Chapter 222: Three More People Show Up
Stepping out of Shi Mei’s house, the glaring sunlight stabbed straight at her eyes, forcing Xuan Xia to squint.
It suddenly became bright daylight like this?
Chang Xi and Zhou Shiqing, who followed her out, were also caught off guard, all dazzled by the sunlight.
Chang Xi called out, “The time here is way too chaotic, isn’t it? I specifically checked before we left, and it had only just gotten light.”
“It’s saving me time, nothing bad about that.” Xuan Xia replied to her.
However, this Illusionary Scenery was really very different from the ones she had been in before.
At least in the previous Illusionary Scenery, there was no such thing as time passing.
It was always the same time, and the scenes weren’t that big either.
Unlike now, with day and night alternating, the scenes looking larger too, and most importantly, there were quite a few people.
But when Xuan Xia turned her head and thought about it again, all the Illusionary Scenery she had entered before were ones made by Ren Yaozhe. Although his purpose in creating Illusionary Scenery was still unclear, comparing it to her great-grandfather’s work notebook that she had seen, the ones Ren Yaozhe made were simplified versions.
And something like this current Illusionary Scenery was probably the normal form.
Xuan Xia stopped her thoughts, and after adapting to the intense sunlight, she quickened her pace a few steps to walk side by side with Shi Mei.
Shi Mei noticed her and subconsciously turned her head to look back. After seeing two more people following behind, Shi Mei turned back around and pitifully glanced at Xuan Xia.
Xuan Xia thought to herself, she finally deigned to show her pitiful expression to me first.
Then Xuan Xia asked her, “Do you know how many strangers came this time?”
Shi Mei’s eyes immediately filled with resentment. “I don’t know. But I’ll know soon enough.”
Xuan Xia asked Shi Mei a few questions about the sacrifice and offering aspects.
The more she asked, the more resentful Shi Mei’s eyes became, her answers uniformly “I don’t know,” and the more she answered, the faster her speech got, her emotions increasingly showing impatience.
While one kept asking and the other kept saying she didn’t know, they had already arrived at the beach.
The tide pushed the waves, crashing onto the beach one after another, leaving shallow marks.
Xuan Xia looked around and realized that along this entire path, aside from Shi Mei and the leading man, she hadn’t seen anyone else.
And the staff she had imagined following those who mistakenly entered were also nowhere to be seen.
Shi Mei looked ahead, held back for a while but couldn’t hold back, turned her head and quietly asked Xuan Xia, “Can’t you really save me?”
Xuan Xia looked at her without speaking.
Shi Mei quickly showed a dead-hearted expression, turned back around, and said nothing more.
Before long, they returned to the place where the cave from yesterday was located.
Although Xuan Xia was already prepared, seeing yesterday’s ruins restored to their original state today, she still couldn’t help but sigh.
What a sin, truly a waste of effort.
Xuan Xia took two steps back to Chang Xi’s side and held out her hand to her. “Give me a few more talisman papers, and the cinnabar brush.”
Without a word, Chang Xi did as asked, pulling out the things she wanted from her sleeve.
After getting the items, Xuan Xia immediately picked up the brush to write talismans.
Zhou Shiqing, standing right beside her, watched Xuan Xia’s speed like she was stamping seals, his expression quite complex.
When Chang Xi had explained this thing called “Illusionary Scenery” to him, he had held back a bunch of questions. He hadn’t had time to ask before the bell rang, so he held them until on the road to question Chang Xi.
Along this road, his worldview had collapsed again, just finished rebuilding.
But emotionally, he hadn’t fully adjusted to accept it yet.
–
Just as they neared the cave entrance, Xuan Xia actually heard Xie Yun’s voice.
Xie Yun shouted in near-scream, “What exactly are you people? Do you know that what you’re doing is against the law?”
Similar words, Xie Yun seemed to have shouted many times already, but she never got the effect she wanted.
So next, she changed her approach and started shouting in another language.
Hearing the other side’s stumbling foreign language, Xuan Xia’s brush paused, suddenly not wanting to continue writing the talisman—what was that about?
However, after Xie Yun, Xuan Xia heard another familiar voice.
That was… An Qi’s voice!
Xuan Xia put away the brush, held the talismans, and quickly passed Shi Mei, also passing the leading man, arriving first at the cave entrance.
But just before stepping into the cave, she chose to stop.
The leading man had no reaction to her actions, as if ignoring her existence, or as if tacitly permitting any behavior of hers.
Xuan Xia had no time to care about the leading man’s situation right now; she took the position at the cave entrance and clearly saw the specific situation inside the cave.
The old women stood in yesterday’s positions, the three-headed snake was nowhere to be seen, and the other people participating in the sacrifice were each busy with their own tasks.
These people’s attire was the same as during yesterday’s sacrifice.
Looking at these people, Xuan Xia glanced back at the man approaching, then withdrew her line of sight and continued looking into the cave.
Xie Yun and An Qi were sitting opposite the old women, right against the cave wall.
They were currently tied up with hands behind their backs, with two men standing guard on either side.
And precisely because of this, Xie Yun would use the word “against the law.”
Of course, Xie Yun was still desperately shouting without giving up, from law to freedom, seemingly trying to persuade them with words to lay down the butcher’s knife and become Buddhas on the spot.
She alternated between fluent mother tongue and stumbling foreign language words, but unfortunately, her foreign language vocabulary was too limited. From the two men’s attitudes, they definitely couldn’t understand a single word.
Xuan Xia shifted her line of sight to An Qi, who was turning her head to look aside, and beside her was another person.
But in a lying position.
Xuan Xia heard An Qi’s voice; she was calling “Gu Sun.”
Sure enough, the person lying down sat up, and it was indeed An Qi’s partner, Gu Sun.
He was tied up just like An Qi and the other, and compared to the two women, he was obviously bound even more securely.
Xuan Xia thought to herself, this was just great— the staff who arrived first were still nowhere to be found, and now three more people had come.
And three of them again!
If they didn’t get out soon, who knows, they might end up bringing everyone in. Then it wouldn’t be clear if there would be enough people for the offering.
Just as Xuan Xia was thinking this, the newly awakened Gu Sun blankly looked around the cave, then locked eyes with Xuan Xia at the cave entrance.
Following Gu Sun, An Qi also saw Xuan Xia.
Seeing a familiar face in this unfamiliar environment, An Qi’s eyes immediately showed surprise, but this surprise lasted only a second before An Qi began urgently signaling Xuan Xia with her eyes, her expression anxious.
If Xuan Xia hadn’t misunderstood, An Qi meant for her to run quickly and not get caught.
Xuan Xia couldn’t help but curl up the corner of her mouth and smile.
Seeing her smile, An Qi grew even more anxious.
Xuan Xia, stop smiling, run quick…
Xie Yun was the last to notice Xuan Xia, and upon seeing her, the previously wailing Xie Yun instantly fell silent.
But immediately after, Xie Yun started shouting again, this time not about them breaking the law, but hoping the men guarding them would notice Xuan Xia and catch her too.
Hearing what Xie Yun shouted, An Qi immediately angrily bumped her with her shoulder. “Can’t you shut up!”
Xie Yun winced in pain and glared at An Qi with bared teeth, but the words from her mouth showed no sign of stopping.
An Qi got even angrier, wanting to bite her.
Even Gu Sun, who had just woken up and hadn’t figured out the situation yet, looked at Xie Yun with a face full of disapproval.
The difference between people can sometimes be this big.
Xuan Xia unabashedly rolled her eyes big at Xie Yun, then blocked the man and Shi Mei who were about to step into the cave.
