Chapter 77: How Did This Extra Hole Appear?
Zhang Qiling said this, and Wu Xie couldn’t help but start to think about what other purpose this bronze bell could have besides causing hallucinations. Although he really wanted to ask Zhang Qiling, since Zhang Qiling said he couldn’t remember, then maybe… should he try?
Anyway, only the few of them were here now, trying it… shouldn’t cause any trouble? An uncontrollable impulse made Wu Xie tentatively shake the bell. Before he could react, he heard a clear, ethereal sound, different from that of Jishi Land.
“Ding~ Ding——”
Zhang Qiling suddenly turned his head and snatched the bronze bell from his hand.
Wu Xie watched Zhang Qiling’s anxious expression, his mouth opened and closed as if he was saying something. But why couldn’t he hear it?
The sound of the bell seemed to grow louder, from one ring to two, three… For a moment, he felt that the pleasant, ethereal sound was the entire world. Everything before his eyes gradually faded, and his vision plunged into darkness.
Someone was speaking to him, a voice that was both weathered and gentle.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Who are you? Where is this? How did I get here?”
Wu Xie stood in darkness, somewhat bewildered. He didn’t remember how he got there. What was he doing before?
“Who am I? Heh, I am you.”
Wu Xie only heard a light laugh, and the voice came to him. He tried hard to open his eyes, but he couldn’t see anything in the darkness.
He became a little flustered: “Where are you? Come out. How could you possibly be me? Then who am I?”
“You have to ask yourself that question. Who do you think you are?”
“I am… Wu Xie! Who else could I be?”
“But are you really, just Wu Xie? Think about it again, who are you really!”
“I am Wu Xie! I… I am, I am… Who am I? Am I not Wu Xie? Am I not Wu Xie? I am…”
He seemed to gradually feel something, a strange yet familiar memory being awakened from the depths of his mind. He was not Wu Xie, he was…
The name was stuck in Wu Xie’s throat, but he couldn’t say it, as if saying it would make him lose something crucially important. His heart was completely in turmoil.
Suddenly, a white light broke through the darkness. Wu Xie only heard the voice say, “Alas, there isn’t much time… If it weren’t for…”
“If it weren’t for what?”
Just as he was about to press further, the white light rapidly expanded. The voice seemed to be afraid of the white light and could only be heard from a distance: “Remember… bronze…”
“What did you say?”
Wu Xie became agitated. He felt completely confused. Why had he inexplicably come to this place? What was with this voice? What was with this white light? Why did the departure of this voice make him anxious, yet also relieved?
Wu Xie only felt as if he had fallen into a vortex, unable to find an answer. At that moment, the white light spread over, gradually enveloping him.
What is this white light again? He looked back, but saw nothing, only the overwhelming whiteness. His consciousness felt dizzy, sinking into darkness.
“Ding~ ding——”
What sound is that? Such a familiar sound. Wu Xie opened his eyes and saw Lin Yan playing with a bronze bell. The bell in his hand made a clear and melodious sound with a unique rhythm, which cleared his mind.
“What happened to me just now?”
He asked Lin Yan with some confusion. He only remembered that he had shaken the bell, and then his consciousness had become groggy, until the bell rang again.
“You were hallucinating from the bell.”
Zhang Qiling stepped forward, looking at the bell in Lin Yan’s hand and said, “He can control the bell to a certain extent to break illusions.”
Wu Xie felt a chill run down his spine: “Did I do anything while I was hallucinating? Why do I feel like I’ve forgotten something very important?”
Fatty Ye turned to look at him: “We don’t know what happened, but after the bell rang, we turned around and saw you standing there blankly, your head following the bell, muttering strange things like ‘Who am I?’, ‘Who am I really?’, ‘Who are you?’, etc. If it weren’t for Young Comrade Lin specially walking in front of you, you might have twisted your neck off!”
Wu Xie patted his head in distress: “But I don’t remember anything, I just feel like I forgot something very important just now.”
Lin Yan stopped his hand: “Then how about you enter the illusion again?”
He then looked at Zhang Qiling: “Can I control the bell to make him enter the illusion?”
Zhang Qiling shook his head indifferently, pointing to the bell in his hand: “It’s useless, you can’t enter anymore. It only has the function of breaking illusions in your hands.”
Lin Yan rolled his eyes and handed the bell to Fatty Ye: “Then what about in his hands?”
Before Wu Xie could stop him, Fatty Ye rang the bell—
Nothing happened.
Fatty Ye and Lin Yan stared closely at Wu Xie, but Wu Xie’s eyes were clear and his expression was normal, not like he had entered an illusion. Fatty Ye was stunned: “Hey, why doesn’t it work for me?”
Zhang Qiling, too lazy to watch them continue experimenting, shook his head and walked towards the outside of the cave first, leaving the three of them looking at each other. Lin Yan saw the sudden awkward atmosphere, took the bell back from Fatty Ye’s hand and put it in his bag, then pulled Wu Xie along: “Let’s go, it’s meaningless here anymore.”
Fatty Ye scratched his head: “Why are they all leaving suddenly? Weren’t we not in a hurry?”
He followed, but after a few steps, he retreated and picked up A Ning, who had been forgotten for a long time: “Holy crap, I almost forgot the boat ticket!”
As he walked, he felt the two in front walking faster and faster, disappearing from sight within a few steps, and the person in his hands felt heavier. Only then did he realize: “Holy crap, these two young comrades are sly! Leaving Fatty Ye last means they don’t want to do the hard work of carrying this person out?”
He looked at A Ning with disdain, having the impulse to leave her here, but thinking she was their boat ticket. Fine, he’d endure it!
It must be said that Fatty Ye’s intuition was right. At first, Lin Yan was indeed awkward. He could roughly guess the reason why Wu Xie could hallucinate by shaking the bell, it might be due to his bloodline; the reason he could break illusions was also because he had a bloodline. Fatty Ye’s failure was because he was the only ordinary person among the four without a bloodline. What else was there to do but leave? Was he going to watch Fatty Ye be embarrassed? After all, they had been brothers since entering the tomb, doing such a thing would be too bad!
However, after walking a few steps, he remembered something, so he pulled Wu Xie along—A Ning was still left behind! Although he was strong, he didn’t really want to use his strength for such things. Fatty Ye’s fat should be reduced, and carrying this weight while walking is also an effective way! See, he was thinking so much for Fatty Ye!
Lin Yan gave himself a thumbs up for his cleverness, and then took off a spare oxygen tank from himself and handed it to Wu Xie—He now had bags in front and back, and two oxygen tanks hanging on his shoulders were always falling, which was troublesome and restricted movement. It was better to let the original owner take one, wasn’t it?
“You hold it. Among us, you’re the one who understands architecture. I guess you’ll have to go up to the very top to take a look. If the seawater floods in once it’s broken through, you’ll be the first to face it, so let’s get you equipped first, lest you be caught off guard.”
With that, they returned to the Grand Hall. Zhang Qiling walked back to the Heavenly Palace model, contemplating something. Lin Yan went to inspect the stone slab blocking the tomb-robbing hole.
Hmm, safe and sound. But… he stared blankly at the brick wall beside him, “Where the hell did this hole come from?”
