The Palace of the Dead has an inexplicable obsession with flowers, and some places even pave the ground with fresh flowers.
The patrolling disciple led them along a path covered with small white flowers. The flowers filled the gaps between the bluestone bricks, and no matter how careful they were, they were bound to step on them.
The patrolling disciple sensed Fang Shan's cautious steps and turned back, saying, "Don't be too cautious. These flowers won't die."
Fang Shan shrugged. "If the stems are bent, wouldn't that ruin their beauty?"
"No," the patrolling disciple explained, "It's very resilient, a variety specially bred by the former Palace Master."
Fang Shan said calmly, "There are many exotic flowers and plants here, all of which I have never seen before."
The patrolling disciple's eyes were filled with unconcealed pride: "Palace masters of all generations have always loved cultivating strange and exotic flowers and plants."
Fang Shan and Wei Sushen looked at each other and continued asking with pretended curiosity.
Influenced by the atmosphere in the palace, the disciples who patrolled the mountains also liked to tinker with flowers and plants. They talked incessantly, focusing on introducing flowers and plants that repelled mosquitoes.
"But the most powerful one is the forgetfulness grass."
Fang Shan's eyes moved: "Can eating it make you forget about love?"
The patrolling disciple said mysteriously, "It's said that the forgetfulness grass can make one forget all emotions and desires, and that swallowing it will improve one's internal strength by leaps and bounds."
Fang Shan also showed a bit of surprise: "So magical?"
The patrolling disciple's face was slightly embarrassed. "Actually, anyone with a brain knows that if one lets go of all emotions and focuses on martial arts, one will definitely achieve something."
“…”
After looking around, the patrol disciple whispered, "The previous Palace Master once said that knocking someone unconscious with a club might have the same effect."
Fang Shan shook his head after hearing this: "After losing one's memory, it's easy to have distracting thoughts, which is not conducive to practicing martial arts." He paused and said, "Can you take me to see the forgetfulness grass?"
The patrolling disciples looked at him in surprise.
Fang Shan said calmly, "Sorry, I almost forgot that this is the palace's most precious treasure and cannot be easily shown to others."
"You misunderstood." The patrol disciple waved his hands repeatedly: "It's just that the garden is closed today."
"Closed?"
The patrol disciple patiently said, "The Palace Master has developed a tourist garden using the forgetfulness grass. You can enter if you pay enough money."
“…”
The patrolling disciple didn't notice his expression and continued, "Things are valuable because they are rare. The park is only open three times a month."
"Your Palace Master...is very far-sighted."
If he continued to ask, it might arouse the other party's suspicion, so Fang Shan shut up at the right time.
After walking a little further, the patrolling disciple gave a brief introduction to the structure of the Palace of the Dead and where the forbidden areas were and where one was not allowed to enter without permission.
"Depending on your beauty, you have two options. One is to live in the Palace of the Dead, and the other is to choose a house in a nearby town. The palace will allocate you a fixed amount of money every month."
Even though he was mentally prepared, Fang Shan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard such generous treatment. He didn't make a decision immediately, but instead asked, "Which one is more suitable for me?"
The patrol disciple praised him, "You are very smart. There have been many fools who, proud of their beauty, made decisions without asking questions, and then regretted it too late."
Fang Shan acted humbly and sought advice.
The patrolling disciple slowly said, "If you live in the palace, you must abide by the rules of the Undead Palace. Especially since the Palace Master has a capricious personality and many have been executed for offending him. Living outside allows for greater freedom, but the price you pay is not being able to leave for five years."
"Five years?"
The patrol disciple nodded and said, "And during these five years, you must ensure that your face remains intact and your body remains in shape, otherwise your limbs will be broken and you will be expelled."
There is no free lunch in the world, and the Palace of the Dead once again proves this.
Fang Shan pointed at the person next to him: "Where's my brother?"
The patrol disciple thought for a moment and said, "The Palace Master didn't specifically say anything, so he should have tacitly agreed that he could stay."
At this point, I specifically reminded you: "But try to go out less and don't scare others."
Wei Sushen nodded calmly.
Fang Shan watched helplessly as his host went from being a successful and popular man to being disliked by everyone, and he felt quite guilty.
They were placed in a yard near the lake.
The courtyard of the Palace of the Dead also has a residence limit, and those over the age of 25 are no longer allowed to live there.
"The previous occupant left not long ago," the patrol disciple said, "I'll have someone replace the mattress with a new one."
Fang Shan nodded and began to survey the room after he left. Every corner was decorated, even the jade hanging above the bed. It was clear the previous owner had a rather flamboyant style, which suited his taste perfectly.
Taking out two pieces of paper from the table, Fang Shan had an excellent memory and quickly integrated the information he got from the patrolling disciples to outline a rough map of the Palace of the Dead.
"The forgetfulness grass is planted near the back mountain. During the day, there are disciples of the Undead Palace practicing nearby, so it's difficult to avoid being discovered. It's best to act at night."
Wei Sushen: "Don't be too extreme."
You have to complete three of your chosen tasks before you are eligible to leave. If you are being hunted by the Undead Palace, it will be difficult to continue your mission.
Fang Shan thought for a moment and said, "Let's explore the route tonight."
Wei Sushen nodded slightly.
·
The meal time in the Palace of the Dead is very early, generally one stick of incense earlier than normal people. It is said that this is to maintain a slim figure.
The lingering warmth of the sun hadn't yet dissipated when dinner arrived. It looked like a table full of delicious dishes, but each dish was actually served on a palm-sized plate, easily finished in two bites.
Beneath Fang Shan's delicate eyebrows were a pair of eyes filled with resentment: "Poor me, I'm living a life of hunger and cold."
Wei Sushen picked up the only two pieces of chicken thigh meat with his chopsticks and put them into his bowl, trying to shut the system up by eating.
Fang Shan did exactly that, and soon shut up and focused on eating.
In the rare silence, the chopsticks of the two people who were about to pick up food paused slightly in mid-air at the same time.
At the same time, the sound of "beep" kept ringing in Wei Sushen's mind, followed by a series of prompt sounds:
[The program is about to start updating, please do not exit——]
Fang Shan frowned. "This is something that usually wouldn't happen for hundreds of years, yet this is the second time it's been updated this year."
[The new version fixes the following issues: When caught in a space countercurrent, priority is given to plane teleportation and tasks are randomly reissued.
Added Avakan Mountain Kingdom language to resolve mission failures due to language barriers.
New feature: Travel photos. Collect photos from three different dimensions to redeem a time-travel travel ticket (limited to one per ID).
After a brief silence, Fang Shan put down his chopsticks and said, "No wonder there was a sudden update."
As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with Wei Sushen and said with lingering fear, "There are actually planes that haven't been recorded in language or writing."
Among thousands of worlds, some people happened to choose that one in ten million chance. Compared to that, they could be considered lucky.
Wei Sushen opened the '+' behind the travel photo, and soon a string of detailed introductions popped up -
Photo requirements: The accompanying system must be visible and show its true appearance.
Fang Shan pursed his lips and said, "Special requirements are made to prevent cheating."
He then began to explain further: "The system can be changed in many ways. It's easy to disguise yourself as the host and take photos. This requirement eliminates this possibility."
"Time travel." Wei Sushen's focus was on another aspect. He looked at him and asked, "Does this mean we can go back to a certain point in the past?"
Fang Shan nodded, his eyes obscure and unclear: "Perhaps this is an opportunity to recover the deleted data."
Wei Sushen said very calmly: "I will help you."
Fang Shan was somewhat moved. After he calmed down, Wei Sushen spoke again, "Is there any chance that the forgetfulness grass can be taken back as a quest item? Will it have any effect on species other than humans?"
Fang Shan suddenly realized what he was planning, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "Not necessarily."
Wei Sushen said coldly, "Oh," and said, "Then I take back what I just said."
“…”
The moon climbed up the sky little by little, and when it was completely hung in the night sky, Fang Shan changed into simple clothes and sneaked out with Wei Sushen.
There is no one on duty in the Palace of the Dead. On weekdays, the disciples only take turns patrolling the mountain.
Fang Shan: "Most places are fine, but there are some houses with interesting plants outside. If you walk past them rashly, you'll definitely bleed to death."
Wei Sushen nodded. His hearing was excellent, and he could even pick up the subtle hissing of some venomous snakes in the cracks of the rocks. However, for some reason, these snakes would only pop their heads out and then retreat back into the water.
He glanced at Fang Shan and said, "They seem to be afraid of you."
Fang Shan shook his head: "I'm afraid of Shan Shan."
As if hearing his words, the fat bug crawled out of the jar and shook the tip of its tail proudly.
The forget-me-not grass was planted in Tianxiang Garden, and the visiting hours were thoughtfully noted on the wooden sign outside the gate. Fang Shan guessed that the Palace of the Dead had made huge profits from it.
The built area inside is very large and is surrounded by vegetation. It is really difficult to fully distinguish the types of plants at first glance.
Wei Sushen: "Let's go to the front and take a look first."
Fang Shan had no objection, and the two of them wandered along, truly like tourists. For the first time, Wei Sushen deeply realized the preciousness of the Gu worm. With Shan Shan around, even the smallest toxin that entered his body would be quickly cleared away.
Fang Shan suddenly stopped. On the oblique side was a lake as smooth as a mirror, planted with a large area of blooming lotus flowers. The most eye-catching thing was the center of the lake. At first glance, it looked like a reed swaying in the wind, standing there surrounded by stars like the moon.
"You said, could it be that?"
Wei Sushen: "Maybe."
Fang Shan pondered and said, "Be careful not to damage the roots when digging. See if the task prompt sound will appear."
Wei Sushen didn't rush to act: "We need to find a way to cover it up."
They had only been there for one day when the Forget-Me-Not Herb disappeared. It was suspicious even without any logical thinking.
Fang Shan frowned slightly: "Let's cultivate similar grasses first, and then replace them when the time comes."
After making up their minds, they temporarily put aside their plan to pull out the weeds and returned along the same route.
The night is just right, with cicadas chirping and frogs croaking.
Fang Shan snapped his fingers: "Want to dance?"
Wei Sushen shook his head.
Fang Shan wasn't surprised by his choice: "Then take a picture."
Wei Sushen did not refuse this time.
"It's a pity that the program was updated too late," Fang Shan said with regret, "otherwise we would have collected them long ago."
He was holding a coin, which the system called a delusion-breaking camera. Fang Shan returned to his original appearance, picked a huge rock and sat on it, patting the place next to him: "Come and take a photo."
Wei Sushen sat next to him, and suddenly a strange feeling arose in his heart. The two of them had been together for so long, but in the end, apart from systematic candid photos and forced photos, there was no real photo of them together.
"Look at the camera and smile." Fang Shan held up the coin like he was coaxing a child. "That's right, look right there."
Wei Sushen twitched the corners of his mouth, and the first plane travel photo was born.
Fang Shan lowered his head and checked the image of the photo.
Suddenly, a strong fragrance blew in the breeze. Fang Shan was slightly startled. This was the floral scent that only the Palace Master of the Undead Palace had. He looked up in surprise, but when Wei Sushen wanted to stop him, it was too late.
Their eyes met, and they both saw something incredible in each other's eyes. Fang Shan was surprised as to why the Palace Master, who had a strict schedule, would show up at the time when he was getting his beauty sleep, while the latter was surprised at his face.
After a few breaths, Fang Shan realized that he still maintained his true appearance because of the photo.
Comparing the two, Gaolingzhihua's character has a sharper chin and a more severe brow peak. However, Fang Shan's true appearance has a softer profile, delicate eyebrows, and eyes full of spirit.
The eyes of the Palace Master of the Undead Palace grew colder by more than one degree: "Who are you?"
Fang Shan was about to speak when the Palace Master of the Undead Palace whipped out the whip from his waist, preemptively eliminating any possibility of lying: "I know more about human skin masks than anyone else."
He was sure that Fang Shan did not wear anything like that during the day.
The silver whip gleamed coldly in the moonlight, just like the gaze of the Palace Master of the Undead Palace: "Tell me, how can one person have two different faces?"
Sensing the murderous intent, Wei Sushen glanced at Fang Shan, and his meaning was very clear... Do you want to fight?
Fang Shan shook his head, jumped off the rock, and said seriously, "It's actually a face."
The Palace Master of the Undead Palace probably saw someone telling lies with open eyes for the first time, and he laughed out of anger.
Fang Shan said confidently, "It's true, this is me without makeup." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Completely without makeup.
“…”
The author has something to say: Reporter: Have you ever woken up one day and felt like your living partner has changed?
Wei Sushen: ...refuse to answer.
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