"I heard it, that sound... it seemed to be not far ahead, yet it also seemed to be coming from all directions." His voice trembled slightly.
The three decided to retreat temporarily and return to the dark forest licked by flames.
The night wind howled, carrying a chill and an air of unease.
Just as they were trying to calm themselves down and replan their route, Wang Mang suddenly lowered his voice and said nervously, "Listen, someone, or rather, something is approaching."
Xu Yuehuai reacted immediately, pulling Wang Mang to quickly hide behind a huge dead tree. Yan Qing followed closely behind, and the three of them huddled close to the tree trunk, not daring to breathe.
The surroundings were so quiet that the only sounds were each other's rapid breathing and the occasional low growl of a wild beast in the distance.
Just then, a strange sight broke the silence: a vehicle meticulously carved from animal bones, seemingly driven by an invisible force, slowly drove towards the entrance of the passage, entered it on its own, and disappeared into the darkness.
"Let's hurry up and catch up!" Wang Mang was eager to catch up, but Xu Yuehuai held him down.
"Calm down, Wang Mang. This chariot cannot be driven by natural forces; there must be a secret behind it." Her words carried an undeniable authority, forcing Wang Mang to calm down.
Time ticked by, and the three held their breath, waiting until they were sure there was no more unusual movement around them. Only then did Xu Yuehuai slowly speak: "Now, if we follow the tracks of that beast bone cart, we might be able to find the way to the source of the sound."
They carefully followed the ruts, and soon they came to a strange area filled with stones of various shapes that emitted an eerie glow, as if they were nature's most bizarre masterpiece.
"Why do these stones look so strange?" Wang Mang picked up a stone curiously and examined it closely, but unexpectedly, as soon as his finger touched the surface of the stone, he felt a sharp pain.
"Ah! This thing bites!" he exclaimed, trying to shake it off, but found that the stone seemed to be alive and stuck tightly to his hand, with blood slowly dripping from between his fingers.
"Let go!" Yan Qing shouted anxiously.
But Wang Mang's face was filled with helplessness, "I...I can't do it, it seems to be sucking my blood!"
Xu Yuehuai quickly stepped forward, scrutinizing the stone with sharp eyes and a furrowed brow.
“These stones are unusual; they seem to absorb the life force of living beings.” As she spoke, she took out a small talisman from her bosom, stuck it on Wang Mang’s injured hand, and softly chanted an incantation.
As the incantation was recited, the stone seemed to sense the threat and finally released its hold on Wang Mang, falling to the ground with a dull thud.
"These rocks are dangerous, let's get out of here quickly." Xu Yuehuai said, pulling Wang Mang and Yan Qing away.
At the end of the deep and narrow passage, a faint but hopeful ray of light gradually appeared, foreshadowing that Xu Yuehuai, Yan Qing, and Wang Mang were about to break free from this endless darkness.
However, just as they were about to reach their freedom, an ominous howl suddenly rang out, and countless dark figures, like dark clouds pressing down, rapidly approached!
It was bats, thousands upon thousands of bats, driven by some force, frantically swarming towards these three uninvited guests!
Xu Yuehuai reacted quickly, flicking her wrist as the sharp dagger traced silver lines in the moonlight, precisely piercing the bat's heart.
But what's terrifying is that every time the dagger is pulled out, its blade is covered with a strange black layer, emanating a suffocating aura.
"These bats also contain deadly poison!"
Seeing this, Yan Qing and Wang Mang immediately followed Xu Yuehuai's steps, the three of them back to back, forming an unbreakable defensive line. Yan Qing held a long sword, the sword light as a dragon, each swing accompanied by the wailing of bats; Wang Mang, relying on his brute strength, wielded a thick wooden club he had picked up from the passage, clumsy but quite imposing.
Their movements were tacit and coordinated. Half an hour later, the three of them finally broke through the bats' encirclement and stumbled out of the passage.
However, the sight before them left them stunned!
What was once a scorched wasteland, unrecognizable from the flames, is now lush and vibrant with life. The trees stand tall, their green leaves providing ample shade, as if time has reversed, and everything has returned to what it was before the disaster.
"Am I seeing things? How did all these trees come back to life?" Wang Mang stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief.
Yan Qing frowned deeply: "The landmarks in this area seem unchanged. The mountain is still there, and the peak still stands tall. So why has it changed so much?"
Xu Yuehuai gazed at this strange scene, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.
"Perhaps we have truly returned to the time before this forest was burned down."
"This passage seems to contain some kind of power that can manipulate time."
Upon hearing this, both Yan Qing and Wang Mang showed expressions of astonishment. They were both shocked and somewhat awe-inspiring at this conjecture that was beyond their comprehension.
As a traveler who has traveled through time, Xu Yuehuai seems to have a more acute intuition and understanding of all this.
“If we really did go back in time,” Xu Yuehuai continued, “then perhaps here we can find clues to all the truth. Let’s go see if any other creatures are still alive.”
The three carefully made their way through the dense forest, and soon a slight noise caught their attention.
Parting the bushes, they were pleasantly surprised to find several wild animals foraging for food. They were running or playing, completely undisturbed by the outside world, as if the place had never experienced that catastrophe.
Upon seeing this, a glint of hunger flashed in Wang Mang's eyes.
"I haven't had a decent meal in ages, I'm starving!" Before he finished speaking, he pounced like a cheetah and began fighting with a wild beast.
Yan Qing wanted to dissuade her, but seeing Xu Yuehuai's meaningful smile, she understood her intention: "Your Highness, aren't you going to stop him?"
“If he can eat his fill here,” Xu Yuehuai replied with a smile, “then it proves that everything we are experiencing right now is real.”
Yan Qing suddenly realized what was going on and joined the battle, helping Wang Mang subdue the beast.
Soon, they lit a fire and roasted their prey until it was golden brown and crispy.
Wang Mang eagerly tore off a piece of meat, chewed it heartily, and his satisfaction was palpable.
After confirming that the food was safe, Yan Qing respectfully handed one portion to Xu Yuehuai.
Xu Yuehua tore off a piece of wild animal meat, tasted it, and said, "The taste is not much different."
"Then that proves what we're experiencing now is real, right?" Yan Qing asked.
Xu Yuehuai ate another piece of roasted meat, "That's most likely the case."
Wang Mang continued roasting wild animals by the campfire, eating them without paying any attention to the conversation between the two men.
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