Jingu Ruins (I)
After Ling Qingqiu emerged from the illusion, he followed the light on the jade slip and successfully reunited with You Jingjia. He immediately spotted the hairpin on his junior sister's head, which was eye-catching and dazzling.
It seems Jingjia has also gained a lot. Ling Qingqiu retracted his gaze and said, "Zhao Zhao and A Tiao may still be in the illusion. Why don't we wait for a while?"
You Jingjia naturally had no objection. She had a lot to say to Lin Zhuo, and she, You Jingjia, had also become the eldest princess.
As day and night shifted within the secret realm, Ling Qingqiu lit a fire. The flames danced as the two brothers and sisters sat together, somewhat speechless.
A prompt suddenly popped up on the jade slip, and Lin Zhuo and Xie Zhitiao came out.
You Jingjia immediately smiled happily: "Senior brother, let's go find Zhaozhao." Finally, she didn't have to stay with the cold-faced senior brother.
Ling Qingqiu nodded and put out the fire.
————
The illusion shattered suddenly, leaving Lin Zhuo and Xie Zhitiao stunned in their places, their attire back in their sect disciple uniforms. Lin Zhuo blinked, a bit unresponsive. She raised her hand, the Tingyun Sword unsheathed, now grasped in her palm.
Her spiritual power returned. How could the illusion be shattered just like that?
Xie Zhitiao was brought back to his senses by her action. He looked around, swallowed, and walked forward to grab Lin Zhuo's sleeve.
"Zhao... Senior Sister, are we in the secret realm now?"
Xie Zhitiao had been afraid of the dark since childhood, seemingly due to his experiences wandering the countryside. Lin Zhuo, fully aware of his fear, patted him and comforted him, "As he should be. Our brothers and sisters will probably come looking for us soon, don't be afraid."
She held Xie Zhitiao's hand, trying to give him some warmth, and with her other hand she took out a jade slip and checked the direction.
Xie Zhitiao's fear of the dark was no longer as severe as it had been in childhood, but he was still a little timid. He held Lin Zhuo's hand tightly and followed her direction.
After just over a hundred meters, Lin Zhuo spotted two people walking towards him. The girl in red excitedly waved her hand, "Zhao Zhao!"
Seeing his senior brothers and sisters, Xie Zhitiao's tense mood finally relaxed. Lin Zhuo was hugged tightly by You Jingjia, and Ling Qingqiu stepped forward to pull Xie Zhitiao away.
"Did your trip to the illusion go well? I put a night pearl in your storage bag, why don't you use it?" A mother worries about her son when he is thousands of miles away, and Ling Qingqiu is also worried about his brother when he is thousands of miles away.
Xie Zhitiao's emotions were no longer tense, and his expression gradually warmed up. He muttered, "I forgot... Senior brother has a good memory."
Lin Zhuo finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Illusion... A Tiao and I entered the same illusion. It's hard to say, but to be precise, it didn't go very well."
Ling Qingqiu took out the Night Pearl for Xie Zhitiao and frowned when he heard this: "You... entered the same illusion?"
Lin Zhuo and Xie Zhitiao nodded in unison.
Ling Qingqiu and You Jingjia exchanged a look, both of them looking rather serious. For two people to enter the same illusion was unheard of.
"Then what? What happened in the illusion?" You Jingjia asked.
"I can't use my spiritual power, but A-Tiao seems to be unrestricted." Lin Zhuo continued honestly, "Also, the illusion shattered very suddenly. We didn't see Him and he just came out."
Was this what it meant to fail God's test? Ling Qingqiu and You Jingjia stared at each other again, and this time Ling Qingqiu spoke first.
"If you didn't see it, then you didn't see it. It's just an illusion. Don't take it too seriously."
"Yes, yes, isn't there a secret realm here? You can also gain something by visiting the secret realm. Why should you be confined to that small world?" You Jingjia hugged Lin Zhuo and patted him.
Lin Zhuo pursed his lips and smiled: "I'm not sad, don't worry, Senior Sister."
Xie Zhitiao also quickly added: "Really, really! We don't care, brothers and sisters, don't worry."
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
The environment in the dense forest is complex, and the danger may increase as the night gets darker. After discussion, the four decided to head south, towards the direction where the trees are sparse, and rest after the terrain becomes open.
————
Rong Si pressed down a chess piece and leaned back in his chair calmly: "Cang He, you lose."
Cang He paused and threw the chess piece back into the chess box: "Forget it, I won't play anymore."
Rong Si raised an eyebrow: "Hey, what's wrong, Immortal Venerable? Are you worried about your disciple?"
Cang He didn't bother to pay attention to him and looked at the image condensed in the illusion.
How could he not be worried? His four disciples, for the first time, were leaving him and facing unknown dangers. They were all children he had watched grow up.
Rong Si didn't want to be bored, so he went to talk again: "Look, the hairpin on your second son's head. That's the magic weapon of the Supreme God Daoqing, right?"
He didn't lower his voice deliberately, so several sect leaders and elders around him turned their heads to see what was going on.
Cang He glanced at Rong Si, then looked around. The people around him tactfully averted their gazes, but Rong Si remained smiling. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to talk to someone like you who has no disciples. Stay away from me." Canghe flicked his sleeves, looking extremely disgusted.
Rong Si was finally satisfied and sat up straight. "Alright, alright, since 'I've already claimed to be here, I won't bother myself any more. Hey, do you think they can get there?"
Cang He was silent. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, tightened slightly. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Let's take it one step at a time."
He didn't want to see his children reach the same point as in their previous life.
————
After they found a place to stay and lit a fire, You Jingjia said, "You are really good, you actually became the emperor."
As they walked, Lin Zhuo briefly told them about their secret place. You Jingjia listened with such gusto that she even forgot to talk about her own experience.
Xie Zhitiao felt a little sleepy. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in the dreamland, and now with his brother and sister and her by his side, he felt much more relaxed. He didn't bother to retort You Jingjia's jokes, and cleared a space for himself to rest.
Lin Zhuo, however, stepped in first to defend her: "Senior Sister, please stop teasing A Tiao. He's exhausted himself in the illusion and needs a rest."
You Jingjia had only teased him a few times, not intending to argue. But when she heard Lin Zhuo's defense, she suddenly felt something was wrong. She narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between the two of them, and finally met Ling Qingqiu's gaze.
"?"
"You should rest too. I'll keep watch." Ling Qingqiu said lightly.
You Jingjia was not polite either. She took out some spare clothes from her storage bag and wrapped them around herself and Lin Zhuo. "Then, Senior Brother, you guard the first half of the night, and I'll take over the second half."
Ling Qingqiu nodded.
Although the world within the secret realm resembled what it had been like tens of millions of years ago, it was no different from the dense forest of today. The incessant chirping of insects filled his ears as Ling Qingqiu erected the barrier, crossed his legs, and flipped through the sword manual given to him by Cen Jiming within his sea of consciousness.
The chirping of insects became quieter and quieter, and birdsong gradually began to be heard in the forest. Ling Qingqiu then opened his eyes and was shocked to realize that a whole night had passed.
You Jingjia also woke up and was stunned for a long time before he said in surprise, "Brother, you are...about to break through?!"
Ling Qingqiu curled the corners of his lips into a smile. A sword manual written by the Supreme God Dongjun was certainly not an ordinary item.
Lin Zhuo was also awakened by You Jingjia's actions. He was still a little dazed and collapsed on his senior sister's body, lost in thought.
Xie Zhitiao was sleeping soundly. Ling Qingqiu glanced at him and said gently, "Zhao Zhao, come back to your senses. We'll set off soon."
He reached out and patted Xie Zhitiao again: "A Tiao, it's time to get up."
Xie Zhitiao opened his eyes, but was blinded by the sunlight and closed them again, feeling somewhat depressed. "Brother... do you have to be so hasty?"
"The secret realm's opening hours are always limited. We don't know when Master will call us back. Don't be greedy. When we return, I will ask Master to allow you to rest for a few more days."
Xie Zhitiao had no choice but to sit up. They found a stream, cleaned up a little, and headed south again.
Ling Qingqiu led Xie Zhitiao in front to clear the way, while You Jingjia and Lin Zhuo were whispering to each other in the back.
"Really? Did you really read the storybook? Is it good? If you like it, I have a lot of them in the courtyard. I'll give them to you when I get back."
Lin Zhuo pursed his lips and smiled, "Thank you, Senior Sister. Senior Sister, tell me, what does it feel like to experience the earth-shattering love stories in those storybooks?"
You Jingjia raised an eyebrow: "Why are you asking this suddenly?"
"It's just... it just suddenly occurred to me." Lin Zhuo said vaguely, looking at the two people in front of him, and leaned over to whisper in his sister's ear. "Senior sister... last time you said that A Tiao didn't treat me as a sister, what did you mean?"
You Jingjia was horrified. Was their little Baicai actually going to be taken away?!
She looked carefully at Lin Zhua's expression and found that she was not shy, but seemed simply curious.
"It's hard for me to explain this. You will understand when the time comes." You Jingjia did not explain rashly. If Zhao Zhao became alienated from A Tiao because of this, who knows how upset that person would feel.
"To be honest, I don't really understand love." You Jingjia looked at the road and whispered softly, "When you like someone, you can't hide your feelings in your eyes. When you see them, you can't help but feel happy."
"I know you're interested in these things because of Qiu Ji and Chang Junning, but Zhao Zhao, you have to understand that love can't be forced." She embraced the girl beside her, her eyes full of love. "Our Zhao Zhao has grown up and can stand on her own. It's just that love is too ethereal. Remember, never trust others easily."
Lin Zhuo nodded, but his eyes drifted involuntarily to the boy in front of him. He rested his head on his hands and walked lazily. His senior brother beside him tilted his head and said something, and he saw him pout and put his hands down.
She curled her lips, and suddenly remembered something, and continued whispering to her senior sister: "Senior sister... Zhao Zhao still has problems."
You Jingjia likes to teach others: "Speak! Senior Sister will tell you everything she knows!"
Lin Zhuo hesitated a bit, "You said... a couple, in the bathroom... is that really okay?"
You Jingjia was startled, choked by her own saliva, and coughed for a long time, looking at her in disbelief: "You, you, you...what are you asking me?!"
The two people in front also turned around, not understanding what was going on. Lin Zhuo's face turned red, but he was too embarrassed to say it again, so he just kept his mouth shut.
You Jingjia's anger flared up immediately. She strode forward and grabbed Xie Zhitiao's ear. "Okay! Is this how you teach Zhaozhao?! I must teach you a lesson today!"
Xie Zhitiao was in so much pain that he immediately begged for mercy: "I didn't do that, Senior Sister! I didn't do that! Be gentle! Be gentle!"
Lin Zhuo quickly went over to pull You Jingjia back: "Senior Sister! Senior Sister, don't be angry. This has nothing to do with A Tiao."
Ling Qingqiu frowned and asked Xie Zhitiao, "What did you do in the illusion?"
"I didn't do anything! Brother, why don't you believe me?"
You Jingjia didn't want to pay attention to anyone and walked forward angrily. Lin Zhuo hurriedly caught up with her, saying soothingly, "Senior Sister, please don't be angry. I won't ask anymore, okay?"
Ling Qingqiu glanced at the dumbfounded boy and said in a deep voice, "Tell me about your experience in the illusion." If A Tiao really "bullied" Zhao Zhao, he would teach him a lesson on behalf of his master.
Xie Zhitiao had a face full of bitterness and resentment, muttering, "Who did I offend? I won't understand even if I die."
————
In the pitch-black dungeon, a demonic fire ignited. A pair of blood-red eyes opened in the darkness, looking towards the man on the throne.
"Owner."
Half of the man's face was covered by a hood, revealing only the pale lower half. His blood-red lips curved, and his voice was hoarse like a ghost.
"Soul Eater, the show is about to begin."
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