journey. It was one thing for Baili Xiuwen and Xuan Chi to be quiet and not fond of participating in discussions, but Xu Yuehuai, though not talkative, would discuss anything that raised doubts with everyone. "Senior Sister, have you made any new discoveries? Why haven't you said anything?"
Fu Ziyi steered the conversation toward her. Xu Yuehuai snapped out of her reverie, thought for a moment, and said, "Actually, it's nothing special. It's just that I found it strange when I saw the fireflies glowing. That spot on the mountain is quite far from us. If we can see it glowing from here, it proves that there must be a lot of fireflies in that area."
Nangong Yu didn't understand what she meant. "They're just fireflies. What's so strange about them? Isn't this normal? The abundance of fireflies just means that the place is undisturbed and suitable for fireflies to grow."
"But isn't this mountain known for its ghosts and spirits? If it's truly that Heaven doesn't want any living creatures to enter their world, then why are those fireflies safe and sound in that environment? Fireflies have a very short lifespan, and only male fireflies have their tails lit up. According to what that little girl just said, these fireflies have always been there. Doesn't that explain everything? Why do chickens, ducks, and geese get hurt when they go in, while fireflies, which have little resistance, are safe and sound?" Earlier, the little girl had also told them that there were no living creatures in the forest, and all living things that went in would die.
They had done this before. Someone, not believing in superstition, tied a rope around the feet of some poultry, then let the line out and drove them into the Azure Sky Forest. When the line was being let out smoothly, they didn't notice anything wrong with the poultry on the other end. There was no struggle or warning. Suddenly, the poultry on the other end stopped moving. When they pulled the rope back, they found that the poultry were dead. But the person on the other end of the rope didn't notice anything unusual. To ensure the authenticity of this story, they tried it several times, with the same result each time.
In other words, according to the little girl, there shouldn't be any living creatures on this mountain. Nangong Yu offered a guess, "Perhaps those fireflies are the original inhabitants of the mountain. It's quite reasonable that the original inhabitants aren't punished by heaven."
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